Having spent the last three seasons developing their racing machines, Chevron Cars Ltd took a significant step forwards last week when they announced that they had sold a 2014-spec GT3 to a customer in the USA.
Packing an impressive 680bhp, the car will see action in the GT-Unlimited class of the North America Road Racing Association (NARRA) GT Championship at the hands of 2013 NARRA GT1 champion Harry Blazer and US-based Briton Chris Hall, who has 35 years of motorsport experience behind him. Blazer owns Daytona-based race-prep company ‘Drive for Success’, and will also become the official distributor for Chevron Cars in North America.
“Even though it was wet, after one lap in the car I said ‘This is what a race car should be’,” said Blazer of his test at Donington Park. “Basically, I fell in love with the car after a lap. In the NARRA GTU class you need a lot of horsepower and torque to be a contender, especially against those 700 to 800 horsepower Vipers. The team at Chevron figured out what engine size was required to get the horsepower and torque I needed along with all the other components as well, so I could have great handling and braking to go along with great power. In my previous car in the GT1 class, I could do at least as well or better against the GTU cars in terms of the twisty parts, but on the straights I just couldn’t compete. Now I believe I can. This new Chevron, with its combination of tremendous power to weight ratio, and excellent handling, will make us a serious contender in NARRA GTU.
“My experience with Chevron has been excellent and I have confidence that our business relationship is going to be very gratifying for both parties. The Chevron represents exceptional value for performance. I think it will be very popular in the USA so I’m also looking at becoming the North American distributor for the brand.
“Andy Baynham (Chevron’s Chief Development Engineer) has tremendous talent and experience. He’s a straight talker and a pleasure to be around. He tells you exactly what’s going on with no sugar coating so you always know what’s real. David Witt, the owner, has been very generous with his time and his support. He is very patient, meticulous and totally committed to the business.”
“We are delighted to have built and tailored our most powerful car to date for Harry to race in the States,” said Witt. “Chevron Cars has been successful in the USA at events like Daytona and Sebring in the past, so aficionados know the name and reputation. Harry, Chris [pictured right] and ‘Drive for Success’ will be able to tap into Chevron’s wonderful heritage to help them sell the next generation of these famous cars in the USA.”
Explaining how quickly the bespoke cars could be available for US buyers, Blazer continued: “Right now we’re looking at an eight-week lead time, but potentially if the market looks like it’s going to be worthwhile, we could stock cars in the United States ready to be purchased. We could perform simple add-ons in the USA that people wanted, but the car needs to be manufactured in the Chevron plant in the UK. That is where the manufacturing expertise resides. We’re also looking into getting the Chevron homologated for certain race series in the USA.
“I’m looking at this as a partnership with Chevron UK. We’re going to be racing, we’re going be demonstrating, we’re going to be providing total support on and off the track. And hopefully we’re going to have lots of folks interesting in owning and running this exceptional car. It’s a very special car and a great performing car and we are looking forward to great success and many satisfied customers!”
