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Corvette's quest for Le Mans redemption

Monday, 12 June 2017
Marshall Pruett / Images by Corvette Racing, JEP/LAT

Corvette Racing spent the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans fighting over consolation prizes. The brand-new Ford GT, riding a wave of history on the 50th anniversary of the Blue Oval's first win at La Sarthe, came, saw and conquered. The yellow 'Vettes, crowd favorites for almost two decades, could barely get out of their own way due to harsh Balance of Performance restrictions, qualified at the bottom of the GTE-Pro field, and never factored in the race.
A few BoP tweaks by the Le Mans organizers brought the thundering C7.Rs into the competitive frame at the June 4 official test around the 8.5-mile circuit, and with the tables turned on Corvette's in-state rival, the Fords dwelled at the bottom of the GTE-Pro speed charts. Ferrari, the second-fastest manufacturer in 2016, was also hit with BoP sanctions, and ended the test as the second-slowest brand.
Will the reversal of fortune remain in the race? Corvette ace Tommy Milner isn't sure that Test Day can be used as a guideline to predict the 24 Hour's outcome.
"If you just go off of last year, Ford and Ferrari went significantly faster from Test Day to the race week, so I would be surprised if the same thing didn't happen again this time," he told RACER. "It's a little frustrating. Especially last year, for how things went.
"We were quick at the [2016] test, and then were penalized a little bit for that. Time will tell if we have the same scenario again this year, but it's not up to us. We always obviously have an eye towards our competitors, but we rely on ourselves and try and figure out how to make our cars go quick."
The eight-time Le Mans class winners are focused on rebounding after a fruitless visit to France last year. As Milner has seen first-hand, Corvette's European fan base is a key part of event, and will shower its cars and drivers with support throughout the trip.
"There's no question when we come to Le Mans every year that the fans are a big part of the spirit behind our team, they love the Corvette, they love the sound it makes, certainly the history that the team has at Le Mans," he said.
"Last year we had a big banner that said something to the effect of, 'We are Le Mans.' What we do each year with Corvette Racing and Chevrolet just shows what kind of race Le Mans is, and how much it means to this program. It's just a mutual respect between all the parties. It's an honor for us to be a part of the event, and we certainly get that love back."
Winners of three straight at Sebring, Long Beach and Circuit of The Americas in IMSA's WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Corvette Racing fans will have plenty of reasons to keep track of how the quest for four consecutive victories and nine total at Le Mans plays out over the weekend.

RACER.com coverage of the 24 Hours of Le Mans is presented by Lone Star Le Mans, a six-hour sprint deep in the heart of Texas: September 15-16 at COTA.