Taylor: Sebring Was a “Wake-Up Call” for GTD-Spec Corvette

Photo: Rick Dole/IMSA

Jordan Taylor says last month’s Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring was a “wake-up call” for Corvette Racing in terms of learning “how far” the car setup was compared to the Chevrolet Corvette C8.R in GTLM specification, as the factory squad is still coming to grips with its car in GTD trim.

While having claimed GTD Pro class honors at Sebring, Taylor and season-long co-driver Antonio Garcia enter the first sprint race of the season this weekend at Long Beach, with the 100-minute contest set to provide another slate of new experiences for the car and team.

It comes amid a Balance of Performance adjustment to the Corvette that has added 10 kg of additional weight and seen a reduction in power in the range of 8 horsepower.

“There’s going to be a lot to learn about this car and tire at pretty much every track we go to,” Taylor said.

“We were shocked at how different things were at Sebring. It was a wake-up call to see how far the setups were from GTLM. Having seen success at Sebring gives us some promise that we know the right direction to take the Corvette. 

“It’ll be my first time racing there in a car with ABS, so that will be new in trying to understand how to maximize that in some of the bumpy brake zones and trusting it will be a big part.

“The GTD Pro class has been fun. GTLM was pretty small last year so it wasn’t huge fights. This year between Sebring and Daytona, it’s been fun to be back in a class full of cars.

“On starts and restarts, you’re in the middle of packs of guys racing and it’s really competitive. It’s nice to be back to old-school racing, and that’s what we usually get at Long Beach.”

Taylor said Corvette’s previous experience with ABS on a temporary circuit — during its non-points race at Detroit last year — will not likely have any benefits this weekend largely due to the difference in tires.

The Pratt & Miller-run team ran confidential Michelin tires on its Corvettes at Belle Isle, compared to the GTD class-wide customer S9M tires the team is still coming to grips with this year.

“The biggest difference also is that the tire is so different than what we ran in Detroit last year,” Taylor said. “The way the ABS interacts to the S9M tire compared to the confidential tire is much different in how you can attack the brakes.

“It was good to get a couple of miles under our belts at Detroit last year. We saw at Daytona and Sebring that we still have a lot to learn with that system.

“Sebring was probably good for us to get some experience on a bumpy track with that tire and ABS.

“I think we’ll still be figuring things out throughout the weekend at Long Beach. We made some good developments through the Sebring weekend to help the interaction but it will be an interesting weekend to stay on top of it.”

A total of six cars are entered in GTD Pro this weekend, representing six different manufacturers.

“We’ve seen it in Long Beach in years past – guys taking risks early on and it paying off in the end,” Taylor added.

“Historically it has worked, so the risk-reward is decent at a track like Long Beach, especially if you don’t have the fastest car.

“Like we said before, it’s so difficult to pass sometimes that it’s a good place to take that risk.

“I’m kind of new to the GT3 world; at Sebring I destroyed my tires in my first stint and felt like I was two seconds off the pace but was able to hold off the Lamborghini.

“I think ABS helps make that possible. Even if you are a little bit off the pace or struggling with tires, that tool kind of helps you in that situation as well. Maybe that risk is a little better in this class.”

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John