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Chevrolet first to break cover with 2012 Daytona Prototype


Chevrolet unveiled its 2012 Corvette Daytona Prototype at Daytona International Speedway mid-November. The Corvette Daytona Prototype will make its race debut in the 50th anniversary of the Daytona 24 hours on January 26-29, 2012. ‘Racing and performance


are the founding principles of Chevrolet, and bringing the Corvette Daytona Prototype to Grand-Am is a tremendous opportunity,’ said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet vice president, performance vehicles and motorsports. ‘The opportunity for innovation is what makes the Daytona Prototype Class such a good fit for Chevrolet. Sportscar and Endurance racing is an outstanding platform for manufacturers like us to test and learn. The design of this racecar incorporates iconic Corvette styling cues and will be immediately recognised by Sportscar enthusiasts and fans of Grand-Am Road Racing. We are excited to see the Corvette DP compete in the legendary Rolex 24 at Daytona next January.’ The new Corvette Daytona


Prototype participated in a Grand-Am test at Daytona on


November 16. ‘Grand-Am’s new Daytona Prototype concept is aimed at allowing manufacturers to showcase their brand in an exciting, cutting-edge fashion,’ said Grand-Am president, Tom Bledsoe. ‘Chevrolet, with its new Corvette DP, has done just that. The anticipation of seeing this new Daytona Prototype compete is building each and every day. This announcement


“the opportunity for innovation is what


has immediate and far-reaching implications, with the potential to change the face of Sportscar racing.’ Four teams will campaign the


Corvette Daytona Prototype in 2012: Spirit of Daytona Racing; SunTrust Racing; Gainsco / Bob Stallings Racing and the Action Express Racing teams. ‘The 2012 Corvette Daytona


Prototype was developed by a multi-faceted effort involving Chevrolet, Corvette designers, Pratt & Miller and Grand-Am, and Chevrolet also worked closely with chassis builders Riley,


Coyote and Dallara,’ said Mark Kent, GM Racing director. ‘The IMSA GTP Corvette


Prototype campaigned by Hendrick Motorsports in the ‘80s was the inspiration for this new Chevrolet Corvette Daytona Prototype. And, like the GTP Corvettes, the new Corvette Daytona Prototype contains numerous styling cues from the street version of the Chevrolet Corvette.’ Corvette has a long,


makes it such a good fit for Chevrolet”


history of racing-related feats in Daytona. Zora Arkus-Duntov – the father of the Corvette and chief engineer working on the Corvette in the ’50s and ’60s – set a flying mile speed record of more than


150mph in a Corvette on Daytona Beach, one of a number of record runs on the beach for him. When Daytona International


Speedway opened in 1959, Arkus-Duntov set the fastest laps – 155mph – in a Corvette SS. In 2001, a Corvette driven by Ron Fellows, Johnny O’Connell, Chris Kneifel and Franck Freon was the overall winner in the Daytona 24-hours. Another Corvette finished fourth that year, driven by Dale Earnhardt sr, driving with his son Dale Earnhardt jr, Andy Pilgrim and Kelly Collins.


BRIEFLY Name game


The long-running dispute over the use of the Lotus name in Formula 1 has finally been resolved, and the F1 Commission has approved the re-branding of the Renault F1 team as Lotus. Meanwhile, the team formerly known as Team Lotus – Tony Fernandes’ outfit – will now be called Caterham, the Malaysian businessman also owning the British sports car company. In other name-change


news, the Virgin team will now be known as Marussia, in deference to its Russian car maker, which is also a part owner of the team. Virgin will remain involved as a sponsor.


Inject and draft NASCAR Sprint Cup teams have again tested the new EFI systems to be used across the board in 2012, trying them out at the largest and smallest tracks on the tour: the 2.66-mile Talladega Superspeedway and the flat, half-mile oval at Martinsville. Ten cars from the major teams took part in the tests. During the final 30 minutes of the Talladega test, some teams used a lower rear spoiler, something that might be used in 2012 to help limit the two- car drafting that has plagued the superspeedway races throughout 2011.


Xtrac IGS wins award Transmission technology specialist, Xtrac, has received the Powertrain Innovation of the Year Award, presented for its instantaneous gearchange system, known as IGS. The award was presented at the Professional MotorSport World Expo 2011 held in Cologne, Germany this week. ‘Like many other technical innovations by the motorsport industry, Xtrac’s seamless gear shifting system could well have wider application in the automotive mainstream,’ said Graham Heeps, jury member and editor of Professional Motorsport World.


With clear styling cues from the road car, the new Corvette Daytona Prototype will undoubtedly have huge fan appeal January 2012 • www.racecar-engineering.com 81


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