19.6.2006
Corvette Racing wins 24 Hours of Le Mans

Corvette and Aston Martin went toe-to-toe in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, trading blows through a grueling day and night of racing. When the battle finally ended at 5 p.m. yesterday, Corvette Racing had won the GT1 class in the world's greatest sports car race for the fifth time in six years.

The victorious No. 64 Compuware Corvette C6.R driven by Oliver Gavin, Olivier Beretta and Jan Magnussen finished fourth overall and scored Corvette Racing's 12th podium finish since the team first came to Le Mans in 2000. It was the trio's third consecutive class victory at Le Mans and their fourth straight endurance racing win, a streak that includes last year's 24 Hours of Le Mans, Petit Le Mans and the 12 Hours of Sebring. Corvette Racing extended its perfect finishing record in the 24 Hours of Le Mans to seven consecutive years and Corvette became the winningest manufacturer in recent GT history at Le Mans.

This year's 24-hour endurance test reprised the drama of last year's battle. The No. 63 Corvette C6.R and the No. 009 Aston Martin DBR9 were in lockstep from the start, separated by less than a lap in the running order for hour after hour. The turning point came in the 22nd hour when the green Aston Martin went to the garage with a mechanical problem. At 2:09 p.m., Jan Magnussen officially took the lead – a lead that Corvette Racing would not relinquish. The winning Corvette completed 355 laps, made 25 faultless pit stops, and won by a five-lap margin of victory.

Joining the three Corvette Racing drivers on the victory podium were Luc Alphand, Patrice Goueslard and Jerome Policand, who finished third in their independent Corvette C5-R with 346 laps completed. The No. 63 Compuware Corvette C6.R of Ron Fellows, Johnny O'Connell and Max Papis finished seventh after encountering drivetrain problems.

Just as last year, Corvette Racing put its rival under pressure in the closing stages of the race. When a setback during a safety car period cost the team valuable track position, Gavin, Beretta and Magnussen resolutely began to chase down the leader, trimming seconds from the Aston Martin's margin throughout each stint.

"It was an epic battle between two great warriors," said Corvette Racing program manager Doug Fehan. "We've yet to come upon competition that can provide us the spirit of racing such as the Aston Martin Prodrive team. It's just sad that only one team could win. We put on a hell of a show."

The No. 63 Corvette's star-crossed weekend continued when it pitted at 1:20 p.m. in a cloud of smoke from the transmission. The crews from both cars went to work, removing, rebuilding and reinstalling the overheated gearbox. One hour and nine minutes later, Johnny O'Connell rejoined the fray.

"The rules don't allow you to replace the complete transmission, but you can rebuild it," explained team manager Gary Pratt. "We had a gearbox issue in Sebring, but we didn’t expect it here, and it might have been the result of one problem creating another problem.

"What those guys did was unbelievable," said Pratt. "Teamwork is what it's all about. Whichever car wins, the whole team wins."

24 Hours of Le Mans GT1 Top Finishers: