The Corvette C7.R made its racing debut at the 24 Hours of Daytona in January. Despite the advantages that the new and improved C7.R brings, Corvette Racing’s two cars finished fifth and tenth in the GTLM class at Daytona and will be hoping for a better result in the second race of the 2014 TUDOR United Sports Car Championship, the 12 Hours of Sebring.
One of the main advantages that the C7.R has over the rest of the pack is the pushrod design of its 5.5 liter V8 engine. As Corvette Racing program manager Doug Fehan told Car and Driver, pushrods allow for a smaller, simpler engine package, which in turn reduces weight and keeps the center of gravity of the engine low.
“I rue the day we would ever have to go to overhead cams. Bigger, heavier, giant heads. Cams in head, higher center of gravity, bigger package, in most cases more weight. All the additional parts like chains, pulleys, and gears—you just increase the opportunity for things to go wrong. Fuel-efficiency and emissions standards may at some point cause us to have to go that way, but when you look at the size and weight of our C7.R package, plus its power and reliability, there’s nothing that beats a two-valve engine,” Fehan said.
Surprisingly, the overhead valve design provides such an advantage, that Corvette Racing’s competitors have tried to get it penalized in the past.
“I sit on several FIA engine councils and it always comes up from our competitors. Whether it’s Porsche, Ferrari, or Aston Martin, they’re always complaining about what they perceive of as the advantages the two-valve engine has [over] their [designs], and want the two-valve engine penalized, said Fehan. “To that I say, ‘go back to the road car—if the two-valve engine is that much better for racing you ought to put it in your car.’ To which they have no answer.”
Corvette Racing might have some more complaints to deal with if it gets the finish it’s hoping for at the 12 Hours of Sebring on March 15.
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For a new car, a 5th place finish is decent, and the 10th place was a mechanical DNF was it not? For such a winning team it is a disappointment, but for a new car it is typical, understandable, and some what expected
One again the “perception” [that GM’s push-rod, two valve, small block V8 is archaic, unsophisticated, and inferior] gets it’s teeth kicked in by reality.
Well we know that the push rods are viable but the public as a whole and most in Europe want the extra parts. It is not always about what is best but too often what the market wants.
I heard a Jag designer say he would give anything for the smaller Chevy engine size to lower the hood line.
The DOHC have never been an issue to fit in but with many of the new laws on hood to engine clearance it is driving designers mad.
Like he did say in time they will have to make the change due to regulations but for now they can take advantage of it.
To be honest the first race was not bad and they will do fine as while much of the car was updated it is still based on much on the past car that was a winner. Things like cooling etc are always an issue in a early race that runs 24 hours.
I have expected nothing less for them to win the class this year.