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Jan Magnussen: Thanks for the memories, Corvette Racing

Motorsport.com columnist Jan Magnussen has driven his final race for Corvette Racing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, and here he says goodbye to a team that’s felt like family.

#3 Corvette Racing Corvette C7.R, GTLM: Jan Magnussen, Antonio Garcia

#3 Corvette Racing Corvette C7.R, GTLM: Jan Magnussen, Antonio Garcia

Michael L. Levitt / Motorsport Images

It’s always hard to leave a team, but when you’ve been with the same organization, and many of the same people, for 16 years it’s even harder. But Petit Le Mans was my final race with Corvette Racing. 

I started with Corvette back in 2004, and over the 150+ races I’ve run behind the wheel of their cars, I’ve been fortunate enough to accomplish some of my wildest racing dreams. Four championships, including 2017 and 2018’s back-to-back titles, four victories at Le Mans, four wins at Sebring, a win at Daytona – none of this would have been possible without the amazing team at Corvette Racing and GM.

I’m so grateful not only for all we accomplished together but for all of the off-track memories as well. When you spend 16 seasons with a team, you become like family. Corvette Racing has been my American home for a very long time, and I’m so thankful that I got to spend such a long and prosperous time with a fantastic group of guys and gals on the team.

Even though this is the end of the road at Corvette Racing, I’m not done behind the wheel just yet. Racing is in my blood, it’s a part of who I am, and I intend to continue to keep racing in 2020 and beyond. 

But I owe the position I am in today to everyone at Corvette Racing. I want to use this opportunity to say thank you to every person on the team in the last 16 seasons. So many people had a hand in creating those race-winning and championship-winning cars. I wouldn’t be here without them. 

Thank you to Gary Pratt. One of the founders of Pratt & Miller who build amazingly fast and incredibly safe race cars. His team’s technical innovation and dedication are one of the key reasons why we have achieved so much success.

Thank you to Dan Binks. Ever since I first set foot in the race shop, Binks has been there by my side helping make cars we can win with and creating a team known throughout the paddock as being some of the best workers and fastest crew guys you can imagine.

Thank you to Kyle Milay. Our engineer on the No. 3 car for Corvette Racing. A lot of the credit for our amazing consistency really must go to Kyle.

Thank you to Antonio Garcia. Antonio has been my full-season teammate since 2012, and I can hardly think of a better person to share a car with. He’s smart, kind and massively quick. I’m so thankful we were able to accomplish so much as a pair and give this Corvette Racing team the results they earned with all their hard work. 

Thank you to the fans! I’m certainly going to miss the amazing Corvette Racing fans – both here in the US and also at Le Mans – there is no doubt about that.

Saying goodbye is always hard, but the memories I have from the last 16 years will not be forgotten, and for those, I will always be thankful. Is this the end of the line for me in the IMSA championship? Certainly not!

America has been my racing home since I first drove for Panoz all way back in 1999. It has been an incredible ride, and I certainly intend to be back in the paddock and back on track next year.

The biggest challenge will be to make sure I don’t pull into the wrong pit box! I certainly feel I still have a lot to offer a team and I’m looking forward to a new start in 2020.

#3 Corvette Racing Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen, Antonio Garcia, Mike Rockenfeller

#3 Corvette Racing Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen, Antonio Garcia, Mike Rockenfeller

Photo by: Bob Meyer

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