Corvette Racing to ILMC?; Zhuhai close to being confirmed; Rick Mayer joins Level 5 and more...
Could Corvette Racing make its debut in China this year? Doug Fehan said
it's under consideration. (Photo: John Dagys)
While Chevrolet is represented in this year’s Manufacturers’ Cup, with a privately entered C6.R from Larbre Competition, Corvette Racing program manager Doug Fehan hasn’t ruled out a possible future attack in the global sportscar championship.
“The birth of the ILMC is a logical extension of what we’ve accomplished here in the last 10 or 12 years in the American Le Mans Series,” Fehan said. “With Americans competing in Le Mans, it only makes sense to take that to the next extension, which would be a global competition. And you look at those markets out there, it only makes sense for manufacturers to compete.”
With GM’s sales in China eclipsing the North American market for the first time last quarter, Fehan admitted there’s ongoing discussions regarding an entry to this year’s ILMC season-ending round, likely to be in Zhuhai on Nov. 12.
“Currently there are no plans to do that, but there are serious discussions going on about what this means,” he said. “Obviously we do sell a boatload of cars in China and there’s a whole marketing strategy for Chevrolet over there. It’s our most powerful global brand and I think it’s one of those things that’s going to evolve... I can tell you that the consideration is certainly there right now.”
ZHUHAI CLOSE TO BEING CONFIRMED — Speaking of China, ILMC director Frederic-Henry Biabaud confirmed to SPEED.com that the season-ending round will either be held at Zhuhai or Shanghai, although it appears a return to the 2.684-mile facility in the Guangdong Province is likely.
“We have a pretty well-developed partnership with Zhuhai, so we’re trying to probably finalize [it] very, very quickly,” Biabaud said. “It has not been formalized yet. We still have a couple of things to work out because we want to make a much bigger success in Zhuhai than last year. If we don’t have the guarantee that this success would be there, we might have a problem with that.”
RICK MAYER JOINS LEVEL 5 — One of the surprise, but very significant additions to the Level 5 Motorsports squad for 2011 is veteran engineer Rick Mayer. After a long and successful stint with the GT championship-winning Risi Competizione squad, Mayer has joined the Scott Tucker-owned squad for what’s shaping up to be one of his busiest seasons yet.
Mayer is serving as engineer on the team’s No. 33 Lola-Honda Coupe this weekend and will work the entire ALMS and ILMC season with the reigning LMPC champions, along with lending his expertise to the team’s Ferrari projects as well.
While the team got off to a late start, with only limited testing thus far on its pair of Lola-Hondas, Mayer has been pleased with the progress made in the relatively short period of time.
“We’re further along than I thought,” Mayer said. “The goal for the weekend was basically just to finish 70 percent of the race of the class leader to get points. Now, we’re getting to the point where we’re discussing setup and getting the car nice. We have enough laps on the cars to know we have a comfort level with the components on the assembly. If we can keep that up, it will be good.”
AID RELIEF FOR JAPAN — The American Le Mans Series and teams here at Sebring International Raceway have thrown their weight behind fund-raising efforts to help the victims of the Japanese earthquake disaster.
Signage has been placed around the 3.7-mile circuit, offering fans and viewers to donate by texting REDCROSS to 90999. Additionally, Highcroft Racing has launched a Web site which allows fans to donate and volunteer to a variety of charities, via Network for Good. Donations can be made here: http://www.highcroftracing.com/help-japan Highcroft has also created a on-car graphic, incorporating a Japanese flag, which will be displayed on the sidepods and rear wing of the team’s HPD ARX-01e LMP1 machine.
“At the moment for most people it is really difficult to absorb and comprehend what is actually happening over there,” Highcroft driver David Brabham said. “The scale of the tragedy is so huge that it takes a while for it to sink in. You really can’t get your head around it. Everyone around the world is focusing on Japan right now and they need all the help, love and support that they can get."
LESS POWER FOR AUDI R15 — Speeds have dramatically dropped across the board in LMP1, thanks to the new-for-2011 ACO prototype regulations. While new cars such as the second-generation Peugeot 908 have been built with that in mind, some of the hardest hit contenders are the grandfathered machines, including Audi’s R15 plus plus.
The diesel prototype, powered by a 5.5-liter V10 turbo, now has a 4mm smaller air restrictor and a massive 23 percent reduction in boost pressure. How does that affect the car on a lap around Sebring? Well, Tuesday’s top time of 1:48.450 set by the No. 1 machine of Timo Bernhard, Romain Dumas and Mike Rockenfeller was nearly four seconds off the LMP1 track qualifying record.
"The drivers felt the engine restrictions very clearly during the test in Florida. They miss several dozen horsepower," technical director Ralf Juttner explained. "The reduction in tank volume sounds drastic at first, but the engine obviously also consumes less. The slower flow rate from the external tank means that pit stops will certainly not be any shorter despite the smaller fuel tank volume."
Corvette's Turnaround
For Corvette Racing, the 2010 American Le Mans Series season was one to forget. The factory Pratt & Miller squad, embarking on its first full season in the GT category, not only battled the high level of competition, but also themselves.
Corvette Racing suffered cruel luck at last year's Twelve Hours of Sebring. Can their fortunes change this time around? (Photo: John Dagys)
It was no doubt an uncharacteristic season for the boys in yellow. With only one series victory to its credit, coming in a last-gasp moment, and failing to pick up class honors at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Corvette Racing walked away without a class championship for the first time since 2000.
The season started off with a bizarre pit-lane collision between the two Corvette C6.Rs effectively costing them a potential race win. But that wasn’t the end of their on-track troubles as the GT contenders fought numerous incidents and pit lane penalties throughout the hard-fought season.
There were even reliability issues, with its new in house-built 5.5-liter V8 power plant suffering failures at Le Mans and further problems at Salt Lake City and Mid-Ohio. By mid-season, it became clear that Corvette Racing was no longer in the championship hunt, and that recovering from its setbacks was top priority.
And just one race after a driver reshuffle, the newly formed pairing of Oliver Gavin and Jan Magnussen, joined by endurance ace Emmanuel Collard, took a surprise win in the season-ending Petit Le Mans, keeping the manufacturer's 11-year streak of at least one victory alive. But it wasn’t enough to erase the disappointments from the season.
“Coming into last year, we knew what we were up against,” said Corvette Racing program manager Doug Fehan. “These are guys that have years of experience in the class with cars that are seasoned vehicles, tried and true. We had brand-new rides. Were we disappointed that we didn’t do better? Of course we were; who wouldn’t be?
“But at the end of the day, we knew what we were going to face and be in for. It didn’t come to a shock for us and we knew how hard we were going to have to work to do better. Nothing that happened last year has caused us to work any harder this year. We knew we were going to work this hard anyway.”
There was no doubt dejection within the Corvette camp at the end of last year. Just ask any of the drivers.
“Last year was a challenging year for everybody on the team,” Gavin said. “There were lots of things that just came out of nowhere and smacked us between the eyes. It was a very tough year. There’s lots of things to be learned, also realizing that the GT class is exceptionally competitive. You need to be right on your game with everything, otherwise you’re going to be punished.”
Putting the past in the rear-view mirror, Corvette has returned for its second full season of GT competition perhaps with the same level of motivation, but also learning from the lessons of its frustrating 2010 season.
With two brand-new chassis, sporting a new engine management system, complete with a paddle-shift gearbox as well as suspension and aerodynamic tweaks, the new Corvettes are a rapid departure from the 2010 models. Even the engine department has made gains, after battling a parts and calibration issue that cost them dearly at Le Mans, according to Fehan.
Additionally, former Porsche factory driver Richard Westbrook joins Gavin and Magnussen in the No. 4 car for the endurance races, making for what could be one of the most potent driving combinations in the class.
“We want to come out of the box and get a win,” Gavin said. “We know how hard that’s going to be. GT is the class of racing in this series at the moment and it’s the most competitive, with five or six manufacturers fighting over for the win. And they’re all genuine efforts... You’ve got to say that it’s going to be hard to put yourself in front of the queue.”
While there’s certainly a desire for a turnaround in fortunes, nobody’s under the illusion that Corvette will instantly be back to its dominating ways. After all, with the GT category features some of the stiffest competition in all of sportscar racing, with the likes of Porsche, Ferrari and BMW all going head-to-head each race.
Fehan believes it will instead take consistency, something Corvette lacked last year, to reclaim the ALMS title.
“I don’t think anybody in GT is going to go out and dominate,” Fehan said. “We’re not going to dominate in GT like we dominated in GT1. It’s not going to happen. The competition is too deep and too stiff and too seasoned.
“I can tell you Porsche is not going into this thinking they’ll win every race. Neither is Ferrari or BMW. You just have to hack away and get it where you can get it at each event. Certain cars are going to be stronger at different events. Nobody’s going 9-0 this season.”
Third Year's A Charm For BMW?
BMW and Rahal Letterman Racing enjoyed an impressive sophomore season in the American Le Mans Series, capturing both the GT manufacturers’ and teams’ titles. But 2011 is all about change for the factory squad, with brand-new cars, a new team name and a shuffle in its driver lineup.
Change can always be a good thing in racing and that’s certainly the approach BMW Team RLL is taking heading another ultra-competitive season in GT. One of the most visible differences is the new team name, as former open-wheel team owner and track promoter Mike Lanigan has taken an interest with the Ohio-based team, forming the added ‘L’ now in RLL.
Another change from 2010 comes with a revised driver lineup, as BMW factory driver Dirk Werner replaces Tommy Milner as one of the four full-season drivers, joining Bill Auberlen at the wheel of the No. 55 BMW M3 GT. Dirk Muller and Joey Hand both return to the No. 56 entry.
But perhaps the biggest difference comes with the cars themselves, which are both brand-new chassis. The Scott Roembke-led team spent the off-season building and preparing a pair of M3 GTs that are now identical to their Schnitzer-run counterparts in Europe.
The Euro-spec M3 GTs, which feature a heavily revised rear suspension, have also received a number of other developments that both drivers and crew believe could help make inroads on the competition.
“In a year where I thought we wouldn’t change much on the car, BMW changed a lot,” Auberlen said. “They came back with new aerodynamics, new paddle-shift, new revised suspension, new under-trays. A lot has been changed.
“And with change comes new things you have to wrap your head around. We’ve had a few little issues that we’ve immediately tried to rectify. But are they perfect to go 12 hours?”
While there were some challenges and teething issues during its initial test with the new car in January, Auberlen and company walked away pleased with the results from the team’s second two-day test at Sebring last month.
Hand was especially impressed with the new car’s handling characteristics, which to him didn’t feel too much different from the previous ALMS-spec BMW. That’s a good thing, considering the Euro-spec car does not yet have the amount of development miles of its predecessor.
“I say it all the time. One of the strongest things about the Rahal team, especially the engineers like Chris Yanchar and Jay O’Connell, is that how they come out of the trailer with their research,” Hand said. “They’re all studying up no matter what event it is to get it right. I’ve always been amazed that we come out and don’t even end up making a gear change at a lot of these tracks. Thanks to their preparation before the event, they hit it spot-on.”
Last year, the team had consistency across the board, with BMW only failing to reach the podium once in the nine-round season. While Hand and Muller’s Road America win was the only victory of the year, the duo recorded a few DNFs, including a costly incident at Mosport which took them out of the drivers’ championship hunt.
This time around, there’s a clear sense of determination within the camp for not only reclaiming the teams’ and manufacturers’ championship, but to take the coveted drivers’ title as well. And according to Hand, it won’t only take consistency, but also getting onto the top step of the podium more often.
“For me, it’s definitely on the list of goals for the year,” Hand said. “A few people have already asked me about what it will take to win the drivers’ championship. You never really know but I think it’s pretty given that you have to win three races to be in the mix and to just have consistency.”
Hand heads into the 2011 ALMS season with some added confidence, having won January’s Rolex 24 at Dayton with the BMW-powered Chip Ganassi Racing team. That victory, which the 31-year-old Californian credits as the biggest in his career, also gives him a sense of relief as he now searches for his first Sebring crown.
“This would be as good of a year as any to get it done,” Hand said. “We have the most knowledge we’ve ever had as a team. In our third year, we have the cars figured out pretty well to where they seem to go the distance. So I think, how huge would it be to win the [Rolex] 24 Hour and the Twelve Hours of Sebring? So I’m putting a lot of positive energy into winning this race.”
Longtime co-driver and friend Auberlen shares similar thoughts, although realizes that there’s a level of uncertainty given the fierce competition. With Ferrari’s new F458 Italia debuting, plus developments to the Porsches and Corvettes, nobody in GT is standing still. Yet, Sebring could be BMW’s best chance to shine.
“The car is much better than last year’s car. It’s easier to drive. It makes great downforce. Dunlop has done a great job. I’m optimistic,” Auberlen said. “But I’ve never run on the track next to a 458 or a Corvette doing full speed. So what’s going to happen is when that green flag falls, that’s when you know what everybody’s got.”
John Dagys is SPEED.com’s Sportscar Racing Reporter, focusing on all major domestic and international championships. You can follow him on Twitter @johndagys or email him at askdagys@gmail.com
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