CORVETTE DPs AT DETROIT: Seeking More Hometown Heroics
Chevrolet hopes to continue Motor City dominance just blocks from RenCen
 
·         Corvette Daytona Prototype going for three-peat on Belle Isle

·         Consecutive 1-2 finishes and pole positions on Chevrolet-sponsored weekend

·         Chevrolet comes home with lead in Prototype Engine Manufacturer Championship

 
DETROIT (May 27, 2014) – The sound of Chevrolet Corvette power will thunder throughout Detroit again this weekend as the contingent of Corvette Daytona Prototypes returns to Belle Isle for the next round of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. It’s a home race for the Corvette DPs, which will run in view of the GM Renaissance Center just minutes away from the circuit.
 
Saturday’s 100-minute Chevrolet Sports Car Challenge features the series’ Prototype – of which the Corvette DPs are part – and GT Daytona. It takes place on a 2.35-mile, 13-turn temporary street circuit on the island in middle of the Detroit River.
 
The home-track advantage has suited the Corvette DPs well the last two years with a near clean sweep of race honors. There’s nothing to suggest that expectations for this year’s race should be any different. Chevrolet comes to Detroit holding a one-point lead in the Prototype Engine Manufacturer championship. The Corvette DP is the only car to finish on the podium at each TUDOR Championship event this year including a sweep of the top four spots in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, the opening round of the season.
 
Given the last two years on Belle Isle, another good points haul may very well be in the offing. Action Express Racing won two years ago in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series – actually a 1-2 team finish with the fastest race lap for Joao Barbosa. Wayne Taylor Racing took victory last season behind Jordan Taylor’s pole position. Action Express backed up its victory with a runner-up finish for Barbosa and Christian Fittipaldi.
 
Coincidentally, it’s that pairing that leads the driver’s championship after four rounds with Taylor and brother Ricky tied for second.
 
The Belle Isle circuit is the second street race for the TUDOR Championship, the first being Long Beach in early April. Jordan and Ricky Taylor were second with Barbosa and Fittipaldi third.
 
The track characteristics are varied with a number of short chutes into 90-degree corners but also a fair mix of long straightaways. Opportunities for passing within a class are likely to be at a premium.
 
“Naturally this is an important race for everyone involved in the Corvette DP program,” said Jim Lutz, Chevrolet’s program manager for Corvette Daytona Prototypes. “We have experienced great success the last two seasons on Belle Isle, which is always fantastic for Chevrolet employees and fans in attendance. From a competition standpoint, this is the second year we will race on a revamped layout that has a longer straight-line section from just past the pit exit. However the additional downforce and power the Corvette DPs have for the TUDOR Championship means there will be a few adjustments to make in each of the practice sessions. Patience and precision are keys here, as with any street circuit race. We will need a good result to maintain our advantage in the Prototype Engine Manufacturer standings.”