Corvette Racing Sets Familiar Lineup for 20th Season of Competition
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| Antonio Garcia |
In 2018, Corvette Racing and Chevrolet will embark on their 20th season of competition at the highest level of endurance sports car racing. In hopes of capturing a third consecutive class championship, Corvette Racing turns again to four sets of trusted hands to pilot its pair of Chevrolet Corvette C7.Rs in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s GT Le Mans (GTLM) category.
Antonio Garcia, Jan Magnussen, Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner comprise Corvette Racing’s full-season lineup. The 2018 season marks the seventh straight year the quartet has made up the regular driving roster. The full-season four have combined for 111 victories and 12 Driver Championships in their Corvette Racing careers.
They also have played significant roles in Chevrolet’s 12 Manufacturer Championships and 12 Team Championships for Corvette Racing, which has recorded 106 victories around the world.
“Consistency amongst the team and its drivers has been key to the success of our program for the last 20 years," said Mark Kent, Chevrolet Director of Motorsports Competition. “Having Antonio, Jan, Oliver and Tommy returning for the 2018 season will definitely increase the likelihood of continued success for Corvette Racing."
Both of the Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C7.Rs will officially begin the 2018 IMSA season at the annual Roar Before the 24 at Daytona International Speedway on January 5-7. It is the prelude for the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona – an event Corvette Racing has won three times.
Corvette Racing is coming off a 2017 season in which it won four times. Garcia and Magnussen recorded three victories and shared the GTLM Driver Championship. Gavin and Milner, 2016 co-champions, also claimed a victory in 2017.
The records of each Corvette Racing driver rank among the best in endurance sports car racing:
- Antonio Garcia: 15 victories; two IMSA Driver Championships; winner at Le Mans (2009, 2011), Daytona (2015), Sebring (2009, 2015, 2017)
- Oliver Gavin: 49 victories; five IMSA Driver Championships; winner at Le Mans (five times), Daytona (2016), Sebring (five times)
- Jan Magnussen: 34 victories; three IMSA Driver Championships; winner at Le Mans (four times), Daytona (2015), Sebring (five times)
- Tommy Milner: 13 victories; two IMSA Driver Championships; winner at Le Mans (2011, 2015), Daytona (2016), Sebring (two times)
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R: “I am very happy to return with Corvette Racing for 2018. It is always a big challenge fighting with our competition in GTLM, and no doubt it will be more difficult again next season. We just need to keep doing what we did in 2017 – four race wins for our program and another GTLM Championship with great support from Team Chevy. We learned a lot this past year on how to maximize our results, win races and win championships. For sure, the same teams and cars we battled last year also will have learned and come back strong. As a team, we have to continue to be smarter to stay out front. That has been the best thing about Corvette Racing over the years, and I hope we can do it again in 2018."
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| #4 Corvette at Lime Rock |
JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R: “It’s always a privilege being with Corvette Racing. One of the strongest and most valuable aspects of our program is the continuity we have. It plays a massive role in the team’s success – on the engineering side, on the crew side and on the driver side. This makes things so much easier when we all know our strengths and weaknesses. We can work to that. There are no unknown quantities. To continue to be a part of this team is a great honor. This is a fantastic group, and I’m very proud to be part of it. "
OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R: “I’m delighted to be back with Corvette Racing and Chevrolet again for 2018. To partner with Tommy again is fantastic, and being back on the No. 4 Corvette with our team is great. We know exactly what we need to do and how to execute in order to win races. Once for us in 2017 wasn’t enough, however. We felt we were in the hunt a number of times but crazy, crazy things ended up happening. It was a great year for Antonio, Jan and the No. 3 Corvette in winning the GTLM championships. Let’s hope that for 2018 and the 20th year of Corvette Racing that both cars can have strong runs and stand on the top step at numerous races throughout the season."
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R: “This will be my eighth year with Corvette Racing, and I can see how being part of a program for this long with this much consistency has made me a better driver over the years. It makes the start of a season easier. There is no learning process or getting a feel for the car or team. You jump right in and you’re off running from the first practice session. We build off those sessions and each race. That consistency is fantastic. Looking at the history and success of this partnership between Corvette Racing and Chevy for now 20 years, the consistency has been a large part of our success. So I’m happy to be back with this incredible group."