20.3.2006
Corvette celebrates 50th anniversary of racing

Corvette Racing celebrated Corvette's 50th anniversary in international road racing with a victory in the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, U.S.A. The No. 4 Compuware Corvette C6.R driven by Oliver Gavin, Olivier Beretta and Jan Magnussen ran like clockwork throughout the 12-hour endurance race, finishing first in the GT1 class and third overall with a one-lap margin of victory over their rivals in the No. 009 Aston Martin DBR9.

The race marks the 50th Anniversary of the Corvette in international road racing. It was in 1956 that legendary racer and engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov came up with a plan to put the Corvette into the international racing spotlight at the Sebring 12-Hour race.

The 2006 Sebring event is the season-opening round of the 10-race American Le Mans Series of endurance sports car races across the United States. In recent years, including the 24-Hour event in Le Mans, France, the series has been the prime goal for Corvette Racing and the team’s record is legendary. From 1999 to the end of 2005, the Corvette racing program took 46 victories in 66 races, five American Le Mans Series championships and four double victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

For the 2006 season, in the No. 3 Corvette C6.R, Ron Fellows of Ontario, Canada and Johnny O’Connell of Georgia, USA, will be joined by the popular Italian Max Papis for endurance events. The defending GT1 Champions will share the No. 4 Corvette C6.R; Oliver Gavin of Great Britain and Olivier Beretta of Monte Carlo will be joined by Danish former Grand Prix driver Jan Magnussen in the long-distance races.

The all-new Corvette C6.R has evolved from the 2005 winning formula. The to-do list for 2006 included continued refinement of the underbody aerodynamics and engine specifications as permitted by the regulations.