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| 2015 Rolex 24hr at Daytona: Results | |
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|  | | January 27 2015 04:40:33 PM EST | |
| There was a lot of anticipation coming into the 2015 Tudor Championship season. Last year there was a big learning curve by IMSA with the merger of the 2 series, and also Corvette Racing with a brand new car.
First off, we would like to show IMSA major kudos for a much improved show, and no major post race controversy. Everything ran like a well oiled machine. Nice Job!
Second, Corvette Racing once again proved that they are the best in the business. Both cars ran a flawless race apart from some late race contact the #4 made with a couple slower prototypes.
Normally we like to give a detailed breakdown of what happened, but here is the fact. The first 12 hours were very uneventful as far as attrition goes. It was a hard fought, 24hr sprint race from start to finish. The car that had the least amount of issues won.
Ferraris all retired with mechanical issues. Porsches crashed into each other. BMWs both suffered crash dammage. And the Aston Martin had early mechanical problems and was never a factor. It was a dominant victory for Corvette. Let's enjoy this one!
VIDEO: Corvette Racing Celebrates as the #3 Crosses the Finish
ANTONIO GARCIA - #3 CORVETTE C7.R
"I knew that yellow was coming. I don't know how many races we actually won last year. There was that one at Watkins Glen and a few more. I just can't thank the whole team and Corvette fans enough and Corvette Racing and all the guys and these two drivers (teammates). We all did amazing. We stayed out of trouble. The car is in perfect shape. Not a single touch. I think that's what it takes just to keep it alive and bring it home in one piece, that's the thing. So, again, finally I get this watch and I think these guys were waiting a few years for that (laughs).
"I feel like I'm getting to be an expert in these last-minute finishes. We had a few last year and luckily we won all of them. I'm happy about that but there was a lot of pressure. If I had to choose, I'm glad I was in the car because I wouldn't have been able to stand back in the pit box. Everything was perfect. It was 24 hours of fuel, Michelin tires, a few sets of brake pads and windshield tear-offs. And that was it. That's the key. We all drove fast but careful. The thing about this race is that you need to keep everything in one piece for the end. We kept the car alive and working to the end. I'm really excited."
JAN MAGNUSSEN - #3 CORVETTE C7.R
"Well, it's just a fantastic feeling. When you arrive at the race and the car just comes alive and you feel you have a car that you can race with, and you can attack, and you can be fast when you need to; then you've got to be lucky. You've got to stay out of trouble and run to your plan and I think everybody on the No. 3 car, the crew, the drivers and everybody just performed perfectly today. We were fast and made no mistakes and pushed when we had to and relax when we needed to."
RYAN BRISCOE - #3 CORVETTE C7.R
"Yeah, it's awesome. I'm so proud. There's a lot of pressure to do my part and this team just gave us a car that was a dream to drive. We started off struggling a bit I think. The key was Friday in final practice. We really got the car dialed in and it was just so consistent through the whole race and was really, really good. I couldn't wish for better teammates and a better team to race for."
OLIVER GAVIN - #4 CORVETTE C7.R
"Yeah, we've got to take some huge prestige from this today. It was a hard-fought race with many, many competitors. It was wheel-to-wheel action throughout the 24-hour race. Yet, each time you got into the car, you had to be absolutely 100 percent and fully on your game. Otherwise, somebody was going to steal a march on you and take positions away or push your throat. But it really was a 24-hour sprint race with a huge amount of incidents and accidents and lots for the fans to see and great Corvette fans here. It was just amazing to see the Corral and all the people here. It was just wonderful. But also, today will be remembered for the victory and the result for the No. 3 car and the way that Antonio (Garcia) and Jan (Magnussen) and Ryan (Briscoe) drove today. It was fantastic. They just did a phenomenal job. You've got to take your hat off to those guys. It was their day. It was great for the team and great for the program and great for Team Chevy. I'm happy and really thrilled for the team. And I'm very proud of my guys and the way that they kept picking up with the little problems that we had with our machine and fixing them and finding solutions. They were absolutely phenomenal with that. So, once again I've got to say a big thanks to them and I'm proud of my teammates as well, Simon (Pagenaud) and Tommy (Milner) for doing a wonderful job behind the wheel. It's been a tough day, but absolutely very rewarding."
TOMMY MILNER - #4 CORVETTE C7.R
"It was a great finish. A first and third at a tough race like this, for as hard as all of us in our class raced, it's a testament to this team and this car and all these engineers that build a car that we can beat and batter and bruise and every other b-word you can think of, and battle with other cars in our class and come out first and third is amazing. This Corvette was one of the best race cars I've had here, ever. It was super competitive; fast on the straight line, and great on the brakes. It was a lot of fun to drive."
SIMON PAGENAUD - #4 CORVETTE C7.R
"I had a great time. The Corvette Racing team welcomed me really well. It was my first time with Team Chevy as well and it felt really nice. The Corvette C7.R is a beautiful car and very competitive. I was really impressed with the GT class and I understand why Corvette Racing is so involved with this series. It's so competitive between all the competitors and between all the manufacturers. I think it's an incredible series. Every lap, it's one-tenth here and one-tenth there, and you try to gain time on the others. When you end up, after 24 hours, on the podium here in Daytona, you've accomplished something exceptional. And furthermore, Corvette Racing accomplished two cars; and one of them won. So, congratulations to the whole team. I'm very happy to be part of this team and I look forward to Sebring already."
VIDEO: Qualifying
VIDEO: Race - Part 1
VIDEO: Race - Part 2
VIDEO: Race - Part 3
VIDEO: Race - Part 4
VIDEO: Race - Part 5
VIDEO: Race - Part 6
VIDEO: Race - Part 7
PHOTO GALLERY |
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