American Le Mans Series

Corvette 1-2 but penalty drops Oliver & Olivier into second

It was an exciting race at Mid Ohio and an exciting finish, especially in the GT1 class. Oliver Gavin and Olivier Beretta crossed the line first in the No. 4 Corvette but it was Ron Fellows and Johnny O’Connell in the No. 3 Corvette who were handed the victory when a 20 second penalty was imposed on No. 4 car.

The two Corvette C6Rs had been within a few seconds of each other for the full 2 Hours 45 Minutes. During the first half of the race Oliver Gavin, starting from pole, maintained a small lead over team mate Johnny O’Connell.

“Corvette Racing team is a fantastic team, and everyone is pushing to the maximum,” Gavin observed. “Sometimes little things can make or break the race. I had a great race with Johnny - he was pushing me really hard. It was all-out for both of us, and huge fun.”

During the second round of pit stops under a full course caution period, the No. 3 Corvette managed to get out just ahead of the No. 4 car. Ron Fellows and Olivier Beretta then continued the close battle in very difficult conditions. The race had began under cloudy skies and weather radar showed that rain was imminent at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Sprinkles began with 45 minutes remaining in the 2-hour, 45-minute race, and the final 10 minutes were run under wet conditions.

“It was very difficult with the conditions today and driving required total concentration,” said Fellows. “Both Corvettes had a solid lead over the GT1 field, so we just had to keep it on the road when it started to rain.”

The decisive moment came with five minutes remaining in the race. The twin Corvettes pitted together for a splash of fuel that would take them to the finish. Fellows was first into the pits, but Beretta was first out.

“Both cars were running very close and needed a couple of gallons of fuel,” explained Corvette Racing program manager Doug Fehan. “The No. 3 car came in first but didn’t stop quite short enough; when the No. 4 pulled into its pit, the No. 3 couldn’t get out. The No. 4 Corvette took the lead, but was penalized 20 seconds because one of the crewmen didn’t have his goggles in place during refueling. That penalty moved them to second.”

Beretta was disappointed by the sudden turn of events, but celebrated another strong finish by Corvette Racing in the final warm-up for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. “Someday I hope the good luck will be with me, but we finished 1-2, and that is the goal,” said Beretta. “Both cars are in perfect condition, so we are ready to go to Le Mans.”