Defending IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GT Le Mans class champions Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia had a race Sunday at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course that was reminiscent of their title year in 2017.

They were not first. They were not fastest. But the Corvette Racing drivers of the No. 3 Corvette C7.R maximized their result.

Whereas Magnussen and Garcia were disappointed with third at the Rolex 24 at Daytona citing a lack of pace, at Mid-Ohio, they were pleased with it because it was opportunistic.

Garcia made up a place on the opening lap to get around John Edwards’ No. 24 BMW M8 GTE for fourth, and trailed the second BMW for most of his stint. They fell to fifth in the second stint once Garcia handed off to Magnussen.

However, typically strong work from the Corvette Racing pit crew moved the No. 3 car back into podium contention. Magnussen enjoyed a spirited battle with Richard Westbrook and Joey Hand in the Nos. 67 and 66 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Ford GTs, before Westbrook ran off course when battling a Prototype.

It opened the door for Magnussen to capitalize and make it into third place.

This was a good result where their luck turned after back-to-back tough races in Sebring and Long Beach. While the No. 24 BMW took pole and the No. 911 Porsche 911 RSR led all the first stint, they finished further down the order.

Third place in #IMSAatMO #GTLM battle for @janmagnussen and @AntonioGarcia_3! Job well done… now on to #LeMans24! #Corvette #C7R #Z06 @TeamChevy pic.twitter.com/WjZmhJvUUy

— Corvette Racing (@CorvetteRacing) May 6, 2018

“We’ve been a little bit unlucky so it’s good to come back like this,” Magnussen said.

“One of the Fords, I think the No. 67, got in a bit of a fight with a Prototype. (They) ran him wide in Turn 1. That dropped him back. But that is so easy to do and get caught up in the other classes and fight.

“I am super happy for Corvette Racing – it is not a win, but we got everything we could this weekend, and maybe even a bit more. Super happy for all the guys. They did what they could in the pits, with another fantastic job.”

Teammates Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner were never able to get in a rhythm all weekend, qualifying and finishing eighth. The No. 4 Corvette C7.R needed a splash of fuel late for a third stop, ending all hopes of a good result.

Corvette Racing’s pair of drivers each have 111 points, and sit only 10 points behind the championship leaders.

The team is due to test at Road America in May for their annual pre-Le Mans test, before embarking on their 19th consecutive 24 Hours of Le Mans race in June. The team is in search of its ninth Le Mans win.