Corvette Racing is heading deep into the heart of Texas this weekend with their eyes set on a second consecutive win at Circuit of the Americas in Austin in the IMSA Tudor United Sportscar Championship. Last year, Corvette Racing’s pairing of Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia drove to an intense victory at COTA after Garcia led the final 58 minutes of the race in the No. 3 C6.R, holding off the runner up to win by less than a second.
Now, a repeat victory is on everyone’s minds at Corvette Racing. Garcia is 6 points in the lead for the GTLM driver’s championship following four straight victories, and will need to stay at the front of the grid if he wishes to hold off the determined pairing of Jonathan Bomarito and teammate Kuno Wittmer from SRT Motorsports. Magnussen, who shares the No. 3 C7.R with Garcia, had his championship hopes crushed when he had to sit out the race at VIR as a precaution following a nasty shunt during practice. He now stands fourth in the standings, but will thankfully be back alongside Garcia this weekend.
“Having to sit out VIR was difficult,” said Magnussen. “There was nothing I could do except watch any hopes for winning a championship slip away. It was really unfortunate and the tough thing about concussions. It was still the right call. Getting back in the car will be just like any other race except with just a longer break. There are absolutely no ill effects and I will be ready to race.”
Meanwhile Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner, pilots of the No. 4 Corvette, are looking to end a winless season on a high note. Last year at COTA, the duo looked strong and led the early minutes of the race in their C6.R, however their chances at a victory were thwarted by a gearbox that broke not even an hour into the race.
“Oliver, myself and everyone on the No. 4 car are working hard to get a good result at the end of the year to sort of lift our spirits a little bit. We feel like we’re due a good result,” Milner said. “That’s our focus – help support our teammates and help Chevrolet in the manufacturer’s championship. In many ways, we can be the rabbit in some ways and push really hard and push our competitors really hard in the race by being aggressive.”
Apart from the daunting task of winning their GTLM class in IMSA action, Corvette Racing will also be competing in the World Endurance Championship race to be held at COTA. The FIA WEC cars will hit the track at 5:00 p.m. and will include Corvette Racing’s backup No. 65 car, to be driven by Wayne Taylor Racing’s Ricky and Jordan Taylor and Tommy Milner. All three drivers are racing the IMSA race earlier in the day, with Ricky and Jordan driving their Konica-Minolta Corvette DP.
Coverage of the Lone Star Le Mans race at Circuit of the Americas can be streamed from IMSA’s website, or seen on FOX Sports 1, starting at 6:30 p.m. this Sunday.
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