GAME CHANGER 2012 Corvette Daytona Prototype
Kyle Chura
•
Chris Ladouceur
•
Philip Muscat
Foreword By Jim France
•
Robin Pratt
The Corvette name goes back to 1953. Since its birth, Corvette has stood for performance both on the street and on the track.
GAME CHANGER 2012 Corvette Daytona Prototype Foreword By Jim France
Kyle Chura
•
Chris Ladouceur
•
Philip Muscat
•
Robin Pratt
Contents
Contact Copyright Š 2012 by Pratt & Miller Engineering and Fabrication Inc. All rights reserved No part of this book may be sold, reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, xerography, and videography recording without written permission from the publisher, Pratt & Miller Engineering and Fabrication Inc.
Foreword
7
Introduction
9
History
11
Inception
17
Styling
23
3D Development
29
Manufacturing
41
Assembly
49
The Unveil
63
The Teams
73
Testing
79
The Fans
99
Rolex 24 Hour
105
The First Win
143
Summary
147
Special Thanks
151
All illustrations and photos in this book are copyright Š 2012 by Pratt & Miller Engineering and Fabrication Inc. 29600 W.K. Smith Drive New Hudson, MI 48165 http://www.prattmiller.com E-mail: info@prattmiller.com http://www.facebook.com/prattmiller Printed in the USA Colortechtech Graphics, Inc. 28700 Hayes Rd. Roseville, MI 48066-2316 586.779.7800 http://www.colortechgraphics.com
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FOReWoRD
Only two years after we started GRAND-AM, I witnessed one of the most spectacular races of my life, the 2001 Rolex 24 Hour At Daytona. What made that race stand out was that a Corvette won the race overall, as a GT entry. What made it extra special was that my longtime friend Dale Earnhardt and, at the time, his young son Dale Jr. were a part of the team that year. Their car finished fourth overall, but by the grin on his face you would have thought he won the 500. Put two names like that together on the same track and that just lends to the legend of the Corvette brand as well as the Rolex 24-hour race.
It was just two years ago that I met with the Chevrolet brass about getting Corvette back into the GRAND-AM Series. I am happy to say that our vision for the third generation of Daytona Prototype cars is shared by GM’s Mark Reuss, Jim Campbell, Mark Kent and Terry Dolan. The 2012 Chevrolet Corvette Daytona Prototype, five of them, competed in the 50th running of the Rolex 24 Hour At Daytona, Jan. 28-29. The Corvette name goes back to 1953. Since its birth, Corvette has stood for performance both on the street and on the track. The work done by Chevrolet, Pratt & Miller, Spirit of Daytona, Action Express, Bob Stallings Racing and Wayne Taylor Racing to bring Corvette back to Daytona and the GRAND-AM Series is a special undertaking - this is the story. See you at the track,
Jim France
Vice Chairman NASCAR Founder GRAND-AM
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Introduction The development of a race car is often taken on by one company to fit into a specific set of rules to run in a specific formula as a customer or factory program. The Corvette Daytona Prototype is the result of a passing phrase by Jim France some two years ago to the General Motors brass, “we would really like to have the Corvette back in GRAND-AM racing.” The sun, moon and stars aligned for France and Chevrolet in April of 2011 when, under the direction of Chevrolet, the development of the 2012 Corvette Daytona Prototype began at Pratt & Miller Engineering. Chevrolet worked closely with GM’s Designers, France’s technical staff and Pratt & Miller’s designers, engineers and craftsmen to bring to life a race car that would represent the future of the GRAND-AM Daytona Prototype category well into the future. The development began with the updating of the Coyote chassis that has run in the series since 2007, originally developed by Fabcar with Eddie Cheever. Pratt & Miller, together with the GRAND-AM technical team, redesigned the Coyote chassis while simultaneously working with GM designers to shape the Corvette Daytona Prototype body, a body that would have to ride on the Coyote, Riley and Dallara chassis. The timeline was tight, April 1, 2011 was the kick-off date, giving the team just eight months from the first mouse click on the computer to the first test, November 16-17, 2011 at Daytona International Speedway. The collaboration between Chevrolet, GRAND-AM and Pratt & Miller to design and build the car, with input from the teams that would race them - SunTrust Racing, GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing, Spirit of Daytona Racing and Action Express all combined to render the all new for 2012 Corvette Daytona Prototype.
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History
Looking Back
GRAND-AM Road Racing History GRAND-AM Road Racing was founded in 1999 as a revolutionary major league sports car road racing series in North America. The organization is embarking on its 13th season of competition in 2012, and GRAND-AM is universally regarded as one of the world’s most competitive road racing organizations. Located in Daytona Beach, Florida, GRAND-AM shares the same corporate campus that is also home to NASCAR, International Speedway Corporation (ISC) and Daytona International Speedway. GRAND-AM was acquired by NASCAR Holdings in late 2008 and operates now as one organization, with resources such as marketing, research and public relations fully integrated into the NASCAR framework. GRAND-AM offers a product that features
extremely competitive sports car racing on historic road and street circuits and in major market speedways throughout North America. GRAND-AM’s top-tier Rolex Sports Car Series has established itself as the most competitive professional road racing championship in North America. The Rolex Series Daytona Prototype category has attracted the attention of superstar drivers and universally recognized teams through its extremely raceable and relatively affordable format, and has revolutionized sports car racing with plentiful battles at the front of the field and close finishes in virtually every race. Like the Daytona Prototype class that has redefined prototype sports car racing, the Rolex Series GT class has done the same for high-performance, production-based sports car racing. 11
Rick Hendrick
Hendrick Motorsports Hendrick Automotive Group In the mid-1980s, General Motors approached me about running a sports car in the IMSA Series. Chevrolet arranged a meeting with Ken Howes who, at the time, was running a small sports car team in Indianapolis and has stayed with me at Hendrick Motorsports ever since. We started doing some testing with the Corvette GTP that General Motors had built. It turned out to be competitive, and we put a plan in place to run the car starting in 1986. We did that for the next three years (1986-88) and managed to win two races at Road Atlanta and through the streets of Miami Beach. I was happy to hear GM was bringing the Corvette back into prototype racing. As a Chevy dealer, enthusiast and collector, I understand the following that Corvette has as a true performance brand, and those loyal owners are also race fans. With an eye toward the cost-containment and close competition that has propelled the popularity of the Daytona Prototype class, the GT category provides a stable battleground for the world’s top automobile manufacturers. Perhaps best of all, the Rolex Series’ two-class format allows race fans watching from the grandstands or on television and the media covering the sport to follow the action with just two easy-to-distinguish classes of race cars Daytona Prototypes and GT. The GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, featuring straight-from-the-showroom American muscle cars and the hottest imports, is also back in 2012 for its 12th season of competition under the GRAND-AM umbrella. GRAND-AM races at some of the world’s most prestigious venues - Daytona, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Road America, and Watkins Glen - and has taken the role of a top annual attraction at key venues in the industry such as the Barber Motorsports Park, Detroit’s Belle Isle circuit and Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
Evolution of the GRAND-AM Daytona Prototype Daytona Prototypes compete in the premier class of the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series. These are exotic, mid-engine machines that are purpose-built for competition. They are low to the ground and are capable of speeds in excess of 185 mph. They also feature the latest in safety technology, including carbonfiber side-impact panels and a multi-point roll cage with a unique center post at mid-windshield. The rules were designed by GRAND-AM with the intention of containing costs while promoting close competition and driver safety. The class was introduced on the eve of the 2002 Rolex 24 At Daytona, and debuted at that event one year later. Fabcar, Multimatic, Doran and Picchio fielded Daytona Prototypes in the inaugural 2003 season, with Riley, Crawford and Chase Competition Engineering introducing models the following year. After five years with only minor rule changes, Daytona Prototype constructors were allowed to update their designs or transfer their licenses for the 2008 season, ensuring the stability of the class, with no significant rule changes expected through the 2012 season. Lola (which purchased the Multimatic franchise),
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Dallara (Doran) and Coyote (Fabcar) purchased existing licenses and debuted cars, while Riley and Crawford presented updated versions. In 2012 the Daytona Prototype category is undergoing a design change, meant to bring the series closer to a manufacturer road car look. Pratt & Miller has assumed the development of the Coyote with a new-to-the-series Corvette body draped over an improved chassis. Riley Technologies is producing an updated body to go on their chassis. For 2012 the Spirit of Daytona and Action Express will run new Coyote-based Corvette cars with Bob Stallings Racing and Wayne Taylor Racing running the Corvette body on their Riley Technologies and Dallara chassis respectively. Although each chassis is designed and manufactured independently, competitor modifications are highly limited by GRAND-AM rules. Certain parts, like rear wings, are mandated by the series. A Daytona Prototype chassis costs about $400,000, but the cars can be raced in their current configuration for several years within GRAND-AM’s rules package. The updated version of the Riley chassis that debuted in 2004 continues to race competitively in the Rolex Series – and won races as recently as 2009. All engines are tuned to produce about 530 horsepower and each is capable of being mated to any of the approved Daytona Prototype chassis, which creates an interesting variety of chassis/ engine combinations. Five or six-speed sequential gearboxes from EMCO and XTrac are the series standard in Daytona Prototypes. Smaller, under 4.5 liters, engine Daytona Prototypes are allowed the advantage of the six-speed gear boxes, while all race cars with larger engines must run the five-speeds. In addition to official and approved chassis designs and engines tuned to GRAND-AM specifications, Daytona Prototype competition is equalized further through minimum car weight. Daytona Prototypes with smaller engines can run at lighter minimum weights than their counterparts with more power. Cars fitted with engines less than 4 liters can weigh 2,200 pounds or more. Daytona Prototypes running engines 4 liters and up to the maximum 5 liters must weigh in at a minimum 2,250 pounds. Daytona Prototype car statistics: Top Speed: 195 mph; Horsepower: 500; Maximum Race Length: 24 hours; Wheelbase:
The new Corvette Daytona Prototype looks great. I see some of the DNA of the Corvette GTP we ran in the ’80s in the new car and a lot of design elements from the road car. With the tried-and-true LS engine, I know the car will be sprayed with a lot of champagne in victory lane.
using the newest Corvette GTP chassis. Peerless would take a fourth place at Columbus, followed closely behind by Hendrick in fifth. The Hendrick team closed the season with a fifth at Del Mar, giving Chevrolet fourth in the manufacturers championship. General Motors elected to cancel its funding for the Corvette GTP project following the 1989 season, and Hendrick Motorsports did not return to IMSA GT. Peerless Racing did attempt to continue in 1989 but a series of accidents led to the team failing to finish any of the races it entered, (although the Peerless Corvette did run as high as fourth at Watkins Glen with only four laps to go when a tire failed). The team withdrew from IMSA GTP competition by midseason.
108-110 inches; Weight (min.): 2225-2275 pounds; Roof Height (min): 41 inches (measured from flat floor reference plane); Wing Height (max): 41 inches (measured from flat floor reference plane); Width (max.): 79 inches; Engines: 5.0L V-8; Porsche, Ford, BMW, Lexus, Chevrolet 3.99L, Flat 6 Porsche; 3.8L V-6 Honda; 4.3L V-8 Infiniti; Fuel: Sunoco; Gearbox: Six-speed sequential shift (five-speed for 5.0L V-8); Tires: Continental; Brakes: Up to 6-piston calipers, steel rotors; Chassis: Steel tube integrated roll cage; Suspension: Pushrod with multilink; Traction Control: Not permitted.
History of Corvette in Prototype Racing
Prior to 1984, Chevrolet naturally aspirated V8s and Buick turbocharged V6s were popular engines in the GTP class for privateer teams. However General Motors (GM) saw the opportunity to enter the IMSA GT Championship in the 1984 season in an attempt to bolster their image by fighting against Jaguar, Porsche, Nissan, and Mazda. General Motors turned to Lola Cars International of the United Kingdom - which had previous experience building cars for Mazda - to build its own chassis, termed the Corvette GTP. Following testing on an older Lola T600 with a Chevrolet V8, an all new car was built, termed the T710. The first chassis were delivered to General Motors in 1984 and outfitted with a 3.4-liter, turbocharged V6, a destroked version of the 4.3-liter Chevrolet V6, built by Ryan Falconer. A second chassis, known as T711 used the alternative 5.7-liter naturally aspirated V8, and arrived at GM before the close of 1984. This would allow GM to be able to keep on pace with at least one car, dependent on which engine better suited a track. The cars featured bodywork similar to a Chevrolet Corvette C4 at the front, with a long pontoon-style tail featuring Corvette taillights. Large side intakes would feed the radiators while the turbocharged chassis had a snorkel built into the top of the fender to feed the turbocharger. HU8811 became the basis of the design for the tail section of late (1992–1996) C4 Corvettes.
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Debuting in 1984 at the Grand Prix of Miami, the first Corvette GTP was run under the Racing Systems team name in a mostly white paint scheme. The car managed to finish 13th overall after starting 29th. However the car would only appear two more times in 1984, failing to finish at Riverside and taking another 13th place finish at Sears Point. For 1985, the second Corvette GTP chassis was initially given to Lee Racing for its debut at the 24 Hours of Daytona but would suffer gearbox problems and did not finish. This was followed by a seventh place finish at Miami, then another failure to finish at the 12 Hours of Sebring. This would be followed by a string of failures at Charlotte, Mid-Ohio, and Watkins Glen.
The Hendrick team started 1987 the same as it did in 1986, failing to finish the first three races of the season, including a fire during the Miami event. The team finally managed to finish a race at Laguna Seca, the sixth round of the season, with a second place result. The team followed that performance with a third and 11thplace run for the two car team at Mid-Ohio. The pair would finish fourth and seventh at Portland, followed quickly by a lone third at Sears Point. One final third came in the streets of San Antonio before Hendrick would close out the season with another series of problems. Nevertheless, problems at Jaguar helped Chevrolet secure second in the manufacturers championship behind Porsche. By 1988, the Corvette GTPs were becoming slightly more consistent and the team managed to overcome its mechanical woes, helped by a switch to naturally aspirated V8s. The season once again began slow, as an eighth-place finish at Road Atlanta was the first finish by a Corvette GTP that season. A seventh at Lime Rock and Mid-Ohio would be followed by a third at Watkins Glen, 10th at Road America, and finally, ninth at Sears Point before the Hendrick team was joined by the new Peerless Racing squad,
The Peerless car would later be used by Eagle Performance as an experiment with its large 10.2-liter (4 Cam-32 valve) V8 engine, entering it in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. However, the car would suffer electrical problems during the qualifying sessions and would not be able to make the race, marking the end of the Corvette GTP. The last time an official Corvette entry ran in GRAND-AM was 2001. A Corvette C5.R GT class car built and raced by Pratt & Miller/Corvette Racing won the Rolex 24 at Daytona overall. The C5.R GT was driven by Ron Fellows, Johnny O’Connell, Chris Kneifel and Franck Freon. In addition, a second Pratt & Miller/Corvette Racing car finished second in class and fourth overall with Dale Earnhardt Sr., Dale Earnhardt Jr., Andy Pilgrim and Kelly Collins.
By Road America, NASCAR team Hendrick Motorsports would take over the former Racing Systems car, becoming the factory-backed team with GM Goodwrench sponsorship and lead driver David Hobbs. Unfortunately, the team did not manage to finish any races by the end of the season, although Lee Racing did rebound to score an eighth place finish at the second race at Watkins Glen and then 10th at the Daytona season finale. Moving into 1986, Hendrick Motorsports and Lee Racing would continue their campaigns with mixed results. Although both teams failed to finish the first three races of the season, Hendrick would manage to take the first victory for the Corvette GTP at Road Atlanta with drivers Doc Bundy and Sarel van der Merwe. While Lee Racing abandoned its effort, Hendrick would continue on and manage a fourth place finish at Charlotte, seventh at Lime Rock, and third at Mid-Ohio. The Corvette GTP followed those results with its second victory on the streets of Palm Beach, defeating a Porsche 962 by four tenths of a second. Unfortunately, the car would fail to finish at Watkins Glen, but return for an eighth place finish at Portland. By Sears Point, Hendrick purchased Lee Racing’s former chassis to start a twocar campaign, but Hendrick would not be able to see the same success by the end of the season. Chevrolet wound up third in the constructors championship behind Porsche and Jaguar.
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Inception
A New Vision Daytona Prototypes were introduced in 2003 by GRAND-AM and have raced 117 events. The first generation of the Daytona Prototypes raced through the end of the 2007 season; the second generation began in 2008, and the third generation took their first green and checkered flags at the 50th anniversary Rolex 24 Hour At Daytona on January 28-29, 2012. In 2010 GRAND-AM communicated its plan to move forward with a new generation of Daytona Prototypes. Cars built to the new regulations are called “DPG3” ̶ a reference to what will be the third generation for the Daytona Prototypes, which debuted in 2003 as GRAND-AM’s premier Rolex Series class. DPG3s are distinguished by an all-new body with a smaller greenhouse for better proportion, with new regulations also offering more potential for brand character and design innovation throughout the rest of the bodywork.
GRAND-AM instituted a design approval process for current licensed constructors. The process comprised multiple phases, similar to past processes. Early in 2011 GRAND-AM received submissions, including detailed CAD models from all three current and active constructors: Coyote, Dallara and Riley. GRAND-AM worked with these partners to enable an OEM body design applicable to more than one chassis ̶ and also, constructor-branded body designs. Chevrolet was the first to step up with a proposal that included branding their Daytona Prototype with their halo Corvette brand. The 2012 Chevrolet Corvette Daytona Prototype made its ontrack debut at the November 16-17, 2011 test at the Daytona International Speedway to wide acclaim and anticipation.
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The Corvette Daytona Prototype began its eight-month development at Pratt & Miller with the goal of hitting the track on November 16-17, 2011 in a GRAND-AM sanctioned test in preparation for the 50th anniversary Rolex 24 At Daytona on January 28-29, 2012. Aside from burning up the phone and data lines, at several stages throughout the Corvette Daytona Prototype’s development, GRAND-AM officials, shown above on far right Jim France and far left David Spitzer, joined Chevrolet’s Mark Kent, second from right, and Pratt & Miller’s Doug Louth, second from left, along with Gary Pratt, center, to review and assure that the Corvette was being built to meet the stringent GRAND-AM rulebook, but also was living up to the spirit of the new GRAND-AM Daytona Prototype vision spec.
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Race cars have to fit specifications. The same basic materials that make up the Corvette Daytona Prototype make up the road-going Corvette. A Corvette has a much more rigid template to fill and that is to build upon a legacy of performance and uniqueness that has been a part of the car’s history since the first one rolled off the line in Flint, Michigan in 1953. The brand has a cult following and worldwide pride in ownership. Everything that carries the Corvette logo must live up to expectation. The major players at GRAND-AM, Chevrolet, and Pratt & Miller all focused on the goal of creating a car that would help take the series and the Corvette brand to the next step in sports car racing. The tale would be told January 28-29 at the Rolex 24 At Daytona on the speedway road course at Daytona International Speedway, also known as the World Center of Racing.
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Gary Pratt
Vice President Pratt & Miller Engineering What a great project! On April 1, 2011, we received the new GRAND-AM 2012 Daytona Prototype regulations. Chevrolet and team Pratt & Miller set into motion a comprehensive development plan to have cars on the track within eight months. A combined team, under the direction of Mark Kent of Chevrolet as project leader and Dave Spitzer of the GRAND-AM competition department, were brought together with Pratt & Miller’s Doug Louth, Andrew Attardo, Gary Latham and Bill DeLong to work on bringing the Corvette back to prototype sports car racing. Attardo, taking inspiration from the IMSA Corvette of the 80s, our build knowledge of the Chevrolet Intrepid from the 90s, and direction from Chevrolet designers, combined all that inventiveness and know-how to create the overall Corvette Daytona Prototype look. At the same time, a competition build sheet assembled by Louth included the specific components that make the car go as fast on the track as it looks standing still. As Attardo finalized the overall appearance, Latham and his team were putting the engineering detail together electronically in preparation of handing the project to DeLong to start the build process. In addition to building the components, Louth, Latham and DeLong also had to translate the Corvette body to the new Coyote, Riley Technologies and Dallara chassis. The result is a true team effort led by Chevrolet to design, develop and build the all-new Corvette sports car which represents the future of GRAND-AM Daytona Prototype racing.
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STyling
The Beginning Chevrolet has accepted the challenge to reintroduce the Corvette brand into the top level of GRAND-AM Road Racing. Pratt & Miller, known for its development of winning sports cars, has assumed the development of the Coyote chassis as well as the design and development of the Corvette body. With the rebirth of the famed Corvette name in prototype racing, Pratt & Miller also used the majority of 2011 to improve on the Coyote chassis. The New Hudson, Michigan-based company reengineered the critical suspension pick-up points and paid particular attention to the “birdcage” which is specifically designed to accept the new, sleeker Corvette body. Design resources, an aero team, representatives from the Chevrolet GRAND-AM program, and additional members of GRAND-AM’s technical staff were added and engaged to define the 2012 concepts and create the development plan. Reviewing
the existing Daytona Prototype chassis to determine structural modifications required for the new body concept, and the regulations to govern these, were key steps in the process and were supported by the Pratt & Miller design department led by Gary Latham. The wide array of possible aero configurations and many performance defining parameters were sorted and analyzed to meet GRAND-AM on-track objectives for safety and balanced competition. As the regulations stabilized, Corvette Daytona Prototype design concepts were traded between the Pratt & Miller design department and aero team as well as the GM Corvette Design studio. The Corvette Daytona Prototype picks up design cues from six generations of Corvette road cars. The historic round taillights, the split rear window, lines on the hood and small side windows all pay homage to the marque known for cutting-edge styling, handling and speed. With the next generation of Corvette, 23
the C7, waiting in the production wings, the Corvette Daytona Prototype is also a part of the 100 Year Anniversary of Chevrolet. With the Corvette look in place, the team had to make some performance design elements work in concert with the overall appearance. Designing in components that assure proper cooling of the LS V8 engine, the placement of the fuel cell, ducts that channel air to cool the front and rear brakes, easy access and egress for the driver, air louvers over the front wheels to keep the car on the track as well as the fitting of a series spec rear wing completes the look of the Corvette Daytona Prototype.
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With all of these performance elements in place the team turned to getting the Corvette to cut through the wind. Again, referencing everything from street course hairpins to going flat-out around the banking at Daytona, the design engineers took every turn into account. Armed with real race data, engineers were focused on using the air over the car to produce maximum downforce for handling the Corkscrew at Laguna Seca and then, one-turn later manage the drag to get up to 195 mph down the front straight at Road America. Pratt & Miller put its vast racing know-how and design expertise to work.
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Tadge Juechter
Corvette Chief Engineer I am very excited that we have been able to bring the Corvette brand back into the top level of prototype racing. This is only the second time in the brand’s 59-year history that a Corvette prototype will race at Daytona and in the GRAND-AM Series. We wanted to translate some very visible design cues from the road car to the Corvette Daytona Prototype. Visible are the four round taillights, side windows, lines down the front hood, large side vents, split rear window, and the low slung cockpit on the fuselage look, all of which are design themes that make this very much a Corvette. There was a delicate balance between maintaining a true Corvette theme with the aerodynamic and functional properties of a prototype race car; as always we have pushed that balance. Where you see things that are maybe a little different than the production cars, it’s because the rules require a particular line. This will allow us to connect what we’re racing with what we’re selling. The Corvette owner is very loyal to the brand, both on and off the track. There is a little bit of DNA that runs from the C6 street car through the fuel line of the Corvette Daytona Prototype.
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3d development
Taking Shape The team of designers, operating under a short development timeline of only 240 days, began the task of shaping the Corvette Daytona Prototype. Utilizing many factors, like the differing layouts of modified oval tracks like Daytona International Speedway, to street courses like Detroit’s Belle Isle closed street course layout, were deciding elements that played into the development of the Corvette Daytona Prototype. The Computer Aided Design (CAD) department got down to business with the overall theme, paying close attention to maintaining the “Corvette look,” while factoring in structure, the effects of aerodynamic loads that influence handling and overall speed. Much of the preliminary development work had to be done with Vehicle Engineering System Software. This approach allowed for the majority of the analysis, simulation and decision-making of the development work being completed in
a virtual environment, which translates to faster development, prototyping and testing. Another important tool in the Corvette Daytona Prototype development is the Adams Multibody Dynamics Simulation software. Adams helps engineers to study the dynamics of moving parts, how loads and forces are distributed throughout mechanical systems, and how to improve and optimize the performance of how each component will work together.
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Mark Kent
Director Chevrolet Racing A couple of years back, Jim France came and met with our leadership in Detroit, and he had a vision to change the look of the Daytona Prototype. He wanted to bring more relevance to the cars, try to connect them more with street cars. We embraced that because that’s what we do at Chevrolet, we want our race cars to look like what we sell at our dealerships. We want to have that technology transfer connection, either with styling cues or actual product knowledge gleaned from racing miles on the country’s top racing circuits, so we embraced it. The team went to work on an amazingly aggressive schedule to get the Corvette to Daytona for the 50th Anniversary Rolex 24 Hour. When we unveiled it at Daytona in November of last year, it was really a game-changing moment for GRAND-AM and it really goes back to Jim France’s vision. The foundation for this new car was the IMSA GTP Hendrick Corvette Prototype of the late 80s. If you look through the history of road racing, that is an iconic car, even 20-some years after it ran. So we took that car as the building blocks and made a much more contemporary version of an 80s GTP classic. I’m sure that when the fans see the car, they’ll agree it is absolutely a stunning, game-changing vehicle. The 2012 Corvette Daytona Prototype was developed by a multi-faceted effort involving Chevrolet, Corvette Designers, Pratt & Miller, GRAND-AM, as well as working closely with chassis builders Riley, Coyote and Dallara. Each member of the team was instrumental in taking the Corvette Daytona Prototype from a vision to reality in an amazingly short period of time.
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Engine Air Box Plenum
Tail Frame Assembly
High Flow Dry Brake Assembly
Chimney Duct Assembly Chrome moly chassis
EMCO/X-TRAC 6 Speed Gear Box
Modified Production LS
Front Sway Bar
Carbon Fiber Crash Box
BBS Wheels
Under Wing Assembly
COYOTE EXPLODED VIEW
Rear Spoiler
Dash skin Greenhouse Skin
Mirror Housing
Hood Louver
headlight cap
rear Deck
Rear Fascia
Front Fascia
Side pod
Side pod Gill Vent Inner headlight bezel
Corvette DP Exploded View
Once all of the technical elements are in place, one of the most powerful tools in the engineering arsenal is Corvid Technology. Corvid uses high-fidelity computational fluid dynamics (CFD) – a “virtual wind tunnel” that mathematically simulates airflow around a vehicle. This was a vital process when styling and engineering the Corvette body to perform on nearly every kind of road racing circuit in the country. 38
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Manufacturing
The Build Like the C6 production model, the Corvette Daytona Prototype, by the rules, is made up of steel, aluminum and carbon fiber. The Coyote driver cell is constructed of steel offering maximum protection while also being the structural backbone for the car. The Chevrolet LS V8 engine mated to the back is also a structural member that carries a sequential or paddle shift transmission putting the power to the series spec Continental tires.
Once the pieces are completed, assembly is the key final step. Endurance racing requires that cars are easy to work on, as teams are constantly making adjustments to run at the front. Panel fit, easy access to key components or simply the ease of removing the front or the rear body work are all important notes on the build sheet.
The Corvette body is constructed of carbon fiber. Carbon fiber’s high strength-to-weight ratio and good rigidity are a must in the endurance racing environment.
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Assembly
Putting it all together Once the design process is complete and parts begin to flow out of fabrication, it is time to get the Corvette Daytona Prototype on four Continental racing tires.
The fuel cell, which is protected between the driver cell and the Chevrolet V8 engine came next. Plumbing of fuel and fire suppression lines completed the installation.
Ray Gongla and the Pratt & Miller assembly team mounted the first Coyote chassis on their nine-ton, steel-surface plate to assure strict adherence to all key measuring points. Looking much like a white birdcage, the team began by putting in the electrical wiring harness that carries information to the key operating components and returns valuable data that the race teams will use at the track to get maximum speed from the Corvette Daytona Prototype.
With the wiring in place and the fuel cell ready to pump Sunoco Racing Fuel to the Chevrolet V8, the team began to attach the key suspension assemblies on all four corners. In the rear, the ECR Engines prepared Chevrolet motor delivers its 530 horsepower to the track via an EMCO or X-trac gearbox.
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Gary Latham hands the development baton to Bill DeLong to start the builds. Latham’s computer bits and bytes are translated by DeLong’s team and turned into carbon fiber, steel and aluminum. From what was a computer image brought to life by manipulating a mouse and keyboard now must be put in the hands of the Pratt & Miller craftsmen who will mold with carbon fiber and wield welding rods to bring the images of a GRAND-AM Corvette Daytona Prototype to racing reality. In a compressed development schedule there are no time-outs or do-overs. The team had one shot to get it right.
Chevrolet LS Engine and ECR Engines The new Chevrolet Corvette Daytona Prototype will be powered by a five-liter Chevy V8 engine based on the LS family small block and Chevy LSX CNC ported cylinder heads with individual runner intake manifold. The production-based fuel-injected engine employs a dry sump oiling system and produces 530 peak horsepower at 6,900 rpm, 450 ft.-lbs. of torque at 5500 rpm. The GRAND-AM spec Chevrolet racing engines are built and maintained by Earnhardt-Childress Racing in Welcome, North Carolina. The builders, known for making power in stock car racing and road racing, amassed 11 pole positions and five wins in GRAND-AM since 2011. The GM LS engine family is the only V-8 powerplant used in General Motors’ line of rear-wheel-drive cars and trucks. The LS series was a “clean sheet” design, having little in common with the classic Chevrolet small block V8. Some LS engines are allaluminum, especially the performance oriented engines, while others are cast iron, and all LS engines have 6-bolt main bearing caps. The LS engine has been the sole powerplant of the Chevrolet Corvette since 1997 and has seen use in a wide variety of other General Motors vehicles, ranging from sport coupes to full-size trucks. Due to the engine’s relatively compact external dimensions compared to its displacement and power output, the LS engine is also a popular choice for kit cars, hot rods, buggies, and even light aircraft. Impressive on the street as well as on the track, the LS engine has an impressive racing pedigree. In its production form, the current LS engine produces 638 bhp. The version that powers the Chevrolet Corvette Daytona Prototype is restricted to 530 bhp, per GRAND-AM rules. Corvette Racing’s C5-Rs have earned 31 class victories in the American Le Mans Series, three class wins at Le Mans, and one overall victory at Daytona. So far the C6-R has garnered a Le Mans class win and two other class wins in the American Le Mans Series in only its second season.
Richard Childress
President RCR Motorsports/ECR Engines Richard Childress Racing has deep roots with the Chevrolet brand on the race track. Through our involvement building race engines for the NASCAR touring series we translate that knowledge to the LS engine for the new Chevrolet Corvette Daytona Prototype for 2012. Our team builds, maintains and supplies at-thetrack support for the GM LS GRAND-AM engines that will power all of the Corvette Daytona Prototype cars. It is fitting that the first time the car will run in competition will be at the Daytona International Speedway. Our team has worked hard to keep pace with the series to assure that our customers have the best and most reliable GM LS engines we can build. It is going to be an exciting year as the Chevrolet Corvette Daytona Prototype returns to competition.
Both the production LS and the GRAND-AM spec race engines use dry-sump oiling systems designed to keep the engines properly lubricated during high-speed cornering. In the production Corvette Z06, an eight-quart reservoir delivers oil to the engine oil pump under the demanding conditions of cornering loads in excess of 1g. While common in racing cars, the Corvette Z06 is one of just a handful of production vehicles - and the only production Corvette - to incorporate such a high-performance oiling system. 52
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The interior begins to resemble a race car. The dash panel containing driver information as well as the console that holds all of the controls and adjustments the driver will need for performance and a modicum of comfort. The interior also receives the driver’s seat, which is designed for maximum support and safety. With the drive and suspension elements assembled, the carbon Corvette body meets the chassis for final panel fit. Finally the Corvette skin adorns the Coyote chassis completing the process of assembling a Chevrolet Corvette Daytona Prototype.
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Not all of the Corvettes share the same chassis. Spirit of Daytona’s Corvette Daytona Prototype runs a Coyote chassis, GAINSCO a Riley, SunTrust a Dallara, and Action Express a pair of Coyotes. These varied chassis combinations all had to be accommodated by the team developing the new Corvette Daytona Prototype. Eric Hartwig’s composite department worked flat-out so all of the teams could have their body components ready to mount on their chosen chassis in time for the Roar test. There is no rest for the guys who lay up the fiber and resin, the inevitable spare body parts were in the works to be delivered in time to be painted and prepped for the Rolex 24.
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Corvette Daytona Prototype teams begin to work at the Pratt & Miller facility to get familiar with their Corvettes and complete the build with custom team components. This part of the build also helps to familiarize the teams with their new car. This approach paid dividends in reducing the learning curve that would typically happen over the course of several test sessions – not on the timeline of an eight-month development chart. The side-by-side finish build proved its value at the Roar test in January. This allowed the teams to work on set-up, driver comfort and going fast, which they did - taking the top five places on the time sheet at the end of the weekend.
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The Unveil
2012 Chevrolet Corvette DP The new 2012 Corvette Daytona Prototype breaks cover. The Corvette Daytona Prototype picks up where the Corvette GTP car from 1988 left off. On November 15, 2011, with a host of local, NASCAR and GRAND-AM luminaries on hand including mayor of Daytona, Glenn Richey; Jim France; Brian France; Lesa France-Kennedy; Mike Helton; Tom Bledsoe; and Joie Chitwood all helped with the unveiling at the Daytona 500 Club adjacent to the Speedway’s Victory Circle. Chevrolet representatives Jim Campbell and Jim Lutz presented the electric blue Spirit of Daytona Corvette Daytona Prototype. The room was filled with journalists as well as special guests from the local Corvette owners club. Flanking the excited crowd were representatives from all of the Corvette Daytona Prototype teams including Spirit
of Daytona’s Troy Flis and drivers Antonio Garcia and Oliver Gavin; Bob Stallings Racing’s Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty; Wayne Taylor Racing’s Wayne Taylor, Max Angelelli and Ricky Taylor; Action Express Racing owner Bob Johnson and several drivers from the team’s star-studded lineup. The Corvette Daytona Prototype was unveiled to a capacity crowd at the 500 Club. In addition, Chevrolet was beaming the event over the Internet. More than 12,000 enthusiasts watched the Corvette Daytona Prototype be revealed on-line making it a worldwide spectacle.
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Jim Campbell General Motors U.S. Vice President Performance Vehicles and Motorsports
Chevrolet and Daytona share a very special history in both stock car racing and road racing. Our first styling chief, Harley Earl, was a strong supporter of stock car racing. He and Bill France, Sr. became good friends. These guys had a lot of mutual respect for one another. In addition, the Corvette and Daytona have almost grown up together. In 1956, Zora Arkus Duntov set the flying mile speed record at Daytona Beach in a Corvette, the average two way speed of 150.538 miles per hour. At the official opening of the Daytona International Speedway in 1959, Zora came back and turned the fastest lap in a Corvette SS at 155 miles per hour. Betty Skelton, the first lady of firsts, set her first land speed record at Daytona in a Corvette. She came back many times after that. In the inaugural Daytona Continental race in 1962, Dick Thompson, the flying dentist, finished first in the GT 5000 class in a Corvette. Then in 1966, in the 24 Hour race, the No. 6 Corvette, owned by Roger Penske, completed 575 laps to win the GT 3000 class in a Corvette. Fast forward to 1986, the IMSA Corvette GTP prototype took the pole. Unfortunately, the car fell victim to vibrations during the warm-ups and was scratched from the race. It went on to compete in many other races and won in Atlanta. The 24 Hours of Daytona is a tough race. Anything can happen. I will never forget in 1999, right here, the first year we ran the fifth generation Corvette. It was our first race for that car. There were fans and supporters all over the grandstands, and many watching on television. We got out to a quick lead and led for 18 hours. The enthusiasm was high. But then you realize what it takes to win at the 24 Hours of Daytona. It takes an incredible effort. Every minute, every lap, the car, drivers. We did not win that race. We ended up with a podium finish, which in retrospect was an incredible accomplishment. We went home, did our homework, and came back strong. In 2001 the No. 2 Millennium Yellow Corvette C5 R not only won the GT class but also the overall victory at the Rolex 24 At Daytona. What a special race that was. We are back for 2012 with a brand new Corvette Daytona Prototype that is ready to compete at the front of the GRAND-AM pack!
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Tom Bledsoe President GRAND-AM
GRAND-AM’s new Daytona Prototype concept is aimed at allowing manufacturers to showcase their brand in an exciting, cutting-edge fashion. Chevrolet, with its new Corvette Daytona Prototype, has done just that. The anticipation of seeing this new Daytona Prototype compete is building each and every day. This announcement has immediate and far-reaching implications, with the potential to change the face of sports car racing.
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Jim France
Vice Chairman NASCAR Corvette Enthusiast I have a real appreciation of the Corvette. I grew up with my dad on the beach racing cars. I have a picture of myself with one of the ‘56 Corvettes they had down here at the speed trials on the beach before the Speedway was ever built. I was exposed to Corvettes at an early age and having the Corvette back running at Daytona is really special to me, personally. I think it’s one of the coolest Corvettes that I’ve seen and I couldn’t be more thrilled. We took a fresh approach a couple of years ago and spent a lot of focused time thinking about what it would take to get to this day. I think that what we’re most proud of is that Chevrolet trusted the GRAND-AM organization to build a team consensus and execute on a project that I think everybody around the world agrees, is a very beautiful race car. The design, the development is done, we are ready to turn them loose and let them go race.
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The Teams
The Teams There comes a point in the development of every race car when it is time to hit the track. The first outing is always a trying time. The Corvette Daytona Prototype didn’t have the luxury of a year of testing and development; most of that was done by processing terabytes of information through simulation programs on the computer. Deliveries to teams began in November of 2011, with the first car put in the hands of the Spirit of Daytona team. The team, appropriately named, was the first to make Corvette Daytona Prototype tracks on the high-banks of Daytona International Speedway. It was also the first team to fill laptops full of real-time, on-track data that would be the basis for the other four teams to follow. The next two Corvette Coyotes went to Action Express, with
Wayne Taylor taking delivery of his Corvette Daytona Prototype body, which carries SunTrust sponsorship. At the same time, pieces went to Texas for Bob Stallings’ GAINSCO team. With delivery made on time, as promised, the teams began to make them their own. Individualizing their Corvettes, fitting drivers, all in preparation for the Roar Before The Rolex 24 test, January 7-9, 2012. The data footprint from the first outing was analyzed, improvements were made by the Pratt & Miller engineers and the teams put down the five fastest times in the Daytona Prototype class at the Roar test. As is Roar tradition, the Corvette teams turned on the high-beams for the first time on Saturday, January 8 for night practice. Punching a hole in the Daytona night air, the SunTrust Racing Corvette turned out the lights on the competition posting the fastest time. 73
Spirit of Daytona Racing
Action Express Racing
Spirit of Daytona was founded in 1987 when Troy Flis and his brother began competing in club-racing events with their Volkswagen. Troy’s love for turning cars into speeding, streamlined racing machines soon became a small business and, after numerous wins on the club-racing circuit, he turned professional in 1999 with the beginning of the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series. Spirit of Daytona has grown tremendously since Troy’s club-racing days and now encompasses a Daytona Prototype effort and an 8,000 square foot preparation and race shop facility.
Long-time Brumos associate Bob Johnson created Action Express Racing in 2010 and formed a technical alliance with Brumos Racing. Johnson leased a Riley Daytona Prototype - a car last raced by Pacific Coast Motorsports a few years ago - and had it paired with a Lozano Brothers-built Cayenne-based Porsche V-8 powerplant, similar to the engines used in the Spirit of Daytona Porsche Coyote. In that first year of operation as a new team, Action Express won the 2010 Rolex 24 At Daytona. For 2012, Action Express will run two new Chevrolet Corvette Daytona Prototypes on the Coyote Chassis.
Spirit of Daytona has run the Coyote chassis in GRAND-AM competition since 2009. Spirit of Daytona also carried out the track validation of the new Chevrolet Corvette Coyote at the three tests leading up to the 50th running of the Rolex 24 Hour At Daytona.
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GAINSCO Bob Stallings Racing
SunTrust Wayne Taylor Racing
Bob Stallings founded the team after he won the 2004 SCCA Formula Atlantic National Championship. His dream was to field a top-level Daytona Prototype and, to make his dream a reality, he hired top personnel from around the world of motorsports, including driver Alex Gurney and engineer Kyle Brannan - both of whom honed their skills in the hotly contested Toyota Atlantic Championship. Gurney set fast lap in the team’s first-ever Rolex Series practice day at Laguna Seca - putting the GRAND-AM world on notice that the No. 99 was for real.
Wayne Taylor Racing (WTR), was founded in November 2006 and is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. Wayne Taylor is a three-time sports car champion and two-time Rolex 24 At Daytona winner.
In 2006, the team’s first full season, Gurney and another Toyota Atlantic standout, Jon Fogarty, showed repeated strength with more podiums, a pole and a sixth-place finish in the season championship. At the 2007 Rolex 24, Gurney took his fourth career pole position, before suffering from bad luck early on that eventually forced the team’s retirement. But just one race later, Gurney and Fogarty wrote the GAINSCO team into the recordbooks in Mexico City, recording the team’s first-ever Rolex Sports Car Series victory in thrilling fashion. Now, the team is setting its sights on another championship trophy.
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In its first three seasons of existence, WTR extended SunTrust’s streak of top-three finishes in the Rolex Series championship standings to five out of the last six years. WTR scored five wins in its first three seasons, in addition to 19 pole positions, 23 top-five and 31 top-10 finishes in 40 races. SunTrust’s only season finish outside the top-three in the championship was 2008, when WTR introduced an all-new Dallara chassis to Rolex Series competition, and midway through the season suffered a devastating transporter fire that destroyed its racecar, spare parts, race equipment and tools. SunTrust finished sixth that season, but did score a lateseason race win followed by a pair of runner-up finishes to close the campaign. In its very first race, the team was joined by none other than four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon, who helped co-drive to third-place finish at the 2007 season-opening Rolex 24. In the 2008 Rolex 24, WTR collaborated with Penske Racing to run a sister entry - the No. 9 Toshiba Pontiac Riley for Penske Taylor Racing, featuring drivers Helio Castroneves, Kurt Busch and Ryan Briscoe - that finished third.
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Testing
Testing The No. 90 Spirit of Daytona Corvette Daytona Prototype broke cover on November 15 to a distinguished crowd of team owners, GRAND-AM and NASCAR brass, Chevrolet representatives, the media and even a select number of Corvette owners all assembled at the Daytona 500 Club adjacent to Daytona’s Victory Lane. In addition, there were 12,000 viewers following the unveil on the Internet. Now it was time to put some miles on the much-anticipated sports car. The next day the No. 90 Corvette Daytona Prototype would take to the track for the first time. Not just any track, but the Daytona International Speedway, the World Center of Racing. All of the work by the build team would be put on display in front of the competition, media and world without the luxury of an initial shakedown at some far-flung circuit on a private test day.
With Flis’ Spirit of Daytona team taking the lead, Chevrolet, Pratt & Miller as well as ECR Engines team members all worked together to put maximum miles on the new Corvette Daytona Prototype. Starting slowly by doing installation laps and gathering basic important vehicle temperatures and measurements, the team could no longer hold back. What everyone thought would be a roll-out of a new race car, soon turned into suspension and wing adjustments in the search for speed. The Corvette Daytona Prototype ran without a problem allowing the team to accelerate their learning curve gathering valuable data for the future - a result that surpassed everyone’s expectations.
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Troy Flis
Owner/team manager No. 90 Spirit of Daytona Corvette Daytona Prototype It’s a big challenge to bring a car that has the enthusiast following that Corvette has to the track and do the initial shakedown in front of everybody. There was a lot of pressure on my guys that this first outing go smoothly and everything was perfect. We ran a ton of laps. I’d say we ran through five or six sets of tires, and the car did everything that we asked it to do. The car ran so well that we actually had the opportunity to tune on it a little bit, which we never expected to do in the first test in November. We got a lot further ahead this week than we were anticipating. We’re really excited to be a part of this because we believe this car is a game changer.
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December Test The second on-track outing for the Corvette Daytona Prototype came December 6-7, 2011 at Daytona International Speedway. Once again, the Spirit of Daytona team with their Corvette Coyote hit the high banks of the World Center of Racing. Joining the locally based Sprit of Daytona team were two more Corvette 84
Prototype teams, SunTrust Racing with their No. 10 Corvette Dallara and Action Express with its No. 9 Corvette Coyote. The Corvette Daytona Prototype, for the first time, sees track time riding on two different chassis.
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Wayne Taylor
Darren Law
“Obviously, I’m excited that we are one of the lead teams representing the Corvette brand in GRAND-AM. I can remember back in my day as an Intrepid driver there was always talk about a Corvette prototype that never materialized. Now, Chevy has come back and worked with Pratt & Miller to develop this Corvette prototype that we are going to race and we feel this is a new era for sports cars, and for GRAND-AM in particular. I’m very excited to represent them. Obviously, Max and Ricky will drive it for us. I never won the six-hour race at Watkins Glen, Ricky did. I never drove the Corvette prototype, but Ricky will. So I’m living vicariously through my son, once again! I’ve been with GM for over 20 years and I’m excited. The amount of interest and excitement about this car, I don’t ever remember it being of this magnitude for a new car, anywhere. GM and Pratt & Miller have done such an excellent job with the styling and the design, it’s clear everybody loves the car. And the greatest thing is, it looks great in blue, it looks great in white, it’s going to look great in red, every color you can imagine. I’m looking forward to winning races with it.”
“We’re very excited to be joining Chevy Racing. It’s great to have manufacturer support behind us,” Law said. “This is the first car for the generation-three Daytona Prototype. I commend Chevy for stepping up to the plate and putting out the effort to produce the first car out of all the manufacturers. I’m very impressed with the car. It looks fast just sitting there! You can really distinguish that it’s a manufacturer’s prototype – it looks like a Corvette, but in prototype form. They’ve done a great job incorporating things like the Corvette nose and front end. And it’s the nicest body fit I’ve seen on a Daytona Prototype. We can’t wait to get on the track with the new car. We’ve got a very, very aggressive testing program set up for the winter leading up to the 24 hour.”
No. 10 SunTrust Racing Corvette team owner
Max Angelelli
Driver, No. 10 SunTrust Chevrolet Corvette “A Corvette, for me, has always been my dream car since I was a kid, for the simple reason that the look was really nice, very aggressive. And with the sensation of having a big V8 under the hood, for me as an Italian and the small engines everywhere around me, it has always been a big deal. Especially, the Corvette with the four pipes behind, the ZR1, it was the car to have ̶ a dream car. I always, always hoped to have the money to buy one. Then, I had a friend of mine who bought one, and I couldn’t believe I could actually sit in one. But I never had a chance to drive it. For me, this is now a long time dream come true. When I was with Cadillac, I was at least close to the Corvette brand. I was always hoping to be picked by the Corvette team to drive for them. It’s a dream that took over 30 years to come true. I’ve seen so many Corvettes over the years, shape changes, styling changes, and it always gets better. They did a wonderful job with this Corvette Daytona Prototype. There is no doubt that this is a Corvette. I’m driving a Corvette! It’s as simple as that.”
Ricky Taylor
Driver, No. 10 SunTrust Chevrolet Corvette “For me, it’s special because my dad has been with GM pretty much since I was born, so I’ve spent a lot of my life around GM. Now, they’re putting a lot of effort into the Corvette prototype and that means a lot. To finally be part of a real GM Racing program and representing their biggest brand and their highestperformance brand, which is Corvette, is pretty cool. Making the Daytona Prototype look more like a car on the street is hard to do, I would have thought, but they did such a good job with all the styling cues that it looks like a Corvette. I didn’t know if they were going to be able to do it, but they did a great job with the look. Plus, it’s been a pretty fast car right out of the box.”
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Driver, No. 5 Action Express Chevrolet Corvette
David Donohue
No. 5 Action Express Chevrolet Corvette “It’s wonderful to have this new Chevy Corvette out here. The series needed sort of a breath of fresh air and I think this new car looks great. It’s working great out here on the track. Being part of something so new and being branded as a Corvette, it’s a thrill for all of us. The only thing that really took getting used to is going around the bottom of the banking. You touch the apron a little bit earlier than you think you would, just because you’re sitting on the other side of the car. It’s quite a bit different ergonomically and learning the typical new car stuff, where all the darn switches are and what the adjustments are. It adjusts a bit differently from the Riley. There has been quite an adjustment. We’re really hopeful, obviously, otherwise we wouldn’t have made this switch. It’s kind of like we’re throwing some dust in the air to see which way it’ll go because there’s just so many things up in the air as far as the regulations and as far as what the competition is going to do. Who is going to get ahead of the proverbial 8-ball, if you will? Who is going to be first to get ahead of the ball and ahead of the game and be able to maintain that? It really resets the deck. Hopefully, we’re the first ones to get it figured out and we take that momentum not just from Daytona but for the rest of the year.”
Joao Barbosa
No. 9 Action Express Chevrolet Corvette “The Corvette has been going great. It’s a great car. The car not only looks good, but it runs really good. I’m definitely looking forward to the race. It’s going to be a long month for the crew to adapt to this new car and to know this new car as we should before a 24-hour race, but we have a great team of guys. I’m sure we’ll have a winning car and we’ll be in great shape for the 24hour race. It’s a great responsibility. When you drive a Corvette here in the U.S., it’s a big thing. For me, it’s such a great pleasure to be with such a great team, having the opportunity to drive a Corvette in their first Daytona Prototype. I think they did a great job. The car is really good out of the box. We still need to work, but it’s a great car and we’re really looking forward to coming back in January and feel all the fan base that the Corvette has and all the fans. Hopefully, we’re going to have a good showing here.”
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Roar Before the Rolex 24 The Corvette Daytona Prototype contingent led every session of the Roar Before the Rolex 24 test, January 7-9, 2012 at Daytona International Speedway. The Roar Before the Rolex 24 is the official test in preparation for the 50th Anniversary of the Rolex 24. The No. 10 SunTrust Corvette topped the time chart with the fastest lap of the 59 cars participating on the weekend posting a 1:41.142 lap with an average speed of 121 mph around the 3.5690
mile, 12-turn speedway road course. In the shadow of the orange and white SunTrust car were the rest of the Corvette juggernaut: No. 5 Action Express Corvette second (1:41.338), No. 9 Action Express Corvette third (1:41.475), No. 99 GAINSCO Auto Insurance Corvette fourth (1:41.541), and the No. 90 Spirit of Daytona Corvette fifth (1:41.849).
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Wayne Taylor
Bob Stallings
“I’m extremely happy by the speed at which everybody at GM and Pratt & Miller and Wayne Taylor Racing has been able to turn this car around in terms of making it solid for a 24-hour run. We’ve come here and had no problems all weekend while going through all the changes we wanted to. Speaking to Max, Ricky and Ryan independently, all three had the same feedback. They’re all happy. I’ve got to be careful because it’s actually gone so well that we’ll be wondering what we might have missed. I think the guys have done a good job. They’ve taken the time to make sure the car is ready for the race. We did try to simulate a qualifying lap with Max this morning and we did a really good lap. I’m not sure if we can go any faster than that. But the main thing, at this point, is we have a car that all three drivers are really happy to drive. I’m really happy that we can take two good weeks to regroup and get ready for the big one.”
“I feel really good about it. The car is way beyond where I thought it would be at this point. I really thought it was going to take up until the last practice right before the race to have a general idea where we were, or a sense of comfort, but the drivers are pretty happy and the car is certainly drivable. It’s obviously not perfect, they are never perfect, but all in all, it is pretty doggone good. We’re encouraged.”
No. 10 SunTrust Racing Corvette team owner
Ryan Briscoe
No. 10 SunTrust Corvette driver “I love the new cockpit and the Corvette body-style. The car looks great, it feels great. I really felt comfortable and confident driving the car this weekend. It’s great working with people at Chevy and GM and Pratt & Miller, too. There is a lot of really useful overlay as far as getting to know people and the same people I work with on the IndyCar side. It’s pretty exciting and good for me to be racing here with Max and Ricky and the whole SunTrust team.”
Ricky Taylor
No. 10 SunTrust Corvette driver “We knew we had a good base when we came to Daytona this weekend. We knew where to start and everything. It was a matter of getting up to speed and tweaking a few things from a really good starting point. Max, Ryan and I all liked the same things, so it was pretty constructive and we were able to get to where we wanted to be pretty fast. I think I’m happy with this car. If we could race this car, I’d be happy if nothing changed. Twenty-four hours is a long time. There will be a lot of cars out there and a lot of variables so, hopefully, we can make it to the end and be part of the fight over those last couple of hours.”
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GAINSCO Auto Insurance Corvette team owner
Alex Gurney
GAINSCO Auto Insurance Corvette driver “We ran the whole time without any show stoppers. We got through a lot of laps, so we have a lot of information to draw on. We are still learning about how the tires work with this car, and that is kind of our one question mark at this point. We did get to do a full fuel run, the whole stint, so I think we got a lot accomplished. The car is pretty quick so we feel pretty good about it.”
Jon Fogarty
GAINSCO Auto Insurance Corvette driver “The team has done a tremendous job. They worked through the holidays and we threw a lot of issues at them that you need to sort out for a 24-hour race, and they did a good job. We still have a few lingering ones, and the more we run, the more stuff seems to come up. Our engineer said we are playing the game ‘Whac-AMole’ a little bit. You get one down and another one pops back up. There is a little bit of that going on, but we are definitely pleased with the progress that the guys have made. We found a good pace and we are definitely getting a handle on it. I am encouraged that we used almost all of the track time this weekend, but it’s never enough when you are working with a new car.”
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The Fans
Record Attendance Corvette fans are a special breed that celebrates the brand with unwavering loyalty. Every race weekend they will make the pilgrimage in their Corvettes, spanning nearly every one of the 59 years of the car’s production, enthusiastically filling the Corvette Corral. At the race track they exchange stories about their cars as well as form the longest autograph lines in the paddock to secure signatures on their hats and shirts from their favorite drivers. Their passion for the brand, and racing, helps fuel the teams and drivers and further promotes the lifestyle that is Corvette.
temperatures of 73-degrees Fahrenheit during the day and 45-degree temperatures at night. Sports car fans around the world watched the race debut of the Corvette Daytona Prototype on the SPEED channel and the Internet. They confirmed the popularity of the new Corvette Daytona Prototype when a GRAND-AM online survey asked which new car are you most excited about. The overwhelming answer was the Corvette, by nearly a two-to-one margin.
Along with an almost all new field of Daytona Prototype sports cars, the 50th Anniversary Rolex 24 Hour At Daytona also witnessed a record race day crowd. The enthusiastic race fans flooded the grid as the drivers and cars were presented on stage in pit lane. The throngs enjoyed near perfect Daytona Beach 99
TRAVIS RYZYNSKI Corvette Fan I think it was great that they brought the split window back. It’s got the Corvette logo on it, and it’s nice. It’s different, which is what I like. It has the split window and it brings back that vintage Corvette look. So it looks very much like a Corvette race car, a regular Corvette, into a race car. ERIC HANEY Corvette Fan It's great that you can see the prototype car and see that it actually has the Corvette lineage designed into the body. It was easy to pick out which car is the Corvette when you see all the prototype cars lined up out there. It is nice to be able to watch them and follow them. BILL MOSTAN Corvette Fan Oh, I love it! I love it! I was here when the factory C5Rs were racing in 2001 and 2002. I just love Corvettes. They're a fantastic American-made machine. I've had five of them. I'm glad to see them back racing in the Daytona Prototype class. The little 302 engine, I mean, it really sounds awesome, just like a Corvette should. BRUCE VALENTIN Corvette Fan They have the gills from the Grand Sport, which ties it all in. They got the little duct and the nose for the air. They have the emblem in the tail and the round taillights. So it really ties it together with what we're used to seeing on the street car, and like I said, they've been screaming around the track. It's been great. ROBERT VALENTIN Corvette Fan They look great. You can definitely look at it and tell it's a Corvette. Some of the features on it, the front, the back, there's the Chevy symbol, and the Corvette logo on the front and the back. You can look at the taillights and tell it's a Corvette. They've been really competitive, really awesome, and just great to see. Seeing the cars flying around the track, being competitive with everybody, it's awesome. The Corvette DP is a great-looking car and is really competitive.
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Rolex 24 Hour
50th Anniversary
Qualifying Coming off a strong Roar Before the Rolex 24 test January 6-8, 2012 the Corvette Daytona Prototypes unloaded for the 50th Anniversary Rolex 24 Hour At Daytona with hopes of being the first Corvette Daytona Prototype to win a race and win the golden anniversary Rolex watches that go to the winners. The five Corvette Daytona Prototype teams began the race weekend where they left off just three weeks earlier, leading practice. Wayne Taylor’s No. 10 SunTrust team took top honors in the first and fourth practice sessions with Bob Stalling’s GAINSCO “Red Dragon” Corvette Daytona Prototype blazing the way in the second and fifth practice sessions.
In qualifying, an all-out fight for the overall pole of the race had the Corvette Daytona Prototype runners in the battle for the top honors. SunTrust came away from the session on the front row, starting the 50th Rolex 24 Hour from the second position (1:41.240). The No. 99 GAINSCO was next in fourth (1:41.519), right next to the No. 90 Spirit of Daytona in fifth (1:41.611); the No. 9 Action Express Corvette Daytona Prototype was seventh (1:42.074), and the No. 5 Action Express car had to start from the back of the field due to an engine issue, taking no time. This would be an early sign of things to come for the Corvette Daytona Prototype teams.
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The 50th Anniversary Rolex 24 Hour At Daytona The overall mood of the Corvette teams was positive. The Corvette Daytona Prototype was on pace at the front. The new body and chassis combinations had the teams focused on strategy and speed, not car-related issues. Little did they know the element that was a key strength in the 2010 race season for the Chevrolet teams would cause problems once the green flag dropped on the race.
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After the pomp and circumstance of celebrating the 50th running of the Rolex 24 Hour At Daytona was over and the teams lined-up on the grid, the command was given by legendary Formula 1 driver Sir Jackie Stewart, “Gentlemen, start your engines.� These four words would prove prophetic in the story of the Corvette Daytona Prototypes debut at the World Center of Racing. At the drop of the green flag the cars were jostling for position on the first lap around the 3.56-mile, 12-turn speedway road course. On that first lap, the story of the Corvette Daytona Prototypes was being penned as the No. 5 Action Express Corvette Daytona Prototype with Darren Law at the wheel, dove for pit lane. Bob Johnson had his team remove the engine cover on the redwhite-and-blue Corvette with an electrical problem affecting the performance of the LS engine. The crew made repairs and was able to get the car back out, going down precious laps at the outset.
The battle at the front was furious when, just 25-minutes later, the 2005 Rolex 24 At Daytona winners, SunTrust Racing, came to pit road with an engine issue. The team hustled the No. 10 to the paddock for a full diagnosis by the ECR Engine team. The result was a problem that would see one of the race favorites out of the event with just 14 laps in the books.
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The first entry in the Corvette Daytona Prototype modern history book was that Alex Gurney, son of Dan Gurney, the winner of the first sports car race at Daytona in 1962, logged the first lap led by the new Corvette Daytona Prototype race car. On lap 30 Gurney headed the 59-car field and recorded the first lap led for the Corvette brand in GRAND-AM prototype racing. The celebration of the “Red Dragon” continued when co-driver Memo Gidley led laps in hour two. As nighttime set in on Daytona Beach the water temperature of the GAINSCO “Red Dragon” saw red. A puncture in the radiator forced the car to the paddock. Gidley returned to the race, but would soon be forced back to the garage when the water pump pulley failed requiring the team to perform major repairs, taking them out of contention and eventually finishing 33rd.
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The Spirit of Daytona Racing No. 90 Corvette Daytona Prototype was running strong for the first half of the race with Oliver Gavin taking the lead on lap 190. At the 12-hour mark an axle failure sent the team down laps. Later in the evening, contact with a GT car forced more repairs and resulted in additional lost track time with the team coming across the finish line eighth. 120
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Meanwhile, the No. 5 Action Express team was making a comeback from their lap one pit stop. The electrical problem still lingered, but the home team from Daytona Beach would soldier back from the early pit stops and post the top finishing position for the new Corvette Daytona Prototype of fifth overall, just three laps back to the winners.
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The No. 9 Action Express car ran a trouble-free first half of the race. At the 12-hour mark the No. 9 Corvette had contact with a GT car and damaged the suspension and body. The team made quick work of the repair, but lost 20 laps. From that point the car continued to the finish at a reduced pace finishing ninth. 128
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Corvette Daytona Prototype Results No. 5 Action Express Corvette Daytona Prototype, fifth, 758 laps David Donohue, Christian Fittipaldi, Darren Law No. 90 Spirit of Daytona Corvette Daytona Prototype, eighth, 746 laps Antonio Garcia, Oliver Gavin, Jan Magnussen, Richard Westbrook No. 9 Action Express Corvette Daytona Prototype, ninth, 739 laps Joao Barbosa, Terry Borcheller, JC France, Max Papis No. 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing Corvette Daytona Prototype, 13th, 672 laps Alex Gurney, Jon Fogarty, Memo Gidley No. 10 SunTrust Racing Corvette Daytona Prototype, 33rd, 14 laps Max Angelelli, Ryan Briscoe, Ricky Taylor
The First Win
Barber Motorsports Park
Champagne The Corvette faithful did not have to wait long for the newest entry in the Daytona Prototype category to reach victory circle. In only the second race for the Corvette Daytona Prototype, fittingly, the Spirit of Daytona was the first to spray champagne in celebration of a Corvette win in the second race of the season at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama. The weekend started with another first for the Corvette contingent with Spirit of Daytona’s Richard Westbrook driving the No. 90 Corvette Daytona Prototype to the marque’s first pole position. Westbrook covered the 2.38-mile, 17-turn circuit in 1:21.420 at an average speed of 102 mph. “The Corvette Daytona Prototype is an absolute joy to drive,” Westbrook said. “The aero
on the car is absolutely unbelievable. It’s still a very new car and it’s going to get better.” Westbrook’s Corvette was not alone on the front row, flanking him on the point was Jon Fogarty in the No. 99 GAINSCO Auto Insurance Corvette with a lap of 1:21.494 and 102 mph. In fact, the top three positions on the Barber grid were Corvettes, with David Donohue putting the No. 5 Action Express Racing Corvette on the second row in third with a best lap at 1:22.379 and 100 mph.
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Victory A fitting first pole and victory for Troy Flis’ No. 90 Spirit of Daytona team, the first team to get onboard with the new Corvette Daytona Prototype, and also the first team to turn laps in the new car. Westbrook and teammate Antonio Garcia delivered a win for Flis and Corvette, the team’s first after more than seven years of competing in the GRAND-AM Rolex Series. Westbrook got off to a fast start, relinquishing the lead only during pit stops. Handing over to Garcia, the Spaniard kept the pace, driving to a commanding 32 second lead, only to have a late-race caution period erase the hard gained margin. The yellow flag would set-up a three-lap sprint to the finish between two Corvettes, Garcia’s Spirit of Daytona and the red No. 99 GAINSCO Auto Insurance Corvette Daytona Prototype with Alex Gurney at the wheel. Garcia was able to put the power down from the LS engine and keep the lead, taking the checkered flag a mere 2.326 seconds ahead of Gurney. “It was an amazing race,” Garcia said. “An amazing weekend I would say. Richard did a really good first stint. I just wanted to get a really good gap on the second place car. I knew maybe a
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yellow would come, and it did with three laps to go. A little bit of panic everywhere I believe. But, it really paid off because as soon as I was able to push again, the car was there. The Corvette was amazing. The team was perfect. I am so very, very glad to give Spirit of Daytona and Chevy their first victory with the Corvette in GRAND-AM.” It was a near perfect weekend for the team from Daytona and Corvette. Westbrook and Garcia combined to lead all but 19 of the 103 laps to win, with fellow Corvette Daytona Prototype runners Fogarty and Gurney in the No. 99 GAINSCO Auto Insurance Daytona Prototype coming second, and the No.10 SunTrust Racing Corvette Daytona Prototype driven by Max Angelelli and Ricky Taylor finishing fifth. “It is fantastic to finally see our new Corvette Daytona Prototype in the winner’s circle,” Mark Kent, director of Chevrolet Racing, said. “It has been a big effort by a lot of people. A lot of hard work; it is good to see that hard work finally pay off with this win. I hope it is the first of many to come for this beautiful new car. It surely is a confidence builder as we go forward. Barber Motorsports Park is a unique track layout that we have run very well on. Hopefully this momentum will carry us forward through the rest of the season and we’ll have many wins to come.” 145
Summary
A Bright Future Four years ago a casual mention by Jim France to GM management that he would like to see the Corvette brand back in the top level of GRAND-AM prototype racing has become a reality. A comprehensive build plan set forth by Chevrolet to bring the Corvette back to prototype competition just eight months out from the 50th Anniversary Rolex 24 Hour At Daytona was accomplished with guidance from GRAND-AM. Putting to work all of our collective resources, the development team hit all of their timeline objectives and had five competitive Corvette Daytona Prototype cars on the track January 28-29, 2012 for the 50th Anniversary Rolex 24 Hour At Daytona. The highlight reel for the Corvette Daytona Prototype is just starting. The teams put their new cars on the track for the “Super Bowl” of the series, which is also the first race. Although the results did not fill the team’s trophy case, the speed of the car, handling, and overall presence of the Corvette running on the high-banks at the World Center of Racing in the top level of prototype sports cars sent the teams, and competitors, home with a sense of optimism and fear. We proved that the Corvette Daytona Prototype will be a car to be reckoned with throughout the 2012 GRAND-AM Rolex Series championship run. I am looking forward to what the GRAND-AM season holds for the Corvette. I hope to see you at the track soon.
Mark L. Reuss
GM Vice President and President, North America
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Production Team Jim France - Editor-In-Chief Robin Pratt - Editor Kyle Chura - Writer Chris Ladouceur - Designer, Artist, Photographer, Editorial Board Philip Muscat - Industrial Design Engineer, Artist, Photographer, Editorial Board Erin Henk - Graphics Assistant, Editorial Board Austin Fodell - Industrial Design Engineer -3D Modeling, Artist Alleyne Kelly - Copy Editor
Primary Photographers Chris Ladouceur Phil Muscat
Contributing Photographers Brian Cleary Bob Harmeyer Richard Prince
Video Crew Mike Ray - Video Producer, Cameraman Evan Deneau - Video Assistant, Cameraman Scott Waraniak - Cameraman
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Special Thanks A very special thanks to everyone that helped make the 2012 Corvette Daytona Prototype a reality and to those who helped make this book possible.
The Legend Continues...