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[h=2]IMSA: Q&A with Corvette's engineering brain trust[/h] Thursday, 01 December 2016


RACER Staff / Images by Marshall Pruett, Corvette Racing

Corvette Racing had a dream season in IMSA's GT Le Mans category. The Michigan-based factory team swept 36 hours of combined endurance racing to open the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship by capturing the prized Rolex 24 at Daytona and Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.


Its Corvette C7.Rs went on a three-race tear as the No. 4 duo of Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner took back-to-back wins at Lime Rock and Road America, followed by the sister No. 3 entry driven by Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia completing the streak at VIR. By the end of the year, Gavin and Milner were crowned GTLM champions and Corvette took home the Manufacturers' crown.
Lead engineer Chuck Houghton and No. 4 engineer Brian Hoye, two of the team members who played vital roles in Corvette Racing's success, sat down for an in-depth look at how the year unfolded.


Q: What was the lasting moment of the 2016 season?
Chuck Houghton: "It's 50-50. The start of the season for me was pretty incredible. Before getting spun around from the lead at Long Beach, it was looking like we were going to have three wins to start the season, which doesn't happen very often. You're looking at a 24-hour race, a 12-hour race and then a 100-minute race. So how the season started kind of breathed new life into the No. 4 team. We had struggled to produce in the U.S. for a couple of years. So it was good to start the season with those wins and get back to how it should be.

"Definitely the Elkhart Lake race was one that I don't think anyone will forget. It was and still is pretty unbelievable."
Brian Hoye: "By far for me, the biggest one was the win at Road America. To go from fifth to first in two laps at a place where it's hard to pass is amazing. Obviously we were leading the points at that time and there was a ton of pressure to do better than fifth place, but that's what it seemed like we had for most of the day. We had a couple of late adjustments and some fortunate things happen in front of us. It's still hard to believe it turned out that way."
Q: Do you still go back and watch it?
Houghton: "Well, it's not the first thing I do when I get to the office every morning! But occasionally you'll see it pop up on Facebook or wherever. If I see a link to it, I'll usually click on it and watch the end again."
Hoye (pictured): "I saw it on TV the other day and I didn't think we were going to win! So many of us have been doing this for so long that our jobs are second-nature; you don't really realize your accomplishments until you sit down away from the racetrack when things are quiet. Then it really sinks in."
Q: What made the difference on the No. 4 Corvette side this year compared to past seasons?
Houghton: "I think it's more cyclical than anything. When I started with the team, both cars were kind of struggling. In 2010 we only won one race. The 2011 season was decent and 2012 was pretty good. The No. 3 car had some good races in those years but struggled for results. From 2013-15, they were pretty good while we were off for the most part. So these things just cycle up and down. I don't know if there is any explanation for it. But all the little changes and everything that happens within the team and the group of people makes a difference. People always asked when we weren't getting results what was wrong. You can't necessarily put your finger on it. Sometimes these things just happen."