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CORVETTE RACING AT IMOLA: TF Sport Aiming High [by cor123]

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 22:33:35 +0000

Road Racing and Autocrossing:: CORVETTE RACING AT IMOLA: TF Sport Aiming High

CORVETTE RACING AT IMOLA: TF Sport Aiming High

Pair of Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs complete Prologue testing ahead of WEC opener

IMOLA, Italy (April 14, 2026) – TF Sport and its two Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs are set for the official opening of this year’s FIA World Endurance Championship following two sessions and nine hours of testing Tuesday at the Imola Circuit in the heart of Italy.

The goal was for the team and its set of six drivers to put the two Corvette GT3 racecars through their paces ahead of Sunday’s Six Hours of Imola and first round of the championship.

The two Corvettes combined to complete 302 laps for 921.10 miles around the 3.05-mile, 20-turn circuit nestled in the northern and central region of Italy. Mixed conditions with alternating dry- and wet-weather running was the order of the day with rain falling during most of the second session.

At the end of the day, Corvette Racing factory driver Charlie Eastwood was the quickest of the TF Sport drivers across the two sessions with a lap of 1:42.826 (106.814 mph) in the No. 34 Corvette during the afternoon session, good enough for fourth-fastest on the day.

He will drive the full season with Salih Yoluc and team newcomer Peter Dempsey in the Corvette running under the banner of Racing Team Turkey by TF.

TF teammate Jonny Edgar wasn’t far behind with a lap of 1:42.876 (106.752 mph) in the No. 33 Corvette that he will share with Corvette factory driver Nicky Catsburg and Blake McDonald, who is filling in for the injured Ben Keating.

This will be the third WEC race at Imola for the Corvette Z06 GT3.R with a best showing of sixth a year ago. TF Sport and Corvette did, however, win the four-hour Imola round of the 2025 European Le Mans Series on their way to the LMGT3 Drivers and Teams titles.

The 2026 season is the fifth for Corvette Racing in the WEC. In that span, Corvettes have captured six victories plus the 2023 GTE Am championships. Two of those victories came via TF Sport in 2025 – one for each of its two entries – with the team looking for new heights in its third season as a Corvette Z06 GT3.R team.

Tuesday’s Prologue was a condensed version of the originally scheduled two-day test a month ago at Qatar. It moved to Imola with the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

The Six Hours of Imola and opening round of the FIA World Endurance Championship is set for 7 a.m. ET / 1 p.m. CET on Sunday, April 19. Live streaming coverage plus timing and scoring is available through a subscription on FIA WEC Plus with additional live streaming on the HBO Max app in the U.S.

CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R POST-PROLOGUE DRIVER QUOTES

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "Honestly today went really good. Not many issues with the car, and we got more dry running than we expected. We were always kind of in the top-five, I would say. It's nice working with Jonny, and I feel Blake has settled in really quick. So it's been a positive day. There is a nice mood in the team and so far so good. It's great for me to be back in WEC. The paddock is awesome and this track is really nice. I've missed driving here because it's been a long time for me. But everything feels really good and it's really nice to be back."

CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 34 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "A good first day in WEC ahead of the first round. We thought it was going to be wet the whole day and pretty pointless. But we ended with mixed conditions and got plenty of dry running both in the morning and afternoon. Everyone on the team is up to speed. We look very competitive at this point so hopefully it stays that way."

PETER DEMPSEY, NO. 34 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "It was a good first day. This was my first time here driving the Corvette at Imola. Obviously I had to learn the track but got to drive in the wet, the damp and the dry! So I got every bit of experience needed to be as well-prepared as possible heading into the race weekend. I'm looking forward to Friday and FP1."

CORVETTE RACING AT IMOLA & LONG BEACH: By the Numbers

• 1: As in one manufacturer and one model of car for the 19th year at Long Beach: Chevrolet and the Corvette

• 3: Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs in competition at Long Beach this weekend – No. 13 of 13 Autosport, No. 36 of DXDT Racing and No. 81 of DragonSpeed

• 5: Number of Corvettes competing this weekend around the world – the three at Long Beach and two in the FIA World Endurance Championship’s Six Hours of Imola run by TF Sport

• 8: Number of Long Beach victories for the Corvette Racing program

• 10: Number of Long Beach sports car victories for Chevrolet. Throw in 12 IndyCar wins, and Chevrolet has claimed 22 victories in the event’s two premier races

• 15: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001

• 17: Wins in 2025 for the Corvette Z06 GT3.R across six different series. Three came via TF Sport across the FIA WEC and ELMS

• 33: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte Motor Speedway, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Chang International Circuit (Thailand), Daytona, Detroit, Fuji, Houston, Imola, Indianapolis, Laguna Seca, Le Mans, Lime Rock, Long Beach, Lusail International Circuit (Qatar), Sepang International Circuit (Malaysia), Miami, Mid-Ohio, Monza, Portimão, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen

• 40: Number of drivers to win races in Corvette Racing entries since 1999. The latest to join the list was Tom Van Rompuy at Fuji in September for TF Sport

• 73: Years since Corvette was introduced to the world on Jan. 17, 1953 in New York City. A total of 300 cars were produced that year

• 84: Number of drivers in Corvette Racing entries since 1999. Steller Motorsport’s Dennis Lind, Lorenzo Fluxa Cross and Antonie Doquin joined the list at Paul Ricard in GT World Challenge Europe. TF Sport’s Peter Dempsey will make his first start in a Corvette at Imola

• 154: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing starting the 2026 season – 118 in IMSA, nine at Le Mans, five in the FIA WEC, 13 in GT World Challenge America, three in GT World Challenge Asia and GT America and two in the European Le Mans Series

• 368: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999

• 4,630.68: Number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing in its 17 previous trips to Long Beach. That represents 2,353 laps around the 1.968-mile street circuit… or 272.39 miles per year

• 487,110.42: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing since its inception. The program should surpass the half-million mile mark midway through this season

Corvette Racing at Imola

2024 – No. 81 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Charlie Eastwood/Rui Andrade/Tom Van Rompuy – 7th in LMGT3

No. 82 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Dani Juncadella/Sebastien Baud/Hiroshi Koizumi – 8th in LMGT3

2025 – No. 33 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Dani Juncadella/Jonny Edgar/Ben Keating – 7th in LMGT3

No. 81 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Charlie Eastwood/Rui Andrade/Tom Van Rompuy – 6th in LMGT3

Ryan Smith

CORVETTE RACING AT LONG BEACH: Short and Sweet [by cor123]

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 20:46:08 +0000

Road Racing and Autocrossing:: CORVETTE RACING AT LONG BEACH: Short and Sweet

Press Release:

CORVETTE RACING AT LONG BEACH: Short and Sweet

Corvette Z06 GT3.R GTD teams get the spotlight in season’s first street race

DETROIT (April 13, 2026) – Corvette Racing’s three Corvette Z06 GT3.R GTD teams are swapping coasts this weekend as the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship moves to California for two upcoming rounds.

First up is the 100-minute Grand Prix of Long Beach with the three Corvette GTD teams looking to make their marks at one of the world’s premier street race events. Both 13 Autosport and DXDT Racing are returning to the 1.968-mile, 11-turn Long Beach street course while DragonSpeed will race there for the first time in its No. 81 Corvette.

Chevrolet and the Corvette brand have been a fixture at Long Beach since the Corvette Racing program first visited Long Beach in 2007.

In 18 visits, Corvette GT cars have captured eight victories with two additional in the Corvette Daytona Prototype era. Combined with results from the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, Chevrolet boasts a total of 22 victories in the Grand Prix’s two premier events.

For the second season in row, the Bell/Fidani pairing is coming off a strong start to the season and stands fifth in the GTD Drivers Championship after the Florida swing. Although the team name changed at the start of the year, the No. 13 Corvette contending for race wins and podiums at Daytona and Sebring did not.

Being near the top of the GTD field in the first two rounds has helped Fidani again lead the Bob Akin standings, which goes to the highest-finishing, Bronze-rated driver at each race. As two-time and defending Akin Award winner from 2024 and 2025, he and the team are prepping for its second appearance at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the background of the IMSA season.

Bell and Fidani placed sixth in GTD two years ago and were in position to contend for the top-five again until Fidani was pushed wide and into one of the tire barriers around the circuit; he and Bell eventually finished 13th.

No. 36 DXDT Racing Corvette: Robert Wickens/Mason Filippi

Long Beach marks the return of Robert Wickens to racing as he embarks on his second sprint-race campaign with DXDT Racing. Last year’s Grand Prix was his first in the No. 36 Corvette equipped with hand controls and an electronic braking system from Bosch, key advancements for a driver who lost the use of his legs in an open-wheel crash in 2018.

After driving with Corvette Racing factory driver Tommy Milner a year ago, Wickens will drive this year with DXDT full-season pilot Mason Filippi. The two have been teammates in IMSA’s Michelin Pilot Challenge in the past but will drive the Corvette together for the first time this weekend in Filippi's Long Beach debut. The DXDT team was in contention for GTD victories late at both Daytona and Sebring to open the season.

No. 81 DragonSpeed Corvette: Giacomo Altoé/Henrik Hedman

Despite being punted in both of its first two races as part of the Corvette GTD lineup, DragonSpeed is making progress in its first season with the No. 81 Z06 GT3.R. The team is coming off a hard-luck Sebring 12 Hours when Hedman was pushed off the track and went hard into a tire wall early in the race. Despite the setback, the DragonSpeed crew returned to the race and logged important laps that it hopes will make a difference later in the year.

Altoé and Hedman each will race at Long Beach for the first time. Like Fidani in the 13 Autosport Corvette, Hedman is chasing the Bob Akin Award and an entry to Le Mans for 2027. He stands sixth in standings and 140 points behind Fidani going into Long Beach.

The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach is set for 1:05 p.m. PT on Saturday, April 18 from the Long Beach street circuit in southern California. It will air live on NBC starting at 4 p.m. ET with streaming coverage on Peacock. IMSA Radio will stream live audio coverage on XM 206, Channel 996 on the SiriusXM app and IMSA.com.

CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R DRIVER QUOTES

MATT BELL, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "Long Beach is one of my favorite events in racing now. Doing this race over the last two years has been really enjoyable in the Corvette Z06 GT3 R. Last year we were competitive but unfortunately Orey was taken out early in the race which compromised our result. We’ll aim for a clean race this year and see what we can do. Awesome car, awesome track, awesome event, can’t wait!

"With these first four races, you see what makes the IMSA great and why so many drivers enjoy being here. You start with two long-distance, but vastly different tracks in Daytona and Sebring, now to a 100-minute street event at Long Beach and then a sprint race at a place like Laguna Seca. All four tracks and events test the teams, the cars and us as drivers. You don't get this variety really anywhere else in the world. It's great fun and why and I enjoy being back here year after year."

OREY FIDANI, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “We’re feeling really good coming into Long Beach. We’ve had two really strong results in the opening endurance rounds, and we’re confident we can carry that over into the upcoming sprint races. The Bob Akin award is always ultimately our main focus heading into each race, and to be leading in those standings early into the season is a great reflection of the way our team has been executing so well. Long Beach will be no different even though it’s a change of pace. We know what we’re setting out to do, and I’m really looking forward to our time on the West Coast.”

ROBERT WICKENS, NO. 36 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Even though I wasn’t in Daytona and Sebring, I was still in constant dialogue with the team manager, Bryan Sellers, with pretty much all of the DXDT endurance drivers. So even though yeah I wasn’t driving the car, I am well aware of where the team’s at currently, where the strengths are, where we need to work. I think that the best way to prepare is just through good communication. I am probably going to find time here in my private life to try to do a little bit of iRacing to remind myself what Long Beach is like in a Corvette. But apart from that, it’s just a lot of watching onboard videos and stuff from 2025 when I did the race. So little refreshers on that, little laps of data to understand your gears and stuff, minimum speeds for each corner. And it’s pretty much all you can do.”

MASON FILIPPI, NO. 36 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I am extremely excited for Long Beach as it is a new track for me. I spent a few days in the shop prepping with (DXDT program manager) Bryan Sellers who has had great deal success around Long Beach, as well as on the sim with Robbie. Robbie and I have been good friends for a long time, and there’s a huge synergy between us. It will be fantastic to be back in the car with him. The last time we were together was at the Nurburgring 24 which was awesome to finish on the podium after 24 hours. Every lap in the car is a moment to learn the extremely good Corvette platform. Sebring was great and I know that DXDT Racing has what it takes to fight for the win every single week.”

HENRIK HEDMAN, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "We are really excited to be heading to Long Beach for the first time. It’s such an iconic venue, with a unique atmosphere and a challenging street circuit that demands precision and confidence. As a driver, these are the kind of tracks you always look forward to discovering, and I’m fully motivated to get up to speed quickly and make the most of the weekend.

"The start of the season has been frustrating, with a series of unfortunate incidents that were unfortunately out of our control. However, we’re staying focused and positive. The pace is there, and we know the potential of both the car and the team.

"We’re working with a strong and committed group of people, and there’s a real sense of determination to turn things around. Hopefully Long Beach will be the right place to build momentum, and kickstart a more positive run of results."

2026 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Points

GTD Drivers Standings

1. Dudu Barichello/Tom Gamble/Zacharie Robichon – 690

2. Lilou Wadoux Ducellier/Simon Mann//Antonio Fuoco – 661

3. James Roe/Lin Hodenius/Scott Andrews – 581

4. Spencer Pumpelly – 564

5. Matt Bell/Orey Fidani/Lars Kern – 559

14. Charlie Eastwood/Salih Yoluc/Mason Filippi – 409

18. Giacomo Altoé/Henrik Hedman/Casper Stevenson – 347

GTD Teams Standings

1. No. 27 Heart of Racing – 690

2. No. 21 AF Corse USA – 661

3. No. 80 Lone Star Racing – 581

4. No. 13 13 Autosport – 559

5. No. 57 Winward Racing – 544

13. No. 36 DXDT Racing – 409

16. No. 81 DragonSpeed – 347

GTD Manufacturers Standings

1. Aston Martin – 710

2. Mercedes-AMG – 694

3. Ferrari – 684

4. Chevrolet – 602

5. Porsche – 580

CORVETTE RACING AT LONG BEACH & IMOLA: By the Numbers

• 1: As in one manufacturer and one model of car for the 19th year at Long Beach: Chevrolet and the Corvette

• 3: Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs in competition at Long Beach this weekend – No. 13 of 13 Autosport, No. 36 of DXDT Racing and No. 81 of DragonSpeed

• 5: Number of Corvettes competing this weekend around the world – the three at Long Beach and two in the FIA World Endurance Championship’s Six Hours of Imola run by TF Sport

• 8: Number of Long Beach victories for the Corvette Racing program

• 10: Number of Long Beach sports car victories for Chevrolet. Throw in 12 IndyCar wins, and Chevrolet has claimed 22 victories in the event’s two premier races

• 15: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001

• 17: Wins in 2025 for the Corvette Z06 GT3.R across six different series. Three came via TF Sport across the FIA WEC and ELMS

• 33: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte Motor Speedway, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Chang International Circuit (Thailand), Daytona, Detroit, Fuji, Houston, Imola, Indianapolis, Laguna Seca, Le Mans, Lime Rock, Long Beach, Lusail International Circuit (Qatar), Sepang International Circuit (Malaysia), Miami, Mid-Ohio, Monza, Portimão, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen

• 40: Number of drivers to win races in Corvette Racing entries since 1999. The latest to join the list was Tom Van Rompuy at Fuji in September for TF Sport

• 73: Years since Corvette was introduced to the world on Jan. 17, 1953 in New York City. A total of 300 cars were produced that year

• 84: Number of drivers in Corvette Racing entries since 1999. Steller Motorsport’s Dennis Lind, Lorenzo Fluxa Cross and Antonie Doquin joined the list at Paul Ricard in GT World Challenge Europe. TF Sport’s Peter Dempsey will make his first start in a Corvette at Imola

• 154: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing starting the 2026 season – 118 in IMSA, nine at Le Mans, five in the FIA WEC, 13 in GT World Challenge America, three in GT World Challenge Asia and GT America and two in the European Le Mans Series

• 368: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999

• 4,630.68: Number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing in its 17 previous trips to Long Beach. That represents 2,353 laps around the 1.968-mile street circuit… or 272.39 miles per year

• 487,110.42: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing since its inception. The program should surpass the half-million mile mark midway through this season

Corvette Racing at Long Beach (wins in bold)

2007 – No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O'Connell – 2nd in GT1 (Magnussen fastest race lap)

No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GT1 (Gavin pole)

2008 – No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Johnny O'Connell/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GT1 (Magnussen pole)

No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GT1 (Gavin fastest race lap)

2009 – No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O'Connell – 2nd in GT1

No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GT1 (Beretta pole, fastest race lap)

2010 – No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GT2

No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 9th in GT2 (Gavin fastest race lap)

2011 – No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Tommy Milner – 5th in GT

No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 2nd in GT (Magnussen fastest race lap)

2012 – No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 4th in GT

No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 1st in GT (Gavin fastest race lap)

2013 – No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 5th in GT

No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 4th in GT (Gavin fastest race lap)

2014 – No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 1st in GTLM (Magnussen pole)

No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 3rd in GTLM (Milner fastest race lap)

2015 – No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 3rd in GTLM

No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 7th in GTLM

2016 – No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 9th in GTLM

No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 2nd in GTLM

2017 – No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 5th in GTLM (Magnussen pole)

No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 1st in GTLM

2018 – No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 4th in GTLM

No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 1st in GTLM

2019 – No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 2nd in GTLM

No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 3rd in GTLM

2021 – No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2nd in GTLM

No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy – 1st in GTLM

2022 – No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 3rd in GTD PRO (Taylor pole)

2023 – No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2nd in GTD PRO

2024 – No. 13 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Orey Fidani/Matt Bell – 6th in GTD

2025 – No. 13 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Orey Fidani/Matt Bell – 13th in GTD

No. 36 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Tommy Milner/Robert Wickens – 15th in GTD

Ryan Smith

Re: CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: SPOILER [by Ultraman]

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 00:00:37 +0000

Road Racing and Autocrossing:: CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: SPOILER
Thank you for the update.... so hard to get good information during and after the race..... enjoy reading your posts..

CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: Pushing Ahead [by cor123]

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 23:30:20 +0000

Road Racing and Autocrossing:: CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: Pushing Ahead

CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: Pushing Ahead

Corvette Racing program going for 13 class victories in 12 Hours

SEBRING, Fla. (March 20, 2026) – Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports’ two Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs will line up one behind the other Saturday for the start of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in the drive for a 13th class victory in America’s oldest sports car race.

Antonio Garcia was the quickest Corvette driver in Friday’s 15-minute qualifying session in the red-white-and-blue No. 3 Z06 GT3.R. His lap of 1:59.295 (112.862 mph) placed him sixth on the grid in the Corvette he will share with Alexander Sims and Marvin Kirchhöfer. Not too far behind in eighth was Tommy Milner in the No. 4 Corvette that he will drive with Nicky Catsburg and Nico Varrone after a lap of 1:59.465 (112.702 mph).

Of note, Garcia and Milner both will make their 20th career starts in the 12 Hours.

Both Corvettes were within a second of the class pole-winner but rarely does qualifying matter at a race as long or as grueling as Sebring. There certainly is enough experience to fall back on with Corvette Racing being a constant at the race dating back to 1999. Sebring, which has been the site of 14 class victories for the program – a dozen coming in the 12 Hours. Each came from the two-car Corvette Racing factory team operated by Pratt Miller.

In GTD, Salih Yoluc qualified 10th in class behind the wheel of DXDT Racing’s No. 36 Corvette. He posted a best lap of 2:00.974 (111.279 mph) lap that was less than one-tenth of a second off teammate and Corvette factory driver Charlie Eastwood’s best lap from Thursday’s practice sessions.

13 Autosport’s Orey Fidani set a best lap in qualifying of 2:02.298 (110:074 mph) in the qualifying session, just ahead of Henrik Hedman for DragonSpeed, which will race its No. 81 Corvette for just the second time and first time at Sebring.

The Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring is set for 10:10 a.m. ET on Saturday from Sebring International Raceway. It will stream live on Peacock with television coverage on NBCSN from 5 to 10:30 p.m. IMSA Radio will stream live audio coverage on XM 206, Channel 996 on the SiriusXM app and IMSA.com

CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R QUALIFYING DRIVER QUOTES

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Qualifying in a way does matter here because any time you are not on pole, it’s not great. But I would say that we maximized what we had. In the practice sessions we made some steady progress, which is good. The car in qualifying behaved how we expected. There were no big surprises. We were just down on pace. I would say night practice Thursday was already mayhem with people acting like it was the race. So I’m sure it will be the same tomorrow night to the end, so let’s see.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "I don't think we're not quite where we need to be for the race. We had a very good car Thursday in the morning and the afternoon, and then in the nighttime it got away from us a little bit. We made some small changes that we thought would be in the right direction, and suitable for qualifying, but we're still just a little bit out of the window. Not unhappy by any means but if I think about a car that we want to have for the race, we're not quite there yet so we need to do a little bit of work with the engineers and make some small tweaks and then I think we'll be back to where we were yesterday. I didn't have it quite as bad as Antonio in night practice last night, but I have been in his situation before and I know exactly what he was going through. I anticipate a lot more of those moments. It will be a very typical Sebring with how we race with the prototype cars and where their strengths are and where our strengths are. It leads to some dicey moments but I'm ready and prepared for them."

SALIH YOLUC, NO. 36 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "I'm generally content with how qualifying went. I left a couple or three-tenths on the table, but I don't think it would have changed our position much. So it's an OK position to start. I do think we have a much better racecar than we do a car for qualifying. We are much closer to the front of the field in race trim, and I do think we have a good chance to move forward in the race."

CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: By the Numbers

• 1: As in one manufacturer and one model of car for the 28th year at Sebring: Chevrolet and the Corvette

• 3: Tracks where Corvette Racing has competed in each of its previous 27 years: Sebring, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.

• 4: Sebring race wins for Antonio Garcia – the most among drivers entered in this year’s 12 Hours

• 4: GT class pole positions at Sebring for Oliver Gavin and Ron Fellows, tied for most in event history

• 5: Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs entered for this year’s Sebring 12 Hours – one more than in 2025

• 8: Sebring victories – a race record – for Johnny O’Connell, a Sebring Hall of Famer who drove for Corvette Racing from 2001-10. It includes one overall and seven class wins

• 14: Number of Sebring victories for Corvette Racing – the most of any venue in program history. Twelve of those have come in the 12 Hours, including 2022 in GTD PRO

• 15: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001

• 17: Wins in 2025 for the Corvette Z06 GT3.R across six different series. Three have come via TF Sport across the FIA WEC and ELMS

• 33: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte Motor Speedway, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Chang International Circuit (Thailand), Daytona, Detroit, Fuji, Houston, Imola, Indianapolis, Laguna Seca, Le Mans, Lime Rock, Long Beach, Lusail International Circuit (Qatar), Sepang International Circuit (Malaysia), Miami, Mid-Ohio, Monza, Portimão, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen

• 38: Number of combined Sebring 12 Hours starts for Tommy Milner and Antonio Garcia. Both will make their 20th starts this weekend. Garcia hasn’t missed the race since 2006, and Milner’s only miss was in 2022 when he contested the 1000 Miles of Sebring for Corvette Racing in the FIA WEC

• 40: Number of drivers to win races in Corvette Racing entries since 1999. The latest to join the list was Tom Van Rompuy at Fuji in September for TF Sport

• 73: Years since Corvette was introduced to the world on Jan. 17, 1953 in New York City. A total of 300 cars were produced that year

• 79: Number of drivers in Corvette Racing entries since 1999. DXDT Racing’s Mason Filippi plus DragonSpeed’s Giacomo Altoé, Henrik Hedman, Casper Stevenson and Mateo Cairoli made their first starts in a Corvette at Daytona

• 154: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing starting the 2026 season – 118 in IMSA, nine at Le Mans, five in the FIA WEC, 13 in GT World Challenge America, three in GT World Challenge Asia and GT America and two in the European Le Mans Series

• 365: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999

• 63,969.12: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing entries at Sebring since 1999. The program eclipsed the 60,000-mile mark in 2025 and could go over 70,000 miles if the five Corvettes combine to complete 1,613 laps – an average of 323 laps each

• 480.377.95: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing since its inception. The program should surpass the half-million mile mark midway through this season

Corvette Racing at Sebring International Raceway (wins in bold)

1999 – No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Chris Kneifel/John Paul Jr. – 4th in GTS (Fellows pole)

No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Scott Sharp/John Heinricy – 7th in GTS (Pilgrim fastest race lap)

2000 – No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Chris Kneifel/Justin Bell – 6th in GTS (Fellows pole)

No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon – 5th in GTS

2001 – No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Chris Kneifel – 3rd in GTS

No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon – 2nd in GTS

2002 – No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GTS (Fellows pole)

No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon – 4th in GTS

2003 – No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Franck Freon – 1st in GTS

No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Oliver Gavin/Kelly Collins/Andy Pilgrim – 3rd in GTS (Gavin pole)

2004 – No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Max Papis – 1st in GTS (Fellows pole)

No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 6th in GTS (Gavin fastest race lap)

2005 – No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Max Papis – 2nd in GT1

No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 3rd in GT1

2006 – No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Max Papis – 4th in GT1

No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GT1

2007 – No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Jan Magnussen – 2nd in GT1 (Magnussen pole, fastest race lap)

No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Max Papis – 1st in GT1

2008 – No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GT1

No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Max Papis – 2nd in GT1 (Gavin fastest race lap)

2009 – No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O'Connell/Antonio Garcia – 1st in GT1

No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Marcel Fässler – 2nd in GT1 (Gavin pole, fastest race lap)

2010

No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O'Connell/Antonio Garcia – 8th in GT2

No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Emmanuel Collard – 9th in GT2

2011 – No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Tommy Milner/Antonio Garcia – 3rd in GT

No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen/Richard Westbrook – 4th in GT

2012 – No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2nd in GT (Magnussen pole)

No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Richard Westbrook – 3rd in GT

2013 – No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 11th in GT

No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Richard Westbrook – 1st in GT

2014 – No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Ryan Briscoe – 8th in GTLM

No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Robin Liddell – 6th in GTLM (Gavin fastest race lap)

2015 – No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Ryan Briscoe – 1st in GTLM (Daytona/Sebring double)

No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Simon Pagenaud – 9th in GTLM

2016 – No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 9th in GTLM

No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 1st in GTLM (10th Sebring team win; Daytona/Sebring double)

2017 – No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 1st in GTLM (3rd straight Sebring team win)

No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 10th in GTLM

2018 – No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 8th in GTLM

No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 6th in GTLM

2019 – No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 3rd in GTLM

No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 8th in GTLM

No. 63 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 8th in GTE Pro (FIA WEC)

2020* - No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2nd in GTLM (Taylor pole)

No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 1st in GTLM

2020 – No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg – 5th in GTLM (Garcia pole, Catsburg fastest race lap)

No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 6th in GTLM

2021 – No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg – 4th in GTLM (Taylor pole, Garcia fastest race lap)

No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy/Alexander Sims – 5th in GTLM

2022 – No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg – 1st in GTD PRO (IMSA)

No. 64 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy – 2nd in GTE PRO (FIA WEC)

2023 – No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Tommy Milner – 5th in GTD PRO (IMSA)

No. 33 Corvette C8.R: Nicky Catsburg/Ben Keating/Nico Varrone – 1st in GTE Am (FIA WEC)

2024 – No. 3 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Antonio Garcia/Alexander Sims/Daniel Juncadella – 10th in GTD PRO

No. 4 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Tommy Milner/Nicky Catsburg/Earl Bamber – 11th in GTD PRO

No. 13 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Matt Bell/Orey Fidani/Lars Kern – 9th in GTD

No. 17 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Nico Varrone/Anthony Mantella/Thomas Merrill – 22nd in GTD

2025 – No. 3 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Antonio Garcia/Alexander Sims/Daniel Juncadella – 7th in GTD PRO

No. 4 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Tommy Milner/Nicky Catsburg/Nico Varrone – 9th in GTD PRO

No. 13 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Matt Bell/Orey Fidani/Lars Kern – 10th in GTD

No. 36 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Charlie Eastwood/Alec Udell/Salih Yoluc – 8th in GTD

Ryan Smith

Re: CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: Respect for the Bumps [by bogus]

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 06:53:51 +0000

Road Racing and Autocrossing:: CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: Respect for the Bumps
Great stuff!!!

The track surface, specifically the concrete portions, are 85 year old slabs, and they have settled strangely in that FL sand they call soil. 3' thick, rebar'd. It ain't going anywhere...

If you are walking along Midway Dr, at the edges near the vendors, look down. You will see something that looks like this: >|< About 6 to 8 inches long, couple inches wide. About 1" into the concrete. They are the original tie down points. Midway was taxiway and parking!

Re: 12 HOURS OF SEBRING RACE INFO [by bogus]

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 06:48:55 +0000

Road Racing and Autocrossing:: 12 HOURS OF SEBRING RACE INFO
Thanks Charley!!!! You rock!!!

Shame I can't be there... sigh... But it won't be the same without Harlen...

CORVETTE RACING AT DAYTONA: SPOILER [by cor123]

Mon, 26 Jan 2026 20:07:32 +0000

Road Racing and Autocrossing:: CORVETTE RACING AT DAYTONA: SPOILER

CORVETTE RACING AT DAYTONA: Hope to Heartbreak

Corvette GT3 teams show promise in Rolex 24 to open season

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (January 25, 2026) – Four of the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs entered for the Rolex 24 At Daytona completed the opening round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship as the Corvette Racing program kicked off its third season of competition.

Both Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports and 13 Autosport recorded fourth-place class finishes at the end of a crazy race that featured running in both warm sunshine and cool, gloomy fog.

The No. 4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports entry of Tommy Milner, Nicky Catsburg and Nico Varrone just missed the GTD PRO podium in their Corvette Z06 GT3.R, finishing fourth. In GTD, the 13 Autosport team of Matt Bell, Orey Fidani, Lars Kern and Ben Green showed the same performance that netted the team a class victory a year ago but came up just short this year.

Both of the Pro-class Corvette GT3s were the forces of the race through the first 20 hours. The pair of yellow Corvettes combined to lead for 319 laps – 160 coming from the No. 3 trio of pole-winner Alexander Sims, Antonio Garcia and Marvin Kirchhöfer. The cars ran in formation for much of the race – before and after a lengthy six-and-a-half, full-course yellow period due to fog – before the race went sideways.

It started with a suspension issue for the No. 3 Corvette with a little more than five hours to go that cost the team 46 seconds in its garage.

The sister Corvette continued to run at the front as late as two-and-a-half hours to go – due in part to a third-to-first move by Milner – before Varrone was shoved off-track shortly after a restart. That cost the No. 4 team time and track position back to seventh before the drive-back by Catsburg to the end.

GTD-class Corvettes also spent time out front of class before misfortune struck each of the customer cars. The 13 Autosport Z06 GT3.R led the GTD race four times for 32 laps in a solid start to its full-season championship push. The team mirrored its strategy to its 2025 victory by having Fidani and Kern drive much of the race’s first half before putting in the team’s two Pro-level drivers to the end.

DXDT Racing also led with its No. 36 Corvette with a similar strategy. After Salih Yoluc and Mason Filippi set the stage for most of the early parts, Charlie Eastwood and Scott McLaughlin pushed the DXDT entry to the front for 90 laps before a cracked gearbox ended the team’s day inside the final two hours.

New customer team DragonSpeed also had an encouraging early run in its Corvette debut. Giacomo Altoe, Henrik Hedman, Casper Stevenson and Matteo Cairoli ran solidly in the middle of the 21-car pack with their No. 81 Corvette, which was moving up before Cairoli was hit by a prototype car near the five-hour mark. The impact sent Cairoli into the tire barriers as the Corvette sustained left-side damage.

Despite losing 15 laps and nearly 25 minutes, the team carried on and used the rest of the race as an extended test session for its new Corvette.

The next event for Corvette Racing in IMSA is the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on Saturday, March 21.

SELECT CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R DRIVER QUOTES

ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “One of those that could have been for the whole team. The real shame is that it didn’t just happen to one car; both had issues to compromise the end result. Our Corvettes were working really well. We had decent pace but I don’t know if we would have been able to fight at the front right to the end. It seemed like others seemed to get quite strong at the end. Who knows. It would have been nice to have been in with a chance. The Pratt Miller team did a great job all race. We had flawless pit stops and just the one issue. The guys will look into that and we’ll come back stronger at Sebring.”

MARVIN KIRCHHÖFER, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “First off all, those six hours of full course yellow where I think I did three-and-a-half out of the maximum four was probably one of the most exhausting stints that I’ve ever had. It’s a lot of riding around and trying not to fall asleep. I’m gutted for the team, obviously. Everyone has done an outstanding job and worked very hard the last two weeks. When you lead the race for as long as we did and then have a mechanical issue in the last four or five hours, it’s tough. We were pushing hard along with the No. 4 car, which was always up front as well. The guys would have deserved a decent result here. Still, I enjoyed it. I’m not happy with the outcome but we will next go to the next race at Sebring and make it a good race over there.”

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Somehow it all went away for us. Of course there was the incident when the Ferrari smashed us off. I feel like even without that, it was not going to be easy. It seemed like everyone at the end of the race had an extra switch and could power up a bit. But that definitely did not help. Big hats off to the team. The execution was amazing with zero mistakes. The car was good and the setup was good. I think we finished second if you look at the full-season contenders so that’s not too bad. It’s unfortunate because I felt like we were going to come away with a new watch.”

MATT BELL, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Thursday night, it looked like we were going to have a very different event, just to even finish the race flawlessly, let alone be not far up the order. Everybody should be really proud of themselves. I think we had a fourth-place car and we were in the game for a long part of it. There was a little bit of bumping and shoving at the end, but it didn’t change the outcome. Fourth is the maximum we had, and we achieved the maximum result that we were capable of this weekend. Everybody put together a great car. It was as fast as our Corvette was going to go, and we all drove the wheels off it. I am very proud of the team. It’s good to leave thinking you got the best out of your machine. We’ll crack on and try to get the win at Sebring.”

OREY FIDANI, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “After what we went through on Thursday, I couldn’t be prouder of this crew. Everyone dug deep, worked through the night, and we showed up ready to race, that says everything about this team. We were right in the fight all weekend, and while we wanted that podium, a fourth-place finish in the biggest race of the season is still extremely rewarding. Huge credit to the crew and my teammates for their work and dedication. We’ll take what we learned and go to Sebring even hungrier.”

LARS KERN, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I’m really, really proud of the team. The car was flawless, I loved it. Everything on our side was good. It just wasn’t in our hands. Honestly, it feels horrible. The race just unfolded in an unlucky way for us. You can’t win this race every year, and unfortunately it wasn’t meant to be for us this time. That’s racing, the racing gods decide if you get to win or not, and this year they decided we weren’t going to.”

BEN GREEN, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I’m really happy to finish the Rolex 24 at Daytona with 13 Autosport on my debut at the event. It’s great to make it to the end, and to finish fourth. Of course, we wish we were on the podium, because we were fighting for the win at different points throughout the race. I’m very proud of the effort from the entire team, and it’s been great to have support from GM as well. Our Chevy V8 was singing on the Daytona banking for 24 hours, faultless, and I’m proud of everyone’s work to make that happen.”

CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 36 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Not the finish we hoped for. This was probably one of the best weekends we’ve had together with DXDT. The pace was super-strong from rolling out for the Roar. It was the same in the race. We were keeping our nose clean and sitting in the top-three for a lot of the race and took the lead with about three-and-a-half hours to go before we developed a crack in the gearbox. We’re unsure how it happened, which is just gutting. It’s definitely the best chance I’ve had to win this race. But these things happen in endurance races. The pace was brilliant and Sebring is just around the corner. Hopefully we can go there and collect some trophies.”

GIACOMO ALTOÉ, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I can see the potential of the car and the team. We for sure are still in the learning phases with this car and there is a lot to improve. It was important for us to finish the race and collect all the data possible to analyze it and continue learning. We will build from here.”

Ryan Smith

CORVETTE RACING AT DAYTONA: Eight-Hour Report [by cor123]

Sun, 25 Jan 2026 03:52:04 +0000

Road Racing and Autocrossing:: CORVETTE RACING AT DAYTONA: Eight-Hour Report

CORVETTE RACING AT DAYTONA: Eight-Hour Report

Corvette GTD PRO entries leading through opening stanza of Rolex 24

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (January 24, 2026) – Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports two Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs led and ran up front for the majority of the opening hours of the Rolex 24 At Daytona on Saturday.

Alexander Sims led the GTD PRO class in the pole-sitting No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R that he is driving with Antonio Garcia and Marvin Kirchhöfer. The trio has run no lower than fifth in the race, which started under warm and sunny skies but turned significantly cooler and more gloomy with fog rolling in near the one-third mark.

While the No. 3 Corvette started and ran up front from the start, the No. 4 sister Z06 GT3.R quickly established itself as a contender with a strong charge by Nicky Catsburg at the start. He moved from seventh in class at the start to the class lead in his second stint, followed by solid drives by teammates Tommy Milner and Nico Varrone to keep the trio on the heels of the No. 3 in second place.

Both Sims and Catsburg were in the tail-end of their second double-stints to carry the Corvettes into the middle of the night around the 3.56-mile Daytona Road Course.

In GTD, both DXDT Racing and 13 Autosport positioned themselves for contending charges later in the race. The No. 36 DXDT Corvette spent much of the first eight hours in the top-10 with Salih Yoluc doing most of the early work with Charlie Eastwood and Mason Filippi each driving single stints. Eastwood ran as high as second from his fourth-place starting position, and Yoluc was 10th at the eight-hour mark.

Defending GTD race-winner 13 Autosport was ready to start its charge to the front from 14th in class with 16 hours left. Orey Fidani drove more than four-and-a-half hours to meet the minimum drivetime requirements, which put Lars Kern, Matt Bell and Ben Green in position to climb the leaderboard as other entries prepared to cycle their Bronze-rated drivers through the nighttime. It was a similar strategy to last year’s winning effort under the AWA banner.

DragonSpeed, in its first race as part of Corvette Racing, had a disappointing opening to the race. Matteo Cairoli was sent off-track by an LMP2 car while running in the top-15, and the No. 81 Corvette made contact with one of the track’s tire barriers. The collision caused a full-course yellow and damaged much of the left-side bodywork of the Corvette. But the DragonSpeed crew quickly repaired the car and got Cairoli back out for what turned into an extended test session for the team to learn more about its new Corvette.

Corvette Racing’s next update will come after the 18-hour mark.

SELECT CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R DRIVER QUOTES

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "All good for us so far. In the first stint both Fords pitted before the yellows so they got out ahead of us. I just realized it was worth staying where I was unless we had a clear opportunity to pass. That kind of played out; I could save tires and fuel, and we were able to jump them on the next stop. On the restart I was lucky to be on the right side when Tommy got caught out by two prototypes. From that point on, I just followed the pace. It's still unknown how the tires are going to behave with just taking two on a stop. I was taking it a little bit cautious, but I'd say the tire held up very well. I could open the gap a little bit but the (No. 9) Lambo was coming fast but when I saw they were struggling as much as I thought then we opened it up more. The Corvette was really good at the end of the stint. It's early but so far the car is doing what I want."

(Corvette vs. Ford battle and pace?) "Last year we couldn't really stay ahead of them at any point. For sure we have more speed now and we can stay ahead. Our car is really, really good but I'm sure they will be too. Once we get to the time when it's time to single-stint the tires, it might be a little different for everyone."

(The fight with the No. 4 Corvette early) "It's not great not knowing what to do with your teammate ahead of you. If he runs into traffic, you're definitely not going to throw your car in there like you would with any other car. But it's so early in the race that it doesn't really matter who is ahead. In a way, Nicky (Catsburg) followed Alex (Sims) for most of the stint and I did the same with Tommy (Milner). Everything eventually plays out. I kept my pace and the car is really good."

(On level of aggression earlier) "I haven't been aggressive so far and trying to stay out of trouble. If I see someone really aggressive then I don't mind letting them by. I saw the Lambo flashing its lights at me from behind and I was like 'There's 20 hours to go.'"

ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "The P2 cars were in a bit of mayhem going into Turn One. It was pretty daunting to go through the corner and not really know where to go and try not to run over any debris. Thankfully we got through in one piece. I was trying to keep things calm from then on, look after the car and be smart with energy management. I have absolutely no idea what other people were doing. We were at front but I don't know what the pace of everyone else was."

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "The plan is to save some fuel here early on to be a little off strategy to shorten the race at the end. The first stint was fun and really good but the second stint wasn't too much fun anymore. A P2 spun in front of me and I thought I was going to be OK but all of a sudden another one appeared that I couldn't see. Then I had more really bad P2 traffic later and lost like five or six seconds on that lap. It's frustrating but obviously it's early. We're doing what we can and taking our licks now so at the end of the race we'll be in a better position. But the car is fine... it's totally fine."

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "The start was a little wilder than I thought it would be. Everyone seemed to be super-enthusiastic to try and win the race in the first few laps. There was a lot of debris everywhere and cars going off, so I tried to stay out of trouble. I got pretty lucky on a couple of the restarts where I had a little bit of a jump compared to the guys ahead of us and I managed to take some places. It was a good first stint... saved some fuel and jumped some places. The car feels really good but it's a little early to tell yet. There will be a lot of changing conditions but at the moment it feels very good."

OREY FIDANI, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It’s been a really good start to the Rolex 24 for us. The opening stint was all about staying smart and not taking too many risks, and the team has done an incredible job setting us up to be competitive with our strategy. We avoided trouble at the start, hit our timing windows perfectly with the cautions, and handing over the car in a solid track position is exactly where you want to be in a race like this. Now it’s all about executing and letting the team do what they do best.”

LARS KERN, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "Everything worked really well. The car is in a good spot and feels really comfortable. Everything is going to plan. The last pit stop wasn't great on my behalf. I went two or three feet long on the stop so we had to push back. We lost two or three spots but it feels like we have the pace to get back to where we've been. The car is easy to drive and feeling really good."

CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 36 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "It was a good start to the race. We seem to have pretty strong pace to sit at the front of the GTD class. We are saving quite a bit of fuel, more than most of the field, as well. All seems to be going to plan at the minute, but still it’s still early days."

SALIH YOLUC, NO. 36 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "All good in that run. It was a bit of a busy triple-stint out there. We have a good car so hopefully we will manage until the last couple hours and then we will attack for the win. There's a long time to go yet so let’s see where we are in the morning."

Ryan Smith

CORVETTE RACING AT DAYTONA: GTD PRO Pole for Sims! [by cor123]

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 00:44:48 +0000

Road Racing and Autocrossing:: CORVETTE RACING AT DAYTONA: GTD PRO Pole for Sims!

CORVETTE RACING AT DAYTONA: GTD PRO Pole for Sims!

No. 3 Corvette leads strong effort from all five Z06 GT3.R in Daytona qualifying

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 22, 2026) – Alexander Sims sped to the GTD PRO pole position Thursday for the Rolex 24 At Daytona to lead a strong showing for all five Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs to start the 2026 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season.

Sims set a time of 1:45.106 (121.934 mph) in Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports’ No. 3 Z06 GT3.R that he will share this weekend with Antonio Garcia and Marvin Kirchhöfer. A Corvette will start from class pole position in the Rolex 24 At Daytona for the first time since 2021 when Sims was part of a qualifying race win for Corvette Racing.

Prior to that, the last time a Corvette qualified on pole position was 2018.

On Thursday, three for the Corvette GT3s qualified in the top-12 of the combined GT category. Charlie Eastwood was fourth in GTD with DXDT Racing’s No. 36 Corvette that he will drive with Mason Filippi, Salih Yoluc and Scott McLaughlin. His lap of 1:45.274 (121.739 mph) was 0.161 seconds off the class pole time.

Giacomo Altoé was sixth in GTD and less than a half-second to pole position for DragonSpeed in the first team’s first race as a Z06 GT3.R customer team. He will team this weekend with Henrik Hedman, Casper Stevenson and Matteo Cairoli.

Nicky Catsburg went eighth-quickest in GTD PRO for the second Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports entry – the No. 4 that he will drive with Tommy Milner and Nico Varrone.

Defending Rolex 24 GTD winner 13 Autosport qualified 16th in class with Orey Fidani doing the honors Thursday. He will try to repeat with Matt Bell and Lars Kern plus team newcomer Ben Green in the No. 13 Corvette.

The Rolex 24 goes green at 1:40 p.m. ET on Saturday, January 24. Live coverage begins at 1:30 p.m. ET on NBC with full live coverage on Peacock in the United States and on IMSA.com for video outside the U.S. and global IMSA Radio coverage.

CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R QUALIFYING DRIVER QUOTES

ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 3 CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R - GTD PRO POLE-WINNER: “It's really something special around here to be able to do a low fuel qualifying run with new tires. The car just comes alive. What a wonderful experience that was. Our Corvette was really nicely balanced, very nice lap, nice and clear with no traffic, but I had Nicky (Catsburg) up ahead, maybe punching a little bit of a hole for me. Yeah, brilliant, really, really brilliant.

(The race outlook and converting pole into a win) "There is a long time between now and then, but nevertheless, it's nice to start at the front of the field. Fingers crossed we can have a clean race because that's really the No. 1 goal at the moment - try and maintain the car in one piece, no issues through the first 23-and-a-half hours, be there in the race at the end and then be ready to fight.”

(More on qualifying) “Our Corvette was working pretty nicely in the qualifying session. It's honestly quite a privilege to be able to drive on low fuel. The car just comes alive compared to most of the states that you drive during practice where you're focusing on race prep. It was just nice conditions, I was able to get a nice gap and just focus on my own driving for all the laps and hook it all together. The Corvette is working well and hopefully we can carry that through to the race."

(Contending in this year's race after Corvette GTD win in 2025) “We had a decent race last year as well and finished second behind the Ford. It was great to see the AWA car get the class win last year. Our focus is pretty much on our program and what we're doing this year to try and optimize everything we've got. It seems like the car's in a decent spot right now. Qualifying pace versus race pace is a bit of a different story, so quite quickly our focus goes back to high-fuel runs and trying to get the car dialed in for that.”

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 4 CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "Obviously not so good. The car was pretty good, I have to say. I just feel like I didn't execute well. I had a massive oversteer moment on my first push lap and then the second left, I kind of underdrove it. So it was just not a clean run. I do feel like we need to work a bit on the car, but Alex showed what it's capable of. I do not think we are far away. We are already quite similar (on setup). I was expecting a bit more for myself. We just need to look at it, see what happens tonight and tomorrow and take it from there."

OREY FIDANI, NO. 13 CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “For me it's just more seat time. Every time I drive the car, I feel quicker and more familiar with it. The team's done an awesome job getting us set up and to this point. We just want to be consistent early, be in a good spot and then watch Ben (Green) and Matt (Bell) take it to the front."

CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 36 CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "What a difference a year makes. Last year's qualifying was probably one of the low points of the whole year, I would say... realizing that we were nowhere close. We're much and much better this year... barely two-tenths off pole in both GTD classes. I think we would still be second in PRO, as it were. So the Corvette felt great. We did struggle with a few bits this morning on the new tire, but our deg was really good over a stint, so that was a bit of a surprise in that regard. We did have a really clean Roar and that translated into that qualifying session, The Corvette seems to have the best deg of the field. At the end of the session, we're still pumping in some strong times versus the competition that falls off. So that's great when you do a lot of laps on every tire set and you probably have to double about six sets. Yeah, we're looking good and still just chipping our way through it. I think going into it we were and we were going to be happy with a top-eight there so top-four was a bit of a surprise, but that came together really nice and now we're rolling off the second row for the 24."

GIACOMO ALTOE, NO. 81 CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "Today was the first time that I could actually drive the car in a low-fuel, new-tire session. Obviously we are focusing more on our race pace with such a long day coming Saturday and Sunday. So we didn't know what to expect, honestly, and we are really happy with that result. Of course, I always want more. So I'm not really satisfied, but we still are early on in our learning process. I'll take it as we start this project, so I'm really happy."

Ryan Smith

Re: CORVETTE RACING AT DAYTONA: By the Numbers [by bogus]

Tue, 20 Jan 2026 21:02:04 +0000

Road Racing and Autocrossing:: CORVETTE RACING AT DAYTONA: By the Numbers
Daytona is gonna be huge this year!!!