Stingray-based spec-racing series launches with 15-race season
Spring Mountain Motor Resort & Country Club announced a new spec-racing series based around the award-winning 7th generation Corvette. The Michelin Corvette Challenge race series kicks off its inaugural season, February 20th, 2016 at the Spring Mountain facility, near Las Vegas.
Composed of identically prepared, track-ready Corvette Stingray models, the series will feature 15 races over 8 weekends, utilizing multiple configurations of Spring Mountain’s 6.1-mile racetrack. With a unique season-long payment plan, competitors will simply arrive and drive for each event and take delivery of their Corvette Stingray following the season finale on December 10th, 2016.
The Ron Fellows Performance Driving School, based at Spring Mountain, will serve as the technical race partner for the series.
“The Corvette Stingray is one of the most track-capable production cars available and our enhancements simply augment the production specs to help ensure durability for a dedicated racing life,” said Ron Fellows. “With the cars mechanically on equal footing, driver skill will be the determining factor in the rankings, which should make it a very exciting series.”
The Ron Fellows Performance Driving School collaborated with Chevrolet and Michelin to develop the series, as well as the package of performance and safety equipment required for each participating race car.
Many of the performance components are derived from a new portfolio of Corvette Z06-based parts from Chevrolet. They’re designed to enhance the handling, braking, cooling and downforce performance of the Stingray. Chevrolet showed a Corvette Stingray Z51-based concept race car featuring the new Z06-based parts at today’s announcement. It is on display this week at the SEMA Show, in Las Vegas.
Additionally, all of the cars will run on Michelin racing slick tires in dry conditions or Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires in wet conditions. Michelin tires are the exclusive choice on all Corvette Stingray and Z06 production models. Michelin also is a longtime partner of the Corvette Racing team, which in 2015 won the Triple Crown of endurance racing including the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring and the Le Mans 24 Hour race.
“Corvette owners have been competing in showroom-stock-type racing for six decades and the new Michelin Corvette Challenge extends that legacy,” said Harlan Charles, Corvette marketing manager. “With Michelin’s support and the direction from Ron Fellows and his team, the series offers Corvette racers a unique competition experience all their own.”
Below is the schedule for the 2016 series, with each race weekend featuring a pair of 30-minute races on the challenging Spring Mountain circuit:
• February 20/21
• March 19/20
• April 16/17
• May 21/22
• Sept 17/18
• October 15/16
• November 19/20
• December 10 (followed by awards banquet).
More information on the racing series is available at:
FAST FACT: The concept for the new Michelin Corvette Challenge Series is similar to the original Corvette Challenge series that ran 1988-89 and featured production-based C4 Corvette race cars.
