IMSA: Corvette Racing working on C7.R improvements

The factory Corvette Racing team has been busy working on improvements for its Corvette C7.R chassis during the eight-week span since the TUDOR United SportsCar championship came to a close.

The brand-new chassis was remarkably competitive from the outset, went on to win four consecutive races in the GT Le Mans class during the 11-round TUDOR Championship season, and was also on its debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans where the yellow coupes placed second and fourth in GTE-Pro.

Developing a new car and working through Balance of Performance adjustments with the C7.R meant earning the GTLM Drivers' and Manufacturers' championships would have to wait for 2015, at the earliest, and as Corvette Racing program manager Doug Fehan told RACER, they are busy finding more speed to make it happen.

"We've been working on two different fronts," he said. "One is obviously vehicle development. The rules are frozen, for the most part, so we're looking at a bunch of small things – aero enhancements, fuel economy improvements, and all the little areas we're allowed to modify.

"We started the process by looked through the entire year of data and identifying areas that stood out for being improved, and no, you can't take a big swing at things because of how the rules are kept so tightly controlled, so that makes us work that much harder on finding the small things that add up to a bigger overall improvement."

Outside of the work being done by GM Racing and Pratt & Miller Engineering in Michigan, Fehan has been busy with a development program of his own with the series' technical department.

"The second front is working with the sanctioning body (IMSA); they've been very open and forthright in their understanding and desire to improve themselves," he noted. "So we're looking for some form of improvement in the rules and their implementation. Thus far, I'm impressed with their efforts, and they are willing to listen to our input."

The Corvette Racing team bounced back after an uncompetitive run at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2013, and had a realistic shot of winning the race on the C7.R's debut. Fehan says the team's off-season development plan will focus on all aspects of the car, rather than splitting R&D into separate lanes for IMSA and Le Mans.

"We were pleased with our performance at Le Mans; only a broken airjack piece kept us from winning," he explained. "It broke and it cost us the race, and overall, we're pleased with how the ACO/FIA conducted performance balancing. The car we raced here and brought to France translated very well and that was refreshing. It's in the U.S. where we're still learning how to work together to achieve that goal."

The team's full-time driver lineup is expected to continue piloting the Nos. 3 and 4 C7.Rs, but the full roster of drivers for the endurance events has yet to be solidified. IndyCar driver Ryan Briscoe made a strong impression for the team in the TUDOR Championship, and capped off a solid year by pulling double duty at Petit Le Mans. With his open-wheel career possibly over – at least for 2015 – he would be a natural choice to continue with the Corvette program. Robin Liddell, Jordan and Ricky Taylor, and Richard Westbrook also drove for the team this year, and would be primed to return.

The recent exit by Dodge from GTLM has also added to the driver talent pool made available to the Corvette Racing endurance program.

"We're not in a position to announce drivers yet – not until we have everyone put together," Fehan said. "But I can say we aren't anticipating any major changes."

The team's complete lineup is expected to be in action during the first official TUDOR Championship test which takes place on Jan. 9-11 at Daytona International Speedway.​