Jan Magnussen and Johnny O'Connell didn't give up when they were a lap behind the GT1 leader in Saturday's American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park.
That perseverance was rewarded when they scored a come-from-behind victory after a sudden reversal of fortune put their #3 Compuware Corvette C6.R in front with 25 minutes remaining in the race.
The pair's fourth victory of the season was highlighted by a wheel-to-wheel battle between O'Connell and Olivier Beretta as they jockeyed for position as the #3 emerged from the pits after its final splash-and-go fuel stop.
O'Connell and Magnussen completed 157 laps on the reconfigured and repaved Lime Rock Park road course, finishing eighth overall. The #4 Compuware Corvette C6.R driven by Beretta and Oliver Gavin finished second with 146 laps after a gearbox problem sidelined the car with eight minutes remaining.
"Today's race was a perfect example of why you never give up," said Corvette Racing program manager Doug Fehan. "Coming off our second and third-place finishes in Le Mans, you might think that this team might be a little bit down. But take a look at what happened today: Nobody gave up when one of the cars was almost a lap down. That's what makes Corvette Racing a great team."
Magnussen started in the #3 Corvette and Gavin in the #4, and they completed their 57-minute stints without a caution period. The first full-course yellow began at the one-hour mark just after the Corvettes had pitted for fuel, tyres and driver changes.
When racing resumed 25 minutes later, the two Corvettes were nose-to-tail with O'Connell in the #3 and Beretta in the #4.
The complexion of the race changed dramatically when a second safety car period began at 1:34 into the race. With the leading prototype between the two Corvettes, the #4 gained nearly a full lap on its sister car. Then a third yellow at 2:02 put the two cars back on the same lap.
