CAMARO Z/28.R AT COTA: Top-Five Finish for No. 6 Stevenson Motorsports Team at COTA

Continental Tire Sports Car Championships for Grand Sport Class Title Will Come Down to Final Race

· Davis, Liddell five points out of driver/team title in No. 6 Stevenson Camaro

· Two Camaro Z/28.Rs capture top six finishes in Lone Star Le Mans

· Chevrolet still eyeing first CTSCC GS manufacturer championship

AUSTIN, Texas (Sept. 19, 2014) – Chevrolet’s quest for its first Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Grand Sport (GS) Manufacturer’s championship, as well as Team and Driver championships – will come down to the series’ final race at Road Atlanta following a top-five finish for by the No. 6 Stevenson Motorsports team in the Lone Star Le Mans at Circuit of the Americas. The weather presented a myriad of challenging conditions on track as it was mostly dry, but very slick and wet in certain locations where spotty showers persisted and led to various strategies on tires which determined the final outcome of the race.

Stevenson Motorsports drivers Andrew Davis and Robin Liddell came into the event with just a two-point lead in the driver and team standings for the CTSCC GS class. The duo started Friday’s race in fifth position and were not concerned about their starting tire conditions after a spin in Thursday’s qualifying session in their No. 6 Stevenson Motorsports Camaro Z/28.R. Davis ran the first stint of the race and turned it over to Liddell for the final run just as the rain began to fall near the Esses. The team’s strategy was to stay on slicks the entire race – gambling on mostly dry conditions – but came home with a fourth-place finish.

Eric Curran and Lawson Aschenbach came into the event looking for their second overall CTSCC GS victory of the year after qualifying their No. 01 GSK Autosport Camaro Z/28.R in fourth position in Friday’s qualifying session. The pair raced hard all day and relied on braking and cornering to advance, but tire wear and loose conditions prevailed at the end and they finished sixth.

Bob Michaelian and Ashley McCalmont started 15th in the GS division in their No. 00 CKS Camaro Z/28R and came home in 12th position in the event. Stevenson Motorsports’ teammates Andy Lally and Matt Bell, who have also captured a win in 2014, finished 17th after losing their clutch after a mid-race driver change in their No. 9 Stevenson Motorsports Camaro. Lally started the team’s stint and turned it over to Bell just before the mechanical problem arose.

“As expected, today’s race was a challenge on a number of fronts”, said Lisa Talarico, Chevrolet Program Manager for the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge. “The weather throughout made the track treacherous in some spots. The Stevenson Motorsports and CKS Autosport teams all displayed execution. The results just didn’t go our way. Now we all will focus on Road Atlanta and the final race in the GS championship.”.”

Live race coverage of the season finale at Road Atlanta is set for 1:15 p.m. ET on Friday, Oct. 3 at IMSA.com. FOX Sports 1 will air the race at noon ET on Sunday, Oct. 12.

Developed alongside its production counterpart, the Chevrolet Camaro Z/28.R incorporates the same performance elements that make the 2014 Camaro Z/28 the most track-capable Camaro ever. To enhance grip, for example, the Z/28.R’s body shares the same downforce-generating aero package as the production model including: the front splitter, rear spoiler with wickerbill, and hood extractor vent, among other items.

The Z/28.R is also powered by the same LS7 7.0L V-8 engine as the production Z/28 and employs the unique, helical-gear limited-slip rear differential found on the production model. It is standard in the Z/28, helping the driver put down more power to the pavement when exiting corners.

ANDREW DAVIS, NO. 6 STEVENSON MOTORSPORTS CAMARO Z/28.R
“The track was bone dry on probably three-quarters and very wet mostly down the backstretch – which wasn’t too big a problem – but then into the Esses there was a little cell that come across. So the last three or four laps of my stint were very challenging. We were all slipping and sliding around. I was trying to stay consistent and out of trouble on the first lap after a big accident. At that point, we needed to maintain and run our pace. Miraculously, there was only one tire that was flat-spotted from qualifying. Our tire engineers did a great job of looking over them, and so did Robin. Everyone came to the conclusion that three of them would be fine to use. That way, we only had to replace the one and we could keep our grid position.”

ERIC CURRAN, NO. 01 CKS AUTOSPORT CAMARO Z/28.R
“That was awesome. This CKS Camaro Z/28.R was really good. It’s tough because we’ve been restricted on straight-line speed, so we’re working our magic in the brake zones and corners. It’s a little bit of attrition there. I watched one of the Aston Martins clean out a Mustang in front of me, and that helped. We don’t have the straight-line speed for them. I know we have the motor but with the restrictor we have, we’ll never catch those guys in a straight line. But the thing was cranking. Running in second with all those changes… hats off to the CKS guys.
“I had a pretty good run the whole stint. The car started to loosen up a little bit – the rear tires started to go off. We’re the heaviest car out there by 200 pounds so it’s harder on the tires.”

ANDY LALLY, NO. 9 STEVENSON MOTORSPORTS CAMARO Z/28.R
“It was one of the wildest stints I’ve ever had in this series. What made it a lot of run is that it was raining on certain portions of the track but not on others. It really was one of the most extremely exciting situations you can be in. For me, it was a blast. Since we’re out of the running for the championship, it becomes fun. But I felt bad for Andrew because he is in contention for a championship and maybe had to tip-toe around some other cars. For me, it was a blast out there sliding around and trying to hand over a good car to Matt.”