CAMARO Z/28.R AT ROAD AMERICA: Searching for Second Elkhart Lake Victory
Four wins so far in debut season for new car in Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge
· Three-race win streak extends Chevrolet’s GS manufacturer championship lead
· Matt Bell a winner for Stevenson Motorsports in 2011 at Road America
· CKS Autosport’s Aschenbach pole winner in 2012
DETROIT (Aug. 6, 2014) – The Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 and Road America are two of the most prominent names in North American automotive vernacular. The two come together this weekend when the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge returns to the historic 4.048-mile, 14-turn venue an hour north of Milwaukee.
The new Camaro Z/28.R has four victories in its first season of competition in the Continental Tire series’ Grand Sport (GS) class. A three-race win streak for Stevenson Motorsports has pushed Chevrolet into the GS manufacturer championship lead after eight rounds.
“It has been an incredible first season for the Chevrolet Camaro Z/28.R,” said Lisa Talarico, Chevrolet Program Manager for the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge. “Four victories and the championship lead after eight races admittedly is more than we could have hoped. Road America provides another stern test for our four partner teams. The long straights will put us at a bit of a disadvantage; for that reason the hard braking zones will be critical to the success of the Camaro and the amount of points we can score toward the manufacturer championship.”
The long straights, numerous elevation changes and a series of fast corners and some hard braking zones give the Camaro platform one of its biggest challenges of the season. Four of the Z.28/Rs are on the 53-car entry – two each for Stevenson Motorsports and CKS Autosport.
Andrew Davis and Robin Liddell have won three times in the No. 6 Stevenson Motorsports Camaro Z/28.R including two of the last three rounds – Watkins Glen and Indianapolis, the most recent round. The race in between at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park saw Matt Bell and Andy Lally win in Stevenson’s No. 9 Camaro Z/28.R. In addition, Bell was part of the winning duo set the fastest lap of the 2011 race at Road America.
In the CKS Autosport camp, Eric Curran and Lawson Aschenbach return to Road America for the third consecutive year together, this time in their No. 01 Camaro Z/28.R. Curran and Aschenbach, who was the pole-winner for the 2012 race, have a season-best runner-up finish at Laguna Seca; Curran also was the pole-winner this year at Watkins Glen.
Darren Law joins Ashley McCalmont in the No. 00 CKS Camaro Z/28.R. It’s Law’s first start in the Continental Tire series this season.
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.