Team ZR-1 Corvette Racers LLC

IMSA - C8.R at VIR This Weekend 8/28/22

Posted By: teamzr1

IMSA - C8.R at VIR This Weekend 8/28/22 - 08/23/22 05:33 PM

Corvette C8.R seeks to win overall for the fifth time and sixth in class at Virginia International Raceway as the team returns to the track this weekend for the Michelin GT Challenge at VIR.

It’s the second of two GT-only races on the calendar for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
The event, scheduled for 2:10 p.m. ET on Sunday, is one that Corvette Racing has dominated since it went to its current format in 2014.

A Corvette Racing entry has claimed overall wins four times at VIR in IMSA competition, including each of the last two years. Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor, who share the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R, were victors in 2020 in the now-extinct GT Le Mans (GTLM) category.

They were second a year ago to Corvette teammates Tommy Milner and Nick Tandy, who are partnering this season in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
This year is the first for Corvette in the new GT Daytona (GTD) PRO category, and as such is the first at VIR for the GTD Corvette which runs with more weight, less power, an anti-lock braking system and a spec Michelin tire compared to the GTLM class.

Aside from a win at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in March, the season has been mostly frustrating, with a runner-up finish at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and third-place showings at Long Beach and Road America.

Corvette Racing’s love affair with VIR goes back to 2012. This will be the team’s 11th appearance at the 3.27-mile, 17-turn road course. The configuration of the circuit – two long straights and a mix of low, medium, and high-speed corners, creates opportunities for a number of engineering and strategic decisions.
That’s an area where Corvette Racing has a distinct advantage given its 24-year history of competition.

The Michelin GT Challenge at VIR is scheduled for 2:10 p.m. ET on Sunday, August 28.
The race will air live on CNBC and stream live on Peacock beginning at 2 p.m. ET.
IMSA Radio will broadcast Saturday’s final practice and qualifying with the race call Sunday at IMSA.com, on XM 207 and SiriusXM Online 992.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R:

“VIR has everything nice flow, especially. This should be a good weekend for us. It’s another ‘first’ weekend for the GTD Corvette.
We don’t know where we will stand. There are some long straightaways, so we will have to decide on the best aero package to see what is most beneficial. It’s a track where we always have fun at and have a ton of success. Hopefully it’s the same way this year again.

“There are a few tracks where we have to find aero balance, like what we need at VIR. I would consider this track like Canadian Tire Motorsport Park or Watkins Glen where there are fast speeds and slow sections, but you probably need to take care of your top speed. At times, it pays to be a little lighter on downforce and being fast on the straights. We will figure out what’s best.”

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R:

“In terms of enjoyment of driving around, VIR is probably in the top-three of the tracks we go to. It’s one of those natural-terrain tracks that still feels like an old-school track. There’s not much margin for error in high speeds and lots of elevation changes.
It’s just a lot of fun to drive. It’s one of the ones we always look forward to going to.

“It’s a place where you can get caught out pretty quickly with a lot of blind corners that are high-speed. So you do have to be careful. It’s one of the better tracks we go to because it’s an all-GT race.
If we had prototypes there, it would be pretty difficult because of how narrow it is. Every time we go there, the racing is always tough and tight.
We saw that last year in the GTLM class with only three cars. Going back there this year with a little bit bigger grid, the racing should be excellent.”

Team Standings
1. No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports – 2.793
2. No. 14 VasserSullivan – 2,566
3. No. 3 Corvette Racing – 2,566
4. No. 23 Heart of Racing Team – 2,476
5. No. 25 BMW Team RLL – 2,234

Manufacturer Standings
1. Porsche – 2,793
2. Lexus – 2,596
3. Chevrolet – 2,566
4. Aston Martin – 2,546
Posted By: teamzr1

Re: IMSA - C8.R at VIR This Weekend 8/28/22 - 08/23/22 05:45 PM

The C8.R is unbeaten at the track, having won in the hands of Taylor/Garcia in 2020, and then scoring a 1-2 led by Nick Tandy/Tommy Milner last year.

However, in both cases that was in the now defunct GT Le Mans category, and adapting the C8.R to the GTD Pro class in 2022 has not been the work of a moment. Compared with its GTLM spec, the Corvette is heavier, has slightly fewer horsepower, and uses ABS brakes.
Yet Garcia and Taylor have found the biggest struggle has been getting the most out of the spec Michelin tires across a whole stint, compared to when the C8.R ran in GTLM class on a compound/construction unique to the Corvette.

However, the 3.27-mile, 17-turn VIR road course has been one of Corvette Racing’s happy hunting grounds since it first raced there. In the elegant C6.R, Milner and Oliver Gavin triumphed in the GT class in 2012, in the C7.R Garcia and Jan Magnussen won GTLM in both 2016 and ’17, and the C8.R’s recent triumphs make it five wins altogether.

“This should be a good weekend for us,” said Garcia. “It's another 'first' weekend for the GTD Corvette. We don't know where we will stand.
There are some long straightaways, so we will have to decide on the best aero package to see what is most beneficial.
It's a track where we always have fun and have a ton of success. Hopefully it's the same way this year again.

"There are a few tracks where we have to find aero balance, like what we need at VIR. I would consider this track like Canadian Tire Motorsport Park or Watkins Glen where there are fast speeds and slow sections, but you probably need to take care of your top speed. At times, it pays to be a little lighter on downforce and being fast on the straights.”

In terms of enjoyment, Taylor rates VIR as “probably in the top-three of the tracks we go to.
It's one of those natural-terrain tracks that still feels like an old-school track. There's not much margin for error... high speeds and lots of elevation changes.”

He also observed:

“It's one of the better tracks we go to because it's an all-GT race. If we had prototypes there, it would be pretty difficult because of how narrow it is.
Every time we go there, the racing is always tough and tight. We saw that last year in the GTLM class with only three cars.
Going back there this year with a little bit bigger grid, the racing should be fantastic.”
Posted By: teamzr1

Re: IMSA - C8.R at VIR This Weekend 8/28/22 - 08/27/22 02:03 AM

Not much can be said for the first practice today as the C8.R Corvette ended up in 4th place out of the 5 cars in the class frown


Description: 4th place
Attached picture 4thplace.jpg
Posted By: teamzr1

Re: IMSA - C8.R at VIR This Weekend 8/28/22 - 08/27/22 04:06 PM

Second practice, even worse than first one frown


Description: Second practice
Attached picture 2p.jpg
Posted By: teamzr1

Re: IMSA - C8.R at VIR This Weekend 8/28/22 - 08/27/22 07:35 PM

Ross Gunn wasn’t able to match his GTD-record pole time from 2021, but he still managed to score Heart of Racing’s first GTD PRO pole position of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for Sunday’s Michelin GT Challenge at VIR with a 1m43.953s lap in the No. 23 Aston Martin Vantage.
The time, good for a 113.24mph average around the 3.27-mile VIRginia International Raceway, was a relatively massive 0.714s ahead of Antonio Garcia’s best in the No. 3 Corvette.
Garcia will start alongside on the front row after turning a best time of 1m44.667s.
Garcia had an off in Turn 3 and made light contact with the tire wall, but was able to continue. Matt Campbell also had an off in the No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3R, getting Turn 10 a bit wrong and then sliding off in Turn 11 on his first attempt at a flyer, but managed to come back and set the third-quickest time of 1m44.719s.

Connor De Phillippi will start the No. 25 BMW M Team RLL M4 in fourth, and Jack Hawksworth will start fifth in the No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F after being unable to repeat his sub-1m44s lap from this morning’s practice.

Ross Gunn has claimed top qualifying honors for Sunday’s Michelin GT Challenge at Virginia International Raceway, in the first IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD Pro pole for The Heart of Racing and Aston Martin.

Gunn reeled off a quick lap of 1:43.953 in the No. 23 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 to edge out the No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette C8.R GTD of Antonio Garcia by 0.714 seconds.

Garcia’s lap came prior to a spin and light contact with the Turn 3 barriers with five minutes to go in the 15-minute session. It did not result in a red flag.
It marked Gunn’s first career WeatherTech Championship pole in the car he’ll share with Alex Riberas in the two-hour and 40-minute race.

Matt Campbell made a late-session improvement to third in the GTD Pro points-leading No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R, ahead of the No. 25 Team RLL BMW M4 GT3 of Connor De Phillippi and the Jack Hawksworth-driven No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3, which completed the top five overall and in category.


Here is how they will line up for Sunday's race after qualify was completed



Description: Qualify completed
Attached picture qual.jpg
Posted By: teamzr1

Re: IMSA - C8.R at VIR This Weekend 8/28/22 - 08/28/22 12:12 PM

Corvette C8.R Racing’s Antonio Garcia qualified second in the GT Daytona (GTD) PRO class and overall Saturday for the Michelin GT Challenge at VIR, an event that Corvette Racing has won the previous two years at Virginia International Raceway.

Garcia’s time of 1:44.677 (112.470 mph) in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R put him only behind Ross Gunn’s pole-winning time, ahead of Sunday’s 2:10 p.m. ET race (CNBC, Peacock). Garcia will start the No. 3 Corvette and will share driving duties with Jordan Taylor.

Oppressive heat and humidity were major themes from practice sessions Friday and Saturday, plus the afternoon’s qualifying. Air temperatures climbed into the low 90s and humidity levels crept into the 60s, which sent track temperatures well above 105 degrees for qualifying.

As a result, maintaining life and performance out of the Michelin tires will be key to Sunday’s race, which will be run in nearly identical conditions. That is an area where Corvette Racing has excelled this season, including at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in March – the program’s lone IMSA victory this year.

A Corvette Racing entry has claimed overall wins four times at VIR in IMSA competition. Garcia and Taylor were victors in 2020 in the now-extinct GT Le Mans (GTLM) category. They were second a year ago to Corvette teammates Tommy Milner and Nick Tandy, who are partnering this season in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

This year is the first for Corvette in the new GT Daytona (GTD) PRO category, and as such is the first at VIR for the GTD Corvette – which runs with more weight, less power, an anti-lock braking system and a spec Michelin tire compared to the GTLM class.

Corvette Racing’s love affair with VIR goes back to 2012. This will be the team’s 11th appearance at the 3.27-mile, 17-turn road course.
The configuration of the circuit two long straights and a mix of low-medium and high-speed corners creates opportunities for a number of engineering and strategic decisions. That’s an area where Corvette Racing has a distinct advantage given its 24-year history of competition.

The Michelin GT Challenge at VIR is scheduled for 2:10 p.m. ET on Sunday, August 28. The race will air live on CNBC and stream live on Peacock beginning at 2 p.m. ET.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R QUALIFIED SECOND:

“I feel like I got a lot out of the car, but not all of it. It was a decent first laps with a few mistakes.
Track conditions were tricky. We had to kind of guess where the track would develop. I think I was expecting more grip overall. At the end of the day, it’s the first row.
I don’t think we had anything for pole, but looking at tomorrow, I think a lot of things will happen.
The conditions will be tricky again, and the track can bite you. It will be the same for everybody, so we need to see as much of the data as possible, so we can fine-tune and be as prepared as possible for the race.

“I’d say qualifying was more like what we will have for the race (compared to Friday practice).
Warm up (on Sunday) can give us a direction, but that will be at eight in the morning. I’m sure the car will feel great then.
We’ll focus on what we have, and we did yesterday and today to get our Corvette to where it should be for the race.

Generally over the long run, we’ve been more competitive on pace in the race than in qualifying. Let’s see if that’s that case again tomorrow.
This is still a new race and new track for this spec of car. Having said that, I think we are in good shape. Let’s see if we can keep it up.”
Posted By: teamzr1

Re: IMSA - C8.R at VIR This Weekend 8/28/22 - 08/28/22 08:56 PM

C8.R loses to first place car by 0.8 of a second
So takes a second place win

Mathieu Jaminet & Matt Campbell have claimed their fifth IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship victory of the season following a controlling run in GTD Pro in Sunday’s Michelin GT Challenge at Virginia International Raceway.

Jaminet took his No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R to a 0.823-second win over Jordan Taylor’s No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette C8.R GTD in a race that saw a number of GTD runners attempt to stretch their mileage.

The Frenchman emerged on the race’s final restart in seventh overall but moved up the running order in the closing 30 minutes as the half-dozen GT3 cars that were on alternative strategies pitted for splashes of fuel.

Maxime Martin in the No. 27 The Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 was the only holdout, losing the overall lead to the Porsche factory driver with four minutes left on the clock as the Belgian was on a significant fuel save.

Jaminet and Campbell head into October’s season-ending Motul Petit Le Mans needing to only start the ten-hour race enduro at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta to be crowned GTD Pro class champions.

Taylor and co-driver Antonio Garcia were followed home by the GTD class-winning No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo of Philip Ellis, who was one of the cars to stretch its mileage before pitting with eight minutes to go.



Description: Finish 2nd Place
Attached picture Finish.jpg
Posted By: teamzr1

Re: IMSA - C8.R at VIR This Weekend 8/28/22 - 08/28/22 11:53 PM

Polesitter Ross Gunn kept the lead in the No. 23 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage at the start, and the run to the first pit stops was uneventful for the PRO contenders.
Antonio Garcia was the first to pit, bringing the No. 3 Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette in 47 minutes into the race, with Jordan Taylor going into the car.
Pitting early and thus taking less fuel paid off later, as the Corvette had track position after the round of pit stops was completed.
But the strategy that got Corvette to the front was negated when Ellis, while trying to pass Martin for GTD position, got pushed off track in The Snake and took out a trackside WeatherTech sign. He carried the sign with him, but there was enough debris on track that a full-course caution was called.

That meant that almost everyone pitted when the pits opened, except for a handful of GTD teams that needed the benefit of track position.

Corvette needed a long fill, and lost the track position it had gained, with Taylor falling behind Mathieu Jaminet in the No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3R, John Edwards in the No. 25 BMW M Team RLL M4 GT3 and Ben Barnicoat in the No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F.

With the green flag waving with 1h8m left in the race, no one could make the end on fuel, although some, including Heart of Racing which had to serve a drive-through penalty for the No. 23 for working outside the pit box in their last stop, gambled on a late-race yellow to make that happen. Instead, most pitted as soon as the window to make it to the end on fuel opened, including Pfaff who took rear tires and a few seconds worth of fuel.

Jaminet, though, had a host of GTD cars that did not pit in front of him, and Alex Riberas in the No. 23 Aston Martin.
But Riberas was trying to save fuel, so both Jaminet and Taylor got by before he finally ducked into the pits.

Jaminet and Matt Campbell took their fifth victory of the season, with Taylor and Garcia in second in PRO and overall for Corvette. Garcia and Taylor took sole position of second in the GTD PRO championship from Barnicoat, who finished third in PRO with Jack Hawksworth, but ninth overall.

“It was super tight,” explained Jaminet. “Guys went on different strategies without stopping. And we only took two rear tires, which is not very common, and the car was super hard to drive. I had to push that out. We were pretty tight on fuel at the end. So we had quite some big savings that we had to do last two laps. And we knew the Corvette is going to catch back. So it, was pretty tight and then on the cool-down laps, we run out of fuel, so it was a good calculation from the boys. We maximized everything, and it’s one more win in the bag.”

Jaminet and Campbell only need to take the green flag at Petit Le Mans to claim the inaugural GTD PRO championship.

“It’s hard to beat a season like the one we’ve had,” said Campbell. “It’s fair to say we’ve been pretty dominant.
We’ve only been off the podium once the whole year, so I think it just shows the level that the whole team of Pfaff motorsports is at. Mathieu has done a fantastic job all year and as a group we’ve been working really well together.
So I think as a package, we’ve for sure being the strongest down pit lane overall in all areas, which is very, very cool.”
Posted By: teamzr1

Re: IMSA - C8.R at VIR This Weekend 8/28/22 - 08/29/22 01:04 AM

Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor finished second in the Michelin GT Challenge at VIR on Sunday, their second consecutive podium finish this year in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

Taylor made a last-lap charge to finish 0.823 seconds behind the race-winning Pfaff Motorsports entry. He and Garcia were going for their second overall win at Virginia International Raceway in three years and Corvette Racing’s third consecutive victory at the fast and flowing 3.27-mile, 17-turn circuit.
The runner-up result was the second for the No. 3 Corvette on the season.

Garcia began second but ran third after the opening lap as fuel-savings began almost immediately for the top three cars.
He ran anywhere between 0.3-0.6 seconds behind second-place Matt Campbell before the No. 3 Corvette team called in Garcia for the first time at 48 minutes running.

The No. 3 Corvette was the first GTD PRO car to stop and took fuel and four fresh Michelin tires as Garcia handed off to Taylor.
The call and stop were perfect, as was Taylor’s last lap, as the C8.R went from third and nearly two seconds back to a nine-second advantage after the first pit cycle completed.
Taylor maintained that gap while saving fuel up to the race’s first full-course yellow near the 80-minute mark.
It wasn’t what the team was hoping for, as the Corvette needed more fuel than the rest of the GTD PRO field due to its early stop.

The race went back to green with 66 minutes to go and Taylor fourth in class, seventh overall.
He picked up one spot in the overall standings at the start and diced his way through the regular GTD field to challenge for third in class 10 minutes later.

He moved to second overall with 55 minutes to go before stopping for a final splash of fuel to get to the end of the race. He trailed Mathieu Jaminet by as much as five seconds before running down the fuel-starved leader late. Slower GTD cars impeded Taylor in the closing laps, but he charged back to finish within an eyelash of the No. 3 Corvette’s second victory of the season.

Corvette Racing closes its IMSA season with the 10-hour Petit Le Mans on Saturday, Oct. 1 from Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R FINISHED SECOND:

“I think we had a good race. We didn’t get lucky with the yellow, for sure.
We were the ones taking the gamble on the earliest first stop. From that point on, that 10-second lead we had done last.
Over the last few years, I don’t think we had a yellow here. It was the right choice to get up there with that strategy. It’s a shame in that respect.
But we showed more pace and performance today. Great job by Jordan and the team. Let’s take this on to Petit Le Mans.”

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R FINISHED SECOND:

“I knew Antonio wanted an easy day today! He’s had a lot of long days this year!

The Corvette was so good. The team did a great job with the strategy. That first call was the right one. At the time, we jumped ahead and had a nice lead. We were controlling it at the front, but that yellow was really unfortunate; otherwise I think it would have been an easy day.

Once that came out, we had to battle back past and passed some guys on track. After the last stop, I was trying to take care of the tires as long as possible, knowing it was going to be a long stint. Some of the Am cars lapping through there made it difficult to pass.

That was frustrating, or else I think we could have had a shot to win, especially seeing how close it was at the end. It was a tough day, but it was nice to be back in a competitive spot. Hopefully we can go to Petit Le Mans with similar performance.”

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