The Corvette C8.R ran trouble-free in the FIA World Endurance Championship 6 Hours of Circuit of the Americas on Sunday – a welcome sign for Corvette Racing and its new mid-engine GTE challenger.
Despite running reliably for all 570 miles of the race, the Corvette C8.R lacked pace compared to the GTE Pro regulars and could not challenge for the lead. The No. 63 Corvette duo of Jan Magnussen and Mike Rockenfeller finished sixth in class, behind only the No. 91 Porsche 911, which had to put for lengthy repairs due to an electrical issue.
Magnussen drove the first two stints in the No. 63 Corvette C8.R, overtaking two cars before pitting to hand the car over to Rockenfeller. The German then drove the middle three stints before turning the car back over to Magnussen for the final run to the flag.
While the Corvette C8.R was hurting for pace all weekend long, Corvette Racing didn’t go to Austin expecting to win. The team used the 6H of COTA to gain more data with regard to fuel usage, tire performance, and chassis setup for the Corvette C8.R, which is a completely new package for the 2020 racing season. In a statement, Chevrolet said the race provided its engineers with “ample data to study with the aim of contending for victory at upcoming races in both the FIA World Endurance Championship and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship,” and noted that both its drivers and pit crew had a mistake-free day.
“Obviously we were very far off the pace, but we have learned and taken things away from this experience with the new Corvette,” Magnussen said post-race. “For sure we were down on power but there are other areas where we can improve. In a race like this, you have a chance to play around a little bit with different setups and you can try some different things… look at what other teams are doing, how the other cars are handling, where they are strong and where we need to be stronger.”
Magnussen and Rockenfeller will return to the cockpit of the No. 63 Corvette C8.R for the FIA WEC 1000 Miles of Sebring in March. Just like last year, the team plans to pull off a double-header at Sebring, racing the WEC event on the Friday before turning its attention to its usual two-car IMSA effort for the 12 Hours of Sebring on Saturday.
“As tough as this race was, I’m excited for Sebring,” added Magnussen. “It should be better with the things we’ve taken away from this weekend.”
Jan Magnussen
Magnussen and Rockenfeller were both replaced in Corvette Racing’s full-season driver lineup for the 2020 season. The 46-year old Magnussen left the team to make room for American hotshoe Jordan Taylor, while Rockfenfeller was forced to give up the seat due to his Audi DTM commitments, with Nicky Catsburg taking the reigns in his absence. The fan-favorite pairing have returned for the two American FIA WEC rounds, however, and could be in line for additional WEC outings with the team in the future.
Click here for full results from the 2020 FIA WEC 6H of COTA.
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Comments
I’m confused. The #63 was a second and a half+ slower than all other GT Pro competitors (even in qualifying), yet ran the same pace as the Porsche, BMW, and Ferrari at Daytona. If not for driver error they would have had a podium finish with the #3(?) car. The announcers for the WEC event mentioned IMSA GT cars are faster than the WEC versions. Did the 43mm BOP restriction kill the motor? Did Corvette detune the motor? I’m sorry but General Motors should never be that far behind the competition.
Now I’m confused about something else…what idiots would give my thumbs down ratings for asking questions, stating facts, and repeating others comments?
Think of this like a pre season Football and it means nothing in the big picture and for the ultimate goal.
There are several things that can be in play. One is BOP. Two Corvette may have been just running a pace since they were saddled with a unfavorable BOP. Three they have to consider they will be given a BOP setting for Le Mans and they do not want a penalty going into the event if they stand out too much.
This race just gives them some track time to work out some things and to show their pace leading up to Le mans. If they had a big showing here they would be hit with unfair penalties as they have been hit with in the past. Being a one off race they want a fair fight and this should help set the stage for a fair fight.
COTA was just a set up for the real prize in France. Le Mans is all that matters in this series to Corvette as that is the prize.
Look for some help in IMSA too as they were close but they could use a little more BOP help to compete. Remember this is a new car and it is only at the start of the learning curve and regulations.
Note too that the drivers are the other drivers for Le Mans not in IMSA this year that got track time in actual race conditions. This was no accident either.
Corvette has never been known for sandbagging…unlike Ford.
The truth is some teams are better than others about not showing all their cards. Pratt and Miller make few mistakes.
Ford on the other hand jumped in and did not hide it well but got away with it due to the 50th anniversary of their win.
Don’t be fooled. Sandbagging has been a part of every regulated series for years.
Two things going on here. One Corvette Racing is only at 5he start of the learning curve of how tires react under racing conditions. They also are learning how the car reacts to adjustments in different weather and race conditions. They are building a new tuning book.
They also if they find a ton of speed they will not show it. They will say we are not worried and we are learning. Under race conditions they will show what they learn and generally get a bop adjustment. It is all a game of cat and mouse.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans have been postponed to September 19/20, 2020.
Lets hope that the virus SARS-Cov-2 has ended its ransacking fury around this planet by then, so that the event must not be called off completely for this year.
BOP sucks. I’d like to see one race per year in a BOP series with all the BOP removed. Let the boys race what they got, and show everyone who is actually faster.