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ALMS: Jordan Taylor Aiming High With Corvette
Second-generation driver set for Sebring, Le Mans, Petit Le Mans enduros with Corvette Racing...
John Dagys  |  Posted February 20, 2012   Sydney, (AUS)
Twenty-year-old Jordan Taylor joins Corvette Racing for the 2012 endurance races, which will include his debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. (Photo: Richard Prince/GM)
One of the most successful sports car racing brands over the past decade has arguably been Corvette. With the likes of Ron Fellows, Johnny O’Connell, Oliver Gavin and Olivier Beretta having all achieved countless victories and championships, the iconic yellow and black beasts have been a dominant force in both the American Le Mans Series and at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Fresh off its seventh class victory in the twice-around-the-clock French classic, the Pratt & Miller squad will return to La Sarthe not only with an updated pair of GT-class contenders but also new blood in the driving strength, as rising star Jordan Taylor joins the lineup for 2012.

Son of three-time sports car champion Wayne Taylor, the 20-year-old GRAND-AM GT runner-up adds his name an illustrious group of drivers that have piloted the factory Corvette C6.Rs since the program’s inception, in what the second-generation driver calls a dream come true opportunity.
Jordan Taylor steps into the No. 3 Corvette, the same car which won last year's 24 Hours of Le Mans. (Photo: John Dagys)

"When you think of GT racing or sports car racing, you think of Corvette,” Taylor told SPEED.com. “I went to Le Mans in 2001 and 2002 with my dad's Cadillac program and we were [set up] right next to the Corvettes. I've basically been watching these guys since I've been 10 years old. For sure, it's a dream come true.”

Taylor is no stranger to the North American sports car racing scene, namely GRAND-AM, where he’s coming off his most successful season yet, which saw a win at VIR and numerous podiums driving an Autohaus Motorsports Camaro GT.R.

While his Rolex Sports Car Series program will take center stage again, as he chases the GT class title, Taylor’s impressive test with the factory GM team in December earned him a seat alongside Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen in the No. 3 Corvette C6.R for the endurance rounds this year, which includes a much-anticipated debut at Le Mans in June.

"Le Mans will be a huge learning curve. I've got these great names like Magnussen, Garcia, [Oliver] Gavin, [Tommy] Milner and [Richard] Westbrook to learn from and I also have my dad and Max [Angelelli] to help me out,” Taylor said. “But it's going to be a lot different when I'm there, myself sitting in the seat of the Corvette and having to learn it myself.

"It's going to be a lot of learning but I'm doing my homework now, so hopefully it will pay off once I get there."

As a mechanical engineering major at the University of Central Florida, Taylor took a few “sick days” and headed down to Sebring earlier this month for the ALMS Winter Test, where he quickly came to grips of the new wide-body Corvette.

Along with co-drivers Garcia and Magnussen, the trio proved to be right on the pace of the leading contenders, which bodes well heading into March’s ALMS season opener, where he’ll kick off his campaign with the Corvette squad.

Success no doubt runs in the Taylor family. With father Wayne having earned a pair of IMSA championships and the 2005 Rolex Sports Car Series title, and brother Ricky racking up Daytona Prototype victories and nearly breaking the series’ consecutive pole record last year, Jordan is quickly making a name for himself as well, and 2012 could very well be his breakout year.

"I don't know what the future would hold, but for sure, I want to stay associated with Corvette Racing, go to Le Mans for the rest of my life!” he said. “I love GT cars, so I really don't have huge aspirations of going any higher than this. I enjoy the racing and the formula of the different manufacturers competing. So, I'm pretty happy where I am right now."

John Dagys is SPEED.com’s Sportscar Racing Reporter, focusing on all major domestic and international championships. You can follow him on Twitter @johndagys or email him at
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