Heavy Rain and Electrical Problems Caused Issues for Corvette Racing – But Did Not Keep Them From Finishing!

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 27, 2019) – In more than two decades of competition, Corvette Racing has faced its share of adversity and challenging weather/track conditions. The championship-winning program experienced both the highs and lows of endurance racing Saturday and Sunday in a soggy start to the 2019 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

The No. 3 and No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette C7.Rs.
The No. 3 and No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C7.Rs.

Both of the Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C7.Rs finished the Rolex 24 At Daytona despite dealing with some of the most treacherous driving conditions in the team’s 21-year history.  Each of the Corvettes led the GT Le Mans (GTLM) class on multiple occasions during the opening half of the race.  It was during the second half of the 24 hour event that the Corvette Racing teams began to experience unexpected troubles.

No. 3 C7.R Corvette
The No. 3 Corvette C7.R driven by Antonio Garcia, Jan Magnussen and Mike Rockenfeller

The No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R driven by Antonio Garcia, Jan Magnussen and Mike Rockenfeller led the team’s effort with a sixth-place GTLM class finish. Magnussen qualified second and led during his first 90 minutes in the Corvette before the two C7.Rs made contact in pitlane.

Despite losing three laps in the incident, the No. 3 Corvette crew and engineers took advantage of timely yellows and key strategic calls to move Garcia back into the lead less than 10 hours into the race. Unfortunately, the No. 3 Corvette suffered an electrical issue that impacted the digital dash while the car was running on the track. As a result, the car-to-pits telemetry – including fuel management and monitoring – was compromised, leaving the drivers unable to navigate the distances between pitstops.  That issue reared its head just before halfway as Garcia ran out of fuel on the backstretch of the 3.56-mile circuit.