Corvette Racing driver Oliver Gavin will have his hands full in 2012. Along with a complete American Le Mans Series schedule and occasional Aussie V8 races, Gavin will be joining Grand Am’s Spirit of Daytona Racing for the three-race Rolex Sports Car Series North American Endurance Championship, starting with the Grand Am Rolex 24 at Daytona on Jan. 28.
Gavin is no stranger to endurance racing; 2012 will be his 11th Rolex 24. The 39-year-old Briton has four Le Mans GT wins and three podiums, three ALMS championships, three class wins at the Sebring 12-Hours, and five class wins at Petit Le Mans.
Gavin will be teaming up with fellow Corvette Racing pilots Antonio Garcia and Richard Westbrook in the brand new Spirit of Daytona Corvette-Coyote Chevrolet. For the Rolex 24, the trio will be joined with a fourth Corvette racing veteran, Jan Magnussen, who has four Le Mans class wins, three Sebring wins, one Petit Le Mans win, an ALMS championship and eight Rolex 24s to his credit.
“I am really delighted to be part of Spirit of Daytona Racing, driving with Antonio and Richard in the new Corvette Daytona Prototype,” Gavin said on his website. “I think this is an extremely exciting time to be in Grand Am and driving a Corvette in that series.
“The car looks fantastic and a real race car; I am itching to get on the track with it and see what it can do. A huge amount of work has gone into putting this all together at Pratt & Miller and, having worked with them for the last 11 years, I know just what they are capable of. This will undoubtedly be another fine machine from them and it should allow us to really challenge for victories.”
The three-race North American Endurance Championship includes the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the Sahlen’s Six Hours at Watkins Glen, and a three-hour sprint race on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.
Gavin and his teammates will visit Daytona to test their new ride at the Roar Before The Rolex 24, Jan. 6–8. The 50th Anniversary Grand Am Rolex 24 at Daytona starts at 3:30 p.m. on Jan. 28.
