CORVETTE DPs AT LONG BEACH: Wayne Taylor Racing Looking to Defend
Jordan, Ricky Taylor victors with Visit Florida Racing third in 2015 race

· Four Corvette Daytona Prototypes for third round of IMSA season

· Four podiums in two races for Corvette DPs

· Thirty victories for Corvette DP program since launch in 2012

DETROIT (April 13, 2016) – Following the two longest races of the season, the Corvette Daytona Prototype program and its four teams are readying for one of the shortest for 2016. The fabled Grand Prix of Long Beach is site of the next round of the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) season – the Bubba Burger Sports Car Grand Prix of Long Beach.

This will mark the third season Corvette Daytona Prototypes have appeared at Long Beach, and they have been contenders at each of their previous two visits with a victory and three

additional podium finishes.

“Long Beach is one of two street races at which we will compete this year – Belle Isle being the other,” said Jim Lutz, Chevrolet Program Manager for Corvette Daytona Prototypes. “The change in duration from 24 hours at Daytona and 12 hours at Sebring to 100 minutes at Long Beach is extreme. Track time for our cars is limited, as are passing zones. As a result, the team that can come to grips with the setup quickest has a distinct advantage. With only one scheduled pit stop and driver change, the emphasis on execution across the board will be vital.”

Wayne Taylor Racing has been the most successful Corvette DP team at Long Beach the last two seasons. Jordan and Ricky Taylor were runners-up in 2014 and scored a victory one year ago together in the No. 10 Konica Minolta Corvette Daytona Prototype. Ricky Taylor was the fastest qualifier as he and his brother won from pole position.

Visit Florida Racing placed third last year with its No. 90 VisitFlorida.com Corvette Daytona Prototype. This year, Marc Goossens and Ryan Hunter-Reay – who also will race in Sunday’s IndyCar event – will team together in the Visit Florida Corvette DP. They drove with Ryan Dalziel to a third-place finish to open the season at Sebring.

Action Express Racing comes to Long Beach seeking its first victory at the famed southern California circuit. Both of its Corvette Daytona Prototypes reached the podium in the most recent WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race at Sebring. Dane Cameron and Eric Curran, second at the 12 Hours, will drive their No. 31 Whelen Engineering/Team Fox Corvette DP together – one year after Cameron set the fastest lap of the race.

In the Action Express No. 5 Mustang Sampling Corvette DP, Joao Barbosa and Christian FIttipaldi look to return to the Long Beach podium after a third-place finish in 2014. The two-time and defending IMSA Prototype champions are coming off a third-place showing at Sebring.

The Corvette DP bodywork reflects the Corvette C7 production lineup. At the heart of the Corvette Daytona Prototype is a purpose-built 5.5-liter Chevrolet LS9 V-8 engine developed by ECR Engines.
The Bubba Burger Sports Car Grand Prix of Long Beach is set for 4:05 p.m. PT on Saturday. It will air live on FOX Sports 2 with tape-delayed broadcasts on FOX Sports 1 at 11 p.m. ET on Saturday and 2 p.m. ET on Sunday. Live audio coverage from IMSA Radio is available on IMSA.com.

CHRISTIAN FITTIPALDI, ACTION EXPRESS RACING NO. 5 MUSTANG SAMPLING CORVETTE DP: “Long Beach was my second career start in the United States. Although the track configuration has changed since then, it still has the same demands of perfection lap after lap. As with any street course, you have no margin for error so you have to hit your marks lap after lap and of course, slower traffic can really disrupt you. If you get stuck behind a lap car it can allow your competitors to get position on you and overtake. The layout of Long Beach is extremely interesting, and the history of the racing in the streets makes the event special. It’s certainly high on any drivers list of races to win, and I know it’s near the top on mine.”

RICKY TAYLOR, WAYNE TAYLOR RACING NO. 10 KONICA MINOLTA CORVETTE DP: “I’m really looking forward to going back to Long Beach. We had a rough Sebring, so going somewhere that we have had a win and a second place is very encouraging to hopefully get some points back in the championship. It is always nice to go back somewhere when you are the defending race winners. It always gives you a little extra confidence and a boost in your step walking into the track on Thursday.
“We have been to Long Beach twice and we unloaded the first time with a good car right off the bat. The car has always suited the tight corners and hard braking at Long Beach. Track position is very important and qualifying is a premium, which we have managed to achieve a good result both times.”

DANE CAMERON, ACTION EXPRESS RACING NO. 31 WHELEN ENGINEERING/TEAM FOX CORVETTE DP: “Long Beach is one of our toughest races of the year with such a condensed schedule for practice and a shorter race,” said Cameron. “That format places a premium on showing up ready to go and maximizing every opportunity. It is tough to pass so qualifying well and using strategy and perfect pit stops to your advantage are a must at Long Beach. Overall its a great event and a really fun track to drive and I can’t wait to get back to work in our No. 31 Whelen Engineering Corvette DP.”

MARC GOOSSENS, VISIT FLORIDA RACING NO. 90 CORVETTE DP: “Long Beach is always an interesting one. We have little track time on a street course that starts out very green and rubbers up as more and more cars go around. The key for all street circuits is to stay on track during practice so that you don’t lose track time! I’m looking forward to being in the car with Ryan (Hunter-Reay) again. Of course we will miss the other Ryan (Dalziel) who is in Silverstone. We want to have the best possible result but at the same time we want to make sure that Ryan (Hunter-Reay) doesn’t need to go back and forth too many times between our Visit Florida car and his Indycar. Car-wise, I think we learned a lot again from Sebring to improve our car and make life a little easier. But again it’s a completely different track and so we hope that we roll off the trailer with a good set up on which we can improve during the weekend.