2005 - 2009 Corvette C6-R

Corvette C6-R Model Guide

This article was first published at Corvette-Racing-Tripod

The Corvette C6-R race car debuted at the 12 Hours of Sebring in March 2005 after a full year of rigorous testing and development. The two-car, factory-backed Chevrolet sports car program competed in the production-based GT1 class (formerly GTS) of American Le Mans Series as well as the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans in France. The new race car was the most technically advanced sports car ever developed by General Motors, culling years of experience from the dominant Corvette C5-R as well as the advancements brought forth from the next-generation Corvette C6 and Z06 production models.

Like the C5-R before it, the Corvette C6.R started from production roots: the same hydroformed frame rails that roll down the assembly line at the Corvette plant in Bowling Green , Kentucky are sourced for the structure of the race car. With the C6 production model measuring shorter in overall length (but with a longer wheelbase), race car engineers faced a new set of numbers in which to achieve their goals to make the car faster on the 180-mph Mulsanne Straight at Le Mans and other high-speed circuits.

Adding a rear wing and a front splitter enabled the team to develop a package that achieved a lift-to-drag ratio better than that of the C5-R. Through a combination of Computational Fluid Dynamic studies and on-track testing, the end result will be an aerodynamically balanced package, tunable to the low drag demands of Le Mans or the high downforce requirements of Mosport.

The Engine is a 7.0L LS7-R built by Katech. Aprox 590 @ 5400 rpm and 640 @ 4600 rpm is on tap to thunder this C6.R past the competition.

2005 ALMS GT1 Class

March 19	12hrs of Sebring	Start 1-2	Finish 2-3
April 17	Road Atlanta	Start 1-2	Finish 1-2
May 22	Mid-Ohio	Start 1-2	Finish 1-2
June 18-19	24hrs of LeMans	Start 3-5	Finish 1-2
July 4	Lime Rock Park	Start 1-2	Finish 1-2
July 17	Infineon Raceway	Start 1-2	Finish 1-2
July 30	Portland	Start 1-2	Finish 1-2
Aug 21	Road America	Start 1-2	Finish 1-2
Sep 4	Mosport International Raceway	Start 2-4	Finish 1-2
Oct 1	Road Atlanta (Petit LeMans)	Start 1-2	Finish 1-6
Oct 15	Laguna Seca	Start 2-3	Finish 1-2

Corvette Racing, 24 Hours of Le Mans, June 17-18, 2006, C6.R #63 driven by Ron Fellows, Johnny O’Connell, and Max Papis, C6.R #64 driven by Oliver Gavin, Olivier Beretta, and Jan Magnussen. ©2006 Richard Prince, photo credit Richard Prince/GM Racing.

2006 ALMS GT1 Class (50th Anniversary in International Road Racing)

Corvette Racing, American Le Mans Series, Grand Prix of Houston, April 21, 2007, C6.R #3 was driven to first in GT1 by Johnny O’Connell and Jan Magnussen, C6.R #4 was driven to second in GT1 by Oliver Gavin and Olivier Beretta (GM Racing Photo/Richard Prince)

2007 ALMS GT1 Class

March 18	12hrs of Sebring	Start 3-4	Finish 1-4
May 12	Lone Star Grand Prix of Houston	Start 1-2	Finish 1-2
May 21	Mid-Ohio	Start 2-4	Finish 1-2
June 17-18	24hrs of LeMans	Start 3-6	Finish 1-7
July 1	New England Grand Prix	Start 2-3	Finish 2-4
July 15	Utah Grand Prix	Start 3-4	Finish 3-4
July 22	Grand Prix of Portland	Start 1-2	Finish 1-3
Aug 20	Road America	Start 2-4	Finish 1-2
Sep 3	Grand Prix of Mosport	Start 3-4	Finish 2-4
Sep 30	Petit Le Mans	Start 1-2	Finish 3-4
Oct 21	Monterey Sports Car Championships	Start 2-3	Finish 2-3

Corvette Racing, 24 Hours of Le Mans, June 9, 2008, In keeping with tradition, the Corvette team pauses for a photo after going through scrutineering (tech inspection) in Place des Jacobins in downtown Le Mans (Richard Prince/GM Racing Photo).

2008 ALMS GT1 Class

March 17	12hrs of Sebring	Start 1-2	Finish 1-2
March 31	St. Petersburg	Start 1-2	Finish 1-2
April 14	Long Beach	Start 1-2	Finish 1-2
April 21	Houston	Start 1-2	Finish 1-2
May 19	Utah	Start 1-2	Finish 1-2
June 16-17	24hr of LeMans	Start 3-5	Finish 2-DNF
July 7	Lime Rock	Start 1-2	Finish 1-2
Jul 21	Mid Ohio	Start 1-2	Finish 1-2
Aug 11	Road America	Start 1-2	Finish 1-2
Aug 26	Mosport	Start 1-2-3	Finish 1-2-3
Sep 1	Detroit	Start 1-2	Finish 1-2
Oct 6	Road Atlanta	Start 2-3	Finish 1-3
Oct 20	Laguna Seca	Start 1-2	Finish 1-2

Corvette Racing, 24 Hours of Le Mans, June 13-14, 2009, Corvette Racing team members with C6.R #63 drivers Johnny O’Connell, Antonio Garcia, and Jan Magnjussen, C6.R #64 drivers Marcel Fassler, Olivier Beretta, and Oliver Gavin. Corvette Racing program manager Doug Fehan is at the front of the #63 Corvette and Corvette Racin team manager Gary Pratt is at the front of the #64 Corvette (photo credit Richard Prince/GM Racing).

2009 ALMS GT1 Class

March 15	12hrs of Sebring	Start 1-2	Finish 1-2
April 5	St. Petersburg	Start 1-2	Finish 1-2
April 19	Long Beach	Start 1-2	Finish 1-2
May 18	Utah	Start 1-2	Finish 1-2
June 11-15	24hrs of LeMans	Start 1-3	Finish 2-3
July 12	Lime Rock	Start 1-2	Finish 1-2
July 19	Mid Ohio	Start 1-2	Finish 1-2
Aug 10	Road America	Start 1-2	Finish 1-3
Aug 24	Mosport	Start 1-2	Finish 1-2
Aug 30	Detroit	Start 1-2	Finish 1-2
Oct 4	Road Atlanta	Start 1-2	Finish 1-2
Oct 18	Laguna Seca	Start 1-2	Finish 1-2

The 2009 24hrs of Le Mans was the last appearance for the factory Corvette Racing team in the GT1 class C6.R. Corvette Racing’s #63 and 64 qualified 1-2 and privateer team Luc Alphand Adventures with their 2 C6.R’s qualified 3-4 in class. Mid race the #72 Luc Alpharnd Corvette got in an accident and was retired from the race. In the 22nd hour the #63 and #64 cars were mear seconds apart when the #64 car started having gearbox problems and could not make it back to the pits, therefore retiring from the race. This was only the 2nd time in 9 years that a factory Corvette acquired a DNF. In the end #63 finished victorious with the #73 privateer Corvette finishing 2nd in class.

This win was Corvette Racing’s 16th podium finish and 6th GT1 victory at Le Mans since 2000. It was the fourth Le Mans class win for O’Connell and Magnussen, and the second consecutive Le Mans GT1 victory for Garcia. O’Connell became the first American driver to win four class titles in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. After this historic race the Corvette Racing program turned its focus to the GT2 class with an all new car that will debute at Mid-Ohio.