Chevrolet Corvette C7.R

Chevrolet Corvette C7.R
Category Weathertech SportsCar GTLM
24 Hours of Le Mans LMGTE Pro
Constructor United States Chevrolet / Pratt & Miller Engineering
Designer(s) Tadge Juechter
Predecessor Chevrolet Corvette C6.R
Technical specifications
Chassis Aluminium monocoque
Suspension (front) Short/long arm double wishbone, fabricated steel upper and lower control arms, coil over adjustable shock absorbers
Suspension (rear) As front
Length 4,496 mm (177 in)
Width 2,050 mm (81 in)
Height 1,151 mm (45 in)
Wheelbase 2,708 mm (107 in)
Engine Chevrolet LS5.R 5.5 L (5,500 cc; 336 cu in) V8 90° naturally aspirated, front engined, longitudinally mounted
Transmission Xtrac 6-speed semi-automatic gearbox Mega-Line sequential paddle shift including reverse gear, limited-slip differential
Power 491 hp (366 kW) @ 6000 RPM
Weight 1,245 kg (2,745 lb) (including driver and fuel)
Fuel VP Racing Fuels Ethanol E85 (United SportsCar Championship)
ExxonMobil Ethanol E10 (24 Hours of Le Mans)
Lubricants Mobil 1
Tyres Michelin
BBS forged magnesium wheels
Competition history
Notable entrants United States Corvette Racing
Notable drivers Spain Antonio García
United States Tommy Milner
Denmark Jan Magnussen
Australia Ryan Briscoe
United States Jordan Taylor
United Kingdom Oliver Gavin
United Kingdom Robin Liddell
Debut 2014 24 Hours of Daytona
RacesWins
4912 (including 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans)

The Chevrolet Corvette C7.R is a grand tourer racing car built by Pratt & Miller and Chevrolet for competition in endurance racing. It is a replacement for the Corvette C6.R racing car, using the C7 generation Chevrolet Corvette as a base. The C7 road car was noted to incorporate development from the Corvette C6.R, thus those properties also carry over to the race car. The Corvette Racing C7.R races in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in the GT Le Mans (GTLM) class.[1]

Development

The Corvette C7.R had its official unveiling at the 2014 NAIAS in Detroit.[1] The car made its first testing appearance, in camouflage, at the Rolex Motorsports Union at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca track.[2] The car's new livery and details were revealed on January 13, 2014.

Successes

2014

Corvette Racing had a total of 4 wins in the C7.R's inaugural season.[3] Those wins came at Long Beach, Laguna Seca, Watkins Glen and Canadian Tire Motorsports Park.

2015

Corvette Racing had a total of 3 wins in the C7.R.[4] The car won the first two North American Endurance Cup races at the 53rd Rolex 24 at Daytona in January and the 63rd Annual Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring 2 months later driven by Jan Magnussen, Ryan Briscoe, and Antonio Garcia in the Tudor United SportsCar Championship. The C7.R finished the year in third place behind the Porsche 911 RSR and BMW Z4 GTE and ahead of the Ferrari 458 Italia GT2.[5]

The Corvette C7.R scored its first Le Mans win at the 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans, with Oliver Gavin, Tommy Milner,and Jordan Taylor driving the #64 Corvette to victory in the GTE-Pro class. It is also Corvette Racing's 8th win at the circuit. Corvette Racing won endurance racing's infamous "triple crown" with wins at the 24 hours of Daytona, 12 hours of Sebring, and the 24 hours of Le Mans.

2016

On the car's inaugural race of the year, the 2016 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, the Corvette racing team scored a class win with a photo finish between the numbers 3 and 4 cars, driven by Oliver Gavin and Antonio Garcia. The cars finished .034 seconds apart from one another.[6] In that year, the Corvette C7.R scored its second 12 Hours of Sebring win with car #4 driven by Oliver Gavin, Tommy Milner and Marcel Fässler in the GTLM Class.[7] The C7.R did poorly in the 24 hours of Lemans, qualifying last in the GTE Pro category and finishing the race 7th and 10th in the GTE-Pro class.[8]The #4 Corvette C7.R went on to win the WeatherTech Sportscar Championship in the GTLM class. They won the drivers', team, and manufacturers' championship, as well as the North American Endurance cup.[9] Corvette Racing also claimed its milestone 100th win for the team with its 1st place finish at Lime Rock in the WeatherTech Sportscar Championship series. [10]

References

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