June 30, Lexington, Ohio

Ron wins
GTS at Mid-Ohio ALMS

LEXINGTON, Ohio, June 30, 2002, - The opening stage of the American Le Mans Series at Mid-Ohio had all the makings of a knockdown, drag-out battle between Corvette, Saleen and Ferrari. For the first segment, it was Corvette, Corvette, Ferrari and Saleen running in a tight cluster. At approximately 20 minutes into the 2-hour 45-minute event, the Saleen fell out with a broken half shaft to return later down 23 laps. At the one-hour mark, the Corvettes, running 1-2 in GTS had a 30 second advantage over the Ferrari. From that point on it was a battle of traffic and heat for the Corvettes.

"There was a lot of traffic out there," said Ron Fellows in the No. 3 Corvette. "It was interesting. I'd catch little clumps of five or six cars and I tried to use them to my advantage. It was kinda fun actually." Johnny O'Connell relieved Fellows and finished up sixth overall and first in GTS.

The race wasn't totally trouble free for either Corvette. Ron Fellows, in the No. 3 Corvette had a Fuel Pressure light come on briefly but the backup system carried on flawlessly. Andy Pilgrim, in the No. 4 encountered an on-track incident with a back-marker quickly recovering to finish second in GTS and seventh overall.

"The traffic was difficult today," said Andy Pilgrim in the No. 4 Corvette. "One of the LMP cars, running about 20 laps down, just hit me and turned me around. I guess he just couldn't wait.

The Corvettes ran out the laps to finish sixth and seventh overall and first and second in GTS. For Fellows and O'Connell it was the third GTS win in the first three ALMS races of the year plus the GTS class win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The biggest battle today for all the competitors was the stifling heat and humidity with a number of drivers and crew members feeling the effects of 90+ degrees. Anticipating problems and proper preparation includes people was well as race cars. The excessive heat and humidity seen at Mid-Ohio is one of the reason the Corvette Racing team carries their own medical team, Trak-Med, consisting of a trauma physician, a surgical nurse and a physiotherapist at the longer races. The Trak-Med folks can keep an eye on the drivers and crew and monitor the effects of high heat and humidity and quickly treat any signs of overheating (people) including cold water and cold towels, replacement fluids and in extreme cases IV hydration.