The King Kong Of Corvettes
black mamba
Registered Users Posts: 8,323 Major grins
Several decades ago, the three major U.S. automakers " officially " withdrew from racing. It was largely recognized at that time as being, in essence, a PR move. " Safety " had become a key word in the car industry and the manufacturers were keenly aware that the specter of racing associated with themselves was contrary to the public image they were trying to project. In reality, their self-imposed ban on racing simply drove their continued participation in these activities to an " underground " status.
All of these manufacturers went about forming alliances with private research and development firms....companies that were very adept at formulating and maintaining racing programs. On a sometimes less than obvious basis, these manufacturers funneled the fruits of their own research, high-performance parts, and even copious sums of cash to these " clandestine " operations. It was kind of a joke that these sort of activities went on because all the serious players in the world of racing knew what was going on.
Chevrolet was no stranger to the game. Over the years they, like all other players, formed these close alliances with outside firms. One of those firms that had proven most capable was the firm Pratt & Miller. In the early 2000's, when Chevy wanted to make a real serious run at raising the Corvette to the top level of international racing, they turned to Pratt & Miller to spearhead the project.
The car you see here....a 2002 Corvette C5-R....is representative of the kind of domineering race car that was created. This very car was campaigned at the world's most grueling long-distance race...Le Mans....and won its class ( GTS ). It went on to win at Sebring. The ALMS series of racing was dominated by these type Corvettes.
All of these manufacturers went about forming alliances with private research and development firms....companies that were very adept at formulating and maintaining racing programs. On a sometimes less than obvious basis, these manufacturers funneled the fruits of their own research, high-performance parts, and even copious sums of cash to these " clandestine " operations. It was kind of a joke that these sort of activities went on because all the serious players in the world of racing knew what was going on.
Chevrolet was no stranger to the game. Over the years they, like all other players, formed these close alliances with outside firms. One of those firms that had proven most capable was the firm Pratt & Miller. In the early 2000's, when Chevy wanted to make a real serious run at raising the Corvette to the top level of international racing, they turned to Pratt & Miller to spearhead the project.
The car you see here....a 2002 Corvette C5-R....is representative of the kind of domineering race car that was created. This very car was campaigned at the world's most grueling long-distance race...Le Mans....and won its class ( GTS ). It went on to win at Sebring. The ALMS series of racing was dominated by these type Corvettes.
I always wanted to lie naked on a bearskin rug in front of a fireplace. Cracker Barrel didn't take kindly to it.
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A lover of all things photography.
Olympus E-500
My Smugmug Gallery
I'm with you, Natalie. I fell in love with 'Vettes the minute I saw my first one ( 1954 ), got completely captured by them when I bought my first one ( 1967 ), and continues to this day. It's about time they rolled out a new version....I'm anxious to see what they come up with.
Tom
Not allowed to enter Henry's alone anymore...
Kyle Derkachenko Photography
Thanks for looking in. You're right....Ron's name is on the top and it is, in fact, called a C5-R and not a CR-5. I appreciate you catching the error.
Tom
Jack
(My real name is John but Jack'll do)
Thanks for the kinds words. Jack.
Boy, you hit upon my greatest frustration in shooting these car shows. The crowds have always been an issue to deal with but lately it seems the problem has really mushroomed. This show in particular has grown in stature so much ( one of the top two in the country ) that it's attracting an unbelievable number of attendees.
It's not just people getting in the way of your shot....which is, of course, the single biggest issue. Compensating for the crowds often forces you to shoot a car from an angle far inferior to the angle you would prefer to use. In addition, you are frequently forced to shoot from a seriously disadvantaged position, relative to the sun, because that's the only shot you're going to get. Sometimes, I begin to feel that the car show gods are against me....then I stop for a cold beer on the way home and the world gets right once more.:D
Tom
Link to my Smugmug site