Corvette Selected as Featured Marque for 2002 Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races

MONTEREY, Calif., Jan. 10 -- When General Motors' chief stylist Harley Earl assigned Bob McLean to pen a new sports car to compete with the likes of Ferrari, Jaguar and Alfa Romeo in 1951, he had little clue these early efforts would begin turning the wheels toward creating one of America's most identifiable sports cars -- the Chevrolet Corvette.

To commemorate this American icon, the Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races, presented by Dodge, has selected Corvette as its honored marque for the 2002 races. The Monterey Historic will be held Aug. 16 - 18, 2002 at the challenging Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in picturesque Monterey, Calif.

According to Steven Earle, president of General Racing Ltd. and race organizer, the Corvette is an important part of not only motor racing, but American culture. ``The Corvette was popularized by two watershed events in 1960 -- the debut of the Route 66 television show and Briggs Cunningham's eighth place finish in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, although the Corvette's dream car design won people over long before that,'' Earle said.

Rick Baldick, brand manager of Corvette and Camaro, was pleased at the decision to honor Corvette and said he looks forward to returning to Monterey and being a part of next year's races.

``Corvette and the Monterey Historic are two great American brands,'' Baldick said. ``Together, we'll put on an event that will delight all those who love and recognize Corvette as America's sports car.''

The marque received its start under the code name ``Project Opel,'' which began with a sketch in 1951, followed by a fiberglass prototype shortly thereafter. The first public debut of Corvette, named after a swift naval vessel from World War II, came in 1953 at the New York Motorama inside the Waldorf Astoria. The sports car went on sale that September and carried a $3,513 sticker price.

It was two years later that Corvette's racing roots began to grow under the direction of Zora Arkus Duntov (1909 - 1996) who joined GM in 1953 and was instrumental in laying the groundwork for all Corvettes that have since followed. In its 1955 racing debut, Duntov disguised a 1956 small-block V8 pre-production prototype and raced it at the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, setting a new stock car record.

From there, Corvettes regularly showed America's colors as serious competitors at Daytona, Sebring, 24 Hours of Le Mans, Road America and countless other tracks worldwide in the hands of private customers.

``We're proud that the organizing committee has selected Corvette as the honored marque for the 2002 Monterey Historic Races,'' said Kurt Ritter, Chevrolet general manager. ``The event will be a significant focal point of our 50th model year anniversary celebration, and will be highlighted by prime examples covering five decades of Corvette heritage.''

Ritter added that Corvette has been America's favorite sports car for 49 years, with more than 1.2 million sales and counting. ``During that time, the Corvette has continually evolved and improved, always with an eye toward delivering the maximum amount of driving pleasure to those who value high performance,'' he said.

The Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races, now celebrating its 29th year, is a celebration of motor racing history, historic automobiles and the people who made them. Each year, more than 375 historic race and sports cars are entered in 14 race groups that span nearly every era of motorsports history, which attracts thousands of motoring and racing enthusiasts worldwide to what is considered to be the world's pre-eminent historic automobile races.

For additional information, visit www.montereyhistoric.com.