Chevrolet Unveils 2012 Daytona Prototype
November 15, 2011 | By GRANDAM MEDIA
Chevrolet unveiled its 2012 Corvette Daytona Prototype on Nov. 15 at Daytona International Speedway. The Corvette Daytona Prototype will make its competitive debut in the 50th anniversary of the GRAND-AM Road Racing Series Rolex 24 at Daytona on Jan. 26-29 and also will race Friday, July 27 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the inaugural Super Weekend at the Brickyard.
GRAND-AM will make its IMS debut during the Super Weekend. It's the first time races will take place on the famous 2.5-mile oval and 13-turn, 2.534-mile Grand Prix road circuit during the same event at IMS, as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series will race on the oval.
"Racing and performance are the founding principles of Chevrolet, and bringing the Corvette Daytona Prototype to GRAND-AM is a tremendous opportunity," said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet vice president, performance vehicles and motorsports. "The opportunity for innovation is what makes the Daytona Prototype Class such a good fit for Chevrolet. Sports car and endurance racing is an outstanding platform for manufacturers like us to test and learn. The design of this race car incorporates iconic Corvette styling cues and will be immediately recognized by sports car enthusiasts and fans of GRAND-AM Road Racing. We are excited to see the Corvette DP compete in the legendary Rolex 24 at Daytona next January."
The new Corvette Daytona Prototype will participate in a GRAND-AM test Wednesday, Nov. 16 at Daytona International Speedway.
"GRAND-AM's new Daytona Prototype concept is aimed at allowing manufacturers to showcase their brand in an exciting, cutting-edge fashion," said GRAND-AM President Tom Bledsoe. "Chevrolet, with its new Corvette DP, has done just that. The anticipation of seeing this new Daytona Prototype compete is building each and every day. This announcement has immediate and far-reaching implications, with the potential to change the face of sports car racing."
Four teams will campaign the Corvette Daytona Prototype in 2012: No. 90 Spirit of Daytona Racing; No. 10 SunTrust Racing; No. 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing; and the No.'s 5 and 9 Action Express Racing teams.
"The 2012 Corvette Daytona Prototype was developed by a multi-faceted effort involving Chevrolet, Corvette Designers, Pratt & Miller and GRAND-AM, and Chevrolet also worked closely with chassis builders Riley, Coyote and Dallara," said Mark Kent, GM Racing Director. "The IMSA GTP Corvette Prototype campaigned by Hendrick Motorsports in the '80s was the inspiration for this new Chevrolet Corvette Daytona Prototype. And, like the GTP Corvettes, the new Corvette Daytona Prototype contains numerous styling cues from the street version of the Chevrolet Corvette."
Corvette has a long, storied history of racing-related feats in Daytona. Zora Arkus-Duntov – the Father of the Corvette and chief engineer working on the Corvette in the '50s and '60s – set a flying-mile speed record of more than 150 miles per hour in a Corvette on Daytona Beach, one of a number of record runs on the beach for him. When Daytona International Speedway opened in 1959, Arkus-Duntov turned the fastest laps – 155 miles per hour – in a Corvette SS.
More recently, in 2001, a Corvette driven by Ron Fellows, Johnny O'Connell, Chris Kneifel and Franck Freon was the overall winner in the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Another Corvette finished fourth that year, with Dale Earnhardt, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Andy Pilgrim and Kelly Collins.
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Super Weekend tickets: Tickets are on sale now for the Super Weekend at the Brickyard on July 26-29 at IMS.
All ticket orders can be made at www.imstix.com and through the IMS Ticket Office at the IMS Administration Building at the corner of Georgetown Road and 16th Street between 8 a.m.-5 p.m. (ET) Monday-Friday. For more information, call the IMS ticket office at (317) 492-6700, or (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area.
Children 12 and under will receive free general admission when accompanied by an adult with a Super Weekend Ticket or general admission ticket.
Tickets for groups of 20 or more also are on sale. Contact the IMS Group Sales Department at (866) 221-8775 for more information.