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Mobil 1 and GM Racing Aim for Record Breaking Corvette Run


WEBWIRE

ExxonMobil has announced the 11th year of its technical partnership with reigning American Le Mans Series champions General Motors Corvette Racing team and further support of GM’s Cadillac, Pontiac and Cobalt race teams.

The six-time ALMS championship winning Corvette team will continue to only use Mobil 1 lubricants in all engine and gearbox preparations, something it has chosen to do since the team’s formation in 1996. The Corvette team holds Mobil 1 products in such high regard it recommends them for use by other race teams who purchase Corvette Racing cars each season.

For the 2007 season, as part of a two-year deal, ExxonMobil will support official GM teams in the Sports Car Club of America Speed World Challenge; drift racing and NHRA championship. Cadillac Racing, Pontiac Solstice Racing and Cobalt Racing teams respectively will use Mobil 1 lubricants and fuels. Mobil 1 branding will appear on all race cars, drivers’ suits, support vehicles and in GM’s advertising and promotional material.

In just eight years, GM Corvette Racing has won the top GT class in the gruelling 24-hour Le Mans five times and recorded 51 race victories and six manufacturers’ championship victories in ALMS using the LS7.R Corvette engine filled with Mobil 1 lubricant.

Mobil 1 products were GM’s first-choice when the manufacturer began developing the racing Corvette in 1996 under the stewardship of Doug Fehan. Fehan, a former American racer turned program manager, has established himself as one of the most respected team principals in sports car racing. World Sports Car and Trans-Am titles were the forerunners to his current unrivalled winning streak with Corvette Racing. During the subsequent decade of development, the team has continued to use Mobil 1. Extensive engine testing and post-race analysis reveal minimal component wear, improved engine reliability and outright performance. “Ten years ago Mobil 1 was the best. To this day it continues to offer the best performance for our engines and gearboxes,” adds Fehan.

To get the race cars onto the winners’ podium as quickly as possible, the team chose components, manufacturers and suppliers with a known and envied track record, as Mike Atkins, Purchasing/Customer Service Manager for Pratt & Miller, explains, “Mobil 1 has always been highly regarded throughout GM by the GTO, Cadillac and GTS V8 race teams. We needed a lubricant that would not only maximize power and reliability of the Corvette’s road-orientated engine, but also provide a stable platform from which to develop its potential. Mobil 1 exceeded our requirements.”

“We’re delighted to continue and develop our technical motor sports partnership with GM through the Corvette Racing, Cadillac, Pontiac and Cobalt programs,” said Iain Stanley, ExxonMobil’s Global Motor Sports Manager. “Motorsports are the catalyst for developing Mobil 1 technology. The same lubricant which succeeds on the race circuit delivers the every-day driving benefits of reduced exhaust emissions, improved engine reliability and extended oil change intervals for every Corvette owner.”

Mobil 1 products are recommended by GM for use in all Corvette road cars. The latest Z06 model benefits from the technology developed in the C6.R race car.

Ever-rising performance levels and the need to comply with stringent emission controls, plus maximized intervals between oil changes specified by GM, ensure that the Mobil 1 poured into every Corvette at the factory is subject to similar extreme conditions as that of the race car.

No two drivers are the same. Different driving conditions and driving styles mean lubricants are subject to different loads and stresses. Sensors in the Corvette engine determine when oil requires changing. This period can vary in length, up to 20,000 miles, depending on how and where a car is driven. However the performance of Mobil 1 lubricants in racing conditions is a reassurance to GM engineers’ of Mobil 1 technology’s ability to cope with extended and variable driving requirements.



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