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Corvette Racing |
Corvette Racing Driver Profile: Jan Magnussen
Co-drivers: Antonio Garcia, Jordan Taylor (endurance races) Birthdate: July 4, 1973 Birthplace: Roskilde, Denmark Residence: Roskilde, Denmark Family: Wife Christina, sons Kevin and Luca, daughter Millie Notable: 2008 ALMS GT1 co-champion, four class wins in 24 Hours of Le Mans, 26 career ALMS wins, former Formula 1 driver, only driver to win a race in every season (13) of ALMS history, voted "Most Popular Driver" in 2011. Web site: www.janmagnussen.com
Career Highlights
Jan Magnussen is a sports superstar in his native Denmark after winning races and championships in machines ranging from single-seaters to touring cars. He is teamed with Antonio Garcia in the No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R in 2012, joined by Jordan Taylor for three endurance events (Sebring, Le Mans, Petit Le Mans). The Dane is the only ALMS driver to have won a race in every year since the series' inception in 1999. He joined Corvette Racing for long-distance events in 2004, and became a full-season driver in 2007. He was GT1 co-champion with Johnny O'Connell in 2008, and finished second in the GT championship in 2011 with teammate Oliver Gavin. He was voted the "Most Popular Driver" in 2011 by ALMS fans in online balloting. Magnussen played a key role in Corvette's championship seasons in 2004-07, teaming with Oliver Gavin and Olivier Beretta in endurance events for three consecutive seasons. The trio won the GT1 class in the 24 Hours of Le Mans three consecutive years in 2004-06, and won the Petit Le Mans in 2004-05. In 2007, Magnussen became a full-time driver for Corvette Racing and ran the entire ALMS schedule with Johnny O'Connell in the No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R, joined by Ron Fellows for long-distance events. O'Connell and Magnussen teamed up to win the 2008 ALMS GT1 driver championship, scoring eight wins in 11 races. Magnussen notched his fourth class win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2009, the last appearance by the Corvette C6.Rs in the GT1 class. He subsequently scored the first victory for the GT2 version of the Corvette C6.R at Mosport in August 2009 with co-driver O'Connell. One year later, he moved from the No. 3 Corvette C6.R to join Oliver Gavin in the No. 4 Corvette C6.R. That pairing, along with endurance driver Emmanuel Collard, scored a victory in the 1,000-mile Petit Le Mans, the 2010 ALMS season finale. Magnussen notched his 26th career ALMS victory in 2011 when he and Gavin won the Grand Prix of Mosport, extending his record of winning at least one ALMS event to 13 consecutive years. Gavin and Magnussen were runners-up in the GT driver championship after second-place finishes at Long Beach and Mid-Ohio, and a third-place finish in the inaugural Baltimore street race. Gavin, Magnussen, and third driver Richard Westbrook were leading the GTE Pro class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans at the 16-hour mark when the car was involved in an accident and subsequently retired. Starting his racing career in karts, Magnussen captured numerous national titles before winning the junior World Karting championship in 1987-89 and the Formula K world title in 1990. He began a successful stint in single-seaters, winning the prestigious Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch in 1992. In 1994, Magnussen captured 14 wins in 18 races for Paul Stewart Racing en route to winning the British Formula 3 championship, beating Ayrton Senna's record for most wins in one season. He also served as a Formula 1 test driver for McLaren before competing in the DTM and ITC touring car championships in 1995-96, finishing second in ITC in 1995. In 1997, Magnussen joined Formula 1 full-time with the Stewart Grand Prix team, highlighted by a career-best sixth place in Montreal in 1998. Magnussen joined the Panoz factory sports car effort in 1999. He captured six wins in the American-built prototype and established himself as a star in the nascent American Le Mans Series. In 2004, GM Racing selected Magnussen to join the Corvette Racing program as a third driver for endurance events, teamed with Gavin and Beretta in the No. 4 Compuware Corvette C6.R. He became a full-time driver for Corvette Racing in 2007 alongside Johnny O'Connell in the No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R, scoring three wins, four poles and six fastest race laps. Magnussen also has competed in selected Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series races in a Pontiac-powered Daytona Prototype and Pontiac GXP.Rs and Camaros in the GT division. He also competes in the Danish Touring Car series, and won the championship in 2008. This versatile driver is the only racer who has won ALMS races driving three different marques - Corvette, Ferrari and Panoz. A fan favorite, Magnussen won the "Most Popular Driver" award in 2001, 2003, and 2011. His son, Kevin, is an aspiring race car driver who is following in his father's footsteps with impressive results in European open-wheel competition. |
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Drives: No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R