Corvette stars thrilled with first wins at Road America
Corvette Racing’s Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor were left exhilarated and relieved at finally nailing their first ever Road America wins in IMSA competition after a shunt for their primary rivals on the penultimate lap.
The #3 Corvette C8.R was running second during the dry portion of the fourth round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship albeit 15sec behind the leader Earl Bamber in the #912 Porsche. However, the Garcia made it into pitlane in time to change from slick tires to wets before the rain became a torrential downpour.
By contrast, Bamber in the #912 Porsche 911 RSR stayed out for another lap and skated into the Turn 1 run-off, bringing out the caution flag. Thus Garcia was on the right rubber for the conditions before pitlane was closed.
The Spaniard was battling with new leader John Edwards (BMW M8) and Nick Tandy (#911 Porsche) in the final eight-minute sprint to the checkered flag following the race stoppage, when the BMW and Porsche went off in the Kink while negotiating some GT Daytona-class cars.
Garcia held on however, for he and Taylor to head Corvette’s third straight win, the #3 car’s second victory in three races, and C8.R’s second straight 1-2 finish.
“"Finally…It took me forever to win here!” exclaimed Garcia, who has twice won the IMSA GTLM championship for Corvette. “How wild was that? I don't know how I got through the Kink there.
“From the Carousel, Tandy and I were navigating and we had to go around the GTD cars... their leaders probably. I was risking a lot and obviously Nick was risking a lot too, as I saw later on.
“I don't know how I made it through and I saw the #24 [BMW] spinning too. It was just amazing.
“Obviously the Corvette C8.R navigates as well, too! We will take it. Another Corvette 1-2 today is just awesome."
Taylor, who qualified second and ran the first two stints of the race, commented: “I was happy I wasn't in the car at the end; It looked pretty miserable, especially on that lap before it went yellow.
“It looked like at the Kink that it had started pouring again. I don't know if the BMW and Porsche got that message, but our guys relayed that to Antonio and thankfully he was able to tip-toe through there and make it through for the win.
“It's proof that Corvette Racing never gives up, even when we were down-and-out a bit there in the middle. We never gave up.
"Our race went to a three-stop race strategy pretty early on. The way we were track-position wise, we saw the rain before the other guys and were able to duck in the pits before it went yellow for the first time. It was a great call and Antonio did a great job to survive the conditions and bring home another 1-2 finish for the Corvette C8.R."
Previous article
IMSA Road America: Castroneves, Taylor win in torrential rain
Next article
Helio Castroneves aims for full-time IndyCar return in 2021
About this article
| Series | IMSA |
| Event | Road America |
| Drivers | Jordan Taylor , Antonio Garcia |
| Teams | Corvette Racing |
| Author | David Malsher-Lopez |
24 Hours of Daytona Video Recap
24 Hours of Daytona: Fourth Place for Ferrari
Watch the entire Rolex 24 in just over a minute
Why a Mazda IMSA Prototype title would bring bitter joy
Can Mazda win this year’s IMSA Prototype championship? Undoubtedly. But it will be the culmination of an achingly hard struggle, after which the brand has decided to quit. David Malsher-Lopez tells the story of a bizarre blend of heartache and positivity.
The GTE dilemma that IMSA has created for the WEC
The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s decision to scrap its GT Le Mans class for 2022 raises the question of whether the FIA World Endurance Championship should phase out GTE cars. But it's a much harder decision than it appears on the surface.
Nine things to watch at the 2021 Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona
After a 100-minute sprint race to whet the appetite, the 2021 IMSA SportsCar Championship gets underway properly this weekend. With plenty of significant changes during the winter, here are the key points you need to keep an eye on
Why Magnussen is relishing a fresh start in sportscars
Having gone over seven years without a race win through spells with McLaren, Renault and Haas, Kevin Magnussen's departure from Formula 1 for IMSA with big-hitters Chip Ganassi Racing could give him what he craves most - a chance of success
Oliver Gavin's Corvette Racing highlights
Oliver Gavin has stepped down from the full-time Corvette Racing line-up after a stellar career with the team spanning nearly 20 years. He looks back on a stint that encompassed, among other successes, five Le Mans 24 Hours victories.
How Tandy joined an exclusive club of endurance legends
Victory at last year's Spa 24 Hours meant Nick Tandy had completed the unofficial sextuple crown of the world's six biggest endurance races, becoming the first Briton to do so. Ahead of his fresh start with Corvette Racing, he explains how he did it…
The 12 greatest Sebring 12 Hours ranked
The 2020 edition of the Florida sportscar classic is finally taking place this weekend, eight months after its traditional date in March. That meant there was plenty of time for Motorsport.com to pour over its previous 67 races and select the best.
Tony Kanaan’s top 10 races – in his own words
The 2004 IndyCar champion and 2013 Indy 500 winner Tony Kanaan probably hasn’t yet driven his final IndyCar race, but we still asked him for the 10 most significant races of his career. He explained his choices to David Malsher-Lopez.
