24h Le Mans
24 HOURS CENTENARY – PEOPLE and MACHINES ⎮ Though overall wins perhaps spring more readily to mind, a class victory at the race carries its own prestige and rewards the identical amount of work, commitment and performance. Reaching the top step on a class podium builds a legacy, like that of Corvette Racing and its drivers since the early 2000s.
Driver teamwork in endurance racing establishes over time a heightened sense of collaboration which translates to increased efficiency and stronger bonds. This was perfectly understood by Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich at the helm of Audi's 13 wins at Le Mans between 2000 and 2016.
Around the same time, another excellent team principal named Doug Fehan formed his own "family" with the drivers of Corvette Racing, earning eight class victories from 2000 to 2015.
Three drivers stand out among the nine who have taken the iconic American GT to the top step on a class podium. When Corvette Racing clinched its first win in 2001, British driver Oliver Gavin finished third at the wheel of a Saleen S7-R for his rookie participation. He caught Doug Fehan's eye and in 2002 joined American drivers Ron Fellows and Johnny O’Connell, the winners the previous year, for another class victory.
In 2004, Gavin teamed up with two ex-Formula 1 drivers, Monaco native Olivier Beretta and Danish driver Jan Magnussen. That year, and again in 2005 and 2006, the trio scored three class wins in a row, all while climbing the overall classification. Sixth in 2004 then fifth in 2005, they secured Corvette's best overall result in 2006 with fourth place, preceded only by the hat trick achieved by the Audi R10 TDI diesel prototypes.
Magnussen added another win in 2009, that time with O’Connell and Spanish driver Antonio García. A former factory Aston Martin driver and class winner in 2008, the latter celebrated his arrival at Corvette Racing in victory, repeating the feat in 2011 with Beretta and the American Tommy Milner.
In 2015, after Magnussen's shocking accident during qualifying – he was unhurt, thankfully – the car he shared with García and Ryan Briscoe was forced to retire, so the trio Gavin/Milner/Taylor (the latter having joined Corvette Racing in 2012) found itself as the only crew representing General Motors against Ferrari, Porsche and Aston Martin. The teammates proved nonplussed, claiming the American GT's last victory to date at the 24 Hours.
With the exception of Taylor and Scott Pruett, these Corvette Racing drivers are all multiple winners in their class, with five for Gavin, four each for Beretta and Magnussen, three for O’Connell and two each for Fellows, García and Milner.
This year, given the elimination of the LMGTE Pro class, Corvette is a favourite in the LMGTE Am field after winning the 1000 Miles of Sebring thanks to American driver Ben Keating, Dutch driver Nicky Catsburg and Argentinian driver Nicolas Varrone.
PHOTOS (Copyright - ACO/Archives): LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 2006-2022 24 HOURS OF LE MANS. From top to bottom: a burnout is the traditional way a Corvette class win is celebrated at the race (here the last to date in 2015); Oliver Gavin (in sunglasses) and Jan Magnussen (in helmet) boast nine victories with Corvette Racing; the finish in 2006 with a hand signal to mark the third consecutive win for the trio Beretta/Gavin/Magnussen; Corvette Racing's drivers in 2017 with (from left to right) Marcel Fässler (who joined the American team after three overall victories with Audi in 2011, 2012 and 2014), Tommy Milner, Oliver Gavin, Jan Magnussen, Antonio García and Jordan Taylor; a major design change for Corvette in 2021 with the switch from front engine to rear mid-engine (here the Corvette C8.R in 2022).
