Corvette Racing will look to gain revenge for its disappointment twelve months ago when the Le Mans 24 Hours takes place this weekend at the famous La Sarthe venue in France.
The team finished second to big rivals Aston Martin in the GT1 class last season, with the #64 car only making it as far as the second hour before being forced into retirement and the sister car being prevented from going for victory in the closing hours by worsening weather conditions and a lengthy Safety Car period.
Despite winning five times in the last seven years, the team faces a tough challenge for a sixth win as it goes up against two works Aston Martins, two privateer DBR9s, a Lamborghini, a Saleen and the two privateer Luc Alphand Corvettes in a stellar GT1 line-up.
"I'm ready to go and bring our Corvette into the winner's circle," Max Papis, who joins American Le Mans Series champions Oliver Gavin and Olivier Beretta in the #64 Corvette C6.R, said. "Between
Daytona and Le Mans, this will be my 20th 24-hour race. I would have never thought in 1996 that I would reach that mark. It means a lot, and I hope it means we get a good result, especially after the disappointment of last year."
Many of the Corvette team members have been in France since late May, adjusting to the time change and the European culture ahead of the race but the teams only opportunity to test on the circuit was a rainy day on June 1. Dodging intermittent showers, the two Corvettes completed 81 laps and gathered valuable information for the upcoming race.
"With the limited running time that we had, I think the team really maximised its results," Corvette Racing programme manager Doug Fehan said. "We were able to obtain excellent data on the aerodynamics, the gearboxes and the power delivery. Corvette Racing has worked very hard and we're very well prepared. We wouldn't come to Le Mans if we didn't think we could win."
The circuit layout is the same as last year, although there have been subtle changes made to the layout for the 76th running of the race.
