CORVETTE RACING AT LE MANS: No Words
Both Corvettes retire early in final GTE Pro race at 24 Hours
LE MANS, France (June 12, 2022) – Corvette Racing’s GTE Pro run at the 24 Hours of Le Mans ended with retirements of both Chevrolet Corvette C8.Rs on Sunday.
Alexander Sims in the No. 64 Corvette was fighting to regain the class lead just before the 18-hour mark when a prototype competitor moved into him on the Mulsanne Straight. The contact, with Sims on the far-left with two LMP2 cars going by, pitched the Corvette hard left into the guardrail nose-first.
Sims exited the car unassisted and was fine upon his return to the paddock. He, along with FIA World Endurance Championship teammates Tommy Milner and Nick Tandy, took turns leading in the pole-winning Corvette. Sims earlier set the fastest GTE Pro lap of the race.
Only moments earlier, Corvette Racing had retired the No. 63 Corvette due to significant mechanical damage – seen and unseen – at the rear of the car. It was unclear if this was a continuation from an earlier suspension issue in the race’s first six hours. Every effort was made to get the car back into the race, but due to safety concerns for the team’s drivers and fellow competitors, the decision was made to retire.
“This isn’t how we wanted our Le Mans race to end,” said Laura Klauser, GM Sports Car Racing Program Manager. “We’re all proud of the dedication of everyone on the Corvette Racing team to give us the absolute best chance for our ninth class victory. At the end of the day, we’re all proud to be part of the One Team effort that is Corvette Racing. We’re glad Alexander is OK and that the C8.R kept him safe. Our focus now is on our two full-season efforts in the WEC and also the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.”
We also have a press release from the half-way point
CORVETTE RACING AT LE MANS: Halfway Report
No. 64 Corvette remains in contention into the final 12 hours
LE MANS, France (June 12, 2022) – Corvette Racing’s No. 64 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R made it back into podium position at the halfway mark of the 24 Hours of Le Mans after an up-and-down, roller-coaster ride in the second quarter of the race.
Nick Tandy was aboard the No. 64 Corvette that ran second in GTE Pro after a couple of early-race setbacks, including an unscheduled stop to change front brakes just shy of the seventh hour. Alexander Sims, driving with Tandy and Tommy Milner, had the class’s fastest race lap in his second time through the rotation.
Four cars were on the lead lap in the class. Unfortunately, the No. 63 C8.R wasn’t one of those following a lengthy stay in the garage to repair a broken left-rear suspension. Just past halfway, Nicky Catsburg switched over to Antonio Garcia, who was at the wheel when the Corvette suffered its major issue.
Corvette Racing’s next update will come after the 18-hour mark.
ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Things are good at the moment. The car feels nice and is hooked up. The tires stayed very nicely throughout the two stints. The feedback I was getting from the engineers is that the pace was sensible. The gap to the leader is still quite substantial but we’re still in this race. After a couple of hiccups, it could be better but it also could be a lot worse.”
Staying in contention: “The first thing is to not have any major hiccups, any penalties, any contact or anything like that. That in itself is always a huge challenge. We’re pushing flat-out. We know we’re on the back foot so we have to take some risks. But at the same time, we have to stay in this race. Any contact and that’s probably it. We’ve got a bit of step to make already, which might be doable. We’ll see… we have to be smart.”
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