Press Release: CORVETTE RACING AT SĀO PAULO: Another TF Corvette Podium
Runner-up LMGT3 finish in Brazil for No. 81 Z06 GT3.R as both Corvettes take points
SĀO PAULO, Brazil (July 13, 2025) – TF Sport’s Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R program continued its strong momentum Sunday with a runner-up LMGT3 class finish for the No. 81 Corvette of Charlie Eastwood, Rui Andrade and Tom Van Rompuy at the Six Hours of Sāo Paulo.
The result was the best of the FIA World Endurance Championship season for the trio and its second straight podium following a third-place finish at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Eastwood and Andrade also were part of TF Sport’s winning lineup a week prior at Imola with its European Le Mans Series Corvette program.
The finish Sunday for the No. 81 Corvette also elevated the three drivers and its squad from sixth to fifth in the LMGT3 Drivers and Teams standings after five of eight races.
As it has for a majority of the season, the No. 81 Corvette crew ran a faultless race with both Van Rompuy and Andrade moving up through the order with strong driving in a pair of double-stints and Eastwood driving the final 2.5 hours to the finish.
Both TF Sport Corvettes finished in the points for the second consecutive race and third time this year. Despite some early misfortunes, the No. 33 Corvette Z06 GT3.R trio of Daniel Juncadella, Jonny Edgar and Ben Keating placed seventh in class to remain third in the championship standings.
A winner to start the season in Qatar, the No. 33 Corvette squad lost track position early through on-track contact and subsequent penalties, which forced the engineering team to move to an alternate driver rotation.
That resulted in Keating and Juncadella splitting the first two-thirds of the race and leaving it to Edgar to heroically bring home the No. 33 Corvette in the points.
TF Sport and its Corvettes next will race at the FIA WEC’s lone North American race September 5-7 at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas.
TF SPORT POST-RACE DRIVER QUOTES
CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – FINISHED SECOND IN LMGT3: "Another great result today with P2. As we've seen many times this year, TF Sport executed a really solid race - great strategy, no mistakes, no penalties, which I feel today there were more penalties than most WEC races, and we just were able to capitalize on that to get a great P2. I definitely feel like some momentum is behind me now. I had a tough sort of 18-month start to this journey but with now three podiums in a row with TF between Le Mans, Imola in ELMS and here, I've no doubt that we can continue to get podiums at every event to close out the year. So we need to look forward... first to have a nice break over the summer before a very busy late August into September. But I've no doubt we can get podiums and race wins every race to the end of the year and hopefully go into both Bahrain and Portimão, giving ourselves a chance at those championships."
RUI ANDRADE, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – FINISHED SECOND IN LMGT3: “Another podium for the 81 crew and a third in a row for myself and Charlie. Great teamwork by the entire team to move us up the field after a difficult qualifying. And then a great final stint by Charlie to make the overtake which put us P2 at the flag. I'm super happy with this positive momentum and looking forward now to some rest during the summer break after some intense weeks of racing.”
DANIEL JUNCADELLA, NO. 33 CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – FINISHED SEVENTH IN LMGT3: "It was a disappointing day. Three penalties that lost us around 55 seconds. So yeah, it's a big deal. But I did enjoy the alternate strategy. I think it paid off very nicely in terms of track position to switch to myself after Ben's first stint and then also after his second stint. I think that was very cool and I got to overtake a couple of cars. So that was nice. And then Jonny at the end, I think he did a great job. He was defending against the McLaren, which was clearly faster and he did really well. He also overtook the BMW so it was just perfect execution from him. Unfortunately there were still the penalties... things that happen. I think Ben didn't have the best of days but we live and learn and hopefully
get better for the next one."
JONNY EDGAR, NO. 33 CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – FINISHED SEVENTH IN LMGT3: "It was a tough day for us with some penalties that hurt our race. But the car felt great to drive and I am happy we still scored some points for the championship. The end for me was very tough on very old tires trying to defend from cars on newer ones. So I was happy to be able to hold the McLaren behind at the end. The whole team did a great job all weekend like they always do. We will take these points and move to COTA and try to move back up in the championship."
Press Release: CORVETTE RACING AT CTMP: Runner-Up for No. 4 PMM Corvette
Luck goes the way of Milner, Catsburg for second place in GTD PRO
BOWMANVILLE, Ontario (July 13, 2025) – Tommy Milner, Nicky Catsburg and the No. 4 Corvette Z06 GT3.R team gambled and won on strategy Sunday on the way to a second-place GTD PRO finish in the Chevrolet Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.
A call for a top-off of fuel under yellow by the Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports engineering team with nearly 80 minutes to go reversed the fortunes for the Milner, Catsburg and the No. 4 Corvette, which lost time earlier in the pits and ran as far down as ninth in class.
Two additional full-course yellow periods over the final 30 minutes – including one with 15 minutes left that ended the race – allowed Catsburg to hold position and put himself and Milner on the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship podium for the first time this year.
The result solidified Chevrolet’s lead in the GTD PRO Manufacturers Championship with four races left in the season.
Antonio Garcia and Alexander Sims also retained their Drivers Championship lead with a fourth-place finish in the No. 3 Corvette. The duo ran a more traditional strategy and looked likely to make the podium for the fifth time this season, thanks to a fuel advantage over two of the cars ahead of it when the final yellows flew.
In GTD, Alec Udell and Robert Wickens posted the best finish of the season for the DXDT Racing No. 36 Corvette Z06 GT3.R effort. Wickens, racing a Corvette at CTMP for the first time, started third and drove the first 45 minutes before giving way to Udell to go the rest of the way. The pair was in the same position as the No. 3 Corvette and likely would have made the GTD podium without the late yellows due to the team’s fuel strategy.
Matt Bell and Orey Fidani placed ninth in GTD with AWA’s No. 13 Corvette in the team’s home race. The team fought back from a lap down and likewise had its progress halted by the final two yellows.
The next race for the Corvette Z06 GT3.R program in IMSA is August 1-3 at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R POST-RACE DRIVER QUOTES
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – FINISHED SECOND IN GTD PRO: "That's the name of the game sometimes. We for sure didn't have the car we hoped for or wanted today. It was hard to drive. We took a risk and made a stretch call there that worked out in our favor. In talking to the guys on the pit stand, this is a place where you don't have little moments; you have big ones. So the chance of a yellow I thought was pretty good so I was pretty happy with our decision. It played into our hands exactly as we needed it to. We've had some bad luck throughout the year, so we'll take some good luck today."
NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 4 CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – FINISHED SECOND IN GTD PRO: "It's very nice to finish on the podium. It's our first of the year, and it's great to do it at the Chevrolet Grand Prix. But we do have a lot of work to do. We got a little bit lucky today. We need to figure out where things keep going wrong for us in the pitlane and figure out how to get the Corvette in a bit better window. We have work left but the guys worked really hard. We did a really good job in terms of Manufacturers points. The points for the 3 car guys today was good for their championship, too. So all good."
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – FINISHED FOURTH IN GTD PRO: "It was super difficult strategy-wise to know what to do. You would do whatever you had to do and it obviously went the other way for us. In a way, I'm happy that we did our race. Without the last yellow, everyone ahead of us was tight (on fuel) so it was going to be another fight with the 77. The 4 car made that gamble on fuel and obviously it paid out. For all the loss we got for running the regular strategy, at least the 4 team got the most out of it. They had issues on their first two stops so that put them on the back foot but for once it worked. Great Manufacturer points for Chevrolet. It's good that either the 3 or 4 Corvette is on the podium in any race. That's what we need to achieve. Let's see if at the next races we can get them both up there. But today I'm happy for Corvette Racing overall and we'll move ahead for the next one."
ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 3 CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – FINISHED FOURTH IN GTD PRO: "It honestly wasn't one of my most comfortable races for whatever reason. I made a bad call on the last restart; I got checked up by the Ford in front of me which compromised me but then made the wrong call going into Turn One with the Lambo on the inside. I tried to fight him, and if he didn't back out then I was going to come off second-best by a long way. That happens. It's really, really frustrating from my side to make that situation happen. I could have sucked it up and lost just one place. The team did a great job to get us back into the mix on strategy. I don't know how it panned out on strategy. We initiated the strategy call and were proactive to get us back into the race, which was great. On the final restart I got back past the Lambo to reverse the situation from earlier. It was another crazy restart and I don't know what happened. Thanks to the Pratt Miller team for getting our Corvette back nearer to the front. Huge congrats to the 4 car guys. They've had some tough races so it's nice that they get a result."
ROBERT WICKENS, NO. 36 CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – FINISHED FOURTH IN GTD: "Overall, a pretty good day for us at DXDT Racing. Gutted we didn't make it on the podium, but I thought as a team we executed a near flawless race. So to come away with a top-five finish, first one of the year for me in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and my first top-five with Corvette, I think we can hold our heads high. And I think we have a lot of momentum moving forward to my next race in Road America in a couple weeks time.
"The Corvette Z06 GT3.R was amazing to drive at my home race. Sometimes I'm still having to pinch myself that I got to have such a cool experience. So all in all, thank you to all the fans who came out and supported us over the weekend, bared the weather, and we ended up getting a perfect sunny day in the end. So all in all, a great day."
CORVETTE RACING AT CTMP: Second-Row Starts for PMM, DXDT
Solid qualifying sessions for Z06 GT3.R contingent ahead of Chevrolet Grand Prix
BOWMANVILLE, Ontario (July 12, 2025) – Corvette Z06 GT3.R teams will start on the second row of their classes after two GT category qualifying for Sunday’s Chevrolet Grand Prix.
Antonio Garcia and Tommy Milner qualified third and fourth, respectively, in Saturday’s GTD PRO session at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park for Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports, while Robert Wickens was third-quickest in GTD for DXDT Racing ahead of the seventh round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
Garcia’s best lap was a 1:15.334 (117.508 mph) effort in the No. 3 Corvette that shares with championship co-leader Alexander Sims. The two won last year’s Chevrolet Grand Prix at CTMP to lead a Corvette 1-2 finish.
They finished ahead of Nicky Catsburg and Milner, who was just 0.13 seconds behind in the No. 4 Corvette Z06 GT3.R. Both Corvettes were within 0.418 seconds of Neil Verhagen’s pole-winning time.
Wickens qualified at his home track for the first time in his career with a lap of 1:15.876 (116.669 mph). The result in DXDT’s No. 36 Corvette, which he shares with Alec Udell, continued the strong showing in qualifying for the Z06 GT3.R that is equipped with a Bosch hand-controlled electronic braking system.
Udell qualified the DXDT Corvette on the front row of GTD the last two races, and this is the second race in which Wickens and Udell will share the Z06 GT3.R.
Also in GTD, Orey Fidani qualified the Canadian-liveried No. 13 Corvette 13th in class. He and teammate Matt Bell will look to break a tie at the top of the Bob Akin Award standings, which Fidani won in 2024 to secure an invite to this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Bell ended Saturday’s final practice third in GTD, showing the potential for the AWA Z06 GT3.R to move up the field in its home race.
The Chevrolet Grand Prix is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 13. The race will air live on USA from 2 to 5 p.m. with full streaming coverage on Peacock inside the U.S. and IMSA.com outside the U.S. IMSA Radio will air the race at IMSA.com along XM 206, SiriusXM Online 996.
CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R QUALIFYING DRIVER QUOTES
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "Obviously we would have preferred P2 or P1 as well! But it's pretty tight. It's also tight on how you approach this track and how fine-tuned you need to have everything in order to go fast around here. It's a shame I didn't quite nail everything but in a way I can't complain. It's all good information toward tomorrow. Learning what we learned even in these conditions to see what we can do different, that's the target. This morning (in final practice), it was good right away. We just tried to nail and get a little more out of it in qualifying, but it's also good information for tomorrow. That's what we can take away from today."
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "I think we would have liked to have been a little further forward. For us qualifying is pretty important to keep the track position as far forward as we can. It's still hard for us to race generally. Where we make our lap time is in the corners, and when you're behind somebody it's hard to show the speed. It's better to be third and fourth than seventh and eighth, so from that side I'm not unhappy by any means. We're at the front end, which is good. We'll look at our strategy options for tomorrow and see what we can make happen to go for another Corvette 1-2."
OREY FIDANI, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "This has been a very special weekend so far. I'm really happy to be back home and racing in front of family and friends that are coming out for this awesome event.
"I love this track. It's one of the most technical and hardest tracks around to drive. Maybe we are a little slower than last year with the heat and things being a little greasy. We'll keep it on track, push forward and see if we can put on a good show for everyone.
"I'm feeling awesome, and so is the car and the team. We really want to get that lead back in the Akin standings. After going to Le Mans this year, everyone really wants to go back. We want to do it again so we're going to push hard to make that happen and get back to Le Mans."
ROBERT WICKENS, NO. 36 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "It's actually my first time qualifying here in IMSA, so it's very special. I was supposed to qualify here in 2022, but my son was born the day before so I wasn't even in the country during qualifying! And then the other two TCR races, I was the finishing driver there, so yeah this place is special on a qualy lap. It was a lot of fun. The car was amazing. I think all weekend, I just haven't quite clicked and extracted the most of this Corvette Z06 GT3.R yet, and I know it's out there, I know it's possible. So I'm a little bit gutted, but honestly the team's been picking me up all weekend, so the fact that we put together a top-three start for tomorrow, I think we can hold our heads up high. But you never want to see the gap that we had to the front."
(On long-run pace) "I think we're in and about where we need to be. I don't think we're setting the pace by any means. But every session we've gotten stronger and stronger, so we're gonna go back to the drawing board again, look at data, look at video. I feel like every time I'm in this car, because I'm not in it regularly - as often as I want to be anyway - it's taking a lot of coaching. Alec's been doing an amazing job, helping me get the best of this car and so is everyone at DXDT Racing. So it's been a full team effort, and yeah, excited for what we can do tomorrow."
CORVETTE RACING AT CTMP: By the Numbers
• 4: Generations of Corvette Racing entries at CTMP since 2000 – Corvette C5-R (2004), Corvette C6.R (2005-13) and Corvette C7.R (2016-2019). The Corvette C8.R raced at the track for the first time in 2002
• 8: Pole positions for Corvette Racing drivers at CTMP. Oliver Gavin leads with three with Alexander Sims (2024) being the most recent
• 8: Number of drivers who have won races at CTMP for Corvette Racing. Johnny O’Connell (six), Jan Magnussen (five), Oliver Gavin (four), Ron Fellows and Antonio Garcia (three), and Olivier Beretta (two) each have multiple wins there with the team. Alexander Sims scored his first Corvette win at the circuit in 2024
• 13: Class victories at Corvette Racing at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park – all since 2001
• 14: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001
• 31: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte Motor Speedway, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Chang International Circuit (Thailand), Daytona, Detroit, Houston, Imola, 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 drivers to win races in Corvette Racing entries since 1999. The latest to join the list were Charlie Eastwood, Rui Andrade and Hiroshi Koizumi at Imola in ELMS
• 70: Number of drivers in Corvette Racing entries since 1999. The latest to join the list was Ben Green in GT World Challenge Asia for Johor Motorsports Racing at Mandalika (Indonesia)
• 72: 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
• 145: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 117 in IMSA, nine at Le Mans, four in the FIA WEC, 12 in GT World Challenge America and two GT World Challenge Asia
• 334: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999 (as of the IMSA event at Watkins Glen)
• 12,248.28: Number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing in its 21 previous trips to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. That represents 4,981 laps
• 441,296.99: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing entries since 1999. To put that in perspective, Corvette Racing is more than halfway to the distance traveled by Apollo 13 – the longest manned spaceflight in history: 622,268 miles
Corvette Racing at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (wins in bold)
2000 – No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Andy Pilgrim – 2nd in GTS (Fellows pole, fastest race lap)
2001 – No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell – 1st in GTS
No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins – 3rd in GTS
2002 – No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell – 1st in GTS
No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins – 2nd in GTS (Pilgrim fastest race lap)
2003 – No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell – 1st in GTS
No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Oliver Gavin/Kelly Collins – 7th in GTS (Gavin pole)
2004 – No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell – 2nd in GTS
CORVETTE RACING AT SĀO PAULO: Fifth-Row Start for TF Corvettes
Both Z06 GT3.Rs make Hyperpole for first time this season
SĀO PAULO, Brazil (July 12, 2025) – TF Sport’s pair of Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs will fill the fifth row of the LMGT3 class for Sunday’s Six Hours of Sāo Paulo and the resumption of the FIA World Endurance Championship.
The No. 33 Corvette of Daniel Juncadella, Jonny Edgar and Ben Keating – class winner to start the season in Qatar – lines up ninth after Keating advanced to the 10-car Hyperpole session for the first time this year to put both TF Sport entries into the final round of qualifying.
Teammates Charlie Eastwood, Rui Andrade and Tom Van Rompuy will start 10th in the No. 81 Corvette with the driving trio looking to continue the momentum from a third-place finish at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Eastwood and Andrade were winners in the European Le Mans Series last weekend at Imola in another TF Sport Corvette.
Van Rompuy also advanced to Hyperpole for the fourth time in five races.
The improved pace of the Corvettes from the last six-hour race at Spa was evident from Friday’s first session. Juncadella and Eastwood were third and fifth, respectively, in LMGT3 at the end of the day, and Edgar improved on both his teammates with the weekend’s fastest Free Practice time in class.
Entering Sāo Paulo, the No. 33 Corvette sits third in the LMGT3 Drivers and Teams standings with the No. 81 Z06 GT3.R sixth.
The Six Hours of Sāo Paulo is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. ET on Sunday, July 13. Full live streaming coverage will be available on the FIA WEC app and the MAX app in the United States.
TF SPORT QUALIFYING DRIVER QUOTES
JONNY EDGAR, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "It's the first time our car has made it into Hyperpole this year. Even when we haven't done that we have had good races. So I'm quite confident for tomorrow. It's a shame not to be higher up but one-lap pace is never our strongest point; we're always much better in the race so our pace will be much better tomorrow. I'm happy to make it any Hyperpole and the car was great to drive again, as it usually is."
BEN KEATING, NO. 33 CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "Traditionally in the World Endurance Championship, I would say one of my specialties has been qualifying. So far this entire season, this is the first time I've put Jonny into Hyperpole and my first time in the top-10. I'll just say it feels good!"
RUI ANDRADE, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "We wanted to aim a little bit higher for the grid but it is super close between everybody. I think we do have a good racecar even if we are lacking a little bit in our qualifying setup. We are quite good on our tires in what will be a long race. Let's see what we can do from here."
TOM VAN ROMPUY, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "I'm quite happy with the first session. To get both cars into Hyperpole is quite nice. I think we have a really good racecar for the race, so I think we can progress through the order. We have to keep it clean, do our own thing with good strategy. I think we have a good weapon in-hand to make up some positions tomorrow."
Corvettes look to extend strong history of success at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park
DETROIT (July 9, 2025) – In the long and storied history of Corvette Racing, no single racetrack has witnessed more success for the program than venerable Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. The track just to the east of Toronto has been the backdrop for 13 Corvette class victories dating back to 2001.
The 2.459-mile, 10-turn circuit – formerly Mosport International Raceway – is the backdrop for what Corvette Z06 GT3.R teams hope is another winning weekend during the Chevrolet Grand Prix. This year’s race – in which the Corvette GT3 car scored its first win in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – features four Corvette entries across the two GT classes: Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports in GTD PRO along with AWA and DXDT Racing in GTD.
Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports
(GTD PRO)
· No. 3 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Antonio Garcia/Alexander Sims
· No. 4 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Tommy Milner/Nicky Catsburg
All 13 victories for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing at CTMP have come from the Pratt Miller-run team, including last year’s dominating weekend for Garcia – now a three-time winner there – and Sims. The pair led a 1-2 finish as Sims claimed pole position and set the fastest race lap along the way. Garcia and Sims also come into this weekend with additional momentum from four podium finishes in five races and the GTD PRO championship lead.
Along with a runner-up finish at Watkins Glen for the No. 3 Corvette, Milner and Catsburg recorded their best finish of the season in the No. 4 Z06 GT3.R – fourth place in class and just missing the podium. The duo was the closest challenger to the sister car at CTMP a year ago. Milner is a past class-winner at the track with Corvette Racing, and Catsburg made his first start at the circuit last year.
AWA (GTD)
· No. 13 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Matt Bell, Orey Fidani
AWA’s Fidani and Bell aim to make up for last year’s race at CTMP, where a collision forced the No. 13 Corvette out of last year’s Chevrolet Grand Prix. This time around, the team will contest its home race in the special Canadian-themed livery that proved immensely popular last month at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
In addition to posting a solid result in its home race, AWA hopes to use the CTMP round to bolster its chances in claiming a second consecutive Bob Akin Award for Fidani. The honor goes to the highest points-scoring Bronze driver in GTD and was AWA’s ticket to Le Mans after winning the season-long championship in 2024. AWA also has given the Corvette Z06 GT3.R its only IMSA win this year at the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona.
DXDT Racing (GTD)
· No. 36 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Alec Udell, Robert Wickens
The Chevrolet Grand Prix marks Robert Wickens’ return to DXDT Racing’s No. 36 Corvette that is equipped with the newest generation of Bosch’s electronic braking system. Wickens made his high-profile debut in the Corvette and in the WeatherTech Championship at Long Beach and also competed at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
A two-time winner at CTMP in Michelin Pilot Challenge, Wickens rejoins Alec Udell in the DXDT Corvette following a near-miss at Watkins Glen. Udell qualified on the GTD front row for the second year in a row, and the team challenged for the class win until a mechanical issue sidelined the No. 36 Corvette with 10 minutes to go.
The Chevrolet Grand Prix is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 13. The race will air live on USA from 2 to 5 p.m. with full streaming coverage on Peacock inside the U.S. and IMSA.com outside the U.S. IMSA Radio will air all on-track sessions at IMSA.com along XM 206, SiriusXM Online 996.
CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R DRIVER PRE-EVENT QUOTES
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I think we can challenge for the win at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. I don’t know if we will have enough or not but we will definitely go for it. We just need to wait and see what we actually have. We’ll do what we always do and go as fast as we can with whatever we have. We’ll try to find our weak spots and especially where we might be ahead of our competition so we can take advantage of that. We just need to play things smart again and see what this race brings.”
ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Honestly I enjoy every single event in IMSA, but this is really the sweet spot in terms of hitting awesome tracks week after week. Canadian Tire Motorsport Park is up there with the absolute best of the tracks in North America for me personally. I love it there. It’s where we were able to put it on pole and win last year, and it would be amazing if we could do the same again this time around. We’ll just have to wait and see if that’s realistic or not.
“These are the standout tracks and why I want to come and race in IMSA. It’s a really nice part of the year. CTMP also is important in this phase to maximize each race and keep the championship challenge going. But from that point of view it’s about focusing on every single race. We’ll focus on the moment and enjoy what we’re doing.”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "This is the real meat of our schedule. Watkins Glen obviously set off a nice sequence of just classic North American road courses. Next for us is Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, which is consistently my answer for whenever I'm asked what is my favorite racetrack. It just has all the right characteristics, all the right rhythm and flow and challenge and everything that you want in a racetrack. It's a lot of fun, especially these days in these GT3 cars. We've been successful there. I think it really suits the Corvette. It's a place where the fast-flowing, high-speed nature of the track really is this car's sweet spot. I'm hoping that that continues to stay true. We've seen all last year and still this year that we struggle a little bit in straight-line speed but hopefully we have just enough to keep anybody behind us if we are toward the front. But yeah... just love racing there. The fans there are great, as always, real diehard sports car racing fans. It's just a big challenge - one that I think every lap, you kind of hold your breath in a couple places, and that's what makes it fun.”
NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I got to discover CTMP for the first time last year, and the track is just incredible. It’s another of the classic North American tracks that I really enjoy. I would say that it lived up to my expectations last year with the fast corners, elevation changes and a really nice flow. Certainly we were fast there last year in the Corvette which is encouraging. The team obviously knows the track really well and has a lot of wins and experience. So all that makes me pretty confident going into the weekend. We had what I would say was a decent result at Watkins Glen so let’s see if we can make the improvements we need to be higher up the order."
MATT BELL, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "Canadian Tire Motorsport Park is one of my favorite tracks from anywhere in the world, and we've been eagerly waiting to race there again! I’m really looking forward to the team's home race and to bringing back the fan-favorite livery from Le Mans. We felt we had a very strong car at CTMP last year, so I’m confident we’ll be competitive. Hopefully we'll be able to bring the Canadian-flagged Corvette Z06 GT3.R over the line with a strong result in front of a great crowd."
OREY FIDANI, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “This race means so much to the whole team. CTMP is an extremely special place for me, it’s where this whole journey began and it’s very sentimental to be able to compete at my home track in front of friends and family. After seeing the massive amount of support we received in Le Mans, we knew we had to bring back the red livery for the Canadian crowd. I’m really looking forward to getting back in the car and we’ll be doing everything we can to put on a good show and get a great result here.”
ALEC UDELL, NO. 36 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "I'm excited to return to a sprint format together with Robert in the DXDT Corvette Z06 GT3.R. It’s a race on home turf for him, and it’s been a good place for the Corvettes in the past. It feels like we’ve got a lot of positive momentum coming into the race, so I can’t wait to get on track and give all Robert’s supporters up there, and our DXDT team, an effort to root for!"
ROBERT WICKENS, NO. 36 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "I couldn't be more excited about being a part of the headline race, driving a Corvette Z06 GT3.R at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. It's a big race for myself, as well as my team, DXDT Racing. We feel like a podium is just around the corner, and there is no place I would rather achieve that than at home at CTMP. The Corvette has always been a fan favorite. Ron Fellows put Corvette Racing on the map in Canada with all of his success with Pratt Miller. Ron has had a huge influence on CTMP and on my career. He's someone I've always looked up to from a very young age, and he's helped me, and other Canadian drivers progress from karts to cars. Now to return and drive a Corvette just like Ron has done for so many years holds a special place for me."
2025 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Points
GTD PRO Drivers Standings
1. Alexander Sims/Antonio Garcia – 1632
2. Klaus Bachler/Laurin Heinrich – 1580
3. Albert Costa – 1518
4. Mike Rockenfeller/Sebastian Priaulx - 1517
5. Dan Harper/Max Hesse – 1510
7. Nicky Catsburg/Tommy Milner – 1372
GTD PRO Teams Standings
1. No. 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports – 1632
2. No. 77 AO Racing – 1580
3. No. 81 DragonSpeed – 1518
4. No. 64 Ford Multimatic Motorsports – 1517
5. No. 48 Paul Miller Racing – 1510
7. No. 4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports – 1372
GTD PRO Manufacturers Standings
1. Chevrolet – 1668
2. BMW – 1638
3. Porsche – 1626
4. Ford – 1624
5. Ferrari – 1565
GTD Drivers Standings
1. Philip Ellis/Russell Ward – 1550
2. Casper Stevenson – 1490
3. Jack Hawksworth/Parker Thompson – 1474
4. Adam Adelson/Elliott Skeer – 1362
5. Patrick Gallagher/Robby Foley – 1329
8. Matthew Bell/Orey Fidani – 1220
20. Alec Udell – 816
GTD Teams Standings
1. No. 57 Windward Racing – 1550
2. No. 27 Heart of Racing Team – 1490
3. No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Racing – 1474
4. No. 120 Wright Motorsports – 1362
5. No. 96 Turner Motorsport – 1329
7. No. 13 AWA – 1220
13. No. 36 DXDT Racing – 999
GTD Manufacturers Standings
1. Mercedes-AMG – 1734
2. Lexus – 1577
3. Aston Martin – 1571
4. Porsche – 1558
5. Ferrari – 1554
6. Chevrolet – 1434
CORVETTE RACING AT CTMP: By the Numbers
• 4: Generations of Corvette Racing entries at CTMP since 2000 – Corvette C5-R (2004), Corvette C6.R (2005-13) and Corvette C7.R (2016-2019). The Corvette C8.R raced at the track for the first time in 2002
• 8: Pole positions for Corvette Racing drivers at CTMP. Oliver Gavin leads with three with Alexander Sims (2024) being the most recent
• 8: Number of drivers who have won races at CTMP for Corvette Racing. Johnny O’Connell (six), Jan Magnussen (five), Oliver Gavin (four), Ron Fellows and Antonio Garcia (three), and Olivier Beretta (two) each have multiple wins there with the team. Alexander Sims scored his first Corvette win at the circuit in 2024
• 13: Class victories at Corvette Racing at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park – all since 2001
• 14: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001
• 31: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte Motor Speedway, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Chang International Circuit (Thailand), Daytona, Detroit, Houston, Imola, 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 drivers to win races in Corvette Racing entries since 1999. The latest to join the list were Charlie Eastwood, Rui Andrade and Hiroshi Koizumi at Imola in ELMS
• 70: Number of drivers in Corvette Racing entries since 1999. The latest to join the list was Ben Green in GT World Challenge Asia for Johor Motorsports Racing at Mandalika (Indonesia)
• 72: 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
• 145: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 117 in IMSA, nine at Le Mans, four in the FIA WEC, 12 in GT World Challenge America and two GT World Challenge Asia
• 334: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999 (as of the IMSA event at Watkins Glen)
• 12,248.28: Number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing in its 21 previous trips to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. That represents 4,981 laps
• 441,296.99: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing entries since 1999. To put that in perspective, Corvette Racing is more than halfway to the distance traveled by Apollo 13 – the longest manned spaceflight in history: 622,268 miles
Corvette Racing at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (wins in bold)
2000 – No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Andy Pilgrim – 2nd in GTS (Fellows pole, fastest race lap)
2001 – No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell – 1st in GTS
No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins – 3rd in GTS
2002 – No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell – 1st in GTS
No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins – 2nd in GTS (Pilgrim fastest race lap)
2003 – No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell – 1st in GTS
No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Oliver Gavin/Kelly Collins – 7th in GTS (Gavin pole)
2004 – No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell – 2nd in GTS
Pair of TF Sport Corvettes in thick of LMGT3 title picture following Le Mans
DETROIT (July 8, 2025) – The Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R and TF Sport enter the second half of the FIA World Endurance Championship this weekend with solid momentum and both racecars in title contention as the series shifts to South America.
The Six Hours of Sāo Paulo is the fifth round of the FIA WEC and first event after the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It also is the resumption of a tight fight in the LMGT3 with each of the second-year Corvette GT3s looking to contend not just for a race win but also moving up in the Drivers and Teams championship standings:
No. 33 TF Sport Corvette Z06 GT3.R
The trio of Daniel Juncadella, Jonny Edgar and Ben Keating sit third in points on the strength of their season-opening race win at Qatar. Of the three, only Juncadella has raced at Sāo Paulo and his debut at the circuit came last year.
Following the victory at Qatar and subsequent championship lead, the No. 33 Corvette was the heaviest car at both Imola and Spa-Francorchamps by more than 50 pounds. Much of that success ballast comes off for Sāo Paulo, which gives the 33 side of the TF Sport garage optimism for its first Hyperpole appearance of the season and a return to the class podium.
No. 81 TF Sport Corvette Z06 GT3.R
Charlie Eastwood, Rui Andrade and Tom Van Rompuy broke through at Le Mans for a third-place LMGT3 finish and their first podium result of the year. The No. 81 Corvette squad jumped up to sixth in points to give TF Sport two cars that can contend for the race win and podium in Brazil.
Of note, Van Rompuy has advanced the No. 81 Corvette into the LMGT3 Hyperpole session in three of four races this year. Meanwhile Eastwood and Andrade are coming off a thrilling victory in Sunday’s Four Hours of Imola in TF Sport’s European Le Mans Series Corvette entry with Hiroshi Koizumi – the first win for Corvette Racing in that championship.
The Six Hours of Sāo Paulo is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. ET on Sunday, July 13. Full live streaming coverage of Free Practice 3, qualifying and the race will be available on the FIA WEC app and the MAX app in the United States.
TF SPORT PRE-EVENT QUOTES
DANIEL JUNCADELLA, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "The good news is we are going to lose a lot of weight. We have a gluten-free diet going to Sāo Paulo! Which is nice because we have been heavy all year. We are still third in the championship, which is fantastic after a difficult Le Mans. I think the second half of the year we will be strong and will be fighting to get back to where we belong."
JONNY EDGAR, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “This will be my first time to Brazil, so it's a new track for me and Ben. We'll try to learn it as quickly as possible. Luckily, Dani has been there so I'm sure he will be able to help us a lot. I'm sure he'll be able to help us a lot. It'll be nice to have as much success ballast. Obviously it's nice to have it because you've obviously won something! But I think we'll have a tiny bit from our championship position, but much less than previous races. So I think that should be helpful. Hopefully we can have another good weekend and score as many points as we can."
BEN KEATING, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "My main goal is to win the championship, and we are still in that hunt for sure. For the last several races, we've been carrying around so much success ballast. I'm glad to know that the two people in front of us in the championship are now going to be very heavy. And we're going to be considerably lighter. I've never been to Sāo Paulo. But I've spent a lot of time on my simulator and learning it. So I'm looking forward to being back toward the front."
CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "Coming off Le Mans, we're really optimistic about Sāo Paulo. The truck's been resurfaced, so it might be quite different. We just need to keep doing what we are doing and hopefully we have a bit more pace in the Corvette. So we are looking forward to it. Hopefully like last year we can finish the year super-strong. We're up to P6 in the championship after Le Mans and hopefully we can keep pushing forward with that."
RUI ANDRADE, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It’s really encouraging to come into Brazil after our podium at Le Mans. Our confidence is at an all-time high right now as we are going into some tracks where I feel we were strong last year. It starts at Sāo Paulo where we learned a lot in our first time there with the Corvette. The car already was fairly quick and competitive last year and I hope we have more of the same this time around.”
TOM VAN ROMPUY, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “We have really good momentum after Le Mans. Now we take that to Sao Paulo, which is a track I discovered for the first time last year. I think we should go along fairly well there. The team is operating at a high level on both sides of the garage. All season, the driving has been very, very good to go along with the strategy and pit stops. Let’s see if we can continue that this weekend.”
2025 FIA World Endurance Championship Points
LMGT3 Drivers Standings
1. Riccardo Pera/Richard Lietz/Ryan Hardwick – 81
2. Alessio Rovera/Francois Heriau/Simon Mann – 76
3. Ben Keating/Daniel Juncadella/Jonny Edgar – 60
4. Ian James/Mattia Drudi/Zacharie Robichon – 47
5. Arnold Robin/Finn Gehrsitz – 38
6. Charlie Eastwood/Rui Andrade/Tom Van Rompuy – 38
Two Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs as brand returns to Spa 24 for first time since 2011
DETROIT (June 25, 2025) – For the first time in more than a decade, Corvette will be on the grid for the 24 Hours of Spa – the biggest GT3 race in the world.
Johor Motorsports Racing and Steller Motorsport each are entering a Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R at Spa-Francorchamps in the blue-riband round of SRO Motorsports and the Intercontinental GT Challenge. It’s the first Spa 24 Hours for Corvette since 2011.
Corvette Racing factory driver Alexander Sims – GTD PRO championship co-leader with Antonio Garcia after a runner-up finish at Watkins Glen in IMSA – leads the lineup for the Bronze-class No. 2 JMR Z06 GT3.R and teams with Jordan Love, Prince Jefri Ibrahim, Prince Abu Bakar Ibrahim. Steller Motorsport also will go with a four-driver lineup in its Silver-class No. 24 Corvette: Matisse Lismont, Lorcan Hanafin, Daniel Ali and Olivier Hart.
Both teams have tasted success so far this year. JMR already is a two-time winner in GT World Challenge Asia this year, and Prince Jefri Ibrahim leads the series’ Drivers Championship. In GT World Challenge Europe, Steller Motorsports claimed a runner-up, Silver-class finish in its first race with the Corvette at Paul Ricard in Endurance Cup competition.
The Corvette Z06 GT3.R has scored six victories worldwide this year, including the Rolex 24 at Daytona by GTD team AWA, as well as a third-place LMGT3 finish at the 24 Hours of Le Mans by TF Sport.
Preparation for Corvette’s return to the Spa 24 Hours has included the two-day Prologue for both Steller and JMR plus simulation tests by Corvette factory drivers at Chevrolet’s Driver-in-the-Loop facility in North Carolina.
The 2025 CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa takes place June 25-29, with full race and qualifying coverage available on SRO Motorsports’ official YouTube channel.
JESSICA DANE, CORVETTE RACING PROGRAM MANAGER: “The launch of our Corvette GT3 program opened the door to a number of new possibilities to see the Corvette Z06 GT3.R race around the world. The Spa 24 Hours ranks very close to - if not at - the top of that list. We are excited to see JMR and Steller Motorsport take Corvette back to the largest GT3 race in the world for the first time in almost 15 years. Both teams are well-prepared following the Spa Prologue, and we hope to see them challenging for the podium and class victories come Sunday.”
ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 2 JOHOR MOTORSPORTS RACING CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "Pretty much every single year at Spa, it’s upwards of the in 60s if not more for car count. It’s always an incredibly competitive race… pretty much the GT3 race of the year. There is a little more restriction on strategy and things nowadays than when I first did it 10 or 12 years ago. But it’s an awesome event. The track is lovely to drive. During the Prologue, the Corvette was working pretty well and feeling nice to drive around there. It works really well on the Pirellis so there’s really very little to adjust to (from IMSA).
“I’m looking forward to it. It should be an enjoyable 24 hours. I’m not entirely sure that we have the most competitive driver lineup in the Bronze class because of the way the gradings work. You see some of the lineups and they are just phenomenal. But I have every confidence that Prince Jefri and Prince Abu Bakar can pull their weight in terms of the Bronze driver pace, and hopefully Jordan and I can do a decent job compared to the other pros and we’ll see how we end up.
“I got to work with Steller at Barcelona for their shakedown, and that was lovely to get into a brand new car and have it feel perfectly familiar. And being able to do some other racing outside of IMSA but in a Corvette with JMR, it means you can arrive at a track and get straight down to business of thrashing the car to the limit straightaway and you feel comfortable.”
HH PRINCE JEFRI IBRAHIM, NO. 2 JOHOR MOTORSPORTS RACING CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "I think this is one of the most historic races and one of the biggest races of the year, especially with 75 cars which is a record. It's a huge one for us. This is quite unique. We just started a new team. We're working with a new manufacturer in Corvette and Chevrolet. We have new challenges that we are trying to meet, so there are a lot of exciting things going on. This is our first year at Spa. We have two mechanics from Malaysia and two drivers from Malaysia - myself and my brother - alongside the other 200 drivers who are here. So it does mean a lot for us to come here. The Corvette is still a new car for us as drivers plus the team, the engineers and everyone. We are learning more and more each race about the car. We still have a long way to go as a team, and we want to be the best one out there. It's positive that things have gone this well so far, but this is just the beginning. There are a lot of strong teams and cars. This is an endurance race and anything can happen. Our main focus is first to finish before we aim to win."
HH PRINCE ABU BAKAR IBRAHIM, NO. 2 JOHOR MOTORSPORTS RACING CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "It is the biggest race for the team this year. Driving Spa on the simulator and driving on it in real life is amazing. You cherish all these moments. It's my first year in endurance racing, and there is no better place to do this than Spa. This is the first year that we are running on our own as a team. We have a few crew members from Malaysia, and our focus is to get people back home to work and race with us internationally. Not only do we want to be on the top steps all the time, but part of that journey is bringing people from back home to help them achieve the same goals as us."
JORDAN LOVE, NO. 2 JOHOR MOTORSPORTS RACING CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Spa is always such a special event; it’s by far one of the highlights of the year for many reasons. It’s history and the intensity that this race brings is unlike anything else. To come back for a second year running with JMR - our first as a standalone team - is awesome but this year with a new challenge in the new Corvette is super exciting. The year so far with the new Corvette Z06 GT3.R has been great, and I really enjoy driving it. To tackle a challenge as big as having a new car and to do that with your own new team is a huge challenge. To have the success that the team has had in such a short space of time is a huge credit to everyone involved. Last year's Spa 24 hour didn’t go our way so we definitely have some redemption this year.”
OLIVIER HART, NO. 24 STELLER MOTORSPORT CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "I am more than excited to join Steller Motorsport for one of the biggest GT races in the world. I have raced at Spa-Francorchamps many times and enjoyed some success, and I cannot wait to tackle this hard and exhausting race again. We've got to race smart, endurance racing can throw a lot at you, but given our Corvette's strength during the Prologue, I'm heading to the Ardennes with high hopes for a great first race with this incredible group of people."
LORCAN HANAFIN, NO. 24 STELLER MOTORSPORT CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "I am really looking forward to the 24 Hours of Spa. We've had an encouraging couple of endurance races with the Corvette and we showed some good pace at the Prologue. Keeping it clean and avoiding mistakes will be the key to getting a good result, but I'm confident we can deliver a strong performance."
DANIEL ALI, NO. 24 STELLER MOTORSPORT CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "It's really exciting to be heading into the 24-hour with the Corvette and Steller Motorsport. We had a promising Prologue and there were plenty of positives to take from Monza, and I know we have the experience and speed to challenge for a good result. This is my first 24-hour race and so I will have a lot to learn but I am ready for one of the most challenging and prestigious racing events in the world."
MATISSE LISMONT, NO. 24 STELLER MOTORSPORT CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "My home race of the season, so, like always, I am very much looking forward to it; it's an iconic track, an iconic event, and with iconic GT cars driving for 24 hours straight in the infamous Spa weather it is always a special feeling. I'm feeling good, and ready to get going."
CORVETTE RACING AT WATKINS GLEN: Points Lead for No. 3 Corvette
Garcia, Sims finish second in GTD PRO for third time this season
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (June 22, 2025) – Antonio Garcia and Alexander Sims, Chevrolet and the No. 3 Corvette Z06 GT3.R squad moved into first place in the GTD PRO championship standings after a second-place finish Sunday in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen.
Sims drove the opening and closing stints with Garcia doing the work in the middle to net the fourth podium finish in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season for the No. 3 Corvette duo and third runner-up result of the season.
The No. 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports team weathered – literally (early on, at least) and figuratively – a race that featured 10 full-course yellow periods and sweltering heat in the race’s second half. In addition, Tommy Milner and Nicky Catsburg came home fifth in class with the No. 4 Corvette for the best finish of the season as the championship enters its critical summer stretch.
Eight full-course yellow periods in the first four hours didn’t do much to help teams get into any kind of racing rhythm. Starting drivers undoubtedly had the worst of it on the day as a heavy downpour soaked Watkins Glen. All four Corvettes made it through unscathed and worked toward setting up track position for the final hours.
In GTD PRO, the No. 3 Corvette moved toward the front with Garcia driving the middle portion. He took the class lead with 2:35 left – the first time the No. 3 led on pace since Sebring. Garcia turned the car back over to Sims for the final 70 minutes in third place but the straight-line pace of the Corvettes’ competitors made it difficult to hold position over the course of a stint.
Sims still was able to make a daring overtake for second place inside the final half-hour to net a precious position and valuable championship points.
Milner and Catsburg worked their way forward from ninth mid-race to their first top-five finish of the year. A late-race fuel save by Catsburg allowed him to attack in the closing stages and gain three spots in the final 45 minutes.
It appeared for most of the race that Corvettes would make the GTD podium as AWA and DXDT Racing challenged late for the race lead. Contact and a late penalty shuffled AWA’s No. 13 Corvette down the order and to a ninth-place class finish, and the No. 36 DXDT entry suffered a rear suspension issue late that ground the Corvette to a halt from second place with 10 minutes to go.
The next race for Corvette Z06 GT3.R teams in IMSA is the Chevrolet Grand Prix from Canadian Tire Motorsport Park on July 11-13.
CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R POST-RACE DRIVER QUOTES
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R - SECOND IN GTD PRO: "Starting sixth in my stint, I was a little bit on the back foot there on track position. But overall we made no mistakes. Every stop or every strategy call, we kind of felt like we always went in the right direction. We got into the lead near half distance, so that felt really good. I felt I had the pace just to be there, and nobody seemed to be faster than us at least at that time. But the car felt really good. On the restarts, I didn't expect the 48 and 1 to be that fast. Pretty much everyone was competitive. It was difficult to defend on restarts and so on. So I thought I had a really good run and the car felt really good. It's a shame that we seem to be doing the laptime in different places than the others, but in a way I think we maximized whatever we had today. So fuel strategy, the race strategy, driver changes, everything worked really, really good. So I'm happy with that.”
ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 3 CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R - SECOND IN GTD PRO: "That was a fantastic race... really exciting, really tough to do it completely trouble-free with such changing conditions at the start and then such warm conditions at the end. The tires were, I'm sure, screaming for everybody. This is such a high-speed, flowing track that it's really hard to save the tires when they're getting hot in these conditions. Plus we had to fuel-save until that last yellow which I guess saved everybody. But it was really frantic. I don't think there was a full green stint out there. It's why we love IMSA... the racing's so hard, so close and changes all the time. So yes, I'm really pleased with the job that we did. The whole team at Pratt Miller Motorsports did a pretty flawless job. Every pit stop was executed really well. I don't think we ever really lost out at any point. We played it smart when we needed to. Antonio did a phenomenal middle of the race. That really put us in a good position. and gave me a great chance at the end. I raced hard. Some things went my way, some things didn't, but it was great fun. It's just awesome to finish second again. Obviously we'd love to win, but with the pace that some of the other cars had in the first sector here, it was nigh-on impossible to stay ahead if we were ahead each time, so I'm really pleased to be here."
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R - FIFTH IN GTD PRO: "A lot of yellows obviously kept everybody close, for better or for worse. At times it helped us for sure and maybe not so good for us at other times. It's tough out there. The class is competitive and with all the yellows everybody's always there, no matter what. We continue to be hampered by having no straight-line speed. I'm sure overall that the laptimes are close but when it comes to racing and the way that the balance is between all the cars… it’s tough. To be honest, I've never seen such a disparity in cars. So for us, we have to drive like maniacs on restarts, and even that doesn't really do anything for us. So that part's frustrating. Otherwise, we do have some work to do on our side just to clean things up a little bit for us to get a good result. I think the car was in a good window this weekend. There are still some areas for me to improve, for us as the team to improve. So we'll keep working on it."
NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 4 CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R - FIFTH IN GTD PRO: "I feel like we didn't do so many things wrong and we ended up in P5, which was okay. I think from a team point of view it was a good day with the No. 3 car in P2, but it would be nice to have a result with the No. 4 Corvette at some point. We didn't make many mistakes. We do need to analyze where we lost time. Some of it is bad luck with the pit lane situation the way it is in IMSA and it's not really anyone's fault so we need to just keep grinding. Whenever we are ahead on track of the 3 car it gets tough in the pit lane. So sometimes it's quite unrewarding because you feel like we're doing well then the next pit stop and we're not doing well anymore. So that's frustrating. But other than that I would say a pretty solid day. We stayed out of trouble, the cars are in one piece, and it was a good job for the championship. So well done team."
CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 36 CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R - 15TH IN GTD: "What could have been again unfortunately for these guys. We were in a really good spot... P2 for most of the last stint and then actually the Lexus ran out of fuel in the last lap. Just 10 minutes to go and a rear-left failure potentially from some contact early in the race, but definitely not within the last three to four hours. So we just needed to diagnose what that was. But yeah, it was a super good weekend for us from start to finish and the team did a really good job. I tried to get these guys their first podium in IMSA, my own first podium in IMSA, but again it wasn't to be today."
CORVETTE RACING AT WATKINS GLEN: Front-Row Run for DXDT
Udell to start second in GTD, Catsburg third in GTD PRO qualifying ahead of Six Hours
WATKINS GLEN, NY (June 21, 2025) – Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs will start on the first and second row of the GTD and GTD PRO grids after qualifying for the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen on Saturday at Watkins Glen International.
Alec Udell was the quickest Corvette driver in the 15-minute qualifying sessions Saturday for DXDT Racing. For the second GTD race in a row, he will start on the outside of the front row after a lap of 144.999 (116.572 mph) in the No. 36 Chevrolet Corvette that he will share with factory driver Charlie Eastwood and Salih Yoluc.
Udell also was second in GTD qualifying in the last race for the class in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. He also was second-quickest in Friday’s opening practice session and fastest in GTD following Saturday morning’s final practice session.
In GTD PRO, Nicky Catsburg led the attack for Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports. He qualified third in the No. 4 Corvette that he’ll drive with Tommy Milner after a lap of 1:45.296 (116.243 mph). He was less than two-tenths of a second and three positions ahead of teammate Alexander Sims in the No. 3 Z06 GT3.R – a year after he and Antonio Garcia finished the Sahlen’s Six Hours third in class.
Watkins Glen also serves as the third of five rounds in the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup with the Corvette program already having a victory this year courtesy of GTD team AWA, which will start 19th in class Sunday. At Watkins Glen, points will be awarded at the three-hour mark as well as the race’s end.
In addition to more IMEC points, the Corvette Racing program will go for a third - and perhaps fourth - class victory in the Sahlen's Six Hours.
The Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen is scheduled for 12:10 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 22. The race will air live on NBC from noon to 3 p.m. with full streaming coverage on Peacock. IMSA Radio will stream audio coverage at IMSA.com along XM 206, SiriusXM Online 996.
CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R POST-QUALIIFYING DRIVER QUOTES
ALEC UDELL, NO. 36 CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R - SECOND IN GTD: "Not a bad place to start. I don't know how much more was in the car. It was a good lap, but I think maybe a tenth was what I feel like I left on the table there with the tire prep and putting it all together. The second push lap, I think, was a little bit better but I just lost a little in the last corner because I put a bit too much heat in the tire and then that was kind of it. We went for one more but it wasn't there. I'm happy, really happy. I think the DXDT guys are showing consistency with pace and prep for the car and everything, so it's nice to be at the front and nice to show that we've got the speed to be where we consistently put ourselves. It's a long race and we just have to focus on the execution for the next six hours tomorrow."
NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 4 CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – THIRD IN GTD PRO: "It wasn't bad in qualifying although the gap will make for a difficult race. Usually we are pretty strong in qualy and then we struggle in race. So we need to keep looking at trying to make a fast race car for tomorrow. I wasn't really expecting P3 in that session so it's kind of okay... same as this morning. It's just that the gap (to the front row) surprises me. We knew the Lambo was fast but we didn't know the BMW was going to be that fast. Let's see, although I'm afraid that in the long run, we might not be so strong. So it's something we have to work on overnight and make sure to get in the right window."
ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 3 CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – SIXTH IN GTD PRO: “It feels like we've got a nice racecar. I felt pretty confident driving it. I was just a little bit behind the curve in terms of the amount of laps that I've been able to do today and none yesterday. I just wasn't really able to attack that first lap. I was building up to it a touch, which honestly, in the circumstances, I'm perfectly happy with what we've done. It seems about right. It's a long race tomorrow with a bunch of pit stops. Like always... trying to keep a clean car, trying to be smart on strategy and just play a smart race because it seems like others have got more pure pace than us. We're still in the mix so let's have a smart race and get a good result."
OREY FIDANI, NO. 13 CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – 19TH IN GTD: “Not exactly where we hoped to be on the grid, but the Sahlen’s Six Hours is a long race and anything can happen. We’ve got a solid car, a strong lineup, and a team that knows how to fight. We’ll keep our heads down, stay clean, and push forward tomorrow.”
Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen Jun 19 to Jun 22, 2025 Watkins Glen, NY Track: Watkins Glen International Race Duration: 6 hours Circuit Length: 3.4 miles 11 corners
Entry by Class: GTP-13 LMP2 -12 GTD Pro -10 GTD -21 Qualifying Saturday June 21, 2025 2:20 pm to 3:50 pm EDT Watch live IMSA TV http://imsatv.imsa.com/ and Peacock streaming (GTD Pro) 2:45 PM to 3:00 PM EDT (LMP2) 3:10 to 3:25 PM EDT (GTP) 3:35 to 3:50 PM EDT (GTD) 2:20 to 2:35 PM EDT Television Broadcast Sunday June 22, 2025 Television Broadcast: NBC: 12:00 pm TO 3:00 pm EDT ( partial race) Online Broadcast: US: Peacock online live streaming: 12:00 pm to 6:30 pm EDT https://www.peacocktv.com/ International: 12:05 pm to 4:40 pm EDT http://imsatv.imsa.com/ Canada: 12:00 pm to 6:30 pm EDT Onboard cameras: IMSA.com (includes live images, in-car cameras and announcers) http://www.imsa.com/camera/imsatv
Halfway point of IMSA season sees Corvettes in championship hunts
DETROIT (June 17, 2025) – Following extremely positive results at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, it’s time for the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R teams in IMSA to take on an endurance race of their own this weekend in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen.
Four Corvettes will be part of both GT classes at The Glen with 31 production-based cars part of the full 56-car entry for the first IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship round of the summer. The goal is to deliver the Corvette Racing program its third victory in the Sahlen’s Six Hours and first since 2021.
Watkins Glen also serves as the third of five rounds in the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup with the Corvette program already having a victory this year courtesy of GTD team AWA.
At Watkins Glen, points will be awarded at the three-hour mark as well as the race’s end. Entering the Six Hours, Chevrolet stands third in both the GTD PRO and GTD Manufacturers standings; a maximum of five points per segment are available at IMEC events.
CORVETTE RACING MEDIA INFO
Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports (GTD PRO)
· No. 3 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Antonio Garcia/Alexander Sims
· No. 4 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Tommy Milner/Nicky Catsburg
The Pratt Miller Corvette team has three victories at Watkins Glen including the Six Hours in 2014 and 2021. Of note, Antonio Garcia was part of all three victories and is a two-time pole-winner in the event. Garcia and Alexander Sims have three podiums in four races this year and sit second in the GTD PRO Drivers Championship. The duo were second at the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the last GTD PRO round at Detroit.
Tommy Milner and Nicky Catsburg aim to make the podium for the first time this season after some bouts of hard luck earlier this year. The No. 4 Corvette duo has led in class at both Daytona and Sebring but in-race contact – particularly at Detroit – derailed their race-winning hopes. A year ago, Milner had to pit from the lead with one lap to go.
AWA (GTD)
· No. 13 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Matt Bell, Orey Fidani, Lars Kern
The AWA squad contests its second long-distance race in as many weekends following a 10th-place showing in the LMGT3 class of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Bell, Fidani and Kern finished seventh last year in GTD at Watkins Glen but ran in the GTD top-five ahead of a downpour that trapped the AWA Corvette – and many others – on-track with slick tires on. The solid run at Le Mans, where they ran as high as sixth in class, gives the team hope of adding a second race win to its count (the Rolex 24 to start the season) and a boost in the GTD Drivers and Teams championships for the full season and the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup.
DXDT’s endurance lineup reunites again with some solid momentum from the previous two sprint races on its side. Eastwood is coming off a third-place finish at Le Mans in one of TF Sport’s Corvettes, Alec Udell is driving the remaining sprint races with DXDT Racing, and Yoluc was part of a positive test at The Glen with DXDT Racing about a month ago.
DXDT Racing appeared on course for a podium finish and potentially a class win at Sebring with its three-driver endurance lineup before a late-race problem in the waning laps sidelined the Corvette.
The Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen is scheduled for 12:10 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 22. The race will air live on NBC from noon to 3 p.m. with full streaming coverage on Peacock. IMSA Radio will air all on-track sessions at IMSA.com along XM 206, SiriusXM Online 996.
CORVETTE RACING BY PRATT MILLER MOTORSPORTS
PRE-EVENT DRIVER QUOTES
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “We are getting close to our first win of the season. Watkins Glen gives us a great chance to achieve it. The nature of the track should favor us in some ways. I feel like the Corvette – no matter the version of racecar – has always been very solid and fast at tracks like Watkins Glen. It’s one of the amazing tracks in America that we look forward to every year.”
ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I would say we are optimistic going back to Watkins Glen. Antonio, myself and the No. 3 guys have been pretty consistent all season. We haven’t been able to win yet but we’ve been very close a couple of times. I’m hoping that the breakthrough comes at The Glen, which is one of my absolute favorite tracks in America. The flow of corners around there works so well in the Corvette, and I thoroughly enjoyed my experience in it last year. If we are to come through with a win, this would be a great time for it.”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I’m really looking forward to getting back to Watkins Glen this weekend. It's a race that I've thought about a lot over the last year. We were fortunate to be in a position to win at the end due to all of the cautions but it still stung having to pit coming to the white flag for fuel. The Six Hours is a race that I've yet to win and is very much on my list of ones I very much would like to cross off. Our Corvette Z06 GT3.R has been quick all year but we still struggle to race well with others in the class with our power disadvantage. Watkins Glen allows for a bit of strategy and we'll continue to use all of our tools to fight for the win.”
NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: ‘Last year at Watkins we had some minor issues with the car, which we only found out after the weekend! So we are looking for some redemption and a better shot at it. Watkins Glen was not super successful for us, even though the car was good. But I do love the place so I cannot wait to go back and give it another try. It's one of my favorite circuits in the States. Hopefully this time we can stay out the sort of trouble like we had at Detroit with some of the other cars. We need a clean race and we need a result finally. I think we deserve it."
AWA PRE-EVENT DRIVER QUOTES
MATT BELL, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "IMSA is always full of amazing circuits. We’re looking forward to getting back on that side of the pond where we know are very strong. I love driving around Watkins Glen. We felt like it was a little bit of a race that got away from us last year. Obviously the weather had an impact on the results and things. I’m ready to go back there. I feel like we’ve had the pace to podium in each race this year if not competing for wins. I think we can do the same this weekend.”
OREY FIDANI, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It’s pretty exciting going into this next stretch of races. Le Mans was pretty awesome for us and a lifetime achievement and dream for me. I really, really enjoy Watkins Glen. The car was great there last year and should be super-strong this year. We want to try for a good result to get back some ground in the GTD championship and in the Endurance Cup. I’m looking forward to it.”
LARS KERN, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It’s good to be in this car for as much time as you can. Le Mans was good to use in preparation for Watkins Glen this weekend. I had about a day-and-a-half at home to get ready to fly out. I’m looking forward to that challenge and being at the track. To me, this is very positive.”
DXDT RACING PRE-EVENT DRIVER QUOTES
CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 36 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Driving Watkins Glen during testing, it is such a good track. I had never been there in a GT car before testing, only in a prototype. It was great. After I did my first run and the team plugged in my intercom, the first thing I said was what an unbelievable racetrack. It’s so fast, so flowing, such high-grip. It really suits the Corvette so well because it has such a good aero platform. It feels like a mini-prototype in some of these corners. I’m looking forward to it. We had a good run at Sebring. We were on for our first podium in IMSA before an issue just at the flag. The team have shown great performance in the last two sprint races. I hadn’t been with the team for a couple of months but I can see the steps they’ve made as they are still new to IMSA. It’s a great bunch of people and I’m looking forward to this a lot.”
ALEC UDELL, NO. 36 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "We had a good test at Watkins Glen a couple of weeks ago and got to work through some things that we had had some questions about as we've been going through the season. It was a positive test and a good time to work all the drivers through. I'm not exactly sure how we're going to stack up in the class, but we've had a very competitive car over the last few races and have always been able to run up front. There's been a little bad luck mixed in with a couple of executional items that we can clean up as well. If we can just get a little bit of fortune on our side, we're poised for a really solid result. Watkins Glen is a track that Salih likes. Charlie and myself are our big fans of the track, so we're excited to go there. It's well-suited to the strength of the Corvette Z06 GT3.R; we really thrive in those kinds of high-speed flowing sections and I think we're good over curbs and good over the bumps. It's similar to Sebring in that way. We had a good car there, and I think we'll have a good car at Watkins Glen.
"I’m really excited with all the efforts that the DXDT crew are putting in with this program. On a personal note. I moved to the Charlotte area over the time from last race to this this race so I've been able to be a little bit more consistent in the shop and work on a few more of the driver things which I think will hopefully translate into some good synergies and good energy coming into the race. So I'm really looking forward to it."
SALIH YOLUC, NO. 36 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “We have a good opportunity to turn our luck around at Watkins Glen. The team had a very good test there and the Corvette appears to be a car that should be suited for the track. This is very different than the tracks I have raced so far this year - Daytona and Sebring - so I am looking forward to this challenge. I think we definitely can contend for a podium finish here if not more."
2025 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Points
GTD PRO Drivers Standings
1. Klaus Bachler/Laurin Heinrich – 1298
2. Alexander Sims/Antonio Garcia – 1287
3. Mike Rockenfeller/Sebastian Priaulx - 1243
4. Albert Costa – 1190
5. Christopher Mies/Fredereic Vervisch – 1149
9. Nicky Catsburg/Tommy Milner – 1062
GTD PRO Teams Standings
1. No. 77 AO Racing – 1298
2. No. 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports – 1287
3. No. 64 Ford Multimatic Motorsports – 1243
4. No. 81 DragonSpeed – 1190
5. No. 65 Ford Multimatic Motorsports – 1149
9. No. 4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports – 1062
GTD PRO Manufacturers Standings
1. Ford – 1339
2. Porsche – 1322
3. Chevrolet – 968
4. BMW – 1256
5. Ferrari – 1237
GTD Drivers Standings
1. Philip Ellis/Russell Ward – 1372
2. Jack Hawksworth/Parker Thompson – 1248
3. Adam Adelson/Elliott Skeer – 1166
4. Casper Stevenson – 1105
2. Patrick Gallagher/Robby Foley – 1078
6. Matthew Bell/Orey Fidani – 987
18. Alec Udell – 624
GTD Teams Standings
1. No. 57 Windward Racing – 1372
2. No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Racing – 1248
3. No. 120 Wright Motorsports – 1166
4. No. 27 Heart of Racing Team – 1105
5. No. 96 Turner Motorsport – 1078
6. No. 13 AWA – 987
12. No. 36 DXDT Racing – 807
GTD Manufacturers Standings
1. Mercedes-AMG – 1404
2. Lexus – 1309
3. Porsche – 1305
4. Ferrari – 1208
5. Aston Martin – 1186
6. Chevrolet – 1152
CORVETTE RACING AT WATKINS GLEN: By the Numbers
• 2: Wins at Watkins Glen International in 2021 for Antonio Garcia: the Sahlen’s Six Hours and the WeatherTech 240 in consecutive weeks with Jordan Taylor
• 2: Wins and pole positions in the Sahlen’s Six Hours for Antonio Garcia. He won GTLM in 2014 and 2021 and was the GTLM pole-sitter in 2019 and 2021
• 3: Victories at Watkins Glen for Corvette Racing since its debut there in 2014: 2014 and 2021 Sahlen’s Six Hours, and 2021 WeatherTech 240
• 6: Consecutive podium finishes for Antonio Garcia at Watkins Glen from 2017-2021
• 14: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001
• 18: Victories for Chevrolet in the Sahlen’s Six Hours, ranking second among all manufacturers
• 30: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte Motor Speedway, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Chang International Circuit (Thailand), Daytona, Detroit, Houston, 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
• 70: Number of drivers in Corvette Racing entries since 1999. The latest to join the list was Ben Green in GT World Challenge Asia for Johor Motorsports Racing at Mandalika (Indonesia)
• 72: 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
• 144: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 117 in IMSA, nine at Le Mans, four in the FIA WEC, 12 in GT World Challenge America and two GT World Challenge Asia
• 11,016.00: Number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing entries in 11 previous trips to Watkins Glen.
• 434,174.84: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing since its inception. To put that in perspective, Corvette Racing is more than halfway to the distance traveled by Apollo 13 – the longest manned spaceflight in history: 622,268 miles. That means Corvette Racing has raced to the moon… and then some!
Corvette Racing at Watkins Glen (wins in bold)
2014 – No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Antonio Garcia/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GTLM (Team’s first race at Watkins Glen)
No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 4th in GTLM
2015 – No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Antonio Garcia/Jan Magnussen – 4th in GTLM
No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 7th in GTLM (Ret., Accident)
2016 – No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Antonio Garcia/Jan Magnussen – 7th in GTLM
No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 4th in GTLM
2017 – No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Antonio Garcia/Jan Magnussen – 3rd in GTLM
No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 5th in GTLM
2018 – No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Antonio Garcia/Jan Magnussen – 2nd in GTLM
No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 5th in GTLM
2019 – No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Antonio Garcia/Jan Magnussen – 2nd in GTLM (Garcia pole, fastest race lap)
No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 8th in GTLM (Accident on first lap)
2021 – No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 1st in GTLM (Garcia pole)
No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy – 4th in GTLM (Tandy fastest race lap)
2021* – No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 1st in GTLM (Taylor pole, fastest race lap)
No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy – 2nd in GTLM
2022 – No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 6th in GTD PRO
2023 – No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 3rd in GTD PRO
2024 – No. 3 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Antonio Garcia/Alexander Sims – 3rd in GTD PRO
No. 4 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Tommy Milner/Nicky Catsburg – 7th in GTD PRO
No. 13 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Matt Bell/Orey Fidani/Lars Kern – 7th in GTD
PRESS RELEASE: CORVETTE RACING AT LE MANS: A Group Effort!
TF Sport takes podium spot, combines with AWA to put three entries in top-10
LE MANS, France (June 15, 2025) – TF Sport’s No. 81 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R of Charlie Eastwood, Rui Andrade and Tom Van Rompuy finished on the LMGT3 podium Sunday in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the first podium finish in the world’s biggest sports car racing for the Corvette GT3 program.
All three Corvette Z06 GT3.R entries finished inside the top-10 in an incredibly deep and competitive field. TF Sport’s No. 33 Corvette of Daniel Juncadella, Jonny Edgar and Ben Keating drove from 23rd in class at the start to seventh by the end. AWA and its No. 13 Corvette came from 24th in class early in the race to 10th at the finish in the hands of Matt Bell, Orey Fidani and Lars Kern.
Each Corvette moved forward from the early hours of the race. The only step wrong for the No. 81 was a drive-through penalty in the seventh hour. Otherwise the race almost ran like clockwork for the lead TF Corvette, which moved into the lead just past the halfway point and was part of a back-and-forth fight for an LMGT3 podium finish.
The No. 33 Corvette trio battled back from a mechanical issue prior to the halfway point that cost Keating, Edgar and Juncadella two laps. The group battled back though to not only finish in the points but earn enough to place them third in Drivers championship – now two spots ahead of their No. 81 teammates.
AWA’s No. 13 Corvette impressed in its Le Mans debut with a 10th place finish. The team ran as high as sixth in the early part of the race’s second half and continued to push higher up in the order in the closing hours. It was the first 24 Hours for the team, Fidani and Kern, but the entire group impressed the Le Mans crowd with their effort and Canadian-themed Z06 GT3.R.
Corvette Racing’s next event in the FIA World Endurance Championship is the Six Hours of Sao Paulo on Sunday, July 13.
JESSICA DANE, CORVETTE RACING PROGRAM MANAGER: "Having all three of our Corvettes finish in the top-10 of the 24 Hours of Le Mans is an incredible accomplishment of which everyone involved can be proud. A massive thank you to our partner teams TF Sport and AWA for believing in this program and their collaborative efforts surrounding this race. Everyone at Corvette Racing is proud of the way both teams performed and carried themselves through testing, practice, qualifying and the race. Thanks to everyone at GM Motorsports, Pratt Miller and Bosch for their collaboration. Most of all, congratulations to the drivers, team management, the crews, the engineers and everyone who contributed to this fantastic result."
CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R DRIVER POST-RACE QUOTES
CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 81 CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Amazing result. A podium at Le Mans and my first podium this season with Corvette. Not a bad place for it. As it has been for so many races last year and this year, not one thing went wrong. Every pit stop was perfect, not a single scratch on the car for 24 hours. We didn’t have the pace but we ended up on the podium because of that. Once we do have the pace of some of the other cars we’re going to win some races pretty comfortably. Amazing result for the team and delighted to finish my first 24-hour event with Corvette on the podium.”
RUI ANDRADE, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "We weren’t sure what to expect from the race with our pace. We knew it would be tough because we didn’t have the fastest package. But the team did an amazing job. The car was faultless all race long… so good. Every pitstop, every driver change, every tire change. The strategy was perfect. This was a big team effort and I’m really happy with this one.
“After the safety car about halfway, it was looking like we could fight for the top positions. At that point, there was still 12 hours to go. Anything can happen at Le Mans and usually does. The car was perfect which speaks volumes about the work behind the scenes that Corvette Racing and Pratt Miller are putting into the package. All three cars made it to the end. I’m really happy with this result. It’s really good!”
TOM VAN ROMPUY, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "The safety car was really lucky. It would have signed off for that at the beginning of the week or even a top-five. I’m so happy to be on the podium. It’s really a blessing. This was an amazing, tough race. The team executed it all well and all of the drivers as well. We all did an amazing job. This feels a little bit like a victory!”
DANIEL JUNCADELLA, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It was an excellent, excellent race after the issues we had where we lost two laps. We finished two laps behind the leaders so that says a lot about where we could have been. It’s great to see the sister car in third. They’ve been very unlucky the last year and a half with some unfortunate races. It’s well-deserved. I’m happy for them and for Corvette Racing to score a podium at Le Mans for the first time with the Z06 GT3.R. I’m happy for the team but wish it could have been us.”
JONNY EDGAR, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “After the issue, we did everything that we could. I think some cars had issues so we managed to finish ahead of quite a few cars that we didn’t expect to. I think before the race we would have taken P7 in the circumstances. It’s a shame because I think with how the race went with the Safety Car, would have probably been quite close to the 81 and probably in a battle between P3 and P5. It’s a shame to not have that chance, but I’m happy we did everything possible to score as many points for the situation we had, which is good. The car is nice to drive and the crew did a good job as always. Hopefully, we just carry that on for the rest of the year.”
BEN KEATING, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “If you had told me we would have gotten sixth-place points after starting 22nd out of 24 cars in the class, I think I would have said thank you very much! There is a possibility that we might or coulda woulda shoulda had more, but I don’t know that we did. Even if we didn’t have the wheel issue and the pit stop problem, with the safety car maybe we could have gotten a little more but maybe not. I’m pretty happy with how we finished the day. We got valuable points that we needed. Winning Le Mans is always on the bucket list, no matter how many times you’ve done it. But my main goal is to win the championship. We’re still in that hunt for sure.”
MATT BELL, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It was a very long race. We knew from the start that we weren’t quite as competitive as we would have liked to be. But it was everyone’s first time here – except mine – so there was a lot to learn during the event. AWA and the team delivered a top-notch performance as usual. I’m proud of the whole crew and to see all three Corvettes in the Top 10. We like winning on this team and even if we didn’t do that today, we can be very proud of the effort. We learned a lot and we’ll be back.”
OREY FIDANI, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “This means the world. Just finishing this race is absolutely amazing. I had the time of my life and we’ll come back next year even stronger. We’ll do it all over again with the same people and the same team! I honestly didn’t know what to expect. I just wanted to get in this car and drive and soak up the whole event. I’m happy we got to realize this.”
LARS KERN, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Just finishing this race is unbelievable. I never thought that this event was so special. I’d seen it and heard about it but never been here. Now that I’ve experienced it, we definitely have to come back. It’s an amazing feeling. I’m super proud of the whole team, drivers, and the crew. Our plan was to receive zero penalties. We didn’t manage that but those were the drivers’ fault. I think in the big picture that’s OK. I’m really proud of everyone and enjoyed the experience a lot.”
TF Sport moves into position to challenge for race win; AWA still going strong
LE MANS, France (June 15, 2025) – TF Sport and the No. 81 Corvette Z06 GT3.R surged into the lead just past the halfway point of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in what is shaping up to be a back-and-forth fight for the LMGT3 victory.
Charlie Eastwood moved the Corvette into the lead in class with a little more than 11 hours left in the race after solid driving from him and teammates Rui Andrade and Tom Van Rompuy in the first half. Van Rompuy completed his minimum drivetime with more than eight hours to go, leaving it to Andrade and factory driver Eastwood to challenge for the LMGT3 win the rest of the way.
A victory would be the 10th for the Corvette Racing program at Le Mans and third at the 24 Hours of TF Sport.
AWA’s No. 13 Corvette continued to impress in its Le Mans debut. The team ran as high as sixth in the early part of the race’s second half and continued to push for a top-10 finish going into the last eight hours.
The three Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs worked their way up through the LMGT3 field in the opening third of this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans with both TF Sport and AWA running in or near the top-10 after eight hours. All three drivers – Matt Bell, Orey Fidani and Lars Kern – took turns driving in the nighttime hours, which featured the race’s first safety car period.
TF Sport’s other Corvette – the No. 33 of Daniel Juncadella, Jonny Edgar and Ben Keating – continued driving back from a mechanical problem earlier in the race that cost the trio two laps in the garage. The trio kept pushing in hopes for a top-10 finish and FIA World Endurance Championship points.
Corvette Racing will distribute a post-race report following the finish of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R DRIVER QUOTES
RUI ANDRADE, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "The safety car was really lucky. It came out at a good time for us and put us right in the mix. So far so good. Our car is good. We haven't made many mistakes. Everyone is driving really well. The team is doing a good job. Fingers crossed we can keep this up."
JONNY EDGAR, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "I really enjoyed the first stint. I think it went quite well, and the race was going how we wanted. Ben did a long stint... five stints in a row to get quite a lot of his drive time. We were still on the lead lap, which was the aim of our strategy. We assumed there would be a safety car at some point to help us. It's a shame what happened on the pit stop, though. We lost two laps and it's going to be quite difficult to get that back. We'll need a lot of luck. I've enjoyed driving in the race. It's just a shame to have that issue."
LARS KERN, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I have to say this is the best race I’ve ever participated in. Chevrolet and AWA have given us a mega Corvette. It’s getting better and better over the run. I really enjoyed driving it. I was even asking for a fifth stint! They didn’t keep me in but I have to go back out after Orey and Matt again for a quadruple. I’m really looking forward to driving the car again. It’s absolutely epic out there… really nice.”
LE MANS, France (June 15, 2025) – The three Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs worked their way up through the LMGT3 field in the opening third of this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans with both TF Sport and AWA running in or near the top-10 after eight hours.
Corvette factory driver Charlie Eastwood was at the wheel of the No. 81 Corvette for TF Sport at the one-third mark of the race. He started the race sixth as he and teammates Tom Van Rompuy and Rui Andrade each rotated through with Eastwood running seventh as the race moved into the eighth hour.
The various strategies and driver rotations made tracking who had the advantage early in the class battle. After Eastwood’s opening run, Van Rompuy drove a quadruple-stint to give the No. 81 a strategic drive-time advantage going into the night before Andrade and then Eastwood took turns in the Corvette.
AWA’s No. 13 Z06 GT3.R steadily drove its way into contention in the team’s Le Mans debut. Matt Bell, Orey Fidani and Lars Kern quietly went from 24th in class to 10th after eight hours. Fidani, winner of the 2024 IMSA Akin Award to earn the team an invitation to Le Mans, drove the opening two hours with Bell and Kern picking up positions in the remaining six hours.
Bell was 12th in class going into the middle-third of the race.
TF Sport’s No. 33 Corvette ran into misfortune in the sixth hour after making solid progress of its own. Jonny Edgar had just finished his first double-stint of the race but the left-rear wheel wouldn’t come off on the pit stop. Daniel Juncadella continued on but the No. 33 team lost two laps – a huge blow to the LMGT3 championship-leading trio of Juncadella, Edgar and Ben Keating, which began 23rd in class.
Corvette Racing’s next update from the 24 Hours of Le Mans will be at the 16-hour mark.
CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R DRIVER QUOTES
CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "The first stint was pretty routine. I felt like that stint could have been a lot worse. It definitely wasn't great but not unexpected. Like always with this Corvette, the high-speed corners and degradation is really good. That's what could potentially keep us in the race. It's so strong in the Porsche Curves. Even to the guys like the Lexus who have been the standout, we seem to sort of be able to eat back into them by the end of the stint. Raceability is going to be tough but ultimately in laptime I don't think we're super far away."
TOM VAN ROMPUY, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "The plan before the race was for me to do a triple-stint. But then they asked how I felt at the end of the triple, and I was good to go for a fourth one. I got out of the car pretty fresh. I was happy with my pace. So for the moment it looks good. It's a little better than anticipated but there's a long way to go so let's see how it evolves."
DANIEL JUNCADELLA, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "We are participating at Le Mans because competing is another thing. It's pretty clear we are 8-10 kph down on the straight. We can't overtake any cars. The car is super-quick in the corners and the guys did a great job to give us a super-fast car in corners. It's just really disappointing because that's been the trend the last couple of races."
BEN KEATING, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "A good way to put it is that we're lingering. It's supposed to be racing but it feels more like lingering. We're going out there hoping to do the best we can and hoping to be there at the end. But I feel like a very fast moving chicane."
MATT BELL, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "There are a lot of different people on a lot of different strategies out there. So it's really difficult to place where you are. On that run there, the car felt really good. Honestly it felt a lot better than it did in testing, which is always nice. It's great when you race with the best car you've had all week. Thanks to the AWA guys for giving us that. I just had to get my head down. It was a lovely double-stint to be honest. We made up a couple of positions and made some overtakes for positions, which is a good thing.
"Our target is to try and be the best Corvette. Whether a Corvette will win the race or not is out of our hands. We're trying to maximize what we have. We feel some other manufacturers are quicker than us but it's a long race. We'll see what happens. The tow is so powerful around here. It's worth two or three seconds a lap. If you have a good driver and you can get him to tow you along, it can really help your laptime. Timing that, though, is always difficult."
OREY FIDANI, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R (two-hour triple in Le Mans debut) "That was awesome. The car is pretty good. I had a little bit of understeer, but it was a lot better than it was in the heat. Being overcast and a cool day helped us some. It was just awesome to get my first triple in this big race. It was great. I just wanted to get the car in a good spot to Matt and Lars. I had a really close call in pitlane trying to get in my box when another car did an unsafe release. But no collision and we're keeping on going."
CORVETTE RACING AT LE MANS: Third-Row Start for No. 81 Corvette
Eastwood, Andrade team to qualify sixth in Hyperpole for TF Sport
LE MANS, France (June 12, 2025) – TF Sport’s Charlie Eastwood and Rui Andrade teamed to qualify TF Sport’s No. 81 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R on the third row of a stacked LMGT3 field for this weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.
In Thursday’s two-phase Hyperpole session, Eastwood advanced the TF Corvette out of the 12-car field with the second-fastest time of Hyperpole 1 – 3:54.646 (129.929 mph) followed by Andrade’s career-best GT lap at Le Mans in the eight-car Hyperpole 2, a 3:55.740 (129.307 mph) on his final lap to stay on the third row.
It cements the No. 81 Corvette among the lead cars at the start of Saturday’s race, which features a massive field of 24 GT3 cars representing nine manufacturers. Eastwood and Andrade got the chance in Hyperpole after teammate Tom Van Rompuy advanced from Wednesday’s initial qualifying session in fifth place.
With Thursday’s results, all three Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs know their starting positions. AWA’s No. 13 Corvette of Matt Bell, Orey Fidani and Lars Kern will roll off 20th in class for the team’s Le Mans debut after winning the IMSA Bob Akin Award in the 2024 season. TF Sport’s No. 33 Corvette – driven by LMGT3 championship leaders Daniel Juncadella, Jonny Edgar and Ben Keating – will start 23rd in class.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is scheduled for 10 a.m. ET / 4 p.m. CET on Saturday, June 14. MotorTrend will air the full race live in the U.S., with full live streaming coverage available through the MAX app in the U.S., and the FIA WEC app internationally. Radio Le Mans also will provide live streaming audio coverage of all sessions as well.
CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R HYPERPOLE DRIVER QUOTES
CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – STARTING SIXTH IN LMGT3: "Clearly, the top couple of cars are super-fast, but we haven't been the sixth-fastest cars since we've been here all week. So again, I think all three of us did a really good job... Tom yesterday to get us in and continue on and then Rui had a really good last lap there. In the mix for sure. We're not the fastest but definitely not the slowest. We can definitely fight from there. The Corvette and the team have been super-faultless. We've been tuning the car more and more to a really good place. As we have in the last couple of races, we have executed really well up to now. We just need to make sure we continue to execute this weekend as well."
RUI ANDRADE, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – STARTING SIXTH IN LMGT3: "I'm really happy with how things went. Obviously, Charlie's lap was incredible in H1. So that was our main objective for that session to get to Hyperpole 2. The starting position doesn't determine your race, but it's always nice to start up ahead, avoiding a little bit of the mess at the start. It's a long race and you want to have a nice, easy start to just flow into it.
"For me, the lap felt pretty good at the end there. I missed the peak a little bit in the beginning, but in the last lap it felt really good. I'm happy with it. I think that was the most I could have done. The third row is not so bad. I think the whole team has done a really good job so far. There are no issues with the car and everything's running fine. So I'm happy with it. Now it's time to relax a bit and then enjoy the race.”
CORVETTE RACING AT LE MANS: No. 81 Corvette in Hyperpole
TF Sport’s Van Rompuy fifth in first stage of LMGT3 qualifying
LE MANS, France (June 11, 2025) – Tom Van Rompuy put TF Sport’s No. 81 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R into Thursday’s Hyperpole session ahead of this weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Van Rompuy set the fifth-fastest LMGT3 time in the Corvette that he drives with Rui Andrade and Corvette factory driver Charlie Eastwood. His lap of 3:57.890 (128.251 mph) put him into the top-12 in class by a full second as the quickest dozen LMGT3 cars advanced to the Hyperpole 1, where the eight best time move on the final Hyperpole round and grid positions for Saturday’s start.
Teammate Ben Keating, in the No. 33 Corvette Z06 GT3.R, qualified 17th and missed out by four-tenths of a second. A late red-flag stoppage – the second of the session – with about six minutes remaining thwarted Keating’s charge into the top-12, as did class competitors that significantly held up the Corvette at the end of the Le Mans circuit’s lengthy straightaways.
AWA’s Orey Fidani and the No. 13 Corvette Z06 GT3.R continued their progression in the team’s first Le Mans. Fidani qualified 21st in class but was seven seconds faster in qualifying than he was after Sunday’s Test Day.
Hyperpole for LMGT3 cars is scheduled for 8 p.m. local time Thursday. The TF Sport squad is going for its third class win at Le Mans, AWA is making its race debut, and the Corvette Racing program is attempting to score its 10th class victory in the race since 2001.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is scheduled for 10 a.m. ET / 4 p.m. CET on Saturday, June 14. MotorTrend will air the full race live in the U.S., with full live streaming coverage of all on-track sessions – including qualifying and Hyperpole – will be available through the MAX app in the U.S., and the FIA WEC app internationally. Radio Le Mans also will provide live streaming audio coverage of all sessions as well.
CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R POST-QUALIFYING QUOTES
TOM VAN ROMPUY, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – FIFTH IN LMGT3 QUALIFYING: "I'm really happy with the run I did in qualifying. Compared to my previous best time from this year, it's quite a chunk less so I'm really happy. We also had good preparation with the team, and I looked at a lot of data with Charlie ahead of time. So yes, there is a lot to be happy about in putting the Corvette in Hyperpole. Now it's up to the big boys to get us further up the order!"
BEN KEATING, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "Without the red flag... who knows? I'm sure there were other people on a flyer as well. Congrats to Tom on finishing P5. What irritates me more than anything else is that the 21 Ferrari and one of the Fords were just able to drive right around me on the straightaway and then park it in the corner. I felt like I was doing some really good laps there. My Hyperpole lap in '23 was five seconds quicker than all of this. So I know how to drive this track. But I can't do it if somebody drives around me and parks it in the corner. Unfortunately, I think that's what I'm going to be looking at this weekend for 24 hours, which just really angers me. This was my best lap for the weekend. I had a better lap going at the end before the red flag. Who knows what could have been? I think we will still be in the midst of the race, which is all you can hope for. I just don't like starting P17."
OREY FIDANI, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "I'm having fun out here! We push and keep our heads down to get faster and faster. I would say we had a little bit of trouble in the last free practice session. The car was wandering all over the place. Either we had jammed nut come loose in the toelink or one of the tires was pretty badly corded on the edge. So that earlier session was a little bit of a throwaway. But still, my gain from Sunday until now was four seconds, then here another three seconds. We just need to keep going and keep driving."
24 LE MANS RACE INFO: June 14-15, 2025 *********************************************** QUALIFYING: Qualifying - LMP2 & LMGT3 June 11: 12:45 pm ET-01:15 pm ET Qualifying - Hypercar Jun 11: 1:30 pm ET-2:00 pm ET
HYPERPOLE 1 - LMP2 & LMGT3 June 12: 2:35 pm ET to 2:50 pm ET
HYPERPOLE 1 - HYPERCAR June 12: 03:00 pm ET to 03:25 pm ET HYPERPOLE 2 - HYPERCAR June 12: 03:40 pm ET to 03:55 pm ET
TV Race Broadcast:
US: Motor Trend Channel showing all 24 hours:
Saturday June 14, 2025 start: 9:00 am ET Sunday June 15, 2025 ending: 10:30 am ET
Also, can be seen on Max TV if you have Sports B/R add on
International: Canada: Discovery-Velocity channel
Europe: Eurosport
Le Mans has offered an app to you can download. You can also purchase the race for a premimum package Program: https://www.fiawec.com/en/official-fia-wec-app/45 or download Google Play Store or Apple store. (note-cannot purchase the race in the US but you can follow live timing)
Corvette Z06 GT3.R program hopes to extend global success at Le Mans
LE MANS, France (June 10, 2025) – With the racing world’s attention this week turning to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R program has another opportunity to add to its list of successes in global motorsport.
In its second year of competition, the Corvette Z06 GT3.R already has raced to victory six times and recorded at least one podium finish in each of the six different championships in which customer teams are competing.
“Our program goal in 2025 was to continue the development and fine-tuning of the Corvette in order to provide our teams with a fast and reliable car that would enable them to compete for race wins and championships,” said Mark Stielow, Director, GM Motorsports Competition Programs. “It’s gratifying for us all to see so far that we are hitting that metric across all our full-time series on different continents.”
There currently are 17 Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs that have been sold since the program’s launch, and 13 of them are running full-time around the world. The state of play from Corvette entering Le Mans reveals:
· Race wins in the IMSA WeatherTech Championship, FIA World Endurance Championship, GT World Challenge America and GT World Challenge Asia
· Victories at key events such as the Rolex 24 At Daytona (AWA) and 1812KM of Qatar (TF Sport)
· Leading in multiple championships including TF Sport (FIA WEC in LMGT3) and Johor Motorsports Racing (GT World Challenge Asia overall GT3 Drivers Championship and in Pro-Am), as well as Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports currently second in IMSA’s GTD PRO class
· Multiple wins for DXDT Racing in GT World Challenge America and JMR in GT World Challenge Asia
· A successful debut for Steller Motorsport in GT World Challenge Europe with a runner-up class finish to open the season at Paul Ricard – the first race there for the Corvette Z06 GT3.R
· The first career GT3-level podium finish for Chouest Povoledo Racing’s Ross Chouest in his third event with the Corvette in GT America
“It’s exciting for all of us at Corvette Racing – Chevrolet, Pratt Miller, GM Motorsports – to see the amount of success from our teams so far this season,” said Jessica Dane, Corvette Racing Program Manager. “We are in constant communication with our customers to see what we can provide and do to make their experience with their Corvette better and more successful. That constant, two-way dialogue is something that is personal and intentional, and we believe it is what sets apart from our other competitors. Our teams aren’t just customers. We continually strive to do things that make them feel like part of the Corvette Racing family.”
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is scheduled for 10 a.m. ET / 4 p.m. CET on Saturday, June 14. MotorTrend will air the full race live in the U.S., with full live streaming coverage of all on-track sessions – including qualifying and Hyperpole – will be available through the MAX app in the U.S., and the FIA WEC app internationally. Radio Le Mans also will provide live streaming audio coverage of all sessions as well.
Six hours of trouble-free running on Test Day for trio of Corvettes
LE MANS, France (June 8, 2025) – The three Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs at the 24 Hours of Le Mans all declared themselves satisfied Sunday after six hours of running during the annual Test Day, setting the stage for the first official practice days later this week.
TF Sport and AWA completed both two-hour sessions with only small items to work through in the second year at Le Mans for the Corvette GT3.
Charlie Eastwood was the fastest Corvette driver on the day in TF Sport’s No. 81 Corvette that he drives with Rui Andrade and Tom Van Rompuy. Overall pace and ultimate laptime weren’t the goals for the trio of Corvettes, however. In-race procedures and systems checks were more important going into Wednesday’s three-hour Free Practice 1, which leads into the first qualifying session.
The TF Sport squad is going for its third class win at Le Mans, AWA is making its race debut, and the Corvette Racing program is attempting to score its 10th class victory in the race since 2001.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is scheduled for 10 a.m. ET / 4 p.m. CET on Saturday, June 14. MotorTrend will air the full race live in the U.S., with full live streaming coverage of all on-track sessions – including qualifying and Hyperpole – will be available through the MAX app in the U.S., and the FIA WEC app internationally. Radio Le Mans also will provide live streaming audio coverage of all sessions as well.
CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R DRIVER TEST DAY QUOTES
DANI JUNCADELLA, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “We ticked off a lot of boxes. It’s very cool to be back at this place. It’s very special, and I still am kind of a rookie even though it’s my second year. It was good to have everything back on track, and our Corvette is pretty much in the right window. I’m confident we can get the best out of what we have right now, so let’s see.”
JONNY EDGAR, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "My first laps were actually in the safety-car procedure. The team wanted to put me in then since it's a different procedure here. That as useful to understand how it works. And also it was quite good to see the track then, driving over some curbs slowly to get a bit of an idea before pushing. I just took it slow building up to the pace in a few corners. It's a fun track and I enjoyed driving it. By the last four or five laps, I felt like I was starting to get close to the limit in a lot of areas. So I really enjoyed that and the car feels good.
"I think the in cornering speed, the LMP2 is probably faster than the Hypercars or very similar. So it's more that they take long to pass on the straight. I think the track is so much longer that you probably see less traffic per lap, or you get blocked in the corners less here than you would on a normal track. So it's it's not too difficult to manage."
BEN KEATING, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “To get through a Le Mans Test Day without any extended time in the garage or on the back of a flatbed is a good Test Day. The team again has done an amazing job. I’d like to be middle of the pack, and I wish we were. There is a lot of energy, emotion and money that go into being here. It’s my hope that everyone can be competitive.”
CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Very much like a lot of events this year, internally our Test Day went very well. The pace from both Rui and Tom has been super-strong compared to the other Corvettes and the delta to myself. The car feels really good. We arrived with how we finished at the race last year, and it came out feeling great. The gap is too big, though, to the front guys that no setup change can bridge that gap.”
RUI ANDRADE, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I felt a lot more confident coming into today knowing what to expect from the car on this track. We started Test Day with not a lot of information that we needed, so we could start pushing right from the get-go. The Corvette felt good and I felt confident right away. Obviously on the Test Day the track is a bit dirty, but from my experience in the past the track now seems really quick and times are already competitive. So I’m happy to have gotten back on track. Six hours looks like a lot of time on a schedule but once you get into the program it goes away pretty quick. I’m happy to get some testing done on both cars and we can now compare data from both cars to analyze where we can find time for qualifying and the race. Most importantly both cars ran faultlessly again and there were no issues from anyone, which is always a good sign.”
TOM VAN ROMPUY, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "Again this year there is a bit of familiarization to get into the rhythm of the track, let's say. But straight out the car felt quite good in some parts of the track. For the moment, it looks like on the straights we lack a bit. But on the rest of the track the car feels great and I think we are in a good position. But hopefully we can find or make another step on overall speed.
(On being at Le Mans with carry-over people and equipment from 2024) "I think that's a pretty big thing. Because you come here, you know the track, you know the team, you know your teammates. Nothing is actually brand new. So the confidence is there from Lap One or Lap Two. That helps mentally, too, in order to be in a really good place with a bunch of people who you know and are super-motivated, as well. So, I think that's for sure a plus to do a second year with the full same team."
MATT BELL, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “We’ve planned for this day for a long time. These guys know IMSA inside and out, but we’re still learning a lot of running at Le Mans and in WEC. I think we’re the only GTD team in IMSA to have no penalties so far this season, and we aim to get to that level of smoothness by the time we get to the race. Everyone is learning the very different regulations here, and it’s always harder to do it when it’s a hot session. It’s a huge learning day on that front, and the guys are getting on top of it really well. In racing there are a million different scenarios that can crop up; you can’t talk about a million otherwise it would take you 10 months to have the conversation! The learning side of things today has been good. We’ve been focusing on all the processes of things. We’ve been collecting laps and not done a lot of setup work. But we’ll do a big debrief with the TF and Corvette guys to come up with some improvements as we go into Wednesday. It’s a matter of collecting mileage and trying to work out the errors.”
OREY FIDANI, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "Today was all about the comfort level and getting my bearings in the first couple of laps, just pushing deeper and deeper in the corners to figure it all out. I'd say the car was pretty decent to start with. There are always a few things to work on to make it a little better, and I know we will get there. I'm just happy to be here and super excited. Those first laps, driving my own car around here unlike last year... The team is on-point and it does feel like they've been here before. We'll keep getting laps in, get this car dialed in 100 percent for the race and keep pushing and digging."
LARS KERN, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "I'm just super happy that everything went smooth. It feels like the team has been here forever. Everything works really, really smooth and easy. And for us, it's just about dialing things in. I'm not too stressed about pace or anything. It's just about getting comfortable. So, yeah, we wanted to just ease in and soak up every second. The car feels great.
"Physically, it's not the first laps we've done here but it's the first laps we've done with the Corvette. And it feels good. Also knowing that the car already became like a fan-favorite this week is really cool. Let's hope things keep performing well and see where we are in the next sessions this week."
CORVETTE RACING AT LE MANS: Is it TF Sport’s Time?
Championship-leading program comes in with high hopes for Le Mans victory
DETROIT (June 5, 2025) – TF Sport and members of the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R program are eager to take all the lessons and all the experience from their past 18 months together and turn it into a victory in the world’s biggest sports car race.
Two Corvettes from TF Sport are part of the LMGT3 grid for this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans – starting with Sunday’s Test Day – and the fourth round of the FIA World Endurance Championship. The pair of entries are part of a three-car Corvette contingent among the 24 cars in the class for this year’s event, which kicks off with Sunday’s annual Le Mans Test Day and includes fellow Corvette team AWA.
The TF Sport squad is going for a third class win at Le Mans while the Corvette Racing program can make it 10 victories since 2001.
The team’s trio of Daniel Juncadella, Jonny Edgar and Ben Keating lead the WEC’s LMGT3 Drivers Championship standings on the strength of a victory at Qatar in their No. 33 Corvette Z06 GT3.R. Across the garage, the No. 81 Corvette lineup of Charlie Eastwood, Rui Andrade and Tom Van Rompuy are hoping to join their teammates as race winners for TF Sport in the trio’s second year together at Le Mans.
Each of the six drivers have different previous experiences at Le Mans. Eastwood and Keating are both past-winners of the race with Keating twice a winner, including in 2023 in a Corvette C8.R. Andrade is a past runner-up, Van Rompuy has two previous starts, Juncadella debuted last year and Edgar is a Le Mans rookie.
Two three-hour sessions are on the schedule for Sunday’s Test Day, which is the first time since last year’s final lap that cars will have the chance to run on the full 8.47-mile Le Mans circuit – a mix of permanent racetrack and public roads. The Test Day is valuable with only a three-hour Free Practice on Wednesday ahead of the first round of qualifying later in the day.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is scheduled for 10 a.m. ET / 4 p.m. CET on Saturday, June 14. MotorTrend will air the full race live in the U.S., with full live streaming coverage of all on-track sessions – including qualifying and Hyperpole – will be available through the MAX app in the U.S. Radio Le Mans also will provide live streaming audio coverage of all sessions as well.
TF SPORT PRE-EVENT QUOTES
DANI JUNCADELLA, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Le Mans is such an incredible place. The track itself is one that on paper you don’t think is a challenge because there are a lot of long straights and there aren’t that many corners for such a long track. You’d think it is fairly easy but it’s incredible the aura that the place has. There is something you can feel and it’s impressive. I was grateful to experience that for the first time last year.
“It’s a big thing that we have had pretty flawless races so far. The team has really taken a step forward in the right direction. It’s no secret that the driver lineup is incredibly good. Both Ben and Jonny are really, really good. Having Tyler (Neff, race engineer) with us this year brought us some fresh ideas and experience with the Corvette. The Z06 GT3.R is in its second year and we have a season of experience with it in the bag so that helps a lot in terms of reliability and many other things. It’s a great year to be part of this lineup and this team. We’re having very clean races and that also pays off with consistency for scoring results and points.”
JONNY EDGAR, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: I am looking forward to competing in my first 24 Hours of Le Mans. It’s a race I have watched for a long time and have always been interested to compete in so it is amazing I have finally got the opportunity to do so. If we can carry on the great work everyone has done this season then I am confident we will have a good result as we have managed to execute all three races very well so far this season. The whole team has done an amazing job.
"I cannot wait to drive the track for the first time, I am sure it will be very enjoyable in the Corvette Z06 GT3.R. It is very exciting to be racing alongside Ben and Dani at this race. Ben has had lots of success here with both Corvette and TF Sport so I am sure he will have lots of helpful advice for me, and Dani raced here last year with the Corvette so he will also be able to help me a lot as well.”
BEN KEATING, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "So far this season, the team has performed FLAWLESSLY! It has been very impressive and it is why we have seen the results. It's no surprise given my past history with both TF Sport and the Corvette. There's no reason to think we can’t keep the same incredible team performance for Le Mans.
"My first memory of Le Mans was in 2014 when I went as a spectator not knowing anything about it. I slept on the floor of the hospitality tent. I walked many miles. I felt like a little kid where everything was a new experience. To me what makes Le Mans special is that excitement and energy surrounding the event - everything from the public scrutineering to the parade to the race itself. This is a result of the history and mostly because of the fans. Le Mans is not a race. Le Mans is an event."
CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “We haven’t had the performance or results on our side, but the thing I’m really hopeful about is that as a crew, as a team and as a Corvette program, we’re executing some really good races. When you get to Le Mans, it’s what I actually love so much about it – even over other 24-hour events – it’s not like Daytona where you have so many cautions and you can get back into the race and back onto the lead lap. In Le Mans, if you make a mistake in the first hour then you have to be very fast to make that back up. With the energy side of things, we’ll probably have 27 or 27 pit stops. Our guys have gotten super-quick at tire changes and the strategy has been very good in the last few events. When you add that up across 26 stops versus just four stops, it can make a big difference in the pitlane.
“On top of that, both Rui and Tom – especially Rui as he is doing a geo-program in ELMS and then straight into a WEC race – are driving incredibly well, love the car and are able to extract speed out of it. So from our side when you look at the lineup, we’re pretty strong in that regard. No, we didn't have a great race there last year but as a team and a car, we’ve made massive strides in a lot of areas so hopefully that will play into our favor.”
RUI ANDRADE, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "I'm very excited to be back at Le Mans as always. For us it’s definitely the biggest race of the year and the one everyone wants to win. Last year was difficult but we’ve made steps forward as a team, and I know my teammates and I are ready for the challenge ahead.
"I personally definitely feel stronger this year which is a good confidence boost going into Le Mans. It’s a very long race and all three drivers need to be at their very best in order for the team to perform well. So hopefully I can keep my personal momentum going so we can fight for the win.”
17. Charlie Eastwood/Rui Andrade/Tom Van Rompuy – 8
LMGT3 Teams Standings
1. No. 33 TF Sport – 44
2. No. 21 Vista AF Corse – 40
3. No. 78 Akkodis ASP Team – 38
4. No. 92 Manthey 1ST Phorm – 31
5. No. 54 Vista AF Corse – 31
15. No. 81 TF Sport – 8
CORVETTE RACING AT LE MANS: By the Numbers
• 2: Number of victories for TF Sport at Le Mans (2020 and 2022 in GTE Am)
• 3: Number of wins for the Corvette C5-R – 2001, 2002, 2004
• 4: Number of wins for the Corvette C6.R – 2005, 2006, 2009, 2011
• 4: Generations of Corvette Racing entries at Le Mans since 2000 – Corvette C5-R (2000-04), Corvette C6.R (2005-13), Corvette C7.R (2014-2019) and Corvette C8.R (2021-2023) / Corvette Z06 GT3.R (2024-current)
• 9: Class victories for Corvette Racing at Le Mans – all since 2001
• 11: Number of combined 24 Hours of Le Mans starts for the No. 81 Corvette trio of Charlie Eastwood (five), Rui Andrade (four) and Tom Van Rompuy (two)• 12: Number of drivers who have won races at Le Mans for Corvette Racing – Olivier Beretta, Nicky Catsburg, Ron Fellows, Antonio Garcia, Oliver Gavin, Ben Keating, Jan Magnussen, Tommy Milner, Johnny O’Connell, Scott Pruett, Jordan Taylor and Nico Varrone
• 14: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001
• 30: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte Motor Speedway, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Chang International Circuit (Thailand), Daytona, Detroit, Houston, 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
• 33: Number of drivers to compete for Corvette Racing at Le Mans. That number grows this year with the additions of all three AWA Corvette drivers
• 70: Number of drivers in Corvette Racing entries since 1999. The latest to join the list was Ben Green in GT World Challenge Asia for Johor Motorsports Racing at Mandalika (Indonesia)
• 72: 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
• 144: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 117 in IMSA, nine at Le Mans, four in the FIA WEC, 12 in GT World Challenge America and two GT World Challenge Asia
• 115,625.48: Number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing entries in 26 previous trips to Le Mans. That represents 13,708 laps… or almost five full trips around the Earth at its equator. Corvette Racing combined to go over the 100,000-mile mark at Le Mans in the 2021 race.
• 425,552.38: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing since its inception. To put that in perspective, Corvette Racing is more than halfway to the distance traveled by Apollo 13 – the longest manned spaceflight in history: 622,268 miles. That means Corvette Racing has raced to the moon… and then some!
Corvette Racing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (wins in bold)
2000 – No. 63 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Chris Kneifel/Justin Bell – 4th in GTS
No. 64 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon – 3rd in GTS
2001 – No. 63 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Scott Pruett – 1st in GTS
No. 64 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon – 2nd in GTS
2002 – No. 63 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GTS
No. 64 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon – 2nd in GTS
2003 – No. 53 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Franck Freon – 3rd in GTS
No. 50 Corvette C5-R: Oliver Gavin/Kelly Collins/Andy Pilgrim – 2nd in GTS
2004 – No. 63 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Max Papis – 2nd in GTS
CORVETTE RACING AT LE MANS: AWA Targets Another 24-Hour Win
No. 13 Corvette set for Le Mans debut after taking IMSA Bob Akin Award, Rolex 24 victory
DETROIT (June 4, 2025) – With one victory in a 24-hour endurance classic already in-hand, Corvette Z06 GT3.R team AWA is hoping lightning strikes twice, this time at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in its debut at the French classic.
The team, its No. 13 Corvette and driving trio of Matt Bell, Orey Fidani and Lars Kern are part of the 24-car field in the LMGT3 class of the famed French enduro. AWA’s Corvette is one of three Z06 GT3.Rs entered for this year’s Le Mans alongside FIA WEC full-season entrant TF Sport, which is supplying logistical support to the AWA effort.
First up for the team is Sunday’s Test Day, which features a pair of three-hour sessions of running around the famed Le Mans circuit.
It also provides the first time for the No. 13 Corvette to run in its predominantly red race livery, highlighting the team’s Canadian heritage.
The AWA driving trio are at Le Mans via Fidani’s win in the 2024 Bob Akin Award, which goes to the top-scoring Bronze driver in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
This year’s Le Mans will be the third for Bell – who podiumed in the 2022 LMP2 Pro-Am race – but the first for both Fidani and Kern. Fidani and Kern did, however, race last year at the event in the Road to Le Mans support race in anticipation of a potential invite to this year’s race.
Not only did that invitation come to pass, AWA won this year’s Rolex 24 At Daytona in IMSA’s GTD class with its Corvette. In addition, Fidani again is leading the Akin Award standings heading into the next IMSA event at Watkins Glen the weekend following Le Mans.
The AWA team will get its first laps around the 8.47-mile circuit during Sunday’s Test Day. It’s the first time since last year’s final lap that cars will have the chance to run on the full Le Mans layout – a mix of permanent racetrack and public roads. The Test Day is valuable with only a three-hour Free Practice on Wednesday ahead of the first round of qualifying later in the day.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is scheduled for 10 a.m. ET / 4 p.m. CET on Saturday, June 14. MotorTrend will air the full race live in the U.S., with full live streaming coverage of all on-track sessions – including qualifying and Hyperpole – will be available through the MAX app in the U.S. Radio Le Mans also will provide live streaming audio coverage of all sessions as well.
AWA PRE-EVENT QUOTES
MATT BELL, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Le Mans is the pinnacle of our sport. It’s the biggest, most prestigious race in the world, there’s just something extra special about it. There are amazing endurance races everywhere, but Le Mans is the crème de la crème. I’ve done it twice and was fortunate to be on the podium my first time. I’ll be looking to replicate that with AWA and Corvette. We’ve got a strong team, and I’m really looking forward to my first GT run with AWA at Le Mans.”
(The team’s confidence) “I have huge belief in this team, and everyone on the team does too. We’re a confident group, especially after the Daytona win. We always felt we could compete at that level, and now we’ve proven it. That win definitely raised the bar for us going into Le Mans. I think we’re shooting for a podium, minimum.”
OREY FIDANI, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “We completed a test ahead of heading to Le Mans and it went very well. We're feeling confident as a team and doing everything we can to be as prepared as possible. I'm incredibly excited to be back on track soon and getting to return to Circuit de la Sarthe for the big show this time. It's truly amazing what this group has accomplished in the past year, and now we get to show what we're made of and represent Canada in the biggest endurance race in the world.”
LARS KERN, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It still feels a bit like a dream. I’ve always said I wouldn’t believe I was racing at Le Mans until the moment I left pit lane. For years, making it to the Le Mans grid felt out of reach. It’s the pinnacle of sports car racing, and I wasn’t sure I belonged there.
“Coming here after a Daytona 24 win, driving a Corvette in LMGT3, still feels surreal. But here we are. I can’t thank everyone enough for the trust they’ve put in me, especially Orey and the entire AWA team. They’re an incredible group, and I wouldn’t want to race with anyone else.
“Now let’s put that Maple Leaf Corvette Z06 GT3.R on French tarmac and make Canada proud.”
CORVETTE RACING AT LE MANS: By the Numbers
• 2: Number of victories for TF Sport at Le Mans (2020 and 2022 in GTE Am)
• 3: Number of wins for the Corvette C5-R – 2001, 2002, 2004
• 4: Number of wins for the Corvette C6.R – 2005, 2006, 2009, 2011
• 4: Generations of Corvette Racing entries at Le Mans since 2000 – Corvette C5-R (2000-04), Corvette C6.R (2005-13), Corvette C7.R (2014-2019) and Corvette C8.R (2021-2023) / Corvette Z06 GT3.R (2024-current)
• 11: Number of combined 24 Hours of Le Mans starts for the No. 81 Corvette trio of Charlie Eastwood (five), Rui Andrade (four) and Tom Van Rompuy (two)
• 9: Class victories for Corvette Racing at Le Mans – all since 2001
• 12: Number of drivers who have won races at Le Mans for Corvette Racing – Olivier Beretta, Nicky Catsburg, Ron Fellows, Antonio Garcia, Oliver Gavin, Ben Keating, Jan Magnussen, Tommy Milner, Johnny O’Connell, Scott Pruett, Jordan Taylor and Nico Varrone
• 14: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001
• 30: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte Motor Speedway, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Chang International Circuit (Thailand), Daytona, Detroit, Houston, 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
• 33: Number of drivers to compete for Corvette Racing at Le Mans. That number grows this year with the additions of all three AWA Corvette drivers
• 70: Number of drivers in Corvette Racing entries since 1999. The latest to join the list was Ben Green in GT World Challenge Asia for Johor Motorsports Racing at Mandalika (Indonesia)
• 72: 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
• 144: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 117 in IMSA, nine at Le Mans, four in the FIA WEC, 12 in GT World Challenge America and two GT World Challenge Asia
• 115,625.48: Number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing entries in 25 previous trips to Le Mans. That represents 13,708 laps… or almost five full trips around the Earth at its equator. Corvette Racing combined to go over the 100,000-mile mark at Le Mans in the 2021 race.
• 425,552.38: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing since its inception. To put that in perspective, Corvette Racing is more than halfway to the distance traveled by Apollo 13 – the longest manned spaceflight in history: 622,268 miles. That means Corvette Racing has raced to the moon… and then some!
Corvette Racing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (wins in bold)
2000 – No. 63 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Chris Kneifel/Justin Bell – 4th in GTS
No. 64 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon – 3rd in GTS
2001 – No. 63 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Scott Pruett – 1st in GTS
No. 64 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon – 2nd in GTS
2002 – No. 63 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GTS
No. 64 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon – 2nd in GTS
2003 – No. 53 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Franck Freon – 3rd in GTS
No. 50 Corvette C5-R: Oliver Gavin/Kelly Collins/Andy Pilgrim – 2nd in GTS
2004 – No. 63 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Max Papis – 2nd in GTS
CORVETTE RACING AT DETROIT: A Drive Back to Second
Garcia, Sims, No. 3 Corvette go from eighth to second in GTD PRO after wild street race
DETROIT (May 31, 2025) – Antonio Garcia and Alexander Sims led the way home for Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports on Saturday with an inspired drive to second place from eighth on the GTD PRO grid of the Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic.
The No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R squad made its way from eighth at the start to an improbable runner-up result in a chaotic 100-minute race at the 1.654-mile, nine-turn street circuit around GM’s global headquarters.
It marked the second consecutive podium finish and third of the season for the Sims and Garcia – they also finished second in the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona. More importantly, the two gained 40 points in the fight for the GTD PRO Drivers championship races heading into the summer stretch for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
Teammates Tommy Milner and Nicky Catsburg weathered early contact that seemingly undid their race, but the No. 4 Corvette Z06 GT3.R managed to claw back from 10th in class after five minutes to sixth at the end.
Garcia took the start in the No. 3 Corvette and moved up to fourth for the majority of his 30-minute stint. He stopped from the class lead, and the team lost only two spots after taking fuel and a mighty outlap for Sims. He moved up into second when the then-class leader had to make its second stop of the race and set out for the win.
Sims set the fastest lap of the race a couple of laps into his stint and got to within a half-second of the class-winning car before taking the checkered flag in second.
Meanwhile, Catsburg ran as high as fifth as the race’s second and final full-course yellow bunched up the field for the final 30 minutes. The team took advantage of the late yellow to make its final pit stop, which put Catsburg back to seventh in GTD PRO. He appeared set for a top-five finish until he and the No. 77 Porsche were assessed dual drive-through penalties for late-race contact while fighting for position.
The next race in IMSA for the Corvette Z06 GT3.R program is the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen on Sunday, June 22 from Watkins Glen International.
CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R DRIVER QUOTES
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "I think we played it very well. It is difficult to stay calm and make the moves and so on. But yeah, I just tried to be smart. Probably at times I lost positions, but then I got them back and from that point on, I think I knew how to play it, so saving fuel, and relying on all the practice we did in the pits. So I think that's where we really jumped everyone also on the stop. It's a shame that we were behind the 64 for over an hour. We couldn't really pass that car so that's a long time following that one. But after all that happened yesterday, I think we can be happy with this. Alex did great, the team was great and the Corvette was great. Thanks to everybody."
ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "If I'm perfectly honest, no, I didn't think this sort of result would be possible with a relatively normal strategy. But people fell off all around us. We gained a few positions on the pit stop, we had good pace in clear air, anyway. And it worked out for us this time. It's impossible to overtake the Ford, but we had the car underneath us. Our Corvette was really working well around the streets here in Detroit. And yeah, after the pit stop I took some big risks to try to get the laptime on the outlap in case we needed to jump people on the stop, which we ended up doing so it paid off. for sure. It all worked out well. I couldn't ask for much more. The team did a great job. The Corvette felt nice. Thanks to Pratt Miller and everyone on the team."
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "A typical street race and a place where it's hard to pass. We got roughed up a little bit right at the start, and then got roughed up again the next corner after that. Obviously, we had a little issue with the bumper, which of course, doesn't affect the driving but we knew what to expect at that point. But frustrating for sure. It really didn't have a massive effect on our race in reality... not good for it, for sure, but that was one of the strategies that we actually discussed - basically pitting very early. So we kind of had a plan for that anyway.
"At the end, Nicky and the Corvette were certainly fast, no doubt about it. I can only imagine what Nicky feels like. I know he had some frustration built up. But it's street racing. Everybody gives a little bit. Sometimes you take a little bit, sometimes you give a bit more than you take. It's just kind of how it goes sometimes. Obviously, we're fighting hard to get a good result for ourselves but obviously our car needs to be in better shape than what it has been in the last couple of races. I think that'll be our plan going forward - just focusing on having a clean race and hoping that that's the key to our success."
NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "We tried and we fought hard again. But today, it wasn't meant to be for us. I think we had good pace in the car. We showed it all race. I tried quite hard with the Porsche but I couldn't pass him. We got together so yeah, we were racing hard... a little bit too hard, but that happens. That's part of it. And you race each other the same way. I'm happy for the sister car that they got their good result. And I think honestly, we should have been there as well."
CORVETTE RACING AT DETROIT: Red Flag Cuts Pole Push Short
GTD PRO Corvettes will try and carve their way forward in 100-minute sprint
DETROIT (May 30, 2025) – Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports’ two Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs will try to make magic happen Saturday from deep in the field of the Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic.
Tommy Milner was the fastest Corvette Z06 GT3.R driver in Friday’s 15-minute GTD PRO qualifying that saw a red-flag stoppage period nearly 10 minutes into the session. A line of six cars ran mostly nose-to-tail for the first green-flag portion with Milner sixth in the No. 4 Corvette and teammate Antonio Garcia ninth in the No. 3, which lost its fastest qualifying time due to causing a red flag in Friday’s second practice.
Qualifying restarted but only to achieve the minimum green-flag time of 10 minutes, which meant the entire field took the checkered flag without the chance to put in a final timed lap.
Moving forward will be difficult around the tight and twisty 1.645-mile, nine-turn circuit that circles General Motors’ global headquarters. There is hope, however. The pace of the two Pratt Miller Corvettes was evident from Friday’s pair of practice sessions.
Heading into qualifying, Garcia and Milner had the two fastest times in the class with four of the six fastest times belonging to the quartet of Corvette drivers. All four laptimes were faster than the eventual pole-winning car.
Those results came from data and lessons learned from 2024’s race along with pre-event simulation sessions at the program’s Driver in the Loop facility last week.
This is the second appearance for the Corvette/Pratt Miller squad and the rest of the GTP and GTD PRO cars at the downtown Detroit circuit. Corvette Racing previously scored three victories at the Belle Isle circuit, the last coming in 2021.
The Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic is scheduled for 3:40 p.m. ET on Saturday. The race will stream live on Peacock in the U.S., and IMSA’s YouTube channel internationally. IMSA Radio will stream the call of the race at IMSA.com along XM 206, SiriusXM Online 996.
CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R QUALIFYING DRIVER QUOTES
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "I think the smart thing for me is to not say what my plan is from now on. But certainly we were compromised as were many other cars by a car that had clear track that did not want to continue to qualify the car, just waiting for something to happen. I don't know what exactly. Yeah, a lot of us paid the penalty for it. It's not the first time that car has done stuff like that. So, yeah, just going forward we've done something different in the past in qualifying and it's paid off massively. And so I think from now on, we'll just do something different than what most other people do and let us determine our own destiny and not leave it to the hands of incompetent drivers."
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "I'm a bit confused about today. I don't know what is the strategy in qualifying for people who are messing things up when they are alone ahead. We probably should have stopped and done our own thing. It's unfortunate. We need to somehow make something happen tomorrow."
Press Release: CORVETTE RACING AT DETROIT: Home Goals
GTD PRO Corvettes eyeing big victory at hometown street race
DETROIT (May 26, 2025) – Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports will be back on home turf this weekend with its pair of Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs part of the field for Saturday’s Chevrolet Sports Car Classic.
The No. 3 and No. 4 Corvettes help make up a 22-car grid of GTD PRO and GTP entries for the fifth round of this year’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with both cars looking to build on levels of success from the 2024 event in which they qualified first and second in class.
Antonio Garcia and Alexander Sims, second in GTD PRO points, share the No. 3 Corvette and are coming off a third-place podium finish in the previous round at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. A year ago at Detroit, Garcia claimed pole position in GTD PRO but the No. 3 suffered a mechanical problem on the way to the green flag and finished well down the order.
That left Tommy Milner and Nicky Catsburg to fight for victory in the No. 4 Z06 GT3.R. Milner set the fastest race lap early on as the Corvette led the first 39 laps of the race. Shortly after Catsburg took over, he was hit and spun out following a mid-race restart that resulted in damage to the Corvette and a ninth-place finish.
This is the second appearance for the Corvette/Pratt Miller squad and the rest of the GTP and GTD PRO cars at the downtown Detroit circuit, which runs around the Renaissance Center and the global headquarters of General Motors, is the shortest on the calendar at nine turns and 1.654 miles around. The program previously scored three victories at the Belle Isle circuit.
The Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic is scheduled for 3:40 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 31. The race will air live on Peacock in the U.S., and IMSA’s YouTube channel internationally. IMSA Radio will air all on-track sessions at IMSA.com along XM 206, SiriusXM Online 996.
CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R DRIVER QUOTES
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Obviously Detroit is an important race for everyone on this team. It is the home race for Corvette, we race around the Renaissance Center and Pratt Miller isn’t far away. So there will be many guests and fans who we want to do a good job for this weekend. This is the only street race for us in GTD PRO, and I like these a lot. It puts a lot of importance on precision and how you do a lap, not just top speed. I would really like another pole position there and this time a win in our ‘home’ race.”
ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I take a lot of pride driving and racing a Corvette in Detroit for our home event. In terms of the racing, the Detroit track is quite a challenging one. It’s much shorter than any other track will race this year but it has vastly different sections. There is the long straight in front of the RenCen where you can create opportunities out of the corner leading on to it but also the tight hairpin at the end. The other sections are tight and twisty where you do have to take some risks. Some are calculated and others not so much. But that’s part of street racing and what the fans want to see. Last year Antonio did a mega job putting the car on pole but unfortunately our race was in effect finished before it started with a mechanical problem. I’m confident that this year will be much different and we can finish at the front this time around.”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "I'm excited for Detroit. I thought we had a good Corvette there last year. It's obviously an important event for Chevrolet, for GM and for Pratt Miller, as well. Last year we had lots of guests from all three groups, so it was a big event for the whole team and for Chevrolet. This is a polarizing racetrack. I enjoyed it. I thought it was fun. The beauty and the downside of street-track racing is you get exciting racing, but you're also exposed to risky passes and exposed to situations that can be outside of your control in many situations. So as always, we have to be diligent with how we race. We are going there with some sense of confidence and excitement for the weekend. That's not just because we were faster last year, but it's great to have so many family members of the race team and guests of Chevrolet and GM around in the shadow of the RenCen makes that race even more special."
NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I’m looking forward to going back to Detroit again. I’m personally not a fan of the track. It’s very difficult and challenging and having to be close to the walls in every corner makes it pretty tough. But it is a very important race for us as a team and as Corvette. It’s one where we want to do very well. Last year we were in a very good spot to have a proper result and maybe even a win. Tommy had a very strong qualifying and I think he brought the car in in the lead. Then I had an incident with one of the Lexus which took us out of the race. Hopefully this year we can fight for our first win in the 4 Corvette, which is something we’ve been trying to achieve for some time. It would be great to achieve that on home soil.”
2025 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Points
GTD PRO Drivers Standings
1. Klaus Bachler/Laurin Heinrich – 1014
2. Alexander Sims/Antonio Garcia – 944
3. Albert Costa – 939
4. Christopher Mies/Fredereic Vervisch – 907
5. Dan Harper/Max Hesse – 860
8. Nicky Catsburg/Tommy Milner – 786
GTD PRO Teams Standings
1. No. 77 AO Racing – 1014
2. No. 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports – 944
3. No. 81 DragonSpeed – 939
4. No. 65 Ford Multimatic Motorsports – 907
5. No. 48 Paul Miller Racing – 860
8. No. 4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports – 786
GTD PRO Manufacturers Standings
1. Porsche – 1036
2. BMW – 974
3. Ferrari – 973
4. Chevrolet – 968
5. Ford – 954
CORVETTE RACING BY THE NUMBERS: Detroit
• 2: Generations of Corvette Racing entries at Detroit – Corvette C6.R (2007-08) and Corvette C8.R/Z06 GT3.R (2020-present)
• 3: Wins in Detroit for Corvette Racing in four starts – 2007 and 2008 in GT1, and 2021 in GTLM (although it was a non-points event)
• 5: Number of wins for the Corvette Z06 GT3.R in 2025 – the Rolex 24 At Daytona in the GTD class for AWA, the FIA WEC’s 1812 Km of Qatar for TF Sport in LM GT3, one round of GT World Challenge Asia for Johor Motorsports Racing and two rounds of GT World Challenge America for DXDT Racing
• 8: Victories at Detroit for Chevrolet in IMSA competition. In addition to three wins for Corvette Racing, Corvette Daytona Prototypes won overall each year on Belle Isle from 2012-2016
• 14: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001.
• 29: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte Motor Speedway, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Daytona, Detroit, Houston, 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
• 70: Number of drivers in Corvette Racing entries since 1999. The latest to join the list was Ben Green in GT World Challenge Asia for Johor Motorsports Racing at Mandalika (Indonesia)
• 72: 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
• 142: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 117 in IMSA, nine at Le Mans, four in the FIA WEC, 11 in GT World Challenge America and one GT World Challenge Asia
• 327: Event starts by Corvette Racing entries since 1999, starting with that year’s Rolex 24 At Daytona. No. 300 came in early August 2024 at Road America in IMSA
• 424,664.46: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing entries since 1999. To put that in perspective, Corvette Racing is more than halfway to the distance traveled by Apollo 13 – the longest manned spaceflight in history: 622,268 miles
Corvette Racing at Detroit
2007 (Belle Isle) – No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell – 1st in GT1
No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Olivier Beretta – 2nd in GT1
2008 (Belle Isle) – No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GT1
No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Olivier Beretta – 1st in GT1
2021 (Belle Isle unofficial race) – No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2nd in GTLM
No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy – 1st in GTLM
2024 – No. 3 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Antonio Garcia/Alexander Sims – 10th in GTD PRO (Garcia pole)
No. 4 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Tommy Milner/Nicky Catsburg – 9th in GTD PRO (Milner fastest race lap)
PRESS RELEASE: CORVETTE RACING AT LAGUNA SECA: Podium for Garcia, Sims
Third place in GTD PRO for No. 3 Corvette Z06 GT3.R in caution-free race run
MONTEREY, Calif. (May 11, 2025) – Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports returned its No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R to the GTD PRO podium as Antonio Garcia and Alexander Sims finished third in Sunday’s Monterey SportsCar Championship at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
The result gives the duo two podiums in three GTD PRO races this season following their runner-up finish at the Rolex 24 At Daytona to start the season. It also is the second straight podium finish in Monterey for the Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller squad after Tommy Milner and Nicky Catsburg were third a year ago.
Milner and Catsburg were sixth in class this time around in their No. 4 Corvette following an unexpected late-race pitstop. The duo ran as high as second in the opening portion of the race but suffered a refueling issue on what was to have been Milner’s final stop for service with a little more than an hour to go.
In GTD, DXDT Racing’s push for a potential victory took a hit early on. Alec Udell, who qualified second in class, attempted to bring the No. 36 Corvette in just past the 45-minute mark for its first stop and driver change to Robert Wickens. Another GTD car, though, left its pitbox just as Udell was about to pull in which resulted in contact between the two cars. Udell had to drive through the pitlane, and the offending car was called for penalty.
Wickens got in the DXDT Corvette 10 minutes later for his first double-stint in GTD competition. Despite finishing 10th in class, Wickens gained valuable data and experience behind the wheel of the No. 36 Z06 GT3.R, which was equipped for the second race with a new electronic braking system from Bosch.
The No. 13 AWA Corvette of Matt Bell and Orey Fidani finished 13th in GTD with Bell racing his way to second place in the Bob Akin Award standings for the team. The team’s next race is its first appearance at the 24 Hours of Le Mans next month.
The next round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for the GTD PRO Corvettes is the Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic on May 30-31.
CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R DRIVER POST-RACE QUOTES
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I didn’t plan to have to fight at the end! For some reason I had some issues with a lapped car and that brought me closer to fourth place. I knew they would have a fuel advantage on the last stop. They seemed to be a little stronger, but I was more concerned about tire life especially in the last stint. We stopped quite a bit early in the window so I was concerned about saving tires in thinking about maybe a yellow flag at the end. We probably were missing some pace compared to the other two cars ahead I think. We saw that last year. I’m sure things will come our way down the road.”
ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “With it being a green race, if you gained on the first stop then you lost it on the next on in terms of pit timing. It kind of worked out as I expected. Maybe not dropping back to fifth at the start. That wasn’t part of the plan but how the racing went I was maybe a little tentative. The BMW squeezed me and clipped me slightly so I was behind him with a little bit of a gap because I had to breathe out of the throttle. I was waiting for what would happen in the brake zone but by then the Porsche was alongside me. That’s the way it goes. Other than that, the Corvette felt nice. That was probably the pace we had. I think we were about the third-fastest car this weekend and that’s about right. Well done to the team. Pratt Miller did a great job, and the Corvette was working well. It’s where we were.”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “At the end of the day, a tough race for us. It’s tricky to pass here but my first stint wasn’t very good. We tried something different than normal that didn’t work. The car on the second stint felt much better and the pace was better. But we lost a position or two in my first stint. We had the issue in the pits there with needing fuel late. I don’t exactly know what happened there. Normally fuel shouldn’t be a concern but something obviously went wrong. A frustrating day and not what we wanted. On to the next one in Detroit.”
NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It seems like a pretty typical IMSA race for me in that I don’t understand what’s gone wrong. Everything to me felt quite OK. I brought the car in virtually in P2 and then stuff happened. There was something wrong with the fuel, I guess, but by that time we were P5. I don’t really understand sometimes how we go backward. But taking the positives, I felt like the Corvette was in a really good window as we hoped. Last year we struggled in the race with balance and today was a lot better. I had an unfortunate situation where I lost a lot of time because my radio cable got stuck on the steering wheel in the race. So I had four laps where I lost some time reconnecting it. Other than that, I thought we did everything OK but didn’t end up with a result.”
MATT BELL, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It was a tough race for us today. AWA gave us a great car, it felt great as usual. We just had a bit too much work to do. It was a difficult race for us last year as well, so this just seems to be our challenging event each season. I’m really looking forward to Le Mans and Watkins Glen. I’m really happy with the team and with our Corvette.”
OREY FIDANI, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "This race was a bit of a challenging one. It was hard to get a feel for the track, but the team did a great job executing, as they always do. We'll take everything we learned from this weekend and move forward. Very excited to be heading to Le Mans soon, and getting back to another longer race at Watkins Glen after."
ALEC UDELL, NO. 36 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “We were unfortunate to be on the back side of luck today. It was a great step forward starting on the front row and so narrowly missing the pole this weekend. I didn't maximize the first lap as much as I wanted to, but I think we had a good car and solid pace to run up front that first hour until we were hit in the pitlane. Just some bad luck from our neighbors in the pitlane which sent us into a bit of a tailspin to recover. The DXDT crew did a good job getting creative and adapting the strategy to help us in the end, but we just really needed some yellows to fully recover. This team has a lot to be proud of, new to IMSA and running strong. It's been a great weekend with Rob and I'm really looking forward to running the rest of the sprint races with him."
ROBERT WICKENS, NO. 36 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “A really tough race for us. Alec had a good first stint and we settled into a nice rhythm. On our first stop, we got hit by one of the Ferraris. They were launching from their stop as were coming in and they just drove into the side of us. It didn’t allow Alec to get into pitbox so we basically had to serve a drive-through penalty plus probably a 10-second hold. Yeah… it sucks. From there we changed strategies to try and extend to be in a better fuel position for later in the race. We really needed a yellow to try and get us back in the fold but unfortunately the race went green the whole way. So my stint was more or less trying to manage the car and try to find opportunities but none of them came. I thought on the final stint our pace was strong. Although we were a lap down, I was behind the P3 car the entire stint so that’s encouraging. It’s not what we all deserved. It’s a bummer that now Long Beach and here have ended in something where we deserved more. That’s motorsport and I’m looking forward to my next race with the team at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.”
PRESS RELEASE: CORVETTE RACING AT LAGUNA SECA: Corvettes Near the Front
Udell second in GTD qualifying, Sims third in GTD PRO for Monterey round
MONTEREY, Calif. (May 10, 2025) – Corvettes flexed their muscle and will start on the first row of GTD and second row of GTD PRO on Sunday following qualifying for the Monterey SportsCar Championship at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
Alec Udell qualified the No. 36 DXDT Racing Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R second in the GTD class, and Alexander Sims was third in the GTD PRO class with the No. 3 Corvette from Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports during Saturday afternoon’s time-trial sessions.
Sims was the quickest Corvette GT3 driver in qualifying with a lap of 1:20.673 (99.869 mph) to take the inside spot on the second row of GTD PRO. He and Antonio Garcia will look for their second race victory together with Sims starting just ahead of teammate Nicky Catsburg – fifth in class with the No. 4 Z06 GT3.R at 1:20.883 (99.610 mph).
Catsburg and Tommy Milner started from pole a year ago in GTD PRO and finished third in the race – the first podium for the then-first-year Corvette.
Between Sims and Catsburg sat Udell in DXDT’s Corvette that is equipped with an electronic braking system for teammate Robert Wickens. Udell’s time of 1:20.819 (99.689 mph) was only nine-hundredths of a second off the class pole-winning time.
Wickens made his GTD and Corvette debut at Long Beach, and Udell is back in the DXDT Corvette for the first time since the Sebring 12 Hours.
Elsewhere in GTD, Orey Fidani qualified AWA’s No. 13 Corvette 15th in class in the team’s final race before next month’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The Monterey SportsCar Championship is scheduled for 3:10 p.m. ET / 12:10 p.m. PT on Sunday. The race will air live on NBC with full streaming coverage also on Peacock plus IMSA Radio’s coverage at IMSA.com along with XM 206 and SiriusXM Online 996.
CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R QUALIFYING DRIVER QUOTES
ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "It's really tight. It's great to have such a competitive class. The Corvette was really nice, and we made some good improvements between final practice and qualifying. I couldn't have asked for much more from it. It really felt wonderful. We're slightly short on overall laptime but it was great to drive. We made a great step from qualifying so hopefully that carries over to the race. We're right in the thick of it. We need to do the normal things you need in IMSA... good strategy, keep out of trouble, be there at the end and see where we are."
NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "A bit of a shame. I think we have the pace to be on the front row. The car was pretty good and I just didn't nail the lap. There was some pace left in me, and I went off twice which didn't help. But I feel like we are in a decent place. The Corvette's balance is good. We're in a better spot compared to last year. That's a positive but it would have been good to put the ultimate laptime on the board. It was there. Sometimes you nail a lap and sometimes you don't."
ALEC UDELL, NO. 36 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "About nine-hundredths more would be what we would ask for! Obviously I'm really happy. I think car was really good. The guys did a fantastic job, and it was just a matter of putting the lap together. Kenton (Koch) did a great job, so hats off to him. But it's a two-hour, 40-minute race, and we're gonna take the DXT Corvette Z06 GT3.R up to the front.
"It's been a steady progression for us. We've kept creeping up the order from Practice One to Practice Two. We've made good steps. The car unloaded here pretty strong and we've just been manipulating things just a little bit. I think here at WeatherTech Raceway, it's really about how you drive the car and so you've got to be very precise. Luckily the Z06 GT3.R allows you to do that, so it's been a matter of just tweaking on things. We made a small setup change from Practice Two to qualy and tried to adjust for track temps. I think we made it the best that we could. Of course you want that pole position, but I know it's coming."
PRESS RELEASE: CORVETTE RACING AT SPA: On to Le Mans
No. 33 Corvette trio retains points lead after difficult day at Spa Six Hours
STAVELOT, Belgium (May 10, 2025) – TF Sport and its two Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs are turning the page after a difficult Six Hours of Spa and focusing fully now on the 24 Hours of Le Mans… the biggest race of the FIA World Endurance Championship season.
Both the No. 81 and LMGT3 championship-leading No. 33 Corvettes finished outside the top-10 and in non-points paying positions Saturday at Spa-Francorchamps. The No. 33 Z06 GT3.R of Daniel Juncadella, Jonny Edgar and Ben Keating was the highest-finishing Corvette in 13th place, followed by the No. 81 entry of Charlie Eastwood, Rui Andrade and Tom Van Rompuy.
The seemingly lone bright spot for the weekend is the No. 33 TF Sport Corvette will carry the Drivers and Teams points leads into Le Mans, which serves as a double-points race.
Both TF Sport Corvettes struggled for pace throughout the weekend. Neither made the top-10 in LMGT3 qualifying Friday, and that deficit played out in the race. Two safety car periods in the opening half Saturday brought differing strategies for the two Corvettes in an attempt to gain track position early. It worked initially with the No. 81 running as high as third near the three-hour mark before momentum shifted away from the TF Sport camp.
The only blemish for either car was a pitlane penalty for the No. 81, and the No. 33 squad ran a clean race throughout.
TF Sport’s next race in the FIA WEC is the 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 14-15. Their two Corvettes will be joined by AWA’s No. 13 Corvette from the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
TF SPORT POST-RACE QUOTES
DANI JUNCADELLA, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “A disappointing weekend. We had no chance at all to score points all weekend. I feel like we came in with some hopes but unfortunately this was not the way I wanted the weekend to go. There’s not much to say. The team did a great job, my teammates drove well and I drove well. That seems it was good enough for P13. Hopefully things are different in Le Mans. If we keep this trend from the last couple of races, I’d be surprised if we have a chance to fight. So hopefully things turn around for Le Mans.”
JONNY EDGAR, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "In terms of car balance, I feel everything was pretty good. Our tire degradation was pretty good as well, so everything felt good. But we're missing a lot of lap times compared to the other cars and also acceleration. So it makes it pretty much impossible to overtake anyone, and then when there's someone behind it's almost impossible to defend. It's a shame for all of us drivers and the team. Going into the weekend, we knew it was going to be hard. We haven't had any mistakes or penalties. We're just missing pace. When it's a long green-flag run, we just seem to drop back, which is a shame."
BEN KEATING, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "I would say this is not racing. This is driving around the course waiting for someone else to make a mistake. I feel like it's a waste of time to be here, and I'm quite angry about it. We'll run around and wait for bad things to happen to other people for another three hours. I'd really like to wish everyone well. I don't like to wish any harm or bad luck to anyone else. But that's the only way we're going to make up positions."
CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Not the weekend we wanted at all. It was somewhat expected but maybe slightly worse than we thought. The positives, if you look at any, is that again the team has executed again a really good race. Nothing wrong with pitstops and strategy. We just didn’t have the ultimate pace to go forward. The next one is Le Mans, and it’s the one where you have the most pitstops… 24 or 25 stops. For the team to go in with the pace that they’re doing on the tire changes and things, I know these guys can make the difference if we have pace on track. I’m looking forward to it but happy to get this one behind us.”
RUI ANDRADE, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "It was difficult. I struggled a lot with the car balance. I got in with second-stint tires from Tom and that felt pretty good. I couldn't maximize the new tires though. Everyone around was being pretty aggressive, and we had a lot of contact which was unfortunate. It was my fault on the penalty. I just left the pitlane with the red light and I saw it too late. We knew it was going to be a difficult weekend but we kept on fighting."
TOM VAN ROMPUY, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "It was a little tough but I'm happy with my stint. We are struggling with the tires but I think everyone was struggling a bit, too. The tire pressures are very high to drive with. All in all, I'm happy with my stint. I had to really focus to not make any mistakes. For where the car was, we have maximized things.”
Pair of TF Sport Corvettes looking to make their way through LMGT3 field
STAVELOT, Belgium (May 9, 2025) – TF Sport’s No. 81 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R will lead the two-Corvette attack on the Six Hours of Spa on Saturday after qualifying Friday for the third round of this year’s FIA World Endurance Championship.
Tom Van Rompuy will start 11th in the 18-car LMGT3 field following the 15-minute initial qualifying session with a lap of 2:20.215 (111.723 mph). He missed getting into the 10-car Hyperpole session for the third straight race by a little less than a half-second.
He and teammates Rui Andrade and factory driver Charlie Eastwood are looking to continue their momentum from a sixth-place class result and its first finish in the points of the year last time out in Imola three weeks ago.
Meanwhile, the LMGT3 championship-leading No. 33 Corvette of Daniel Juncadella, Jonny Edgar and Ben Keating will start 17th in class after Friday’s qualifying. A winner at the season-opening round in Qatar, the No. 33 entry has started outside the top-10 at each round so far.
Despite being the heaviest car in class at all three races this season – including by 51 pounds at Spa due to the class’s mandatory success handicap – the strategy and execution by the No. 33 team has offset that disadvantage, resulting in a victory to start 2025 and a seventh-place finish at Imola.
This is the fifth straight year for the Corvette program at the Six Hours of Spa with a best result of runner-up in the 2023 GTE Am class… an entry that Keating was part of.
As is the case every year, Spa is a key race for WEC teams as it is the final dress-rehearsal for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Corvette Racing as a program has nine class victories at the French classic, and TF Sport is anxious to use Spa as one last competitive test before this year’s 24 Hours.
The Six Hours of Spa is scheduled for 8 a.m. ET / 2 p.m. CET on Saturday. Full live streaming coverage will be available on the FIA WEC app and the MAX app in the U.S., and Radio Le Mans also will stream audio coverage of the race live.
TF SPORT POST-QUALIFYING QUOTES
DANI JUNCADELLA, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “This is always a nice track. I have some very good memories, love the track and love the place. Unfortunately pace has been a little bit off all weekend. We are missing a little bit of pace in general and running too much in the back in general. Hopefully in the race we can find a way with strategy and benefitting from others’ mistakes. If it’s a very clean race, I feel we will struggle to score (points). That would be the main goal for tomorrow.”
CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “This is the best track in the world for me. The conditions have been amazing… sunshine but still quite cool so the track is fast. We’re not as fast as we’d like to be, but at Imola we maximized the strategy and all three drivers showed up on the day. Hopefully we can push to the front with another perfect race. We’ll take things as they come.”
Corvette Racing at Spa-Francorchamps
2021 – No. 63 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Oliver Gavin – 4th in GTE Pro
2022 – No. 64 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy – 4th in GTE Pro
2023 – No. 33 Corvette C8.R: Nicky Catsburg/Ben Keating/Nico Varrone – 2nd in GTE Am
2024 – No. 81 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Charlie Eastwood/Rui Andrade/Tom Van Rompuy – 17th in LMGT3 (DNF)
No. 82 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Daniel Juncadella/Sebastien Baud/Hiroshi Koizumi – 12th in LMGT3
CORVETTE RACING AT LAGUNA SECA: California Dreamin’
Four Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs set for annual sprint race in Monterey
DETROIT (May 6, 2025) – The two-race western swing for Corvette Racing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship wraps up this weekend with the season’s first full-field sprint race for the three Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R teams.
The 36-car Monterey SportsCar Championship at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca will feature four of the GT3-spec Corvettes in the series’ two GT classes. After AWA and DXDT Racing contested a 100-minute contest in Long Beach for GTP and GTD, the GTD PRO field – including two Corvettes from Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports – rejoins the grid as the Corvette Racing program looks to extend its lengthy history of success at the 2.238-mile, 11-turn circuit on the doorstep of the Pacific Ocean:
· Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports – GTD PRO: Antonio Garcia and Alexander Sims (No. 3 Corvette); Nicky Catsburg, Tommy Milner (No. 4 Corvette)
· DXDT Racing – GTD: Alec Udell, Robert Wickens (No. 36 Corvette)
WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca is one of three tracks – Sebring and Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta later this year are the others – to play host to Corvette Racing entries every season since the program’s debut in 1999. The track record in Monterey is impressive: eight class victories for Corvette Racing since 2004 and 12 total manufacturer wins for Chevrolet.
PRE-EVENT NOTES
Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports: The GTD PRO squad is making its 27th straight appearance at Laguna Seca in search of a ninth race win. Of note, Antonio Garcia and Tommy Milner each have three victories apiece in Monterey with Alexander Sims recording one. Garcia and Nicky Catsburg each have a pole position.
The PRO-class Corvettes qualified first and second in class a year ago, led by Catsburg’s pole run. He and Milner went on to finish third for the Corvette Z06 GT3.R’s first podium result. Garcia and Sims started the season strong with a runner-up GTD PRO finish in the Rolex 24 At Daytona. The pairing finished fifth a year ago at Laguna Seca after an unfortunate early-race yellow that cost the No. 3 Corvette track position.
AWA: Matt Bell and Orey Fidani have the one Corvette victory of the IMSA season at the Rolex 24 in the No. 13 Corvette. This also is the team’s final race ahead of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a berth the squad earned via Fidani’s Bob Akin Award – going to the top points-scoring Bronze driver in GTD – at the end of last season.
That road to Le Mans began a year ago at Laguna Seca with the first event Akin Award for Fidani, Bell and AWA. The No. 13 Corvette finished 11th in class and ran in the top-10 much of the race’s second half in AWA’s first race as a team at the circuit.
DXDT Racing: The Monterey SportsCar Championship marks the second race for Robert Wickens in DXDT Racing’s No. 36 Corvette equipped with electronic hand-brake controls. After a successful debut at Long Beach, Wickens will team at Laguna Seca with Alec Udell, part of DXDT’s endurance lineup for 2025 and the GTD pole-winner for the 2023 race and went on to finish third in class.
Although Udell has one WeatherTech start to his credit at Monterey and Wickens will make his first Sunday, they both have experience and success in the Michelin Pilot Challenge series – Udell was third in 2021 and Wickens was third in TCR during 2023 and 2024.
The Monterey SportsCar Championship is scheduled for 3:10 p.m. ET / 12:10 p.m. PT on Sunday. The race will air live on NBC with full streaming coverage also on Peacock. IMSA Radio will air Saturday’s final practice and qualifying plus Sunday’s race at IMSA.com along with XM 206 and SiriusXM Online 996.
SELECT CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R DRIVER QUOTES
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I’ve been coming to Laguna Seca for many years and it’s always a highlight for me. It definitely helps when you go there with a fast car, and I think we did last year for the first race there with the new Corvette. There are quite a few things we took away with the new track surface which should help us on the setup from the start. With passing being tough, we need to be fast right away from practice to give us the best chance to be up front in qualifying and the race.”
ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It will be good to go back to Laguna Seca and see if we can right ourselves after some tough luck at Sebring. The Corvette has been strong so far this year so I’m confident we can turn around things in the championship with a good showing this weekend. Last year the race went away from us pretty early but I think we showed good pace, which is encouraging given that this is a tough track to get right, especially with a new car. Hopefully we can put what we learned last year to good use.”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Last year’s race at Laguna Seca was a little bit of a turning point in the first year of the Corvette GT3 car. We were able to put together a good weekend, get our first podium and put ourselves on a course where we could really compete for race wins in this class. Now is the perfect time to get on that roll again heading toward the busiest part of our schedule so we can pick up some points and gain ground in the championship.”
NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It had been a long time since I raced at Laguna Seca prior to last year. But I was happy to be back and to have a fast Corvette as well with pole position and a podium finish with Tommy. We need more of that this year to get back into the GTD PRO championship after the first two races. It’s encouraging that we have had good pace so hopefully things turn our way this weekend.”
MATT BELL, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I’m excited to get back in the AWA Corvette Z06 GT3.R at Laguna Seca. It’s a historic track and the team has done a great job with giving Orey and I a consistently fast car to race with this season, it’s been really enjoyable on that front all year. The last couple of results haven’t gone our way due to mistakes from others in the field, but we’ll be aiming for a clean run and to get back on the podium this weekend.”
OREY FIDANI, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I’m looking forward to returning to Laguna Seca. The whole team at AWA has been working so hard, and we’re determined to bounce back strong here. This is a track I really enjoy, it’s got so much character and it always makes for a good race. We’ve got a great car in the Corvette, and I’m feeling more and more confident and comfortable with it after each session. We’re ready to fight for a result that reflects the effort everyone’s putting in.”
ALEC UDELL, NO. 36 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "Laguna Seca is an awesome place, no other spot that's better to get in. The Corvette Z06 GT3.R was strong there last year, so I'm looking forward to see what it brings. Our primary goal is to come home with a win this season. Everyone on the team has been working super hard and we're scratching at that. The step-up has been a challenge, which we knew it would be, and we're all ready for it. The potential is there. In IMSA competition is so stiff so you've got to nail everything perfectly. That's exactly what we're working toward."
ROBERT WICKENS, NO. 36 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Laguna Seca can’t come soon enough. After a lot of positives from Long Beach, it’s time to put it all to good use. I learned so much in my first race weekend with the Corvette Z06 GT3.R and DXDT Racing. I am really looking forward to getting back in the car and getting to work with Alec as my teammate.”
2025 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Points
GTD PRO Drivers Standings
1. Christopher Mies/Dennis Olsen/Frederic Vervisch – 653
2. Alessio Picariello/Klaus Bachler/Laurin Heinrich – 636
3. Connor de Phillippi/ Madison Snow/Neil Verhagen – 628
4. Mike Rockenfeller/Sebastian Priaulx – 617
5. Alexander Sims/Antonio Garcia/Daniel Juncadella – 614
8. Nicky Catsburg/Tommy Milner/Nico Varrone – 510
GTD PRO Teams Standings
1. No. 65 Ford Multimatic Motorsports – 653
2. No. 77 AO Racing – 636
3. No. 1 Paul Miller Racing – 628
3. No. 64 Ford Multimatic Motorsports – 617
5. No. 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports – 614
8. No. 4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports – 510
CORVETTE RACING BY THE NUMBERS: Spa and Laguna Seca
• 3: Tracks where Corvette Racing has competed in each of its 25 previous years: Sebring, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta (later this year)
• 4: Number of wins for the Corvette Z06 GT3.R already in 2025 – the Rolex 24 At Daytona in the GTD class for AWA, the FIA WEC’s 1812 Km of Qatar for TF Sport in LM GT3, one round of GT World Challenge Asia for Johor Motorsports Racing and one round of GT World Challenge America for DXDT Racing
• 4: Previous starts for Corvette Racing-affiliated entries at Spa-Francorchamps. The program’s best finish was runner-up in 2023
• 4: Generations of Corvette Racing entries at Laguna Seca since 1999 – Corvette C5-R (2000-04), Corvette C6.R (2005-13), Corvette C7.R (2014-2019) and Corvette C8.R/Z06 GT3.R (2020-present).
• 6: Laguna Seca victories for the current Corvette Racing lineup – Antonio Garcia (three), Tommy Milner (two) and Alexander Sims (one)
• 6: Podium finishes in seven years for TF Sport in the Six Hours of Spa
• 8: Number of Corvettes competing this weekend across IMSA, WEC and GT World Challenge Asia: Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports (two) and AWA and DXDT Racing (one each) at Laguna Seca, and TF Sport (two) at Spa-Francorchamps, and Johor Motorsports Racing (two) in Thailand
• 8: Number of Laguna Seca victories for Corvette Racing dating back to 2004
• 12: Victories at Laguna Seca for Chevrolet in IMSA competition
• 13: Drivers who have competed for Corvette Racing at Laguna Seca. Of those, eight went on to win at Monterey
• 14: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001.
• 29: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte Motor Speedway, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Daytona, Detroit, Houston, 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
• 69: Number of drivers in Corvette Racing entries since 1999. The latest to join the list was Jesse Salmenautio in GT World Challenge Europe last weekend at Paul Ricard
• 72: 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
• 142: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 117 in IMSA, nine at Le Mans, four in the FIA WEC, 11 in GT World Challenge America and one GT World Challenge Asia
• 321: Event starts by Corvette Racing entries since 1999, starting with that year’s Rolex 24 At Daytona. No. 300 came in early August 2024 at Road America in IMSA
• 14,487.59: Number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing in its 26 previous trips to Laguna Seca. That represents more than 852 trips around 17-Mile Drive
• 422,275.24: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing entries since 1999. To put that in perspective, Corvette Racing is more than halfway to the distance traveled by Apollo 13 – the longest manned spaceflight in history: 622,268 miles
Corvette Racing at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca (wins in bold)
1999 – No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Chris Kneifel – 2nd in GTS
2000 – No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Andy Pilgrim – 2nd in GTS (Fellows pole)
PRESS RELEASE: CORVETTE RACING AT SPA: Maintaining Momentum
Class win, prep for Le Mans on the minds for TF Sport with pair of Corvettes
DETROIT (May 5, 2025) – TF Sport will roll into Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps this week intent on maintaining its championship lead, winning its second race of the FIA World Endurance Championship season and readying itself for the biggest race of the year in a month’s time.
Two of TF Sport’s Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs are set for Saturday’s Six Hours of Spa and third round of the WEC year. Both Corvettes are coming off points-paying finishes – one of three manufacturers to do so in the LMGT3 class – the last time out at Imola.
Daniel Juncadella, Jonny Edgar and Ben Keating in the No. 33 Corvette will carry an 11-point lead (and the mandatory success handicap weight) into Spa-Francorchamps. After winning the season-opening race in Qatar, the trio finished a solid seventh in LMGT3 at Imola after starting 16th.
The No. 33 Corvette finished one spot behind its sister entry, the No. 81 Z06 GT3.R of Charlie Eastwood, Rui Andrade and Tom Van Rompuy. Their Imola race was a solid rebound from a DNF at Qatar, and the lineup is back at Spa for the second year in a row with hopes of continuing its climb back into the championship picture.
This is the fifth straight year for the Corvette program at the Six Hours of Spa with a best result of runner-up in the 2023 GTE Am class… an entry that Keating was part of.
As is the case every year, Spa is a key race for WEC teams as it is the final dress-rehearsal for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Corvette Racing as a program has nine class victories at the French classic, and TF Sport is anxious to use Spa as one last competitive test before this year’s 24 Hours.
The Six Hours of Monza is scheduled for 8 a.m. ET / 2 p.m. CET on Saturday. Full live streaming coverage of Free Practice 3, qualifying and the race will be available on the FIA WEC app and the MAX app in the U.S. Radio Le Mans also will stream audio coverage of Friday’s final practice and qualifying, plus Saturday’s race.
TF SPORT PRE-EVENT QUOTES
DANI JUNCADELLA, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “We come to Spa still leading the championship, which is a big positive considering the challenges we faced at Imola. But again TF Sport did a great job with our Corvette… no mistakes and no errors. We will need more of that at Spa, which is a great circuit and one of my favorites. I enjoyed getting to race it last year as part of the WEC for the first time. The goal this year is to maximize our opportunities and our points plus get through the weekend without any issues so we can be best prepared for Le Mans.”
JONNY EDGAR, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I’m looking forward to Spa in the Corvette. It’s a track that I really like. So far we have been doing a good job of not making mistakes, great strategy and executing our plan for the event. If we can do the same thing at Spa, we should have another good weekend where we can maximize our potential and our points, which is all we can ask."
BEN KEATING, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "It is always a pleasure to drive at Spa. The last time I was there was in a Corvette. We had a great weekend and a great fight for second with TF Sport. That was my third consecutive runner-up finish, so I would really like to win this race! It will be very challenging for us, just as it was at Imola. But we were able to overcome things there with no mistakes, no penalties and maximizing our time on track. We did it then and we will try to do it again at Spa.”
CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “We have good momentum going into Spa. It’s one of my favorite tracks in the world and a race where I’ve had a lot of success so I definitely want to keep that going. I think we’re progressing well at just the right time. Spa is an important race for the championship and to point us in the right direction for Le Mans. So it’s a big weekend for those two reasons, and I’m excited to follow up on our positive run at Imola with Rui and Tom.”
RUI ANDRADE, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It was nice to bounce back and come away with a positive result at Imola. We need to keep working at it in order to maximize our points here at Spa and of course at Le Mans. I feel like our team continues to get better and stronger together. That’s a good sign heading into two critical races.”
TOM VAN ROMPUY, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “The next race is my home race in Spa! Hopefully we can replicate this performance and get on the podium. That would be nice for my home fans and my family. I have high hopes. The car is working really well and everything in the team is fine. If we are in a good position with the Corvette again, I’m sure we can get a good result.”
5. Augusto Farfus/Timur Boguslavskiy/Yasser Shahin – 23
14. Charlie Eastwood/Rui Andrade/Tom Van Rompuy – 8
LMGT3 Teams Standings
1. No. 33 TF Sport – 44
4. No. 78 Akkodis ASP Team – 33
3. No. 59 United Autosport – 27
4. No. 92 Manthey 1ST Phorm – 25
5. No. 31 The Bend Team WRT – 23
12. No. 81 TF Sport – 8
CORVETTE RACING BY THE NUMBERS: Spa and Laguna Seca
• 3: Tracks where Corvette Racing has competed in each of its 25 previous years: Sebring, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta (later this year)
• 4: Number of wins for the Corvette Z06 GT3.R already in 2025 – the Rolex 24 At Daytona in the GTD class for AWA, the FIA WEC’s 1812 Km of Qatar for TF Sport in LM GT3, one round of GT World Challenge Asia for Johor Motorsports Racing and one round of GT World Challenge America for DXDT Racing
• 4: Previous starts for Corvette Racing-affiliated entries at Spa-Francorchamps. The program’s best finish was runner-up in 2023
• 4: Generations of Corvette Racing entries at Laguna Seca since 1999 – Corvette C5-R (2000-04), Corvette C6.R (2005-13), Corvette C7.R (2014-2019) and Corvette C8.R/Z06 GT3.R (2020-present).
• 6: Laguna Seca victories for the current Corvette Racing lineup – Antonio Garcia (three), Tommy Milner (two) and Alexander Sims (one)
• 6: Podium finishes in seven years for TF Sport in the Six Hours of Spa
• 8: Number of Corvettes competing this weekend across IMSA, WEC and GT World Challenge Asia: Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports (two) and AWA and DXDT Racing (one each) at Laguna Seca, and TF Sport (two) at Spa-Francorchamps, and Johor Motorsports Racing (two) in Thailand
• 8: Number of Laguna Seca victories for Corvette Racing dating back to 2004
• 12: Victories at Laguna Seca for Chevrolet in IMSA competition
• 13: Drivers who have competed for Corvette Racing at Laguna Seca. Of those, eight went on to win at Monterey
• 14: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001.
• 29: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte Motor Speedway, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Daytona, Detroit, Houston, 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
• 69: Number of drivers in Corvette Racing entries since 1999. The latest to join the list was Jesse Salmenautio in GT World Challenge Europe last weekend at Paul Ricard
• 72: 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
• 142: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 117 in IMSA, nine at Le Mans, four in the FIA WEC, 11 in GT World Challenge America and one GT World Challenge Asia
• 321: Event starts by Corvette Racing entries since 1999, starting with that year’s Rolex 24 At Daytona. No. 300 came in early August 2024 at Road America in IMSA
• 14,487.59: Number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing in its 26 previous trips to Laguna Seca. That represents more than 852 trips around 17-Mile Drive
• 422,275.24: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing entries since 1999. To put that in perspective, Corvette Racing is more than halfway to the distance traveled by Apollo 13 – the longest manned spaceflight in history: 622,268 miles
Corvette Racing at Spa-Francorchamps
2021 – No. 63 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Oliver Gavin – 4th in GTE Pro
2022 – No. 64 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy – 4th in GTE Pro
2023 – No. 33 Corvette C8.R: Nicky Catsburg/Ben Keating/Nico Varrone – 2nd in GTE Am
2024 – No. 81 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Charlie Eastwood/Rui Andrade/Tom Van Rompuy – 17th in LMGT3 (DNF)
No. 82 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Daniel Juncadella/Sebastien Baud/Hiroshi Koizumi – 12th in LMGT3
CORVETTE RACING AT COTA: Maiden 2025 Win for DXDT Racing
Bell, McDonald victory in GTWC America the latest success for Corvette Z06 GT3.R
AUSTIN (April 27, 2025) – DXDT Racing became the latest team to score victory with the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R in 2025 with a victory in the first of two GT World Challenge America races at Circuit of The Americas.
Blake McDonald and Matt Bell took first in the Pro-Am class with DXDT’s No. 11 Corvette, which finished third overall in the 90-minute, two-driver race. The team debuted the Corvette GT3 a year ago and swept both rounds at COTA to start an eight-race win streak in the championship.
Bell set the fastest lap of Race One, and McDonald was the quickest Bronze-rated driver in the race. McDonald drove the opening 40 minutes from his third-place starting spot in class, and Bell overtook the class leader – running on a different strategy – with 25 minutes to go. The pair also finished third in Pro-Am on Sunday at the end of the weekend's second race.
In its second season, the Corvette Z06 GT3.R already has won races in four different championships. Bell was part of the GTD-winning lineup for AWA at the Rolex 24 At Daytona for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, and the team is preparing for its first appearance at the 24 Hours of Le Mans – also in a Corvette.
TF Sport won the opening round of the FIA World Endurance Championship at Qatar and leads the LM GT3 Drivers and Team championships after two rounds. Johor Motorsports Racing claimed a victory and third-place Pro-Am finish in the opening GT World Challenge Asia event – the team’s first race with the Corvette – at Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia.
The early-season strength of the Corvette Z06 GT3.R platform also is evident in other championships. Steller Motorsport recorded a runner-up, Silver-class finish with its No. 24 Corvette in the opening round of the GT World Challenge Europe Endurace Cup at Paul Ricard earlier in the month. The Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports squad also finished second in GTD PRO at the Rolex 24.
Chouest Povoledo Racing’s Ross Chouest claimed his first GT3 podium finish at COTA on Sunday with a third-place result in the second of two 40-minute GT America races.
MATT BELL, NO. 11 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “We’ve just really clicked as a team and pairing. Blake did a great job from the start. He was the one who handed me effectively an 11-second lead and I just had to maintain it. It’s hard racing and I came under some pressure for the No. 29 guys. But thanks to everyone at DXDT Racing, Blake… it was an awesome team job and team win.”
BLAKE McDONALD, NO. 11 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “That had to be the longest 40 minutes our life! We were all biting our nails a little bit. But I couldn’t be happier. We were worked so hard from this. To bounce back from the Sonoma weekend, it’s the best.”
PRESS RELEASE: CORVETTE RACING AT IMOLA: Looking Forward
TF Sport Corvettes looking for pace after season-opening Qatar LM GT3 win
IMOLA, Italy (April 19, 2025) – TF Sport is all-eyes-forward following qualifying Saturday for the FIA World Endurance Championship’s Six Hours of Imola. The team’s two Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs will start 10th and 16th in the LM GT3 class for Sunday’s second round of the season.
The No. 81 Corvette of Tom Van Rompuy, Rui Andrade and Charlie Eastwood will lead the TF charge. Van Rompuy and Andrade split the two qualifying sessions around the 3.05-mile, 20-turn circuit. Van Rompuy advanced from the initial 12-minute session at 1:44.307 (105.260 mph), and Andrade posted a 1:43.807 (105.758 mph) lap in the 10-minute Hyperpole dash for the 10 fastest qualifying cars.
Ben Keating, in the No. 33 Z06 GT3.R, was 16th and 0.656 seconds off Van Rompuy’s time in the first qualifying session. He, Daniel Juncadella and Jonny Edgar were the class winners at the season-opening race at Qatar – after starting 13th – for TF Sport’s maiden Corvette victory in the championship.
The Six Hours of Monza is scheduled for 7 a.m. ET / 1 p.m. CET on Sunday. Full live streaming coverage will be available on the FIA WEC app and the MAX app in the U.S. Radio Le Mans also will stream audio coverage of the race.
CORVETTE RACING
TF SPORT POST-QUALIFYING DRIVER QUOTES
DANIEL JUNCADELLA, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "It’s a very disappointing weekend so far. I think the best position we’ve been all weekend is 16th out of 18 cars. The car actually feels very good to drive. The team is doing great and my teammates as well. Ben has never been here and is adapting very well to the track. In Qatar we were not the favorites and we managed to win. So there are still a lot of hopes to score at least some points for the championship. The car feels good, and I wouldn’t change anything. We have a nice balance. We need to find a way forward with strategy and avoiding mistakes.”
BEN KEATING, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "I’m very disappointed with the result. I’m very happy with the work of TF Sport and the team. The car is handling amazingly well. Unfortunately I qualified almost P-Last – 16th of 18 cars. I’m used to being up front, so I’m clearly disappointed.
“It's a really fun track and an old-school track, which I love. It is challenging, which is good. I've enjoyed it. I'm making big leaps and gains every time I get in the car.”
CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It’s been pretty difficult. We’re definitely lacking some pace. I’m happy we got into Hyperpole with Tom. Rui was strong there but track limits cancelled both his last laps, which would have put us P7. Within a second of the pole time is probably the best we’ve looked all weekend. We’re missing a bit but hopefully the weather plays a bit of a part tomorrow so we can get back into the mix somehow.”
TOM VAN ROMPUY, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It was a bit tough. I was happy to just put it in Hyperpole. It was really, really tight. We expected this because of the previous practice sessions. We hope to have a better car for the race than it seems now. Let’s hope on race pace and being faultless that we can move up tomorrow and end up in a good place. We made quite a few changes. It’s the first time we’ve tried a qualifying setup; normally we do it with the race setup, so that gained me another two- or three-tenths. We have to work very hard at it to get everything out of the car at the moment.”
CORVETTE RACING BY THE NUMBERS: Six Hours of Imola
• 2: Number of Corvettes entered in the full FIA WEC championship – the No. 33 and No. 82 Z06 GT3.Rs from TF Sport
• 3: Number of drivers in each of TF Sport’s Corvettes – Daniel Juncadella, Ben Keating and Jonny Edgar in the No. 33 Z06 GT3.R, and Charlie Eastwood, Rui Andrade and Tom Van Rompuy in the No. 81
• 3: Number of wins for the Corvette Z06 GT3.R already in 2025 – the Rolex 24 At Daytona in the GTD class for AWA, the FIA WEC’s 1812 Km of Qatar for TF Sport in LM GT3 and one round of GT World Challenge Asia for Johor Motorsports Racing
• 8: Wins in FIA WEC competition for TF Sport – including the 1812Km of Qatar for the No. 33 Corvette
• 30: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte Motor Speedway, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Daytona, Detroit, Houston, 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
• 68: Number of drivers in Corvette Racing entries since 1999. The latest to join the list are Matisse Lismont, Kiern Jewiss and Lorcan Hanafin of Steller Motorsport in GT World Challenge Europe; and Prince Jefri Ibrahim, Prince Abu Bakar Ibrahim and Jordan Love of Johor Motorsport Racing in GT World Challenge Asia
• 72: 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
• 141: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 117 in IMSA, nine at Le Mans, four in the FIA WEC, 10 in GT World Challenge America and one GT World Challenge Asia
• 317: Event starts by Corvette Racing entries since 1999, starting with that year’s Rolex 24 At Daytona. No. 300 came in early August 2024 at Road America in IMSA
• 419,609.88: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing entries since 1999. To put that in perspective, Corvette Racing is more than halfway to the distance traveled by Apollo 13 – the longest manned spaceflight in history: 622,268 miles
Corvette Racing in Italy (wins in bold)
2022 – No. 64 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy (Monza) – 1st in GTE Pro
2023 – No. 33 Corvette C8.R: Nicky Catsburg/Ben Keating/Nico Varrone (Monza) – 4th in GTE Am (clinched GTE Am championship)
2024 – No. 81 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Charlie Easwood/Rui Andrade/Tom Van Rompuy (Imola) – 7th in LMGT3
No. 82 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Daniel Juncadella/Sebastien Baud/Hiroshi Koizumi (Imola) – 8th in LMGT3
Pair of TF Sport Corvettes set for second round of FIA WEC LMGT3 action
DETROIT (April 15, 2025) – TF Sport aims to give the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R program a second straight victory in the FIA World Endurance Championship this weekend as the LMGT3 field moves to Italy for Sunday’s Six Hours of Imola.
Almost two full months have passed since TF Sport’s opening-round triumph in the 1812Km of Qatar to kickoff the championship. Daniel Juncadella, Jonny Edgar and Ben Keating – teammates in the No. 33 Corvette – won in dramatic fashion and as a result arrive at Imola with the class championship lead.
On the other side of the TF Sport garage, the No. 81 Corvette trio of Charlie Eastwood, Rui Andrade and Tom Van Rompuy hope to turn their fortunes around in another highly competitive race between 18 entries and nine manufacturers.
This is the second straight season at Imola for the Corvette program. At the end of last year, the results were positive: TF Sport was one of two teams in the class to have both entries finish in the top-10, and Chevrolet was one of two manufacturers to have multiple entries finish eighth or better.
Prior to 2024, Corvette Racing and the FIA WEC competed at Autodromo Nazionale Monza for two years. The program scored a landmark GTE Pro victory in 2022 and clinched the 2023 GTE Am championship at the circuit with Keating as one of the drivers.
The Six Hours of Monza is scheduled for 7 a.m. ET / 1 p.m. CET on Sunday. Full live streaming coverage of Free Practice 3, qualifying and the race will be available on the FIA WEC app and the MAX app in the U.S. Radio Le Mans also will stream audio coverage of Saturday’s final practice and qualifying, plus Sunday’s race.
TF SPORT PRE-EVENT QUOTES
DANI JUNCADELLA, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It should be an exciting weekend after an unexpected win in Qatar. We are hoping to be competitive in Imola. It’s a historic track and I really love the place. After such a good start, we can be confident that we can have a strong opportunity to fight a top result. Let’s see how the weather plays out. It was quite chaotic with some rain through the race. That could play a role in the outcome. Whatever the situation is, we will be ready for it. Hopefully we can have a strong start to the week in practice and work our way forward from there.”
JONNY EDGAR, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "I've been to Imola quite a lot and it was always a track I like. I'm looking forward to going back. It's hard to say how we will go there. In Qatar we didn't expect the result we got, which was a brilliant one. The track is not easy and it's quite hard to overtake. In Qatar it was similar. We did a good job of making up positions on strategy. Not all of the spots we made up were on-track. We did a good job of avoiding mistakes, didn't have any penalties, which is one of the biggest reasons we won there. If we can do something similar this weekend, we'll be in a great position."
BEN KEATING, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "I am looking forward to racing the Corvette at Imola even though I have pretty low expectations. I am excited because I have never driven at Imola, and there is always a special challenge of learning a new track so quickly and trying to be competitive after two practice sessions.
"The good news is that we won the first race for WEC. The tough news is that we will have a double-whammy of ‘success handicap’ from winning that first race and leading the championship. We didn't have a super-fast car in the first race, just great execution. We have the possibility to do it again, but it will be much more challenging. Having said that, I expect that Imola would be a good track for the Corvette."
CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "I'm ready for Round 2 of the FIA WEC as we go back to Imola. On our side of the garage, we didn’t get the result we hoped in Qatar. The positive is that we had great pace all week. Hopefully we have the same speed with a little more luck this time around. We definitely will be gunning for a win to make it two-for-two for Corvette and TF Sport in this year's championship."
RUI ANDRADE, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "I'm pretty excited to get going again in Imola. We for sure need to bounce back from our unfortunate DNF in Qatar. The team has done an exceptional job to give us such a competitive car, and the No. 33 winning in Qatar is proof of that. So I’m looking forward to chasing a big result of our own this weekend with Charlie and Tom."
TOM VAN ROMPUY, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “This week we go racing again in Imola. I really look forward to achieving a good result, especially after the DNF in Qatar. But for all of us, the win for the No. 33 guys in Qatar really shows that we have a very strong package as a team to chase podiums. So I have high hopes for the next race, I'm ready to fight and can't wait to drive the Corvette Z06 GT3.R again on this iconic track."
3. Augusto Farfus/Timur Boguslavskiy/Yasser Shahin – 23
4. Arnold Robin/Ben Barnicoat/Finn Gehrsitz – 18
5. Alessio Rovera/Francois Heriau/Simon Mann – 15
17. Charlie Eastwood/Rui Andrade/Tom Van Rompuy – 0
LMGT3 Teams Standings
1. No. 33 TF Sport – 38
2. No. 59 United Autosport – 27
3. No. 31 The Bend Team WRT – 23
4. No. 78 Akkodis ASP Team – 18
5. No. 21 Vista AF Corse – 15
17. No. 81 TF Sport – 0
CORVETTE RACING BY THE NUMBERS: Six Hours of Imola
• 2: Number of Corvettes entered in the full FIA WEC championship – the No. 33 and No. 82 Z06 GT3.Rs from TF Sport
• 3: Number of drivers in each of TF Sport’s Corvettes – Daniel Juncadella, Ben Keating and Jonny Edgar in the No. 33 Z06 GT3.R, and Charlie Eastwood, Rui Andrade and Tom Van Rompuy in the No. 81
• 3: Number of wins for the Corvette Z06 GT3.R already in 2025 – the Rolex 24 At Daytona in the GTD class for AWA, the FIA WEC’s 1812 Km of Qatar for TF Sport in LM GT3 and one round of GT World Challenge Asia for Johor Motorsports Racing
• 8: Wins in FIA WEC competition for TF Sport – including the 1812Km of Qatar for the No. 33 Corvette
• 30: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte Motor Speedway, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Daytona, Detroit, Houston, 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
• 68: Number of drivers in Corvette Racing entries since 1999. The latest to join the list are Matisse Lismont, Kiern Jewiss and Lorcan Hanafin of Steller Motorsport in GT World Challenge Europe; and Prince Jefri Ibrahim, Prince Abu Bakar Ibrahim and Jordan Love of Johor Motorsport Racing in GT World Challenge Asia
• 72: 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
• 141: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 117 in IMSA, nine at Le Mans, four in the FIA WEC, 10 in GT World Challenge America and one GT World Challenge Asia
• 317: Event starts by Corvette Racing entries since 1999, starting with that year’s Rolex 24 At Daytona. No. 300 came in early August 2024 at Road America in IMSA
• 419,609.88: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing entries since 1999. To put that in perspective, Corvette Racing is more than halfway to the distance traveled by Apollo 13 – the longest manned spaceflight in history: 622,268 miles
Corvette Racing in Italy (wins in bold)
2022 – No. 64 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy (Monza) – 1st in GTE Pro
2023 – No. 33 Corvette C8.R: Nicky Catsburg/Ben Keating/Nico Varrone (Monza) – 4th in GTE Am (clinched GTE Am championship)
2024 – No. 81 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Charlie Easwood/Rui Andrade/Tom Van Rompuy (Imola) – 7th in LMGT3
No. 82 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Daniel Juncadella/Sebastien Baud/Hiroshi Koizumi (Imola) – 8th in LMGT3
CORVETTE RACING AT LONG BEACH: What Might Have Been…
In-race contact impacts both DXDT and AWA Corvettes in tough street fight
LONG BEACH, Calif. (April 12, 2025) – Two separate rounds of contact ruined the days of the two Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs at the Grand Prix of Long Beach on Saturday in a rough-and-tumble race on the streets of southern California.
AWA’s Matt Bell and Orey Fidani finished 13th in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s GT Daytona (GTD) class with the No. 13 entry, the highest-finishing Corvette. Meanwhile, the No. 36 DXDT Racing Corvette of Tommy Milner and Robert Wickens placed 15th after a late-race pitstop to repair damage with the Z06 GT3.R running sixth at the time.
The DXDT Corvette – equipped with a hand-controlled electronic brake system from Bosch – was one of the biggest stories of the Long Beach weekend. It enabled Wickens to make his first start in the WeatherTech Championship, and for a while it looked like it could be a dream result.
Wickens began eighth but picked up a spot before what was to be the team’s only pitstop with a little more than an hour left in the 100-minute race. A quick exchange and full-service stop had Milner back out in 10th place. The Corvette factory driver wasted no time in moving through the field by advancing four spots in less than 15 minutes before settling into sixth place.
He made a clean pass on the inside of the tight Hairpin Turn that leads onto the front straight but appeared to get locked up with another car out of the corner, which pulled away the Corvette’s left-rear bodywork. Series officials required the DXDT team to pit the Corvette with 16 minutes left in the race.
AWA”s race took a big hit – literally – much earlier. Fidani started 11th after his best qualifying effort in his second year with the No. 13 Corvette and was solidly in 10th place before another GTD car tried to divebomb him, which pushed the AWA entry into the tire barriers.
The team lost a lap with a resulting pit stop to inspect the Corvette, which suffered minor bodywork damage that still impacted the balance of the No. 13 for the balance of the race. Undeterred, Fidani and Matt Bell drove their way back onto the lead lap by the end of the race.
The Corvette Z06 GT3.R’s next race in IMSA is May 9-11 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California.
CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R POST-RACE DRIVER QUOTES
MATT BELL, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Not the race we were hoping for. Obviously Orey’s start and the first part of stint was phenomenal. I think that was his best performance in the car, and that gave us all a lot of confidence that we could go forward in the second half of the race. Unfortunately a rogue maneuver from one of our competitors put Orey in the wall and a lap down. That ruined our race. The team did a great job on the strategy to get us back on the lap, which in a 100-minute race is almost impossible. So great job by them reacting to that. We were still at the very rear of the field, and it’s hard to come through around here. I managed to gain one place but unfortunately that’s all I could do. It’s a shame, really.”
OREY FIDANI, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Things started off well. It looked like it was going to be a positive day until it wasn’t. Unfortunately I got sent off into the wall which put us down a lap. We managed to get that lap back but it just wasn’t enough today. It’s tough but we’ll go onward and upwards into Laguna.”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 36 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "A frantic first couple of laps there out of the pits. I was fighting with a lot of cars that came out of the pits with me and fighting with cars that did the one-lap overcut. So there was a lot going on there. Honestly, it felt like those first 10 laps felt like 50 laps with how much stuff happened, but we were able to come out ahead of them and then focus on the next two cars in front. The pace of the Corvette was strong, for sure. I think we had kind of what we thought from the beginning – we had a car that could compete for the win. Maybe we weren’t quite as quick as the Porsche but in any case we had a quick car. I caught the two Mercedes and all that was fine. Then I came up on the 96 BMW and it was just good racing. As has been the case all year long, we just don't have the straight-line speed and the drive off the corner that almost everybody else does. So racing is difficult for us.
"I think he got balked big time into Turn Eight and I had a nice run on him going into Nine. I stayed close to him through there and then just was peeking around in 10. We were strong there, I could tell already and was in pretty good position to make a difficult pass, no question, in the Hairpin. I thought my braking point was fine. My entry speed was okay. I think, as is the case there, it's hard to go two-by-two and he turned in because he needs to. I don't think he did anything wrong really. We just made side-to-side contact and I think we just kind of got hooked together. I'll have to see video to know for sure, but that's what my feeling is.
"Unfortunately, that was a big problem for us. We had to come in and fix it. It's unfortunate for the DXDT team... kind of seems like this is how their year has gone a little bit so far. They've been really promising for a good part of the race and then something kind of hurts them a little bit toward the end, and that happened again today.
"Removing that and looking back on the weekend, I think there's a lot of positives about what happened... getting Robbie in the car and comfortable in this hectic environment. There's no more hectic environment than a Long Beach Grand Prix weekend with one day of practice and qualifying and then racing. From my perspective, I think he did an excellent job this weekend in the most difficult conditions at the most difficult track that he's gonna experience this year. To me there was nowhere where he lacked anything. He had pace, he has the racecraft. He's for sure is gonna want more and more time and experience. I think he's going to have a darn successful year this season."
ROBERT WICKENS, NO. 36 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "I'm disappointed with the result, but I am proud of what we achieved. It definitely wasn't the end to the weekend that we wanted. Qualifying dictated the weekend for us, unfortunately. We knew it was going to be a track-position race. Qualifying was not what we deserved; we know we had more speed than that, but it is what it is. This is a competitive championship, and we did what we could in the race.
“I kept the car clean and gave it to Tommy, and he got out in P10. I think our driver change wasn't quite what it needed to be. We lost some track position, but then Tommy drove his heart out. He got us up to P5 and was making things happen. It was awesome to see. Unfortunately we had to come in and make a repair after Tommy took fifth. I think that was a little harsh, but there is nothing you can do when race control gives you a black flag for repairs.
“There are a lot of positive takeaways from the weekend. We proved we belong here, that we can be competitive. The Bosch hand-control system worked flawlessly, DXDT Racing gave us a great Corvette. The car was very good all weekend and I feel like we had one of the cars to beat. We just couldn't maximize it, and that is what hurts right now."
LONG BEACH, Calif. (April 11, 2025) – DXDT Racing’s Robert Wickens and the No. 36 Corvette Z06 GT3.R will start from the fourth row in class following GT Daytona (GTD) qualifying Friday for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s Grand Prix of Long Beach.
Wickens, driving the No. 36 Corvette equipped with Bosch’s new-generation electronic braking system alongside Tommy Milner, set a lap of 1:18.411 (90.354 mph) in the 15-minute session ahead of Saturday’s 100-minute race. That lap was 0.3 seconds slower than his fastest lap in qualifying, but that time was disallowed after the No. 36 brought out a red flag in practice earlier in the day.
Wickens’ Corvette also suffered contact from a slower car in qualifying that resulted in suspension damage that limited the performance of the Z06 GT3.R. It halted the positive momentum from the day’s final practice where Wickens and Milner had the fastest and third-fastest time in GTD, respectively.
Reigning Rolex 24 At Daytona GTD class winner AWA will start 11th in class Saturday after Orey Fidani’s qualifying run in the No. 13 Corvette. Fidani was the quickest Bronze-rated driver in the session at 1:19.387 (89.243 mph) – nearly seven-tenths of a second quicker than his qualifying lap from 2024.
He and Matt Bell finished sixth in class a year at Long Beach. It launched the team into a strong debut season with the Corvette program, which culminated in the Bob Akin Award for Fidani as the highest points-scoring Bronze driver in GTD. The award landed AWA an invitation to this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The Long Beach weekend is Wickens’ first race in a Corvette Z06 GT3.R and the first running alongside the rest of the GTD field. He and Milner combined for 74 laps and 145.63 miles of valuable data – alongside AWA’s 67 total laps – for Corvette Racing engineers to analyze for Saturday’s 100-minute race.
In addition to the IMSA race, two Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs will contest a pair of 40-minute sprint races in SRO Motorsports’ GT America series. Ross Chouest qualified ninth in the No. 50 Corvette for Chouest Povoledo Racing, and Blake McDonald was 11th in the No. 11 Corvette for DXDT Racing.
Chevrolet and the Corvette brand have been a fixture at Long Beach since the Corvette Racing program first visited Long Beach in 2007. In 17 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.
The Grand Prix of Long Beach for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. PT on Saturday, April 12. The race will air live on USA Network starting at 5 p.m. ET with full streaming coverage on Peacock. IMSA Radio also will air the live call of the race at IMSA.com along with XM 206 and SiriusXM Online 996.
CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R POST-QUALIFYING DRIVER QUOTES
ROBERT WICKENS, NO. 36 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – QUALIFIED EIGHTH IN GTD: “Not great. Obviously, I'm learning the series, the drivers to be around, the drivers not to be around. I don’t know. I was on my first push lap, there was a yellow Ferrari in front of me, he aborted his lap in the exit of Turn Nine and went full driver’s right before Turn 10. I took my racing line on my push lap and he just drove into the side of my car, bent the right rear suspension, then I had to do the whole qualy with a damaged car. It sucks. Obviously on the first push lap, you need to get a strong banker lap in with these qualys. You don’t know if there is going to be a red flag or a yellow or anything. The lap was going to be pretty strong and the car felt great, and then unfortunately after the damage the balance kind of wasn’t there. We put an okay time in, then it gets taken away from a mistake that I made in practice. It sucks. We deserve better. I feel bad for Tommy, for everyone at DXDT Racing. I wanted to have a good, smooth qualifying session. I was just baffled with what happened with that Ferrari and honestly, I wasn’t expecting it. I was fully convinced he was letting me pass because he was in the marbles on the right-hand side. And I guess, he wasn’t. He turned in and drove into my right rear.”
OREY FIDANI, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – QUALIFIED 11TH IN GTD: "I'm very happy with qualifying. It just seems the more I get in this car, the better I seem to be doing, so I'm just going to build on the good results from today and push in the race and see where we get. So far everyone has been behaving pretty well with the traffic. This is a tough place to race at. It's very narrow and when you are on cold tires you have to worry about the car stepping out and hitting the walls. So the plan is to take it easy the first couple of laps, get some heat in the tires and then send it!"
PRESS RELEASE: CORVETTE RACING AT LONG BEACH: Robert Wickens & Tommy Milner
Friday press conference transcript following first IMSA practice session
Corvette Z06 GT3.R drivers Robert Wickens and Tommy Milner met with members of the media Friday morning after the first practice for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s Grand Prix of Long Beach. The two recapped the one-hour session in DXDT Racing’s No. 36 Corvette Z06 GT3.R, the preparations ahead of the race and the continued progress of the Corvette with Bosch's state-of-the-art hand-control braking system.
ROBERT WICKENS, NO. 36 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R
Rob, take us through the first session on-track for you.
“The first session was definitely not the session I had envisioned or dreamed. It was honestly a pretty shaky start. We had some issues on my installation check at the start of the session, which we got resolved, but we missed probably the first 20 minutes or so of FP1. And when you only have 60 minutes of the first practice, you want to try to utilize everything you can. So I think a lot of it was probably just myself, but I just felt like I was rushed kind of the whole time. I had a hard time kind of just settling down and finding a rhythm. But Tommy drove the car, put in a great lap. And then when I got in at the end of the session, I had a great reference lap on the dash to kind of understand how to extract lap time from this Corvette Z06 GT3.R around Long Beach. And it's kind of the exact reason why I was so happy to have a teammate like Tommy here this weekend. I know after this practice when we're done here we can look at some data and we can calm down and come up with a strong approach to try to find time and improve. It's my first time here in a GT3 car, it's only technically my third day and in the Corvette, so I feel like I'm still a little rusty. The last time I did a race was Road Atlanta last year, so a lot of my competitors here have already done the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring; they already have 36 hours of racing experience under the belt and I'm just still getting through rough stuff a little bit but we're going to keep pushing and keep working hard. I'm excited for the second practice this afternoon.”
Robbie, can you just talk a little bit, if you could, about how the systems are coming together for you with the Bosch system?
“This track is kind of the ultimate challenge for hand controls given how tight some of the corners are. The fountain and obviously the Hairpin, so something I've never experienced with racing with hand controls is kind of having to deal with so much like steering angles around these tight corners. I was relatively prepared to know what to expect into the Hairpin, but when you experience it in real life… I've done iRacing sessions and other stuff where you understand there's a lot of steering involved to get through the Hairpin, and I drove it in an IndyCar, so you also understand. But once you live it with hand controls going through the Hairpin, when you turn so much and you realize that you can't reach the brake paddle that I was initially using and I need to switch hands to continue to slow down the car, it's going to take some time to continue to get lap time. I think that's honestly probably one of my biggest time losses to Tommy that I could see inside the car in that session. But the Bosch electronic braking system is working flawlessly. It's giving me confidence. It's definitely not the reason why I was struggling for pace in that session. I think it's just going to take some time to get up to speed and hopefully get a good look at data, look at some on-board videos and do some self-coaching and with the help of Tommy beside me, we're going to find some more speed for second practice.”
Robbie, obviously you've had test sessions in the Corvette with the hand control system, but this was your first day on track, not in a testing capacity with others on track. How was that for you? Did that change your approach at all?
“It did. It was hectic. It's kind of like what I touched on. I felt like I was just kind of flustered the whole session. When I did my two days in Sebring, there were only maybe three other cars on track the whole two days, so we pretty much had the entire track to ourselves. This was my first time obviously experiencing the speed difference of a GTP versus a GTD car. Then with our issues that we had at the start of the session, when I finally went out for my installation lap I felt like everyone else already had hot tires and I was just like a nuisance on the track so that was an adjustment. Then once Tommy got in and set a good baseline time for the car and everything, I think we all settled down a little bit. It's a busy track out there when all of us are out there.”
Now that you've had some seat time in testing capacity and practice capacity, can you talk a little bit about the feel of the system? Obviously it's going to be wildly different compared to what it was in the TC car because it's a different beast, but you said you were happy so far.
“From the feeling of it, I know exactly where I feel like the threshold is on the brake and I feel like I understand how much I need to brake for each corner. I just need to try and figure out how to extract performance from the Corvette, and I think that's kind of the beauty of this Bosch EBS – it's just integrated into this car so well that I don't even really… there's no quirkiness or I feel like I'm not driving around any issues. It's just I hit the brakes and the car slows down, which is pretty much exactly what you want it to do.”
Can you maybe take us through the rest of today, what the schedule is, you know, the next practice session, maybe assume that you're going to get back to the bulk of the time?
“The rest of the day we're going to finish up here, get back to the truck, look at some data and some video, and harass my teammate Tommy on how to drive one of these cars quicker. Honestly, the car balance felt like it was going to be in a really good spot. With it being a temporary circuit with no room for error, I'll set up to err on the side of caution. I just need to figure out how much more I can push, if I need to brake later, harder, more entry speed, kind of stuff like that. Then, hopefully a bit of lunch. We get an hour and a half in FP2 instead of an hour, like we had this morning. So I’ll focus a little more on getting settled into the car and then keep working away on driving the Corvette.”
Can you give us a walkthrough of a lap at the Long Beach Grand Prix from your own perspective?
“First off, it's great just to be back. I've had the privilege of racing here in IndyCar in 2018 and then being here every other year that IndyCar's been here with the coaching roles that I do with Andretti Global and IndyCar. So I feel like I've experienced this culture for so many years, but to be putting on a fire suit and sitting in the car again, I feel like I'm home where I belong. It's just such an amazing event, the track obviously has so much history, the 50th anniversary this year… I think everyone wants to win to kind of be a part of that milestone. Regardless of the category, whether it's been Formula 1 races, CART races, IndyCar races, Champ Car races, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship races, I think every driver wants to win here because just being on the podium, it's just an historic place. The track is amazing. It's raw, it's unforgiving and you have to commit to put the lap in. For me, I think that's the next step, I felt like I got to a point in that first session, where without risking the car, I needed to kind of see a lap of data to understand how to go quicker. So I'm just really excited for Practice Two here coming up in a little bit and try to make it a big step forward.”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 36 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R
Now over to Tommy, a four time winner here at the Grand Prix. How much did that help you in this session?
“Certainly having been a racer helps me in situations when things are a little bit rushed, just to get settled in quickly. I’m very fortunate to have spent so much time with Corvette Racing over the years and spent a lot of time in the Z06 GT3.R. I know the last two or three years now I've missed this race but didn't feel like it hopping this Corvette and then getting comfortable again.”
Milner on Wickens’ first session…
“For somebody who's in his third day in this GT3 car, I know his standards for himself are super high, but to come here for the first time to Long Beach in a long time, driving basically a car new to himself and be a second off the pace in about 10 minutes of practice is quite impressive. He's talking from the position of who he is. He wants to be the fastest. And that's why, for me, I'm excited to be here this weekend with him and his journey. But also just having a teammate as competitive as Robbie is awesome, rewarding and exciting for me. It's been easy talking to him about driving this Corvette because it's like talking to any other teammate that I've ever had in my career. So he sounds a little bit down right now. But I can tell you for 10 minutes in the car here at Long Beach, that's a good place to start from, for sure.”
Robbie, so much of being a race driver is second-nature, instinctive feel. How long does it take for a lot of these things you need to do in the car to become instinctive?
“From a hand-control perspective, it's definitely instinctive now. I guess it is like using your feet… understand that, you know, your right foot applies the throttle and sometimes with race drivers your left foot applies the brakes. So I'm still trying to get up to speed with understanding the ABS system and if the car likes it a lot or less or whatever the case is. So I’m still trying to figure out a bit of that muscle memory of how hard do I have to squeeze my brake to kind of achieve that happy threshold for braking performance. I think definitely it's driving with my hands that has been second nature now for quite a while, but I've said it every time – I feel like every time I'm driving a race car, I'm continuing to learn something and continuing to perfect my driving ability with my hands. Obviously I’m jumping into a different car with a slightly different control system. There's going to be a level of adjustment but for the most part, I feel like I'm in a pretty good starting spot. I think that's down to a lot of the design work. It was such an evolution from what I used in my TCR car, and we needed to learn in TCR to be where we are now, 100 percent. The first time I drove the Corvette at Sebring, I was all blown away by how comfortable I was with the brake system straight away and how much feeling I had. Even here, I'm not worried of figuring out how to apply the brake or apply the throttle. I know all that, and it all feels great. It's just trying to extract pace from the car now.”
Can you give us a walkthrough of a lap at the Long Beach Grand Prix from your own perspective?
“It's such a high-commitment racetrack. Obviously, any mistake here typically ends in a concrete wall. So it's a place that requires a lot of comfort and confidence in the car. It’s one of the best street tracks that I've ever raced in my life. Just got a good flow and rhythm to it. It ends up being pretty good for multi-class racing with some passing opportunities to let the faster GTP cars go by. The first section has lots of character and has a lot of nuance to it to find lap time. It has the pretty unique corner there with the fountain in turns Two and Three. Then you go to two of the more difficult corners on the racetrack in turns Four and Five where there are curbs here at the apex in some places. For us it's quite difficult to use all of those. So for me, it's just a lot of fun. You know, it's a place where when the car gives you the confidence, you can really hustle around here, and I think that's what makes the Long Beach Grand Prix circuit so much fun for us as drivers. And then you add all that with just the atmosphere of the fans being on top of you and being close here on Shoreline Drive… the whole event itself is one of the races that I've missed the last couple of years. Now that I'm back, it reminds me of how special this place is.”
In your experience, how much does the track change and evolve from what was this morning’s session? What do you want to just see here when you go back out?
“Yeah, certainly it's a big part of this weekend. Typically we're one of the first series on the racetrack. So parts that are dusty and doesn't have a whole lot of rubber laid down... after our next session, once the IndyCar guys come on track a little bit as well, it just adds grip to the racetrack and makes the first session or two for us a little bit tricky because you start finding lap time as time goes on. It’s always not entirely clear if that's you making gains with your driving or with car setup or it's just the track itself getting faster. So this weekend is challenging. It's a compressed schedule, and playing catch-up with the racetrack and continuing to improve yourself in the car while the track is improving is just always a moving target. So that’s another aspect of this weekend and this race that makes it challenging but also rewarding when you have success.”
Do you learn anything from the way Robert approaches this racetrack? I realize you might have some differences in the car, but what about the way he looks at data? Are you able to pick up any things that will help do his driving?
“Certainly. I've been very lucky throughout my career with Corvette Racing to have very talented teammates, and with every single one of them, you learn something about their driving style, about their preparation, how they look at data, things like that. And this will be the most important thing for me. The first thing I'm going to do is I'm going to be the first one to take a look at data with Robbie. But already from the experience that I've had with him, we rode together after the first test that I did with this hand-control car in between the Daytona Roar and the Rolex 24. Just talking to him, understanding how his brain works a little bit, there's always things to learn and pick up, and someone with the talent that he has, I'm always keeping my mind and my ears open to understand what makes him as good as he is. So I'll be stealing as many secrets as I possibly can this weekend.”
April 11-12th, 2025 Track: Long Beach Street Circuit Race Duration: 1 hour 40 minutes Circuit Length: 1.968 miles Corners: 11 Entry by Class: GTP (11) GTD (16) Qualifying Friday, April 19th, 2024 WeatherTech Championship-live IMSA TV (GTD) 8:10 PM to 8:25 PM EDT (GTP) 8:35 PM to 8:50 PM EDT Watch Live on IMSA TV: http://imsatv.imsa.com/ Television Broadcast Saturday April 20, 2024 US: USA Channel 5:00 to 7:00 pm ET Online-Peacock Premium 5:00 to 7:00 pm ET
April 11-12th, 2025 Track: Long Beach Street Circuit Race Duration: 1 hour 40 minutes Circuit Length: 1.968 miles Corners: 11 Entry by Class: GTP (11) GTD (16) Qualifying Friday, April 19th, 2024 WeatherTech Championship-live IMSA TV (GTD) 8:10 PM to 8:25 PM EDT (GTP) 8:35 PM to 8:50 PM EDT Watch Live on IMSA TV: http://imsatv.imsa.com/ Television Broadcast Saturday April 20, 2024 US: USA Channel 5:00 to 7:00 pm ET Online-Peacock Premium 5:00 to 7:00 pm ET
CORVETTE RACING AT LONG BEACH: What a Weekend Shaping Up
DXDT set to debut EBS-equipped Corvette; AWA looking for season’s second win
DETROIT (April 8, 2025) – Corvette Racing has full weekend coming up with two high-profile entries for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach – the third round of this year’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
As part of the showcase with IMSA’s GTP and GTD classes, two Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs are set for Saturday’s 100-minute street race on the famous 11-turn, 1.968-mile street circuit in southern California. Both have their own unique storylines:
No. 13 AWA Corvette: Matt Bell/Orey Fidani
Reigning Rolex 24 At Daytona GTD class winner AWA and its drivers made their first appearance at Long Beach a year ago and finished an impressive sixth in class. The result served as a springboard for the rest of the season, which culminated in the Bob Akin Award for Fidani as the highest points-scoring Bronze driver in GTD. The award landed AWA an invitation to this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the momentum carried over to the Rolex 24 victory in January
No. 36 DXDT Racing Corvette: Robert Wickens/Tommy Milner
One of the most followed and most unique entries in this year’s race, DXDT Racing’s Corvette is equipped with a Bosch hand-control electronic braking system for Wickens – who lost the use of his lower body in a racing crash in 2018 – and Corvette factory driver Tommy Milner, who did the initial shakedown and testing of the hand-control system. The No. 36 Corvette is a collaboration between Bosch, Chevrolet, Pratt Miller and DXDT Racing.
CORVETTE RACING MEDIA INFO
Long Beach will mark Wickens’ first race in a Corvette Z06 GT3.R. His impressive resume pairs well with the Corvette Racing program, whose history of success includes 140 race victories around the world – 117 of them in IMSA competition – along with 14 Manufacturers championships for Chevrolet.
General Motors and Chevrolet have long been committed to accessibility for customers and employees. Upon hearing of Wickens’ interest in GTD, Chevrolet helped to bring Bosch, Pratt Miller and DXDT together to bring him into the Corvette family.
"Everyone within Chevrolet and Corvette Racing is excited to be part of this project," said Mark Stielow, director, Chevrolet Motorsports Competition Programs. "Chevrolet’s commitment to accessibility and innovation in motorsports drove investment in this project. We all support Robert's drive to compete at the highest levels of motorsport and are proud to partner with groups like Bosch, Pratt Miller and DXDT Racing to realize part of that dream.”
In addition to the 100-minute IMSA race, two Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs will contest a pair of 40-minute sprint races in SRO Motorsports’ GT America series – Blake McDonald in the No. 11 Corvette for DXDT Racing and Ross Chouest in the No. 50 Corvette for Chouest Povoledo Racing.
Chevrolet and the Corvette brand have been a fixture at Long Beach since the Corvette Racing program first visited Long Beach in 2007. In 17 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.
The Grand Prix of Long Beach for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. PT on Saturday, April 12. The race will air live on USA Network starting at 5 p.m. ET with full streaming coverage on Peacock, which also will stream Friday’s 8 p.m. ET qualifying session. IMSA Radio also will air Friday’s qualifying and the race at IMSA.com along with XM 206 and SiriusXM Online 996.
CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R DRIVER PRE-EVENT DRIVER QUOTES
MATT BELL, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I’m looking forward to getting back to Long Beach. It was my first time there last season and it was the surprise of the year for me. I loved the circuit and the event as a whole; it was a great experience. We had great pace too, as we have so far this year, so I’m hopeful and confident that we’ll be able to put together another competitive showing.”
OREY FIDANI, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Long Beach is a very challenging but also really exciting track. It’s so narrow and unforgiving, and with so little room for error, you know you have to be precise and make the right decisions. It’s a change of pace from Daytona and Sebring, but we’ve shown our consistency and I’m looking forward to proving our competitiveness in the sprint races as well.”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 36 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I’m excited to go back to Long Beach for a number of reasons. First off, it’s a really unique event with all kinds of history behind it – great drivers, great cars and fantastic races. I’ve been fortunate to win there four times… a couple under some pretty crazy circumstances! Second, it’s obviously a real privilege to be asked to team with Rob in this race. It’s such a big moment for him, for DXDT Racing, for Corvette, all of the partners and racing in general. We all have high hopes going into the weekend. The Corvette and the hand-control system have been solid in testing. Both Rob and I know the track very well. So we’re all optimistic of being able to race and challenge for a podium and hopefully the win.”
ROBERT WICKENS, NO. 36 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "After finally getting my first taste of the Corvette Z06 GT3.R in Sebring a few weeks ago, I have been counting down the days until Long Beach. My first race with DXDT and finally my first race of 2025. It is going to be a very steep learning curve, but I am thankful I have a strong team behind me and a great teammate in Tommy Milner to help get me up to speed. Hopefully when we look back on this event on Saturday night we can be proud of what we accomplished together."
• 1: As in one manufacturer and one model of car for the 18th year at Long Beach: Chevrolet and the Corvette
• 2: Number of wins for the Corvette Z06 GT3.R already in 2025 – the Rolex 24 At Daytona in the GTD class for AWA and the FIA WEC’s 1812 Km of Qatar for TF Sport in LM GT3
• 4: Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs in competition at Long Beach this weekend – No. 13 of AWA and No. 36 of DXDT Racing in IMSA and the No. 11 of DXDT Racing and No. 50 from Chouest Povoledo Racing in GT America
• 4: Long Beach IMSA race wins for Tommy Milner – the most among drivers entered in this year’s Grand Prix of Long Beach
• 7: Number of Corvettes competing this weekend around the world – the four at Long Beach, one Corvette for Steller Motorsport in GT World Challenge Europe and two from Johor Motorsports Racing in GT World Challenge Asia
• 8: Number of Long Beach victories in 16 appearances for the Corvette Racing program
• 10: Number of Long Beach sports car victories for Chevrolet. Throw in 12 IndyCar wins, and Chevrolet has claimed 22victories in the event’s two premier races
• 14: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001
• 28: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte Motor Speedway, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Daytona, Detroit, Houston, Laguna Seca, Le Mans, Lime Rock, Long Beach, Lusail International Circuit (Qatar), Miami, Mid-Ohio, Monza, Portimão, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen
• 62: Number of drivers in Corvette Racing entries since 1999. Chouest Povoledo Racing’s Ross Chouest and Aaron Povoledo joined the list at the SRO America weekend at Sonoma
• 72: 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
• 140: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 117 in IMSA, nine at Le Mans, four in the FIA WEC and 10 in GT World Challenge America
• 313: Event starts by Corvette Racing entries since 1999, starting with that year’s Rolex 24 At Daytona. No. 300 came in early August 2024 at Road America in IMSA
• 4,353.19: Number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing in its 16 previous trips to Long Beach. That represents 2,212 laps around the 1.968-mile street circuit.
• 418,207.46: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing entries since 1999. To put that in perspective, Corvette Racing is more than halfway to the distance traveled by Apollo 13 – the longest manned spaceflight in history: 622,268 miles
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)
CORVETTE RACING AT LONG BEACH: Robert Wickens & Tommy Milner
Media conference transcript ahead of landmark Corvette entry at Long Beach
Corvette Z06 GT3.R drivers Robert Wickens and Tommy Milner met with members of the media via Zoom on Thursday afternoon. The pair discussed Wickens’ initial test and upcoming race debut with Corvette at the Grand Prix of Long Beach alongside Corvette Racing factory driver Milner in a DXDT Racing Corvette Z06 GT3.R equipped with Bosch's state-of-the-art hand-control braking system.
ROBERT WICKENS, NO. 36 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R
GIVE US YOUR FIRST THOUGHTS ON YOUR FIRST TIME IN THE CORVETTE.
“So far I feel like a kid on Christmas. It’s been a lot of work so far. Yesterday I got my first taste of the Corvette Z06 GT3.R just before lunch. I got a couple of laps in, we stopped for a lunch break and then kind of hit the ground running in the afternoon. I felt like we finished in a good place yesterday and then thankfully a good night’s rest and a lot of planning ahead of today. So far today has been running super smooth. The biggest takeaway I have so far is that it feels like the Bosch EBS and the hand-control system developed by Pratt Miller belongs in his car. There hasn’t been a single hiccup. It’s like when they designed the Corvette Z06 GT3.R it was always in the plan. It looks like it belongs in the car. It feels like it belongs in the car. Immediately I felt way more comfortable with the braking feeling and braking sensation then I had in my past racing in TCR with the Bosch EBS. It was a massive step forward so hats off to all the men and women at Bosch, Pratt Miller, GM and DXDT Racing for collaborating in making this all possible.”
HOW DOES THE CORVETTE COMPARE TO THE FORMULA E CAR YOU TESTED LAST YEAR?
“Quite a bit different. The Formula E car was pretty much a temporary hand-control solution where we repurposed the re-gen paddles at the bottom of the steering wheel so one side was for throttle and one side was for braking. It worked but it wasn’t effective. Here, everyone put their heads together and we have a very well-integrated hand-control system where the paddles and everything… the sensation and feeling that I have, whenever I embarked on this journey to race with hand controls, I was always envisioning that hydraulic sensation with my hands when I’m applying the brake. Everyone involved made it happen. When you take a look at it, you’ll see there’s a damper on the top of my brake paddles. We’ve evolved and evolved, and now we’ve changed spring rates… it’s basically like you’re changing suspension settings. We have bump rubbers and packers. It’s teeny tiny things like surgeon work. It’s amazing the feeling that I have and I feel like I’m extracting a lot of pace because of it. The fact that I was straight away comfortable… frankly internally I was concerned that it might take me a little bit to get up to speed. But thankfully that wasn’t the case so far. There’s a lot of work to be done but so far the signs are positive.”
HOW MUCH HAS YOUR TIME ON YOUR HOME SIMULATOR COME TO GRIPS WITH THIS NEW CHALLENGE?
“I think racing on my home simulator is not only very fun, but it made my dexterity and kind of my resolution of my hand for throttle application in particular just stronger and stronger. After driving this Corvette Z06, I feel like the next step for me is actually to start doing more throttle application with my right hand just to build that muscle memory. Because for people that don't know, I pretty much do like 98 percent of my throttle application with my left hand. So that way I can freely upshift with my right hand and then brake with my right hand and downshift with the left hand. So with this car, like with Turn Seven at Sebring... there's a few corners here where I feel like I need to start practicing using throttle with both hands a little bit more. But yeah, the home simulator, it definitely didn't hurt. Not only is it a lot of fun, but my brake that I use on my home simulator is very different to what we have in the race car. But for throttle purposes, I think it's very helpful."
ON DRIVING A REAR-WHEEL DRIVE CAR AND USING PAST EXPERIENCE IN SINGLE-SEATERS AND DTM WITH THE CORVETTE GT3.
"Yes and no. I feel at home in a rear-wheel-drive car. You know, I feel like I never left in a way. That being said, a TCR car with it being front-wheel drive, a lot of your instability moments it's all kind of corner entry and mid-corner. By the time you apply throttle, you're not really fighting the car. So it's been an interesting adjustment here, trying to maintain a consistent throttle position while the rear is starting to slide or step out a little bit. So that's taken some getting used to, and I still need to learn that. Sometimes I'll get a snap oversteer, and I'll accidentally lift off the throttle completely and just bleed loads of lap time. So, yeah, a lot to work on. But the biggest thing for me is understanding the traction control system that's in this Corvette Z06 GT3.R because I haven't really felt traction control for all my career. I've done some testing in GT3 from my time at Mercedes and some other stuff in a couple other race cars here and there. But in terms of extracting lap time from a proper traction control system and all the aids and assists that we have inside the car. Still trying to understand kind of what makes it click, because I think when I'm applying throttle, my resolution is not spot on yet. So I think I'm applying like 10 percent throttle, but I'm actually more like 30 percent, 35, 40 percent throttle. And I'm immediately getting traction control intervention, and the car is coping and handling it great and there's no dramas. But I feel like it's still catching me by surprise and it's still something I need to keep working on."
DO YOU KNOW APPROXIMATELY HOW MANY MAN HOURS HAVE GONE INTO DEVELOPING THIS SYSTEM?
“More than I'm sure I can imagine. It was a very motivating experience. But every time I was on weekly calls with Pratt Miller developing the controls, the physical paddles and the shapes and the ergonomics of everything, it was some of the busier Zoom meetings I've ever participated in. They’re all just all such intelligent people. With Bosch on it, DXDT all on the call, (team owner) David Askew with his engineering background and all being integrated into this build, it didn't take one person. It took an army. And I think everyone just collaborated perfectly. And every single time I went down to Detroit to Pratt Miller Engineering to see the next 3D printed prototype of the ergonomics of everything, everyone I felt was just very motivated for the challenge. What made me feel great was I could tell that it was a motivation and not a distraction. You know, I feel like when I've been trying to get into these categories and trying to make a step into another race car… race teams are efficient operations. It's not like there's just a surplus of engineers to just take people and move around. So I was very grateful for the opportunity and, frankly, the timeline that they got it completed on was pretty astounding from start to finish.”
ON TOMMY MILNER’S ROLE AND EXPERIENCE WITH THE CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R.
“I'm going to be leaning on Tommy exclusively! I think once I finish here today, I'm probably going to try to book him in for a half-day Zoom call or something just to pick his brain on every nuance of the car. From getting to know Tommy a little bit and watching him shake down the car at The Firm around Daytona… he actually drove me from Daytona up to The Firm and back. So I was chewing his ear off and asking loads of questions about the car already then and that's just going to carry on.
“Hopefully he doesn't get tired of me too soon, but I'm definitely going to be leaning on him for a lot of support because even now it's this fine line where we're trying to evolve the brake system and get the braking sensation, the spring rates and also the software side with Bosch and the EBS all dialed into the car. But in parallel I'm also still trying to learn what the car likes and how the car likes to be driven. When I did this in the TCR car, I had driven the TCR car for two years so I knew how to drive it and how to get laptime out so it was just solely trying to get the brake feel to what I wanted. Now it's kind of a much more foggy experience because I feel like I'm learning both at the same time. We only have basically a day-and-a-half and we're on to the launch. So there’s only an afternoon left before that's all I get going into Long Beach. We're getting through it quick. I did my first full just before lunch hence the sweatiness! But yeah so far so good. I got to kind of feel what a double-stinted Michelin felt like here at Sebring with mid-80s ambient temperature and stuff. These are all things I need to learn for my database because you don't get an opportunity to test very often. So I'm trying to make sure I have as much information before I start the season.”
WAS THERE ANYTHING ABOUT THIS CAR OR ABOUT THE TECHNOLOGY OR ABOUT LONG BEACH THAT MADE THIS THE RIGHT TIME TO RETURN TO THE SERIES?
“I guess all of the above. Frankly, for me, I wanted to get into the car as soon as possible. If there was a way to have driven the car in (Petit Le Mans) last year, I would have been all over it. The same for Daytona and the same for last weekend in Sebring. But good things take time. I think in the moment, I was frustrated but obviously I respect that you can't rush something like this. It has to be done properly because also this is the product that I have to now use for the entire 2025 season. If you don't have a strong foundation, you can just kind of set yourself up for failure. Although I was pushing and pushing and pushing to try to bump the timeline up as much as possible, it was very clear that we weren't going to make the first two endurance races. With that said, the original plan was to debut at Laguna Seca, and we were able to bump it up to start in Long Beach. So I feel like that's already a win in itself.
“In terms of the car, it just took a group of people to believe that this is possible. I feel like when I was speaking to other teams, everyone thought it was a good idea. But it took David Askew at DXDT to take the leap of faith and say ‘You know what? I want to do this.’ And then we aligned with Pratt Miller, Bosch was already on my side, and they were fully supporting it, and then the fine people at General Motors all basically pulling together and saying ‘You know, let's give this a shot and see what it can do.’ And I understand, I have a pretty small sample group of races in 2025 to try and prove myself, but my goal is to be a full-time staple in the IMSA WeatherTech Series for 2026 in the future.”
THESE COMPANIES ARE INVOLVED IN A LOT OF RACING SERIES. DO YOU FEEL LIKE WHAT YOU'RE LEARNING NOW CAN BE APPLIED POTENTIALLY TO OTHER SERIES?
“One hundred percent. What we're learning here today can transfer into any race car and then hopefully down the road what we're developing with the electronic braking system from Bosch, opportunities are endless that maybe this can evolve into road safety and into everyday road vehicles and accessibility in road vehicles. I feel like the opportunities are endless, but short-term we need to perfect this system here in the Corvette Z06 GT3.R. We'll have to wait and see. The way Pratt Miller developed the actual brake control that I apply, it mounts to the steering column independent of the steering wheel. The steering wheel that Tommy will be driving or any other teammate that I drive with in this Corvette, it's the exact same steering wheel that they always know. There's just a bit of luggage on the backside. What's great about it is in theory it can mount to virtually any steering column as long as you have the right bolt pattern. It actually fits the space of a steering spacer that would be on the steering column to change how close or far away the steering wheel would be to the driver. It was a very intuitive design and honestly sets up for future-proofing. If there's other car opportunities where my paddles that I use could actually be transferable from car to car. That way I'm not learning the ergonomics of new controls every time I drive something different.”
AS EACH STEP HAS COME FOR YOU IN THIS PROCESS, WHERE DOES THIS RANK FOR YOU IN TERMS OF YOUR GROWTH AND YOUR COMEBACK? DO YOU HAVE THINGS LEFT THAT YOU'D LIKE TO TRY?
“I think there's a lot of things left. My goal from the outset of this was to get back to the highest levels of motorsport again. I've always seen that the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is the highest level of sports car racing here in North America. Aligning myself with someone like General Motors and DXDT Racing, it was just the perfect fit. It would be a dream if I could call it a 10-year career here in the IMSA WeatherTech series racing against the best drivers in the world and one of the best series in the world.
“In terms of what's left, there's always opportunity. But my goal is always to get to the highest levels and I feel like I'm here. So the next step is to become a week-in, week-out staple of the series and make sure I can get myself to a full-time position for 2026 and then start fighting for championships. Hopefully we can challenge for race wins and podiums here this year. There's no Sprint championship in the IMSA WeatherTech Championship, so we're going to have to wait a year, hopefully go full-time and then try to make a full run at it. In terms of what's left, I don't know. It's kind of a fun part of my career right now. With the help of Bosch, I feel like there are more opportunities than I thought I would have 12 to 24 months ago.”
THE WAY YOU JUST TALKED ABOUT IMSA, DO YOU CONSIDER THIS LIKE YOU'VE MADE IT AND YOU'VE COME BACK?
“I think this is a big step. For me to officially get that fulfillment, I want to be a full-time contender in the WeatherTech Series. Honestly taking the green flag in Long Beach is going to be an enormous step forward in my career and my journey back to the highest levels. Basically you could say ‘We did it. We're racing against the best cars and the best drivers in the whole sports car industry’. So I want to win championships for myself, for General Motors, for DXDT. There's still some work to be done. I think you could say it's definitely a massive box to check, probably the biggest box that we could check off so far in my return.”
ON THE WORK DONE DURING THE TEST AT SEBRING.
“It's been a lot. It's been a long 36 hours. The big thing is getting acclimated into the car was kind of job Number One. Honestly, Bosch did so much preparation ahead of this that there wasn't a whole lot. The first run with the system… if that was all I had and there was no tunability, I wouldn't have been upset about it. We started off in such a great window where I kind of just got to figure out the race car.
“We’re not doing a whole lot of setup work, but thankfully with the Sebring 12 Hours just finishing, the car feels great. We're in a great balance window. DXDT was so quick on the weekend. They nearly had a shot at a podium there at the end. Yesterday morning, we had Spencer Pigot shake down the car and do some initial tests and installations because this was actually the first time that the Bosch EBS was integrated into the DXDT Corvette. We wanted to make sure that everything just worked according to plan, and they wanted an able-bodied person to do the initial shakedowns and the initial baseline run just to make sure that if there was an issue, they had the ability to apply brakes to get the car back safely. I got my first run in just before lunch yesterday… a little six-lap run to get a taste and then look at some data over lunch and hit the ground running in the afternoon.
“Today's been a lot more intense. An 8:30 start and basically never got out of the car for most of the morning. I got my first taste of a long run with double-stinted tires to see what the car behaves like. Like we talked about, this is my only test for the whole year and we want to make sure that I have as many tools on my belt as possible so there's no surprises once we get into Long Beach or further down the road. The best thing about Sebring is a lot of these apex and exit curves are not super friendly. So you can kind of treat them like walls. So in terms of getting used to Long Beach, that's been good. The apex at Turn One is a wall, so that's pretty good too. So I feel like there's a lot of stuff that we're learning here that I can take with me to Long Beach. But then also the high-speed corners here in Sebring, like Turn One, I’m trying to think of how the car wants to act when I think down the road for Laguna Seca or Road America or Canadian Tire Motorsport Park where it's a fast-flowing, committed track. We're getting through it. We have another busy afternoon ahead of us with a lot of work to be had.”
WHAT ARE YOU ANTICIPATING BEING THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES AT LONG BEACH FOR YOU?
“I don't know yet, to be honest. I think I won't know until I'm in there. I mean, best-case scenario, I do my first runs and I'm only a handful of tenths off of Tommy and we're in a window where we can keep chipping away. Until I'm in that environment, it's hard to tell. For me, I'm just continuing to get used to the car here in Sebring and try to do as much preparation as possible and then just kind of see where we are.”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 36 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R
TELL US ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY THAT YOU AND ROBBIE HAVE HERE TOGETHER AND WHAT YOU'VE SEEN OUT OF HIM.
“It's super exciting for me to be a part of this effort with DXDT Racing and with Robbie in his first race in the Corvette. As Rob mentioned, I had the opportunity to drive The Firm after The Roar in the kind of initial shakedown of the Bosch EBS system in the Corvette. I obviously know who Robbie is and I followed his career for a long time. He had raced Formula BMW just before I had a long time ago. So I knew the name and kind of followed his career as time went on. You can tell that he's still a racer at heart. And like he said, he was picking my brain about the Corvette constantly. More than anything, I’m excited to go back to Long Beach to join DXDT Racing again and then help Robbie here in his first race get up to speed with the Corvette.
“From what I've heard already from some of the team down there, he's already quite quick. If the team has put him on some double-stint tires and full tanks, he's already kind of experienced probably the worst of what the Corvette is going to feel like, just based on our experience this last weekend at Sebring. Super-excited for him and super-excited for DXDT. It’s a cool opportunity for me as well to be a part of that with him and to go back to Long Beach again and go racing there again.”
HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN THIS PROGRAM TO SOMEONE WHO KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT IT, AND HOW DOES THAT CHANGE YOUR ROLE?
“In Robbie’s case he has to do all of his driving with his hands, with him being paralyzed from the chest down. So he has no use of his feet. So this system is basically set up so that he can do all that with the steering wheel itself. There's a brake ring and there are throttle paddles that take the place of what I would normally use in the pedal box. Those are some of the common questions that I've heard about this system when I've told people who know a little bit about racing but not this situation.
“The system is quite impressive with how it functions and how it works. With just one push of a button, the system switches from the able-bodied driver controls to the hand controls, which obviously is important for sports car racing where we have driver changes. It'll be especially important at Long Beach as we’ve always talked about the driver change being a pretty important part of the race because that typically ends up being kind of the limiting factor in the pit stop. The tires and the fuel typically take a little bit less than that time (to do a driver change). Robbie obviously comes from a place where he has the sports car racing experience, where he's had to do those driver changes. From that side, there's no real limitations, so to speak. He knows what he needs to get out of the car.
“But fundamentally, everything happens on the wheel. And it's a system that took me initially a little while to sort of understand in my own brain… how it is supposed to work, how to find laptime out of it and things like that. But the system is set up quite well to where by the end of the second day of testing that I had in the car to prove the system a bit, I was able to find quite a bit of lap time and get closer to what I was capable of with the normal able-bodied setup. So for someone like Robbie, who has as much racing experience as he does, as good as he was and still is, you can tell just from talking to him how focused he is on doing what he's always done, which is drive race cars very fast. The system is designed to allow that to happen for him. His drive and determination are pretty incredible. It's pretty inspiring to see that and I’m excited to go racing with him at Long Beach.
ARE THERE ANY CHANGES TO HOW YOU TYPICALLY CLIMB INTO THE CAR WITH THE MODIFICATIONS?
“No. The car will, for me, feel as if it's the same Corvette that I've been in for many years. Like Robbie talked about, there's a little bit more going on behind the wheel. But when I'm driving, I basically won't even know that it's there. Obviously that was done on purpose and done with the intention of making it as easy to use for Robbie, but also as easy to use for myself, essentially. So in practice and in reality, there should be no obvious signs other than an extra button box, that this Corvette is any different than any other Corvette that I've driven.”
WHEN YOU WERE PRESENTED WITH THE OPPORTUNITY, HOW DID YOU LOOK AT IT? WAS IT A CHALLENGE? WAS IT AN OPPORTUNITY? WAS IT AN HONOR?
“All of those things. More than anything, I would say an honor because I've met Robbie a couple of times over the years in the past and now have spent a lot more time with him recently just after Daytona. You can tell why he is successful in racing, why he was so successful prior to his incident as well. He’s just super focused on getting the most out of himself, out of the car team, that kind of thing. For me to be part of that story and that process, and hopefully give him a good foundation to do the next four races in IMSA this year, I do look at it as a challenge as well. I want to help him as best as I can, give him as much of the knowledge and information that I've gathered over the years driving this Corvette to give him the best opportunity to be successful.”
ON THE BRAKE SYSTEM SETUPS.
“When the car is in the able-bodied mode, it will feel just like every other Corvette Z06 GT3.R. The way that the system is set up – I'm not as technically advanced as maybe I should be with the system, and Robbie probably knows a lot more than I do – they're essentially sort of like separate systems. When the able-bodied system is active, the pedal feels the same, throttle pedal and all that feels the same, and the steering wheel feels all the same. When the hand-control system is activated, then it goes through the EBS system, and then Robbie has his own brake bias, so the system will function slightly different in that way where if he needs a certain brake feel or brake distribution then it can be custom tuned so to speak for him. He can adjust that on the fly just like I would be able to with the normal hydraulic system. So when I'm driving the car it feels just like every other Corvette that I've driven before and when he's driving it, it's tuned for what he needs.”
YOU SAY THE CAR IS JUST LIKE ANY OTHER CORVETTE, SO DOES THAT MEAN THERE'S REALLY NO WEIGHT DIFFERENCE IN WHERE WEIGHT IS FOR THIS SYSTEM?
“I'm sure there's more weight in the car. I don't know how much more the system actually weighs, but I was talking about the sense of my experience when I sit in the car, when I'm driving the race car with the normal controls. It all feels just like the car that I currently race in IMSA. The pedal feels the same. The steering wheel feel is the same. There's an emergency hydraulic brake that sits on the center tunnel there. That would be different. But again when I was doing my testing with the normal controls, there was nothing about that experience that I was driving that was something different about this car.”
ON GETTING TO KNOW ROBERT WICKENS MORE.
“For him to go through what he went through and with his drive and determination to get back in a race car again and be competitive and win races, that's something that can be an inspiration for anybody. Anybody who's gone through some sort of hardship like he has it's what you make of your life and that situation. You can tell that it does change parts of his life. But the one thing that he doesn't want it to change realistically is him driving race cars and driving them as fast as he does. To see that in person, that drive and determination and just never-give-up attitude that he has, it’s inspiring. I'm excited to race with him and see on a race weekend that part of him that I can tell that he has. To see that really come out, is going to be something exciting.”
GOALS FOR THE LONG BEACH RACE.
“I can probably answer for myself and for Robbie. I'll bet you a win is going to be the goal, and I certainly think that's possible. The Corvette has been fast in the past at Long Beach. His time in the car here at Sebring is going to be super important, and he knows the racetrack at Long Beach. He knows how to go sports car racing now, that's for sure. It'll certainly be a lot to take in. It's a lot happening. It's a short weekend. There's not a lot of practice. From that side, you know all of the obstacles that are in the way of making that happen. Like I said, I have no doubt that he has the drive and determination to get the most out of himself fundamentally too. There’s still a bit of learning, of course. It'll be new for him in some ways, first time in the race with this car. I also think the weekend goals-wise will be to help set himself up and the team up for a successful rest of the season as well. It’s not a checkers or wreckers kind of thing. It's definitely going to be about getting the best result that we can, but I'm certainly not counting out a win.”
ON FAMILIARITY WITH DXDT RACING AND INTEGRATION INTO IMSA.
“I know this was a goal of David Askew's for a long time. It’s a big accomplishment from his side and from the team side to be here in IMSA this year and prove to themselves and obviously everybody else in the paddock that they're a team that belongs here, that can be successful and can win races.
“From my side, on race weekends you do keep some touch with other teams and other drivers. I would say more so for me with DXDT than others just because of having driven for them a little bit last year. My sister is the team manager there, and I'm good friends with Bryan Sellers, as well. So there's lots of reasons for me to kind of check in on them. My brother-in-law is crew chief, so there's a lot of people there that I'm close with and want to see succeed. Based on Sebring, they put themselves in a great position to potentially win the race. The podium, I think, was really on the table for them. So there was some heartbreak to see that all kind of fall away in the last five minutes or so of the race. But I think ultimately that's motivating for them to know that they're doing all the right things and even more motivating to finally get that big first result for them when it comes.”
CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: From Hopes to Heartbreak
Late-race dramas bite Corvette contingent in 12 Hours
SEBRING, Fla. (March 15, 2025) – Corvette Racing’s quartet of Corvette Z06 GT3.R teams suffered cruel ends to the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on Saturday with misfortune ruining chances for GTD PRO and GTD victories in America’s oldest sports car race.
Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports’ No. 3 Corvette was the highest-finishing Z06 GT3.R with a seventh-place GTD PRO finish for Antonio Garcia, Alexander Sims and Daniel Juncadella. The result marked an unfortunate turn of fortunes for the group of four Corvettes – all of which led their respective classes on multiple occasions.
The No. 4 Z06 GT3.R of Tommy Milner, Nicky Catsburg and Nico Varrone – also in GTD PRO – ran a clean race for the first three-quarters and ran second when it had to stop for a repair to the IMSA-mandated scrutineering logger. It cost the Corvette three laps and dropped Varrone to 10th in class. Catsburg made up a spot near the end to move himself, Varrone and Milner to ninth at the end.
DXDT Racing appeared set to challenge for its first podium in IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship competition. However a late-race mechanical issue knocked the No. 36 Corvette of Charlie Eastwood, Alec Udell and Salih Yoluc – who drove a triple-stint to start – from the top-four in GTD down to eighth at the finish.
AWA’s hopes of a second straight GTD victory took a huge hit with damage to the right-front of the No. 13 Corvette on a restart with a little less than three hours remaining. Orey Fidani drove three of the first four stints, and Lars Kern and Matt Bell steadily worked their way forward and into the class lead on multiple occasions.
Subsequent stops for repairs dropped Bell from seventh to 12th but the Corvette remained on the lead lap up until being hit late by the leading LMP2 entry. It relegated AWA to 10th in GTD.
Perhaps the Corvette in the best position late in the race was the No. 3 of Alexander Sims, Antonio Garcia and Daniel Juncadella. After a strong run through the day and some clever strategy, Sims worked his way up from sixth to fourth inside the final 90 minutes and was on a fuel strategy that likely would have had him challenging for the victory.
However, the Sebring circuit bit the Corvette as Sims had to pit for a rear with a little more than an hour with a broken right-rear suspension component. It knocked him from third in class and in the podium fight to seventh and two laps down.
Corvette Racing’s next event in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is the Long Beach Grand Prix from the Long Beach (Calif.) street circuit on April 11-12.
SELECT CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R DRIVER QUOTES
ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:“A bit of a bummer, this one. Our Corvette had pretty good pace to be honest. Going into the night, it seemed to come alive a bit. We had good pace and I was able to get up to third before we had the rear suspension problem. It did seem the leaders at the end had pace that we didn’t, to be honest. I don’t think we would have gotten any better than that. Even holding on to third would have been a struggle. Full credit to the Pratt Miller guys for getting it turned around quick and salvaging what we could. We didn’t give up and still managed seventh place, which could have been worse if they weren’t as quick in the pits as they were. On to the next one.”
NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “An unlucky race. I think we had an OK Corvette but not fast enough to challenge for the win. I feel like we are on a bit of an unlucky streak at the moment. It’s not anyone’s fault. We have to take things as they come and ride those waves. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.”
CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 36 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “We had a great race. We got a little unlucky with the second-to-last yellow because we had a good fuel advantage and it got wiped out. We hung in there and crept from eighth to third. It was very enjoyable being in the middle of the fight. We just got very unlucky at the end when what we thought was a comfortable P4 – which turned out would have been a podium with the Ferrari boxing on the last lap. I’m gutted for the team. They’ve worked so hard since Daytona. We just didn’t have the pace there and came here with a lot more. They deserved more, unfortunately. They worked tirelessly between now and then to make sure we had the Corvette that we had in the race. Such a shame but we have to look at the positives. We were in the mix for the podium and the win, and we executed a good race. We just need Lady Luck on our side and we’ll be right there.”
OREY FIDANI, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “We were having a good race once again up until we had the little incident in the final stages. We had a very strong car, and I’m proud of the team and their efforts. We know what we're capable of. We’ll take this finish and move forward to the next one.”
PRESS RELEASE: CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: That Winning Momentum
Corvette Z06 GT3.R entries aim to continue strong start to 2025 season
DETROIT (March 11, 2025) – Following on from a highly successful start to the 2025 season – first at Daytona and then in Qatar – the Corvette Racing program and its teams now move on to America’s oldest sports car race: the Mobil 1Twelve Hours of Sebring and the second round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
Four Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs are set for the 73rd running of the Sebring 12 Hours – an event where Corvette Racing has claimed 14 class victories dating back to 2002. Two GTD PRO entries come from Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports with single-car GTD entries for Rolex 24 At Daytona class-winner AWA along with DXDT Racing.
· Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports – GTD PRO: Antonio Garcia, Alexander Sims, Daniel Juncadella(No. 3 Corvette); Nicky Catsburg, Tommy Milner, Nico Varrone (No. 4 Corvette)
· AWA – GTD: Matt Bell, Orey Fidani, Lars Kern (No. 13 Corvette)
· DXDT Racing – GTD: Charlie Eastwood, Alec Udell, Salih Yoluc (No. 36 Corvette)
The momentum of the second-year Corvette Z06 GT3.R program is sky-high even after only two months of racing. At Daytona, AWA captured a landmark first 24-hour win for the Corvette in GTD, the No. 3 Corvette from Pratt Miller Motorsports finished second in GTD PRO and the No. 4 sister Corvette led seven times in class.
In addition, the Corvette GT3 won in FIA World Endurance Championship competition for the first time with TF Sport taking the LM GT3 class victory with Juncadella as part of the driving lineup.
Corvettes were busy at Sebring in 2024. Both Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports and AWA posted top-10 class finishes in a rough-and-tumble 12 Hours – with the No. 3 Corvette running as high as second in the final 10 minutes before being pushed off-track in the closing minutes.
Meanwhile, DXDT Racing returns to racing Sebring for the second time in less than a year. Although this is the team’s first 12 Hours, DXDT Racing debuted with the Corvette Z06 GT3.R at the circuit last spring in GT World Challenge America.
A Mobil 1 and Corvette Celebration!
Long-time Corvette technical partner Mobil 1 will again be prominently featured on special race liveries of both the No. 3 and No. 4 Corvettes from Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports at Sebring. Following its 50th anniversary celebration in 2024, Mobil 1 is placing renewed emphasis on the timeless red and blue colors in its primary Mobil 1 logo. As the design has become synonymous with sports car racing and Sebring, the Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette liveries incorporate this classic theme while also paying homage to a variety of historic Corvettes adorned with the same colors.
For more than 25 years, the Mobil 1 brand has been an integral part of the Corvette Racing program. It was the only lubricant used by the factory racing effort dating back to the first on-track tests of the Corvette C5-R in 1997. The Mobil 1 brand continues as a primary sponsor of the Pratt Miller-run Corvette Z06 GT3.R team, and since 1993 has been the factory fill for all new production Corvettes.
Chevrolet Motorsports on Display at Sebring
In addition to the many happenings on the racetrack at Sebring, fans will have plenty to see and experience from Chevrolet. The Chevrolet’s Motorsports Display – located in the Sebring Midway – will be full of Chevy vehicles that spectators can learn more about throughout the weekend. The Chevrolet Motorsports Display opens at 9 a.m. Thursday and Friday plus 8 a.m. Saturday. Numerous Chevrolet vehicles and other highlights include:
• The Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 plus a cutaway chassis and engine display
• Additional Chevrolet products such as Corvette Stingray Coupe, Blazer EV SS, Equinox ACTIV, Traverse RS, Colorado ZR2, Silverado 1500 RST and Silverado EV RST
• An opportunity to receive a 2025 Chevrolet Motorsports t-shirt
The Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring is scheduled for 10:10 a.m. ET on Saturday, March 15. The race will air live flag-to-flag on Peacock in the United States and YouTube outside the U.S. beginning at 10 a.m. ET. IMSA Radio will air all on-track sessions at IMSA.com along with the race call on XM 206, SiriusXM Online 996, 99.9 FM in Sebring and 107.9 FM at the circuit.
JESSICA DANE, CORVETTE RACING PROGRAM MANAGER: “After big wins at Daytona and Qatar, it’s exciting to continue the early part of our season at the 12 Hours of Sebring. Year in and year out, it’s a race that attracts the top manufacturers, teams and drivers for one of sports car racing’s ultimate tests. What makes it even more special for the Corvette Racing program is the long history of success our program has experienced during the last 20-plus years. We're looking forward to working closely with each of our teams over the course of the event to deliver the best possible results."
SELECT CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R DRIVER QUOTES
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "I'm looking forward to another year at Sebring. It was my first race in America so it means a lot to come here every year, especially with Corvette. There isn't another track like it which always keeps things interesting. I think this year we want to win this one more than almost any other given our pace last year. The ending was really unfortunate but we know that this year we will have another strong package. Daytona was a near-miss so hopefully we can fix that this time."
ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I always look forward to Sebring. There was clear progress that we made at Daytona this year versus last year, so we’re going into this race with a good package. Our pace a year ago was pretty strong through lots of the race. We did some testing there in November where things went really well and it was very successful. I love driving Sebring. It’s a great track, an iconic one and unique with its characteristics. It makes things interesting so I’m looking forward to a fun race. Hopefully we can make it to the end like we didn’t last year unfortunately. We were in a good spot and in a podium position. Hopefully we can replicate that sort of form again, fight at the front and finish a clean race.”
DANIEL JUNCADELLA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “We are in a much better place than we were a year ago going into Sebring. We have made some really big steps throughout last season. We nearly won last year at Sebring and had a big chance for a podium on the last lap before I got pushed out of the race. I’d say it’s a track that suits us nicely. The Corvette should be strong there, and the track suits us nicely. As a driver, you can really make a difference because it’s bumpy and difficult. So I look forward to racing again there. I love IMSA, and those three big races that I’m doing are probably the most fun of all. It’s a cool weekend.”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "I'm ready and looking forward to Sebring this year. Everyone knows about the history of this place and what this event means in the sports car world. It truly is a test of car, driver and team to survive what I think is one of the most physically challenging races in the world. That's what I look forward to every year I come back to Sebring with the Corvette. We know we have a great car and a proven car compared to where we arrived a year ago. After seeing a potential win disappear for us at Daytona, I know our guys are eager to make it right this weekend and get back to the top of the podium."
NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “We are coming off a strong Daytona even though on the No. 4 car the result wasn’t great. But for me the performance all around – the car, the drivers, the whole team – was super strong. It gives me great confidence compared to where we were one year ago. I think we can win this race. We did quite a lot of testing at Sebring in the winter, and I think we will have a very good car for this track and this event. I hope the focus will be on the race and not too much on what happened at Daytona. We want to focus on just doing a good, clean race. Unfortunately Sebring in the last couple of years has turned into a bit of a crashfest at the end of the race. I really hope to avoid that happening again and that we can all use our common sense a little bit more because even at Daytona it was a bit too much. But it is a very positive outlook for me. I’m looking forward to being back with Tommy and Nico. They were mega at Daytona, and the team is in a much better place than one year ago with the Corvette and everyone working with each other. I can’t see a reason why we won’t be good at Sebring.”
NICO VARRONE, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Sebring is always special because of the history and the track itself. It has a lot of character. Every 12 Hours of Sebring I would define as chaos. You go into the night at such an iconic track with the bumps… you put one wheel in the wrong spot and you are off the track. So you pay for your mistakes, which is the characteristic of IMSA and the American tracks, which I like. GT racing is really aggressive. I think at Daytona it was too much but I expect the same for Sebring. At Daytona we were in a good spot; we were just missing top speed versus some of the other manufacturers, which made it really difficult to race against them. Sebring has always been a great track for Corvette, and the cars always work well there. I’ve had success there with Corvette as well. The cars always felt really nice. I think we will be in a good spot but other cars will be fast as well. I expect it to be a super fight until the end.”
MATT BELL, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I’m excited to get back on track with AWA after our amazing weekend in Daytona. I’ve always loved that IMSA has so many iconic race tracks and events, and we go straight into another one this weekend! I’ve wanted to win the Sebring 12h for as long as I’ve had Daytona on my list too, and we are obviously going there with a lot of confidence after the win at the 24H. The test we did last month went very well, I think we will be very competitive again.”
OREY FIDANI, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Winning at Daytona was definitely the best way we could have started the season. We were firing on all cylinders and all the hard work the team put in during the off-season really paid off. We have no intentions of slowing down, we’re all motivated and want to keep the momentum going. Sebring is one of the toughest races on the calendar, but we know we have what it takes to fight at the front and that’s exactly what we’re setting out to do.”
LARS KERN, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “We had a great race at Daytona and we’ll have the same approach for Sebring. We should be in the mix for a good result again, especially after a great test we had at Sebring recently. But this isn’t just any championship where you rock up and win every race. IMSA is the most competitive series in the world. Our target is to maintain the championship lead and finish the race in the highest position possible.”
CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 36 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “GT racing at Sebring is always one to watch if you’re not involved. The GT fight last year over the last 30 minutes was crazy. The Corvette was strong there last year and hopefully it will be the same again this year. Obviously Daytona for us didn’t go the way we wanted. To keep our Endurance Cup championship hopes up, hopefully we can give the team back something because they worked so hard pre- and post-Daytona. We need to find a way to piece all the bits of the puzzle together so we can show the performance the car has, which has been shown by others also, and get a good result for DXDT Racing.”
ALEC UDELL, NO. 36 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "I'm looking forward to the race coming up at the Sebring 12 Hours. The track itself is one of the more physical circuits we go to on the IMSA calendar, and from that standpoint I'm happy to be behind the wheel of the Corvette Z06 GT3.R. The platform is great over a long run and allows the driver to guide a lot of the balance through the run. The DXDT crew has been putting in a lot of hard work in the shop since Daytona and the test a few weeks ago, I think we're going to be ready for the condensed schedule on the weekend. I expect this weekend will continue to be growing and gelling for the team."
SALIH YOLUC, NO. 36 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "I am looking forward to Sebring after a disappointing Daytona. Hopefully we will get a good result to kick start a good momentum for the remaining 2025 season which we desperately need for our championship hopes as well. I can’t wait."
2025 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Points
GTD PRO Drivers Standings
1. Christopher Mies/Dennis Olsen/Frederic Vervisch – 382
2. Alexander Sims/Antonio Garcia/Daniel Juncadella – 348
• 1: As in one manufacturer and one model of car for the 27th year at Sebring: Chevrolet and the Corvette
• 2: Number of wins for the Corvette Z06 GT3.R already in 2025 – the Rolex 24 At Daytona in the GTD class for AWA and the FIA WEC’s 1812 Km of Qatar for TF Sport in LM GT3
• 3: Tracks where Corvette Racing has competed in each of its previous 26 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
• 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
• 14: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001
• 28: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte Motor Speedway, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Daytona, Detroit, Houston, Laguna Seca, Le Mans, Lime Rock, Long Beach, Lusail International Circuit (Qatar), Miami, Mid-Ohio, Monza, Portimão, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen
• 60: Number of drivers in Corvette Racing entries since 1999. TF Sport’s Jonny Edgar joined the list at the FIA WEC”s 1812 Km of Qatar in a race-winning effort
• 72: 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
• 140: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 117 in IMSA, nine at Le Mans, four in the FIA WEC and 10 in GT World Challenge America
• 311: Event starts by Corvette Racing entries since 1999, starting with that year’s Rolex 24 At Daytona. No. 300 came in early August 2004 at Road America in IMSA
• 59,092.16: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing entries at Sebring since 1999. The program will eclipse the 60,000-mile mark when the four Corvettes combine to complete 243 laps
• 410,323.38: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing entries since 1999. To put that in perspective, Corvette Racing is more than halfway to the distance traveled by Apollo 13 – the longest manned spaceflight in history: 622,268 miles
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)
PRESS RELEASE: CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: In Their Own Words
Media conference comments from Antonio Garcia, Matt Bell ahead of 12 Hours
Corvette Z06 GT3.R drivers Antonio Garcia and Matt Bell met with members of the media Monday afternoon to discuss this weekend’s Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. Garcia will pilot one of the two Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports entries with Bell part of the lineup for AWA – GTD winner at the Rolex 24 At Daytona to start the season.
ANTONIO GARICA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R
WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO MOST ABOUT GOING TO SEBRING?
“First of all, part of the season is that it’s almost my 20th 12 Hours. So that makes it easier to win four times! But I always love going back to Sebring. I have a lot of good memories from Sebring… good closing stints and fun racing all over the years in different cars and classes. I think Corvette has always been very competitive there and successful. The last two years, I think, we came close to winning. Especially last year we were leading quite a lot of laps and in the closing stages got mixed up in some incidents. Let’s see if we have a clean race this year. That’s key at Sebring especially at night when the sun goes down, everyone gets excited and at times the racing gets a little crazy.”
HOW DO YOU CONDITION YOURSELF FOR SEBRING?
“Sebring definitely is hard, and you need to be very prepared. Last year we had A/C problems from Hour Three, and it was very hard for us. You need to be as good as possible because anything can happen. There is no time to fix anything if it’s a big change or a big repair. Last year Dani (Juncadella) did two-and-a-half stints without A/C, and then we kind of cycled through just to minimize that. If it’s a hot one – and looking at the forecast it looks to be very hot – it will be hard for everyone… the car, the tires, us and for sure the crew.”
PROGRESS OF THE CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R IN YEAR TWO?
“We have another year of experience this year with this car. Last year even if the car felt pretty decent, we found a few other things over the course of the season and at Daytona. We didn’t get to test (at the sanctioned test) but the AWA guys were there and we have their data to see. That will help the whole Corvette development program. Some of our guys also have been going to the simulator. I hope we’ll have a really good pace for this race again and let’s see if we nailed the direction in which the car should go. Now with the new power curve and how we use that, I think it will be a challenge for us. It will be the first time we will run it at Sebring, which seems very particular with the bumps and everything. But I think we have a really good strategy and I hope everything runs smooth.”
WHAT DO YOU TELL YOURSELF TO TRY AND AVOID INCIDENTS IN THE NIGHT AT SEBRING?
“Last year I think we cycled twice to the back (during pit stops). By the way the GTD and GTD PRO progression worked last year, we cycled to the back of the group. That didn’t help in order to get back to the leading pack. At night on every restart If you are at the front, the chances that you’re going to get hit or get into a big mess is a lot less. I think that’s the biggest thing at Sebring. At night you need to be up front on every restart. If you’re able to be in the top three positions, you are way more safe. Now that GTD PRO and GTD are split (on restarts), I think it’s going to be better. At night you don’t know who is behind you; you just see lights. I know the GTD lights are yellow but it’s very difficult to know who was following you. Now that things are split, I think it will make things easier for both classes. We know we are going to be fighting our class on the restart and not get in the mix with (GTD) or them with us. So I think that was a good call, and at Daytona it was a big upgrade.”
REACTION TO THE MOBIL 1 LIVERY THAT PRATT MILLER PRESENTED.
“I think it’s pretty cool to have different liveries. It feels strange not to see a Corvette painted in yellow. In traffic I don’t know if people will spot who we are! But it is very cool to have this Mobil 1 new livery. I didn’t get to see the actual car it was related to in real life. But when I get to see it at the track, it will be very cool. Hopefully we can get it to Victory Lane because that’s even better – a special livery there with some photos looks even better.”
MATT BELL, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R
RACE OUTLOOK FOLLOWING THE WIN AT DAYTONA WITH CORVETTE.
“We’re still riding on Cloud Nine, I have to say, from a little over a month ago. It was a dream start to the season and a race that we all wanted to win for quite a long time, as most drivers do. We’re coming into this race with a lot of confidence. I know my way around Sebring a little bit now too, so it’s a race event that I love and a track that I love. As Antonio said, Corvettes have always seemed to go pretty well around Sebring. I’m feeling just as confident and coming into here with just as high hopes as I did for Daytona. We had a good test at the IMSA sanctioned test. We all feel pretty well prepared. The GTD field is pretty deep with talent so it’s going to be extremely competitive again but we are looking forward to taking everyone on.”
PROGRESS OF THE CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R IN YEAR TWO?
“Antonio has been a big part of the past development on the factory side. From the AWA side, there have been a lot of refinements going on and a lot of learning with the car for a customer team. We come into this race with a lot more knowledge than at any point last year. We put a lot of that into practice at Daytona and it seemed to go well. The good thing was that the performance of the car all last year seemed very strong and there were a few things to get on top of on the reliability front, which is a usual new car challenge. Everybody seems to have those under control now but you never quite know in racing. The most established car on the grid can always have an issue. Sebring is the hardest track in the world on any racecar. But we’ve taken some big steps. Sebring will test us but we think we’re going in the right direction. We’ve always got the support of the Pratt Miller and Corvette guys. We lean on the likes of Antonio, as well, if things aren’t going well and that worked out very well last year. We’ll be going at it the same this year again.”
LATE AT DAYTONA YOU HIT A SKID PLATE OFF ANOTHER CAR. CAN YOU DESCRIBE THAT INCIDENT?
“There were always some quite intense battles going on in GTD. There were always noises coming from the wheel well every now and then, but that one felt a little bigger than normal. As I came out of Turn Six… I think it was a lap or two before I managed to get past the 27. Heading toward the Bus Stop, the right-hand side of the cockpit started filling with smoke quite quickly. As a driver we have all experienced the smell of tire smoke or the smell of oil smoke or whatever. It didn’t smell like oil so that was an immediate checkbox that made me a bit more confident. I just radioed in ‘Smoke in the cockpit. Please check tire pressures’ because I was a little busy dealing with the competition around me. They came back and said no punctures showing up. I gave the wheel a little wiggle, it felt alright. I sent it into the Bus Stop and it still felt OK. At that point in the race it was do-or-die. We were 20 minutes to go and if it was going to go wrong, it is what it is. Just had to keep my foot in it and it cleaned itself up.
“It turned out that a wooden block, we think off a GTP car, had come off. The Aston in front of me ran over it and fired it up into the bonnet of our car. It got stuck in the wheel well and was rubbing on the tire. It took a couple of millimeters of rubber off and didn’t go deep enough to give us a puncture worry. Everyone has always told me in these big 24-hour races that there is that moment of luck that you need to get over the line. That was a close call and could have been race-ending. Thankfully it didn’t happen and behaved itself the last 20 minutes.”
THE 13 FROM DAYTONA HAS BEEN RETIRED. IS THIS ONE AT SEBRING BRAND NEW?
“Yes, it will be a new car. We had already planned to be running a new car to Le Mans, fortunately. So the team having a second car available to us was already in the works, and we managed to speed up the delivery of that and the prep of that in order to get it turned around for the IMSA test. So the AWA crew had a pretty long Daytona 24 Hours, a night or two to celebrate and then a lot of hard work to get the new car prepped for the IMSA test. So it has done some running. It’s not run in competition yet so this will be the car’s first race. When we jumped into the car it felt exactly the same as the previous one that we had. There’s always that little worry in the back of your mind – especially when you have a good result in a car – and the superstitious part of you doesn’t want to change the set of gloves that you’ve got. But we jumped in it, and it was like being in the original car. No differences whatsoever. Great consistency from the Pratt Miller and GM guys on the construction side of things in our experience so far. The concern is as low as it can be going into a race like Sebring. It’s the hardest race on a racecar in the world. Could it throw something up? Of course it could, but it could do that for anyone’s car. It was nice to retire the Season One car with such a big win. Hopefully we can start another bit of the team’s history with this new car.”
CORVETTE RACING AT QATAR: Another Corvette GT3 Win!
Juncadella, Edgar, Keating drive No. 33 Corvette Z06 GT3.R to first FIA WEC victory
LUSAIL, Qatar (March 1, 2025) – TF Sport delivered the first FIA World Endurance Championship victory for the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R as Daniel Juncadella, Jonny Edgar and Ben Keating won the Qatar 1812Km on Friday to open the season.
The trio drove the No. 33 Corvette Z06 GT3.R to a remarkable victory as they came from 13th in class at the start to win by less than a half-second. It’s the second win in as many 2025 races for the Corvette GT3 racecar as it also won the GTD class of the Rolex 24 At Daytona in the hands of customer team AWA.
The victory was the first in the FIA WEC and in a Corvette for both Juncadella and Edgar, and it was the eighth in the championship for Keating – including four in a Corvette.
TF Sport won its eighth race in FIA WEC competition and for the first time since the 2022 Six Hours of Fuji.
The three drivers and the No. 33 TF Sport team worked their magic in the race’s opening half. Keating drove from 13th at the start to sixth in a little more than three hours in his first WEC race since winning the 2023 GTE Am title in a Corvette.
Keating completed his required driving time and handed off to Edgar for his first laps in FIA WEC competition. The progression up the order continued through a double-stint as the race went into darkness and the Corvette up into third place.
Juncadella drove a double-stint of his own and moved the Corvette into the class lead for the first time just past the halfway point. Another stellar run by Edgar kept the No. 33 Z06 GT3.R in the thick of it heading into a climatic final hour.
Juncadella got back in the Corvette with a little under 90 minutes to go and made his last pit stop for fuel and left-side tires to counter a full-service stop with four fresh tires for the second-place No. 59 McLaren. The two cars ran nose-to-tail for the final 30 minutes as Juncadella withstood the immense pressure holding off his pursuer and navigating the faster traffic.
Things didn’t work out as well for the No. 81 entry. Tom Van Rompuy began the race ninth in class and steadily moved toward the front and inside the top-five in his opening stint. Disaster struck with a mechanical issue shortly after Van Rompuy’s first pit stop in the form of a broken alternator pulley shaft that forced the retirement of the No. 81 less than an hour into the race.
TF Sport and the rest of the FIA WEC field moves on to its next race at the Imola Circuit in Italy on Sunday, April 20.
JESSICA DANE, CORVETTE RACING PROGRAM MANAGER: "Congratulations to TF Sport on its thrilling first victory with the Corvette Z06 GT3.R in the FIA World Endurance Championship. Winning at Qatar with the No. 33 Corvette continues the strong start to 2025 for our Corvette GT3 program following on our results at Daytona. Thanks go to Dani, Jonny, Ben, the TF Sport team and our Corvette Racing engineering group for delivering this landmark victory in the FIA WEC."
TOM FERRIER, TF SPORT OWNER: “There’s no denying that it was a big move for us to join GM and Corvette. We knew it was going to be a challenge the first year, and it was to start with. We gathered momentum as the year went on. Bahrain ended fantastically with a second and third, which was really exciting. We went to Daytona this year and everyone saw the reliability and how much it had improved on the Corvette and that gave us a bit of confidence. We had a great Prologue, struggled a bit earlier this week but knew we had a good car for the race. We executed perfectly today. I’m sad for the 81 but absolutely over the moon for GM, Corvette Racing and ourselves. It’s a huge result for us.”
TF SPORT POST-RACE DRIVER QUOTES
DANI JUNCADELLA, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “For the whole stint, for sure that was a lot of pressure in the last 30 minutes. At beginning I didn’t think I could hold (the No. 59) off. I just focused on hitting my marks. I could see where he was stronger in places. There were a couple of places where he could have gone for it and I think he was unsure. So it was good to keep him behind. At some point I was thinking we were going to finish second but I was focused on myself, my driving and not making mistakes. I don’t recall ever being in this situation where an unexpected win comes up and the last 40 minutes I have to defend for it. And here we are!”
JONNY EDGAR, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Going to bed last night, I didn’t expect that we would end up here. To be honest I was hoping for top-eight or top-six… just a clean race and some points. In the Prologue we were happy with the car but in Free Practice and qualifying we seemed to struggle. A few small changes we made really helped the car today. We still weren’t the fastest but we were good enough, the strategy was amazing, the pit stop and everything… nobody made mistakes. It was just a very good race all around, and I’m very happy to win my first WEC race.”
(On early run): "Those first two stints went quite well. A couple of small changes we made for the race seemed to have helped. Ben felt much more confident, and I was happier with the car than where it was in practice so that was nice. I lost a little track position with a drive-through but then managed to overtake a couple of cars on track. Until I got out of the car, I didn't know where we were. It was a nice surprise to see we were third.”
BEN KEATING, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I couldn’t have imagined this. Even if you look at the way the race unfolded, we didn’t have the speed to win it. We had to let others take themselves out of contention, and we’ll take it any way we can get it! We ran a clean race and a hard race. We did everything we could to stay up front. The last 30 minutes of Dani staying in front of the McLaren was just epic. To start 13th and end up in first place after 10 hours of hard racing is not easy. And it’s great to have Keating Chevrolet in Victory Lane!”
TOM VAN ROMPUY, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "We started the race quite well. I was able to drive from ninth to fourth. We had a strong car and were climbing up the order. When I came into the box and started my second stint, shortly after that we had a technical issue and had to retire the car. The team did a really, really good job. I hope to come back stronger at the next race at Imola."
Press Release CORVETTE RACING AT QATAR: TF Sport Nabs Hyperpole Spot
No. 81 Corvette to start on LM GT3 fifth row to kick off FIA WEC season
LUSAIL, Qatar (Feb. 27, 2025) – TF Sport’s No. 81 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R will start the Qatar 1812 Km and FIA World Endurance Championship season from the fifth row of the LM GT3 grid following Friday’s two-stage qualifying.
Rui Andrade qualified the No. 81 Corvette ninth in class after teammate Tom Van Rompuy advanced the Z06 GT3.R from the full-field first qualifying session. Van Rompuy, the 2024 Qatar pole-winner in LM GT3, was the ninth-quickest driver in the 12-minute opening qualifying run at 1:56.248 (104.266 mph). Teammate Andrade went faster to 1:55.424 (105.012 mph) in the 10-car Hyperpole session.
The duo will team with Charlie Eastwood in the No 81 Corvette for the second consecutive WEC season. Van Rompuy starts two rows ahead of Ben Keating in the No. 33 Corvette Z06 GT3.R, which just missed moving into the Hyperpole contest. He will drive with Jonny Edgar and Daniel Juncadella.
The 3.37-mile, 16-turn Losail International Circuit was the site of the Corvette Z06 GT3.R’s WEC debut a year ago. Armed with the lessons learned from the venue at year ago plus a win and runner-up finish to start 2025 in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, TF Sport is hoping to continue the momentum from last year’s double-podium finish at the season finale in Bahrain and spring ahead to championship contention in a stacked 18-car LM GT3 field.
TF Sport and the rest of the FIA WEC field will open the season with the Qatar 1812 Km at 2 p.m. Arabian Standard Time / 6 a.m. Eastern Time on Friday, February 28.
TF SPORT POST-QUALIFYING QUOTES
RUI ANDRADE, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I feel like our weakness so far has been the low-fuel, new-tire runs. We’ve struggled with it since the Prologue. Besides that, our car is super-strong on the long run with full fuel. We showed it earlier today. Charlie had mega pace in FP3, which is the part of the race where it counts. It’s a long race with a lot of time to move up. Obviously I’m frustrated and wish I could have done a bit better. But we have something to work toward for the next race to see if we can improve a little bit the single-lap balance. Other than that, I’m happy with the balance for this race. There is a long time to go and anything can happen.”
CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “We’ve been up at the pointy end of things since we got here. The difference from this time last year is astronomical. We are in a pretty good spot. I’d say we’re slightly better when it’s hotter. The weather change hasn’t hindered us but I think it’s brought some of the cars that are using the tires too much closer. The pack actually seems close together, which is nice for the racing. From our side, it’s been seamless the last three or four days. Coming back with Rui and Tom, it’s good that we all know the car and we’ve all driven the car here. You kind of get into the business end of the performance way earlier than you would expect. With that we’ve been making some good steps forward. As always, I think long runs and tire deg are in our wheelhouse so we should be in good shape.”
DANI JUNCADELLA, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It has been straight-forward for us. Last year we were trying to understand the car and what we could do with it in certain scenarios. Now we are fully focused on performance, and that makes a massive difference. Every season we have learned things about setup and trying to go forward. That is what makes such a difference from last year. We have a fully reliable GT3 car that we can push forward as a team.
“Hopes are high. The weather has changed quite a bit since the Prologue. The wind has picked up and the aero sensitives are something that is tricky in the Corvette. It’s such a well-made GT3 car with a big aero platform, and that has set us back a little bit during free practice. We were a bit caught by surprise with how much the wind was affecting our performance in some of the corners. We’re trying to assess those little issues and try to set up the car in a different way. Where we were in the Prologue, we were very confident and now we need to find a way around some of those wind gusts that pick up in some high-speed corners. But we have a strong lineup, a strong GT3 Corvette and a strong team. I’m confident we can score big tomorrow.”
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