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FOR RELEASE: June 15, 2002 CONTACT(S):
Cadillac in Top Five; Corvettes Chase GTS Leader
LE MANS - Team Cadillac had more mixed fortunes in the second quarter of the 70th Le Mans 24 Hours, as the #6 Northstar LMP 02 made it to the top five overall, while the #7 car needed more attention from its pit crew. In GTS, both Corvettes keep running like clockwork. As the race fell into its nightly rhythm, the drivers of the #6 car continued to make up places at a blistering pace. Easily amongst the three or four fastest cars on the track, drivers Christophe Tinseau and Max Angelelli put in quadruple stints in a faultless running Cadillac. "These guys are ironmen," GM Racing Group Manager Gary Claudio said. On #7, Emmanuel Collard's chase was briefly stopped by a blown right rear tire, necessitating some major repairs. "The tire took off part of the rear body," GM Racing Chassis Engineer David Spitzer said. "Since it's easier and quicker to change the whole rear end, we decided to do that. We did that in some 10 minutes, but because the pace car was out and the field was running at a very slow pace, we mended a connector problem as well. All in all we lost just four laps on that car." Both the Corvettes meanwhile stuck to their pre-set race pace, keeping within a lap of the leading GTS car. "This is a very long race, and we know from experience that the best thing to do is to run at your own pace," Program Manager Doug Fehan said. "We're just at the halfway mark and anything can still happen." |