Winds of change blow at Corvette
Le Mans returnee Corvette Racing has undergone plenty of changes since its last foray in 2019. The long-serving C7.R has been replaced with the mid-engined C8.R, which took fourth on its European debut at Spa in May in the World Endurance Championship, while on the driver front marque stalwarts Jan Magnussen and Oliver Gavin bade farewell.
But a strong British contingent remains in the squad courtesy of Corvette newcomers Nick Tandy and Alexander Sims, from Porsche and BMW respectively, who join Gavin’s former partner Tommy Milner.
For Sims, back in the Corvette cockpit for the first time since Sebring, there will be plenty of reacclimatising to do after missing the test day to contest the Berlin Formula E finale. “I feel a large responsibility to get back up to speed quickly,” he declares. “The challenge is to not push myself too hard too soon. If I’m not at least at a very similar pace to Nick and Tommy, I’ll feel like I’m letting the side down.”
Compared to the front-engined BMW M6 he raced at Le Mans in 2018, Sims was immediately impressed by the mid-engined Corvette, which he says is strong in “pretty much every phase of the corner”. “When I first drove it, I struggled to find a fundamental weakness,” he says. “It’s an impressive machine. There’s not a huge amount that needed to be optimised, it’s more working out how best we work together.”
Sims recognises the first challenge will be to beat the sister car of reigning IMSA GTLM champions Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor, plus Nicky Catsburg in his second year as the endurance-only third driver. He’s also hopeful that the Spa appearance will have given the organisers a better idea of the car’s ballpark Balance of Performance as the marque seeks a first Le Mans win since 2015. “If the BOP is not in the right window then you’ve kind of lost before you’ve started,” he states. “If any manufacturer turns up to just do Le Mans, it’s pretty difficult for the organisers, so hopefully that’s given them the chance to make a fair assessment.”