<< Prev Page 2 of 2 Ready at the start of the 1995 season, the Le Mans Corvette was given a proper warm-up by entering it in the Sebring 12 Hours. This was cheaper than renting a complete track for testing. It was entered for Bill Cooper, Scott Maxwell and Chris McDougall. Entered in the GTS-1 class, the new Corvette racer qualified 61st overall in the 64-strong grid, which underlined how early the car was still in its development. This also became evident in the race where the Corvette broke down on the bumpy track very early in the race.
Once repaired, it was shipped to France for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. McDougall was joined behind the wheel by John Paul Jr. and James Mero. Once again, the underfunded team struggled with the high strung engine proving to be the weak link. The team qualified dead last, setting a lap time over a minute slower than the fastest GT1 car. The Corvette was back in the pits early in the race as the team's second engine had now also broken down. The first engine was stripped for parts to rebuild the race engine. This allowed the Corvette to get out again and it trundled on until the rebuilt engine finally broke down again three hours before the finish.
Rippie achieved his goal of racing at Le Mans but he also learned the valuable lesson that bringing what was effectively a home-built special would no longer cut it in the ever more technologically advanced field. The unique Corvette ZR-1 Le Mans was not raced again and Doug Rippie went back to providing the Corvette community with go-fast parts, which he does to this very day. << Prev Page 2 of 2
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Ready at the start of the 1995 season, the Le Mans Corvette was given a proper warm-up by entering it in the Sebring 12 Hours. This was cheaper than renting a complete track for testing. It was entered for Bill Cooper, Scott Maxwell and Chris McDougall. Entered in the GTS-1 class, the new Corvette racer qualified 61st overall in the 64-strong grid, which underlined how early the car was still in its development. This also became evident in the race where the Corvette broke down on the bumpy track very early in the race.