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CORVETTE C6R & C5R |
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June 12, 2007 - The Corvette C6R was released early 2005, intended
to replace the works C5R having no more beaten since 2003. The new
car had a reworked nose and front splitter, a more aggressive body,
but used the same 90° V8 7-litre aluminium engine as the C5R. The
2005 Sebring 12 hours was the first confrontation with the Aston
Martin DBR9. Although the Corvettes were faster they lost the race
(first loss since 2003). At Le Mans the C6Rs were dominated long
time by the faster Astons, but brake woes and a broken radiator made
them loosing during the last hours from the works Corvettes. In 2006
the C6R lost five times from the DBR9 at the ALMS, but won also five
times. At Le Mans the works Corvettes were slower than the Astons,
but more reliable. During the two last hours they could pass the
Astons to win once more their class at La Sarthe. LMGT1 |
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#63 works Corvette C6R as seen at the 2007 Le Mans 24 hours |
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#64 works Corvette C6R as seen at the 2007 Le Mans 24 hours |
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#3 works Corvette C6R as seen at the 2007 Sebring 12 hours (first ALMS round) |
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#3 works Corvette C6R as seen at the 2007 ALMS series (except the Sebring 12 hours) |
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#4 works Corvette C6R as seen at the 2007 ALMS Series |
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Rear view of the #4 works Corvette C6R as seen at the 2007 ALMS Series |
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#70 PSI Experience Corvette C6R as seen at the 2007 LMS Series and the 2007 Le Mans 24 hours |
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#72 Luc Alphand Adventures Corvette C6R as seen at the 2007 LMS Series and the 2007 Le Mans 24 hours |
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Two FIA GT Corvettes C6R not invited at Le Mans: #5 of Carsport Holland & #19 of PSI Experience (the team's #70 is well invited) |
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The Corvette C5R was in the States completely unbeatable at the 2003 ALMS where it captured every championship's trophy. At the Le Mans 24 hours of the same year the Corvette C5R, having won one year earlier its class at Le Mans, was beaten by the Ferrari F550 Maranello. One year later the Maranellos were again faster than the works C5Rs at Le Mans, but during the last three hours they proved to be more reliable than the Prancing Horse machinery. In 2005 they were replaced by the C6R as new race cars. At the FIA GT Series of that year the C5R won two rounds (with the GLPK car). In 2006 the C5R was no more entered in the FIA GT, except once at the Spa 24 hours where no top-results were realised. In 2005 no more C5Rs were seen in LMS racing, but last year Luc Alphand Adventure entered the LMS with an "old" Corvette C5R. The car caused more than once a stir, especially at the Le Mans 24 hours where Alphand's Corvette C5R reached the podium in LMGT1, only beaten by the first works Corvette C6R and by the first works Aston Martin DBR9. At the five rounds of the 2006 LMS the same car reached five times the finish, once as seventh, once as tenth, twice as eleventh and once as thirteenth. That was good for four new class podiums, twice as first runner-up. This year Alphand enters his extremely reliable C5R again at the LMS, now as second car to his new C6R. At the Monza 1000-kms the old C5R finished again on its class podium (eleventh overall). At the Le Mans Test Day the #73 let one DBR9 (Larbre), the JLOC Lambo and the Convers MenX Ferrari F550 behind, proving that it's far from death. LMGT1 |
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#73 Alphand Corvette C5R as seen at the 2007 LMS & 2007 Le Mans 24 hours |
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Again Luc Alphand's second car, the #73 Corvette C5R (invited at Le Mans 2007) |
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The Belgian Corvettes C5R - left GLPK's and right SRT's - are racing in the 2007 FIA GT Series but were not invited at the Le Mans 24 hours |
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