Corvette Racing Driver Profile: Oliver Gavin

Birthdate: Sept. 29, 1972
Birthplace: Huntington, England
Residence: Yardley Hastings, England
Family: Wife Helen, children Lily, Isaac, Fergus
Notable: Three-time ALMS GT1 champion, 28 career ALMS class victories, four class wins in 24 Hours of Le Mans
Web site: www.olivergavin.com

• 1991: British Formula First champion (11 wins), McLaren Autosport Young Driver of the Year Award
• 1992: British Formula Vauxhall Championship runner-up
• 1993: British Formula 3 Championship runner up
• 1995: British Formula 3 champion (6 wins)
• 1996: Competed in International Touring Car Championship (Opel)
• 1997: Competed in International Formula 3000 Championship
• 2000: Competed in Grand-Am Championship (Lola)
• 2001: One ALMS win (Saleen); two Grand-Am wins (Lola), won GTS pole at 24 Hours of Le Mans (Saleen)
• 2002: GTS winner in 24 hours of Le Mans, two ALMS wins with Corvette Racing (Sebring, Atlanta)
• 2003: Two ALMS wins with Corvette Racing (Atlanta, Trois-Rivieres), third in drivers championship
• 2004: GTS winner in 24 Hours of Le Mans, four ALMS wins (Lime Rock, Mosport, Elkhart Lake, Atlanta) with Corvette C5-R
• 2005: ALMS GT1 co-champion, six wins; GT1 winner, 24 Hours of Le Mans (Corvette C6.R)
• 2006: ALMS GT1 co-champion, five wins; GT1 winner, 24 Hours of Le Mans and Sebring 12-hour (Corvette C6.R)
• 2007: ALMS GT1 co-champion, nine wins (tied ALMS single-season record); GT1 winner at Sebring 12-hour and Petit Le Mans (Corvette C6.R); four poles and three fastest race laps

With his rich accent and polished manners, Oliver Gavin may seem the quintessential Englishman, but he has successfully adapted to racing in America. A native of Cambridgeshire, Gavin won multiple championships in British open-wheel formula cars before scoring his first victory with Corvette Racing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2002. He became a full-season Corvette driver in 2003, and won three consecutive American Le Mans Series GT1 drivers championships with Corvette Racing teammate Olivier Beretta in 2005-07. Gavin and Beretta tallied a record-tying nine victories en route to their championship in 2007.

Recognized as one of the world's best talents in sports car competition, Gavin has an impressive resume of victories and track records. He began his racing career in karting in the '80s, competing in British national series. In 1990, Gavin moved up to single-seaters and promptly won the British National Formula First Series in 1991, scoring 11 wins in 12 races. This remarkable season earned Gavin the prestigious McLaren Autosport Young Driver of the Year award. The following year he finished second in the British Formula Vauxhall Championship. In 1993, Gavin moved up to the highly regarded British Formula 3 Championship and finished as runner-up in the drivers championship.

In 1994, Gavin competed in the FIA International F3000 championship. Returning to British Formula 3 in 1995, he dominated the series with six victories and won the championship while also working as a test driver for the Pacific Formula 1 team. In the late '90s Gavin competed in the International Touring Car series as a factory Opel driver while also working as a Formula 1 test driver for Benetton and Renault (1997-2005) and driving the safety car during the Formula 1 season.

In 2002, Gavin was named as the third driver for Chevrolet's Corvette Racing program. Teamed with Ron Fellows and Johnny O'Connell, Gavin scored his first class win in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the trio swept all three endurance events in the GTS class (Sebring, Le Mans and Petit Le Mans). In 2003, Gavin was selected for a full season in the Corvette C5-R in the American Le Mans Series and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In addition to four record-setting pole positions, Gavin captured two GTS victories en route to finishing third in the drivers championship.

In 2004 Gavin posted his second class victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans with co-drivers Beretta and Jan Magnussen in the Corvette C5-R. The trio also won Petit Le Mans. Gavin and Beretta scored a total of four wins in the ALMS in 2004, and finished as runners-up in the championship to their Corvette teammates.

2005 was a championship season for Gavin, as he and Beretta shared the GT1 title with the new Corvette C6.R. The pair posted six victories in the 10-race ALMS series. Again teamed with Magnussen in endurance events, the trio won the GT1 class in the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the second straight year and repeated as winners of Petit Le Mans.

Gavin and Beretta repeated as GT1 co-champions in 2006, scoring a runner-up finish in the season finale at Laguna Seca to seal the title. The pair scored five victories in a season marked by frequent performance adjustments that affected the speed of their Corvette. Gavin captured his third straight GT1 Le Mans title and his first Sebring 12-hour victory with Beretta and Magnussen.

In 2007, Gavin and Beretta reeled off nine wins in 12 races to capture their third consecutive GT1 drivers championship. The pair won the GT1 class in the season-opening Sebring 12-hour endurance race for the second straight year and notched their third victory in the 1,000-mile Petit Le Mans, with Max Papis joining the driver roster for endurance races. The team's biggest disappointment came at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where a broken driveshaft sidelined their Corvette C6.R at the two-hour mark and ended their bid for a fourth consecutive class victory in the world's most famous sports car race. Gavin also drove a Corvette C6.R in selected FIA GT races with the French Luc Alphand Aventures team.

When not racing, Gavin competes in marathon, biathlon and triathlon events. He resides in Yardley Hastings, Northampton, with his wife, Helen, and children Lily, Isaac and Fergus.

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