GM Inaugurates New Performance and Racing Center
Cutting-edge development facility leverages global Powertrain resources

PONTIAC, Mich. – General Motors today opened the doors to the all-new GM Powertrain Performance and Racing Center – a state-of-the-art facility designed to enhance the development processes for the company’s diverse racing engine programs.

The new, 111,420-square-foot facility is connected to GM’s Global Powertrain Engineering Center and is part of a $200-million investment at the Pontiac, Mich., campus. It relocates the Racing center from Wixom, Mich. to the Pontiac Powertrain Campus, bringing together under one roof an additional team of nearly 100 engine builders, engineers and other support staff. The Performance and Racing team is responsible for developing engines for NASCAR, NHRA, IndyCar, IMSA and other racing series. Continue reading Chevy Racing–GM Inaugurates New Performance and Racing Center →

CHEVROLET RACING
VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES
INDIANAPOLIS MEDIA DAY
DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
FEBRUARY 2, 2016

THE MODERATOR: A very special livery unveiling. We’d like to introduce you to the president of Chip Ganassi Racing, Steve Lauletta, and our reigning Verizon IndyCar Series champion, Scott Dixon.

Gentlemen, we’ll have you start on each end and do the unveiling.

Steve, obviously this gives you goosebumps to see this, and the importance of Target with Chip Ganassi Racing. Speak of this great relationship you and Target have.

STEVE LAULETTA: It’s certainly been a strong suit of our team for a really long time, and with Chip. To be able to bring back the lightning bolt and the wins around the late ’90s. When we took the idea to Target, said there’s a lot of history talked about, there’s a lot of history with this guy sitting next to me yet to be made, but he’s already made some, they jumped onboard with bringing this back for the entire season. Happy to get it started today. Continue reading Chevy Racing–INDYCAR–Media Day–Chip Ganassi Racing Unveiling →

SIMON PAGENAUD, NO. 22 TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET INDYCAR

THE MODERATOR: We’ll go ahead and continue with our Verizon IndyCar Series media availability. Pleased to be joined by Simon Pagenaud.

You’re entering the second year with the team. What are things you learned from the first year that you’re looking forward to continuing the second year?

SIMON PAGENAUD: It’s great to have the winter to get to work on the little details. This year was a lot of work, for sure. Between two teams assembled in a very nice way, we have some really, really good people on my car. Continue reading Chevy Racing–INDYCAR–Media Day–SIMON PAGENAUD, NO. 22 TEAM PENSKE →

ED CARPENTER, NO. 20 ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET INDYCAR:

THE MODERATOR: We’re joined by team owner/driver Ed Carpenter.

You had some team changes earlier in the week. What will look different for 2016?

ED CARPENTER: Yeah, seems like big changes, but organizationally not huge internally. We had operated as Ed Carpenter Racing from 2012 through 2014, merged with Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing to form CFH Racing. Then as we got into the off-season, towards the end of it, all sorts of things we don’t need to get into related to different things, partnership changes, structure changes that really precipitated us to going back to Ed Carpenter Racing when everything shook out. Continue reading Chevy Racing–INDYCAR–Media Day–ED CARPENTER, NO. 20 ED CARPENTER RACING →

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA, NO. 2 TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET INDYCAR AND WILL POWER, NO. 12 TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET INDYCAR:

THE MODERATOR: We’re set to relive the 99th running of the Indianapolis 500. We’ll start with Will Power and Juan Montoya.
Gentlemen, welcome. Hopefully Media Day has treated you well, the off-season has treated you well. You have been all over the world. You have been very, very busy.
Let’s talk about that 99th running. Will, for you, it wasn’t exactly how you wanted things to finish. Going back and watching the last 10 laps of that race, it almost seemed like you were exactly where you wanted to be. You held everybody at bay until Juan got you in the end. What’s going through your mind in the last 10 laps?
WILL POWER: I mean, the last 10 laps, I could see Dixon was struggling. He wasn’t able to tow up, which was a good thing. He was holding everybody else off, which was a good thing. Then Juan just dropped and passed me straightaway. Continue reading Chevy Racing–INDYCAR Media Day–JUAN PABLO MONTOYA, NO. 2 TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET INDYCAR AND WILL POWER, NO. 12 TEAM PENSKE →

CHEVROLET RACING
VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES
INDIANAPOLIS MEDIA DAY
DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
FEBRUARY 2, 2016

JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 21 ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET INDYCAR:

THE MODERATOR: Welcome to the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series Media Day. We are getting set for our second press conference. We’re joined by Josef Newgarden
These are the people, the drivers that the series and the fans have kind of gravitated towards as being the ones that they like to see most successful and continue on the legacy of the IndyCar Series.

THE MODERATOR: Josef, the fans have gravitated your way, not only social media, but your race victories last year. Do you ever find yourself putting too much out there on social media? I can’t believe I did that. Or go back to a tweet you put out two years ago, Gosh, I’ve grown so much since that tweet. What is it like to be in demand as far as the race fans go expecting comedy from you all the time? Continue reading Chevy Racing–INDYCAR Media Day–JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 21 ED CARPENTER RACING →

CHEVROLET RACING
VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES
INDIANAPOLIS MEDIA DAY
DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
FEBRUARY 2, 2016

MAX CHILTON, NO. 8 CHIP GANASSI RACING CHEVROLET INDYCAR:

THE MODERATOR: Welcome to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Verizon IndyCar Series Media Day. Our first press conference is with the newcomers and the returning stars to the Verizon IndyCar Series. We welcome Max Chilton

THE MODERATOR: Max Chilton, congratulations. This came together in a hurry. You ran a limited schedule in Indy Lights last year, but were very successful. How did this thing come together? We heard rumors you were talking to different teams. How did the deal with Chip Ganassi come together? Continue reading Chevy Racing–INDYCAR–Indianapolis Media Day– MAX CHILTON, NO. 8 CHIP GANASSI RACING →

IMSA – WEATHERTECH SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP
54th ROLEX 24 AT DAYTONA
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
CORVETTE DRIVER IN-RACE UPDATES
JAN. 30-31, 2016

MAX ANGELELLI, WAYNE TAYLOR RACING NO. 10 KONICA MINOLTA CORVETTE DP: “The car was very good but I fought all the time because the cars in front of me were slower than I was and I was trying to find a way to overtake them. So it was tough, but I am pleased with the team and pleased with the car. The car is really, really strong and I am looking forward to the race. When you have a car like this, you really enjoy driving it.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R: “Pretty routine start of a 24-hour race. People are finding their way and causing some trouble but all-in-all it was pretty clean in the first triple-stint there. I’m pretty happy with how the Corvette is driving right now and we are quick in our class which is obviously nice, but there is still a long way to go. That is just part one of writing a good story so to speak. So yeah, I am really happy and now we get Marcel in for his laps and get him comfortable and settled in, and then we can kind of push on from there.”

IF YOU COULD NAME ONE THING THAT YOU COULD USE A LITTLE MORE OF WHEN YOU GET BACK IN, WHAT WOULD THAT BE? “There is still some work to be done on the setup of the car a little bit. The car is not perfect by any means, but where it is good is in all the right spots. It’s a bit of a handful in the high-speed stuff and we have set ourselves up to make some passes in a straight line. It seems like that is working well, but some of the stuff in the infield isn’t quite where I would want it to be but it’s still good enough for right now. So, it’s a long race and we can still make some adjustments as the race goes on and really try and dial in the car so that we have a chance to push hard at the end.”

ANTONIO GARCIA, CORVETTE RACING NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R: “Everything ran according to plan. When Jan came in, I could see that the car was very good. He did a really fast last stint before I got in, so I felt really confident. The Corvette behaved just as I wanted. Whenever we are able to lead the race right now, we will take it. But there is still a big risk factor out there. We want to be fast but more important is saving the car as much as possible.”

CHRISTIAN FITTIPALDI, ACTION EXPRESS RACING NO. 5 MUSTANG SAMPLING CORVETTE DP: “That was a pretty solid stint. The car is good. We have some understeer but we’re not losing time on that. We’re losing the majority of our time on power-down. Overall, I’m pretty happy. We’re in the hunt and we have a lot of racing ahead of us.”

MARCEL FÄSSLER, CORVETTE RACING NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R: “It’s really close and a ton of work, actually. But it’s also great fun because we had great battles in our class against BMW, the Porsches, the Ferraris and even the other Corvette. The restarts were quite tricky because we were not on old tires all of the time. In the middle of the field and going into the first corner, you didn’t know where to brake, what was going to happen in traffic and which hole to dive in going to the corner. It was quite tricky in the beginning but then everything sorted out quite well. There is also a lot of respect from the slower cars and the faster prototypes. We try to give each other plenty of space. I enjoyed these first couple of stints very much. Everything looks good for Corvette Racing so far. There’s still a long time to go though.”

CORVETTE RACING AT DAYTONA: Historic 1-2 Finish for Corvette C7.R at Rolex 24
Gavin, Milner, Fässler take 0.034-second victory in No. 4 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R

· Closest finish in Rolex 24 race history
· Garcia, Magnussen, Rockenfeller second in No. 3 Corvette
· Second straight Rolex 24 win for Corvette Racing and third since 2001

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 31, 2016) – A 24-hour race came down to 0.034 seconds Sunday as Corvette Racing won the 54th Rolex 24 At Daytona when the team’s pair of Chevrolet Corvette C7.R race cars finished 1-2 in the GT Le Mans (GTLM) class.

Oliver Gavin, Tommy Milner and Marcel Fässler drove the winning No. 4 Corvette C7.R with Gavin holding off teammate Antonio Garcia in the No. 3 Corvette C7.R. The two finished side-by-side with Gavin taking the checkered flag by a matter of inches. Each of the Corvettes completed 722 laps for 2,570.32 miles. The margin of victory set a Rolex 24 record. Continue reading CORVETTE RACING AT DAYTONA: Historic 1-2 Finish for Corvette C7.R at Rolex 24 Gavin, Milner, Fässler take 0.034-second victory in No. 4 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R →

IMSA – WEATHERTECH SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP
54th ROLEX 24 AT DAYTONA
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
CORVETTE DAYTONA PROTOTYPE POST RACE
JAN. 30-31, 2016

Double Podium for Corvette DP in 54th Rolex 24 At Daytona
No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Gets Third Runner-Up Finish in Four Years

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Chevrolet Corvette Daytona Prototype continued its success in the iconic Rolex 24 At Daytona with two podium finishes, and all four DP entires finished in the top-six in the Prototype class and overall.

“The Corvette Prototype teams raced strong for all 24 hours,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. Vice President, Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “It was also great to have two Corvette DP teams on the Rolex podium. We are off to a great start to the season to have our Prototype teams finish 2-3-4-6.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–IMSA – WEATHERTECH SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP 54th ROLEX 24 AT DAYTONA– Corvette Prototype Post Race →

IMSA – WEATHERTECH SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP
54th ROLEX 24 AT DAYTONA
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
CORVETTE DRIVER IN-RACE UPDATES
JAN. 30-31, 2016

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Team Chevy and Corvette found themselves in the thick of battles for the lead in two classes halfway through the 54th Rolex 24 At Daytona. Corvette Daytona Prototypes held four of the top five overall positions early Sunday while Corvette Racing’s pair of Chevrolet Corvette C7.Rs were locked in a race-long fight in search of second straight GT Le Mans (GTLM) victory at Daytona International Speedway.

Both Corvette C7.Rs took turns leading in GTLM in the opening 12 hours. Tommy Milner was in the last third of his second triple-stint of the race in the No. 4 Corvette that he is driving with Oliver Gavin and Marcel Fässler. Gavin went from seventh at the start to third by the end of the fifth lap. Milner picked up where his teammate left off and set the car’s fastest race lap in his first three stints. Continue reading Chevy Racing– IMSA – WEATHERTECH SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP 54th ROLEX 24 AT DAYTONA–Half Way →

IMSA – WEATHERTECH SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP
54th ROLEX 24 AT DAYTONA
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
CORVETTE DRIVER IN-RACE UPDATES
JAN. 30-31, 2016

JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R: “I took it very easy to begin with. I didn’t want to risk the car; I really wanted to find the balance and see where we were compared to everyone else. It wasn’t great at first. I was struggling with top speed, plus I had a little too much understeer. We made an adjustment to the car, which made it a lot better. It was very well-behaved and fast. I was able to charge. Things are quite good and I’m very happy. Calm and collected is the strategy for the next 20 hours, I think.” Continue reading CHEVY RACING–IMSA – WEATHERTECH SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP 54th ROLEX 24 AT DAYTONA →

New Chevrolet Injector to Open Friday as Part of Daytona Rising
Injector, Corvette Racing Display highlight Chevy marketing efforts at Rolex 24

DETROIT (Jan. 29, 2016) – Chevrolet and Corvette Racing have a busy next few days ahead at the 54th Rolex 24 At Daytona… on and off the track. In addition to opening the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) season, Chevy and its flagship sports car brand will welcome its loyal fans at multiple attractions around Daytona International Speedway.

The Rolex 24 marks the opening of the Chevrolet Injector inside Daytona Rising, an extensive redevelopment program at DIS that has transformed the facility into the world’s first motorsports stadium. As a founding partner, Chevrolet has one of five fan “injectors” that will play host to spectators beginning Friday.

Upon entering the Chevrolet Injector, fans can explore more than 20,000 square feet of Chevrolet display space and interactive attractions. Product specialists will be on-hand to answer questions about any Chevrolet model present. Continue reading New Chevrolet Injector to Open Friday as Part of Daytona Rising →

CORVETTE RACING AT DAYTONA: Focus Turns To Race for Another Rolex 24 Victory
Chevy-powered Prototype, GTLM teams have posted Rolex wins the last two years

· Corvette Racing aiming to repeat 2015 GT Le Mans win
· Corvette DP swept top four overall positions in 2014
· Much better weather forecast coming for the weekend

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 28, 2016) – Corvette Racing and Corvette Daytona Prototypes made it through a treacherous qualifying session unscathed at Daytona International Speedway ahead of this weekend’s Rolex 24 At Daytona. Rain pelted the track for most of the day with the worst of it falling during time trials.

Corvette Racing returns to Daytona as the defending GT Le Mans (GTLM) class winner, having finished first and third in class a year ago. Oliver Gavin and Jan Magnussen will start side-by-side from the class’s fourth row in their Chevrolet Corvette C7.Rs. Gavin set a best lap of 2:03.974 (103.377 mph) in the No. 4 Corvette C7.R that he will drive with Tommy Milner and Marcel Fässler. Continue reading CORVETTE RACING AT DAYTONA: Focus Turns To Race for Another Rolex 24 Victory →

CORVETTE DPs AT DAYTONA: Looking to Climb the High Banks and Rolex Podium
Four Corvette Daytona Prototypes being Prototype Championship defense

· Five podium positions in last two years at Rolex 24 for Corvette DPs
· Corvette Daytona Prototype swept overall podium in 2014 including victory for Action Express Racing
· Thirty victories for Corvette DP program since launch in 2012
· More than 40 official victories at Daytona for Chevrolet across all series

DETROIT (Jan. 26, 2016) – The biggest race for Chevrolet’s Corvette Daytona Prototype program also happens to be the first one of the season. Teams in the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) open their year with the Rolex 24 At Daytona at Daytona International Speedway, which has been a hotbed of success for the Corvette DP and Chevrolet as a whole.

Four Corvette Daytona Prototypes are entered for the 54th annual endurance classic, which marks the beginning of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Chevrolet arrives at Daytona as a four-time Prototype Engine Manufacturer champion – a perfect title record since Chevrolet added the iconic nameplate to the Prototype class in 2012.

“The Rolex 24 At Daytona is the biggest race of our season. We’ve seen over the years how difficult it is to win such a prestigious race,” said Jim Lutz, Chevrolet Program Manager for the Corvette DP. “It takes an all-out effort by the drivers, crew and engineers to have a chance at victory. Fortunately our Corvette Daytona Prototype teams have all three. We have been fortunate to win the Rolex 24 before and had two podium finishes last year. There would be no better way to start the 2016 season than with a victory and strong showing for our Corvette DPs. It would be another significant milestone in Chevrolet’s success at Daytona.”

Indeed. The Bowtie Brand has more than 40 victories to its credit at Daytona in the top levels of sports car and stock car racing. That makes Chevrolet the most successful manufacturer in the venue’s history.

The Corvette DP also has forged a remarkable history since its debut – first in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series and the last two years in IMSA competition. Corvette DPs have won 30 times in 46 races for a 65.2 winning percentage.

Chevrolet last won the Rolex 24 in 2014 as the Corvette DP swept the overall podium. Action Express Racing won the event for the first time with current drivers Joao Barbosa and Christian Fittipaldi. Not only are they past Rolex 24 winners, but the pairing has shared the last two Prototype Driver’s title. They will drive this week with five-time Rolex 24 winner Scott Pruett and Filipe Albuquerque.

Action Express Racing will have two Corvette DPs in the Prototype category at Daytona. Full-season teammates Dane Cameron and Eric Curran will drive the No. 31 Whelen Engineering/Team Fox Corvette Daytona Prototype along with Simon Pagenaud and Jonny Adam. Cameron and Curran won twice in 2015 and finished third in Driver points.

Wayne Taylor Racing sees the same driving trio for the third consecutive year at the Rolex 24. Jordan Taylor, Ricky Taylor and Max Angelelli will drive the No. 10 Konica Minolta Corvette DP – two years after they were runners-up at the Rolex 24 with team owner Wayne Taylor. The Taylor brothers also were two-time winners in 2015.

Likewise, Visit Florida Racing recorded two victories last season and is back with its No. 90 Corvette Daytona Prototype. Following a second-place finish in Prototype team points in 2015, Ryan Dalziel and Marc Goossens will team for the full season in the Visit Florida entry; Ryan Hunter-Reay will partner them at Daytona, Sebring and Petit Le Mans.

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.

JOAO BARBOSA, ACTION EXPRESS RACING NO. 5 MUSTANG SAMPLING CORVETTE DP: “I’m looking forward to going back to Daytona for another Rolex 24. Action Express Racing has been working very hard, and I think we have a very strong Corvette DP for a 24-hour race. We have been very strong in long-distance races. We have some pressure to win this year – something we’d really like to do. We have a great shot. We’ve done our homework and we’re very well-prepared for this first race of the year. It would be great to start off on the right foot. Let’s see if we can land another win for Action Express.”

RICKY TAYLOR, WAYNE TAYLOR RACING NO. 10 KONICA MINOLTA CORVETTE DP: “The Daytona Prototype means a lot to our whole family. Firstly, it is the car that Jordan and I made our names driving in sports car racing. It was also the platform on which our family has made a living over the last 12 years, and the platform for my dad to be able to form his own racing team, which has been one of the highlights of his career. Apart from those highlights, the Corvette DP is just a great car to drive. It is very raw and has to be driven hard. The quality of the racing over the years was some of the most exciting racing over the years and definitely the most exciting racing I had ever been involved with.”

DANE CAMERON, ACTION EXPRESS RACING NO. 31 WHELEN ENGINEERING/TEAM FOX CORVETTE DP: “After the Roar I felt like our Whelen Chevrolet Corvette DP was in a great place. The race weekend goes so fast, and when you’re splitting seat time with four guys it becomes even more compressed. Fortunately we were all able to log a lot of miles during the Roar weekend. The communication has been great, and I think our driver lineup is one of the best in the field. All of the guys on the Whelen crew work hard and I know they’re going to give 100 percent for the full 24 hours.”

MARC GOOSSENS, VISIT FLORIDA RACING NO. 90 CORVETTE DP: “On paper we have a realistic chance at a win in the Rolex 24, but I’m not the guy that comes in for one race. I’m here for the season. I look at the bigger picture and obviously it would be nice to win Daytona but we’re here for a championship and not only that but we’re here to build for the future and see what 2017 brings. Rules are changing. We’re here and we’re hoping to win but at the same time we’re focused on the full season and looking in the future beyond that.”