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IN THE COCKPIT: Jan Magnussen, Petit Le Mans
I know I’ve said this many times this season, but we should’ve won Petit Le Mans...
Jan Magnussen  |  Posted October 31, 2012  
Jan Magnussen finished second in the Petit Le Mans earlier this month. (Photo: LAT)
It’s been a little while since the 2012 ALMS season-ending Petit Le Mans. The No. 3 Corvette finished second in the GT class, in what turned out to be a fuel mileage race.

I’m still a little disappointed. Corvette Racing ran a great race with good strategy and my co-drivers Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor did not put a wheel wrong. It kind of took us by surprise to lose the race to the ESM Ferrari, especially with them going much further on that final tank of fuel, but congrats to them for their strategy. They didn’t have to make a final stop, while the rest of us did.

I know I’ve said this many times this season, but we should’ve won Petit Le Mans.

We started off the race in a very good position and we made it through Turn One! I think that was probably the biggest success, especially considering what happened to us in Baltimore and VIR. All the guys in the pit looked at each other and wondered what they were supposed to do – sadly they were getting used to rebuilding a car by the end of lap one.

The entire Corvette Racing crew just focused then on getting going and making a strong run to the end. And with two hours to go it looked like we were in a good position to win and when the BMW team got a penalty for their pit stop, we thought the pressure was off.

Even if the BMW didn’t get the penalty, we thought the No. 3 car would take them. That fuel mileage gamble the Ferrari took was what we didn’t foresee.

But…that’s how it is sometimes. The Corvette Racing guys were great and my co-drivers couldn’t be better. This was a case of us running a perfect race and others taking a risk – sometimes you win and sometimes you don’t.

It’s overall been a strange season for the No. 3 Corvette Racing team. We had five second places, and five lousy races. You know when the season began the second place finishes didn’t bother me so much – they are great for championship points. And we did lead the championship at the halfway point of the season.

Then we hit some bad racing luck – it was either a finish on the podium or zero. We missed out on some pretty good opportunities to win and the No. 4 Corvette was able to get ahead of us and be very consistent on track. They were hard to beat.

However, if the No. 3 car couldn’t finish on top, of course the flag is flying for Corvette Racing and we are very happy for the No. 4 car guys. The Corvette Racing team did an incredible job this season with three championships in ALMS GT – for the drivers, team and manufacturer. Those accomplishments just show you how strong the team is.

It also shows how unlucky the No. 3 car was. That’s what I’m taking away from this 2012 season – the knowledge of how solid Corvette Racing is and remembering that sometimes luck plays into the results. I could not be more proud of this team and I’m honored to be a part of it.

Now that we look forward to 2013, there’s a major accomplishment at stake. The final ALMS GT championship, ever. The end of quite an era. And if you don’t think that the No. 3 Corvette won’t be gunning for that crown – along with everyone else of course – you’d be wrong. Antonio and I are very motivated, especially after this season!

I’ll also be keeping an eye on my son Kevin’s race career who has just finished his first season his first full season of the Formula Renault 3.5 Series.

For the finale at Catalunya, he drove some very mature races and he’s getting to be an even better driver. He also had a challenging year with mixed results, but he’s got a good racing sense and is clever about passing people.

Kevin’s staying in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series in 2013, and he’s tested this past week with two teams, DAMS and Fortec Motorsports. He started off testing with setting a track record at Catalunya, which I think helped his confidence and I think that the team he goes with next year, even Carlin, the one he’s been with for some time, will benefit with his experience.

I would like to send special thanks to the Corvette Army for their overwhelming support. As a Corvette Racing driver, to get that level of support and appreciation by the fans is certainly inspiring. And they inspire me as well and make me want to deliver good results to them. I hope they’re proud of their team this year and we cannot wait to make it even better next year.

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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Jan Magnussen

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