O’Connell’s career is inextricably linked to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where he has raced no less than fourteen times, ten times with Corvette and also with the Panoz GTR-One and the Roadster-S. Having spent the last four seasons competing in the Pirelli World Challenge, he is now back at Le Mans with Team AAI in the Corvette C7-R.

The Taiwanese outfit ran Porsches last year but this year Team AAI will be fielding the Corvette chassis that won LM GTE Pro in 2015. The Belgian team ProSpeed Compétition is in charge of preparing the cars. O’Connell’s teammates are fellow American Mark Patterson and Briton Oliver Bryant, for whom the race will be a début. They’re aiming for the podium. No less.

The Corvette C7-R is an excellent choice for an ambitious campaign. LM GTE Am regulations authorise teams to field cars that ran the previous year. As Rudi Penders explains, the car is already a winner: "It is in fact the chassis that last year was the first across the finish line [in LM GTE Pro, ed.], an exceptionally modern racing car, fully equipped with all that is required to win such a gruelling human and technical adventure. It goes without saying that with three strong drivers, who offer up a perfect mix of experience and youthful talent, the ambition is to finish high up. Mark Patterson, Oliver Bryant and last but not least Johnny O'Connell form a homogenous trio, and where the experience of O'Connell, three times winner in the LM GTE with Corvette, will give us an additional boost."

ProSpeed Compétition will be working on a Corvette for the first time. In fact, it is the first time they have prepared a car other than a Porsche for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Belgian team remain on excellent terms with Porsche but are keen to prove they can work with another constructor... and maybe even win!

Geoffroy Barre — Translated from French by Emma Paulay

Photo: While Johnny O’Connell wasn’t at Le Mans, he was busy winning American GT competition the Pirelli World Challenge three times.