CORVETTE DPs IN CANADA: Still Rolling Heading North of the Border
Corvette Daytona Prototype on five-race winning streak

· Corvette DP drivers hold four of first five positions in Prototype Driver standings

· Chevrolet holds 18-point advantage in Engine Manufacturer points

· Corvette DP program looking to tame Canadian Tire Motorsport Park for first time

DETROIT (July 7, 2015) – Chevrolet’s Corvette Daytona Prototype program heads north of the border this weekend for the only stop in Canada for the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. Four Corvette DPs are set for the Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix presented by Hawk Performance at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Sunday’s race is the seventh for TUDOR Championship Prototypes this season with Corvette DP teams seeking a sixth consecutive victory.

There are two goals for Sunday’s 12:05 p.m. race: record the Corvette DP’s first victory at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (it’s the only track on the TUDOR Championship schedule where a Corvette DP hasn’t won before) and extend Chevrolet’s advantage in the Prototype Engine Manufacturer standings. Through seven races, Chevy leads by 18 points with 35 points going to the winning manufacturer in each round.

“Canadian Tire Motorsport Park is a place we’d very much like to score a victory,” said Jim Lutz, Chevrolet Program Manager for Corvette Daytona Prototypes. “Not only would it be the sixth straight for a Corvette Daytona Prototype, it would further increase our lead in the Prototype Engine Manufacturer championship. But it will not be easy. This track requires a mix of downforce and raw horsepower. It comes down to finding the right aero balance and managing the tires, which will be under a lot of stress given the high cornering speeds. The right preparation and strategies will be keys.”

VisitFlorida.com Racing’s Richard Westbrook and Michael Valiante – from Vancouver, British Columbia – enter off a victory in the last TUDOR Championship event at Watkins Glen International. The pairing leads the Driver standings and is the only duo to win more than once this year having won also at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in the No. 90 Corvette DP. They also were the highest-finishing Corvette DP entry in last year’s race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

The No. 90 Corvette DP has finished on the podium five times this year to lead all Prototype entries.

Defending Prototype champions Joao Barbosa and Christian Fittipaldi from Action Express Racing stand second in points with their No. 5 Mustang Sampling Corvette DP. They were third at Watkins Glen and won at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.

Their Action Express teammates Eric Curran and Dane Cameron in the No. 31 Whelen Engineering/Team Fox Corvette DP stand third on the strength of a victory at Belle Isle in Detroit. Jordan and Ricky Taylor in Wayne Taylor Racing’s No. 10 Konica Minolta Corvette DP won at Long Beach and are fifth in Driver points.

For the 2015 TUDOR Championship, all Corvette DP cars are running with updated Chevrolet bodywork that reflects the Corvette C7 production line. The frontal area sees a striking change in design from the previous generation Corvette DP, including updates to the hood surface, headlights and radiator inlet area. The rear window area also has been updated. The Corvette DP will take styling cues from the C7 including the rear taillights.

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 peak output is 560 hp as the power is regulated by a pair of sonic air restrictors that are mandated by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) – the sanctioning body of the TUDOR Championship.

The Corvette DP also features a new engine management system from Bosch Motorsport for 2015 and a continuation of a six-speed sequential gearbox with paddle-shift. The brakes feature six-piston calipers with carbon rotors. Without the driver, the Corvette DP weighs 2,285 pounds.

The Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix presented by Hawk Performance is the sixth race of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship for Corvette Racing. The event is set for 12:05 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 12, from Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Live TV coverage begins at noon ET on FOX Sports 1. Flag-to-flag radio coverage also will be available via IMSA Radio.

CORVETTE DAYTONA PROTOTYPE QUOTES
JOAO BARBOSA, ACTION EXPRESS RACING NO. 5 MUSTANG SAMPLING CORVETTE DP: “(Canadian Tire Motorsport Park ) is a great racetrack but you really have to be conscious of traffic throughout the event. If you catch slower cars at the right time it can be a major advantage, but if you catch them at the wrong time it can be really bad and can cost you positions.
“We had an extremely strong car last year but some misfortune took us out of contention for the win. I expect the car to be very strong, but there are also three other really strong Corvette DPs in the field and we will certainly have to contend with them for the victory. The competition is extremely close this year, it’s great for the sport but it makes it very difficult to win races and score championship points.”

RICKY TAYLOR, WAYNE TAYLOR RACING NO. 10 KONICA MINOLTA CORVETTE DP: “I’m really looking forward to going back to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. We should have a good car there, once again. Last year, I was under the weather a bit and we were able to scratch and claw our way to a really nice podium finish. This year, I am looking forward to giving it 100 percent. Our car was very good there last year. I think we have really improved our high-downforce package for the fast tracks and I’m looking forward to proving some of the things our guys have worked so hard to make our car do. Unfortunately the championship appears to be out of our reach at this moment but our mindset doesn’t really change. We will try win all of the remaining races while being aggressive throughout the rest of the season.”

DANE CAMERON, ACTION EXPRESS RACING NO. 31 WHELEN ENGINGEERING/TEAM FOX CORVETTE DP: “I love Canadian Tire Motorsports Park. It has some of the most intimidating corners in North America and they are so rewarding when you get them right. Turn Two always makes you hold your breath the first few times you crest the hill and drop back down. I always enjoy coming up to Canada and getting some Tim Hortons! The fans are great and really passionate about sports car racing and road racing and it’s fun seeing them all camped out all around the track having a great time.
“I am expecting to be in contention to win come Sunday afternoon. We have one win and a streak of top 5s going but we need to get on the podium more consistently if we want to challenge for the title with our Whelen Corvette.”

MICHAEL VALIANTE, VISITFLORIDA.COM NO. 90 CORVETTE DP: “It would mean a lot for me to win at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. This is my home race in terms of our schedule and we will be doing everything we can to get the win. It would be very special though and hopefully on Sunday we are celebrating a second consecutive victory.
“We need to qualify well and keep ourselves out of trouble all day. That’s the key to winning any race. Honestly, the cars have been extremely fast this season and if we show up and do our jobs there is no reason we can’t win the race this year. If we focus on each race and do the best we can, the points will take care of themselves. If we have the opportunity to win we need to fight for it and if we don’t have the car to win with we need to make sure we finish in the best possible position we can.”