Racing Success!

The 2010 Camaro's First Two Pro Events

Go big or go home.

That was the feeling at Stevenson Motorsports when it began developing a road race program for the 2010 Camaro. Stevenson built four cars, two GS.Rs for the GS class in the Continental Tire Sportscar Challenge Series, and a pair of GT.R's for the GT class in the Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series. That was quantum leap from the single Pontiac GXP.R Stevenson ran in 2009.

Camaro has a rich history in road racing going back to brand's 1967 introduction, so, once the 2010 went on sale; it was inevitable it would be in road racing. First to appear were Stevenson's two GS.Rs. In the Florida 200, the Continental Challenge opener on the 29th of January, and a prelim for the Daytona 24-hours, Jeff Bucknum and Matt Bell, started last after forfeiting a 9th qualifying spot by flunking pre-race inspection. Bucknum/Bell surprised just about everyone by driving the #6 Sunoco Camaro past 39 of the 45 starters to a fifth place finish. The #9 Sunoco Camaro started 24th and finished 8th. A third GS.R, fielded by the Momentum Race Group. finished 10th.

The Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona is the first event on the international racing calendar and the most prestigious long-distance race in North America. In its 43rd running, the #57 Stevenson Auto Group/VinSolutions/Bryan Mark Financial Camaro started the race 27th but, by early evening, drivers Andrew Davis, Robin Liddell and Jan Magnussen had the GT class lead. They led the next 217 laps, the most of any GT class car. About 7 AM the second day, as Davis exited the "Bus Stop" chicane, he couldn't get fifth gear. A five-speed with no fifth is a significant handicap on a course like Daytona, so the team brought the car in to change the trans.

"This team and this crew have demonstrated time and again how hard they will work," Andrew Davis said about his wait in the pits. "I was amazed at how fast they changed the gearbox. Fans standing around the garage watching them work were applauding when they finished!"

After replacing the gearbox and going down a number of laps to the new leaders, Liddell, Davis and Magnussen were relentless in moving back towards the front. The battle-scarred, VinSolutions Camaro finished in fourth in GT.

Quick, efficient pit work is of utmost importance in endurance road racing. This was a night pit stop by the 57 crew. Later the next morning these guys really shinned when they had to change a transmission. Image: Stevenson Motorsports.

The other VinSolutions car, #97 driven by Gunter Schaldach, Mike Borkowski, Matt Bell and Brady Refenning, ran as high as fifth in GT. Later on Sunday morning, Borkowski lost it on cold tires and stuck the car in the Turn Five wall. After a visit to the pits to remove damaged bodywork and patch up what was left, the Schaldach/Borkowski/Bell/Reffnning Camaro re-entered the race and eventually finished 10th in GT.

Five weeks later, the Continental and Rolex cars ran again at Homestead in the Grand Prix of Miami and, once again, the  2010 Camaro did well. Davis and Liddell drove the 57-car to a 2nd-place, podium finish. After qualifying sixth, the VinSolutions Camaro ran a lot of the event in fourth, but near the end of the race passed a couple of Mazda RX-8s to finish runner-up behind another RX-8.

“The car felt good for qualifying." Andrew Davis said post-race, "I was able to run more than a second faster than last year’s time. Unfortunately, we had nothing for the top speed of the Mazdas and I found myself surrounded by them on the grid.  During the race, I was able to apply big pressure through the challenging infield section only to watch the lightweight Mazdas simply drive away on the straights. About half way through my stint, I realized tire management was going to be of utmost importance. So, my focus changed to conserving the rear tires to ensure that I brought the car back to the pits in good form."

There wasn't as much to celebrate about with the second Stevenson entry. The 97, with Gunter Schaldach and Jan Magnussen aboard, started the weekend on a sour note and wasn't very competitive. Suspension problems kept them off the pace with only a 15th place finish.

 As for the Continental Tire Series, while they did quite well at Daytona, the Sunoco Camaros had a tough go at Homestead. They finished 32nd and 35th after one car had power steering pump failure and the other had its concentric clutch slave cylinder go out. Nothing new, there. The team had eight clutch slaves failures so far this season.

 “All of the Camaros in (the Continental race) finished in the garage or at the end of the pack." Team Manager Mike Johnson said. "The No. 6 had a slave cylinder fail–the same problem we had when we first ran the car at VIR. I think Grand-Am has finally realized they were off the mark with the new Camaro. The weight we carry keeps the car 2-3 seconds off the pace, but until we are allowed some new driveline pieces, it won’t matter, anyway. We have put eight new slave cylinders in this year and Grand-Am has finally agreed to give us new parts by (the third event at) Barber (Motorsports Park). The problem, now, is developing them in time. GM Racing is hard at work, so I do have some confidence, but taking a blow this early in the season is not fun.”

The GS class basically showroom stock and the rules require the hydraulic clutch system to use stock parts. Hopefully, GM can develop a more robust clutch slave. That said, the Camaro, at this point, at least in its Rolex Sports Car GT-class iteration, clearly has an good start on the 2010 professional road race season. We're thinking Stevenson Racing's GT-class effort will get a race win soon.