 |
|
 |
| American LeMans GTS Preview – The Clash of the Titans |
|
|
If you had told the folks over at Corvette before the 24 hours at Daytona that they were going to finish second overall and only 30 seconds behind the overall winner, they would have never believed you. If you had then told them that they still would not have won their class, they really wouldn't have believed you. That is exactly what happened at this years Daytona event though. Corvette finished second overall and second in class to the dominant Dodge Vipers from Team ORECA.
The Vipers have lost some of their competitive advantage that they had last year though. Never before had the Corvettes come so close to beating the Vipers. The Corvettes also were fast enough to take the pole from the Vipers.
Some said the equalization formulas of the Grand-Am series is what made the two manufacturers closer in speeds. The more likely reason is that the Corvettes have made some major changes and developments since last fall. Underneath the hood they have placed a 7.0 Liter V-8. As the old saying goes, 'there is no replacement for displacement.' The Vettes went from a standard 5.7 liter to an almost Viper level 7.0 liters. (The Vipers run at 8.0 Liters) The Corvettes are also getting increased performance out of their Goodyears. At the end of last year, it was heavily rumored that the Corvettes were as fast as the Vipers, but that the Corvettes were hampered by the Goodyear rubber that they had. Over the winter, Goodyear received a wake up call and the rubber that is OEM on the Corvettes will remain their choice for race rubber as well.
|
|
|
| |
|
 |
 |
|
