Meet Richard Prince, the Man Behind So Many Corvette Racing Images!
When Opportunity knocks, it’s usually wearing work clothes! This story was first published in the June 2024 issue of Vette Vues Magazine. It is hard...
Tagged: corvette racing team
Z06 Review, Pt. 7 – 2004 Commemorative Edition Z06 Corvette
Part 7 review: the 2004 C5 Commemorative Edition Z06 Corvette — exploring its features, performance, history, and why it remains a standout in Corvette legacy. Was the 2004 C5 Z06 Corvette the best of the C5 Corvettes?
Z06 Corvette Story, Pt 4 – The C7 Z06 and Z06/Z07
Dive into Part 4 of the Z06 Corvette story as the C7 Z06 and Z07 package redefine American performance. With a supercharged LT4, advanced aerodynamics and track-focused engineering, the C7 Z06 pushed Corvette into true supercar territory while honoring the legacy of the legendary Z06 badge.
Bill Tower’s Sebring 2019 Corvette Racing Seminar, Pt 2
In the summer of 2018 a camouflaged C8.R was seen after the IMSA race at Wisconsin’s Road America. There was some speculation that this was an indication that the C8 would be debuted soon as a 2019 model and that we would see the C8.R for the 2019 racing season.
Tantalizing indeed, but it never happened. Instead, we are seeing the allegedly aging C7.R holding 2nd place, despite IMSA’s onerous Balance of Power (BoP) restrictions. Is IMSA trying to make sure the Corvette Racing Team doesn’t win another championship? Of course, they would deny that, but it sure looks that way.
This is what Gary and Robin Pratt, and the rest of the Corvette Racing Team are up against. Let’s continue our conversation from Bill Tower’s 2019 Corvette Racing Seminar at Sebring International Raceway on Friday March 15, 2019.
Bill Tower’s Sebring 2019 Corvette Racing Seminar, Pt 1
An extraordinary thing happened last year for the Corvette Racing Team. Road Atlanta was the final race of the 2018 IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship season and it was a real nail-biter. Antonio Garcia is an outstanding team driver, very methodical, technical, and rarely makes mistakes. But mistakes happen. The team and spectators were shocked when Garcia’s No. 3 C7.R smacked the wall. It wasn’t a bad crash and Garcia was able to drive into the pits.
The Corvette Racing pit team is arguably the best. In five-minutes and 36-seconds the pit crew replaced the front fender, nose, and engine floor; and sent Garcia back out on the track in the hunt for another championship. When the checkered flag came down, the Corvette Racing Team won its 13th IMSA Team Championship and 12th Driver Championship in 20 years of racing! And here’s the kicker; for the 2018 racing season, the Corvette Racing Team did not come in 1st place in a single race.
How could that happen? Modern factory-backed racing is a team sport; it’s all about teamwork; as tight, efficient, and professional as any other team professional sports team. In October 2018 in the days after the Road Atlanta success, Bill Tower and I were talking about a theme for his 2019 Corvette Racing History Seminar on the Friday of the 2019 12 Hours of Sebring event. I said, “Bill, the Corvette Racing Team just won its 13 Championship in 20 years without winning a single race. Do you know anyone at Pratt & Miller that would be willing to talk about the team’s amazing 20 years of racing?” Bill responded, “Sure, I know Gary Pratt, I’ll call him to see if he’d like to be our guest.” And that’s how the event got started. But it got even better. Not only was Gary Pratt willing to be a guest speaker, Bill got Gary’s wife Robin Pratt (the Mama Bear of the team) and Ron Fellows. What’a score!
Corvette Chassis History, Pt 6: The C7 Chassis Tadge Juechter Built
When Tadge Juechter’s C7 Corvette debuted, fans were stunned to learn that the base model C7 was built an even better version of the Z06’s aluminum chassis. But wait, there’s more! The same new aluminum chassis would be used for the coupe AND convertible Corvette. This was a major breakthrough and bespeaks of advanced engineering. Here’s how Juechter’s team did it.
Juechter’s objective was to build a modern performance car that delivered enhanced driving experience, more efficiency that yielded more performance. Every element had to contribute to the overall performance and there would be nothing fake. That explains everything that we see on the C7 Corvette, but what’s unseen is even more amazing.
Chris Draper’s “My Corvette Life”
This story originally appeared in the September 2018 issue of Vette Vues. Since the story was written Chris has rebuilt the top end of his LS1 engine. Chris added the following; a LS6 Z06 intake; Z06 fuel injectors; throttle body; heads; and a Vararam Power Duct. His engine also received new valves and valve sprints. When Chris bought the car, it had a performance cam; Kooks Long Tube headers; an X-pipe; and a Cat-Back exhaust. After a dyno tune, Chris’ bolt-on-modified LS1 pulled 508-horsepower at the crank! That is C6 427 LS7 Z06 territory, ladies and gentlemen! GOOD JOB, Chris!
Speed Society Delivers Stunning Z06 C7.R-Inspired Street-Beast! – VIDEO
With the 2018 racing season completed and the Corvette Racing Team racking up another championship the timing of the Speed Society Z06 couldn’t be better. The Z06’s LT4 engine has been goosed up to 850-horsepower and the deco on the car is a salute to the C7.R. The ZT1 rear wing and ADV.1 two-piece forged alloy wheels pulls the whole look togethe
