Corvette Info

Corvette Wins at Lime Rock

Corvette Wins at Lime Rock
The Corvette factory team came in 1st and 2nd in the GT1 class at the American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix held at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville CT.
We went and participated in the Corvette Corral. Chevrolet sponsors the Corral at many of the ALMS races. More than 175 Vettes were present. On display at the Corral was a 2009 ZR1, a Will Cooksley ZO6 and an Indy Pace Car.

When race began we had a wonderful view of turn 1, aka "Big Bend." No matter where you stood around the course, you could tell when the mighty 427 powered C6R's were about to appear. The 7 liter V8 engines sing with an unmistakable all American roar. It is true music to a Corvette lover's ears.

The following is quoted from americanlemans.com: Corvette Racing's Johnny O'Connell and Jan Magnussen won in GT1, coming from nearly a full lap back to beat the hard-luck duo of Corvette mates Olivier Beretta and Oliver Gavin. The duo won for the fourth time in five races and third time in a row. Each was victorious at Lime Rock for the first time.

"There was a time at the first caution where we got caught out behind the pace car. But then situations arose where we could get a splash at the end and get close again," O'Connell said. "It was a fun and exciting moment. I know people think we aren't racing anyone, but we are really going hard. We are definitely pushing as hard as we can. Things went our way this weekend."

"I was absolutely on par with the other car," Magnussen added. "When we started to race the other car, traffic played a big role. The tarmac here is very good and the Michelins were just as fast at the beginning as they were at the end."

O'Connell pitted late from the lead for a splash of cellulosic E85 and entered the track side-by-side with Beretta, who went wide and slightly off the track as O'Connell kept the lead.

Beretta eventually had to park his Corvette when the gearbox lost oil. As a result, O'Connell and Magnussen are 12 points up on their teammates for the class championship. It's a stark contrast to last season when the duo won just three times and were second in the title chase.

"In the races last year, something silly always went wrong, just little things," O'Connell said. "The funny thing is that racing always goes in cycles. Our never-say-die attitude kept us in the race. We lost nearly a lap and sometimes you quit before knowing what things can happen. You have to attack every single lap."

ALMS Racing at Lime Rock Park

Attention Corvette Racing fans. The ALMS race will be at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville CT. Chevrolet will have a Corvette Coral at the track that offers Corvette owners special parking, meals and displays. A group of members showed interest in going out Saturday July 12th for the race. We will meet at the Building 19 parking lot at 7:30 am and leave at 7:45. We will stop at Joe's American Bar and Grill to pick up any members living closer to that stop. Be there at 8:00 am as we will have a very short stop.

If you are planning to attend, you will need to contact Lime Rock Park to purchase tickets. Get tickets for the Corvette Coral. It is best to get the tickets that include lunch, at $85.00 per person. Tickets include Corvette Coral parking, Corvette hospitality tent admission, pit pass and of course viewing the race. If you have never been to Lime Rock, it is a beautiful track with lawn seating. There are no bleachers. Bring your chairs or a picnic blanket to enjoy the race. This is rain or shine event.

May Trivia Question

What do the following Corvette colors have in common? Mosport Green, Goodwood Green, Silverstone Silver and Bridgehampton Blue.

We have two WINNERS!
Dennis Grant and Russ Erikson got it correct. We could have also added Sebring Silver, Daytona Blue, Riverside Red, Laguna Gray, Glen Green, Mille Miglia Red, Elkhart Green, Brands Hatch Green, Monza Red, Daytona Yellow, Mulsanne Blue (this one's a stretch, oops! bad pun), Monaco Orange, LeMans Blue, Elkhart Blue, Nassau Blue, Laguna Blue, Goodwood Yellow, and Daytona Sunset Orange.
The colors were named after race tracks. Mosport is in Canada. You can learn about it
here. Goodwood is a racetrack about 60 miles from London. Info about is can be found here. Another British race track is Silverstone. It is still an active track hosting a Formula 1 race each year. More info here. Last but not least is Bridgehampton. Unfortunately, this great track has been converted to a golf course. It is located on Long Island near Sag Harbor. You can read about its history here.
As you can see, Corvette has long been associated with racing and the designers and engineers have on many occasions paid homage to the great race tracks of the world.
Be sure to check this month's Trivia Question in the sidebar to the right.

April's Trivia Question

April's Trivia Question
Of what significance is the number 6939 in Corvette history?

We have a WINNER!! Steve Bradford correctly answered that there were only 6939 ZR-1s produced from 1990 until 1995. For those who like statistics, 1990 saw 3049 built. In 1991 the number dropped to 2044. 1992 had only 502 ZR-1s built and the three years, 1993-1995 each had 448 ZR-1s hit the road. The last ZR-1, 1995 #448 sits in the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, KY.
Steve won a beautiful ZR-1 poster for his correct answer. Be sure to check this month's Trivia Question in the sidebar to the right.

New Corvette Book

Corvette Stories from the Backbone of America
Great gift for Corvette Club members and for Corvette Club parties.
Price: $17.95
Size: 6 x 9
Author: Tommy Mallory
ISBN: 0-595-43120-8
202 Pages
On Demand Printing

Available from Ingram Book Group, Baker & Taylor, and from iUniverse, Inc
Also,
www.corvettestories.net and National Corvette Museum Gift Shop

To order call 1-800-AUTHORS
For an author signed copy, www.corvettestories.net

"Blue Devil," will be called ZR1

Todd Lassa, Detroit Editor for Motor Trend reports - "Chevrolet's 650-horsepower Corvette, developed under the codename "Blue Devil," will be called ZR1. Read More...