Hendrick Motorsports – Garage 56 concluded with satisfaction the tests carried out during last week in Daytona, where the Chevrolet Camaro NASCAR ZL1 covered for the first time a ‘night’ track in preparation for the 24h of Le Mans.
During the two days of testing, the three drivers we will see at the start of the fourth event of the FIA World Endurance Championship took turns at the wheel at the invitation of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest, namely Jimmie Johnson, Mike Rockenfeller and Jenson Button, supported by Jordan Taylor .
In addition to fitting the headlights for the first time, as we showed you previously, in the two days the Camaro put together 455 laps for a total of 2600km, even managing to complete 25-30 laps in a row in the scheduled 12-hour endurance test on the second day, lasting about 9h30′ without a hitch.
On the first day, however, the quartet of drivers dedicated themselves to modifications and work on the balance, also trying out the different compounds of Goodyear tyres, given that it was also the first real test entirely staged in dry conditions.
Furthermore, the team was able to fine-tune the pit-stop operations with driver change, which in the case of the NASCAR Camaro will take place by entering and exiting the window, supported by the personnel of Garage 56, operating on the car for the first time.
Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, Garage 56
Photo by: Garage 56
“Almost every test there is news about the car, so it’s fun, then it’s true that we’ve never raced with this vehicle before, but we have certain objectives: we want to finish the event and we don’t want to finish last “, Rockenfeller points out.
“With the group of drivers we have, there’s always a bit of competition between us and it’s fun. At least there, they try to push each other on. But honestly, I feel like we can struggle with some cars on the track. This is the anticipation and ultimately it’s about showing the car to the fans, to Europe in the biggest endurance race in the world. Being on track with a NASCAR is unique in itself.”
Johnson was also happy: “We’re all drivers and these practice sessions are an opportunity to make the car as strong and competitive as possible. It’s strange because we don’t have another car to race against, but we’re still developing ours.”
“It’s great to see the professionalism everyone is bringing in, the commitment and work ethic. All those things you normally do to win a race, we’re bringing into the Garage 56 program.”
Garage 56: Jimmie Johnson, Mike Rockenfeller, Jenson Button
Photo by: James Gilbert/Getty Images
Greg Ives, Garage 56 project manager, added: “Our ultimate goal is to put our drivers in the best possible condition to be successful, which is to be comfortable in the cockpit and the actual performance of the car.”
“This car is based on the current Gen-7 Cup. We are able to make some modifications and adjustments, but we still want to keep the looks, aesthetics and most of the components of the original one and also in the operations, such as the pit stop for example. These are all things that highlight the NASCAR DNA”.
The next outing on the track of the Chevrolet is expected at the end of the month with a test on the difficult track of Sebring.
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