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WEATHERTECH SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP: ROLEX 24 AT DAYTONA

January 31, 2016

Daytona Beach, Florida

THE MODERATOR: We are joined by the winners in GT Le Mans, the drivers of the No. 4 Corvette C7R, Oliver Gavin, Marcel Fassler and Tommy Milner.
Oliver, I must say, that was some of the most intense racing we've ever seen here in the Rolex 24. It had to be really intense from the cockpit. What was your strategy going into the final 10 minutes of that race?
OLIVER GAVIN: Don't let him by. It was going to always be intense because we're teammates. The cars are very equal. I know Antonio really well. We run all the time together and we're good friends, and I've raced with him for many, many years. I know how smart he is in the car, and I knew he was going to be looking for a weak spot and he would just try and pounce at the right point. Just that one lap coming down into turn one and coming off the tri‑oval, and he got really good tow by me and he was by me, and he left his brake just a tiny bit too late as he went into turn one. He was almost on the lock stop sideways and he just lost the rear of the car. I managed to sneak back the inside, and he was really close as we came off the corner.
But we didn't touch. All I could think about was my boss, Doug Fehan and what he would say if we did touch. But, no, it was all good and clean.
Then on the last lap I was thinking I had just enough on him, but then he towed up behind me. It was like the line was just going away from me. I couldn't get to the line fast enough. I've just seen a picture of it, actually, and it was pretty close.
So, yeah, obviously thrilled, thrilled to get the victory. My first one here. Great to share it with these two guys, Tommy and Marcel drove brilliantly throughout the race. And it was an amazing effort by everybody at Corvette Racing, and I'm thrilled to be able to stand on the top step there and get an amazing victory here.
THE MODERATOR: Marcel, how nervous were you during those closing laps?
MARCEL FASSLER: I think I lost two of my years in my life. No, it was just thrilling. I could not see anymore to the TV. If I checked the watch, it was always the same time on it. It felt like it never stops. Yeah, it was just amazing to watch actually this nice battle. It was really great Motorsport what we could see, especially in between teammates. It was really great to see that.
Luckily Oliver did a good job out there and he brought us the win. It was really, really exciting. But it's not easy to watch as a teammate in the pit to see that it's going that close.
THE MODERATOR: Tommy, what was the difference in the Corvette today that made the Corvette the class in the field and the car to beat?
TOMMY MILNER: I think it was just our ability to drive the car at the limit every lap and do it comfortably and not sort of put ourselves in a position where we were fighting the car too much. I think we all had our gripes with the car in places, but the car was comfortable to drive the whole race. I mean, the guys worked super hard for us in the pits just making small tweaks however they could to make the car better.
At the end of the day, I know Oliver before he got in the car he was kind of humming and ho‑ing a little bit about getting in. He was a little bit tired and things like that. I didn't give him a pep talk so to speak, but I tried to cheer him up a little bit. And I know Fehan gave him a little bit of a pep talk, basically, and here he is now. Beating our teammates for giving us all heart attacks.
I think my dad, and my sister and my family were texting me saying, thanks, Oliver, for just about killing me (laughing).

Q. They made a big deal on TV that you guys were given clearance‑‑ the two Corvettes were given clearance to race each other at the end. Where does that come from? Who says go ahead and race each other?
OLIVER GAVIN: It comes from Doug Fehan, our boss, the program manager. As soon as Antonio had passed the Porsche, I asked my engineer, I said how's this going to work? And my engineer then said, okay, Doug Fehan has said that you can race and you're clear to race clean and fair, but don't touch one another and certainly don't take one another out.
So, yeah, it has happened. We've raced like this many years now, and I've already said that to race against Antonio is a pleasure. He's an amazing teammate. I knew I was going to have my work cut out to beat him, and I suppose that does make it a little bit sweeter for me that we've come away with the win.
So, yeah, it was all full clearance, the race. So that's always fun to see. And like Marcel says, it's what the fans want to see is great racing.

Q. Any surprise that the GTLM podium is filled with cars that have been here before that aren't necessarily new and you wouldn't expect to have teething problems?
MARCEL FASSLER: Yeah, I suppose so. It's always nice to come with a somewhat proven package. I think that was a confidence for everybody at Corvette Racing coming into the season that, yes, we've got a great base, with got a great car in the C7R. It was strong last year at this race. It was strong at le man last year. It was strong at Sebring.
We know that with our updates, aero updates that we were going to be strong. But the rest fundamentally was very much the same. Whereas a number of manufacturers have come in with some very different and unique cars. And there are going to be some teething problems, and they, I'm sure, will be extremely strong at different points in the season, and they will be a serious thorn in our side.
So, yeah, you can't rest on your laurels. Yes, we've won, but the work now is straight on to Sebring. We're testing there in about a week's time, so there's no sitting back and just resting on it. We're flat out with the testing still.

Q. Oliver, we saw during the last laps and GTDs that a lot of cars had fuel consumption problems and slowed down. Can you tell us about your fuel consumption? It seems you were pressing all the time and you had no problems at all on fuel consumption?
OLIVER GAVIN: You want to know about the fuel consumption of the car?

Q. Yes.
OLIVER GAVIN: I think we had stopped the last so we were good to go till the end. Didn't have a problem. Just the way that the strategy worked out for us, it was good. I think that the 3 car did have a problem with fuel pick‑up, so they weren't getting all the fuel out of their tank, and that's why they had to stop again. So that was unlucky for them, but somewhat a lucky break.

Q. Oliver, it seemed that the vibe on the grid pre‑race was really strong, and I assume some of that might be because there were a lot of new cars here. I'm curious, did having new cars here interest you at all just from a car perspective or is it just totally as a racer perspective wondering what they've got?
OLIVER GAVIN: I think it's fantastic for the series. I think it's fantastic for all of us. We, as a team, Corvette Racing have embraced the Ford coming into the series. It's a fantastic car. It's a proper effort. Their car was very fast today when we got out there on track against it, you could see it's still got great potential.
I think the GTLM class is amazing. It's a wonderful class to race in. All pro drivers, all pro teams, factory efforts. The cars look great. I think it's great to see how they've been developed aero‑wise. They're really sexy, and great for the fans to look at. They're aggressive. They're a lot of fun to drive now. They're really, I think it's a really great step forward. So, yeah, very happy.

Q. It is a great class. Congratulations Oliver and to the others. Ollie, could you talk from your perspective about the bump and run with the Porsche down in the west horseshoe towards the end?
OLIVER GAVIN: Yeah, so, Earl and I were racing hard, and there had been a couple of spots and times where I'd got on the brakes and Earl was able stop his car quicker than I was, and I just managed to miss him. But the one time into turn five I knew that we were quicker. Our car was better, and it was getting towards the end of the race. We know that it's going to be the gloves are off.
So I just left my braking a little bit too late. He opened the door just a tiny amount, so I just stuck my nose in. Yes, we had some contact and it nudged him wide. I was given a warning by the officials, and if he wanted to do the same back to me they wouldn't necessarily do anything about it.
I think it's all part of racing. When it's that close at the end of 24 Hour racing, you're racing for the Daytona 24 Hours. It's not just a club race, whatever. It's big international Sports Car Racing. There is an awful lot riding on it for everybody involved. Whether it's the team, the drivers, the manufacturers. The drivers end up getting a very nice Rolex watch, so that was foremost in my mind.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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