We love rooting for the LS powered late models that run in Grand Am, like the Whelen Motorsports/Team Fox #31 Corvette C6. However, it’s been a tough couple of weeks for the #31 Corvette in the Grand Am Rolex series GT Class. Relatively mild, but nonetheless debilitating mechanical problems have plagued the C6, and the team has failed to finish the last two races in a row.
Two weeks ago at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the #31 Corvette started out strong but developed a problem with the brakes that put it in the garage for the majority of the night. The issue was eventually resolved and the car headed back out in the early morning hours, but the Corvette’s problems weren’t quite over. The team had lowered the Corvette a great deal to help with traction issues only to find that the bottom of the car was now dragging on the banked sections of the track. Eventually the dragging created a hole in the fuel tank that spelled the end of the race for the Whelen/Team Fox C6.
In spite of their tough break at Daytona, Eric Curran and the rest of his crew were looking forward to their next chance to shine at the Grand Am of The Americas held at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas this past weekend. During the race Curran managed to take the #31 Corvette all the way to the front of the pack and battled the #63 Ferrari for first place. Curran stayed there until lap 31, when bad luck struck yet again. This time it came in the form of a broken front right tie rod end.
“We had a really silly thing go wrong, with a broken tie rod, which took us out of contention for a potential win,” says Curran on his website. “The FIA inner curbing at this track really put a beating on the suspension. It’s disappointing, but we still showed a lot of speed and consistency today at COTA. The #31 Corvette displayed that it can run with the best of the best in GRAND-AM Road Racing.”
The Whelen Motorsports/Team Fox Corvette will next hit the track on April 3rd at Barber Motorsports Park for the Porsche 250, where we hope they will get a chance to really show what their car is capable of.