Porsche 911 GT1 & Chevy Corvette C5-R Collision- Viva Las Vegas!

The C5-R Corvette team ventured to Las Vegas Motor Speedway November 5-7 for the final race of the American LeMans Series. This contest was initially slated to take place in San Diego on a temporary street course, but that plan fell through when the course could not be completed on time.

As in the penultimate race at Laguna Seca in October, the lone C5-R entry finished third in class behind two formidable Dodge Viper GTS-Rs, but ahead of the Porsches and a Saleen Mustang comprising the remainder of the GTS class field.

In a new plot twist however, a Porsche played as much a role in relegating the Corvette to third as did the Vipers. It's not that the Porsche was faster than the Corvette. In fact, it wasn't even in the same class. So how did it affect the Corvettes finishing position? Simple-it ran into the Corvette on the track.

The collision took place on turn 9 at 12:20 p.m., only 20 minutes into the battle. The #38 prototype class Porsche 911 GT1 EVO lost control going into the turn and headed right for the Corvette. There was nowhere for driver Ron Fellows to go and the Porsche hit the Corvette's right rear wheel, sending it into a spin.

"It hit me in the right rear suspension," said Fellows afterward. "We were able to continue but we lost about 30 seconds. At that point we were having to hang on, and it really hurt the car because we had to make an early pit stop for fresh tires."

The collision with the Porsche was especially traumatic because the C5-R had a good shot at winning the class or at least splitting the two-car factory Viper team.

When the green flag fell, the GTS pole-sitting #92 Viper, co-driven by Karl Wendlinger and Tommy Archer, took off like a rocket-but Fellows was right behind it. About half a second separated the two racers' qualifying times, but for the first 20 minutes of the race they were in a dead heat. Exiting turn #1 at the end of the long front straight it looked as though the nose of the Corvette was within inches of the Dodge's rear fascia.

Coming into the Las Vegas contest Viper driver Olivier Beretta had 130 points to Porsche driver Martin Snow's 116 points in the competition for the GTS class driver's championship. And behind Snow was Beretta's teammate Karl Wendlinger, with 111 points. In order to win the championship Beretta simply had to finish the race, creating a strong incentive for the Viper team to run a very conservative pace. But if that was their intention, the aggressiveness and close proximity of the Corvette altered it, even if only for a little while.

"We were able to run them hard as opposed to watching them run away," said Fellows afterward. We've made a lot of progress in the last couple of races and it was a lot of fun to be hanging in there for that long. After the Corvette's collision with the Porsche it had to pit to change tires. The time lost was quite costly, since the race was only two hours and 45 minutes long. In spite of the time lost in the pits, the C5-R managed to stay ahead of the many Porsches and Saleen Mustang in its class. The Vipers were another story. Unless ill fortune befell them there was no way for the Corvette to catch up.

Even if it was possible for the C5-R to move to within striking distance, a second stroke of bad luck put it even further behind. At 1:45 p.m. there was a collision between the #22 GT Porsche 911 RSR and the race-leading #2 prototype class Panoz LMP roadster. At the same time this accident was occurring, the #11 and #12 Ferrari 333 SP prototypes both spun in turn 1. The accident and spins brought out a full-course yellow flag. When the yellow flag is waved it's a good time to come into the pits because the field is moving at a reduced speed and passing is not permitted.

So when the yellow came out the Corvette and most of the other cars in the contest immediately pitted. There was, however, a rude surprise waiting for them when they went back out on the track. The pace car, which happened to be a beautifully attired C5, zoomed out when the yellow flag waved in order to lead the field until the green flag was again waved. But instead of positioning itself directly in front of the leading car as it was supposed to, the pace car moved in front of the wrong car. The race cars coming out of the pits, which are not allowed to pass the pace car, suddenly found themselves one full lap behind the four cars remaining on the lead lap.

Several teams, including the Corvette contingent, protested, but to no avail.

"'Tough luck' was their answer," said a disgusted Doug Fehan, C5-R team manager, after speaking with race officials.

Unfortunately for the Corvette, the class-leading Vipers found themselves in the right place at the right time and gained a full lap on the C5-R by virtue of pure dumb luck.

Characteristic of any top racing operation, the drivers and crew did not ruminate on their misfortunes, but forged ahead. After all, there was still considerable time left and anything could happen before it ended.

Well something did happen, but unfortunately it was, again, to the C5-R. Only a few minutes from the conclusion of the festivities Fellows got tangled up in traffic and kissed the wall. It was only a minor scrape but enough damage was done to necessitate an unscheduled pit stop. The right front bodywork was broken up a bit and rubbed the tire enough to gouge it.

Since both Vipers were already up a full lap, the delay this second collision induced was of no consequence as far as finishing position was concerned. It was nonetheless a frustrating finish to a frustrating day.

When the checkered flag waved at 2:45 p.m., a V-12 powered prototype class BMW screamed across the finish line for first overall honors, thus concluding the American LeMans Series' inaugural season.

It was a very exciting series, with top honors for drivers, manufacturers and teams decided in the final laps of this final race. The Panoz team won both manufacturer and team championships in the prototype class. In the GTS class the factory-supported Viper Team Oreca took home the team championship trophy, while Porsche garnered the manufacturer championship.

The C5-R Corvettes looked promising at the very beginning of the season and indeed acquitted themselves remarkably well when all things are considered. In spite of early teething problems that are more typical than atypical with a new program, they bested 90 percent of the field right out of the box. This was no small feat when you consider that Porsches comprised the majority of GTS competitors and that these technological marvels have the most enviable endurance road racing record in the history of motorsports.

With the benefit of hindsight it is clear that the Corvette team made a number of mistakes this year. But mistakes alone don't account for the results. The class-winning Vipers are, quite simply, a force to be reckoned with. They are both fast and reliable, the winning combination in racing.

But keep in mind that the Vipers didn't begin their journey to this championship season at the top of their game. They struggled along in the beginning and learned how to make an already good car even better.

Likewise, the C5-R Corvette has struggled this initial year, and like the Vipers they too have improved over time. Reliability problems ranging from broken rearends to leaking power steering racks and failed air cleaners plagued it early on. But with each successive race and between-race test session, the car was improved. It has gotten considerably more reliable, and quite a bit faster as well.

By mid-season the gap between the Corvettes and Vipers was closing discernibly. At the Las Vegas Motor Speedway it was almost negligible. When the green flag waved the lead Viper roared off as it characteristically did all season long. But unlike previous occasions, the Corvette remained stuck to it like the proverbial flies on you-know-what. Had bad luck befallen the Vipers instead of the Corvette, the outcome would have been reversed.

But in racing, as in life itself, luck is an inescapable ingredient in the soup. The best anyone can do is optimize the variables within their control and hope for the best with those that are out of their control. The Dodge team came to Las Vegas superbly prepared and lady luck was with them as well. In all fairness the Dodge Boys deserved to win the race and this years team championship.

Tomorrow, however, is another day. The Corvette team has worked hard all year and will continue to work hard into the future. Their goal, of course, is to maximize the car's potential, and they are well on their way to doing this. Because they began their long journey with the best production sports car on the planet they are, in my opinion, going to end with the best production based race car on the planet. The first year of the new millennium will be the year of the red Bow Tie!

Next Year's ScheduleThough the American LeMans Series schedule for the year 2000 has not been finalized as of this writing, it is certain to be expanded relative to '99. The Corvette team's schedule is also certain to be expanded. Three definite venues are the 24 Hours at Daytona in February, the 12 Hours at Sebring in March, and the famed 24 Hours at LeMans in June.

The LeMans contest is particularly noteworthy since it marks the first factory effort there in Corvette history. A number of private entries have competed in the legendary race at the historic Circuit of the Sarthe, the most successful being Briggs Cunningham's three-car effort back in 1960. The #3 Cunningham car, masterfully driven by John Fitch and Bob Grossman, won its class and finished a remarkable eighth overall behind a gaggle of Ferraris.

With a host of planned improvements ranging from more dynamic livery to dramatically improved performance, the 2000 season promises to be great for Corvette fans worldwide.