The michelinalley.com Corvette driver’s secret News From the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship - Road America 2014 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship - Road the News From Are you ready for Action? FITTIPALDI READY FOR CHAMPIONSHIP RUN 2 Fittipaldi & Action Express ready for CHAMPIONSHIP RUN Fittipaldi & Action Express ready for 3 CHAMPIONSHIP RUN oung Christian Fittipaldi was on his mobile phone The Denver, NC based Corvette DP (prototype) team owned when the door to his motorhome was flung open by Bob Johnson and led by technical director Gary Nelson has and his uncle, Emerson Fittipaldi, still clad in his had speed, if not the racing luck, in every event. red Marlboro Penske fire suit stormed in. As the scene shifts to the four-mile long circuit in Wisconsin’s Forced to pit out of sequence, the former CART Kettle Moraine region, don’t expect the Action Express team to Yand F1 World Champion’s run back through the field became change their script. stalled when he was unable to find a way around Christian’s “We’ve had speed all season long,” said Fittipaldi. “We Walker Racing car in the closing stages of the IndyCar race on need to keep doing what we’ve been doing. We are back the tight Toronto circuit. leading the championship, but only by a couple of points. The “I am so angry championship is up for grabs. There are four or five cars capable with you that I am of winning it so I think it will all come down to the last race.” going to speak to “We are really looking forward to Road America. It’s an your father!” said awesome track,” said Fittipaldi. Emerson. “We will probably be 5 or 6 seconds a lap quicker than we “Dad, Uncle were last year. The car is completely different” Emerson wants to The prototypes have just three races remaining, including talk to you,” said Road America, Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas and the Christian handing 10 Hour Petit Le Mans season finale at Road Atlanta. over his phone. The first season of the new TUDOR United SportsCar Five thousand Championship has produced six different winners in the first miles away in eight races as the Daytona Prototypes from the former GRAND- Brazil, Wilson AM Series and the P2 cars from the former American Le Mans Fittipaldi could only laugh. Now, nearly 20 years later, Christian Series trade wins. Fittipaldi remains a special blend of race driver, hard to beat Heading to Road America, Chevrolet, Ford, Honda and and easy to like. Nissan have all topped the podium at various times as the Having made his career in IndyCars, F1 and NASCAR, Action Express (Daytona and Indianapolis), Wayne Taylor Fittipaldi now, age 43, has found a home at Action Express Racing (Detroit) and Spirit of Daytona (Watkins Glen) teams Racing in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship where have combined to give Chevrolet four wins. he and Portugal’s Joao Barbosa have combined to form a Meanwhile, Chip Ganassi Racing has taken wins for Ford powerful driver combination. EcoBoost at Sebring and Long Beach. The pair, joined by Sebastien Bourdais, opened the season Extreme Speed Motorsports and Honda celebrated an with a victory in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, and added a big win impressive victory in Monterey while Oak Racing and Nissan in the recent Brickyard Grand Prix at Indianapolis to vault back dominated in Canada. into the TUDOR Championship Prototype lead. In addition, the Chevrolet Corvette DPs from Marsh Racing, “The Action Express combination is based on really hard Michael Shank Racing’s Ford, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway work, continuity, keeping the same people together and then pole winning second Extreme Speed Motorsports Honda, concentrating on the really important things,” said Fittipaldi. the SpeedSource Mazdas and the radical DeltaWing are all “That has helped us pick up good results.” prepared to play championship spoilers. Barbosa certainly agrees, adding, “The whole Action Express “The championship may be starting right now,” said Fittipaldi. team is really stepping up this year. The competition is very And Christian Fittipaldi, Joao Barbosa and the Action Express tight. You need everything to be perfect to win.” team are ready for action. ith 13 GT class victories in the handle all kind of situations and withstand incredible last 27 races, and a record that pressure and represent the company and the team,” said 4 includes seven GT victories at the Gavin. 24 Hours of Le Mans and ten series It was Magnussen and Garcia taking the title roles in manufacturer and team titles and 2013 and they have continued their momentum, posting Wnine driver titles, Corvette Racing is the team to beat in four wins to lead the TUDOR Championship GT battle American GT sports car racing. in 2014. But, if you think you are fast and want to be a Corvette While fast and reliable cars and stout crew work Racing team driver, you better bring much more than are obviously integral to the team’s success, former lap times to the table. driver Ron Fellows credits some of the success to the That is the message delivered by everyone involved at Corvette Racing team culture and creating a healthy, Corvette Racing, from program manager Doug Fehan, to collaborative environment for drivers. team boss Gary Pratt, Chevrolet motorsports manager Part of that culture, which Fellows helped to establish Mark Kent, and technical director Doug Louth. in the early days of the program, is tied to the chemistry And, surprisingly, it is also the clear message from the drivers have with their co-drivers and their teammates. current team drivers, 2012 champions Oliver Gavin and “In some teams and some series the heat is on the Tommy Milner and 2013 champions and current 2014 driver not just race to race, but even session to session,” TUDOR United SportsCar Championship point leaders said Fellows. “Not here. The pressure isn’t to try to be Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia. the fastest every session or even to be faster than your “We look far deeper than just driving talent,” said teammates,” said Fellows. “The goal is to help to see the Fehan. “Drivers need a personality and they need to be big picture.” prepared to check their egos at the door. They need to Pratt agrees. “You can tear up a lot of equipment and understand the responsibility to Corvette Nation, the burn out the crew before you even get to the race,” said company and our team, and they need to be prepared to Pratt. “The goal is to win the race.” make that commitment to be part of Corvette Racing,” And unlike many factory teams, Corvette Racing gives said Fehan, the undisputed paddock maestro of driver the current drivers a say when it comes to evaluating pairings. prospective newcomers. That approach to new drivers is not a recent development. Current drivers Oliver Gavin of the U.K., Jan Magnussen of Denmark, American Tommy Milner and Antonio Garcia of Spain have all cleared the Corvette team high bar. “When I first joined the team I was the young, new boy,” said Gavin, now in his 13th season with the Corvette Racing factory team. “Ron (Fellows) and Johnny (O’Connell) were here and they had huge success. I learned a lot just watching them and by the next year, I was a full-time driver on the team and racing against them.” “Eventually, Olivier (Beretta) and I had a lot of success and then Jan Magnussen and I did well,” said Gavin. “Then a couple years ago “We’ve tested a lot of drivers through the years,” said Doug, Gary and Mark said ‘we want you to help develop Fellows. “A lot of them are quick, but Corvette Racing Tommy Milner.” wants drivers who are quick and work well with the “We knew that he (Milner) was quick and could other drivers, with the engineers and with the whole see he was a good fit with the team,” said Gavin, “but team.” now he was a young American driver working for a big “We have tested a lot of people through the years. American manufacturer.” It’s hard to find the right fit for the team,” said Gavin One year later, the move paid off as Gavin and Milner “but Doug and Corvette Racing have found Antonio combined for four wins and the 2012 American Le and Tommy and (third co-drivers) Jordan (Taylor) and Mans Series GT championship. And, while obviously Richard (Westbrook). Our current group works together pleased by the success of the pairing with Milner, there really well.” is another reward for Gavin. For drivers who have all won races, championships “It has been great to see Tommy really grow with and Le Mans with Corvette Racing that would be a experience into a driver with incredible depth, who can typical understatement. 5 6 FAST FACTS Watch us now on Fox All the action of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship races from the classic Road America circuit can be seen flag to flag on the Fox Sports 1 network. International fans will also be able to see the race live on IMSA.com. Getting hungry While drivers love the speeds and challenges of the four-mile August 10 long Road America circuit, the IMSA teams and friends look Road America forward to the atmosphere, and good food. “You can’t start a 6:30 – 9:30 pm (EDT) on FOXSports1 diet at Road America” admitted one veteran PR rep. “You just (Same Day Delayed) get some corn, and some brats, and some cheese and an ice cream sandwich and everything else and promise yourself that maybe you will start when you get home.” 2014 Schedule January 25-26 Rolex 24 at Daytona March 15 Twelve Hours of Sebring April 12 Long Beach (P and GTLM only) May 4 Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca May 31 Raceway At Belle Isle Park (P, PC & GTD only) Who is next? June 7 Kansas Speedway (PC only) With Viper’s Jonathan Bomarito and Kuno Wittmer scoring June 29 Six Hours of The Glen their first GT wins at Indianapolis, the only drivers entered in the brutal GTLM field not to have taken a victory in the July 13 Canadian Tire Motorsport Park TUDOR Championship or former ALMS GT competition are July 25 Indianapolis Motor Speedway Risi’s Giancarlo Fisichella and BMW Team RLL’s Andy Priaulx.