New GM racing chief Klauser hits the ground winning at Daytona

Posted by Talbot Payne on January 27, 2021

Corvette Racing has a new boss.

General Motors Co. veteran Laura Wontrop Klauser has succeeded the legendary Doug Fehan, who left Corvette Racing at the end of 2020. Klauser assumed a new position as GM’s first Sports Car Racing Program Manager overseeing Corvette, Cadillac, and Camaro IMSA race programs. She has been involved with GM racing for the last five years.

Laura Klauser talks to the Cadillac racing team during a race weekend. She is the Sports Car Racing Program Manager overseeing Corvette, Cadillac, and Camaro IMSA race programs.

“It’s a huge honor to move into this role with Corvette Racing,” said Klauser. “It unquestionably is one of the premier programs in all of sports car endurance racing. This motorsports management restructure is a great opportunity to rethink how Chevrolet operates on IMSA weekends. My goal is to promote more synergy between our racing programs and funnel our technical learnings back to GM.”

Klauser’s first week on the job was a successful one as the Cadillac Dpi-V.R prototype won the Motul Pole Award 100 at Daytona International Speedway and the Corvette team placed 1-2 in the GTLM division. By winning the Motul 100, Caddy will be on the pole for next weekend’s Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, North America’s premier sports car endurance race. Cadillac is going for a 5th straight Daytona win.

Corvette is coming off a historic 2020 season in which its first mid-engine race car won in its inaugural campaign. It was a crowning achievement for Fehan’s 24-year career at Corvette Racing.

The #4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R driven by Tommy Milner, Nick Tandy and Alexander Sims finished first at the Roar Before the 24 Motul 100. The Motul 100 sets the grid for the Rolex 24 at Daytona January 30.>

“The team spent three years working double shifts — two jobs — to bring the C8.R to fruition,” Fehan said in an interview. “To come out the first year and win that championship it’s an outstanding achievement for that team, and I couldn’t be more proud of what they’ve done.”

Though his work at Corvette is done, Fehan won’t be going away quietly: “I’m not one to sit back and look out the window,” he laughed. “Racing is my passion and I plan to find a way to continue with that.”

Klauser, 34, takes the reins as GM continues its engineering-based approach to motorsports programs.

“Behind the scenes we try to take the lessons we learn on the race track and tie that back into production,” Klauser said in an interview. “In the case of the Cadillac (race car), we did a lot of aerodynamic trial and error. The CT5 and CT4 sedans took all of the learnings from the DPi program and brought that into production. It was a way to learn how to more efficiently bring air over the car which helps stability and better fuel efficiency.”

Laura Klauser (center, right) is GM's new Sports Car Racing Program Manager overseeing Corvette, Cadillac, and Camaro IMSA race programs.

A mechanical engineer with a masters in engineering, Klauser joined GM in 2008 and looks to expand the technical direction for Corvette Racing.

After working in GM production and the Cadillac ATS race program, Klauser helped launch the Cadillac DPi-V.R racer, which has been a consistent contender in the high-flying prototype category against other manufacturer entries including Mazda, Acura, and Nissan. Cadillac-supported teams have claimed two manufacturers championships, four Michelin Endurance Cup Championships and 18 race wins.Get the COVID-19 Update newsletter in your inbox.

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Since Fehan launched Corvette Racing in 1997, the program has compiled 14 IMSA team titles (including in 2020) and a record 100-plus wins.

In addition to her GM management roles, Klauser is the chair of the SAE Detroit Section Board and a familiar face to the Corvette customer and enthusiast community. She owns  a 2013 Corvette Grand Sport that she takes to track days.

“We are pleased to have someone as enthusiastic and experienced as Laura,” said Mark Stielow, Chevy Director of Motorsports Competition Engineering. “Corvette Racing and GM’s road-racing efforts will benefit from her engineering experience with both the Corvette and Cadillac production cars.”

Klauser & co. will field nine cars in three different classes at next weekend’s Daytona events. The Cadillac Dpi-V.R and Corvette C8.R will take the green flag at the Rolex 24 January 30-31.

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