corvette racing – Pulpaddict

GM’S MARK REUSS CHECKS OUT TEAM ZORA USA CORVETTE!

Corvette historic racer Jake Angel blogs about sharing a common interest when GM’S MARK REUSS CHECKS OUT TEAM ZORA USA CORVETTE!

On the last day of racing at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, I had a well-dressed visitor in the paddocks. While I have been racing two Corvettes – ’60 Fuelie & a Corvette Challenge car – for years and follow GM Corvette Racing, I was not aware of who he was.

He was wearing a white button-down shirt with a Corvette Racing logo, looking at cars pitting around mine. We shook hands and when I asked him if he was working for Chevrolet, he responded, “Yes, I’m Mark Reuss and actually the president of GM.”

I’m embarrassed to admit the name had not immediately rang a bell, I was just excited and I wanted to show him my racecar. Then my brain fog lifted and I realized I was talking to the president of General Motors! “If you’re into Corvette Racing, can I show you my ’60 Fuelie?”

We talked about C1 Corvette racecars for a few minutes, and I explained that my car – nicknamed “Baby Shark” – was wrenched by TEAM ZORA USA teammate and legendary Corvette racer and tuner, Larry Webb. And, Chevrolet had originally shipped it from St. Louis to Los Angeles for road racer, Dave MacDonald. MacDonald and Bill Thomas prepared it for its first race – the Rose Cup in Portland, Oregon on July 4^th. Since then, it has been a racecar and never registered for the road. I also told him story behind the TEAM ZORA USA and Spirit of Zora livery.

We spent about 15 minutes together, yelling over the scalded-cat- like sound of the Jackie Stewart Tyrrell warming up in our paddock. When Mark was leaving, he realized that he was out of business cards, so he took one of mine and photographed it next to my racecar’s livery so he could connect the dots when he got back to his office. He wished me well on the next round on the track, and I was still in shock that GM President Mark Reuss, a vintage Corvette owner, and Corvette Racing’s Chief Cheerleader, was interested in “Baby Shark” and our connection with TEAM ZORA USA.In the words of Jerry Garcia in the Grateful Dead hit single, HE’S GONE, “nothing left to do but smile, smile, smile.”

PHOTOS: Bill Dolph.

For more information about GM’S MARK REUSS CHECKS OUT TEAM ZORA USA CORVETTE! and TEAM ZORA USA, please contact Martyn L. Schorr: MLSchorr@Verizon.Net

TEAM ZORA USA will be competing in 2024 & 2025 1000 Miglia events in a ’57 Corvette Fuelie. For the 1000 Miglia calendar of events worldwide and the history of the Mille Miglia, please visit https://1000miglia.it/en/history-of-1000-miglia/brescia-city-of-the-1000-miglia/

’57 CORVETTE FUELIE: BUILT TO RACE!

Zora Arkus-Duntov created RPO Options so anyone could order a ’57 CORVETTE FUELIE: BUILT TO RACE!

’57 CORVETTE FUELIE: BUILT TO RACE!

In 1957, the Corvette was the first production American car powered by an engine producing one-horsepower-per-cubic-inch – 283 cubic inches, 283 horsepower – and fitted with an optional Rochester Ramjet Fuel Injection engine. Checking off the right boxes could net you with a four-speed transmission and Positraction rear axle. The ’57 Corvette is respected worldwide as one of the most significant performance models in the marque’s more than seven-decade history. By offering a select number of Regular Production Options (RPO), a ’57 Corvette could be optioned specifically for road racing.

“The 1957 Fuel Injection Corvette reinforced Chevrolet’s high-performance image and shaped the future of the Corvette as America’s Sports Car. Fuel-injected 1957-1962 Corvettes dominated SCCA B/Production racing for years,” said Kenneth Kayser, right, retired GM engineer, ’57 Corvette Fuelie specialist, author, and TEAM ZORA USA’s Corvette Racing Historian.

“On May 19^th, 1957, three 1957 Fuel Injection ‘customer’ racecars driven by Dr. Dick Thompson, Carroll Shelby and Bill Howe Jr., finished First, Second and Third, respectively, at the SCCA Regional at Cumberland, MD. One week later at the SCCA Nationals at Elkhart Lake, WI, four B/Production Corvettes, led by Jim Jeffords, finished 1-2-3-4! Dick Thompson and his Fuel Injection 1957 Corvette would win SCCA’s coveted National Champion honors in 1957,” added Kayser.

’57 CORVETTE FUELIE: BUILT TO RACE!

’57 CORVETTE FUELIE: BUILT TO RACE! SPECIFICATIONS

RPO-579D 283-CID, 283-HP V-8 Engine

Rochester Ramjet Fuel-Injection,

Cold Air (Airbox) Induction

10.5:1 Compression Ratio

Duntov “097” Solid-Lifter .393/.399-inch-lift, 287/287-degree-duration, Lightweight valve train.

Forged Steel Crankshaft & Rods

RPO-685 Borg-Warner Close-Ratio T-10 Four-Speed

RPO-677 Positraction 3:70:1 Rear

RPO-684 HD Racing Suspension, Brakes & 16.4:1 Fast Steering

RPO-276 15×5.5-inch Wide Steel Wheels w/Small Hubcaps

Column-Mounted 8,000-rpm AC Mechanical Tach and Radio Delete Block-Off Plate

’57 CORVETTE FUELIE: BUILT TO RACE!

Historic racer Mike Moss has purchased a fuel-injected ’57 Corvette, dubbed it Spirit of Zora, top photo, and created TEAM ZORA USA to celebrate America’s Sports Car and honor the legacy of its first Chief Engineer, Zora Arkus-Duntov, responsible for the ’57 CORVETTE FUELIE: BUILT TO RACE! The Spirit of Zora will compete in 1000 Miglia events in the U.S. and Italy in 2024 and 2025.

For complete details about the 1957 Corvette, please visit https://over-drive-magazine.com/2022/09/02/1957-corvette-fact-sheet/

JAN HYDE, MR. CORVETTE RACING

The Registry of Corvette Racing’s – JAN HYDE, MR. CORVETTE RACING – was bitten by the Corvette ‘bug’ in 1964, resulting in the purchase of a ’60 Corvette Fuelie. And, he still owns it!

Jan Hyde firmly believes that it was racing that saved the Corvette from an early death, and he has dedicated untold hours to preserving and celebrating its racing achievements from earliest times to the present. But it was probably his relationship with legendary privateer Corvette racer and SCCA B/Sports Champion, Frank Dominianni that got him started in historic racing and creating his Corvette racing archive: The Registry of Corvette Racing, https://registryofcorvetteracecars.com/

Jan Hyde has been a friend of mine since the 1970s when I did a feature on his ’60 Corvette Fuelie in VETTE, the magazine I founded. He later re-introduced me to Frank Dominianni, top, driving #69 at Laguna Seca in 1987, who I had known for his Corvette racing exploits and engine building and dyno tuning talents at HI=speed POWER EQUIPMENT, Valley, Stream, NY in the 1960s. In 1970 Frank, right with Jan Hyde and his ’60 Corvette Fuelie, sold his #69 SCCA B/Production national points championship ’62 Fuelie to Jan. He started historic racing and later launched his iconic Corvette racing website.

For the complete story please visit VETTE VUES, https://vette-vues.com/unleashing-the-spirit-of-corvette-racing-jan-hyde-journey/

C8.R CORVETTE COPS CHAMPIONSHIP AT MONZA

Catsburg, Keating & Varrone C8.R CORVETTE COPS CHAMPIONSHIP AT MONZA, takes FIA World Endurance Championship GTE Am title.

Corvette Racing clinched the GTE Am Drivers and Teams titles in the FIA World Endurance Championship on Sunday with a fourth-place finish at the Six Hours of Monza (Italy) for the trio of Nicky Catsburg, Ben Keating and Nico Varrone. The No. 33 Corvette C8.R team finished ahead of its closest championship competitors to wrap up the program’s first title in WEC competition.

It’s been a dream season for Corvette Racing with three victories — the 24 Hours of Le Mans, 1000 Miles of Sebring and Six Hours Portimão — in addition to a runner-up finish at the Six Hours of Spa.

“Congratulations to Ben Keating, Nicky Catsburg and Nico Varrone on their championship in the first year for Corvette Racing in the World Endurance Championship’s GTE Am class,” said Mark Stielow, director, Chevrolet Motorsports Competition Engineering. “This was not an easy accomplishment despite the results this season. The strategy and execution by the entire Corvette Racing team — the drivers, the crew and the engineers — has been excellent throughout the season. This was a deep and competitive class and we are grateful that Corvette Racing has come out on top. It gives us great momentum going into the end of the season and 2024 when the Corvette Z06 GT3.R customer program arrives in WEC.”

There were a number of scenarios in play to clinch the title. The most straightforward options were to win or finish second Sunday, or place ahead of its two nearest challengers — the No. 25 TF Sport and No. 85 Iron Dames entries. The latter worked just fine.Keating set the tone for the Corvette team early. He started sixth but picked up spots on consecutive laps to run third prior to a safety car period at the 15-minute mark. The Corvette crew elected to bring the C8.R into pitlane for a fuel top-off. By the time Keating made his second stop at 80 minutes running, he had worked his way back up to second as the varying pit strategies came into view.

He gave way to Varrone just past the two-hour mark, but a rare in-race mistake meant the C8.R was called in for a drive-through penalty due to speeding in the pitlane. Varrone slid back to sixth but steadily worked his way back to the lead with strong pace and the pit stop cycle. By the time his driving time was complete just prior to the four-hour mark, the C8.R ran third but less than four seconds from the leader.

Catsburg drove the final 92 minutes but was unable to make in-roads to the podium finishers — all of which were from the same manufacturer and ran more than 100 pounds lighter than the Corvette. The C8.R carried 40 additional kilograms of “success ballast” in accordance with GTE Am sporting rules. That is due to the victory in the previous race at Le Mans, 10 kilograms for taking the runner-up spot at Spa (the race prior to Le Mans) and another 15 for leading the championship. In addition, the C8.R received 10 additional kilograms of pre-event weight from the series, making the Corvette 50 kilograms (110 pounds) heavier than how it began the season at Sebring.

The next round for Corvette Racing in the FIA WEC is the Six Hours of Fuji on Sunday, Sept. 10.

Photos: Richard Prince.

For more information about C8.R CORVETTE COPS CHAMPIONSHIP AT MONZA and Chevrolet Motorsports, please visit https://www.chevrolet.com/motorsports

CORVETTES IN COMPETITION

The evolution of racing America’s sports car showcased in CORVETTES IN COMPETITION at the Petersen Museum.

In the 1950s, sports cars were taking the nation by storm, and foreign manufacturers like MG, Ferrari, and Porsche were ruling the streets. But then, in 1953, Chevrolet unleashed a game-changer: the Corvette! Initially a head-turner, it needed a hero to match its looks with power. Enter Zora Arkus-Duntov, the Russian engineer who transformed the Corvette into a speed demon that could rival its European counterparts!

Racing its way from beaches to victory lanes, CORVETTES IN COMPETITION conquered hearts both on American soil and overseas, proudly representing the USA in major events. Today, with Corvette Racing leading the charge, this American legend continues to dominate the tracks, collecting victories at Le Mans and Daytona, and claiming multiple championships! America’s Sports Car has truly become America’s Race Car, a symbol of speed, heritage, and the pursuit of greatness!

Discover the icons of American racing history at the CORVETTES IN COMPETITION exhibit at the Petersen Museum, opening August 5^th. For more information, please visit https://www.petersen.org/corvette