The No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R – last year’s GT Le Mans-class winner at the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring – seemed doomed to fail at last weekend’s 12-hour Sebring race, with problems setting in early on after driver Antonio Garcia dropped off the track slightly in lap 1. That undramatic incident resulted in a tire issue that forced the No. 3 to the pits on lap 2, causing the Chevrolet Corvette C7.R to drop back to 41st place out of 43 cars rather quickly.
But the No. 3 got back out onto the track and kept fighting, going on to run into a battery issue a few hours later. Sometime after that came an alternator issue, three separate steering-related issues, and a brake duct change, each costing the Corvette valuable time and positions.
When all was said and done, the No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R crossed the line in eighth place in its class – 37th place overall – with only the No. 66 Ford GT behind it in GT Le Mans.
“This is Sebring for you,” No. 3 Corvette C7.R driver Jan Magnussen said after the race. He drove the No. 3 alongside teammates Antonio Garcia and Mike Rockenfeller to its victory at Sebring last year.
“When things are great around here, man they are so great. But when they are like they are today, boy is it a long day.”
The No. 4 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R of Tommy Milner, Oliver Gavin, and Marcel Fassler fared a bit better, finishing the race sixth in class behind the No. 67 Ford GT in fourth and No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 GTE in fifth. Germany swept the podium at the 2018 Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring, with Porsche 911 RSRs claiming first and third in the GT Le Mans class, and a BMW M8 GTLM landing in second.
Comments
IMSA sadly keeps Corvette out of contention. Its difficult to understand why they want
the American car to do poorly. Back of pack qualifying and back of pack finishing.
No BOP adjustment.
Daytona…both cars run a flawless race. Excellent pit times, no on track incidents and finish 2 laps down. Sebring…the #4 car flawless again and finishes one lap down. Both Vettes were almost a second behind the leaders in qualifying. BOP is a joke if not applied evenly and in such an obvious instance.
The reality is the Corvettes are old and outdated. Only the BOP and the hard work by Pratt and Miller have kept them competitive.
The reality is the BOP played to their favor the last two years as they won the championship against cars that hold great advantage in Balance, Aero and Center of Gravity.
I do not expect a lot this year as Pratt and Miller are working on the new car and it will be an equal to the others and much less games will be played with BOP then. Only the BMW will be left hanging.
The pure physics of the lower and better balance of the Mid Engine cars makes a large difference then the lower drag by the more aero and lower body just seals it.
I’m afraid you would have to show me where the Corvettes were given any BOP advantage the last two years. I don’t believe it exists. The fact is they’re being restricted this year.
Regardless of design or age the BOP is designed to balance all makes. The old outdated Corvettes were required to run a higher rear wing to slow them at Daytona. At Sebring, a 2mm restrictor plate (I assume it’s a plate), again to slow them. On the other hand the new M8 cars for BMW were given huge bumps in boost ratio for Daytona, and again for Sebring. The second made them competitive.
How about another fact, the Vettes were almost a second slower than the BMW in qualifying with a restricted motor. The restriction should have been removed to “BALANCE” the field.
Thank you, GM Authority, for the scoop on the race.
BOP adjustments would not make any different. Last two years team’s these other teams were stepping on there own toe’s, what made corvette faster, then they seem. Pratt&Miller has done a hell of a job to keep them were there are, the cars are old, and it’s pass what they can do with, development in term’s of bop.
I agree with with Josephs remark, the Corvettes were limited in their performance in both the Daytona and Sebring races. How can anyone call this fair?