Birmingham: Stevenson Motorsports preview

Stevenson Corvette Returns To The GT Battle At Barber

After a short break from on track racing activity -- but no time off from the all-consuming activity of preparing for a race -- the #57 Stevenson Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette is ready to return to action in the Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series Presented by Crown Royal Reserve. The series heads to Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama this weekend for round 12 of what has become the most competitive sportscar series in the Western Hemisphere.

The Stevenson Corvette competes in the GT class of the series, running against such historically successful marques as Porsche and BMW. With world-class competition to do battle against, the #57 Corvette, driven by Vic Rice and Tommy Riggins, expects to demonstrate that an equally prestigious American marque can more than hold its own against the best Europe has to offer.

The Stevenson Motorsports team sat out the Mid Ohio round to work on further development of the Chevrolet Corvette. The effort paid off as the #57 car nearly landed on the podium at Daytona in the very next race, the Brumos Porsche 250, held on June 29. If not for a late stop for a splash of gas --required because fuel mileage for a fresh engine had not been calculated due to the cancellation of race practice time - the car was headed for a solid second place finish.

Going into this weekend the team feels they have all the information they need to lay down a fast path to the podium on the 2.3 mile Barber circuit. Team owner John Stevenson relishes the opportunity to put his car on a track that rewards high-torque performance automobiles.

Team Engineer and Strategist Ron Ogletree spoke for both Stevenson and the rest of the team when he said: "We are looking forward to advancing the ongoing development of the car and team, to strive for the goal of a win and our first appearance on the podium."

Prior to this weekend's race at Barber Motorsports Park, the Stevenson Motorsports Corvette had entered 11 of the 13 events held to date on the Grand Am GT calendar this season, with a best placing of fourth at the Lime Rock round, and that incredible just-missed podium run at the Brumos 250. As of today, the team holds down 11th place overall in the Team Standings - putting them ahead of 30 other GT teams -- despite having to miss two races.

This is the first season for this team and this car, and to date they have shown themselves to be top line competitors in a top line series. For 2006, the team's goal is to continue to build a strong foundation on which to enter the 2007 season, putting them in a strong position to challenge for the season championship. After the outstanding performance shown in the Brumos 250 at Daytona, the foundation seems to be getting more solid every day.

-sm