Mom misses Lime Rock....Corvette loses winning streak! - ZR-1 Net Registry Forums

gaijin · 07-06-2006

IN HIS OWN WORDS: OLIVER GAVIN

All good things must come to an end. For Oliver Gavin, it was the eight-race GT1 winning streak he and Olivier Beretta engineered in the American Le Mans Series. Although that run is over, Gavin is eager to start a new one at the Utah Grand Prix, Round 5 of the 2006 American Le Mans Series, at the new Miller Motorsports Park. Here's a sampling of what he had to say about the streak, the new track and Aston Martin Racing:

On the effects of racing at Salt Lake City on the car and driver:
"It can have quite a significant effect. One of the main things is that the engines won't breathe as normal. The cars won't feel as racy as they usually do. You won't get the jump off the corners you normally would. It also affects the downforce, so the car is likely to be moving around quite a bit, also. Those really factor in.

"For a driver, it looks to me from watching a little video that it's a busy circuit. You'll be hard on the brakes and the throttle, and hard on the gearbox and using a lot of energy. The heart rate will be quite high, so you'll consume a lot of oxygen. It is a little fortunate that the race is toward the end of Saturday. It can be extremely hot, and one of the things that hurts us in the car is when it is really humid. But hopefully it shouldn't be too bad. There are some plusses with the venue."

On the chances at Miller Motorsports Park, with additional restrictions:
"We go to every event believing we have a chance of winning. We knew (of the adjustments) a couple of weeks ago, and so the engineers at Corvette Racing have been busying away to see what we can get out of the engine. It does present a big challenge for us. (Miller Motorsports Park) is somewhere no one has been before. With the infrastructure we have at Corvette Racing, we hope we'll have an advantage over the Aston Martins and everyone else. It'll be a battle. We thrive in this competition and we will be ready."

On what has to happen to put together an eight-race winning streak:
"It was a number of different things. With all good teams, you have to have all the pieces in place to have it work. At the end of 2004 and 2005, we really started to develop a close relationship with our team and crew. We figured out how we all worked, and Olivier and I figured out what worked. We always seemed to be on the pace and have some luck. Each team and driver who are on a streak like that will say that luck is involved. But we also made our own luck, too. The strategy we employed at most races seemed to work. The Le Mans win was something that was quite remarkable. Each time we've gone, we've had strong opposition. We've always had a quite close race with them (Prodrive) and we've pushed each other to the maximum. When we go over our strategy and look at it, we stuck to our guns and stayed strong with our strategy. They ran into problems and issues with reliability."

On different tracks in the Series:
"It was quite unusual at Lime Rock because we're coming from Le Mans. It was very wide and open and a classic track. Then you come to Lime Rock, which is like a bullring. I drove two laps and wondered what I was doing. There were cars everywhere. Going from Lime Rock now to Miller Motorsports Park will be a big contrast. That's the great thing about this Series. You compete on all of these great tracks, and that's one of the things I love about racing in America. Houston was another big example. You really had to work hard to get the most out of the car. I really like the way the Series is mixing this up. I'm really enjoying it this year."

On preparing for a new track:
"One of the first things you look for is all the pointers and markers on the track. You're also hunting for different parts of the track that give you grip. On the first four or five laps, you'll be driving on different lines to find all these. People will look and wonder if you really know what you're doing. Then you get into a rhythm and find what works for you and works for the car. You really don't have it absolutely nailed until you get out of the car and talk to your teammate, the team and other drivers to get their feedback on certain things.

"The team looks to see how accurate their simulation work is. They want to see how it is backed up. Then they can fine-tune any other future simulation for the cars. They run simulation setups throughout the day constantly to find us the best program. They'll also look at things like gear ratio, tire pressure and temperatures and see if they can find any red flags.

On what needs to be done to bring in additional competitors in GT1:
"I think the Series and the likes of GM and Aston Martin have to be out there talking with manufacturers, showing them the excitement of the Series. I would love to see more manufacturers in the class. Le Mans was great; we had Lamborghini, the Saleen, the Ferrari 550s and the Aston Martins. I think Ferrari will be bringing in a new GT1 car next year. It's up to some of the other manufacturers around the world to step up."

The next race for the American Le Mans Series is the Grand Prix of Utah, set for 6 p.m. MDT on July 15 at the new Miller Motorsports Park in Salt Lake City. CBS will broadcast the race from 2 to 4 p.m. EDT on July 16. American Le Mans Radio will provide live coverage on americanlemans.com, which also will feature IMSA Live Timing & Scoring.

07-06-2006	#1
gaijin Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Road Atlanta Posts: 371	Mom misses Lime Rock....Corvette loses winning streak! IN HIS OWN WORDS: OLIVER GAVIN All good things must come to an end. For Oliver Gavin, it was the eight-race GT1 winning streak he and Olivier Beretta engineered in the American Le Mans Series. Although that run is over, Gavin is eager to start a new one at the Utah Grand Prix, Round 5 of the 2006 American Le Mans Series, at the new Miller Motorsports Park. Here's a sampling of what he had to say about the streak, the new track and Aston Martin Racing: On the effects of racing at Salt Lake City on the car and driver: "It can have quite a significant effect. One of the main things is that the engines won't breathe as normal. The cars won't feel as racy as they usually do. You won't get the jump off the corners you normally would. It also affects the downforce, so the car is likely to be moving around quite a bit, also. Those really factor in. "For a driver, it looks to me from watching a little video that it's a busy circuit. You'll be hard on the brakes and the throttle, and hard on the gearbox and using a lot of energy. The heart rate will be quite high, so you'll consume a lot of oxygen. It is a little fortunate that the race is toward the end of Saturday. It can be extremely hot, and one of the things that hurts us in the car is when it is really humid. But hopefully it shouldn't be too bad. There are some plusses with the venue." On the chances at Miller Motorsports Park, with additional restrictions: "We go to every event believing we have a chance of winning. We knew (of the adjustments) a couple of weeks ago, and so the engineers at Corvette Racing have been busying away to see what we can get out of the engine. It does present a big challenge for us. (Miller Motorsports Park) is somewhere no one has been before. With the infrastructure we have at Corvette Racing, we hope we'll have an advantage over the Aston Martins and everyone else. It'll be a battle. We thrive in this competition and we will be ready." On what has to happen to put together an eight-race winning streak: "It was a number of different things. With all good teams, you have to have all the pieces in place to have it work. At the end of 2004 and 2005, we really started to develop a close relationship with our team and crew. We figured out how we all worked, and Olivier and I figured out what worked. We always seemed to be on the pace and have some luck. Each team and driver who are on a streak like that will say that luck is involved. But we also made our own luck, too. The strategy we employed at most races seemed to work. The Le Mans win was something that was quite remarkable. Each time we've gone, we've had strong opposition. We've always had a quite close race with them (Prodrive) and we've pushed each other to the maximum. When we go over our strategy and look at it, we stuck to our guns and stayed strong with our strategy. They ran into problems and issues with reliability." On different tracks in the Series: "It was quite unusual at Lime Rock because we're coming from Le Mans. It was very wide and open and a classic track. Then you come to Lime Rock, which is like a bullring. I drove two laps and wondered what I was doing. There were cars everywhere. Going from Lime Rock now to Miller Motorsports Park will be a big contrast. That's the great thing about this Series. You compete on all of these great tracks, and that's one of the things I love about racing in America. Houston was another big example. You really had to work hard to get the most out of the car. I really like the way the Series is mixing this up. I'm really enjoying it this year." On preparing for a new track: "One of the first things you look for is all the pointers and markers on the track. You're also hunting for different parts of the track that give you grip. On the first four or five laps, you'll be driving on different lines to find all these. People will look and wonder if you really know what you're doing. Then you get into a rhythm and find what works for you and works for the car. You really don't have it absolutely nailed until you get out of the car and talk to your teammate, the team and other drivers to get their feedback on certain things. "The team looks to see how accurate their simulation work is. They want to see how it is backed up. Then they can fine-tune any other future simulation for the cars. They run simulation setups throughout the day constantly to find us the best program. They'll also look at things like gear ratio, tire pressure and temperatures and see if they can find any red flags. On what needs to be done to bring in additional competitors in GT1: "I think the Series and the likes of GM and Aston Martin have to be out there talking with manufacturers, showing them the excitement of the Series. I would love to see more manufacturers in the class. Le Mans was great; we had Lamborghini, the Saleen, the Ferrari 550s and the Aston Martins. I think Ferrari will be bringing in a new GT1 car next year. It's up to some of the other manufacturers around the world to step up." The next race for the American Le Mans Series is the Grand Prix of Utah, set for 6 p.m. MDT on July 15 at the new Miller Motorsports Park in Salt Lake City. CBS will broadcast the race from 2 to 4 p.m. EDT on July 16. American Le Mans Radio will provide live coverage on americanlemans.com, which also will feature IMSA Live Timing & Scoring.