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1999 Corvette Racing Season

1999 would mark the first year for the fully factory backed Corvette race team. After two years of development of the the new C5 race car dubbed the C5-R Corvette Racing made their debut at the 1999 Rolex 24 at Daytona. Corvette Racing was the brainchild of Doug Fehan whom had worked with GM racing teams in the 1980s. He had previously approached GM with an idea to create a fully factory backed race team. The idea was accepted by GM but due to large expenses the project never officially started. However after a huge amount of excitement within GM about the new fifth generation Corvette in the mid 1990s, it was decided that Doug Fehans idea should be committed to using the Corvette C5. Corvette Racing hired two builders Pratt & Miller and Riley & Scott to construct their race cars. At first the car was built without a series in mind but due to the success of the Chrysler Viper GTS-R, the team decided to build a car to compete in the new American Le Man Series to take on the Viper.

Doug Fehan had a goal for Corvette Racing to compete and win at Le Mans. The 1999 season would prove to be a year where the team could improve and develop the car so that they could take on Le Mans the next year. This meant Corvette Racing would run a limited season taking part in a total of six races: The Rolex 24 at Daytona ran by the USRRC and five out of eight rounds in the American Le Mans Series. The rivalry with the Team Oreca Vipers really pushed Corvette Racing to make their car more competitive increasing the displacement of the Katech developed 6.0L V8 to a 7.0L V8. Lessons learnt in 1999 made the C5-R a future dominating race car.


1999 Corvette Racing Schedule & Results

1999 Season Overview
Race Race Date Race Distance (time) Track Car Number Class Position Overall Position Start Position Drivers Laps Completed Series Class
Rolex 24 at Daytona Jan 31 1999 24 Hours Daytona International Speedway (Road Course) 2 3 18 2 Ron Fellows / Chris Kneifel / John Paul Jr 600 United States Road Racing Championship GT2
Rolex 24 at Daytona Jan 31 1999 24 Hours Daytona International Speedway (Road Course) 4 12 46 4 Scott Sharp / Andy Pilgrim / John Heinricy 366 United States Road Racing Championship GT2
The 47th Annual Superflo 12 Hours at Sebring presented by The New Dodge March 20 1999 12 Hours Sebring International Raceway 3 4 23 1 Ron Fellows / Chris Kneifel / John Paul Jr 262 American Le Mans Series GTS
The 47th Annual Superflo 12 Hours at Sebring presented by The New Dodge March 20 1999 12 Hours Sebring International Raceway 4 7 38 2 Scott Sharp / Andy Pilgrim / John Heinricy 157 American Le Mans Series GTS
2 Hours and 45 Minutes ar Sears Point July 25 1999 2 Hours 45 Minutes Sear Point International Raceway 3 2 18 2 Ron Fellows / Chris Kneifel 89 American Le Mans Series GTS
Petit Le Mans, 1000 Miles at Road Atlanta September 19 1999 1000 Miles Road Atlanta 4 4 13 3 Kelly Collins / Andy Pilgrim / Scott Sharp 349 American Le Mans Series GTS
Petit Le Mans, 1000 Miles at Road Atlanta September 19 1999 1000 Miles Road Atlanta 3 5 14 4 Ron Fellows / Chris Kneifel / John Paul Jr 347 American Le Mans Series GTS
VISA Sports Car Championship Presented by Honda at Laguna Seca Oct 10 1999 2 Hours 45 Minutes Laguna Seca Raceway 3 2 12 3 Ron Fellows / Chris Kneifel 109 American Le Mans Series GTS
2 Hours and 45 Minutes of Las Vegas November 7 1999 2 Hours 45 Minutes Las Vegas Motor speedway (Road Course) 3 3 12 3 Ron Fellows / Chris Kneifel 118 American Le Mans Series GTS

#3 Chevrolet Corvette C5-R Drivers 1999 (#2 used for USRRC)

Ron Fellows

Ron Fellows was a fundamental part to the development and success of Corvette Racing. He was one of the original test drivers along with Andy Pilgrim during the two year testing and development period for the Corvette C5-R. Fellows would bring Corvette Racing’s first victory in September 2000 at Texas Motor Speedway and later in 2001 would help give Corvette Racing their first victories at Rolex 24 at Daytona and Le Mans 24 Hours.

Fellows drove for Corvette Racing for nine years winning the drivers championship three times and helping Corvette Racing win eight championships. In 2007 Chevrolet introduced a limited edition Corvette Z06 “Ron Fellows Championship Edition” to celebrate Fellows success with Corvette Racing.

He retired from Corvette Racing after the 2008 season and started the Ron Fellows racing school located in Nevada. In 2011 with partners Carlo Fidani and Allan Boughton, Fellows formed Canadian Motorsport Ventures Ltd., which purchased Mosport International Raceway and renamed it Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

Vitals

  • Birthdate: September 28th, 1959
  • Birthplace: Windsor, Ontario, Canada
  • Residence: Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
  • Family: Wife Lynda, children Lindsay, Sam, Patrick
  • Corvette Racing: 1999-2008

Notable Career Highlights

  • Three time ALMS Drivers Champion – 2002, 2003, 2004
  • Two time Le Mans 24 Hours Class Winner – 2001, 2002
  • Overall winner in Rolex 24 at Daytona – 2001
  • Four-time ALMS Most Popular Driver award – 2004-2007
  • 19 SCCA Trans Am wins
  • Five NASCAR wins

Chris Kneifel 

Early in his career, Kneifel raced in the Formula Ford and Formula Atlantic Series to then become a driver in the 1982-1984 CART Championship Car Series. Kneifel had 19 career starts in CART including the 1983 and 1984 Indianapolis 500, bringing six top 10 finishes.

After competing in CART he won the 1985 Trans-Am Rookie of the Year. Kneifel joined Corvette Racing in 1999 teaming with Ron Fellows and later with Franck Fréon and Johnny O’Connell. He would go on to win overall the 2001 Rolex 24 at Daytona. From 2001-2004 he rejoined the CART series but this time as the Chief Steward (Race Director).

Vitals

  • Birthdate: April 23rd, 1961
  • Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois
  • Residence: Cave Creek, Arizona
  • Family: children Christian, Christina, Michael
  • Corvette Racing: 1999-2001

Notable Career Highlights

  • Three podiums with Corvette Racing in 1999
  • Two podiums with Corvette Racing in 2000
  • Two wins and three podiums with Corvette Racing in 2001

John Paul Jr (Daytona, Sebring and Petit Le Mans)

John Paul Jr joined Corvette Racing in 1999 as the third driver for endurance races. He became the youngest ever IMSA champion at the 1982 12 Hours of Sebring whilst co-driving with his father John Paul Sr. He joined the CART Championship Car Series making 21 starts from 1982 to 1985 with a win at Michigan International Speedway and finishing 8th in the 1983 standings. John Paul Jr finished second in the 1984 Le Mans 24 Hours with Preston Henn and Jean Rondeau in a Porsche 956. John Paul Jr returned single seat racing and won the IRL 1998 Lone Star 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.

Vitals

  • Birthdate: February 19th, 1960
  • Birthplace: Muncie, Indiana
  • Residence: Southern California
  • Corvette Racing: 1999

Notable Career Highlights

  • Second place in the 1981 Camel GT Championship
  • First place in the 1982 Camel GT Championship
  • Second place finish in the 1984 Le Mans 24 Hours
  • Third plass class finish at the 1999 Rolex 24 at Daytona

#4 Chevrolet Corvette C5-R Drivers 1999

Andy Pilgrim

Pilgrim was one of the integral people involved in the development of the Corvette Racing program being the first to drive the Corvette C5-R as a test driver in its first two years of development. He would go on to race for Corvette Racing from 1999 to 2003 giving the teams first win at Texas Motor Speedway in September 2000. He became famous for the ‘Pilgrim pass’ at the 2000 Petit Le Mans where he made a difficult move to steal the win from the Team Oreca Viper in the last minutes of the race, giving Corvette Racing their first endurance race victory.

Pilgrim born in England moved to the USA in 1982 and had his first professional race in 1984. Pilgrim received his first professional victory in the IMSA Firestone Firehawk Endurance Championship in 1986 at Sears Point driving a Pontiac Firebird. Between July 1992 to September 1998, Pilgrim won 25 races and three IMSA championships, finishing a record 116 consecutive IMSA races without a DNF (did not finish). He took titles in the 1995 and 1998 IMSA Speedvision Cup championships, the 1997 IMSA GT1 championship and the 1996 Brazilian GT2 title. Pilgrim has two Rolex 24 at Daytona victories, including an overall win in 2004.

Away from the race track Andy Pilgrim is the CEO of Electronic Computer Services, a successful computer consulting and management company that employs more than 200 information technology professionals. Pilgrim also works with high school students, teaching them safe driving skills. In 2005, he created an instructional DVD on safe driving, “The Driving Zone: Essential Techniques For New Drivers,” in cooperation with Chevrolet NASCAR Nextel Cup driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the Dale Earnhardt Foundation.

Vitals

  • Birthdate: August 18th, 1956
  • Birthplace: Nottingham, England
  • Residence: Delray Beach, Florida
  • Family: Single
  • Corvette Racing: 1999-2003

Notable Career Highlights

  • Five podium finishes at Le Mans 24 Hours – 1997 (GT2), 2000 (GTS), 2001 (GTS) 2002 (GTS), 2003 (GTS)
  • Third place in the 2002 ALMS driver standings
  • First place overall at the 2004 Rolex 24 at Daytona
  • 2005 SPEED World Challenge – GT champion
  • Second place in the 2007 and 2008 SPEED World Challenge – GT championship standings
  • Second place in the 2012 Pirelli World Challenge GT season standings

Scott Sharp (Daytona, Sebring and Petit Le Mans)

Scott Sharp joined Corvette Racing in 1999 as the third driver in the #4 C5-R for the three endurance events at Daytona, Sebring and Road Atlanta.

Sharp started his career in SCCA and won the 1986 SCCA National GT-2 driver’s championship driving a Nissan 280ZX for Newman-Sharp Racing team, which was ran by his father and actor Paul Newman. The next year he moved up to SCCA GT-1 and won the National Title in his first season as a professional driver. In 1988 Sharp moved to the SCCA Trans-Am series competing in four events in addition to winning a second straight GT-1 Championship.

In 1993 Sharp started competing in the CART series whilst also competing and winning his second SCCA Trans-Am championship. 1994 saw Sharp run a complete CART schedule including his first start in the Indianapolis 500. In 1995 he ran in both SCCA Trans-Am and the CART series again.

In 1996 Sharp won his first Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona co-driving with Wayne Taylor and Jim Pace driving a Riley & Scott for Doyle Racing. Later that year Sharp moved to IndyCars, which started a successful career until 2009 where he started 147 races including an unbroken run in excess of one hundred IRL races.

Vitals

  • Birthdate: February 14th , 1968
  • Birthplace: Norwalk, Connecticut
  • Residence: Tequesta, Florida
  • Family: Wife Bethany, children Briana, Jackson, Hudson, Selah, London
  • Corvette Racing: 1999

Notable Career Highlights

  • 1986 SCCA GT-2 Champion
  • 1987, 1988 SCCA GT-1 National Title
  • 1991 SCCA Trans-Am Champion
  • 1996 Rolex 24 at Daytona winner

John Heinricy (Daytona and Sebring)

Heinricy has raced Chevrolet Corvettes, Camaros, and Pontiac Firebirds professionally since 1984 winning seven driving championships and several team championships. Heinricy drove the #4 C5-R Corvette race cars in the first two races for Corvette Racing in 1999.

In 1979, Heinricy was named development engineer with Chevrolet at the Milford Proving Grounds in Michigan. He would then become assistant staff engineer at Milford in 1981. In 1985, Heinricy was promoted to product engineering manager for the Chevrolet-Pontiac-GM of Canada Engineering Group.

Heinricy became vehicle development manager for the Corvette platform in 1989 and was a member for the team of Corvette ZR-1 drivers that set three world land speed records and nine FIA international speed records in 1990. In May 1993, Heinricy was appointed continuous improvement manager for the Chevrolet Corvette, and in July 1995 was appointed total vehicle integration engineer for the Corvette at the Midsize and Luxury Car Group. He became chief engineer for the Camaro and Firebird in 1997 and the director of vehicle dynamics for GM cars and trucks in 2001.

Heinricy was appointed Director of High Performance Vehicle Operations for GM Performance Division in April 2002 and is responsible for production engineering of low volume, high performance versions of GM vehicles.

Vitals

  • Birthdate: November 9th , 1947
  • Birthplace: Michigan, USA
  • Residence: Royal Oak, Michigan
  • Family: Wife Rita
  • Corvette Racing: 1999

Notable Career Highlights

  • One podium and two pole positions in Grand Am Sports Car Series 2001
  • One win in Grand Am Sports Car Series 2011

Kelly Collins (Petit Le Mans)

Collins joined Corvette Racing in 1999 for one race at the Petit Le Mans.

At the age of seven Kelly Collins began racing motorcycles. He started his racing career in 1987 earning six wins in Formula Ford and Formula Mazda.

From 1993 to 1996 Collins drove a Honda in the IMSA Series earning eight wins. He then would race a Porsche in the PSCR GT Championship in 1997 and 1998. In 1999 Collins won the GT3 Class at the Rolex 24 at Daytona in a Porsche 911 RSR for Alex Job Racing finishing sixth overall. Collins continued to drive for Alex Job Racing in 1999 in the ALMS where he achieved another GT Class win at Sebring. After Sebring Collins moved to Martin Snow Racing, driving a Porsche 911 Turbo in the GTS class for four rounds.

Collins joined Corvette Racing at Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta in 1999, to then finish the season with Martin Snow Racing for the last two rounds in the ALMS.

Vitals

  • Birthdate: April 21st, 1965
  • Birthplace: Sun Valley, Idaho
  • Residence: Newport Beach, California
  • Corvette Racing: 1999-2003

Notable Career Highlights

  • 1992 Sebring 12 Hours winner
  • Eight wins in the IMSA Series between 1993-1996
  • 1999 Rolex 24 at Daytona GT3 class winner
  • GTS class win at 2000 Petit Le Mans
  • Four consecutive GTS class Le Mans 24 Hours podiums 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003
  • Three GT class wins in Grand-Am Sports Car Series – 2006
  • Four GT class wins in Grand-Am Sports Car Series – 2008

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