24h Le Mans
43 teams (fielding 61 cars) competed in the 87th 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Super Finale of the FIA WEC 2018-19 World Endurance Championship. There were winners, of course, but also mechanical glitches, track incidents and early retirements. Joy for some, disappointment for others... Here’s a summary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the Corvette Racing team, which ran in the LMGTE Pro class.
Class: LMGTE Pro
Car: #63 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R
Drivers:
This year, Corvette Racing celebrated its 20th start in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The #63 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R qualified in 31st place with a time of 3:48.830 clocked by Antonio Garcia during the third session. In the race, as the #63 was in second position in the LMGTE Am class, Jan Magnussen left the track at the Porsche curves and broke the car's suspension. Nonetheless, it made it to the chequered flag in 28th place overall and ninth in the LMGTE Pro class. "Unfortunately, my tyres were a bit cold and I hit the wall. I can't tell you how guilty I feel. We had the car to make it to the top and a mistake like this ends it all. I don't know how to be forgiven for this," admitted Jan Magnussen.
Car: #64 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R
Drivers:
British driver Oliver Gavin qualified the #64 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R in 39th position with a time of 3:49.573 during the third session. In the race, the car was forced to retire after six hours when Marcel Fässler left the track at the Porsche curves as he was attempting to overtake the #88 Porsche 911 RSR of Dempsey-Proton Racing. The damage was too significant to repair. "I am happy the Chevrolet Corvette C7.R is a solid GT. Every system functioned properly and I had no problems. I feel good even though the impact was hard," said Marcel Fässler.
PHOTO: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES DU MANS, SATURDAY 15 JUNE 2019, RACE. The #63 and #64 Chevrolet Corvette C7.Rs of Corvette Racing.
