History >> Press Releases

General Motors Media Press Release

FOR RELEASE: February 2, 2001
CONTACT(S):  Chevrolet Communications
PHONE:  1-800-CHEVY MI or 313-667-9317

Chevrolet Corvette C5-Rs Start 2nd and 3rd In Class For Tomorrow's Rolex 24 At Daytona

DAYTONA BEACH, February 2nd, 2001 - Both Millennium Yellow Chevrolet Corvette C5-Rs are ready to fulfill their role as GTS-favorites in tomorrow’s 39th running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona, despite missing out on the class pole position due to un-Florida-like weather conditions in the Sunshine State.

Because rain showers during the two practice and qualifying days would have made the 15-minute qualifying sessions per class too dangerous, the organizers decided to have all classes run together in one long 45-minute session on each day. This meant that teams and drivers had to go in search of a quick lap with over 80 cars sharing the 4-kilometre track. "The biggest hassle was finding a clear lap," lead driver Ron Fellows confirmed afterwards. "The guys from Goodyear worked hard since the open test in January and we now have a better tire, but when the tires were right I just couldn’t get a clear shot, which is why we didn’t get the GTS pole position. But the good news is that our track record of 1m45s8 from last year still stands."

"The bad weather made the track very slippery, which is why we don’t feel as prepared as last year with the balance of the car. So it will be "playing darts" when it comes to the set-up for the race, but we can of course still change little things during the race. That’s where the team comes in and I can tell you, they are really pumped. They are so prepared and have improved a lot, especially on the pit stops. So if we have the reliability we had last year, we should be right up there," the Canadian concluded.

Corvette Program Manager Doug Fehan was equally pleased with the way things have gone so far. "We’re happy with the cars, especially with the progress we made on the tires. And our two "rookies" did a great job. They both understand the importance of this race for Corvette and performed flawlessly."

The two "rookies" driving the #3 Corvette C5-R, NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt and NASCAR coming-man Dale Earnhardt Jr., already made a big impact on this year’s event: the presale of tickets doubled compared to last year!

(*) First row of the starting grid is traditionally decided in the first qualifying session. Light rain and damp track during first qualifying session; dry track during second qualifying session.

Related Forum:  Corvette Racing