The History Of Team Corvette Racing Evolution | Corvette C5-R to C8.R

hello again so this time i had a strong intention to expand my channel car content even further from streetcar evolution to racecar evolution for the first time this is the full history of team corvette racing spanning from the past to present across four generation corvette race cars from the corvette c5r to the car i cannot wait and am very excited to guide you through the story of cool vat racing as much as i love motor sports racing and if that sounds like you you come to the right place so let's get started about how corvette racing became one of the remarkable sports car racing teams and the biggest offense and at the most famous racetracks around the world over the last two decades and counting for almost 70 years the chevy corvette has stood alone as america's sports car and for the last two decades corvette racing has helped push the development performance and popularity of chevy's top-line race cars on racetracks around the world corvette racing is the hallmark of north american endurance racing's longest running history effort to this day competing in events like the american le mans series 24 hours of le mans and throughout the amazon sports car championship as the years have progressed since its pedigrees were back-to-back victories the modern era of the corvette competition began in 1999 with the debut of the corvette racing team a partnership between chevrolet and pratt and miller engineering which was founded by gary pratt and jim miller in 1989 who built the race cars and operates the program for corvette racing it all commenced when developing the corvette c5r in 1997 the year when the 5th gen vet rolled into dealerships before that happened plans were well underway to return chevy to professional endurance racing the c5r was part of the plan by gm and their chevy brand to create a factory team to participate in gt races not only in north america but also anywhere in the world for example the 24 hours of le mans gm chose to show the performance capabilities of the c5r by using a more production based racing car their goals were to take a dodge and porsche racers gm assigned the pratt and miller group to build and develop the corvette c5rs as well as to prepare the team for a debut in 1999. while the engineering and the businessman made a perfect partnership doug told gary pratt we want to race his corvette you tell us where it will be competitive you test it you prove to us in private that it can wet and so they did just that here you see a photo of the c5r test mural road car from 1997 that's heavily modified to test out the engine and other equipment that the racing cars were to use this eventually led to development of the c5r race car after testing 4 000 miles then the corvette c5r debuted in november 1998 at the sema show in las vegas united states the c5r initially used a six liter v8 based on a rogue cars ls1 mated to a five-speed sequential stick manual gearbox then the engine was replaced with a larger 7-liter v8 several months later during the 1999 season and became standard for the c5r for the rest of its career january 1999 saw the race debut of the first two c5r chassis at the rolex 24 hours of daytona and competed for the initial year of the america le mans series and continued its racing career for the next five years until 2004. as the c5r competed over the years the c5r received many modifications to improve his capabilities against stronger opponents they made changes to the body works aerodynamics to increase downforce the first year in 1999 covet entered five races using two cars for sebring daytona and road atlanta only one car for laguna seca and las vegas they didn't win a single race that year in the america le mans series however they did claim a one to two start at the 12 hours of sebring the c5r finished second in class behind the dodge viper at sears point and then again at laguna seca when entering the 21st century the corvette racing team improved on their previous result by finishing second overall in a gto class behind a dominant 91 dodge viper they entered more races and received two wins corvette racing wasn't able to match the performance of team or curved viper at sebring nor lamar corvette racing rebounded though after a few tweaks improvements for the c5r and managed to kill the viper's winning streak at texas as well as petite la mall in 2000 gran turismo three vice between those cars anyone in 2001 corvette racing showed that the previous year's experience started to pay off scored the first of his three gts victories at le mans in 2001 claimed eight wins across 10 races followed by 10 wins in 2002 and 2004. corvette secured their second win at le mans in 2002 as well however 2003 saw the first challenge to corvette racing's two years of dominance in their class and was a nightmare for the team when pro drive entered their ferrari 550 gts for the entire american le mans series season and they managed to kill colvette racing's le mans streak and winning several races also the year which corvette racing celebrated the 50th anniversary of the chevrolet corvette 2004 marked the final year of the c5r competition and was able to avenge their loss against the ferrari at le mans and secured their third win at le mans corvette racing also regained avenge in the america le mans series when the pro drive ferrari team was non-existent for the entire season altogether the c5 r set the standard for racing success with 31 victories in the american le mans series three victories at le mans and one victory at rolex daytona that's very dominant in corvette racing with the c5r was worthy and very successful winning many races and championships the c5r also sounds incredibly good from the exhaust take a listen to it for exact and adjust your headphone volume [Music] [Applause] [Applause] in 2005 chevy introduced a c6 vet which led to alongside an all-new race car the corvette c6r gt1 which replaced a dominant c5r applying the body style of the new c6ft as well as improvements to increase the speed and reliability on a track the c6r was more of an evolution of the design rather than an all-new car the race design elements and features are adapted to the c606 street car with which the c6r shares its exterior styling based on the z06 underneath the skin the c6r retained much of the mechanical elements from the c5r using the same 7 liter v8 making 590 brake horsepower but more closely based on the ls7 from the c606 like the c5r the c6r where visibility was very limited behind the cockpit due to structural framework and fuel tanks eating up the space so chevy added a small camera into the rear bumper and a monitor on the roof of the cockpit enabling drivers for a better view behind them instead of relying on their side mirrors during the race the c6r made its first racing debut at sebring in march 2005 and competed in the full american le mans series season in the first year the season didn't begin as corvette racing had planned however as they were beaten by pro drive aston martin dbr9 but achieved a one to two victory at 24 hours of le mans where it outlasted the aston martin and gt1 class and won the america le mans series during its first season since then the c6r proved to be a worthy success to the c5r it won 39 gt1 races and the american le mans series and achieved driver team and manufactured championships every year from 2005 to 2008 and that error corvette racing won 12 straight races from 2005 to 2006 followed by 25 consecutive wins from the 2007 to 0.9 season the twin velocity yellow computer corvettes also won the gt1 class races at lamar in 2005 2006 and 2009 beating ferrari lamborghini celine porsche and aston martin the c6r was even more dominant over his predecessor in the american le mans series and at le mans for several years and on top of that i grew up loving and watching the corvette c6r race and the american le mans series and 24 hours on the mall on tv corvac racing's c6 are sold to be the most successful corvette race car with the most wins ever than the c5r c7r and car like can you imagine covet racing and pratt and miller took another step forward in mid 2009 after that 24 hours of le mans with the introduction of a g2 and gte spec version this will place the gt1 version and it's based on a street corvette c6 zl1 model the gt2 design varies from the gt1 and that is homologated on the zr1 road car while it's the original c6r used the z06 as its purpose the gt2 rules along with gte at le mans require many production based components the result was the c6r zr1 with production type fenders with simple fender flares to accommodate wider tires production type headlights carbon fiber front splitter different rear wing and the diffuser was revamped and relocated unlike the c6r gt1 which has steel chassis the gt2 has an aluminum chassis and a wider body the c6r zr1 was powered by a 6 liter small block v8 based on a 7 liter v8 that powered the gt1 version making 470 brake horsepower then starting in 2010 the c6r zr1 was powered by a 5.5 liter production base to v8 to continue racing in 2010 through 2013 american le mans series and at the 24 hours on the mall corvette racing put up a fight against the large rosters of gt2 class cars like ferrari porsche ford and bmw and the race events corvette racing and pratt miller had yet again built a phenomenal gt race car and beat what the rest of the world had to offer the c6r gt2 won a dozen times from 2009 to 2013 plus a victory at le mans in 2011 leading corvette racing and chevy the team and manufacturers championship in 2012 and 2013. tommy milner and olivier gavin won four times in 2012 to claim the gt driver championship antonio garcia and jen madnesson followed with their title in 2013 with three wins the corvette c6r had an eight year racing career from 2005 to 2013. in addition the c6r's engine sounds incredible very mean and loud as the c5r be sure to take a listen [Music] so [Music] so after the american le mans series seized in 2013 starting in 2014 transformed into emsa tutor united sports car championship and later was renamed to emsa weathertech sports car championship in 2016 as we know it today corvette racing entered the corvette c7r in a series gtlm class based on a road going c7 06 like the c6r the c7r share mixed components with a road car of aluminum chassis direct fuel injection aggressive strategies for increased cooling and aerodown force including similar splitters rocker panels and front and rear brake cooling ducts the c7r seems to be wider in appearance than the c6r and compared to all other corvette race cars the c7r has the largest and widest flared fenders of them all and is the most aggressive looking corvette racer that this doesn't look close to the production z06 model the race car engine is nearly similar to the gt2 of the c6r powered by a 5.5 liter ls5 5r v8 pushing 490 brake horsepower at 6 000 rpm and 485 pound-feet of torque to the rear wheels combined with a 6-speed semi-auto gearbox the c7r officially unveiled at the detroit auto show in january 2014 after doing a lot of testing and camouflage in 2013 and then made his first racing debut entering the gateway at rolex 24 of daytona and then le mans that year the c7r accomplished his first class win at long beach following three more races at laguna seca watkins glen and canadian tire motorsports park after that point the c7r has been only collecting podiums and no victories during its debut season however the following year in 2015 saw the c7r was even more outstanding by taking the triple gold trophy of endurance racing one victory at the rolex 24 of daytona 12 hours of sebring and the 24 hours of le mans throughout ms sports car season corvette racing endeavors a total of six class podiums including two wins even though early in the season corvette racing was a success they finished third in the gtlm standings the 2016 season came with new fia aco rules merged into the gtlm class similar to the gt3 space corvette racing feature a much bigger aeros package with a larger front splitter side skirts rear diffuser and repositioned back wing mounted further back and stretched out which made the c7r look even and stood more badass than priorly covet racing collected both the gtlm drivers title and manufacturer title a combined total of 12 class podiums including 5 class wins and 1-2 finishes corvette racing achieved a 1-2 victory at rolex 24 of daytona again corvette racing claimed a victory at lime rock park and a milestone 100th win the c7r enjoyed another successful year in 2017 and won for emsa races in 2018 its rivals like the 4gt porsche rsr and bmw m8 gte crushed a corvette streak most of the season however the c7r scored enough points for the team to finish the season with first place points followed by four in second place 2018 was a tight season for corvette racing 2019 marked the final year of the emsa competition of the c7r and was retired at the end of the season after his final emsa race at rhode atlanta in october 2019 as corvette racing was getting ready for their next car to compete with the mid engine car for 2020 the c7r did five years competing in 65 races total and won 16 of them despite having fewer wins than both the predecessor the c6r and c5r the c7r never finished lower than third in the season's standings before we dive into the car next take a listen to the mighty engine noise from this final front engined corvette racer please enjoy so [Applause] [Music] [Applause] and finally here we are at current the corvette car officially debuted in october 2019 to the public showing enthusiasts what the car looks like in the mid-engine configuration which changed the overall shape of the car as the rogue car c8 stingray for the first time this feeds a new generation a new era and with a major transformation that colvette racing and pratt and miller had never done before turning the car mid engine and completely designing a new racing engine personally and according to most viewers opinions i agree that the c8r from first glance is the baddest looking corvette race car yet looks very sexy at every angle and is prepared for track competition the corvette car however did receive a bit of criticism from corvette fans and enthusiasts and yes you guessed it the sound note of the engine is a huge departure and lacks an angry deep roaring v8 sound like the prior corvette race cars did in the past the c5 the c6 and c7r take a listen to the sound comparison for a sec [Applause] at first i was very skeptical and didn't feel the same about the sound of the new car but sooner i grew into it and dealt with it the v8 screams much more european relatively closer to mclaren and ferrari gt cars and there is a reason so what exactly is the engine in this car is not the 6.2 liter push rod used in the c8 stingray the 6.2 liter v8 found in the road core that is downsized to 5.5 liter naturally aspirated v8 to meet the race rules what makes this thing sound very different is that chevy gave the c-a-r flat-plane crankshaft and dual overhead camshaft allowing the engine to rev even higher and sound great and sound different which allows for greater benefits of airflow plus more horsepower the 5.5 liter lt6 v8 produces a whopping 500 brake horsepower and 480 pound-feet of torque to the back wheels and revs up to 7400 rpms with the air restrictors required to reduce the power limit the car almost sounds like an f1 car with a new exhaust system and we do miss that deep monstrous sound from a c7r the c8r indeed shares more similar construction than architecture to the c8 stingray than any other corvette race car to date one feature that stands out the most is the mounted back wing is further back and stretches out like the updated c7rz wing from 2016. corvette races car debuted its first waste in the gtlm class at rolex 24 of daytona for the 2020 mz sports car season after that point the car continued to compete in a gtlm class against some of the world's biggest manufacturers such as ferrari bmw and porsche the corvette did okay at daytona finishing fourth place in his class after an oil leak incident in the middle of the race due to covet 19 the mg sports car season was put on hiatus delayed for several months and later restarted the season in july 2020 with a return to daytona the car had a second attempt to chase victory and took his first win with a number three car followed by five more race wins at sebring world america vir which is virginia international raceway mid-ohio and charlotte motor speedway overall corvette racing finished a debut season of the c-a-r claimed 9 out of 11 races in the top podiums however corvette racing with drew to take part at 24 hours on le mans for 2020 due to the covet 19 pandemic the following year in 2021 corvette racing finally sent the car at 24 hours of le mans and finished second in the lmgte class podium against other competitors for the fourth time in history since 2001 corvette racing stood on a top podium and first place at the rolex 24 of daytona for 2021 after five years since corvette's racing last daytona win in 2016. as 2022 came around where emser eliminated the gtlm class forever and created a new category called gtd pro that's based on gt3 car regulations the car gtlm car had to retire from emsa due to not meeting the new rules but will remain present in fia wec including le mans corvette racing didn't have an eligible gt3 version of the car at the time yet so the corvette racing team had transitioned the gt lm car to using the gtd kit by detuning and tweaking the car under gt3 rules therefore the car is less powerful than it was before and changes of the parts were made to it corvette racing planned to do two emzy seasons from 2022 to 2023 of gtd pro while the corvette z06 gt3 are not debuting until 2024 and then probably will be an action in emsa and the gt world challenge for sure chevy and corvette racing looks forward to continuing in future years at le mans wec and emsa sports car season and so happily ever after that is the full history documentary of team corvette racing [Music] so this is where i'm going to wrap it up here at the end of this video of team corvette racing evolution and i hope you guys really did sit back relax and learn something new about these corvette race cars if you did enjoy this epic video don't forget to click subscribe and also hit the like button if you want me to keep doing videos like this let me know and as always you are more than happy to give me any car suggestions in the comments down below out of these four generation corvette race cars what is your favorite corvette race car peace out stay safe christy radar out

Channel: Christheradar

Views: 91,556

Keywords: Corvette, Corvette Racing, Corvette C5-R, Corvette C6.R, Corvette C7.R, Corvette C8.R, C5-R, C6.R, C7.R, C8.R, The History Of Corvette Racing

Id: 5r6j1L-l3C0

Length: 25min 40sec (1540 seconds)

Published: Sun Mar 13 2022