C8.R Corvette falls short at Laguna Seca

The Corvette team opted for a risky 3-stop strategy as the best shot to win after qualifying last in GTD Pro for the 2-hour & 40-minute race at Laguna Seca.

Jordan Taylor pitted the # 3 C8.R early in the race for fuel and tires.  A full course caution brought him in soon again for a quickie that gave him the lead for the moment.  He got shuffled back on the re-start before handing over to Antonio Garcia with an hour to go.

Faster prototypes and slower GTD traffic stymied Garcia in the final laps but he still picked up 2 spots from where they started.

Matt Campbell & Mathieu Jiminet won the GTD Pro class in the # 9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 RSR GT3.

By way of background, IMSA granted a special waiver to allow the C8.R Corvette to race in the GTD Pro class, now that GTLM is gone.  In addition to Porsche, the competition consists of BMW, Lexus and Mercedes AMG, all having fielded GTD cars. 

Some folks believe handicapping via more BoP adjustments can be expected as a way to make the Corvette team “pay their dues”.

Over 24 seasons at Laguna Seca, Corvette Racing Team has won 8 times.

They made a bold attempt for 9 as you can watch the final laps in 2015. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePg9xRqIqZw 

Photos courtesy of Richard Prince and Jim Rij