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| 2015 Watkins Glen - Results | |
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|  | | July 06 2015 02:57:09 PM EST | |
| Fresh off the victory at Le Mans, Corvette Racing headed to New York to the famous Watkins Glen International for the 3rd round of the North American Endurance Cup.
With the team's #3 car being rebuilt from the massive crash at Le Mans, the team borrowed the 2014 chassis from Larbre Competition to compete.
It was a soggy weekend at the Glen. Qualifying was rained out, so the starting order was set by championship points. This put the #3 Corvette on pole, and the #4 started P6.
DOUG FEHAN, CORVETTE RACING PROGRAM MANAGER: "The Race Director's decision today was the right thing to do. The safety concerns of qualifying in these conditions far outweighed the benefits. The Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen is always tough but fun, and our previous practice sessions should be enough to meet the challenge. There is no doubt tomorrow will bring yet another epic endurance battle."
The opening hour of the race was very sketchy with the majority of the field on slicks, and monsoon like rain hit the circuit. The #4 Corvette spun off early and lost a lap in the process. The team fought back and eventually lead the race. In the final hour, the #4 had contact with another car while fighting for grip in the harsh conditions. The from suspension was damaged and unrepairable.
The #3 Corvette ran a great race, but the conditions made it impossible to take chances or make passes. The race was red flagged and eventually ended under caution. The #3 Corvette finished 4th.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R:
"That was a nightmare, I have to say. There were a few points when it was very scary. When I got in the car, I went out on slicks and then it started to drizzle. After awhile we went on some scuffed wet tires from this morning, which were OK for five to 10 laps before it really started raining hard. I could barely stay on track and aquaplaned before and when I was behind the safety car. For sure this was a race to reanalyze a lot to see what we did good and the mistakes we can learn from. Fourth place out of here means we minimized the damage somewhat, especially for the championship."
JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R:
"I think we got away with a better result than we probably should have. Fourth place isn't too bad right behind the BMW for the championship. It was probably the least amount of damage that could be done. Everyone did a fantastic job this weekend with the 'new' car but we still have a little bit to go. We have some time to think before Canada and hopefully we'll be back to where we need to be. Today was a really difficult race for anyone to make the right decisions at the right time and to adapt to the situations was really difficult. The start of the race was really scary on slicks when it wasn't the conditions for slicks. But we made it through and came home with good points for the championship. We won't be celebrating but it's good enough."
OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R:
"It was ultimately a disappointing day for us. We had been good and quick, Tommy got us into the lead, and we caught a break on strategy to get ourselves in a good spot. Our Corvette was good in the dry and appeared to be decent in the rain. Unfortunately when I came to take the restart, I came into Turn One around a GT Daytona car and all of a sudden the 911 was on my outside; I knew I was in trouble because in the rain there is grip only on the outside right at the exit. I tried to slow up but when I hit the apex and at the front of the car it felt like I hit glass. It just skated away from me. I never want to have any contact with other drivers. There was just nowhere I could go. Trying to slow the car gently and roll through was my best option. I don't know if I could have done anything else. I'm just really disappointed for the Corvette Racing guys. We got ourselves back in the hunt after being in a difficult spot early on. I'm just sorry we couldn't come out with a result that I felt we deserved."
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R:
"The conditions today were really tough. From driving in fairly wet conditions on slicks and then on wets was the right call. The series did a great job in letting us race while we could, and then when it was too wet they threw the caution and red flag. From my perspective, they did everything right. The lap where I thought I was going to wreck on the straightaway was when they threw the caution. It was just an unlucky day for us. Ultimately, I'm really proud of our guys for fighting back. We lost a chance early to get us back on the lead lap, but Chuck (Houghton, engineer) and the rest of our team were on the ball to get us back up to third, and I was able to drive to the front. I was happy with that and the strategy in the end. There are a lot of positives to take away from today."
DOUG FEHAN, CORVETTE RACING PROGRAM MANAGER:
"Intense rain always creates havoc and the Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen was no exception. We had cars capable of winning and led on a couple of occasions throughout the race. But 25 percent great car and 25 percent great team was not enough to get the job done; we simply didn't have the element of 50 percent good fortune in the equation today. So we will go back, evaluate our effort, regroup and get ready for Canadian Tire Motorsport Park - the fastest track on which we compete. That event should be an awesome battle!"
VIDEO: Race Broadcast - Part 1
VIDEO: Race Broadcast - Part 2
VIDEO: Race Broadcast - Part 3
Current 2015 Championship Points - Post Watkins Glen:
1. #3 Corvette - 157pts (Tied)
2. #25 BMW - 157pts (Tied)
3. #24 BMW - 145pts (Tied)
4. #62 Ferrari - 145pts (Tied)
5. #17 Porsche - 141pts
6. #911 Porsche - 140pts
7. #912 Porsche - 134pts
8. #4 Corvette - 130pts
Current NAEC Points - Post Watkins Glen:
1. #3 Corvette - 33pts
2. #4 Corvette - 29pts
3. #17 Porsche - 27pts
4. #911 Porsche - 26pts
5. #25 BMW - 22pts
6. #62 Ferrari - 21pts (Tied)
7. #912 Porsche - 21pts (Tied)
8. #24 BMW - 19pts
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