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Le Mans / ALMS
IN THE COCKPIT: Jan Magnussen, Mid-Ohio
Mid-Ohio wasn’t exactly what we were looking for – finishing at the back of the GT class wasn’t what we had in mind...
A late race incident with a GTC car knocked Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia out of contention in Saturday's Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge. (Photo: John Dagys)
Mid-Ohio wasn’t exactly what we were looking for – finishing at the back of the GT class wasn’t what we had in mind. It was a huge disappointment really.
We started off the weekend fairly well and had a really good No. 3 Corvette. After the pit stops, it was a bit slow going, but when the pressures and temperatures came up, the car became super-fast, probably the fastest GT car on the track.
With only 20 minutes to go were in third spot and catching up to the two cars ahead – the No. 45 Porsche and our sister car, the No. 4 Corvette.
Unfortunately as is common on track, we had a misunderstanding in traffic with one of the GTC-class cars. The guy opened the door for the Porsche to slip through, then I went for the same gap. The door was closed, and we came together. My tire was punctured and suspension was seriously damaged. What a day.
Now my co-driver Antonio Garcia and I are 13 points back in the 2012 ALMS GT driver championship, in third spot behind the No. 4 Corvette drivers and No. 56 BMW drivers. Before the race we were leading the championship. Had we finished in third place, we would’ve kept that lead.
We’re not out of the championship fight by any stretch of the imagination. There are four races left in the season, and three of the four – Road America, VIR and Petit Le Mans – pay more points than the “normal” races such as Mid-Ohio or Baltimore. It’s still going to require us to push as hard as we can and maybe even win a few races.
Of course I want that driver championship, but between us and the No. 4 car’s performance this season, Chevrolet is leading the manufacturer’s championship. I hope Corvette Racing can bring it to them, against a very serious field.
I seem to say this every column, but the ALMS GT competition is unbelievable and I love every minute of it. To win a championship – driver or manufacturer – is going to be quite an accomplishment considering the competition. All the cars – the Corvette, Porsche, Ferrari and BMW – are so equally matched speed-wise, the race has come down to strategy, pit crews and track position, from qualifying to yellow flags to of course the checkered.
I’ve been racing a long time and I can tell you that I’ve never been involved in a championship fight quite like this one. Normally you’d look at one or two cars on the grid and say that they are the ones that you need to beat. But with this GT field, you need to beat at least half-a-dozen cars that are prepared to win. They have the best cars, teams and drivers, all focused on destroying everyone else. I love it.
And now that the Viper is back in, the competition has even gotten tougher. They’ve got more development to do on the car, but their debut at Mid-Ohio was impressive and no doubt in the near future they’ll be right in the mix with the rest of us.
Talking about development of a new car – I’ve been through it before when Corvette Racing switched classes from GT1. It was certainly as hard as I thought it would be and the guys had no illusions that developing a new car was going to be an easy step. Then, like now, we were going against some very strong teams, and you cannot underestimate anyone in the GT category. The Viper guys are doing it right and they’re going to be great competitors.
Next up is another one of my favorite tracks, Road America. It’s a challenging place because it’s so long – more than four miles - fast and there are some great corners, especially the Kink. I’ve personally had great success there in the ALMS, including my first GT win with then co-driver David Brabham. We were in a Ferrari and passed Johnny O’Connell in the Corvette right at the end for the win. Of course I try to remind him of that every time I see him!
But now with Corvette Racing we’re very strong at the track. I’m looking for another top result there, that’s for sure. And that’s what we’ll need to keep our championship hopes alive.
See you there!
Jan
A winner in all 12 previous seasons of the American Le Mans Series, Jan Magnussen, a four-time class winner at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, drives the No. 3 Corvette Racing C6.R in the ALMS GT category with Antonio Garcia. For more information, visit www.janmagnussen.com.
We started off the weekend fairly well and had a really good No. 3 Corvette. After the pit stops, it was a bit slow going, but when the pressures and temperatures came up, the car became super-fast, probably the fastest GT car on the track.
With only 20 minutes to go were in third spot and catching up to the two cars ahead – the No. 45 Porsche and our sister car, the No. 4 Corvette.
Unfortunately as is common on track, we had a misunderstanding in traffic with one of the GTC-class cars. The guy opened the door for the Porsche to slip through, then I went for the same gap. The door was closed, and we came together. My tire was punctured and suspension was seriously damaged. What a day.
Now my co-driver Antonio Garcia and I are 13 points back in the 2012 ALMS GT driver championship, in third spot behind the No. 4 Corvette drivers and No. 56 BMW drivers. Before the race we were leading the championship. Had we finished in third place, we would’ve kept that lead.
We’re not out of the championship fight by any stretch of the imagination. There are four races left in the season, and three of the four – Road America, VIR and Petit Le Mans – pay more points than the “normal” races such as Mid-Ohio or Baltimore. It’s still going to require us to push as hard as we can and maybe even win a few races.
Of course I want that driver championship, but between us and the No. 4 car’s performance this season, Chevrolet is leading the manufacturer’s championship. I hope Corvette Racing can bring it to them, against a very serious field.
I seem to say this every column, but the ALMS GT competition is unbelievable and I love every minute of it. To win a championship – driver or manufacturer – is going to be quite an accomplishment considering the competition. All the cars – the Corvette, Porsche, Ferrari and BMW – are so equally matched speed-wise, the race has come down to strategy, pit crews and track position, from qualifying to yellow flags to of course the checkered.
I’ve been racing a long time and I can tell you that I’ve never been involved in a championship fight quite like this one. Normally you’d look at one or two cars on the grid and say that they are the ones that you need to beat. But with this GT field, you need to beat at least half-a-dozen cars that are prepared to win. They have the best cars, teams and drivers, all focused on destroying everyone else. I love it.
And now that the Viper is back in, the competition has even gotten tougher. They’ve got more development to do on the car, but their debut at Mid-Ohio was impressive and no doubt in the near future they’ll be right in the mix with the rest of us.
Talking about development of a new car – I’ve been through it before when Corvette Racing switched classes from GT1. It was certainly as hard as I thought it would be and the guys had no illusions that developing a new car was going to be an easy step. Then, like now, we were going against some very strong teams, and you cannot underestimate anyone in the GT category. The Viper guys are doing it right and they’re going to be great competitors.
Next up is another one of my favorite tracks, Road America. It’s a challenging place because it’s so long – more than four miles - fast and there are some great corners, especially the Kink. I’ve personally had great success there in the ALMS, including my first GT win with then co-driver David Brabham. We were in a Ferrari and passed Johnny O’Connell in the Corvette right at the end for the win. Of course I try to remind him of that every time I see him!
But now with Corvette Racing we’re very strong at the track. I’m looking for another top result there, that’s for sure. And that’s what we’ll need to keep our championship hopes alive.
See you there!
Jan
A winner in all 12 previous seasons of the American Le Mans Series, Jan Magnussen, a four-time class winner at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, drives the No. 3 Corvette Racing C6.R in the ALMS GT category with Antonio Garcia. For more information, visit www.janmagnussen.com.
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