Marcel Fässler: Happy ending with Corvette 🎥
PODIUM IN THE USA After bad luck in previous endurance races with Corvette Racing, Marcel Fässler stood on the podium again after two years at the "Petit Le Mans" in the USA. Corvette also captured the IMSA GT title. The ten-hour "Petit Le Mans" on the 4-kilometer hill-and-dale track at Road Atlanta in the U.S. state [...]
The ten-hour "Petit Le Mans" on the 4-kilometer hill-and-dale track at Road Atlanta in the US state of Georgia marked the conclusion of the American IMSA Sports Car Championship.
Marcel Fässler was on the grid for Corvette Racing for the fourth time this season, following the 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring in the spring and the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June. The professional driver from Schwyz was used as a jumping jack on both Corvette C7.R cars - and finally had reason to celebrate.
Close decision
Together with Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner, Fässler brought the #4 Corvette to the finish line in second position in the GTLM class, which was fiercely contested over the entire distance.
The gap to the winning Porsche 911 RSR of Pilet/Tandy/Makowiecki was just 11.44 seconds, the advantage over the third-placed BMW M8 GTE even only 3.8 seconds.
The second Corvette with the #3 with Antonio Garcia, Jan Magnussen and Fässler ran in eighth place after an accident by the Spaniard (spinning with cold tires). This was enough for Corvette Racing to secure the drivers' title in the GT championship with him and the Dane, and also first place in the team standings with the podium of the other Corvette.
Garcia accident shows this short video:
https://www.facebook.com/IMSA/videos/1137943579687044/
In the 20 years since Corvette Racing began, this is the 12th GT title for drivers and 13th for teams.
First podium in two years
After fourth place at Daytona and sixth at Sebring, the result at the "Petit Le Mans" was the Swiss driver's first sense of achievement on the North American continent in exactly two years.
Marcel Fässler: "The last time I was on a big podium here was in 2016 when I finished third with Corvette. It's nice that after this otherwise rather tough season it worked out as it should again. I thank the team for giving me this chance."
VLN start in the new Audi R8
For Fässler, the Petit Le Mans was not yet the last race of the year. At the VLN finale on Saturday, he will be driving a new Audi R8 LMS from Land Motorsport. However, for once Fässler is going into the race without any great ambitions.
Marcel Fässler: "Since the new Audi has not yet been homologated, we'll have to start from the very back of the grid and will receive a time penalty in the pits. Nevertheless, I'm looking forward to driving on the Nordschleife again a few months after the 24-hour race."
All prototype titles to Cadillac and its teams
Overall victory went to Renger van der Zande (NL), Jordan Taylor (USA) and Ryan Hunter-Reay (USA) in a Cadillac DPi from Wayne Taylor Racing. With a gap of 5.3 and 7.6 seconds, the two Mazda DPi from Mazda Team Joest took the places of honor.
The title in the top prototype class went to Action Express Racing with its Cadillac DPi. Its drivers Eric Curran and ex-Sauber F1 driver Felipe Nasr captured the drivers' title, while Cadillac won the manufacturers' classification.
