sign in sign up
<<
Home , 12 Hours of Sebring, 2001 24 Hours of Daytona, 2001 Petit Le Mans, 2006 12 Hours of Sebring, 2006 Petit Le Mans, 2012 12 Hours of Sebring

Corvette Racing Driver Profile:

• Car: No. 4 Corvette C7.R • Co-drivers: , Marcel Fässler (Daytona, Sebring), Jordan Taylor (Le Mans) • Birthdate: Sept. 29, 1972 • Birthplace: Huntington, England • Residence: Yardley Hastings, England • Family: Wife Helen; children Lily, Isaac, Fergus • Notable: Five-time ALMS champion – 2004-06 (GTS/GT1), 2012 (GT); 38 career ALMS class victories; five class wins in – 2002, 2004-06 (GTS/GT1), 2015 (GTE Pro); five class wins at – 2001-02 (GTS), 2006-07 (GT1), 2013 (GT); Rolex 24 At Daytona winner – 2016 (GTLM) • Website: www.olivergavin.com • Twitter: @olivergavin

Getting to Know You Now a five-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Oliver Gavin is the quintessential Englishman. Having successfully adapted to racing in America over the last 16 years, the veteran member of the Corvette Racing team is in his 15th season with the program and has four ALMS titles and five Le Mans victories to his credit. He and Tommy Milner team together again in 2016 and drive the No. 4 C7.R. The pairing won the 2012 ALMS GT championship and won the 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans with Jordan Taylor in the GTE Pro class.

A native of Cambridgeshire, Gavin won multiple championships in British open-wheel formula cars before scoring his first victory with Corvette Racing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2002. He became a full- season Corvette driver in 2003, and won three consecutive GT1 drivers championships with Corvette Racing teammate in 2005-07.

Career Highlights · 1991: British Formula First champion (11 wins), McLaren Autosport Young Driver of the Year Award · 1992: British Formula Vauxhall Championship runner-up · 1993: British Formula 3 Championship runner-up · 1995: British Formula 3 champion (six wins) · 1996: Competed in International Touring Car Championship (Opel) · 1997: Competed in International Formula 3000 Championship · 2000: Competed in Grand-Am Championship (Lola) · 2001: One ALMS win (); two Grand-Am wins (Lola), won GTS pole at 24 Hours of Le Mans (Saleen) · 2002: GTS winner in 24 Hours of Le Mans, two ALMS wins with Corvette Racing (Sebring, Atlanta) · 2003: Two ALMS wins with Corvette Racing (Atlanta, Trois-Rivieres), third in drivers championship · 2004: GTS winner in 24 Hours of Le Mans, four ALMS wins (Lime Rock, Mosport, Elkhart Lake, Atlanta) with Corvette C5-R · 2005: ALMS GT1 co-champion, six wins; GT1 winner, 24 Hours of Le Mans (Corvette C6.R) · 2006: ALMS GT1 co-champion, five wins; GT1 winner, 24 Hours of Le Mans and Sebring 12-hour (Corvette C6.R) · 2007: ALMS GT1 co-champion, nine wins (tied ALMS single-season record); GT1 winner at Sebring 12- hour and (Corvette C6.R); four poles and three fastest race laps · 2008: Second in ALMS GT1 drivers championship with three victories; runner-up in GT1 class at 24 Hours of Le Mans; two poles and five fastest race laps; finished in London Marathon. · 2009: Won final race for Corvette C6.R in ALMS GT1 at Long Beach, Calif.; was leading GT1 class at 24 Hours of Le Mans at 22-hour mark before mechanical problem caused retirement; finished fourth in Corvette Racing's GT2 debut at Mid-Ohio and third at Mosport · 2010: Fastest qualifier in GT2 at 24 Hours of Le Mans, leading race after spirited duel with Risi before teammate Collard was forced off track; ran fastest race lap after crew repaired car. Won Petit Le Mans season finale with dramatic last-lap pass after class-leading Ferrari ran out of fuel. Podium finishes at Laguna Seca, Mid-Ohio, and (where Gavin won the GT2 pole) highlighted the season · 2011: Won Grand Prix of Mosport with teammate , extending his streak of winning at least one ALMS event to 11 years. Finished second in GT driver championship with Magnussen after runner-up finishes at Long Beach and Mid-Ohio and third-place finish in inaugural Baltimore street race · 2012: Won fourth ALMS championship. Four wins with Tommy Milner – Long Beach, Raceway Laguna Seca, Mid-Ohio, VIR. Fastest GT qualifier at Baltimore and set fastest class race lap at Monterey and Baltimore. Sixth at Le Mans after leading near halfway point before No. 4 lost left-rear wheel · 2013: Third with Milner in ALMS GT championship. Began title defense with class victory at Sebring alongside Milner and . Posted fastest GT lap at Long Beach. Also won at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park · 2014: Full season in TUDOR United SportsCar Championship with Tommy Milner. Third at Long Beach. Fourth at Le Mans with Milner and Richard Westbrook. · 2015: Won at Le Mans for the fifth time and first in GTE Pro. Drove with Tommy Milner/Jordan Taylor and drove the final stint of the race. Third at Daytona with Milner/ and was fastest GTLM qualifier. Pole and third at Petit Le Mans to close season. · 2016: Won at Daytona for first time with Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler; finished race just 0.034 seconds clear of teammate Antonio Garcia. Followed with win at Sebring for sixth career win in 12 Hours. Second at Long Beach.

IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Career Record Year Races Wins Fast Qualifier Notes 2016 4 2 0 GTLM winner at Daytona, Sebring

TUDOR Championship Career Record Year Races Wins Fast Qualifier Notes 2014 11 0 0 Fastest lap at Sebring 2015 10 0 2 Pole winner and third in class at Daytona, Totals 21 1 2

American Le Mans Series Career Record Year Races Wins Fast Qualifier Notes 2000 1 0 0 LMP900 with Jon Field 2001 2 1 1 First ALMS win for Saleen 2002 3 2 0 First season with Corvette Racing 2003 8 2 4 Third in GT1 drivers championship 2004 9 4 4 Second in GT1 drivers championship 2005 10 6 2 ALMS GT1 co-champion (with Beretta) 2006 10 4 0 ALMS GT1 co-champion (with Beretta) 2007 12 9 4 ALMS GT1 co-champion (with Beretta) 2008 11 3 2 Second in GT1 drivers championship 2009 7 1 1 Ran GT1 two events, GT2 five events 2010 9 1 1 Won Petit Le Mans 2011 9 1 0 Second in GT driver championship 2012 10 4 1 ALMS GT co-champion (with Milner) 2013 10 2 0 GT winner at Sebring, Canada Total 111 40 20

24 Hours of Le Mans Record Year Finish Class Car Co-drivers 2001 3rd GTS Saleen Borcheller, Konrad 2002 1st GTS Corvette C5-R Fellows, O’Connell 2003 2nd GTS Corvette C5-R Collins, Pilgrim 2004 1st GTS Corvette C5-R Beretta, Magnussen 2005 1st GT1 Corvette C6.R Beretta, Magnussen 2006 1st GT1 Corvette C6.R Beretta, Magnussen 2007 14th GT1 Corvette C6.R Beretta, Papis 2008 3rd GT1 Corvette C6.R Beretta, Papis 2009 4th GT1 Corvette C6.R Beretta, Fassler 2010 10th (Ret.) GT2 Corvette C6.R Beretta, Collard 2011 11th (Ret.) GTE Pro Corvette C6.R Magnussen, Westbrook 2012 6th GTE Pro Corvette C6.R Milner, Westbrook 2013 7th GTE Pro Corvette C6.R Milner, Westbrook 2014 4th GTE Pro Corvette C7.R Milner, Westbrook 2015 1st GTE Pro Corvette C7.R Milner, J. Taylor 2016 10th (Ret.) GTE Pro Corvette C7.R Milner, J. Taylor

Career Download Recognized as one of the world’s brightest talents in sports car competition, Gavin has an impressive resume of victories and track records. He began his racing career in karting in the ’80s, competing in British national series. In 1990, Gavin moved up to single-seaters and promptly won the British National Formula First Series in 1991, scoring 11 wins in 12 races. This remarkable season earned Gavin the prestigious McLaren Autosport Young Driver of the Year award. The following year he finished second in the British Formula Vauxhall Championship. In 1993, Gavin moved up to the highly regarded British Formula 3 Championship and finished as runner-up in the drivers championship.

In 1994, Gavin competed in the FIA International F3000 championship. Returning to British Formula 3 in 1995, he dominated the series with six victories and won the championship while also working as a test driver for the Pacific Formula 1 team. In the late ’90s Gavin competed in the International Touring Car series as a factory Opel driver while also working as a Formula 1 test driver for Benetton and Renault (1997-2005) and driving the safety car during the Formula 1 season.

In 2002, Gavin was named as the third driver for Chevrolet’s Corvette Racing program. Teamed with and Johnny O’Connell, Gavin scored his first class win in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the trio swept all three endurance events in the GTS class (Sebring, Le Mans and Petit Le Mans). In 2003, Gavin was selected for as a full-season driver in the Corvette C5-R in the American Le Mans Series and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In addition to four record-setting pole positions, Gavin captured two GTS victories en route to finishing third in the drivers championship.

In 2004 Gavin posted his second class victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans with co-drivers Beretta and Jan Magnussen in the Corvette C5-R. The trio also won Petit Le Mans. Gavin and Beretta scored a total of four wins in the ALMS in 2004, and finished as runners-up in the championship to their Corvette teammates.

2005 was a championship season for Gavin, as he and Beretta shared the GT1 title with the new Corvette C6.R. The pair posted six victories in the 10-race ALMS series. Again teamed with Magnussen in endurance events, the trio won the GT1 class in the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the second straight year and repeated as winners of Petit Le Mans.

Gavin and Beretta repeated as GT1 co-champions in 2006, scoring a runner-up finish in the season finale at Laguna Seca to seal the title. The pair scored five victories in a season marked by frequent performance adjustments that affected the of their Corvette. Gavin captured his third straight GT1 Le Mans title and his first Sebring 12-hour victory with Beretta and Magnussen.

In 2007, Gavin and Beretta reeled off nine wins in 12 races to capture their third consecutive GT1 drivers championship. The pair won the GT1 class in the season-opening Sebring 12-hour endurance race for the second straight year and notched their third victory in the 1,000-mile Petit Le Mans, with joining the driver roster for endurance races. The team's biggest disappointment came at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where a broken driveshaft sidelined their Corvette C6.R at the two-hour mark and ended their bid for a fourth consecutive class victory in the world's most famous sports car race. Gavin also drove a Corvette C6.R in selected FIA GT races with the French Luc Alphand Aventures team.

Gavin's string of GT1 titles came to an end in 2008 as the pairing of O'Connell and Magnussen claimed the class championship in their sister Corvette C6.R. Gavin and Beretta made motorsports history by scoring the first win with E85R cellulosic ethanol in St. Petersburg, Fla. They also won on the Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix circuit and finished the season with a victory at Laguna Seca.

The 2009 season marked a transition for Gavin and Corvette Racing. The team began the season in the GT1 category, with Beretta and Gavin scoring the final ALMS GT1 victory for the Corvette C6.R in Long Beach, Calif. After the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Corvette Racing introduced the all-new GT2 version of the Corvette C6.R at Mid-Ohio. Gavin and Beretta finished fourth in the new car's debut, and finished on the podium at Mosport with a third-place finish.

2010 was Corvette Racing's first full season in the GT2 class. Gavin found his stride at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where he won the GT2 pole. He led the class after a spirited duel with the Risi Ferrari before teammate was forced off track by a prototype; Gavin then ran the fastest race lap after the crew repaired the heavily damaged car. A midseason driver realignment at Mosport saw Jan Magnussen move to the No. 4 Corvette alongside Gavin; that pairing, along with Collard, won the Petit Le Mans season finale when Gavin made a dramatic last-lap pass after the class-leading Ferrari ran out of fuel. Podium finishes at Laguna Seca, Mid-Ohio, and Road America (where he also was fastest GT2 qualifier) highlighted Gavin's season.

Gavin and Magnussen were second in the 2011 GT driver championship after a victory at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, runner-up finishes at Long Beach and Mid-Ohio, and a third-place finish in the inaugural Baltimore street race. Gavin, Magnussen, and third driver Richard Westbrook were leading the GTE Pro class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans at the 16-hour mark when the car was involved in an accident and subsequently retired.

Gavin captured his fourth ALMS title in 2012 on the strength of four GT victories with Tommy Milner. They were winners at Long Beach and Laguna Seca in back-to-back races, and also were first at Mid- Ohio and VIR – a day that saw Chevrolet and Corvette Racing clinch the ALMS GT manufacturer and team championships, respectively. The Englishman was on the wrong end of fortune at Le Mans when his Corvette lost a wheel and finished sixth after leading into the race’s second half.

In 2013, Milner and Gavin were third in their GT title defense with a come-from-behind victory at Sebring with Richard Westbrook. Gavin and Milner also won at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. The trio finished seventh in GTE Pro at Le Mans.

When not racing, Gavin competes in marathon, biathlon and triathlon events. He resides in Yardley Hastings, Northampton, with his wife, Helen, and children Lily, Isaac and Fergus.