MOTV8 Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Let's get crack-a-lackin, new year, new threadage... Corvette Unveils ALMS Driver Lineup Corvette Racing will seek its ninth American Le Mans Series championship and its eighth victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2012 with a revamped lineup of drivers. The lineup for the Compuware Corvette C6.R Corvettes delivers a combination of youth and experience. Antonio Garcia joins Oliver Gavin, Jan Magnussen, and Tommy Milner as the four full-season drivers. Richard Westbrook will reprise his role as third driver in endurance events (Sebring, Le Mans, and Petit Le Mans), and Jordan Taylor will join Corvette Racing for the three long-distance races. “The level of competition in the 2011 American Le Mans Series GT category was intense, and we expect it to be just as fierce in 2012,” said GM Racing Director Mark Kent. “Corvette Racing has been working hard over the winter to develop a complete package of cars, drivers, team, and technology that will be able to win in this extremely competitive environment.” Jordan Taylor, a 20-year-old resident of Apopka, Fla., will become the 23rd driver to race in Corvette Racing colors. The son of championship-winning driver Wayne Taylor, this second-generation racer literally grew up at race tracks. After progressing quickly through karting and school series, he made his debut in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series in 2008. Taylor and his co-driver piloted the Autohaus Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro to a runner-up finish in the 2011 Rolex GT championship, just two points short of the title. He will continue to compete in the Rolex Series in 2012 with Autohaus Motorsports in addition to driving for Corvette Racing in endurance races. “Corvette Racing is one of the most iconic names in motorsports, and joining this team is a huge opportunity for me,” said Taylor, a student at the University of Central Florida. “There are certainly going to be challenges as I learn the capabilities of the Corvette C6.R race cars, become familiar with the team, adapt to new tracks, and race with new competitors. It’s going to be amazing to race a Corvette at Sebring, Le Mans, and Road Atlanta, and I can’t wait to get started!” GM has a long association with the Taylor family, reaching back to the Chevrolet Intrepid GTP, Oldsmobile Aurora WSC, and Cadillac LMP programs. Wayne Taylor Racing currently campaigns a Corvette Daytona Prototype in the 2012 GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series. “We have watched Jordan develop as a fine young driver over the years, and when he had an opportunity to test for Corvette Racing, his performance was very impressive,” said Kent. “He is totally dedicated to racing, gives great feedback, understands how to interpret data, and knows how to make changes to the car and his driving style to suit the conditions. He has tremendous potential and we see this opportunity as an investment in the team’s future. “I also want to acknowledge the contributions of Olivier Beretta to Corvette Racing,” Kent continued. “Olivier was a valued member of the team, and he played a key role in our success in the ALMS and at Le Mans. Although we have parted company with Olivier, we’ll look forward to seeing him at the race track, and we wish him all the best in the future.” Corvette Racing will participate in the Sebring Winter Test on February 8-9 in preparation for the season-opening 60th Anniversary Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on March 17. With two automatic invitations to qualify for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the team will return to the French circuit for the 80th running of the classic endurance race on June 16-17, 2012. “Corvette Racing’s starts every season with the same objectives: to capture the ALMS GT championship and to win at Le Mans,” said Kent. “We’ve never worked harder to achieve these goals. The entire team is energized and excited, and the strength of the competition drives us to strive for continuous improvement.” Wow, does that kid look dorky or what? And in the Oh No, Say It Ain't So department, I just read that phenom Joey Hand will be returning to drive the Bimmer in ALMS again this year....so obviously the attempts to have him imprisoned for beastiality fell short. Meanwhile, anticipation builds as we wait to see what horrendous graphics festoon the C6.R's this year... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shifty Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 Man, and I though Tommy Milner was young! That kid looks like one of teh doods from Revenge of teh Nerds... However, he gets teh a ride that I do not, regardless of teh fact that I'm incredibly cool... Have you noticed that teh "Jake" is being downplayed with every livery change? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MOTV8 Posted January 14, 2012 Author Share Posted January 14, 2012 Teh nerd got teh good ride in teh movie too! Jake's mug will be on there, but I know you liked it better when they had teh huge ones plastered on teh hood and sides. Maybe they'll do something cool like teh one from BBV: I think like a marketing hack, so I see alot of dollar signs in getting another big corporate sponsor on teh car. New graphics and colors leads to renewed vigor in merchandising at teh least and really brings 'heat' to teh brand exposure too. Imagine teh tv and print ads and teh tshirts, hats, flags, etc, that they would spawn if they changed up and did something like this... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shifty Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 G'dammit! Where's teh official 2012 Schedule! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shifty Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 Finally... http://photos.americanlemans.com/files/2012/2012_ALMS_SCHEDULE_V1.pdf Now, we need som spy photos of teh 2012 livery...assuming there's a change... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shifty Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Corvette Racing Announces 2012 Driver Pairings by Corvette Racing on January 20, 2012 New Driver Alignment to Optimize Performance in Sprint and Endurance Events DETROIT, Jan. 20, 2012 – A new alignment of drivers will pilot Corvette Racing’s new Compuware Corvette C6.R race cars when they make their competition debut at the season-opening 60th Anniversary Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. With additional testing following the announcement of the 2012 driver roster, the team has now finalized the lineups for the twin Corvettes. Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia will be full-season drivers in the No. 3 Corvette C6.R, joined by Jordan Taylor as third driver in endurance events (Sebring, Le Mans, and Petit Le Mans). Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner will co-drive the No. 4 Corvette C6.R, with Richard Westbrook joining them as third driver in the three long-distance races. “As part of our comprehensive review of Corvette Racing, we considered every element of the program, from the chassis and engine to the driver pairings,” said GM Racing Director Mark Kent. “Preseason testing and data analysis suggested that a revised driver alignment could improve the team’s overall performance. Certainly physical size is a factor in minimizing the time required for driver changes during pit stops, but we also evaluated the drivers’ individual styles and their preferences on chassis setups. With these pairings, we can minimize compromises and maximize driver confidence. “This new alignment also combines experienced and younger drivers,” Kent added. “We expect the veteran drivers to mentor the younger drivers, accelerating the process of learning and development.” This new driver alignment sees Magnussen, 38, return to the No. 3 Corvette C6.R that he drove from March 2007 to August 2010. The Dane will co-drive with Garcia, 31, who moves from the third-driver role he began in 2009 to a full-season campaign in the American Le Mans Series and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The team’s newest member, Jordan Taylor, a 20-year-old from Apopka, Fla., joins Magnussen and Garcia as the third driver in the No. 3 Corvette C6.R. Tommy Milner, 25, of Lake Mary, Fla., joined Corvette Racing in 2011 as a full-season driver in the No. 3 Corvette C6.R. Milner now moves to the No. 4 Corvette C6.R alongside Oliver Gavin, 39, a Corvette Racing driver since 2002. Richard Westbrook, 36, will mark his second year as third driver in the No. 4 Corvette C6.R. Corvette Racing will introduce its new driver lineup at the Sebring Winter Test on February 8-9 in preparation for the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on March 17. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MOTV8 Posted January 21, 2012 Author Share Posted January 21, 2012 Nice. Mags back in teh #3, BOOM! Call it, pre-season prognostication, for bragging rights: Who finishes higher in teh points, teh #3 or #4? I gotz Mags and teh noob. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shifty Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm............................ While teh Gav is my favorite, Mags runs a close second....I wouldn't mind him scoring higher this season... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MOTV8 Posted February 2, 2012 Author Share Posted February 2, 2012 Blurbage... ALMS Winter Test prepares teams for Sebring The 2012 American Le Mans Series season will get under way with the 60th Anniversary Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida on March 17, but teams will have an opportunity to get their equipment sorted at the series' official Winter Test, held Feb. 8-9, at the Florida road course. Posted today, the entry list reveals 23 cars, including two each from defending GT champion BMW Motorsport, defending LMP Challenge Champion CORE autosport and defending LMP2 champion Level 5 Motorsports. While there are still several drivers to be determined for those teams, CORE autosport will welcome new driver Colin Braun to test the No. 05 ORECA FLM09 alongside team owner/driver Jon Bennett. Corvette Racing also welcomes a new face in young Jordan Taylor. (And maybe a new paint scheme...please?) Another new name on the roster is that of Dempsey Racing, which will make its official ALMS debut with an LMPC entry piloted by Henri Richard and Duncan Ende. New cars are a big component of the 2012 ALMS lineup and the Winter Test will provide a glimpse of several. After campaigning a Lola-Aston Martin in the LMP1 category last season, Muscle Milk Pickett Racing will take the covers off its new HPD ARX-03a. In the GT category, expect to see three new Porsche 911 GT3 RSRs; two from Flying Lizard Motorsports and another from Team Falken Tire. A handful of teams from the World Endurance Championship are opting to take advantage of the Winter Test, including Pecom Racing with an LMP2 ORECA-Nissan, Krohn Racing and its Ferrari F458 GT, and Larbre Competition with a Corvette C6.R. The 2012 American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón begins with the 60th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida on Saturday March 17. The race, set for 10:30 a.m. ET, will broadcast March 17 on ABC and will be shown live on ESPN3 or ALMS.com. Dawg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shifty Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 While I don't like teh days of my life burning away, I'm willing teh clock to move faster....but it feels like teh clock in Risky Business.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MOTV8 Posted February 2, 2012 Author Share Posted February 2, 2012 I hear ya! Searching teh interwebs for any scrap of info on possible livery changes to our beloved C6.R's led me to some German website that I guess is digitally rendering the C6.R for some simulation or video game. Maybe teh Dawg can photochop one in Atomic Orange or something cool. Regardless, teh images are worth sharing imo: http://www.pcgameshardware.de/screenshots/medium/2012/01/1211.jpg http://www.pcgameshardware.de/screenshots/medium/2012/01/1311.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shifty Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P51tj Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 Nice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MOTV8 Posted February 7, 2012 Author Share Posted February 7, 2012 Teh Lizards have mods and loaded up with a Neckcar shoe, and we might get a glimpse of teh vettes soon as teh Sebring winter test starts tomorrow! :willy "Flying Lizard Motorsports announced today its driver lineup for the 2012 Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. The team will field two new racecars in the GT class for the ALMS season: the No. 45 and No. 44 2012 Porsche 911 GT3 RSRs. Joerg Bergmeister and Patrick Long, both Porsche factory drivers, will return for their fourth consecutive season driving together in the No. 45; this will be Bergmeister's fifth year with the team. Bergmeister is a five- time ALMS GT drivers' champion (2005-2006 and 2008-2010). The 2008, 2009 and 2010 championships were won with Flying Lizard in the No. 45. Long has won the title three times: 2005, and 2009-2010, each with Bergmeister. At Sebring, the pair will be joined by Porsche factory driver Marco Holzer. 2012 will be Holzer's second year with the team. After Sebring, Holzer will return to his regular seat in the sister No. 44 Porsche for the season. For Sebring, in the No. 44, Seth Neiman will be joined by Darren Law and Andy Lally. Law has driven with the Lizards since 2004 and will return as a guest driver at in 2012. Sebring will be Lally's first race with the team. Lally heads to Sebring following a GT win last week at the 2012 Rolex 24 At Daytona (with Magnus Racing). 2012 is Lally's fourth GT win at the Rolex 24 At Daytona. Among his notable achievements in endurance racing and stock car racing, Lally was named NASCAR Sprint Cup Rookie of the Year for 2011. ( Hope he likes sucking Corvette exhaust fumes.) Thomas Blam, Flying Lizard Chief Strategist said, "Marco Holzer has proven to be a highly consistent driver; he contributed a great deal to our 2011 program. He will be a very solid addition to Joerg and Patrick in the No. 45 for Sebring. "In the No. 44, we have an All-American lineup with Seth, Darren and Andy. This will be Andy's first time driving with the Lizards but he has a proven performance record in Porsches and brings a wide breadth of endurance racing experience." The new Porsches will have their inaugural run at the ALMS Sebring Winter test this week: February 8 and 9 in Sebring, Florida. Developments to the RSR for 2012 include a wider body, increased front tire diameter and wider front and rear track width. Porsche has also modified the bodywork to optimize aerodynamics and added new air intake ducts to the rear quarter panel. The Porsche 911 GT3 RSR is powered by a six-cylinder boxer engine with a four-litre capacity." Does CR get mods too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shifty Posted February 8, 2012 Share Posted February 8, 2012 CR got to widen teh car, I thinks by 4".... I also see that teh Falken Porchiz are not only sportin' a second car (making teh manufacturers cup almost a sealed-deal), but also teh new RSR's... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shifty Posted February 8, 2012 Share Posted February 8, 2012 BTW: Better than last season, anyway... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MOTV8 Posted February 8, 2012 Author Share Posted February 8, 2012 Score!! WTG Shiftah! I've been looking for a shot all week! Where'd you find it, BBV? I like it. Much better than the last couple seasons, more "menace"....less....retard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shifty Posted February 8, 2012 Share Posted February 8, 2012 I've been hunting too...Corvette Blogger had this'n.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MOTV8 Posted February 8, 2012 Author Share Posted February 8, 2012 Still plenty o' yeller, but there's no orange...Dawg must be disappointed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MOTV8 Posted February 8, 2012 Author Share Posted February 8, 2012 Crap. I hate Adobe flash players. I can't even vader pix for my own files. Anywho, if you're right and we got 4" wider, you can really see it in the flares...scroll down to teh bottom flash player: Linky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MOTV8 Posted February 8, 2012 Author Share Posted February 8, 2012 Teh Tommy Milner tweets: "Good first run in @CorvetteRacing #4 - Working through the test plan and making good changes to the car already." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MOTV8 Posted February 8, 2012 Author Share Posted February 8, 2012 Milner hooking us up, sure sounds healthy: Gavin leaving pits Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shifty Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 That Tommy, he's ok! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MOTV8 Posted February 9, 2012 Author Share Posted February 9, 2012 Tehy call me Vader... Hey, I'm not positive but it looks like Larbre picked up another used C6.R...feast yer inebriated eyes upon Sebring test day pix: http://dlstatic.speedtv.com/imageserve/07Tzb8h0bf6oG/575x459.jpg?fit=scale&background=000000 http://dlstatic.speedtv.com/imageserve/07IKbfO49a9RV/575x459.jpg?fit=scale&background=000000 http://dlstatic.speedtv.com/imageserve/09FS6sJ0gGc3l/575x459.jpg?fit=scale&background=000000 http://dlstatic.speedtv.com/imageserve/02OWf7nbX1a1t/575x459.jpg?fit=scale&background=000000 http://dlstatic.speedtv.com/imageserve/08oq0tE8TIdC8/575x459.jpg?fit=scale&background=000000 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MOTV8 Posted February 9, 2012 Author Share Posted February 9, 2012 ALMS: Series winter test underway at Sebring Preparations for the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring got underway in earnest Wednesday with the start of a two-day winter test at the iconic Sebring International Raceway. The 60th anniversary edition of the famed race takes the green flag on March 17, 2012, and 25 teams traveled to Florida to fine tune their cars for the opening event of the American LeMans Series presented by Tequila Patron season. Four lengthy practice sessions, totaling 15 hours, have been scheduled over the two days. In the opening round, the Level 5 Motorsports HPD ARX-03b LMP2 of Scott Tucker, Christophe Bouchut and Luis Diaz led the way with a speed of 116.910 miles per hour around the 3.74-mile course. For the afternoon session, the Level 5 continued to lead the way, slightly improving on their lap speed to 117.830 mph. Second was Pecom Racing’s Oreca Nissan driven by Pierre Kaffer, Luis Perez and Soheil Ayari. Third overall and the LMPC leader was the PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports Oreca FLM09 of Butch Leitzinger and Rudy Junco. Their speed was 114.561 mph. Ferrari F458 Italia’s swept the top-three spots in the GT class with three Extreme Motorsports entries leading the way. Topping the chart was the Ferrari of Scott Sharp and Johannes van Overbeek at 109.719 mph, and they were closely followed by Guy Cosmo and Ed Brown. Third was Olivier Beretta, Toni Vilander and Gianmaria Bruni. In the GTC class, the Green Hornet Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup of Peter LeSafre and Damien Faulkner was on top at 104.607 mph. During the mid-day break on Wednesday, ALMS officials, representatives from each ALMS class and other notables met with the media to discuss the Sebring race, the ALMS season and other relevant items. Scott Atherton, ALMS president and CEO, led off the press conference, giving an overview of the 2011 season and a preview of the season ahead. “We are starting our 14th ALMS season and the first-event of the FIA World Endurance Championship,” he said. “Without question, this means the convergence of quite possibly the most impressive list of competitors, drivers, manufacturers, sponsors, TV networks and fans that has ever occurred on American soil.” Regarding the 12-hour race, Atherton said there will be more than 60 entries and he believes it will the most competitive field ever. “The caliber of the grid is unprecedented,” he said, adding that 30 of the cars will be competing as part of the WEC. He also congratulated Daytona for its 50th anniversary production of the Rolex24 and said he was looking forward to the 80th edition of the 24 Hours of LeMans in June, with the two events book-ending the 60th running of the 12 Hours of Sebring. Addressing pre-race events for Sebring, he noted that drivers Geoff Brabham, Hans Hermann, Johnny O’Connell, Denise McCluggage, Jim Downing and manufacturer Corvette will be inducted into the Sebring Hall of Fame and the accomplished drivers along with some two dozen former winners will sign autographs the day preceding the race. In addition, 20 winning cars will be on display on race weekend. Also, the new Delta-wing car is expected to take demonstration laps prior to the race. According to Atherton, the 2011 television package was a success, even though some fans were not happy with it. “It was a learning experience for us with people learning a new way (to view races),” he said. “Last season more people and more households tuned in to ALMS races than in any year before. On a percentage basis, there was a 67 per cent increase over the previous year.” For 2012, ABC and ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN3 will continue to provide coverage and four races will be telecast live. ESPN3 will carry 13 hours of live coverage of the upcoming Sebring event and ABC will carry a delayed two-hour race coverage broadcast. ALMS officials are projecting more prototypes will compete in the season ahead and new entries are expected in the LMP2, LMPC and the GTC classes. The high-profile LMP1 series will not expand in number but new cars are expected from the entrants. On a race-by-race basis, some 36 entries are expected. WEC president and CEO Gerard Neveu expressed optimism with the debut season ahead and exuded enthusiasm with the link to the ALMS. Tracy Krohn, a 2011 class winner at Sebring, advised he has taken delivery of a new Ferrari F458. He plans to concentrate on the WEC with periodic forays into ALMS and Grand-Am action. His team has just taken delivery of the new car, and they are working out the bugs this week. Chris Dyson and Greg Pickett stated their teams, Muscle Milk and Dyson Racing, will field new P1 cars for 2012. Pickett’s team has taken delivery and expects to test this week while the Dyson organization anticipates its car momentarily. The Pickett entry is a HPD ARX-03a and the Dyson entry will be a MAZDA-powered Lola B12/60. Owing to its 2011 ALMS championship, the Dyson team has accepted an invitation to race its cars at LeMans in June. Tucker will take his Level 5 Motorsports team back to LeMans and he will continue to race in three ALMS classes, which seems to be a challenge he enjoys doing. “A year ago I wanted to see if I could physically do it, and I did,” he said. “It is great racing.” Jens Walther, president of Porsche Motorsports North America, gave an overview of the German company’s plans for 2012 and beyond. At Sebring, the popular manufacturer has scored 15 manufacturer titles and the company hopes to add to the number next month. “Porsche stands for competition, and our objective is to focus on GT racing,” he said. He also indicated Porsche’s expansion into prototype racing requires an increase in staffing and new buildings to house its motorsports efforts. Porsche expects to increase its staff from 130 to around 500. Paul Miller Racing announced it has acquired a new Porsche RSR to be driven by Bryce Miller, the owner’s son, and Sascha Maassen. At Sebring, Rob Bell will be the third driver. CORE Autosport’s Jon Bennett introduced new co-driver Colin Braun. “It is great to have a top-notch driver for our team,” Bennett said. Added Braun, “It was an easy decision for me (to accept the offer), as I want to win races.” Braun said he resides close to the team’s shop and has spent many hours there learning the intricacies of the car and getting accustomed to the LMPC entry. “It is different both inside and outside the car,” Braun indicated. “The first thing I noticed was that I didn’t have a roof over my head, and I have never driven a car with carbon-fiber brakes. The first time out there was an amazing experience, and it takes a little bit of adjustment.” And I did confirm 2011 GTE-AM champs Larbre will field two C6.R's for the WEC series...so that'll be twice the ass kicking for the other WEC shlubs and another C6.R entered in Le Mans! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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