Car: Cadillac CTS-V Coupe
Class: GT
Date Race Finish Start Possible Completed
3/26 St. Pete 4 2 27 27
3/27 St. Pete (Race 2) 3 2 29 29
4/14 Long Beach 1 2 31 31
4/27 Miller 4 4 23 23
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Car: Cadillac CTS-V Coupe
Class: GT
Date Race Finish Start Possible Completed
3/26 St. Pete 11 8 23 23
3/27 St. Pete (Race 2) 8 8 32 32
4/17 Long Beach 8 9 31 31
4/30 Miller 5 8 23 23
5/21 Mosport 4 5 30 30
5/22 Mosport (Race 2) 5 4 29 29
8/7 Mid-Ohio 4 7 24 24
8/8 Mid-Ohio (Race 2) 6 7 30 30
8/27 Infineon 4 4 27 27
8/28 Infineon (Race 2) 2 2 27 27
9/18 Laguna Seca 34 7 27 1
9/30 Road Atlanta 3 4 29 29
2011 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series
Car: Chevrolet Impala
Class: Sprint Cup
Date Race Finish Start Possible Completed
6/26 Sonoma 26 43 110 110
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Debuted Rohr's Porsche 911 GT1 with 4 straight wins at Mosport, Las Vegas, Pikes Peak and Sebring.
24 Hours of Le Mans - Roock Porsche GT2. Highest-placed American Driver - Pole position / 2nd.
Rohr Motorsports Porsche 911 Turbo EVO GT1 win at Daytona, 2nd at Sebring.
Pikes Peak Hill Climb - 2nd in Legends Class.
Summary: 21 races. 6 Wins, 10 Top Five & 2 Top Ten finishes.
Professional SportsCar GT-1 CHAMPION
Andy Pilgrim has been selected from a list of more than 50 prominent road racers to drive one of the new Chevrolet Corvette C5-R race cars in January's Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway and March's 12 Hours of Sebring. The new race cars, the first factory-backed Chevrolet Corvettes in many a decade, were unveiled at the recent Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Assn. (SEMA) show in Las Vegas. Not since the days of Corvette engineer Zora Duntov has the brand been supported by such a comprehensive factory effort to design, build, and race one of the greatest sports cars on earth. "The return of Chevrolet Corvette to the racetrack reinforces everything Corvette stands for -- we owe this to Corvette and to Corvette owners around the world," said John Middlebrook, general manager, Chevrolet Division. Two cars are being built for America's longest and most prestigious road races. One is being constructed by Pratt & Miller of Wixom, Mich., and the other by Riley & Scott of Indianapolis. Pilgrim, John Heinricy and Scott Sharp were named to drive the Riley & Scott entry. The Pratt & Miller team car will be driven by John Paul Jr., Chris Kneifel and Ron Fellows.
"Considering the length of the list of drivers under consideration to drive the Corvette CR-5R, you can't imagine how fortunate I feel to be selected," Pilgrim said. "It is, indeed, an honor to know you are going to drive in the return of one of America's greatest sports cars." Pilgrim raced in the 1989-90 Corvette Challenge series, winning at Brainerd and Road America in 1989, and at Road Atlanta in 1990. "That was my first experience racing Corvettes and it taught me a tremendous amount of things which I have been able to put to use ever since," Pilgrim said. "The cars were all prepared pretty much identical and so the ability to win came down to individual teamwork and driving, plus a little luck to stay away from the inevitable first-corner accidents on the street circuits. I felt very fortunate that I was part of the only one-car team to win more than one race I also drove the Morrison Motorsports Corvettes in the 1993-94-95 long-distance IMSA GT races and we won at Watkins Glen and Road America in 1993. So it's been a while since I've raced one and I'm anxious for the testing and racing to begin."
Andy's recently-completed 1998 road racing season saw him win his fourth season championship in four years -- the Grand Sports class of Professional Sports Car Racing's SpeedVision Cup series, a class which he also won in 1995. In 1996 he won the Brazilian Championship in the BPR Global Endurance GT Championship series, then followed that with Sports Car's GT1 championship in 1997
Andy is Team Captain of the #64 (Le Mans) and #4 (ALMS) Corvette C5-R entered by GM Corvette Racing. Following the highlight back to back wins at Texas and Petit Le Mans came the news that he was to drive in the 2001 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona in the #3 GM Goodwrench Corvette C5-R with none other than seven time Winston Cup Champion and racing legend, Dale Earnhardt. Completing the driver line-up is Dale Earnhardt, Jr. - a twice Busch Grand National Champion and winner of two Winston Cup races this year.
American Le Mans Series
Andy made a last lap "pass of the race" on the #92 Oreca Viper in the 10 hour Petit Le Mans enduro at Road Atlanta, September 30th. to take his second win in a row in the C5-R, with co-drivers Kelly Collins and Franck Freon. Earlier in the month, under extreme heat conditions at the Texas Motor Speedway, driving with the #3 Corvette Team Captain, Ron Fellows, Andy clinched GM Corvette Racing's first ever win, beating the factory Oreca Vipers decisively. This first win followed on the heels of the most closely run race at Mosport where the #91 Viper won by less than a half second margin. At Laguna Seca, the C5-R came in second. Two wins and two seconds in the last four races going to the North American finale at Las Vegas, October 29th.
Le Mans
At The Sarthe, Andy's #64 C5-R qualified and finished a very respectable 3rd, marking his second podium out of three starts in this prestigious event.
Highlights
GM Corvette Racing C5-R - # 4 car ALMS - WIN at Petit Le Mans, Road Atlanta
GM Corvette Racing C5-R - # 3 car ALMS - WIN at Texas and 2nd at Mosport & Laguna Seca
GM Corvette Racing C5-R - #64 car 24 Hours of Le Mans 3rd. GTS (10th. Overall).
GM Corvette Racing C5-R - # 4 car ALMS - 5th in GTS at the12 Hours of Sebring.
GM Corvette Racing C5-R - # 4 car Grand-Am 10th in GTO at Grand-Am 24 Hours of Daytona
Grand-Am GTU BMW-M3 - WIN at Trois Rivieres, 2nd. at Road America, 4th. at Daytona, 5th. at Mid-Ohio.
Grand-Am Motorola Cup SGS Corvette - 3rd. at Homestead, 4th. at Phoenix.
Summary: 16 races - 3 wins, 9 top 5 & 2 Top 10 finishes.
Corvette C5-R in Victory Circle at Petit Le Mans
BRASELTON, Ga., Oct. 6, 2001 - The checkered flag fell on the final race of the 2001 American Le Mans Series (ALMS) Saturday night October 6, at Road Atlanta with a GM Goodwrench Corvette C5-R in Victory Circle for the sixth time in the eight race series.
The victory put Chevrolet and Corvette Racing in possession of championship titles for top team and top manufacturer in the GTS category. The win by the No. 4 GM Goodwrench C5-R Corvette, co-driven by Andy Pilgrim, Kelly Collins and Franck Freon, was their first win of the 2001 season and their first since winning the 2000 Petit Le Mans.
The No. 3 GM Goodwrench C5-R Corvette, driven by Ron Fellows, Johnny O'Connell and Scott Pruett suffered electrical problems and completed just two laps of the 2.540 mile Road Atlanta course. During the 2001 season Fellows and O'Connell contributed five ALMS wins to the season total.
The final victory gave Chevrolet clear title to the 2001 GTS Manufacturer title with six wins in the eight race, endurance road race series beating out Saleen and Daimler Chrysler, finishing in second and third respectively. Saleen had two wins; Daimler Chrysler none.
The Team Championship, using the same points scoring system, went to Corvette Racing under the leadership of GM Program Manager for the series, Doug Fehan, and Team Manager Gary Pratt of Corvette's racing partner Pratt & Miller.
Although not counting in the ALMS series, the Corvettes scores 1 - 2 finishes in the GTS class in the two classic 24-hour endurance races at Daytona and Le Mans.
Corvette joins Monte Carlo, Silverado and other production-based Chevrolet brands demonstrating Chevrolet performance on the track and on the street.
Fourth Win for Corvette at Mosport
BOWMANVILLE, Ontario, August 19, 2001- The #3 Corvette C5-R captures yet another podium finish, making it an impressive four times in a row for Ron Fellows and Johnny O'Connell. The #4 Corvette C5-R driven by Andy Pilgrim and Kelly Collins placed 3rd. This marks the fourth win for the Corvette C5-R team in the ALMS series this year.
Corvette Scores Yet Another 1-2 Victory for the Fourth Race in a Row
PORTLAND, Ore., August 5, 2001 - For the third race in a row, Ron Fellows and Johnny O'Connell drove to a first place finish in the American Le Mans Series GTS class. It was the third win in the ALMS series this year and the fifth when 24 Hours of Daytona and the 24 Hours of Le Mans wins, both non-ALMS series events, are included.
"The guys gave us a great car and we needed it against the Saleen today," said co-driver Johnny O'Connell. "but in my mind, when I got in the car for my shift it was going to be a battle between our No. 3 and our No. 4 team car as it was a couple of weeks ago in Sears Point. Mechanically the car is so strong - it wasa good day."
Corvette Scores Another 1-2 Victory
SONOMA, Calif., 22 July 2001 - Ron Fellows and Johnny O'Connell continued to demonstrate their winning combination in the American Le Mans Series GTS class today in the 2 hour 45 minute X-Factor Grand Prix of Sonoma. The Fellows - O'Connell No. 3 Corvette finished 6.7 seconds ahead of Andy Pilgrim and Kelly Collins in the No.4 Corvette Racing team car to complete the 1 - 2 win. The two cars finished 5th and 6th overall.
Andy Competes in the Road America 500
Craig Conway, Doug Goad and Andy Pilgrim will co-drive the FLIS MOTORSPORTS/Team X-1R Corvette for 500 miles of high speed action when FLIS MOTORSPORTS/TEAM X-1R travels to Elkhart Lake, WI to compete in the Road America 500 July 5-8th.
This dream team of road-race talent has more than 100 professional sportscar racing victories to date between them. Pilgrim is considered by many to be a Corvette expert. He has been part of the GM Corvette Racing for over three years with more than 60 races of experience behind the wheel of a Corvette. Pilgrim has 47 professional victories in his career record.
“Andy and I have co-driven many times in the past and each time has resulted in a podium finish,” said Goad, the current Rolex Series and Grand-Am Cup driver point leader.
“Andy will be a valuable asset to our team at Road America due to the length of the race and the summer heat. We plan to run an extremely fast race pace for 500 miles,” said Conway, who is an eleven-time American GT winner.
The FLIS MOTORSPORTS/TEAMX-1R Corvette will contend for it’s 6th straight victory of the 2001 Grand-Am season at the Road America 500. Welcome Andy!
Andy Places 2nd in GTS Class at 24 Hours of Le Mans
LE MANS, France, Sunday June 17, Corvette Racing scored an historic double victory in the GTS-class in the 69th edition of the Le Mans 24 Hours endurance race. The 1 - 2 finish follows up on the podium finish at the first Le Mans attempt last year and an overall win and a first and second in class at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona in February of this year.
The second Corvette, driven by Andy Pilgrim, Kelly Collins and Franck Freon, completed 271 laps/2281.82 miles to finish 14th overall and second in GTS in a race slowed frequently by periods of heavy rain which caused extreme, slippery track conditions and poor visibility.
Le Mans Testing Begins 3/19/2001
On Monday morning, March 19, the team begins testing and final preparation to entry the grueling 24 Hours of Le Mans, France in June. This will be the second year for Corvette in this twice-around the clock competition against the toughest, most experienced endurance teams in the world. Last year’s effort resulted in a third place finish and hopes are high for a class win in 2001.
Andy and the #4 Corvette Finish 2nd at Sebring
Sebring, Fla., March 18, 2001- The # 4 Corvette, driven by Andy Pilgrim, Kelly Collins and Franck Freon finished the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2nd behind a Saleen S7R, a new entry in the series.
“It was a very long race,” said Pilgrim, “and a very hot race. Losing is no fun after working as hard as we did. I like to win and finishing second is, well you know…”
Pilgrim, Collins Finish 4th in Class at the Grand Prix of Texas
FT WORTH, Texas, March 4, 2001- Andy Pilgrim and co driver Kelly Collins came in 4th in class at the Grand Prix of Texas.
Luck was not riding along with the #4 Corvette in Texas. Pilgrim had a good first stint bringing the car in for the pit stop while leading. Collins, pushing hard experienced a right rear tire problem, probably another puncture courtesy of a track surface liberally littered with gravel.
"The right rear tire blew and I hit the wall," said Collins. "I remember hitting the wall, then looking down at the ground and going backwards. The car had been really good. It wasn't as fast as our other car (#3) so I just settled into a rhythm. I was just setting up for a pass when the tire blew."
Collins walked away from the crash with a few bumps and bruises while Fellows ran out the clock in the lead to gain the second ALMS win on the Texas road course-superspeedway combination.
Third Times the Charm for Corvette in Rolex Daytona
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 4, 2001) – After finishing 30 seconds shy of victory a year ago, GM Goodwrench Corvette drivers Ron Fellows and Chris Kneifel rebounded by scoring an overall victory Sunday at Daytona International Speedway in the 39th running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona.
Joining Fellows and Kneifel at the wheel of the winning Corvette were Frank Freon, Kelly Collins, and Johnny O’Connell in the third challenge by the factory Corvette team in the 24-hour sports car endurance race.
Their teammates in the No. 3 Corvette, Dale Earnhardt, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Andy Pilgrim and Collins, came through with a fourth-place overall finish and second in the GTO category in the opening round of the Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series.
Corvette Wears Rolex Crown
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Sunday, February 4, 2001) - Ron Fellows, Chris Kneifel, Franck Freon and Johnny O’Connell defied more powerful cars, inclement weather and mechanical gremlins to earn the overall victory in the Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series Rolex 24 At Daytona aboard their GM Racing-sponsored Chevrolet Corvette.
With only three hours left to run in the 24-hour marathon, Dyson Racing’s SportsRacing Prototype Ford-powered Riley & Scott seemed to have the win in hand, holding a 26-lap lead over the Corvette. But when Butch Leitzinger went off track with a blown engine in hour 22, it was just a matter of time before the Corvette would pass the Dyson car and accumulate a greater number of laps before the checkered flag was thrown.
Chevrolet’s drama was not limited to the winning entry. Possibly the biggest news of the weekend was the participation of Dale Earnhardt and Jr. in a second Team Corvette co-driven by Andy Pilgrim and Kelly Collins. The #3 Chevrolet finished fourth overall and second in the GTS class behind the #2 Corvette, the White Lightning Porsche driven by Lucas Luhr, Mike Fitzgerald, Randy Pobst and Christian Menzel and the Freisinger Motorsports Porsche driven by Wolfgang Kaufman, Lance Stewart and Ciril Chateau. The White Lightning and Freisinger Porsches were also first and second in the GT class, giving the class it’s best-ever overall finish in the famous Daytona endurance race.
But for all the joy felt by the Chevrolet team, there was an equal amount of pain in the Dyson Racing garage. Team owner Rob Dyson fielded a two-car team in the Rolex Series premier SportsRacing Prototype (SRP) class and saw a Rolex 24 victory evaporate in the late stages of the race for the second year in a row. Dropping out with engine failure in hour 22, Dyson’s #16 car was eventually credited with a 14th-place finish overall and second in class. The second Dyson car, which had its hopes vanquished with a broken drive train early in the morning on Sunday, finished 19th overall and third in the SRP class.
The eventual SRP winner was Downing Atlanta and its Mazda Kudza driven by Howard Katz, Jim Downing, A.J. Smith and Chris Ronson. The #63 Downing entry was 11th overall, 32 laps behind the winning Corvette.
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CORVETTE C5-R
Of the nine wins in ten ALMS races in 2002, Petit Le Mans may have been the most difficult, come from behind win of the year. From the early laps the No.33 Ferrari, driven by Enge/Kox/Menu held a commanding lead with the No. 4 Pilgrim/Collins/Freon in second and the Fellows/O'Connell/Gavin coming up from a class fifth to third. After a stint in lead, the No. 4 fell back to third with a minor motor problem and the No. 3 in second hunting down the Ferrari.
In the final hour, the Ferrari made a slip and Fellows grabbed first and increased his lead to one minute plus. The Ferrari roaring back reducing the gap with the slightly. If Corvette needed to stop for fuel the Ferrari would fall into the win. With less than ten laps to go, a puncture forced Fellows to the pits for fuel and a gamble on four- tire change. The call for soft Goodyear tires put the No. 3 in and out 37 second behind the flying Ferrari.
Fellows, who all ready claimed the 2002 ALMS Driver Championship, showed his champion qualities with a possessed chase of the Ferrari closing the gap by handfuls of seconds each lap. Down to just 2 plus seconds, fate hit the Ferrari with a tiny leading to the pits with a puncture and Corvette to the winner's circle.
The No. 4 Corvette, which had won the 2000 and 2001 GTS class at Petit Le Mans finished in third place behind the Ferrari.
CORVETTE C5-R
Petit Le Mans Qualifying Report
The GTS category features a pair of Ferrari 550 Maranellos, four Saleen S7Rs and two Dodge Vipers lined up against GM's Corvettes. Early in the session Andy Pilgrim in the No. 4 GM Goodwrench Corvette grabbed the top spot only to drop to second behind the No. 33 Ferrari of Tomas Enge. Then Fellows, in the No. 3 Corvette, answered the challenge going to the top of the leader board. Then Borcheller in the No. 26 Saleen. And Fellows again. With mere seconds remaining the Ferrari regained the class pole with a 1;19.069/115.646 mph ahead of Fellows with a 1:19.171. The Saleen ended up in third with 1:19.649 and Pilgrim's Corvette finished in fourth at 1:19.827.
MIAMI - Road Racing returned to the downtown streets of Miami after a seven-year absence today with two GM factory-backed race teams leading the thirty-six car entry in the Cadillac American Le Mans Challenge portion of in the weekend's triple header. Two Cadillac Northstar LMP 02s finished second and seventh in the P900 prototype class against 10 competitors. The two Chevrolet Corvette C5-Rs went up against a total of eight Ferrari 550 Maranello, Saleen S7 and Dodge Vipers to finish one - two in the production-based GTS class and ninth and tenth overall. All four ALMS competed in the same 2-hour 45-minute race.
ANOTHER ONE - TWO FOR THE CHEVROLET CORVETTES
Co-Drivers Ron Fellows and Johnny O'Connell, in the No. 3 GM Goodwrench car, scored win number six of the nine 2002 ALMS races. Corvette team mates Andy Pilgrim and Kelly Collins, with two wins in the No. 4 car, finishing second. The two Corvettes head to the final race in Atlanta next week with momentum, enthusiasm and GTS championship aspirations.
Doug Fehan GM Program Manager - Corvette C5-R "We were down a little bit after Laguna because we knew we were better than what we showed there. Now we are going back to where we have a couple of straight victories and can hold our heads high as defending champions.
"You know any time we go to an event and it's held at a race track on which no team has ever competed, generally speaking the strongest team will dominate. And today I think we showed just how strong this team really is … finishing one - two on a race track that no one had ever seen before. And if you will recall, our first major victory came at Texas where no one had ever raced before.
"I think today was a real testament to our ability to get a car ready to go; our driver's ability to adjust; obviously great tires from Goodyear and our powerful and reliable engine prepared for us by Katech.
The team won a manufacturer title for Chevrolet and a team title but narrowly missed a driver championship in 2001 and is in position to repeat both championships. Although official points have not yet been released for Miami, mathematically only of the four Corvette drivers remain in the Driver Championship chase. Fellows has an estimated 23 point lead over Andy Pilgrim, Kelly Collins and Johnny O'Connell with 32 points at stake in the last race. The ALMS wraps up the 02 season with a 1000K/10-hour endurance Petit Le Mans event at Road Atlanta.
Corvette Racing Looking To Punctuate Dominant Season
MIAMI - GM teams are seeking their respective days in the sun as international motor racing returns to downtown streets of Miami in the Cadillac American Le Mans Challenge Saturday, Oct. 5. GM Racing's two Corvette C5-Rs, competing in the production-based GTS class, are looking to add to its remarkable 2002 victory total.
The Corvettes come to Miami riding the crest of a remarkable season, winning seven of the eight ALMS races held to date plus a one - two GTS class win at the historic 24-Hours of Le Mans in June. Corvette drivers hold the top four spots in the year-end chase for Driver Championship with Canadian Ron Fellows holding the top spot. Fellows has also started from the class pole six times and, with co-driver Johnny O'Connell, won six times in eight ALMS starts.
South Florida resident Andy Pilgrim and his California teammate, Kelly Collins, are tied for second in driver points with O'Connell third. The Pilgrim/Collins duo has two wins in 2002.
The Corvettes will be out to start a new winning streak having missed the winner's circle for the first time this year in the last event at Laguna Seca. Collins, leading for most of the last half-hour of the 2-hour 45-minute Laguna race, encountered a problem with less than two minutes to go, ending up in third place. The second Corvette was forced to retire after contact on course.
MONTEREY, CALIF. - Program Manager Doug Fehan probably described the eighth race of the 2002 American Le Mans Series race at Laguna Seca best… "Sometimes you're the bug and sometimes you're the windshield."
Fellows turned the Corvette over to co-driver Johnny O'Connell. On O'Connell's first racing lap the car burst into flames ending the day. Damage to the exhaust system evidently started the carbon-fiber based fire. Fellows and O'Connell have scored five wins in the first seven races of 2002 with two to go.
The No. 4 Corvette provided the crowd with final lap excitement at Kelly Collins struggling to hold off the charging Ferrari Maranello only to be passed with less two minutes to go and sputter to a stop with fuel pick-up problems. The Pilgrim/Collins car was classified as a third place finisher.
Andy Pilgrim Goodwrench Corvette - 15th o/a - 3rd GTS "We had a TV in our pits and we all watched Kelly run those last laps it was superb racing. Kelly did great job and it's just a shame that we evidentially ran out of gas. It was so close to a great payoff. Just two laps from the end he couldn't hold the Ferrari off any longer.
QUALIFYING REPORT
ENTRY: LMP900 9 - LMP675 7 - GTS 7 - GT 10 TOTAL 33
WEATHER: Air 75 (F) high - humidly - Track temperature 105 (F) degrees
Qualifying For tomorrows 2 hour - 45 minute American Le Mans race at Laguna Seca was divided into tow groups with the GTS and GT cars out first followed by the P900 and P675 prototypes.Both groups produced nail-biting action with positions changing with each lap.
CHEVROLET CORVETTE C5-R
Andy Pilgrim wasted no time getting his No. 4 GM Goodwrench Corvette up to speed posting a 1:24.5 early to lead the session. The Ferrari Maranello sat in second with a 1:24.5 followed by the Corvette of Ron Fellows another Ferrari and the Saleen in fifth.
Fellows suffered a flat-spotted tire on his "flyer" lap and had to settle for a 1:24.577 and a 18th starting spot. As time ran out on the session with the Ferrari and Pilgrim 1 - 2 Terry Borcheller jumped his Saleen S7 into second with a with a 1:24.040. Pilgrim will start 17th overall and 3rd in GTS with Fellows 18th and 4th in GTS.
PRACTICE REPORT
For the two factory-backed Corvettes, the day produced mixed results. GM Goodwrench car No.4, with Andy Pilgrim driving, paced the GTS class with a best time of 1:25.077/94.700 mph.
"The car was driving and handling beautifully," said Pilgrim, "but it wasn't the set up that we had hoped for. It was a good set up but we know that it wouldn't last for the race. We'll sit down with our GM chassis engineers and work out the bugs before qualifying. I know we had fast time today but that doesn't mean anything... the race is Sunday.
LE MANS, France – After 24 hard-fought hours, the General Motors Chevrolet Corvette C5-R Racing team placed both its cars on the podium at Le Mans in the GTS class for the fourth year in a row. The accomplishment, in what many believe to be the world’s toughest endurance race, speaks volumes to automotive DNA of the production based Corvette C5-R race car.
“Our Corvette team overcame seemingly insurmountable obstacles today and did a great job,” said Doug Fehan, Program Manager for Corvette Racing. “The men and women on this team know how to adapt and overcome, and that’s exactly what the fans saw today. We faced all types of challenges, from finding tiny brackets broken in our throttle linkage to changing gearboxes and fighting intense heat. We wish that we would have been able to win the GTS class, but finishing both our cars for the fourth year in a row says a lot about the quality of our team and our Corvettes.”
The #50 Corvette C5-R, co-driven by Oliver Gavin, Kelly Collins and Andy Pilgrim completed 326 laps to finish 11th overall and second in the GTS class. Collins and Pilgrim notched their fourth straight podium finish while Gavin took home his second in a Corvette at Le Mans.
“This is truly fantastic,” said Collins. “This is four years in a row for me on the podium and it feels great every time. We want to congratulate the Ferraris and the Prodrive organization as they ran a great race. But they should know that we’ll be after them the rest of the season in the U.S.”
The #53 Corvette C5-R, co-driven by Ron Fellows, Johnny O’Connell and Franck Freon completed 326 laps of the 8.6 mile circuit to finish 12th overall and third in the production-based GTS class. Fellows and O’Connell also co-drove to class victories in 2001 and 2002, while Freon experienced his tenth straight Le Mans appearance and fourth podium finish at Le Sarthe with Corvette.
“I love Le Mans,” said O’Connell. “The best thing about it is the fans, and as I look down from the podium it’s clear to our team how many of you love the Corvette. We are gunning for a victory next year and rest assured we’ll be back.”
Corvette Racing’s legendary C5-R race cars have earned podium finishes in the last 29 consecutive races, including 20 victories. It is a record of consistency that spans more than three years, dating back to the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2000. Driver Oliver Gavin’s podium record is even more impressive: he has never driven a Corvette to anything less than a podium finish.
“The people at Corvette Racing make a tremendous sacrifice and we are all proud of them,” said Steve Shannon, GM’s executive director for marketing services. “The huge personal sacrifice that this team makes is beyond the call of duty and everyone at GM appreciates it. There is a little bit of disappoint in not winning the GTS class title, but we start work on Tuesday morning for our 2004 Le Mans effort and we’ll be ready.”
With track temperatures exceeding 95 degrees, the Corvettes had as much competition from Mother Nature during the 24-hour race as they did from the likes of Ferrari, Saleen, Chrysler and Pagani in the GTS class. Although two of three Ferraris failed to finish the race, the #88 Veloqx Prodrive Ferrari 550 car managed to stay out of trouble and hold off both Chevy Corvette C5-R’s.
The Corvette Racing team will take to the track again on June 29th, at the Chevy Grand Prix of Atlanta, the second round of the American Le Mans Series.
Corvette Racing Victorious at The 12 Hours of Sebring
Sebring is the ultimate "it’s never over ‘til it’s over’ race", says Andy Pilgrim.
SEBRING, Fla. – Corvette Racing’s Chevrolet Corvette C5-R powered the team of Ron Fellows, Johnny O’Connell and Franck Freon to victory in the GTS class of the opening round of the American Le Mans Series at the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring. After spending the majority of the race trailing the #4 C5-R, driven by Oliver Gavin, Kelly Collins and Andy Pilgrim, Ron Fellows took the lead after 283 laps, when Oliver Gavin retired due to complications with his transmission. Despite a few battles for position in the GTS class during the first hour, the Corvettes lead every lap of the race thereafter.
“There’s nothing like driving a Chevrolet at Sebring!” said Johnny O’Connell. “Everyone here on the #3 car really did a great job today. I tip my hat to Ron and Franck – we’ve enjoyed great success together and this is a great win.”
Doug Fehan, GM’s Program Manager for Corvette Racing, was happy to see the year start off just as last year finished.
“We’re very proud of our Corvette Racing program today, and it’s fitting that our defending champion #3 C5-R starts off the 2003 season with a win,” said Fehan. “With our #4 car running strong we thought they’d bring home the win, but Sebring is as tough as any place in the world for racing. You just absolutely have to run 12 hard hours of racing, and that’s Ron Fellows, Johnny O’Connell and Franck Freon did today.”
The drivers from the #4 Corvette, which led the race the majority of the race until mechanical complications forced them to retire, were philosophical after capturing third place in the GTS class.
“It’s frustrating because we had the lead for ten and a quarter hours,” said Oliver Gavin, driver for the #4 C5-R. “Apart from this race and Le Mans, that would have been good enough for the win at any other ALMS race.”
“It’s never over ‘til it’s over in racing,” said Andy Pilgrim, #4 C5-R driver. “And Sebring is the ultimate ‘it’s never over ‘til it’s over’ race.
The Corvette Racing team will hit the track again in June, for the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France.
]]>Aug. 8, 2004
article by: Dave Arnold
Bowmanville, Ontario
Andy Pilgrim had the most-consistent results of the three Cadillac/Mobil 1/Motorola/Bose/Cadillac CTS-V drivers in the SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge GT series at Mosport International Raceway over the weekend.
Of the two results, Saturday’s fifth place gave him more personal satisfaction than did the fourth place on Sunday.
Cadillac is now two points behind Audi in the chase for the Manufacturers’ Championship, with three races remaining on the season.
“The Manufacturers’ Championship is Cadillac’s focus for 2004,” Andy said, “and it is our job to win it for them. If any of our three drivers win the Drivers’ Championship along the way, that’s nice too, but it isn’t as important as a title for Cadillac.”
Team Cadillac normally has two CTS-V cars in each GT sprint race, one for Andy and another for teammate Max Angelelli. But John Heinricy was a guest driver at Mid-Ohio in June and put his car on the podium; that car was driven at Mosport by Ron Fellows, lead driver for Team Corvette in the American Le Mans Series and Canada’s best-known road racer.
Two GT Championship races were held at Mosport. Andy qualified eighth and finished fifth in Saturday’s race, and “straight-lined” the results sheet Sunday, starting and finishing fourth.
Audi driver Michael Galati won on Saturday, while Fellows led wire-to-wire on Sunday. Fellows’ win in the CTS-V was Cadillac’s second of the season; Angelelli won the season-opener at Sebring.
“Saturday’s race was as hard as I’ve raced for a fifth place finish,” Andy said. “Along with two Corvette drivers, Leighton Reese and Phil McClure, we did 45 minutes of the side-by-side, bumper-to-bumper driving you could ever ask to see. It was incredible racing, but it was all done very clean. Leighton and I were laughing hysterically about it after the race ended.”
Andy followed the pair for half of the 30 laps, until Reese slipped two spots on lap 17. On lap 20, with rain drops starting to fall and lap times dropping by two seconds a lap, Andy got past McClure for sixth place, but one lap later, Andy was passed by Tommy Archer’s Viper.
Andy and McClure swapped positions on both laps 24 and 25, still running four seconds out of the overall lead. With only three laps remaining, the top nine cars were separated by only 3.5 seconds, but Andy was up to fifth place by that time, only a half-second behind Angelelli’s Cadillac, and a half-second ahead of Reese.
Andy is now third in the points for the driving title, 12 points behind Galati, and 14 behind Archer.
There were separate qualifying sessions for each race. Under the SCCA’s policy of adding weight to the top five finishers in each race, those cars from Saturday’s race weighed between 15 and 75 pounds more on Sunday, affecting their performance.
“The additional 15 pounds didn’t make that much difference on Sunday,” he said, “but you could definitely see a difference in the Audis who finished 1-2 on Saturday.
“Plus, since qualifying for Sunday’s race was held early Sunday morning, the top six cars all qualified faster than Saturday’s pole speed, just because of the cooler weather.” Pilgrim’s qualifying speed on the 2.459-mile track for Saturday’s race was 105.131 miles per hour; he improved to a 106.289 mph lap Sunday.
“Mosport is the fastest track the series races on,” he said. “Some of the bends are blindingly-fast sweepers, but because the rules of the series equalize a great variety of engine designs, it really makes it hard to get by anybody under power. You need to distract a car ahead of you into a driving mistake, or maybe get brave and stick your nose inside him going into a sharp turn where braking is involved.”
2004 Select Season Highlights -
Venue Start Finish
1/30 - Daytona International Speedway 3 1
3/19 - Sebring International Raceway 3 2
5/22 - Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant 9 3
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