Corvette Racing showed strong early but was left wondering what might have been at the end of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on Saturday.
CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: Fifth in Late-Race Carnage
SEBRING, Fla. (March 18, 2023) – Corvette Racing showed itself strong early but was left wondering what might have been at the end of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on Saturday.
The No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R – with Antonio Garcia, Jordan Taylor and Tommy Milner sharing the wheel – placed fifth in the GT Daytona (GTD) PRO class after the second race of this year’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
After fighting back first from an untimely full-course yellow early and then a mechanical problem with four hours remaining, Corvette Racing appeared to be in a great spot for a second straight Sebring class victory until late-race chaos that started with the GTP-class fight with 20 minutes to go undid all the team’s good work at the end.
The Corvette had the race going its way in the opening eight hours. Garcia began from pole position and steadily increased his advantage through the first hour. The first bit of misfortune struck at the race’s second full-course yellow just past the hour mark as the Corvette couldn’t make its first stop before the pits closed. As a result, it had to enter the pitlane for five seconds of emergency fuel and pit again for full service when the GT pits opened.
Garcia fell to eighth in class but carved his way back toward the front with a dynamic drive through traffic in the span of 25 minutes. He moved up to second by the time the race went yellow again at the two-hour mark.
Taylor got in the Corvette for almost three hours as the Corvette Racing crew got him out ahead of the No. 79 Mercedes for the GTD PRO lead. It was a spot that Taylor held for most of his triple-stint before he handed the C8.R to Milner, who rejoined with the lead.
The Corvette continued to lead out front despite the air and track temperatures climbing during the hottest part of the day. Still while leading, Milner radioed to the Corvette Racing pitbox for the crew to check something at the rear of the car. On his final pitstop with about four hours left, the crew found and replaced the C8.R’s left-rear damper. The fix cost Corvette Racing a lap but Taylor got in for his second run in the car still with good pace but needing a yellow.
Nearly 2.5 hours later, the yellow flags flew again to solidify the Corvette getting back on the lead lap. Taylor stayed in until the 10-hour mark when Garcia re-entered the race for the final stints to the end. A series of additional full-course yellows and some sharp strategy calls moved the Corvette as high as third and first among the GTD PRO cars that made their final scheduled stops under yellow with about 50 minutes to go.
On the subsequent restart, however, Garcia was hit from behind and knocked off track. The contact sent the C8.R down to sixth place. The final blow came with 17 minutes to go when Garcia and the No. 62 Ferrari were involved in a crash instigated by the overall leaders. Despite the second spin, the Corvette did gain a spot to its final fifth-place finishing position.
Corvette Racing’s next event in the WeatherTech Championship is Saturday, April 15 in Long Beach, Calif.
Photos: Richard Prince, Chevrolet Racing
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED FIFTH IN GTD PRO:“I’m really disappointed with the finish, but it has nothing to do with the team. They did a great job all weekend with the car, our strategy and helping to keep us in the race when things weren’t looking so good. We kept waiting for a long time for a yellow to get back with the main GTD PRO group, and it finally came our way not long after I got in. I felt like we were in the best shape of all with about an hour to go before all the chaos broke out. I really don’t know what to say. All I know is that I was spun twice and it ruined our race and our car. I understand that this is an important race but there is no call for what happened late. It was careless and reckless driving by a lot of guys who should know better. I don’t know if we would have won, but I do know that we had that chance taken from us. I’m not happy.”
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED FIFTH IN GTD PRO: "A disappointing finish. The guys did an amazing job. We were up front and in control for a majority of the day before our mechanical issue. I'd say driving standards for today were pretty sub-par from the whole field. There were so many yellows early on and the end of the race was embarrassing to be part of, to be honest. It's disappointing to finish fifth after how strong we were, but we'll move on to Long Beach."
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED FIFTH IN GTD PRO: "The start was great from Antonio. The first stint from Jordan was awesome. The car was very, very good. At some point in my stint, we had our issue and it looked a little grim for awhile. Then it looked like we would have an opportunity and a chance to race for a podium, which I think we certainly deserved as we had the car to beat. At the end, you had a lot of guys who were driving over their heads and there was a lot of that today. Unfortunately we got the worst of it. I feel for the rest of the guys in GTD PRO to have to deal with Antonio for the rest of the year. He's going to be fired up."
Catsburg, Keating, Varrone lead total team effort in WEC victory
CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: Emphatic Win in GTE Am Debut Catsburg, Keating, Varrone lead total team effort in WEC victory
SEBRING, Fla. (March 17, 2023) – Corvette Racing made an emphatic statement with a convincing GTE Am class victory in the 1,000 Miles of Sebring to open this year’s FIA World Endurance Championship.
Nicky Catsburg, Ben Keating and Nico Varrone drove the No. 33 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R to a two-lap victory at Sebring International Raceway to start its new program in the class. It was the 14th win for Corvette Racing at the 3.74-mile, 17-turn rough-and-tumble circuit since 2002.
Friday’s victory also was the second for Corvette Racing as a full-time WEC entrant, the first coming last season at Monza in the GTE Pro class. The team now has 123 worldwide victories.
That number is easy to understand when looking at the totality of Friday’s race. Each of the three drivers drove error-free stints with no contact and no risks taken. The engineering team rotated the three drivers through consecutively in order of ranking so neither Keating, Varrone or Catsburg had to get back in the Corvette.
The Corvette Racing crew also was the fastest of the GTE Am teams in the pitlane with a six-second advantage on the next-quickest team.
"No one at Corvette Racing could ask for a better start to our FIA WEC program than this win at Sebring for Ben, Nicky and Nico,” said Laura Wontrop Klauser, GM Sports Car Racing Program Manager. “All three put in excellent drives, the crew was the best throughout the class in the pitlane, and our engineers called a perfect race strategy. Ben really set the tone for this race with his opening three stints, and the performance continued from there with an incredible mid-race triple stint from Nico and then Nicky's drive to close it out. Winning the first race of the season, in the United States and at Sebring is a storybook start that we will remember for a long time!"
The fight of the race early was Keating’s battle with Sarah Bovy in the No. 85 Porsche. Familiar competitors from last year’s WEC, the two swapped the lead in the opening laps before the Corvette settled in to a close second position for the first couple hours.
The Porsche gained a slight advantage by making its second stop near the 90-minute mark during a full-course yellow period while the Corvette made its second stop under green. Undeterred, Keating clicked off consistent, fast laps to keep the C8.R in the hunt and never dropped lower than second in class.
Last year’s winner in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the reigning GTE Am WEC champion, Keating made quite the debut in his first race with the Corvette program. He drove two hours, 40 minutes before handing over to Varrone for a triple-stint and nearly three hours in the C8.R.
He moved the Corvette into the lead when the 85 Porsche suffered rear damage and lost multiple laps. From that point on, Varrone increased his pace and more often than not was the fastest driver during his time in the C8.R. His only challenge came from the No. 77 Porsche, which got as close as 14 seconds to the lead after gaining a similar pit stop advantage under yellow as the No. 85 earlier in the race.
Varrone pressed on and continued to pound out sub two-minute laps while the Porsche’s pace fell off during its mid-race driver rotation to its Bronze-ranked driver. By the time of his iron-man three-plus hour stint, Varrone gave Catsburg the No. 33 Corvette – and a 90-second lead – for the final two hours.
It wasn’t a coast to the end, however. Catsburg had to contend with the usual late-day Sebring sunset and Hypercar entries that attempted to make desperate moves to keep track position in their own race. Like his teammates, he drove clean and measured stints to deliver an undamaged C8.R to victory.
Corvette Racing’s next event in the FIA World Endurance Championship is the Six Hours of Portimão on Sunday, April 15.
NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – GTE AM WINNER: “There’s so much to say about today. If you look at the execution, it’s not like we were out-pacing everyone by so much. We just made zero mistakes. In the pitlane, I feel like we were by far the fastest team, which is a big credit to the guys. They’re working out so much… four days per week. It pays off. It’s super-nice to start the season off like this. Those guys (Keating and Varrone) in their first race for Corvette and their first win, I think that’s pretty cool. They did a flawless job so big hats off to everyone!” More on Keating and Varrone: “This was the plan. But for them to do triple-stints in your first race with Corvette, it’s a lot more difficult than you think. It’s three hours in the car and it’s going to hurt at some point! But they each did a fantastic job.”
BEN KEATING, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – GTE AM WINNER: “It was mayhem out there, really. I started in second place, was able to gain the lead and then gave it up again. We got the early safety car that kind of changed the strategy up a little bit for us. It was not easy, for sure. Our car was sliding a lot more than it had in practice, so it was a lot more to handle and I think that was true for the other GT cars that I was watching while I was either following or looking in my camera to the back. “I’m really proud of the way we won the race today. If you look across the field and you look at how we got to be two laps up on the field. It wasn’t because we were the fastest car. It was because we stayed out of trouble. Almost everybody had some sort of issue, and it was really tough with all the traffic. I’m sure (the other winners) would say the same thing. Especially as the race wore on, it really got into one line and the track got more difficult. I’m just really proud of all three of us that we were able to have a clean race. “It’s really special for me to be driving something I sell and to be representing an American brand and winning the only American race for the World Endurance Championship and taking advantage of what I feel like is a home-field advantage. It was a really great job by everyone at Corvette.” More on the win: “This is the only WEC race in the United States, so it's really special here! The guys, the team did a great job. All the drivers just didn't make any mistakes, which is pretty tough to do with all that traffic out there. And like I said with, I guess, five hours to go, I said it's mayhem. And so we just stayed out of it. And pretty much everybody else ended up having some problem or another. And so it's a nice way to win and also it's really special. Hearing the American National Anthem and being under an American flag... I couldn't ask for more. To all the fans, I would say thank you!"
NICO VARRONE, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – GTE AM WINNER: “What a dream. At Sebring with Corvette and winning the 1,000 Miles of Sebring, I’m super happy. I couldn’t ask for a better debut with the brand. A big thank you to all the guys, all the mechanics, all the engineers. Corvette Racing did a great job all week long. Ben did a great job with the start and in his first three stints. He got us to P2. Then I jumped in the car for three hours, which was tough. Then I handed it over to Nicky, who is a legend. We all know that he knows what to do. He brought it home safely and now I can’t be happier! “This was a very difficult race for me. I had to do a triple stint in the middle. I’ve had to do a triple stint at Le Mans, but I have to say that Sebring is much more difficult! Ben did a great job at the start to get the car to me. The track was changing a lot during the whole race, so we had to figure out what was happening. Corvette Racing did a great job with that. They did a great job all week long. It’s a dream come true.”
No. 3 C8.R starting out front in shot for back-to-back GTD PRO victories, team’s 12th class win in 12 Hours
CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: Garcia Takes GTD PRO Pole!
SEBRING, Fla. (March 17, 2023) – In defense of its class victory from a year ago, Antonio Garcia and Corvette Racing will start from pole position in GT Daytona (GTD) PRO for Saturday’s Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.
Garcia, in the No. 1 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R, set a best time of 1:59.315 (112.843 mph) just before a red-flag period ended Friday’s 15-minute qualifying session for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. He and teammates Jordan Taylor and Tommy Milner will look to give the Corvette Racing program its 13th victory in the Florida endurance classic and second in a row.
Garcia’s qualifying effort continued a strong pre-race program for Corvette Racing, which posted the fastest GTD PRO times in the final two of Thursday’s three practice sessions around the 3.74-mile, 17-turn circuit. Pre-event work – including significant work in Chevrolet’s Driver in the Loop simulator – helped establish an early baseline with the results validating the virtual efforts.
Garcia, Taylor and Milner finished second in GTD PRO to open the season at the Rolex 24 At Daytona. They have combined for eight class wins in the 12 Hours – nine when adding a sprint-race victory for Milner and then-teammate Oliver Gavin in the 2020 season.
The Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring is scheduled for 10:10 a.m. ET on Saturday. The race will air on USA Network from 4:30-10:30 p.m. ET with full streaming coverage on Peacock at 10:05 a.m. ET. IMSA Radio will stream the race at IMSA.com with radio coverage also on SiriusXM 392, SiriusXM Online 992 and 100.9 FM at the circuit.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – GTD PRO POLE-WINNER: “The car felt really good. A good thumbs-up for the team. We were not here for the (IMSA February) test but so far things have been really good through practice. Even warmup just before qualifying felt really, really good so we just went for it and it was enough. Luckily enough I was just across the line before the red flag because I just messed up the previous laps. I’m very happy for Corvette Racing. I’ve had a few pole positions here and I love this race and love this track.” More on pole position: “Things felt really good. I have to say that after Practice One, we were not where we wanted. But from Practice Two onward, everyone seemed to be faster… Tommy, Jordan… so we have a good package, for sure. Last night felt good. We tested in the little warmup before qualifying and the car felt good. I had in the back of my mind that this Corvette was good and I would have a chance be on pole.” His Sebring success: “That is true. In GTLM, I was on pole the last two times and now today. The car really suits this racetrack and I think there is more to come because we love racing here. I’m looking forward to the rest of the race. I wouldn’t mind to race in an hour! So it’s a long wait until we start. There are a lot of things to think about, but obviously the car is good so maybe we should just clean it and put it in the truck!” Outlook for the race from pole: “It’s confidence. We have confidence that we have a good Corvette. We knew from practice last night that the car was good, but we didn’t know where it was for a quick, quick lap but we were up there. Tomorrow is a long one but I’m already looking forward to those last two hours of the race.”
No. 33 Corvette C8.R to start second in GTE Am debut at Sebring 1,000 Miles
CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: Keating Puts Corvette on Front Row No. 33 Corvette C8.R to start second in GTE Am debut at Sebring 1,000 Miles
SEBRING, Fla. (March 16, 2023) – In his first qualifying session as part of Corvette Racing, Ben Keating qualified second in a stacked GTE Am category Thursday ahead of the FIA World Endurance Championship’s 1,000 Miles of Sebring.
Piloting the No. 33 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R, Keating posted a best lap of 1:59.345 (112.841 mph). He will team in Friday’s season-opening race with Corvette Racing veteran Nicky Catsburg and fellow newcomer Nico Varrone.
Only 0.784 seconds separated the four fastest cars in qualifying. Keating was never lower than second and swapped provisional pole position multiple times in the 15-minute session.
The Corvette program is easily the most experienced team in the WEC paddock at the 3.74-mile, 17-turn Sebring International Raceway circuit. It has 25 years of racing experience at the historic track, which sits on the site of an Army airbase from World War II.
In addition to two previous starts in GTE Pro at the Sebring WEC round – including a runner-up finish last year for Tommy Milner and Nick Tandy – Corvette Racing has 13 victories at the track with 12 coming in the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.
On the driver front, both Catsburg and Keating have previous starts in the Sebring WEC round. Catsburg finished second in GTE Pro in 2019 while Keating placed third a year ago in GTE Am on his way to the class championship. Meanwhile, Varrone will make his first full-season start as a WEC competitor in the 1,000 Miles.
The 1,000 Miles of Sebring for the FIA World Endurance Championship is scheduled for noon ET on Friday, March 17. MotorTrend and MotorTrend Plus will provide both level television and streaming coverage. Radio Le Mans also will stream audio coverage the race.
BEN KEATING, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – QUALIFIED SECOND IN GTE AM: “It was really interesting. We did mock qualifying this morning, but I had much more grip in the car. I don’t know if our tires don’t like the Carrera Cup tires or what, but I had a lot more grip this afternoon. It was much of a handful than I expected in qualifying. I was really wheeling the car around there. With less grip, it was more work. I thought I may be able to compete with the time that Sarah did to be on the pole. I did three laps that were almost exactly the same. I think she got ahead of me by four-thousandths and then I got ahead of her. It was fun to go back and forth. We’re starting on the front row for our home race. I know that the Porsche is really different when it gets full of fuel. So qualifying is one thing and racing is another. I’m excited to go out there and race with her. We’ve been on the front row most of last season together, so it’s not unfamiliar territory. We’ll be OK.”
March 17, 2023 IMSA 12 Hours of Sebring Qualifying: GTD Pro - 9:15 am-9:30 am EDT Watch live IMSA TV https://imsatv.imsa.com/
Television/Online Broadcast:
WEC: Friday March 17 USA: TV-Motortrend channel and MotorTrend Plus 11:30 am -3:00 pm ET part 1 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm ET part 2 6:00 pm-7:00 pm ET part 3 7:00-7:30 pm ET part 4 (1000 miles or 8 hours)
No. 3 C8.R going for back-to-back GTD PRO victories, team’s 12th class win in 12 Hours
CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: Adding to a 25-Year Legacy No. 3 C8.R going for back-to-back GTD PRO victories, team’s 12th class win in 12 Hours
DETROIT (March 14, 2023) – For 24 years, Corvette Racing has written chapter after chapter in its lengthy storybook of success at Sebring International Raceway. It’s a book that covers thousands of laps and tens of thousands of miles around the historic road course in central Florida.
Now Corvette Racing returns to contest the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring for the 25th time in search of its 13th victory in the event. The most recent came a year ago in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s GT Daytona (GTD) PRO category with the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R.
Full-season teammates Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor were part of the stunning 2022 class victory, and they will team this year with Tommy Milner in the 12 Hours. It will be the second of two enduros for Corvette Racing this week at Sebring as it also contests the 1,000 Miles of Sebring for the FIA World Endurance Championship in the GTE Am category.
The three Corvette drivers have combined for eight class wins in the 12 Hours – nine when adding a sprint-race victory for Milner and then-teammate Oliver Gavin in the 2020 season. The No. 3 C8.R trio and team also are coming off a runner-up finish in the Rolex 24 At Daytona to open the season.
There are eight entries from eight manufacturers in GTD PRO for this year’s Sebring 12 Hours with a total of 28 GTD cars total when combining with the race’s regular GTD class.
Chevrolet Motorsports Display, Ride and Drive Return to Sebring In addition to the many happenings on the racetrack at Sebring, fans will have plenty to see and experience from Chevrolet. That’s because two locations at the circuit – Chevrolet’s Motorsports Display and the Chevrolet Ride and Drive – 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, 8:30 a.m. Friday and 8 a.m. Saturday in the Sebring Midway. Numerous Chevrolet vehicles and other highlights include:
• The 2023 Corvette E-Ray and a rolling cut-away example of the E-Ray • The 2023 70th anniversary Corvette Stingray • Additional Chevrolet products such as Silverado ZR2, Blazer RS, Colorado ZR1 and Bolt EUV Premier • A Corvette Racing C8.R showcar • The Garage 56 Next Gen Camaro ZL1 • An opportunity to receive a 2023 Corvette Racing t-shirt
Also beginning Thursday, fans visiting the Sebring Skidpad outside of Turn 17 can sample a Chevrolet vehicle for themselves at the Ride and Drive event. Starting at 9 a.m. each day, spectators have the chance to test a wide variety of Chevrolets including Blazer RS, Bolt EUV Premier, Camaro Convertible SS, Silverado 1500 and 2500, Tahoe High Country, Traverse High Country and Trailblazer RS.
The Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring is scheduled for 10:10 a.m. ET on Saturday, March 18. The race will air on USA Network from 4:30-10:30 p.m. ET with full streaming coverage on Peacock at 10:05 a.m. ET. IMSA Radio will air all on-track sessions beginning at IMSA.com along with SiriusXM 392, SiriusXM Online 992 and 100.9 FM at the circuit.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “We have a year advantage against last year going into Sebring with the GTD PRO Corvette. So I’m sure we will be OK. Sebring always has been a track where we have tested and raced many times, so we know it well. It’s still early in the year so you don’t know how competitive everyone else will be coming into that race with still-new cars. Those should be stronger than last year. Those are just some of the question marks. Until we get there, we’ll wait to see where we are. “Sebring is one of the premier events we do at Corvette Racing each year. It seems the event gets bigger each year, especially now with WEC again. The track is special for us as a team with the history and race wins we have achieved over the years with our Corvettes. We have many miles of testing and competition to draw from for both the IMSA and WEC events. It will be tough on all of us, but that is why we come to Sebring.”
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Last year’s race was unexpected for us to be as competitive as we were. When we left Daytona last year, we had a lot of question marks but we did a test at Sebring and learned a lot about the tire we were on there. That was a big kick-start to our season and winning the 12 Hours was proof of our development in that short span of time. From the 12 Hours on, we learned a lot more and that showed at Daytona. I think we’ve learned a lot through 2022 that was successful at Sebring, so hopefully we can go there with a little stronger package. It seems like the competition is just as strong if not stronger so it will still be a tough event. “Corvette Racing has been so successful at Sebring over its 25 years of existence. I’m glad we were able to check that box. It’s a race that you could do 100 times and not win. There are so many little things that can go wrong to prevent you from winning or even getting on the podium. For everything to go right was amazing. We pretty much had a flawless performance. We didn’t have the fastest car throughout the day. We just stayed out of trouble and the guys called a great strategy and executed the plan. It was a classic Corvette Racing win.”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Corvette Racing has always been fast at Sebring. It’s a track that has been very good to us over the years, and this car won last year in this current spec of car. We’ll go back and try to defend the race win. It will be difficult as always. We saw at Daytona that the competition in both GT classes is tough, and it’s an uphill battle with just the one Corvette but we’ll show up and do our best as we always do.” “The most fun race I can remember at Sebring is 2013 when we came from way back on the Ferrari and made a pass for the lead with about 20 minutes to go in the race. We lost a couple of laps early but kept at it. The Corvette that year was very, very good in the evening, and that’s what you want at Sebring. That’s one I’ll remember for a long time.”
Photos: Richard Prince, Chevrolet Racing
2023 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – GTD PRO (After one of 11 events) Driver Standings 1. Cooper MacNeil/Daniel Juncadella/Jules Gounon/Maro Engel – 385 2. Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Tommy Milner – 348 3. Ben Barnicoat/Jack Hawksworth/Mike Conway – 330 4. Andrea Caldarelli/Jordan Pepper/Mirko Bortolotti/Romain Grosjean – 306 5. Klaus Bachler/Laurens Vanthoor/Patrick Pilet – 284
Team Standings 1. No. 79 WeatherTech Racing – 385 2. No. 3 Corvette Racing – 348 3. No. 14 Vasser Sullivan – 330 4. No. 63 Iron Lynx – 306 5. No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports – 284
CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: By the Numbers • 1: As in one team, one manufacturer and one model of car for the 25th year at Sebring: Corvette Racing and the Chevrolet Corvette. • 3: Tracks where Corvette Racing has competed in each of its previous 23 years: Sebring, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. • 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. • 13: 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 last year in GTD PRO. • 14: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001. • 26: 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, Miami, Mid-Ohio, Monza, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen • 29: Number of wins in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for Corvette Racing, including last year’s Sebring 12 Hours • 32: Number of drivers for Corvette Racing since 1999. Ben Keating and Nico Varrone will join that list with their participation in the 1,000 Miles of Sebring for the World Endurance Championship. • 122: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 113 in North America, eight at Le Mans and one in WEC (outside of Le Mans). • 267: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999. • 53,631.76: Number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing at Sebring. That’s more than two full trips around the Earth at its equator (approx. 24,900 miles). • 351,351.25: 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!
Corvette Racing at Sebring International Raceway 1999 No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Chris Kneifel/John Paul Jr. – 4th in GTS (Fellows pole) No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Scott Sharp/John Heinricy – 7th in GTS (Pilgrim fastest race lap)
2000 No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Chris Kneifel/Justin Bell – 6th in GTS (Fellows pole) No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon – 5th in GTS
2001 No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Chris Kneifel – 3rd in GTS No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon – 2nd in GTS
2002 No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GTS (Fellows pole) No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon – 4th in GTS
2003 No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Franck Freon – 1st in GTS No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Oliver Gavin/Kelly Collins/Andy Pilgrim – 3rd in GTS (Gavin pole)
2004 No 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Max Papis – 1st in GTS (Fellows pole) No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 6th in GTS (Gavin fastest race lap)
2005 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Max Papis – 2nd in GT1 No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 3rd in GT1
2006 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Max Papis – 4th in GT1 No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GT1
2007 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Jan Magnussen – 2nd in GT1 (Magnussen pole, fastest race lap) No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Max Papis – 1st in GT1
2008 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GT1 No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Max Papis – 2nd in GT1 (Gavin fastest race lap)
2009 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O'Connell/Antonio Garcia – 1st in GT1 No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Marcel Fässler – 2nd in GT1 (Gavin pole, fastest race lap)
2010 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O'Connell/Antonio Garcia – 8th in GT2 No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Emmanuel Collard – 9th in GT2
2011 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Tommy Milner/Antonio Garcia – 3rd in GT No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen/Richard Westbrook – 4th in GT
2012 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2nd in GT (Magnussen pole) No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Richard Westbrook – 3rd in GT
2013 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 11th in GT No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Richard Westbrook – 1st in GT
2014 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Ryan Briscoe – 8th in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Robin Liddell – 6th in GTLM (Gavin fastest race lap)
2015 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Ryan Briscoe – 1st in GTLM (Daytona/Sebring double) No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Simon Pagenaud – 9th in GTLM
2016 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 9th in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 1st in GTLM (10th Sebring team win)
2017 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 1st in GTLM (3rd straight Sebring team win) No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 10th in GTLM
2018 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 8th in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 6th in GTLM
2019 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 3rd in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 8th in GTLM No. 63 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 8th in GTE Pro (FIA WEC)
2020* No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2nd in GTLM (Taylor pole) No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 1st in GTLM
2020 No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg – 5th in GTLM (Garcia pole, Catsburg fastest race lap) No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 6th in GTLM
2021 No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg – 4th in GTLM (Taylor pole, Garcia fastest race lap) No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy/Alexander Sims – 5th in GTLM
2022 No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg – 1st in GTD PRO No. 64 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy – 2nd in GTE PRO (FIA WEC)
PRESS RELEASE: GTE Am campaign for No. 33 C8.R starts at lone FIA WEC American stop
CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: No Place Like Home GTE Am campaign for No. 33 C8.R starts at lone FIA WEC American stop
DETROIT (March 9, 2023) – For the second straight year, Corvette Racing begins its globe-trotting venture in the FIA World Endurance Championship at an all-too-familiar place, albeit in an unfamiliar category.
The 1,000 Miles of Sebring on Friday, March 17 kicks off the seven-round WEC season, which sees Ben Keating, Nicky Catsburg and Nico Varrone team in the No. 33 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R. It’s the first race together for the trio and the first for Corvette Racing in the GTE Am category, which will feature 14 entries in the event.
The entire class and the 37-car field will take part in this weekend’s two-day Prologue test session ahead of the first official practice session on March 15.
The Corvette program is easily the most experienced team in the WEC paddock at the 3.74-mile, 17-turn Sebring International Raceway circuit. It has 25 years of racing experience at the historic track, which sits on the site of an Army airbase from World War II.
In addition to two previous starts in GTE Pro at the Sebring WEC round – including a runner-up finish last year for Tommy Milner and Nick Tandy – Corvette Racing has 13 victories at the track with 12 coming in the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.
On the driver front, both Catsburg and Keating have previous starts in the Sebring WEC round. Catsburg finished second in GTE Pro in 2019 while Keating placed third a year ago in GTE Am on his way to the class championship. Meanwhile, Varrone will make his first full-season start as a WEC competitor in the 1,000 Miles.
In addition to Sebring, the Corvette lineup will content the full GTE Am championship including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where the No. 33 C8.R will be among 21 entries in class for the French endurance classic.
The 1,000 Miles of Sebring for the FIA World Endurance Championship is scheduled for noon ET on Friday, March 17. MotorTrend and MotorTrend Plus will provide both level television and streaming coverage. Radio Le Mans will stream audio coverage of all practice sessions, qualifying and the race.
NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “I’m massively looking forward to Sebring. It’s the start of a new program for us in GTE Am together with Ben and Nico. I feel like we have a very strong lineup and I cannot wait to get started. We can build on strong results from last year after winning there in IMSA and the guys in the WEC finished P2, so the car obviously has good potential around Sebring. “The plan is to stay out of trouble and focus on the championship right from the start. I’m looking forward to getting back together with the team and looking forward to going over the IMSA paddock and see everyone on that side again. It’ll be a big weekend, and I’m ready to get started.”
BEN KEATING, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “I’ve said over and over again how excited I am as an American to drive for an American team in an American brand, and I’m excited to be racing in a brand that I sell. Not only are we going to be racing this American brand with an American team all around the world, but the first race in the USA, which is special. There is one race in the United States for the World Endurance Championship, and clearly we want to show well on our home soil. As a team, Corvette Racing has thousands of laps around there during the last 25 years, so I expect the team, the car, the drivers and everyone is going to be well tuned up and ready to go for this race. “My first laps in the Corvette were at the WEC Rookie Test in Bahrain, and it was different enough there that I left thinking that I had a lot to learn about this car. Then we did the test at Sebring and it was a totally different experience. That left me thinking, ‘Wow… this is a really special car.’ Not only is it special from my standpoint of racing it, but the performance level around Sebring is awesome. Sebring is unlike anywhere else in the world – very flat, very bumpy and very different from a typical FIA circuit that we go to in WEC. This is not that; this is an old, historic circuit and the Corvette performed amazingly well at the test. It set my expectations really high for the race. It handles the bumps extremely well, and it’s very comfortable to drive. I don’t know if there’s such a thing as an easy car to drive around Sebring because it’s such a physical track. It will beat you up a little bit. But “the Corvette is such a delight to drive, and it’s easy on the driver. This also is the first race for me to do with Nico and Nicky. I’m super excited about my teammates. We’ve all gotten along exceedingly well. There are no egos. No one is out there trying to prove what they’re capable of doing as an individual. It’s a great feeling of being great teammates – not just for this race but the whole World Endurance Championship. I couldn’t imagine having a better group of teammates going into the season, and I’m super excited to go racing with these guys.”
NICO VARRONE, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “I’m really excited to start this new program with Corvette Racing. It’s my first time racing for a factory team so it’s a dream for me, and to do it with this great brand makes it even better! Teaming up with Nicky Catsburg and Ben Keating is a great chance for the whole team to achieve some good things in the GTE Am class. Speaking personally, I can learn a lot from them and keep growing as a driver. I simply can’t wait! “Sebring is really special. I did some laps in the C8.R with Corvette Racing in December and I really enjoyed the track. I cannot think for a better place for my debut with this team than to do it at this legendary track where Corvette has achieved so much success.”
CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: By the Numbers • 1: As in one team, one manufacturer and one model of car for the 25th year at Sebring: Corvette Racing and the Chevrolet Corvette. • 3: Tracks where Corvette Racing has competed in each of its previous 23 years: Sebring, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. • 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. • 13: 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 last year in GTD PRO. • 14: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001. • 26: 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, Miami, Mid-Ohio, Monza, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen • 29: Number of wins in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for Corvette Racing, including last year’s Sebring 12 Hours. • 32: Number of drivers for Corvette Racing since 1999. Ben Keating and Nico Varrone will join that list with their participation in the 1,000 Miles of Sebring for the World Endurance Championship. • 122: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 113 in North America, eight at Le Mans and one in WEC (outside of Le Mans). • 267: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999. • 53,631.76: Number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing at Sebring. That’s more than two full trips around the Earth at its equator (approx. 24,900 miles). • 351,351.25: 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!
Corvette Racing at Sebring International Raceway 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)
2005 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Max Papis – 2nd in GT1 No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 3rd in GT1
2006 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Max Papis – 4th in GT1 No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GT1
2007 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Jan Magnussen – 2nd in GT1 (Magnussen pole, fastest race lap) No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Max Papis – 1st in GT1
2008 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GT1 No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Max Papis – 2nd in GT1 (Gavin fastest race lap)
2009 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O'Connell/Antonio Garcia – 1st in GT1 No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Marcel Fässler – 2nd in GT1 (Gavin pole, fastest race lap)
2010 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O'Connell/Antonio Garcia – 8th in GT2 No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Emmanuel Collard – 9th in GT2
2011 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Tommy Milner/Antonio Garcia – 3rd in GT No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen/Richard Westbrook – 4th in GT
2012 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2nd in GT (Magnussen pole) No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Richard Westbrook – 3rd in GT
2013 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 11th in GT No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Richard Westbrook – 1st in GT
2014 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Ryan Briscoe – 8th in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Robin Liddell – 6th in GTLM (Gavin fastest race lap)
2015 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Ryan Briscoe – 1st in GTLM (Daytona/Sebring double) No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Simon Pagenaud – 9th in GTLM
2016 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 9th in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 1st in GTLM (10th Sebring team win)
2017 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 1st in GTLM (3rd straight Sebring team win) No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 10th in GTLM
2018 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 8th in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 6th in GTLM
2019 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 3rd in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 8th in GTLM No. 63 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 8th in GTE Pro (FIA WEC)
2020* No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2nd in GTLM (Taylor pole) No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 1st in GTLM
2020 No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg – 5th in GTLM (Garcia pole, Catsburg fastest race lap) No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 6th in GTLM
2021 No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg – 4th in GTLM (Taylor pole, Garcia fastest race lap) No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy/Alexander Sims – 5th in GTLM
2022 No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg – 1st in GTD PRO No. 64 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy – 2nd in GTE PRO (FIA WEC)
CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: WEC and IMSA ANTONIO GARCIA Zoom Transcript
Media Q&A with Nicky Catsburg, Ben Keating, Nico Varrone
CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: WEC Zoom Transcript Media Q&A with Nicky Catsburg, Ben Keating, Nico Varrone
Corvette Racing FIA World Endurance Championship drivers Nicky Catsburg, Ben Keating and Nico Varrone answered questions today from media members ahead of this weekend’s WEC Prologue at Sebring International Raceway. They will open the season in the 1,000 Miles of Sebring on Friday, March 17 in the No. 33 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R as part of the GTE Am field. Full transcript:
NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R AFTER WINNING LAST YEAR IN THE SEBRING 12 HOURS, HOW MUCH DO YOU WANT TO REPEAT THAT IN THE WEC ROUND? “Last year was super nice, winning the race. I also remember the year before, we were incredibly close in winning it that year as well but a late-race crash with another competitor took us out of the lead. I cannot wait to drive the GTE-spec car again. I personally like it a little bit better than the GT3-spec. I cannot wait to try and win it without ABS; in general I just enjoy driving the GTE car a lot, so hopefully we can repeat that win from last year.”
THERE’S ONLY AN HOUR OR SO OF DARKNESS IN THE SEBRING RACING, BUT CAN YOU GO THROUGH THE CHALLENGES OF RACING IN THE DARK AT SEBRING AND OTHER PLACES? “Some places are more difficult than others, and I would say Sebring is one of the more difficult ones. Specifically, kind of Turn 10 through Turn 14 gets really, really dark and there’s one part where you really struggle to see how close to the outside of the track you are. Navigating there with traffic makes it very, very difficult because you just don’t see so much. We have great lights on the car but it’s not nearly enough to really see what’s going on. Then you have a lot of bright headlights in your rearview mirrors constantly flashing, which makes it very, very hard to see where you’re going. I must say that doing it more often does help you get better at it and to remain more calm. “For example in the Sebring 12 Hours, you would kind of keep one driver for the end of the race and that driver would then also do more in the night practice so he is more prepared for finishing the race in the dark. I would say it’s the most difficult part of the race to do. If I had to compare it, the (Nürburgring) Nordschleife is very dark but somehow not as dark as Sebring, which is hard to imagine! The same goes for Le Mans. I always find that relatively easy in the dark. Spa-Francorchamps is more difficult again. I don’t know really why this is, but some tracks are just more difficult in the dark than others. Sebring has a lot of bumps everywhere. Already in the daylight it is difficult to see sometimes where you are, let alone in the dark. So Sebring is definitely difficult.”
ON BEING THE TEAM LEADER AS THE MOST EXPERIENCED DRIVER IN THE CORVETTE. “It’s definitely going to be different. I was always the third driver at Corvette so I was filling in for the few endurance races – Daytona, Sebring, Petit Le Mans and Le Mans. So this is the first time I’m doing a full season with Corvette Racing with two new teammates. I feel like I’m the one with the most experience in the car, which is a first for me. It’s definitely going to be a change. But I feel with this team and the support I have from my teammates in the past years, I hope I can do the same job now for Ben and Nico. Ben is incredibly experienced in these races and Nico – I don’t want to raise the expectations too much! – but he was nothing but amazing in the tests that we did. I don’t feel like they will need too much help from me. It is a bit of a change for me, but we will be fine.”
BEN KEATING, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R HAS YOUR ANTICIPATION LEVEL FOR THIS RACE CONTINUED TO BUILD OVER THE MONTHS AND WEEKS? “No, not at all. I would even say it’s greater than it’s ever been for several reasons. One is that it’s obviously my first race with Corvette Racing, and that’s enough anticipation on its own. Then in addition to that, it’s the only WEC race that is on home soil in the US, which puts a little more importance up there for me. Lastly, I would say that last year doing the double between the Aston Martin and the LMP2 in the 12-hour race, it was one of the most difficult and physical endeavors I’ve ever done. I’m hoping I prepare a little bit better for it this year. But I still have a little bit of that anticipation for how I will feel in the 12-hour. I’m not worried that much for the WEC race. So there are a lot of different reasons for all the anticipation building up.”
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE IN TESTING PREPARATIONS WITH THIS CAR AND ADAPTING TO THE C8.R? “I got to do a few laps on the Rookie Test Day after Bahrain. I got to do 10 laps exactly; we were more focused on testing Silvers and watching Nico go fast around Bahrain. When I first got in the car at Bahrain, I know looking at it that it’s a mid-engine car, so I kept trying (think about) how I’m supposed to drive this car. Am I supposed to drive it like a Ford or like the Porsche or like the Ferrari, those being other mid-engine cars. I will say that I was quite disappointed with my performance in Bahrain. I came back and looked at the data and realized that you drive this car completely differently than any of those. So while I was leaning on my experience of how to go fast in all those other cars, I wasn’t able to find it. Then fast-forward another couple of months and we went testing at Sebring. It was incredible. The speed came pretty quick for me, I would say. I felt very comfortable in the car, and I feel like I made some huge steps in learning how this car likes to be driven. It’s significantly different than all the others. For me personally, it’s taken a little bit to get used to. I’ve been in a turbo car for the last couple of years, and the big V8 has a lot more torque instantly at low RPMs than having to wait for that big turbo to wind up, so you don’t have that lag which takes a little while to get used to. The year before, I was in the Porsche RSR and again it doesn’t have the same level of torque that a big V8 has. They all have slightly different handling characteristics. “After Bahrain I was worried, but after Sebring I’m excited! I made the transition and was really happy with my performance after the test. After that, I’ve been testing in the LMP2 there as well, and I feel there is a decent crossover between the two cars at this particular track. I’m ready.”
AT THE SEBRING TEST, HOW MUCH TIME DID YOU GET IN THE CAR? “I don’t remember a specific lap count. The three of us were all there, and we all got quite a few laps.”
TALKING ABOUT THE PROGRESSION OF THE GTE FORMULA SINCE YOU STARTED RACING IN GTE AND HOW THE CARS HAVE MOVED ON. “I’ll say this specifically for GTE Am, because that’s what is important to me and that’s what makes this class special. As all of you are aware, in every GTE Am car it requires one Bronze, one Silver and one either Gold or Platinum (driver). What I love about the GTE Am class and racing the GTE car is that it doesn’t have ABS, as Nicky started talking about. It really separates the Bronze drivers between those who can drive well without ABS and those who can’t or struggle with it. The difference in laptime gets to be larger based on the skill that you acquire over time. That’s one big piece of it for me, specifically in GTE Am. I don’t think you saw that big of a difference in GTE Pro. The thing I’ve loved about it for years… what really got to me about racing in GT3 is that there were all these BoP changes all the time. You never knew if you were going to have a chance or not to do well in the race. I didn’t like spending dollars, and blood, sweat and tears at a track not knowing if we weren’t going to have a chance. “What I really love about the GTE Am setup has been that all of the BoP is set off the Pro class from the previous year. We’re racing a previous year’s car so we rarely get BoP changes in GTE Am, and they allow the rewards weight or success ballast to level the playing field. Clearly if you get 40 kilos in the car, it’s going to cost you a half-second a lap at most of the tracks we go to, but you can still have a chance and you can have a competitive car. Lastly, I love racing with a confidential tire. The Michelin confidentials are just that good. It’s so nice to race with a tire that has been built and designed around your car and different circumstances. I’m going to be sad to see it go, is my answer. I’m sad to see GTE go. For me personally, it doesn’t have anything to do with the GT3 cars. It just has to do with the class. I think you’re taking something away when you add ABS and every driver out there can be a hero in every brake zone.”
YOUR TIME WITH TF SPORT THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS WHILE MOVING ON TO CORVETTE RACING. “That team is special. They are great people. That’s hard to walk away from. It’s hard to walk away from that much success… second place at Le Mans and second place in the championship (in 2021) and then a win at Le Mans and winning the championship in the second year. Clearly we were on a roll. But I pay for all this by selling cars, and I don’t sell Aston Martins. I’ve got nothing bad to say about TF Sport other than they are not racing a Corvette!”
IS THERE A DIFFERENCE IN RACING A GT CAR AND AN LMP2 CAR IN THE DARK? “There are three major things that make Sebring difficult at night. One is it is so flat that it’s hard to get a reference of what you’re looking at it. Yes it’s dark, but it’s no more dark than any of the other tracks that Nicky mentioned. It’s just really flat, which makes it hard to get a reference of knowing exactly where to turn in, exactly where the brake point is, exactly where the exit of the corner is and those kinds of things. The other two things that come to mind is that we are going to have the largest Hypercar field that we have ever seen in the World Endurance Championship. My only protest in the Hypercar class is that the LED lights that they have when they flash are unbelievably bright; they’re ridiculously bright and they will blind you. It’s not as bad when you had three or four cars there to contend with. Knowing that we are going to have eight or 10 of those going around the track, it’s going to mean that you’re going to have one of those behind you more often. That is going to make it quite a challenge. “The other thing that isn’t thought of very often is that there are quite a few pavement changes at Sebring. It goes from concrete to asphalt to sealed concrete. It’s one thing when the bright Florida sun is shining down on all the track, it can get really hot. But when the sun goes down, each one of those pavement surfaces changes quite a bit. I think it changes the handling of the car quite a bit. The only thing that matters obviously is the end of the race. This is more of an issue on the IMSA side of things because of the safety cars and more time in darkness. But I think it’s wise to do a lot of setup work and a lot of running night practice specifically because you have to make sure you have a car that is set up to do well when the sun goes down because the track changes a lot more than you might think.”
ON WEC BANNING TIRE WARMERS FOR THIS YEAR WITH YOUR EXPERIENCE OF NOT HAVING THEM IN IMSA. DOES THAT GIVE YOU AN EDGE OVER THE OTHER BRONZE DRIVERS? “I hope so but we will see. I think everybody is going to be learning a lot, and it’s a great question. It’s going to be one of the major challenges for all teams in WEC. I feel like the confidential tire we are running is designed to be heated, and it’s designed to be warm when you take off. I think about at Le Mans in the night when it’s cool outside and you have a safety car period or a long full-course yellow, it’s really, really difficult to get those tires back up to temperature and back up to where they’re hot enough that they are in the right operating window. Sometimes I wasn’t able to get them there, especially at Le Mans where you have the long straightaways. It can be a big challenge to get the heat back in the tires. So when you’re starting off from ground zero of having an absolutely cold tire, it will be a big challenge for all the teams to get those tires up to temperature. Yes, I think it’s an advantage for me. I enjoy watching all the European teams, especially in LMP2, come in for the 24 Hours of Daytona. They’re all used to having tire warmers and they go out and spin in Turn Three very often because they’re not used to what it takes to deal with cold tires. I think it’s easier on the GT cars than the prototypes, but I think we’re going to see quite a few more issues and incidents with all the classes as everyone gets used to what it’s like to go out and deal with cold tires. It’s a significant change. It’s interesting to me that we’re getting this significant change in the last year of the class; maybe they’re saying it’s the first year of Hypercar. It’s interesting. I think it’s less of an issue, in my opinion, with the customer tire that a lot of the teams are running. It might be less of an issue with the Goodyears on the LMP2. I don’t know. I just know that my experience in the night at Le Mans would suggest that it’s pretty difficult to go out on a confidential tire that’s cold. I think we’ll see more teams running a softer compound, seeing if they can get away with doing a double-stint on a softer compound just because that may be the only tire they can figure out how to get heat in over a stint. It’s going to be an interesting change for this season.”
NICO VARRONE, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R EXPECTATIONS FOR SEBRING IN YOUR FIRST RACE IN THE CORVETTE C8.R. “First of all, this will be one of my best experiences ever. To be joining Corvette Racing is a dream for me to be part of a factory team with Ben and Nicky. It will be amazing. I’m really excited about it. I did some laps in Bahrain and Sebring, and I was really comfortable with the car. I personally enjoyed driving the Ferrari GTE, but with the Corvette I feel there is something special in the first moments. It suits really well my driving style. We have a really good lineup and a really good car. I hope we can have a clean race, a clean weekend and take the most out of it.”
YOU COME OFF WINNING LMP3 AT DAYTONA, SO HOW DIFFICULT WILL IT BE LEARNING ALL THE PROCEDURAL CHANGES LIKE FULL-COURSE YELLOWS AND CAUTIONS WITH THE WEC VERSUS IMSA? “That’s a good question. Last year, I raced in the ELMS and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, so I have experience. I didn’t do a full season in WEC but doing races in both championships helped me quite a lot. I don’t think it will be a big change for me. I feel ready for the challenge. I think I will have to learn a bit more on my side to know more about the car and to know what the car likes, setup changes and other stuff that will be new for me. We have a long season ahead and the Prologue this weekend, so that will help me a lot to get up to speed and try to be the best version of myself.”
COMPARING AND CONTRASTING THE CORVETTE AND FERRARI GTE CAR THAT YOU’VE DRIVEN BEFORE. “I was really impressed at the Bahrain test. As Ben said, I was trying to use all my experience with the Ferrari and put it in the Corvette, and it wasn’t working on the first outing I did. I was really struggling with low-speed corners with some oversteer. I worked with the engineers on the data, and they told me it was a completely different way of driving. Once I started working on it through the laps and over the runs, I really improved on it. I have to say it’s a different concept to drive it and you have to get used to it. And when I got to Sebring, I already had this experience from Bahrain and I got used to it. It wasn’t a big challenge for me because I got used to it really quickly. Because of my driving style, I liked the way of driving it. But it’s really different to other cars I’ve driven in the past.”
Ryan Smith Judy Kouba Dominick xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Media Q&A ahead of Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring for defending GTD PRO co-winner
CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: Antonio Garcia Zoom Transcript Media Q&A ahead of Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring for defending GTD PRO co-winner
Corvette Racing’s Antonio Garcia was part of a media Zoom today to talk about next week’s Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring and the second round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. He will team with Jordan Taylor and Tommy Milner in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R. The trio finished second in the GTD PRO class to open the season at the Rolex 24 At Daytona.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R YOU’VE HAD A LOT OF GREAT HISTORY AT SEBRING. WHAT DO YOU EXPECT NEXT WEEK? “Coming from a good race at Daytona, we should be up there. Corvette Racing always has had quite a bit of success in this race. We weren’t there (at Sebring) for the last (IMSA) test but we were there in December. Although it was with the new GT3 car, we still got some good information. It’s a new year and we had a lot of data to analyze from last year’s race. It was kind of a surprise for us to be that good, especially in the day. So I’m looking forward to getting back there. I’ve always loved this race. The Corvette fans will be out there, too. It’s always a great event for us as Corvette drivers and another one for me.”
BEFORE THE FIRST TIME YOU RACED AT SEBRING, WHAT DID A FELLOW DRIVER OR TEAM OWNER TELL YOU ABOUT THE TRACK? WAS IT THE BUMPS OR SOMETHING ELSE? “It was 2006 or 2007… I definitely was younger! I think it was the bumps, mainly the trickier parts of the racetracks. Everyone tries to explain to you where to go and what to hit or not to hit, but it’s almost impossible to figure out what to expect until you do a few laps. It’s a tricky track to learn. After a few laps, it doesn’t feel like you can go around fast but then you get in a groove and everything comes easier. Now that I’ve done it for so many years, it feels like I know every single bump around the track. It’s much easier now.”
DO YOU APPRECIATE THAT THE TRACK HAS THIS KIND OF CHARACTER TO IT? “I think you do. It’s the whole environment there. You start early in the morning almost with the sunrise for warmup. Most of the race is super-hot in the middle of the day and then you go straight into the night with a classic March sunset where you don’t see a thing going into Turn 17 and Turn Seven. Every single aspect of that race is unique. Even if at times it feels like it is undriveable, it’s one of my favorites if not my favorite race of the year.”
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE PART OF THE TRACK AND YOUR LEAST FAVORITE PART OF THE TRACK? “At sunset and going into Turn 17 and Turn Seven, you’re hoping (the sun) gets in the clouds. With a full bright sky, you know it’s going to be really, really tough. At times, I got into the car with three hours to go so that means you get the sunset and then you go full into the dark. You need to pick the right visor and everything needs to be perfect. I’ve been in every single condition around there but for sure in the sunset – if it’s full bright – it’s tricky. That’s a time where you don’t want to be fighting too much with somebody or if traffic gets very, very tricky in those conditions because someone may not see you. It’s only 20-25 minutes, but it’s very, very tricky.” “But I love the whole racetrack at night. When it’s full dark and you know it’s coming to the end of the race, the grip is usually back in the car. That’s the most joyful time of the race. No matter how tired you are, if you are in contention for the win then that’s when the whole magic of Sebring comes. That’s what we all remember… those last stints at Sebring and when you are in contention or winning the race.”
WHICH RACE IS TOUGHER TO GET ON THE PODIUM: DAYTONA 24 HOURS OR SEBRING 12 HOURS? “I think probably Sebring is a bit tougher to get everything in the right spot. Everything is different. You finish in the dark, which is tough for everybody. Traffic is really bad at that point. For me, it seems like I’ve had more success at Sebring, but I think I would consider Sebring a little bit tougher than Daytona. If you have the pace at Daytona, it’s easier to pace yourself to be in contention at the end of the race. At Sebring, it’s not only pace. The weather changes more. You’re finishing in the dark, and you only run that for two hours. It’s a bit trickier, I think.”
PRESS RELEASE: Garcia, Taylor, Milner fight from behind to challenge for GTD PRO class win
CORVETTE RACING AT DAYTONA: Close… but Second in Rolex 24 Garcia, Taylor, Milner fight from behind to challenge for GTD PRO class win
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 29, 2023) – Corvette Racing started its 25th season of competition with a runner-up class finish Sunday in the Rolex 24 At Daytona. Antonio Garcia, Jordan Taylor and Tommy Milner teamed up for the second-place GT Daytona (GTD) PRO result in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R.
After a drive back from two laps down in the middle of the night – due to a flat left-rear tire and a rear brake change – the No. 3 C8.R moved back to not just contention for the Rolex victory but to the lead just before sunrise Sunday morning.
The chaotic events of the middle eight hours looked like they would give way with a caution-free run of more than five hours into mid-morning. Taylor drove a double-stint for his final laps in the car and led the class multiple times. At that point and with a little more than three hours to go, Milner took over from Taylor and drove two stints of hard, intense racing that saw the Corvette and two other competitors swap the GTD PRO lead.
Milner gave way to Garcia for an even more chaotic final one hour, 45 minutes. The top three cars – the 3 Corvette, the 14 Lexus and 79 Mercedes – swapped back and forth through three full-course caution periods in the span of an hour and 20 minutes before a final 26-minute run to the flag with Garcia coming home second in class.
An up-and-down middle eight hours saw Corvette Racing re-emerge from two laps down and back into contention for a class victory as daylight arrived Sunday. The three Corvette Racing drivers each drove triple-stints through the darkness as they rotated through the C8.R for the second time.
Garcia, who started the race Saturday, worked with the Corvette Racing engineers to improve tire performance through his three stints. By the time he handed over to Taylor a little before the 10-hour mark, the C8.R was in a better state than when Garcia took over as Taylor left the pitlane in the class lead thanks to a solid stop by the Corvette pit crew.
Things began to look dire near the 10.5-hour mark when the No. 3 Corvette suffered a left-rear flat tire just before Taylor came on the Turn 1 speedway banking while running second in class. He nursed the car back to pitlane even as the tire came off the wheel before the Corvette made it back to pit entry.
The team quickly changed tires but had to stop a lap later to change the Corvette’s rear brakes due to damage from the flat tire. It dropped the No. 3 C8.R to two laps down.
Critically, Taylor was able to stay ahead of the GTD PRO leader and not lose another lap before a full-course yellow just before the halfway point of the race. The Corvette Racing crew got a lap back during a pass-around before stopping for fuel and tires, and then the crew changed the front brakes a lap later to return the Corvette to full strength – and the lead lap – with just over 11-and-a-half hours to go.
Taylor gave way to Milner from the sixth position in class about an hour later with the Corvette rejoining in fifth. Less than an hour into his opening stint, the race’s eighth full-course caution drew Milner closer to the front. He ran third in class and seven seconds from the lead as the race entered the final eight hours.
Corvette Racing’s next event in the WeatherTech Championship is the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on Saturday, March 18.
Photos: Richard Prince, Chevrolet Racing
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED SECOND IN GTD PRO: “P2 at Daytona… it was a bit crazy out there. With the P3 cars ahead of us, it was a lottery especially in turns One and Three. Everybody was getting super crazy. When you have a car with ABS, you can just go for it and that’s what people are doing. But we did all we could. That was all we had. A lot of times, I was very surprised to be where we were. We seemed to be good on fuel, which seemed to be our only chance. We just didn’t have the outright pace.”
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED SECOND IN GTD PRO:“The Rolex 24 is always kind of a stand-alone race for us every year. If you look at our race as a whole, we had some adversity during the night but came from two laps down. Everyone executed well. We were in the hunt most of the way. We didn’t have the outright pace, but it was a true Corvette Racing race where we battled our way back to second. We started with a third-place car and finished second, so that’s a win in our book.”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED SECOND IN GTD PRO:“Based on how everything was going in practice and in the Roar, I think P2 in the end is quite good. When you have a chance to fight for the win like that and for us to run up front for so much of the race, to miss it by that much at the end is tough. We knew going in that the Mercedes guys were quick, the Aston was quick, the Lexus was quick. It was a great job by the team to persevere and to keep pushing all throughout the race. My teammates did a great job. We were just missing a little bit of pace at the end. It was a good race for all three of us. We were racing super-hard and pushing super-hard. We just came up a little short.”
No. 3 Corvette C8.R moves toward the front in GTD PRO in opening hours of Rolex 24
CORVETTE RACING AT DAYTONA: Eight-Hour Update No. 3 Corvette C8.R moves toward the front in GTD PRO in opening hours of Rolex 24
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 28, 2023) – Corvette Racing opened the Rolex 24 At Daytona in strong style Saturday as the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R spent ample time out front during the first eight hours.
Antonio Garcia was in the middle of a triple stint in his second round in the GTD PRO challenger. All three drivers – Garcia, Jordan Taylor and Tommy Milner double-stinted in their initial rotations in the Corvette. As the clock moved past the eight-hour mark, Garcia ran fourth in class and fifth of all GTD cars.
The No. 3 C8.R started fourth in GTD PRO and 11th among the GTD category. Garcia wasted little time in moving forward and gained eight overall positions and ran third in GTD PRO by the time he made his first stop shy of the one-hour mark. He continued strong pace in the daytime and moved to second in class before he stopped to swap over Taylor.
The No. 3 Corvette benefitted from a full-course yellow just after Taylor got in the car, and he moved into the lead shortly after the restart. He drove just shy of eight hours before Milner drove in the race for the first time. The pace of some of the competing cars increased in the dark and colder temperatures but Milner kept the Corvette clean and in contention as the driver rotation began again.
Corvette Racing’s next update will come at the 16-hour mark.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: "It's been good so far. The pace was really good. I don't know who was starting in every car. It's tough to judge who was driving and how aggressive you could be. I tried to be careful on the start but lost the right-hand mirror anyway. The pace seems to be really good. I was able to pass people; the infield seems OK and the slipstream seems to be doing the job to get by. Of course once you get to the front, the slipstream goes away and you're pretty much stuck with that you have. But it looks pretty good but there are many hours to go.
"Coming into the race, we didn't know the pace we would have. At the start, I kind of pushed and was a little bit aggressive. I could get closer and closer to other cars and could pass them. That was something new compared to last year when we were basically just hanging around on the oval. It's good to know we can pass cars. Let's see... it's still too early into the race but we have pace and we are up there. Now it's time to start tuning everything we have toward tomorrow and let's see where we are. Tomorrow is a different day and it's supposed to be hotter so we'll see where everybody stands."
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: "The stint was OK. I think we were expected pace-wise. We don't have the outright pace to compete with the top guys. I think we cycled through the front through some strategy and some slower guys getting in the car. We fought to the front in my last stint. The LMP3 cars on the restarts are as we thought. I was able to make some moves and pass some LMP3s to gap myself to the GTD field, and that helped us keep that lead through the stint. The name of the game right now is staying out of trouble, which is difficult in traffic but so far so good."
MORE ON THE OPENING RUN: "So far so good. Antonio was able to get up to P3 in his stint and then we were able to cycle to the lead and stay there for a couple of hours. The competition is tough. We don't have the fastest car right now, but I think through pit stop cycles and strategy, we can stay out front. There's a long way to go. Hopefully come tomorrow morning, we'll be in a good spot."
DEALING WITH GTP TRAFFIC AND COMFORT LEVEL: "It's not bad. I think most of those guys are somewhat conscious as opposed to previous years with the cars maybe not as reliable. So you can tell they're a little more hesitant, which is nice for us. The closing rates at places like the Kink are a little faster but nothing too crazy. It's usually the LMP2s or LMP3s that kind of cause more issues for us."
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “The first stint for me went OK. We were close to the front when I got in but dropped back a little bit throughout. My first stint was difficult; the tire pressure was a little too high so that was tricky at first. The second was a lot better. Right now the name of the game is keeping the car in one piece and making sure we get the strategy right. We’ll see how Antonio does in his run. It seems like we were quite quick in the warmer temperatures and maybe not so much in the cooler stints, so we’ll see how it goes through the night.
RETURNING TO IMSA: “I’m back with Brian (Hoye) again. I’ve spent a lot of year with Brian as my crew chief so that feels very normal. I’ve been with this program for many years; I think this is my 13th season with Corvette Racing. We have a lot of new faces in some ways but some familiar ones as well. It feels like home no matter who’s on the car and who’s engineering the car. The formula at Corvette Racing is shared among everyone. It doesn’t matter who’s putting on tires, who’s putting in the fuel, who’s engineering or who’s driving. We’re all trying to do the same job, and that’s to put our Corvette out front.”
PRESS RELEASE: Celebrating the start of a landmark season at Daytona, surrounded by Chevrolet vehicles
CORVETTE RACING AT DAYTONA: Twenty-Five Years and Counting Celebrating the start of a landmark season at Daytona surrounded by Chevrolet vehicles
DETROIT (Jan. 25, 2023) – Twenty-five years ago, no one knew what to expect when two Chevrolet Corvette C5-R racecars showed up at Daytona International Speedway for the Rolex 24 At Daytona – the first event for the then-new factory sports car program.
The volumes of stories and successes that came after that first race are enough to fill up multiple books. That’s what happens when a single program with the same manufacturer, the same team and the same car wins 122 races around the world – including four at the Rolex 24 – to go along with 15 Team championships, 14 Manufacturers and Drivers titles in North American competition and more than 350,000 racing miles covered.
Chevrolet and Corvette Racing leaders, current and past drivers offer their thoughts on this monumental achievement and what Corvette Racing has meant to them personally…
JIM CAMPBELL, CHEVROLET U.S. VICE PRESIDENT, PERFORMANCE AND MOTORSPORTS: "Twenty-five years of Corvette Racing is a remarkable achievement. I remember being part of our first race at Daytona in 1999 and the excitement around our first race. Now 25 years later, that level of anticipation and thrill remains for everyone within our team and our Corvette owners and supporters. This program is a benchmark in our company for technology and development transferring from racetrack to showroom. Engine technology, advanced aerodynamics and light-weighting materials are hallmarks of how Corvette Racing has influenced Chevrolet vehicles for 25 years. I can't thank the team members, our Corvette owners and our Corvette fans enough for their 25 years of loyalty, and we look forward to many more."
LAURA WONTROP KLAUSER, GM SPORTS CAR RACING PROGRAM MANAGER: "Corvette Racing is very special to me personally. Coming from the production side of Chevrolet, I saw first-hand the influence that our motorsports participation – Corvette Racing, in particular – had in design and development. It was nothing new as the program already had established itself as a leader in technology transfer. But seeing that in real-life was very cool, especially given the Corvette I had in my garage. Moving to competition and working close with the Corvette Racing team – the crew, the engineers and the drivers – and meeting so many of our passion Corvette owners and fans has been an absolute thrill of a lifetime. As exciting as that is, I'm even more excited for what the future holds for Corvette Racing."
ANTONIO GARCIA, CURRENT CORVETTE RACING DRIVER: “I knew when I joined Corvette Racing that my goal was to be here long-term. I’m really happy that it worked out that way. When I joined in 2009, I had the option to stay with another manufacturer, but I had discovered American racing a few years before that and my choice was to join what I thought was the best team, and I still think we are the best. I’m very thankful. It’s quite unique to see a 25-year relationship at this level. I’m happy to have driven Corvettes for 14 years and going on 15. “The first time I saw Corvette Racing was watching footage of the win at Daytona in 2001. Even though I wasn’t racing in sports cars then, I still saw a lot of the Le Mans 24 Hours. You knew those yellow cars were going around and winning races. When I moved to GT in 2006, we knew that the bigger battles would be in America with Aston Martin vs. Corvette. I was on the other side then and experienced how hard those battles were when we would race at Le Mans and Sebring. My eyes were really opened to how hard Corvette Racing competed. The relationship between the two teams was great always. “This is part of the Corvette Racing environment: My family has always been welcomed in and it is an extended family. During the week at home, I have my own family and on the weekends I have Corvette Racing. When I joined, I was 28 and was probably one of the youngest members of the team. Now it’s the complete opposite! I don’t know how many people on the team are older than me now! But I’m happy I can still provide experience and speed to the team. Consistency is big here and so is experience.”
JORDAN TAYLOR, CURRENT CORVETTE RACING DRIVER: “It’s amazing. In motorsports, I don’t know how many relationships make it to 25 years. For GM, Chevrolet, Pratt Miller and Corvette Racing to be this family for so long, it comes down to success. If they weren’t successful, I don’t think this relationship would still be going on. It speaks volumes for everyone involved. For me to be part of it for all these years is a very special feeling and something I’m very proud of. The last few years as a full-time driver have been amazing with winning a couple of championships and winning races like Daytona and Sebring and all the special ones that everyone talks about is huge, and that’s what Corvette Racing is known for. “I was 10 years old at Le Mans watching my dad for the first time, and we shared hospitality with Corvette Racing. So I saw it first-hand back then seeing all the Corvette Racing guys on the biggest stage against the biggest manufacturers. It was always the goal back then to be in that position so for all of that to come full circle, it’s almost impossible to believe that it’s happened. It’s hard to picture that I was once a kid watching the team back then. It’s super special and something I’m always thankful for. I know the opportunity could have never come and I could have been doing something way different with my life. It’s always something I’m thankful for.”
TOMMY MILNER, CURRENT CORVETTE RACING DRIVER: “Twenty-five years is incredible for a team and car manufacturer partnership. To last that long is unheard of. It’s a testament to how well the foundations of the program from Day One have allowed it to continue this long. Each year, the team and Chevrolet grow that relationship and partnership with closer links to racecar and production cars. In many ways, it starts with the commitment that Chevrolet has toward sports car racing – not just in the United States but around the world. “Car manufacturers oftentimes love to play for a little bit and then take a break or go somewhere else. But Chevrolet and Corvette have been consistently here for 25 years. Any car manufacturer looking at going racing needs to look at what Corvette Racing has done. The production cars have transformed from what they had been in the late 1990s when this program came about to where the eighth-generation Corvette is now. In terms of being faster, better handling and everything you want in a car, the Corvette has improved over the years. The racecars have gone hand-in-hand with those production cars as well in improving over the years. It’s a good mirror of having a great product for the road and a great product on the racetrack. I feel very fortunate to have been part of this program for as long as I have, and hopefully that continues on in the future.”
RON FELLOWS, CORVETTE RACING DRIVER FROM 1999-2007: "It's amazing. I sat down with some of the Chevy leadership in September of 1997 and they talked about taking a Corvette to Le Mans. I was dumbfounded! But they were serious about it and said they wanted me to be part of it and lead the program as a driver. I couldn't say yes fast enough! “It's great to see not only the success of Corvette Racing but also the development of generations of production Corvette. They both improved hand-in-hand. To see how both have evolved is awesome to look at. "We certainly learned a ton at that first Rolex 24. And we continued to get better throughout 1999 and into 2000. When you look at how long development occurred, you realize how much work went into it. In 2000, we knew we had a fast car and it was a matter of putting all the pieces together to finish it off. But the evolution of the cars and people was phenomenal. There were tough times but everyone kept digging and we were all better for it."
OLIVER GAVIN, CORVETTE RACING DRIVER FROM 2002-2020: “When I first tested for Corvette Racing in 2001, the team already was established and it was a force in the paddocks of the American Le Mans Series and at Le Mans. When you get into three or four years of a program, you think that something will change and something will happen to move on to the next thing. But it was amazing to see how Corvette Racing grew from C5-R to C6.R through the different competition we faced. The racing back then, thinking about it now, makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck. It was fantastic fun and great, intense racing. “You get to 2010 and I'd been there for nine seasons. You think how this keeps building and building every year. The competition level in any form of GT racing is so high, no matter where you go. But this team has constantly been running at the front. Part of that key is building on the foundation of the road car, and you see that from generation to generation. You see the lessons that have been learned and how they are applied in production and with the race team. It shows how hard everyone works together and the overall effort of the individual groups. Everyone is pulling in the same direction and wanting to keep progressing and continuing the level and standard that Corvette Racing has established for so long.”
Chevrolet on Display All Around Daytona · Exciting Chevrolet products won’t be found just on the track at the Rolex 24. Starting Friday fans, can check out a large variety of Chevy models at three locations around Daytona International Speedway. The Chevrolet Experience Center, the Chevrolet Injector and Chevrolet Motorsports Display each will be full of Chevrolet vehicles that spectators can learn more about throughout the weekend.
Each location will open at 9 a.m., Friday and Saturday; and 8 a.m., Sunday.
The Chevrolet Experience Center is located next to Victory Lane. The main attraction for Corvette enthusiasts is the 2024 Corvette E-Ray – Chevrolet’s first electrified, all-wheel drive Corvette. In addition, multiple versions of the 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 will be on display alongside Blazer RS, Corvette Stingray, Tahoe RST and Bolt EUV Premier.
The Chevrolet Motorsports Display in the Fan Midway will have a number of attractions: • Production vehicles such as the Corvette Z06, Corvette Stingray with the Z51 package, Tahoe Z71, Colorado ZR2, Blazer EV RS, Silverado 1500 Crew ZR2, Camaro ZL1 a Corvette C8.R showcar and the Garage 56 Camaro ZL1 test car. • Samples of Chevrolet engines, performance parts and accessories available to fans for purchase from local Chevrolet dealers • Corvette Racing t-shirts for fans who sign up with Chevrolet
At the Chevrolet Injector, nearly 20 different Chevrolet vehicles are on display throughout the four levels of fan access. Models include Corvette Z06 and Stingray, Silverado ZR2, Corvette Z06, Bolt EV and EUV, Tahoe RST, Blazer Premier and RST, Camaro ZL1 and SS, Suburban Premier and multiple variants of Silverado: 1500, 2500, ZR2 and TrailBoss.
As at the Chevrolet Motorsports Display and Chevrolet Experience, Chevrolet product specialists will be on-hand to answer questions on each model of Chevrolet vehicle throughout the weekend.
PRESS RELEASE: Garcia fourth-fastest in GTD PRO qualifying with No. 3 Corvette C8.R
CORVETTE RACING AT DAYTONA: Positive Steps Forward into the Rolex 24 Garcia fourth-fastest in GTD PRO qualifying with No. 3 Corvette C8.R
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 22, 2023) – A new season – and Corvette Racing’s 25th – will see Antonio Garcia and the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R start fourth in class for next weekend’s Rolex 24 At Daytona.
During Sunday’s 15-minute qualifying session, Garcia posted a best lap of 1:48.077 (118.582 mph) around the 3.56-mile Daytona International Speedway road course to slot into the top-five in the GT Daytona (GTD PRO) class and 12th among all GTD entries for the opening round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
The No. 3 Corvette – with Garcia teaming with Jordan Taylor and Antonio Garcia – completed 146 laps for nearly 520 miles across the three-day Roar Before the 24 test days. The focus now turns to adding a sixth class win at the Rolex 24, the last coming in 2021.
As is traditionally the case, exploring different mechanical setups and aero configurations were the most important items to cross off during the Roar. Aside from a steering issue in Friday’s opening session, the Corvette spent minimal time in the pitlane, which helped maximize the amount of data gathering for next week.
This is the second year for Corvette Racing in the GTD PRO class, which is comprised of GT3-level cars from multiple manufacturers. Corvette Racing won one race in 2022 and finished third in the GTD PRO championship.
Corvette Racing returns to the track for the first official Rolex 24 practice at 11:05 a.m. ET on Thursday.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – QUALIFIED FOURTH IN GTD PRO: “It was a little bit messy. I didn’t know which cars had Pro drivers and which had Bronze drivers. I got caught out a few times but that’s just the way it is. Whatever I lost behind in traffic is what I gained on the draft so it was a trade-off. The track changed a little bit with the rain yesterday but it was pretty much the same in the end. The wind was pretty strong so the car felt a little slower. We will see what we can find in the data to try and be a little quicker next week.”
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “From a pace perspective, it’s hard to tell where we’re going to stack up next week. For us, we’re focusing on what we can control. We’ve made a lot of headway, especially since 2022. When we hit the ground here last year, we were guessing on what was going to work and what wasn’t going to work. Coming in this year, I feel like we are so far ahead of where we were last year. This weekend went smoothly other than one incident we had. Now we’re fine-tuning the car and making small changes here and there to make all three drivers happy. It’s nice to have three guys who agree on what the car should feel like. We’re all heading in the same direction from a setup point of view. This weekend was about doing the little things – not just the driver side but also on the crew side and engineering side with things like pit stop practice and driver change practice. We’re very much prepared for next week.”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Last year was very different with the required changes we had to make for the GTD spec. From a driver’s perspective, we need to be diligent with our preparation into next week. The car was really good yesterday in both the wet and dry conditions. We made some progress there and we’ll come up with a plan to get more speed out of it if we can. Having had a full year on this car and tire combination, the crew has the car already in a better place than last year. We have the knowledge and experience from last year, which is helpful. The goal obviously is to win this race, so we’ll take whatever we can from last year’s race and last year’s season to apply it to this year’s Rolex 24.”
No. 3 Corvette C8.R begins another full-season championship challenge in GTD PRO
CORVETTE RACING AT DAYTONA: 25th Year Starts at a Familiar Place No. 3 Corvette C8.R begins another full-season championship challenge in GTD PRO
DETROIT (Jan. 17, 2023) – Corvette Racing is back where it all started a quarter-century ago as the team returns to Daytona International Speedway for its two-week, season-opening event in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
First up is the Roar Before the 24 – three days of official testing that culminates in qualifying for the Rolex 24 At Daytona. The Roar runs from Friday through Sunday with practice starting for the Rolex 24 on Thursday, January 26.
This season marks the second for Corvette Racing in the GT Daytona (GTD) PRO category. This year’s lineup features the two-time IMSA championship-winning pair of Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor – challenging for another full-season title – and fellow Corvette Racing veteran Tommy Milner in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R.
While this is the first race together for the trio, one has shared the cockpit of a Corvette with the other on multiple occasions. While Garcia and Taylor are full-season teammates, Milner was a full-time Corvette driver in 2011 with Garcia as his long-distance teammate. Coincidently, they went on to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans that year.
Fast-forward to 2015 and Taylor was the third driver at Le Mans with Milner and Oliver Gavin as the trio won their class in a storybook ending for Corvette Racing.
Daytona was the site of Corvette Racing’s first event in 1999. In its 12 Rolex starts since then, the program has won the race four times – the most recent coming in 2021 when Garcia, Taylor and Nicky Catsburg led a 1-2 Corvette Racing finish in the final Rolex 24 for the GT Le Mans (GTLM) category.
There are eight entries from seven manufacturers in GTD PRO for this year’s Rolex 24. Combined with the regular GTD field, Corvette Racing will be in a fight among 23 production-based cars around the 3.56-mile, eight-turn circuit that combines Daytona’s super-speedway oval with its infield road course.
The Roar Before the 24 is set for Friday-Sunday with GTD qualifying for the Rolex 24 scheduled for 1:25 p.m. on Sunday. The session will stream live around the world on IMSA.com.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Going for the second time in GTD PRO at Daytona will be a little bit different. We have a year of experience now. A year ago, it was hard for us and hard for IMSA to know what to expect from the performance of our car. I hope we are in a better position this time around, especially at Daytona. We were lacking a ton of performance and we were not competitive and couldn’t fight for wins. I hope things change. The team has one year of experience in this category. We know our weaknesses and where we are strong. I hope we have a chance to win.”
“For Corvette Racing, Daytona is a key part of our season. We’ve been lucky enough to win it a few times. Last year wasn’t a great year for us but I hope we have a chance to be up there, work for it and maybe win the Rolex again.”
“It’s great to have Tommy back. I was still a third driver when he joined the team and I was able to be in the car with him for a year. We won Le Mans together, so I think it’s a good moment to get together again and win all the other big races we can win. I haven’t won Daytona or Sebring with him, so this is a good chance to try for that.”
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Heading into the season, the motivation is win as much as we can. That starts with the Rolex 24. Last year we had a tough race in our first event in GTD. Getting an understanding about what the car needs and what the drivers need is a lot to learn. Having done the whole season a year ago, we can take what we learned into practice and hopefully we can hit the ground running strong at Daytona.”
“With the GTD PRO class growing as much as it has, Daytona will be such an important event for us. We’ve got so many manufacturers from around the world, and it’s a big deal to represent Corvette and Chevrolet on our home turf. We won the race in 2021 and hopefully we can come back with a strong car in GTD after learning what we did a year ago. We’re definitely hoping for another watch this year.” “It was kind of sad not having Tommy in the IMSA field last year. He’s been a staple in this sport for so many years. I know he enjoyed WEC and exploring the different tracks. For us, it’s nice to have him back home. The last time we drove the same car, we won Le Mans back in 2015 so we have a lot of good history and good memories. We had a good battle back in 2021 around Daytona. He’s one guy you’d rather have in your car than racing against. Hopefully we can go win some more races together.”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “The team had a pretty tough year last year. They won at Sebring and were competitive at some places, but for the most part the first year bringing a GTLM car down to GTD was challenging, for sure. I would say expectations for Daytona, we go there to win. That’s why we race. Last year was a big challenge for us. We were very slow in a straight line, hopefully that will be better. The goal is to win the race and winning a championship.
“Daytona itself is a huge part of the IMSA championship and endurance racing around the world. It kicks off the racing season around the world. The track itself is not crazy difficult, but the race itself is challenging. You have to have a car that is good in all kinds of conditions. It can get pretty hot in the daytime and also super cold at night. The oval itself poses its own challenges. It’s one car from each manufacturer and great driver lineups with great teams. So it’s a challenge for all of us as drivers and a team to compare ourselves to some of the best in the world. It’s a challenge that Corvette Racing is always up for. No matter what hand we’re dealt, we’ll work our magic to get our Corvette up front.”
“I enjoyed my time last year in WEC to go all around the world and represent Corvette Racing. To go around the world and show off this Corvette to a lot of fans who have never seen the car before was special. As an American kid, being at home is quite nice and the chance to race the three major races in the IMSA championship is fantastic.”
Photos: Richard Prince, Chevrolet Racing
CORVETTE RACING BY THE NUMBERS AT DAYTONA • 0.034: As in seconds – the winning margin of victory in Corvette Racing’s 1-2 finish at the 2016 Rolex 24. It is the closest finish in race history. • 1: As in one team, one manufacturer and one model of car going on 25 years: Corvette Racing and Chevrolet. • 2: Number of the overall winning Corvette C5-R in the 2001 Rolex 24. Ron Fellows, Johnny O’Connell, Chris Kneifel and Franck Freon completed 656 laps for 2335.36 miles in the winning effort. • 4: Rolex 24 wins for Corvette Racing: 2001 overall, 2015 GTLM (Antonio Garcia/Jan Magnussen/Ryan Briscoe), 2016 GTLM (Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler) and 2021 GTLM (Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg) • 14: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001. • 24: Drivers who have driven for Corvette Racing at Daytona – Justin Bell, Ryan Briscoe, Nicky Catsburg, Kelly Collins, Dale Earnhardt, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Marcel Fässler, Ron Fellows, Franck Freon, Antonio Garcia, Oliver Gavin, John Heinricy, Chris Kneifel, Robin Liddell, Jan Magnussen, Tommy Milner, Simon Pagenaud, John Paul Jr., Andy Pilgrim, Mike Rockenfeller, Scott Sharp, Alexander Sims, Marco Sorensen, Nick Tandy and Jordan Taylor. • 27: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte Motor Speedway, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Daytona, Detroit, Fuji Speedway, Houston, Laguna Seca, Le Mans, Lime Rock, Long Beach, Miami, Mid-Ohio, Monza, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen • 32: Number of drivers for Corvette Racing since 1999. • 70: 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. • 122: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 113 in North America, eight at Le Mans and one in the FIA WEC • 266: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999 • 54,436.60: Number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing at Daytona. That’s more than two full trips around the Earth at its equator (approx. 24,900 miles). • 348,756.01: 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.
Corvette Racing at Daytona 1999 No. 2 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Chris Kneifel/John Paul Jr. – 3rd in GTS No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Scott Sharp/John Heinricy – 12th in GTS
2000 No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Chris Kneifel/Justin Bell – 2nd in GTS No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon – 10th in GTS
2001 No. 2 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Chris Kneifel/Franck Freon – 1st in GTS (overall win) No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Dale Earnhardt/Dale Earnhardt Jr. – 2nd in GTS
2014 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Ryan Briscoe – 10th in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Robin Liddell – 5th in GTLM
2015 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Ryan Briscoe – 1st in GTLM (Magnussen fastest race lap) No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Simon Pagenaud – 3rd in GTLM (Gavin pole)
2016 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 2nd in GTLM (Garcia fastest race lap) No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 1st in GTLM (Winner by 0.034 second)
2017 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 4th in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 9th in GTLM
2018 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 3rd in GTLM (Magnussen pole) No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 4th in GTLM
2019 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 6th in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 8th in GTLM
2020 (Rolex 24 – January) No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg – 4th in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 7th in GTLM
2020 (WeatherTech 240 – July) No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 1st in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 5th in GTLM
2021 No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg – 1st in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy/Alexander Sims – 2nd in GTLM
2022 No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg – 6th in GTD PRO No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy/Marco Sorensen – 10th in GTD PRO
Corvette Racing Rounds Out FIA WEC Lineup in No. 33 C8.R
Nico Varrone joins Keating, Catsburg for seven-round GTE Am championship
DETROIT (Jan. 13, 2023) – Corvette Racing is completing its lineup for the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship with young Argentinian driver Nico Varrone joining Ben Keating and factory driver Nicky Catsburg. The trio will team together in the No. 33 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R in the GTE Am category.
It’s the second straight full-season program in the FIA WEC for Corvette Racing, which celebrate its 25th season of competition in 2023. The campaign will be the first for the Corvette program in GTE Am, where the sporting rules require at least one Bronze-level driver, as rated by the FIA. One professional-level driver is allowed along with a second Bronze or Silver-rated driver.
The combination of Catsburg, Keating and Varrone will contest the full seven-race WEC calendar including the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June. The season begins with the 1,000 Miles of Sebring on Friday, March 17.
Although he’s new to Corvette Racing, the silver-rated Varrone got an early taste of the mid-engine Corvette C8.R during testing following the 2022 WEC finale at Bahrain and in a private test at Sebring in December.
Although his early racing focused on karting and single-seaters, Varrone’s most recent success has come in sports cars with victories in both prototype and GT cars. Among them are wins in the GTE Am category of this year’s European Le Mans Series along with a victory in the 24H Series’ round in Barcelona earlier this season.
This is the second consecutive year that Corvette Racing will compete in multiple GT championships around the world. Its campaign in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship begins in two weeks with the Rolex 24 At Daytona.
NICO VARRONE, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “I’m really, really happy and over the moon for this opportunity. It always was my dream to be at this level and be on a team with a magnificent brand like Corvette Racing. To be paired with two legendary drivers like Ben and Nicky also is very special. I have to say a big thank to you to Jeroen Bleekmolen for recommending me. He is close to both Ben and Nicky so it’s quite a nice feeling. I can’t wait for us to start with this program.”
“It’s really special at Corvette Racing. I’ve never been inside a factory team, and I was expecting things to be kind of quiet and different. But it’s such a nice feeling because Corvette Racing is a big family. You have fun with the crew guys, the engineers and the drivers. They are so open to talking about things that it’s really special. Nicky and Ben also are guys who have always watched on TV. To share a car with them is something I never could have imagined.”
“I’ve driven other GT cars but the Corvette is one of the best feelings I’ve ever had in a racecar. It’s a natural and proper racecar, for sure. The confidence it gives in the high-speed corners, the traction and the braking of the car is amazing. It fits me just right. I felt comfortable almost right away. I was expecting it to be like other GT cars I’ve driven, but to me it’s more similar to a prototype. It’s a mega sensation for the drivers. I enjoyed every lap I’ve done so far. I can’t wait for more.”
FIA WEC test in Bahrain sees Keating, prospective drivers behind wheel of C8.R
CORVETTE RACING AT BAHRAIN: Straight Into 2023 Prep FIA WEC test in Bahrain sees Keating, prospective drivers behind wheel of C8.R
SAKHIR, Bahrain (Nov. 16, 2022) – Shortly after closing its season with a heroic runner-up class finish in the Eight Hours of Bahrain for the FIA World Endurance Championship, Corvette Racing was back on-track for a one-day test ahead of the team’s 2023 campaign.
Ben Keating, already confirmed to drive the Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R next year in the WEC, got his first laps in the mid-engine racer Sunday along with two prospective teammates: Axcil Jefferies and Nicolas Varrone. Once a final decision comes, the three will focus on winning races and a championship in the GTE Am category – the first season for Corvette Racing in the class after a decade-plus as part of GTE Pro.
The sporting rules of the GTE Am category require at least one Bronze-level driver – Keating in this case – as rated by the FIA. One professional-level driver – Catsburg – is allowed along with a second Bronze or Silver-rated driver. That trio will contest the full seven-race WEC calendar including the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June.
Corvette Racing ended its first full FIA WEC season with a runner-up finish by Tommy Milner and Nick Tandy in the No. 64 Corvette. The team will open the 2023 season with the 1,000 Miles of Sebring on March 17.
LAURA WONTROP KLAUSER, GM SPORTS CAR RACING PROGRAM MANAGER: "First off, thanks to Nick Tandy for the two years he spent with Corvette Racing and what he did to elevate the team and our program in both IMSA and the WEC. Having he and Tommy Milner as part of our lineup for our first season in WEC was a great experience with some fantastic results." (On 2023): "We're really excited based on the results of our preliminary testing for 2023. Ben got in the car and was strong right off the bat, which is exactly what we expected. We know Nicky (Catsburg) does well based on his history with us. The pace of the silver-rated drivers we tested was good. We’re eager to decide on the right fit to complete our lineup. There is a lot to look forward to in our return to the WEC next year with a competitive team and car in a new class. I feel like we are off to a good start."
BEN KEATING: "Those first laps were really good. The feel of this car is significantly different than the Aston Martin that I've been driving the last two years and the last three days. I don't know how many laps I did... maybe 10 laps this morning and I'm still learning a lot about the car. It's very impressive. It's fun for me as a driver. I think I've driven almost every single GTE car now, and they're all a little bit different in the way you find speed. Obviously the Corvette is no different. You have to learn where to find the speed and how to work the car. It's been really interesting. In looking at the data, and as an example I was one gear too low in every single corner; I was over-slowing the car in every single corner than what I needed to because my brain isn't calibrated to how quickly the Corvette can go through a corner. That's just an example of the things I need to learn, and I'm excited to do that.”
(Outlook for 2023): "I'm really looking forward to running in the Corvette. I pay for all of this racing by selling cars, and I'm super excited to get back into racing a car that I sell back in Texas at my Chevrolet dealerships. I'm super excited to race for an American manufacturer with an American team. Almost everyone in the garage sounds like I do! When we win a race next year, we'll get to hear the American national anthem. That'll be special. I'm very excited about what next year holds for us as we learn to gel and as Corvette Racing learns what it's like to be in GTE Am for the first time."
NICOLAS VARRONE: "I'm really delighted. Thanks to Ben Keating and Corvette Racing for the opportunity. It's just an amazing car... a pure racecar that I enjoyed driving. It's really fun. The brakes surprised me. The braking efficiency is really amazing. There was a learning experience because I'm used to other cars, but the team helped me a lot during the day to try new things and improve every time I went on track. It was good and I enjoyed it a lot."
AXCIL JEFFERIES: "Honestly the car feels great. Not only that but the team is fun to work with. It's a really nice group of guys. It was nice getting up to speed with the car. I expected quite a lot from the car. Obviously it's a factory program and I expected everything set to the highest level, and it really delivered. It would be great if this opportunity could happen in WEC. Let's see what how it works. I tried my best, and now the decision will be up to the team and Ben."
PRESS RELEASE Second place for Milner, Tandy, No. 64 C8.R in season, class finale
CORVETTE RACING AT BAHRAIN: What a Run to GTE Pro Podium! Second place for Milner, Tandy, No. 64 C8.R in season, class finale
SAKHIR, Bahrain (Nov. 12, 2022) – Corvette Racing’s never-give-up mindset came to the forefront again Saturday as a total team effort led to a runner-up GTE Pro class finish in the Eight Hours of Bahrain and the final race of the year in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
Tommy Milner and Nick Tandy came home second in the last race for the GTE Pro category with the No. 64 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R. It marked the pairing’s third podium finish of the season and second runner-up result, the first coming in the season-opening 1,000 Miles of Sebring.
Milner, Tandy and Corvette Racing captured the Six Hours of Monza earlier this year as part of the team’s globe-trotting first season in the WEC. Saturday’s result provides a nice springboard to the 2023 season and a GTE Am campaign with the mid-engine Corvette C8.R.
Saturday, the Corvette team’s fortunes took a dramatic change just past the one-hour mark. After starting fifth in class – and sitting at the bottom of the GTE Pro timesheets throughout practice and qualifying – Milner gained track position by going a lap longer than three other GTE Pro cars in his opening stint and made his first pit stop during the race’s first full-course caution just past the one-hour mark.
Going long gained Milner 30 seconds and – more importantly – three positions to second place by the time the race went green again with 75 minutes running. From that point on, Milner masterfully managed his pace and tires on a hot and slippery surface for the next hour before handing off to Tandy for a double-stint under another yellow period.
The C8.R continued to show life with changes from the Corvette Racing engineers and crew following Friday’s qualifying. Tandy was able to fight and overtake one of the two Porsches and challenge eventual race-winner Ferrari despite behind handfuls of seconds behind throughout practice.
Milner got back in in the Corvette just past the halfway point – again, under a full-course yellow – and held second position throughout his 70-minute run before a final swap back to Tandy for the final 2.5 hours.
As much as the pre-race adjustments to the C8.R paid off, the pit work by the Corvette Racing crew and engineering strategies – both fuel and tire usage – kept the team in contention throughout. That bore out in the pit stops with the C8.R crew nine seconds quicker in its cumulative pitlane time throughout the race than the other two podium cars in GTE Pro.
The end of the WEC season brought to an end an iconic era of GTE Pro racing. Corvette Racing, naturally, has been part of GTE Pro in the WEC – including the 24 Hours of Le Mans – since the first year of the class in 2011. Its participation in GTE-rules racing was amplified in 2014 with the birth of the GT Le Mans (GTLM) category in IMSA, which used the same technical rules that existed for GTE.
Taking into account both championships, Corvette Racing has an exemplary record in GTE/GTLM competition with 32 victories at racetracks around the world to go along with five Drivers and Team championships and four Manufacturers crowns in IMSA
Corvette Racing will return to FIA WEC competition in 2023 with Ben Keating and Nicky Catsburg teaming in a GTE Am Corvette C8.R. The season begins March 17 at Sebring International Raceway.
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED SECOND IN GTE PRO: “That was definitely a lot better than we were anticipating! It’s great to be back on the podium in the last race of the year and the last GTE Pro race. It’s a little bittersweet. If you look at our season as a whole, we had a great year. There was still a lot to be had. If Le Mans had gone the way it was going for us, Nick and I would be World Champions as drivers so that’s a bit of a bummer. But that’s racing. I’m happy to end this class on a high note and be back on the podium for Corvette Racing. I’m super-proud of the work that all these guys have done this year. We realistically had a championship season, and everyone should be super-proud.”
(On the race): "We were really lucky with the timing of that second full-course yellow and to be in position to take advantage of that. That catapulted us back in the race. Ultimately we didn't have the pace to run with the Ferrari. The plan from the beginning was to run our own race and be smart on the strategy to see where we end up. The engineers had me save quite a bit of fuel. We did whatever we could do to be as perfect as possible and let the result be determined by everybody else and not by us. Our goal was to drive our own race and see what happened."
NICK TANDY, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED SECOND IN GTE PRO: “What a great way to finish the season. It shows again that in a long endurance race, all the pieces and parts of the puzzle – most of those being the people involved – make a huge difference. From a team point of view, we ran an absolute faultless race from start to finish. We got lucky with strategy but we put ourselves in position to get that luck. From then on, we made the Corvette the best that it’s been to drive all week. We had pace in the race when others saw theirs drop. From the pit crew to the engineering group, everyone who has been looking after the team, getting us and the car here and ready, it’s been a great day for Corvette Racing. We finished probably three places further up than we should have, and that’s due to great execution from every single team member. It’s a great way to end this season.”
(On the race): “We got lucky with the early yellow. Actually we had looked at it early and said maybe the only chance we'd have is to try and play something on the fuel strategy game. That worked out well for us and the 51 Ferrari. We gained about 30 seconds on the other three cars when we pitted. Then we were looking to see where we were in the meat of the race when the sun came down. We weren't too bad on pace, and I had a great fight with Michael (Christensen, No. 92 Porsche) for a few laps. It was a good run out there."
(On the full season): “I think you can see that all of us at Corvette Racing have enjoyed it. It's been good fun. It's been frustrating at times but overall everyone is pleased with what we've done by coming in for the full season. We've won a race and been competitive at most events. We've got experience not just for Corvette Racing but also for all our partner teams at General Motors. Everything we've done and learned will help not only this teams but hopefully others in the future. It's good to come here and see everything and bring people to these events and tracks with regulations we haven't seen before.”
LAURA WONTROP KLAUSER, GM SPORTS RACING PROGRAM MANAGER: "We're really proud of all the accomplishments by everyone on the Corvette Racing program this year in the World Endurance Championship. It was our first time in this series, and we knew it was going to be a learning season. To win at Monza, to lead as many laps as we did at Le Mans, and to finish second at Sebring and now here at Bahrain... I'd say we did pretty well! There is a lot we can and will take from this into the 2023 season. A huge thanks to everyone at Chevrolet, GM Performance, Pratt Miller and many, many more who supported us and made this possible. We're already looking forward to Sebring next year!"
No. 64 Corvette continuing to make progress ahead of season, GTE Pro finale
CORVETTE RACING AT BAHRAIN: Closing the Gap No. 64 Corvette continuing to make progress ahead of season, GTE Pro finale
MANAMA, Bahrain (Nov. 11, 2022) – Corvette Racing will start the final race for the GTE Pro class in the FIA World Endurance Championship fifth in the category. Nick Tandy set a lap of 1:57.539 (103.023 mph) around the Bahrain International Circuit on Friday evening in the No. 64 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R that he will share with Tommy Milner.
It’s the first trip to Bahrain for the Corvette Racing and the mid-engine C8.R as the team and its fellow WEC competitors close the season in the Middle East.
The single-car team worked throughout Thursday and Friday’s practice sessions to try and come to grips – literally and figuratively – with the circuit layout and racing surface. The high temperatures in the desert present a challenge to tire life with high levels of degradation expected to factor in Saturday’s race.
Corvette Racing’s two manufacturer competitors – Porsche and Ferrari – have the benefit of multiple years of experience at Bahrain, especially having contested a doubleheader a year ago at the circuit. As a result, the gap to the front is considerable – nearly 1.4 seconds – but Corvette Racing engineers were hard at work after the session pouring over data to make further improvements before Saturday’s race.
The goal is to add one more victory in GTE Pro competition to its tally of 32 around the world, taking into account the category in the WEC as well as the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s GT Le Mans (GTLM) class, which ran from 2014-2021.
The Eight Hours of Bahrain for the FIA World Endurance Championship is scheduled for 2 p.m. Arabian Standard Time (AST) / 6 a.m. ET Saturday from the Bahrain International Circuit. The race will air live on MotorTrend with live streaming coverage of the race on the MotorTrend Plus app and Radio Le Mans’ online audio coverage.
NICK TANDY, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – QUALIFIED FIFTH IN GTE PRO: “Obviously the point staring us in the face is that we are slowest in the class, which is sad for everyone. We did a lot of work from Free Practice Three to qualifying, and actually the car was fantastic. My lap in qualifying was one that I was pleased with and probably was one of the best I’ve done this season. The gap to the front, while at almost 1.5 seconds, is the closest we’ve been all weekend. So as a team, we’ve done a terrific job. It doesn’t take away from the fact that we’re going to start from the fifth position. To end qualifying in GTE Pro like this is frustrating. But we can all be proud as a team for continually progressing and making the car better for us drivers. It was really pleasurable to be out there again in this C8.R in qualifying trim and driving fast.”
WEC FIA 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.
Looking back on an incredible era of manufacturer racing in WEC, IMSA
CORVETTE RACING AT BAHRAIN: Farewell to GTE Pro Looking back on an incredible era of manufacturer racing in WEC, IMSA
DETROIT (Nov. 9, 2022) – This weekend’s Eight Hours of Bahrain marks the last race for the GTE Pro class in the FIA World Endurance Championship, the end of a fantastic decade-plus of manufacturer vs. manufacturer competition.
Corvette Racing, naturally, has been part of GTE Pro in the WEC – including the 24 Hours of Le Mans – since the first year of the class in 2011. Its participation in GTE-rules racing was amplified in 2014 with the birth of the GT Le Mans (GTLM) category in IMSA, which used the same technical rules that existed for GTE.
Taking into account both championships, Corvette Racing has an exemplary record in GTE/GTLM competition with 32 victories at racetracks around the world to go along with five Drivers and Team championships and four Manufacturers crowns in IMSA. That number could increase next year with the team’s move to GTE Am in WEC with Ben Keating and Nicky Catsburg confirmed as the first two drivers for the full 2023 season.
Coincidentally, the first GTE rules victory for Corvette Racing came in 2011 at Le Mans with its No. 73 Corvette C6.R. Current Corvette WEC driver Tommy Milner was part of the lineup with IMSA regular Antonio Garcia alongside Olivier Beretta.
Milner also was part of the most recent GTE Pro win with Nick Tandy and the No. 64 Corvette C8.R at Monza in this year’s GTE Pro championship.
The Eight Hours of Bahrain for the FIA World Endurance Championship is scheduled for 2 p.m. Arabian Standard Time (AST) / 6 a.m. ET Saturday from the Bahrain International Circuit. Qualifying is set for 4:50 p.m. AST/8:50 a.m. ET on Friday. The race will air live on MotorTrend with live streaming coverage of the race and qualifying on the MotorTrend Plus app. Radio Le Mans will broadcast qualifying and the race.
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “This class has been a huge part of my career… actually it’s been my career realistically! It even goes back to my first at Le Mans in 2006 in GT2. The rules have changed slightly over the years, but it’s been roughly the same for the last 15 seasons. It’s been fantastic and some of the best racing we’ve seen around the world, whether it’s been at Le Mans or in IMSA. In the short term, we’re losing a professional GT class at Le Mans, but I don’t think that will be the case for very long. It seems like in many ways both in IMSA and Le Mans, the class has run its course and had its great years and some down years as well with lower car counts. So from that side of things, you understand the need to start fresh. But I think things will pick up where they left off soon in terms of professional GT racing.”
“Those years where we had 16-17 cars at Le Mans… it was just a remarkable with the competition level for the show. It shows what that class could have been in many cases. While you see many people dwell on low car counts – at least compared to the amateur classes – the racing was always super good and competitive. It seemed to get more intense and competitive each year with the usual suspects. It’s an era of sports car racing where people can look back on and most will settle on and dwell on those years from 2016-19 with how good those cars were. I don’t think that we’re losing something; I think it’s a chance to refresh the formula for professional GT racing as IMSA has continued with a professional GT class.”
NICK TANDY, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “With this class of GTE Pro and GTLM racing… the first experience I had with these types of cars and what I started my factory racing career was in GT in the American Le Mans Series. This was in 2013. The class effectively launched the rest of my career. It’s been a huge part of my life for the last years. So it is very sad to see the end of an era. I’ve been through the heartbreak of losing GTLM, and luckily I’ve been able to carry on racing GTE Pro cars this year. But it’s the end of this era and car specification, which is sad. But for me personally, I’m so happy I was able to be part of it. It has been the class that has provided me with great racing and the life I’m lucky enough to live and do.”
“The racing was spectacular on both sides of the world. The cars always looked awesome. They typified a souped-up sports car that you would draw up or dream of when you’re growing up as a child. They looked spectacular and sounded spectacular. All the cars in the class were different, of course. But the way the class was managed, the racing was always close. You’ve only got to look at different series when there were five factory teams racing at one time. The racing was absolutely the best in the world that I had seen or experienced. It’s been a great time for our sport. It’s given me so many lasting memoires, even dating back to 2011. It’s been my life. Good times...” “I’ve been lucky to race in other cars and in other classes. When the heyday of LMP1 ended in 2017, we went to Le Mans in 2018 and GTE Pro was headlining. There were 17 proper factory-affiliated entries and all with a chance to win. The class has been ever-present and ever-popular while other classes had been up and down. That’s a testament to the regulations and the manufacturers who wanted to join in and go racing.”
LAURA WONTROP KLAUSER, GM SPORTS CAR RACING PROGRAM MANAGER: “GTE Pro in WEC – and GT Le Mans in IMSA – have provided some of the best racing between manufacturers that sports car racing has seen in a generation. The teams and the technology have been top-notch. Some of the most exciting races I've personally seen – as a fan and as part of the program – involved Corvette Racing in GTE Pro or GTLM. As a manufacturer, you can't ask for better competition than against four, five and six other marques like we saw in 2017, 2018 and 2019. As we all look forward to the next chapter of production-based racing worldwide with GT3, I hope we can see more of the great battles between teams and manufacturers for years to come.”
Final GTE Pro race in WEC sees Milner, Tandy going for second victory of season
CORVETTE RACING AT BAHRAIN: Let’s Go Out with a Bang! Final GTE Pro race in WEC sees Milner, Tandy going for second victory of season
DETROIT (Nov. 8, 2022) – Corvette Racing will put a cap on its first full year in the FIA World Endurance Championship with its initial trip to the Middle East for the season-ending Eight Hours of Bahrain.
As they have all season, Tommy Milner and Nick Tandy will pilot the No. 64 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R in Corvette Racing’s first trip to the Middle East. A new venue doesn’t intimidate the team as it has a victory at Monza in its Italian debut. Bahrain will be the 33rd different track for the Corvette program.
Another victory not only would close out the WEC season in the best way possible, but it also would put Corvette Racing in the history books as the winner of the final GTE PRO race in the championship.
The category has been part of the WEC since the 2011 season, and the technical regulations matched the GT Le Mans (GTLM) class in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship from 2014-2021. In the GTE/GTLM era, Corvette Racing has recorded 33 victories across WEC and IMSA competition.
The 3.363-mile, 15-turn Bahrain International Circuit is unique in multiple ways. It features less than 17 meters of elevation change over the course of a lap, and the entire lap – all but the exit of Turn Four – is run below sea level.
As expected, it’s a very arid circuit with desert sands and rocks bordering the racing tarmac and runoff areas. In many ways, Bahrain is similar to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on the IMSA calendar. There, sand and dust constantly blow across the track surface which puts a premium on generating grip and maximizing tire life.
While the track surface at Bahrain is much smoother and less destructive to tires compared to Laguna Seca, the significantly warmer air and track temperatures at Bahrain compared to the Monterey Peninsula will make it a challenge to prevent sliding of the tires across the track surface. To that point, tire performance will play a significant role in the outcome of Saturday’s race.
The No. 64 Corvette opened the WEC season with a strong second-place showing at the rain-shortened 1,000 Miles of Sebring. Things were trending the right way for the Tandy/Milner pairing at the Six Hours of Spa before a red flag just past the one-hour mark wiped out the team’s first planned pit stop and effectively put the Corvette a lap down before finishing fourth.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans was a cruel blow with the No. 64 C8.R eliminated while leading just shy of the 18-hour mark. Spirits lifted within the team following a thrilling class victory at Monza where the team won a fuel-mileage race for its first WEC win outside of Le Mans. Milner and Tandy finished fifth on a challenging weekend at Fuji in September.
The Eight Hours of Bahrain for the FIA World Endurance Championship is scheduled for 2 p.m. Arabian Standard Time (AST) / 6 a.m. ET Saturday from the Bahrain International Circuit. Qualifying is set for 4:50 p.m. AST/8:50 a.m. ET on Friday. The race will air live on MotorTrend with live streaming coverage of the race and qualifying on the MotorTrend Plus app. Radio Le Mans will broadcast qualifying and the race.
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “The track surface at Bahrain is pretty unique in general. To simplify it, you have big stones and little stones, polished and unpolished. It’s totally different than anywhere else we go. From the sim work we’ve done, it feels like there is a lot of grip. From what other drivers and teams have said, it’s a track that is aggressive on tires. That correlates pretty well with what we’ve seen in the simulator. I’d imagine the first practice session will be quite difficult as we dust off the track a little bit. It’s a circuit that is a little bit like Fuji with some long-duration corners and medium- and high-speed stuff. There are lessons we took from Japan that can apply here. The track surface being unique and its characteristics will play a big role in the strategy for the race.”
“I’ve raced in the Middle East once before at Dubai, so I have a little bit of understanding of the culture. It sounds like Dubai and Bahrain are similar in some ways. The fans were awesome when I went and it was a cool place to go see, and I’m sure Bahrain is similar in many ways. I’m excited to get there.”
NICK TANDY, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “I raced at Bahrain for the first time in 2010 and went there twice before in WEC. I’ve never driven a GTE car around there so this will be fun. The effect of the sand on the tire and how the tire interacts with the surface… how each car reacts to the sand blowing around – and it does quite a lot – can affect things quite a lot. It’s one of the challenges. It can be very gusty and windy, and the direction can change. This is another factor with the high-downforce cars that we have. When it’s windy, it does have an influence on the race and it can change lap by lap.”
“It’s an interesting circuit and good for racing and good to drive. Bahrain rewards consistency because you see the highest level of tire wear of any track we go to. You have to have consistent and clean driving, and the track punishes overdriving. This is good because you always want to influence a race as a driver.”
“One of the good things there is that you have linked corners… corners where what you do in the first corner influences what happens in the next. You have places like turns One and Two and then you have the Esses in the middle of the track, and the fastest section is in the middle. You have to figure out how to best get time out of them, whether you give up time in the first part to improve the second section or second corner. That’s always nice as opposed to have a straight, a hairpin and then another straight. Those races are kind of car-defined whereas with these types of corners, you can as a driver affect more of what’s happening and affect the laptime.”
Corvette C8.R to feature in GTD PRO stateside, GTE Am in FIA WEC
CORVETTE RACING RETURNING TO IMSA, FIA WEC IN 2023 Corvette C8.R to feature in GTD PRO stateside, GTE Am in FIA WEC
DETROIT (Oct. 18, 2022) – In its 25th season of top-level endurance racing, Corvette Racing will continue its long-running commitment to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in 2023 as part of the GT Daytona (GTD) PRO class while taking on a new challenge by transitioning into GTE Am competition in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
For the second year in a row, Corvette Racing will enter one car in each of sports car racing’s most prestigious championships. The premier races in the world will be part of the schedule for the Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R including the Rolex 24 At Daytona, 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, among others.
“We learned a great deal this year about running dual programs in both IMSA and the FIA WEC – all of which will benefit the Corvette brand going forward,” said Laura Wontrop Klauser, GM Sports Car Racing Program Manager. “In IMSA, we will return to GTD PRO against a very competitive group of manufacturers while laying the groundwork for the Corvette Z06 GT3.R. Similarly, Corvette Racing’s FIA WEC program allows us the opportunity to continue growing the global presence of Corvette in a world championship.”
FIA WEC: Catsburg, Keating form partnership in GTE Am The Corvette C8.R will again join the grid in the World Endurance Championship as a full-time entry, this time in GTE Am. The C8.R will be driven by Nicky Catsburg, who moves to full-time duty in a Corvette for the first time, and highly successful Bronze driver Ben Keating – widely considered one of the world’s best privateer drivers.
The sporting rules of the GTE Am category require at least one Bronze-level driver, as rated by the FIA. One professional-level driver is allowed along with a second Bronze or Silver-rated driver. Corvette Racing will confirm the final member of the WEC lineup at a later date.
The trio will contest the full seven-race WEC calendar including the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June.
Keating is a past winner at Le Mans, Daytona, Sebring and many of the other premier races in WEC, IMSA and Intercontinental GT Challenge. The personable Texan began racing in 2006 and quickly established a reputation as one of sports car’s fastest and most reliable amateur drivers in both prototype and GT categories. He races with the support of Four Horsemen Racing and Wynns.
While Keating will race a Corvette for the first time, Catsburg has established himself as a fixture with the marque. Since joining the program in 2020, Catsburg recorded a victory at Daytona in 2021 and Sebring this year alongside Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor.
The 2023 campaign will be Catsburg’s first in the World Endurance Championship since 2019. He also has wins in long-distance races at the Nürburgring, Spa and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, among other venues.
Garcia, Taylor back in IMSA GTD PRO full-time With two championships in three years together, the aforementioned Garcia and Taylor will reunite for another run at the GTD PRO title in 2023.
Like this year’s effort, the familiar yellow Corvette will run in a modified state to fit the C8.R in the performance window of GT3 cars that make up both the GTD PRO and regular GTD entries in the WeatherTech Championship. The 2022 season was a learning experience for both Corvette Racing and IMSA as the two groups work together on balancing the C8.R and the rest of the GTD category from technical and competitive standpoints.
The victory at Sebring for Garcia, Taylor and Catsburg was the highlight of the 2022 season, which also included runner-up finishes at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and VIR.
Garcia is a five-time IMSA champion dating back to 2013. He has made 136 starts with the program since joining as a long-distance driver in 2009. Among his career highlights include two Rolex 24 wins, two Le Mans wins and five victories at Sebring.
Taylor is a four-time IMSA champion with two coming in the GT Le Mans (GTLM) ranks with Garcia in 2020 and 2021. He joined Corvette Racing in 2012 as a long-distance third driver and won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2015. He moved to a full-time role in 2020 – the same season the C8.R made its competition debut.
Milner back to IMSA, focusing on GT3 development Tommy Milner, currently contesting the full WEC for Corvette Racing, will take over the endurance driver role in the WeatherTech Championship for 2023. He will drive with Garcia and Taylor at Daytona, Sebring and the 1,000-mile Petit Le Mans.
Milner also will serve a key role as the primary testing and development driver for the Corvette Z06 GT3.R, which will be available to customer racing teams starting in 2024.
Milner made his 130th start with Corvette Racing at the most recent WEC round at Fuji and has been part of the program as a full-time driver since 2011. He is a two-time IMSA champion, claimed a pair of victories at Le Mans and scored his first WEC race victory – outside of Le Mans – in July at the Six Hours of Monza.
Chevrolet is in the midst of an extensive development program for the Z06 GT3.R using both on-track testing and the manufacturer’s Driver-in-the-Loop simulator. The latter has been the focus for more than a year as Corvette Racing continues to refine items such as chassis platform, traction control, ABS and other tools that are features of GT3 racing.
The Corvette Z06 GT3.R will leverage the strong foundation provided by the mid-engine Corvette Z06 supercar. The Z06 GT3.R will share the same aluminum chassis, a production engine modified for use in the racecar, and similar aerodynamic features.
At the heart of the Z06 GT3.R is a 5.5-liter, DOHC LT6 V8 engine with the same flat-plane crankshaft architecture that powers the Corvette C8.R and the production Corvette Z06.
Corvette Racing’s 2023 IMSA campaign kicks off with the Rolex 24 At Daytona on January 28-30, while the FIA WEC season begins with the 1,000 Miles of Sebring on March 17.
NICKY CATSBURG, CORVETTE C8.R FOR FIA WEC IN 2023: “It’s been my goal from the get-go when I joined the team to be a full-time Corvette Racing driver. It’s super-cool to do races like Daytona, Sebring, Le Mans and Petit Le Mans. But I knew that I always wanted to do something full-time with the team. I’m super happy and proud that it’s happening and that I can call myself a full-time Corvette driver. It’s super-nice. It’s a dream come true and I can’t wait to get this going.”
“WEC is a cool program. You get to travel around the world and race at some of these great tracks. Ben is the best Bronze driver out there right now and consistently performs very well. I will miss GTE Pro because it was great fun being part of factory racing at Le Mans. But I’m excited to start working with Ben. I’ve been seeing him around for a number of years and he always does a fantastic job. I’m looking forward to this. This is a place that any driver wants to be.”
BEN KEATING, CORVETTE C8.R FOR FIA WEC IN 2023: “I really love the format of the World Endurance Championship and GTE Am. I’ve really wanted to race a Corvette for a long time and have been chipping away at this to make this happen because I want to race what I sell. I’m in the unique position of enjoying cars as a vocation and a recreation. This is something I’ve been dreaming of for a long time. I’m incredibly excited for this opportunity.
“I know that Corvette Racing is really excited about the program and I am too. There’s just something special about the 100th anniversary of Le Mans, the last year of GTE-spec cars and something special with an American driver racing for an American team. I’m excited that when – not if! – we win a race that we will hear the U.S. National Anthem. I haven’t had that because I’ve driven for British and German teams. So this will be awesome. The Corvette fans are crazy and fanatical! Getting to represent a brand that I sell and be part of that community is something that’s important to me and I’m excited about it all the way through.
“My number one thing about teammates is that I’m doing this for recreation and for fun, so I really want to enjoy who I’m racing with. Having been teammates with Jeroen Bleekemolen for a number of years and both of them being Dutch, Nicky was kind of always around! So I’ve always felt a good connection with Nicky. Even though we’ve never been teammates, I’ve paid attention very closely to him. I remember him testing a Corvette for the first time at Le Mans, and I wasn’t surprised when he went out and set the fastest GT lap of anyone in the field on the Test Day! So he is fun to watch. He’s extremely quick and is someone who knows all the tracks in the WEC and is someone I get along with extremely well. I’m super excited to be teamed with him.”
ANTONIO GARCIA, CORVETTE C8.R FOR IMSA IN 2023: “America has become a second home for me since I started with Corvette Racing in 2009. I enjoy the people, I enjoy the racing and I enjoy this Corvette. IMSA has a lot of great events and tracks – all of which I’m very familiar with now! “I have to say that this season was very difficult and challenging, maybe more than previous years. Still I think we learned a lot as drivers and as a team about a new category that we can use to make us better in 2023. Hopefully Jordan and I can get back to winning races and being in the championship fight. It also will be an important year as we get closer to finishing testing and development of the Corvette Z06 GT3.R, which will be a big deal. I’m happy that Tommy will be part of that and with us for the big races in America. We were teammates in his first year at Corvette and we’ve raced against each other in previous versions of the Corvette since then. I’m glad to be able to race with him again.”
JORDAN TAYLOR, CORVETTE C8.R FOR IMSA IN 2023: “It’s great to be back with Corvette Racing for its 25th year. I remember as a kid watching my dad race, and Corvette already had a strong reputation for being competitive and winning big races. So it means a lot to be able to continue on with Antonio, Tommy and the rest of the team in 2023. “We definitely want to be back stronger at Daytona than how we left Petit Le Mans. We had some decent races – winning Sebring in a Corvette was unreal – but I think we all were frustrated with how things went as a whole. We have an opportunity to improve on some things that we can control, which is what this team is so good at doing. By the time we get back to Daytona in January for the Roar, I’m confident we’ll be in a position to succeed to a greater level than a year ago.”
TOMMY MILNER, CORVETTE C8.R FOR IMSA AND Z06 GT3.R DEVELOPMENT DRIVER IN 2023: “I’ve not driven a lot in my career with Jordan or Antonio. But when I have, we’ve had success. I’m always excited to drive with those two guys. They’re obviously great drivers and great teammates, and they have been for a long time. I’ve raced against them quite a bit in my time so it’ll be fun to be teammates with them for a change. “The process of developing the Corvette Z06 GT3.R will be an interesting one. I did quite a bit of this with the C7.R and C8.R. It’s different from racing of course, but it can be a rewarding process in its own right. This year was fun because it was something totally different. Next year will be something different again, and that’s a good thing to do different things every now and then. It’s an honor to be a part of this racing team and program. Having been part of testing many of the previous Corvettes, we’ve seen how fast and competitive those cars are. I’m excited and looking forward to keeping that lineage going.”
Fifth-place GTD PRO finish for Garcia, Taylor, Catsburg in No. 3 Corvette C8.R
CORVETTE RACING AT ROAD ATLANTA: What Might Have Been Fifth-place GTD PRO finish for Garcia, Taylor, Catsburg in No. 3 Corvette C8.R
BRASELTON, Ga. (Oct. 1, 2022) – Corvette Racing closed its season in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship on Saturday with a fifth-place finish in the GT Daytona (GTD) PRO class after the 10-hour Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
Antonio Garcia, Jordan Taylor and Nicky Catsburg entered Saturday hoping to replicate their victory from earlier this year at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. Ultimately, two separate incidents of contact didn’t help the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R’s quest for its second victory of the season.
The result was enough for Garcia and Taylor to take third in the GTD Drivers Championship and Chevrolet to finish third in the final Manufacturers standings.
The day began strong with Garcia moving forward from the green flag. He picked up two positions to third on the opening two laps of the race and moved to the lead just past the hour mark. He drove the first 92 minutes before handing off to Taylor, who ran first or second for the first 90 minutes of his time in the Corvette.
The day’s first setback came near the three-hour mark when Taylor’s right-rear Michelin went down while leading on a restart following contact with the No. 9 Porsche. He was able to dive directly into the pits for four fresh tires but fell down to sixth.
The march back toward the front came over the next two hours as two more full-course yellows and penalties to some of its competitors allowed the Corvette to make up track position. By the time Catsburg took over near the four-and-a-half-hour mark, the No. 3 was back with the lead back in GTD PRO and ran as high as second before Garcia returned to the driver’s seat near the seven-hour mark.
Things came undone for the No. 3 Corvette with a little more than two hours to go as Garcia spun at Turn 11 after contact with the 62 Ferrari. He dropped from third to fifth and then down to sixth as Corvette Racing engineers immediately went on an alternate pit strategy in hopes of a yellow to get the C8.R back into contention.
The race’s final yellow came with 52 minutes remaining and brought Garcia to within five seconds of the lead inside the final 30 minutes but couldn’t draw closer at the end.
Corvette Racing closes its 2022 program with the Eight Hours of Bahrain and the final race of the FIA World Endurance Championship on Nov. 10-12.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED FIFTH IN GTD PRO: “It’s difficult when you have GTD cars fighting for the same thing as you and their performance is completely opposite of yours. It’s impossible to race when one car achieves a lap time in one way and the rest do it another. I must say it’s the story of the season. We showed at the beginning of the race that if we are up front and can do our own pace, we’re good and we can race. As soon as you have someone in front of you that you can’t pass and another car gets to you, they will go past because you have nothing to help you defend. That’s been the thing this year. Frustrating day, frustrating season… but the effort from everyone at Corvette Racing has been great all season. We couldn’t ask for more from the team. That’s 110 percent.”
On the start: “The start of the race was easy and relaxed in a way. We had good pace to the other cars in front of those and managed to jump most of those in the pits. Then the pace was really good. I had to catch the 79, which seemed doable and got into the lead. But one more year where I’ve won many stints at Petit Le Mans but never the whole race.”
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED FIFTH IN GTD PRO: “I feel like we put ourselves in some good spots today. At the end of it, we just didn’t have the pace to battle guys. After that last restart we were kind of in a position to fight again but got motored by. That was pretty much our season in one race. Hopefully we can go into the offseason, figure out what all we learned and come back stronger next year.”
Opening stint: "Our car was decent. We had a little bit of contact, which was unfortunate. It kind of cycled us to the back but we were still in a good position. It's really hard to pass around here with the traffic. I wasn't going to give the position (to the 9 Porsche). I was trying to be aggressive and hold him off. We were racing for the Endurance Cup so I think that's why we were racing that aggressively that early on.”
NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED FIFTH IN GTD PRO: “It was a tough race. We didn’t have the pace at the end. It seems like everyone else had something left and we didn’t. I had fun but unfortunately this was the maximum we could do.
"Honestly there wasn't a lot of crazy action. It was quite fun. Unfortunately on both pit entries, I got held up by a couple of stints and lost some time. But that didn't mean so much for our pace. It just means that all the effort you put in during the stint is then lost for no reason, which is very annoying.”
Garcia takes fifth in GTD PRO ahead of 10-hour Petit Le Mans finale
CORVETTE RACING AT ROAD ATLANTA: Getting Closer to the Front Garcia takes fifth in GTD PRO ahead of 10-hour Petit Le Mans finale
BRASELTON, Ga. (Sept. 30, 2022) – Antonio Garcia and Corvette Racing will start on the third row of the GT Daytona (GTD) category and fifth in GTD PRO on Saturday for the 10-hour Petit Le Mans – the final race of this year’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
Garcia set a best lap of 1:19.444 (115.099 mph) around Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R. He will team with Jordan Taylor and Nicky Catsburg as the race goes green at 12:10 p.m. ET (NBC, Peacock, XM 207).
Garcia was 0.609 seconds off Jack Hawksworth’s pole-winning time in GTD PRO. However, there is only a 0.165-second margin from third to fifth.
As has been the case at every IMSA round this season, it’s the first event for Corvette Racing at Road Atlanta in the GTD category after eight years in the GT Le Mans (GTLM) class. Compared to previous years, the GTD-spec Corvette runs with more weight, less power, an anti-lock braking system and a spec Michelin tire.
This year’s Petit Le Mans is the 25th running of the endurance classic with Corvette Racing looking for its ninth class victory since its first race there in 1999… but first since 2010. That long-awaited victory would help Garcia and Taylor secure second place in the GTD PRO Drivers Championship and also go a long way toward winning the Michelin Endurance Cup – a collection of the four premier long-distance races for the WeatherTech Championship.
The season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona and Petit Le Mans bookend the Endurance Cup, which sees Chevrolet second in the Manufacturers standings entering Road Atlanta. Garcia, Taylor and Catsburg won the Endurance Cup’s second round – the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring – in March to move into contention.
The 10-hour Petit Le Mans is scheduled for 12:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, Oct. 1. The race will air live on NBC from noon-3 p.m. ET and from 7-10:30 p.m. ET on USA. Peacock will have live flag-to-flag streaming from noon-10:30 p.m. ET. IMSA Radio will provide live audio coverage Saturday on IMSA.com, XM 207 and SiriusXM Online 992.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – QUALIFIED FIFTH IN GTD PRO: "I wouldn’t consider that decent. My lap was probably decent but I feel like I had a tiny bit more. It was difficult to put together with how the car behaved and how bad traffic was. Traffic interaction wasn’t great, and that killed a little momentum. That’s the same for everyone. “When you come to these kind of races where the car count is big and Road Atlanta is only an 80-second lap, your chances of getting in the way of someone or someone getting in your way are higher. It’s difficult to really gauge when you have to push and when do you have your time to go and try for a quick one. When I decided to go, it wasn’t a great moment. I had two cars coming out of the pits and because of that it snowballs into bigger problems. It’s never easy and never easy here. We’re up there (in the GTD order). It’s still a 10-hour race, which is a long way so qualifying doesn’t mean a lot. For sure we have some extra feedback on how the car behaves and I’m sure we’ll have a better Corvette tomorrow.”
Endurance Cup title also in play in final race of first GTD PRO season
CORVETTE RACING AT ROAD ATLANTA: Just Win It Endurance Cup title also in play in final race of first GTD PRO season
DETROIT (Sept. 28, 2022) – Winning races is the goal every time out for Corvette Racing. There’s a bit more “want” coming from the team this weekend, however.
The 10-hour Petit Le Mans is the final round of this year’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. It’s the 25th running of the endurance classic at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta with Corvette Racing looking for its ninth class victory since its first race there in 1999. That doesn’t tell a complete story, unfortunately.
It’s been 12 years – 4,378 days for those counting – since Corvette Racing last won Petit Le Mans. It’s the longest stretch between victories at any event for the program… a situation the team plans to rectify Saturday. CORVETTE RACING MEDIA INFORMATION
Corvette Racing media information is updated and available ahead of this weekend's Petit Le Mans. Materials include:
Full-season teammates Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor welcome Nicky Catsburg back to the driver’s seat of the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R in the GT Daytona (GTD) PRO class. The two seek their second long-distance victory of the season, having won the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in March.
That triumph plus a strong showing at June’s Six Hours of The Glen have propelled Garcia, Taylor and the No. 3 Corvette squad to the lead of the Michelin Endurance Cup – a collection of the four premier long-distance races for the WeatherTech Championship.
The season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona and Petit Le Mans bookend the Endurance Cup, which sees Chevrolet second in the Manufacturers standings entering Road Atlanta.
The best way to secure the championship is to win the race. Taylor is the one member of the driver trio to accomplish that, having won overall in 2014 and 2018 as part of the Prototype class.
Not that there haven’t been close calls. Corvette Racing has finished second four times and recorded a pair of third-place finishes since 2010. In many of those seasons, the team’s focus was on wrapping up either the American Le Mans Series’ GT championship or the IMSA GT Le Mans (GTLM) title instead of going for outright race wins – 2013, 2016-18 and 2021.
Petit Le Mans sees the end of the first season for Corvette in the new GTD PRO category, and as such is the first at Road Atlanta for the GTD Corvette – which runs with more weight, less power, an anti-lock braking system and a spec Michelin tire compared to the GTLM class. Aside from a win at Sebring in March, the No. 3 Corvette finished second in class at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and VIR with third-place showings at Long Beach and Road America.
Chevrolet On Display at Road Atlanta In addition to the many series and events competing during the Petit Le Mans weekend, race fans will have plenty to see and experience from Chevrolet. The Chevrolet Motorsports Display will be full of Chevy vehicles that spectators can learn more about throughout the weekend.
The Chevrolet Motorsports Display opens at 8 a.m. Thursday and Friday plus 8:30 a.m. Saturday and is located in the Fan Zone above the Road Atlanta main paddock. Numerous Chevrolet vehicles and other highlights include:
• The 2023 Corvette Z06 convertible • Additional Chevrolet products such as Equinox RS AWD, Camaro 2SS coupe, 2023 Blazer RS AWD, 2022 Silverado 1500 Crew ZR2 4WD, 2023 Tahoe 4WD RST and a SEMA-edition Corvette Stingray • A Corvette C8.R showcar, a Corvette Stingray cutaway chassis and the Chevrolet Corvette LT6.R engine • An opportunity to receive a 2022 Corvette Racing t-shirt
In addition, a white Chevrolet Corvette Stingray coupe will lead the Petit Le Mans field to the green flag and serve as the official pace car.
The 10-hour Petit Le Mans is scheduled for 12:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, Oct. 1. The race will air live on NBC from noon-3 p.m. ET and from 7-10:30 p.m. ET on USA. Peacock will have live flag-to-flag streaming from noon-10:30 p.m. ET. IMSA Radio will provide live audio coverage Saturday on IMSA.com, XM 207 and SiriusXM Online 992.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: "It's both puzzling and frustrating that I haven't won Petit Le Mans. Of all the big races I've done with Corvette, that's the only one left and I'm reminded of it year after year. The race will be different in many ways so hopefully that's good for us. Although we are leading the Endurance Cup standings, we are effectively out of the season championship. It's not a familiar position for us but now we can just go and race for the win this time.
"I'd like to win Petit Le Mans not just for myself but for the team. This has been a very challenging year moving to GTD PRO. It took a lot of work to get the C8.R ready for Daytona. Since then we've been in some races and not competitive in others. That's how it goes with the car we are running. I would say though that the team has worked has hard as it ever has to get whatever results we've been able to achieve."
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: "Petit Le Mans is always a highlight of the year. It brings an amazing crowd and the race itself is always great. I think after our strong showing at VIR and being back in contention for wins, it’s given us a lot of motivation and confidence heading into the weekend. It hasn’t been the easiest year for us. Obviously winning the Sebring 12 Hours was great, but since then we’ve had some tough events. We were able to find a little bit of footing in Canada earlier in the summer, and VIR was the first race in a while where we felt like we could contend. We're hoping we can keep that up and close this year out on a high.
"I'm fortunate to have won Petit Le Mans multiple times. There are a lot of really good engineers and crew guys on our team - plus Antonio and Nicky - who haven't won there yet. There has been a lot of effort and preparation put into this race to get them that first win at Petit Le Mans. There wouldn't be any better way to close this year than Corvette Racing finally winning there."
NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: "Honestly this is probably the race everyone wants to win the most! Antonio has never won it and he’s won pretty much every other single event in the States. I’ll add myself to that, especially since last year I didn’t get to drive. For me, this is a big event and one that I want to win. It’s a great event and I’m looking forward to getting back to Corvette Racing. It’s been a long time since I was in the GTD version of the car in March at Sebring, so I’m sure I’ll need some time to get back up to speed. But I can’t wait to be back with the guys and try to win this race.
"This race will be quite a tough one. Road Atlanta doesn’t present the most overtaking opportunities. In the past, there was a clear difference between GTLM and GTD so you had a natural way to overtake. Now every single GTD car you find is potentially just as quick or just a little bit slower than you depending on tire situations. So everything is going to be a fight, plus you have the DPi cars that are so much faster in the high-speed sections. It will be very tough but it’s another reason I love multi-class racing. It’s another aspect where you can make a difference as a driver by being smart in traffic. We will have to stay on our toes the entire time.”
2022 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – GTD PRO (After nine of 10 events) Driver Standings 1. Mathieu Jaminet/Matt Campbell – 3,173 2. Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2,908 3. Ben Barnicoat – 2,892 4. Alex Riberas/Ross Gunn – 2,791 5. Connor De Phillippi/John Edwards – 2,522
Team Standings 1. No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports – 3,173 2. No. 3 Corvette Racing – 2,908 3. No. 14 VasserSullivan – 2,892 4. No. 23 Heart of Racing Team – 2,791 5. No. 25 BMW Team RLL – 2,522
Manufacturer Standings 1. Porsche – 3,173 2. Lexus – 2,922 3. Chevrolet – 2,918 4. Aston Martin – 2,861 5. BMW – 2,607
CORVETTE RACING AT MICHELIN RACEWAY ROAD ATLANTA: By the Numbers • 1: As in one team, one manufacturer and one model of car for 24 years: Corvette Racing, Chevrolet and the Chevrolet Corvette. • 3: Tracks where Corvette Racing has competed in each of its 24 years: Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, Sebring International Raceway and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. • 4: Generations of Corvette Racing entries at Road Atlanta since 1999 – Corvette C5-R (1999-04) Corvette C6.R (2005-2013), Corvette C7.R (2014-2019) and the new-generation Corvette C8.R (2020-current), which made its Road Atlanta debut at September’s six-hour IMSA race in 2020. • 10: Number of Road Atlanta victories for Corvette Racing dating back to 2000 – eight of those at Petit Le Mans. • 10: Petit Le Mans wins for Chevrolet – eight in GT and two in Prototype. That ranks third among manufacturers in event history. • 14: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001 • 27: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte Motor Speedway, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Daytona, Detroit, Fuji Speedway, Houston, Laguna Seca, Le Mans, Lime Rock, Long Beach, Miami, Mid-Ohio, Monza, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen • 32: Number of drivers for Corvette Racing since 1999 • 122: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 113 in North America, eight at Le Mans and one in the FIA WEC • 264: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999 • 40,845.98: Number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing in its 25 previous trips to Road Atlanta. That represents 16,304 laps or more than 638 trips around Interstate 285 – Atlanta’s Perimeter. • 347,052.77: 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 more than halfway back!
Corvette Racing at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta 1999 No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Chris Kneifel/John Paul Jr. – 5th in GTS No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Scott Sharp – 4th in GTS
2000 No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Chris Kneifel/Justin Bell – 3rd in GTS (Fellows pole) No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon – 1st in GTS
2001 No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Scott Pruett – 9th in GTS No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon – 1st in GTS (Pilgrim pole)
2002 No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GTS No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon – 3rd in GTS (Pilgrim fastest race lap)
2003* No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell – 3rd in GTS No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Oliver Gavin/Kelly Collins – 1st in GTS
2003 No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Franck Freon – 5th in GTS No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Oliver Gavin/Kelly Collins/Andy Pilgrim – 3rd in GTS
2004 No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Max Papis – 2nd in GTS No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GTS (Gavin pole, fastest race lap)
2005* No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell – 1st in GT1 (O’Connell pole, fastest race lap) No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 2nd in GT1
2009 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O'Connell/Antonio Garcia – 6th in GT2 No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Marcel Fässler – 4th in GT2
2010 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Johnny O’Connell/Antonio Garcia – 6th in GT No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen/Emmanuel Collard – 1st in GT (Magnussen fastest race lap)
2011 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Tommy Milner/Antonio Garcia – 17th in GT No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen/Richard Westbrook – 4th in GT
2012 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2nd in GT No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Richard Westbrook – 12th in GT
2013 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 6th in GT (Garcia/Magnussen ALMS GT title) No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Richard Westbrook – 10th in GT
2014 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Ryan Briscoe – 8th in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Ryan Briscoe – 4th in GTLM
2015 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Ryan Briscoe – 6th in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Ryan Briscoe – 3rd in GTLM
2016 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 4th in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 3rd in GTLM (Gavin/Milner clinch GTLM title)
2017 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 2nd in GTLM (Garcia/Magnussen clinch GTLM title) No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 4th in GTLM
2018 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Marcel Fässler – 8th in GTLM (Garcia/Magnussen clinch GTLM title) No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 2nd in GTLM
2019 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 4th in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 7th in GTLM
2020** No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 5th in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 2nd in GTLM
2020 No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg – 2nd in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 4th in GTLM
2021 No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg – 6th in GTLM (Garcia/Taylor clinch GTLM title) No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy/Alexander Sims – 4th in GTLM (Sims fastest race lap)
IMSA Monitoring Hurricane Ian Situation for Petit Le Mans
No change in Motul Petit Le Mans event schedule as of Monday ahead of likely Hurricane Ian impact… By John Dagys
IMSA will “act accordingly” should Hurricane Ian impact the running of Saturday’s Motul Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
The WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season finale, scheduled for Oct. 1, could be affected if current projections on the storm’s path prove accurate.
While currently a Category 1 hurricane in the Caribbean Sea, meteorologists expect Ian to strengthen to Category 4 over the Gulf of Mexico later this week prior to making landfall in Florida between Wednesday night into Thursday morning, then moving north into Georgia.
Current forecasts call for more than 1.2 inches of rain in Braselton, Ga. on Friday, with a similar amount of precipitation on Saturday.
As of Monday, there are no changes to the event schedule, which sees the two-hour Michelin Pilot Challenge race and WeatherTech Championship qualifying on Friday afternoon, and the ten-hour Petit Le Mans enduro slated to get underway Saturday at 12:10 p.m. ET.
“We are monitoring the situation and will act accordingly as needed,” an IMSA spokesperson told Sportscar365. Sportscar365 understands that the sanctioning body has a contingency plan in place should Saturday be a washout, with the track believed to be available for running on Sunday, which is currently scheduled to be a rest day prior to a three-day IMSA-sanctioned LMDh test that kicks off on Monday.
There is, however, a two-hour quiet period between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. ET on Sundays per a Hall County ordinance.
Try as it might, Corvette Racing couldn’t replicate its Monza magic on Sunday
CORVETTE RACING AT FUJI: No Monza Repeat in Japanese Debut
OYAMA, Japan (Sept. 11, 2022) – Try as it might, Corvette Racing couldn’t replicate its Monza magic on Sunday as it finished fifth in the GTE Pro class of the Six Hours of Fuji for the FIA World Endurance Championship.
Tommy Milner and Nick Tandy, coming off a victory together in the previous WEC race in Italy, soldiered through a difficult day in the No. 64 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R during the team’s first race at Fuji Speedway.
Milner, Tandy and the rest of the team had a tough time coming to grips – figuratively and literally – with the unfamiliar Fuji circuit and track surface.
The Corvette team found itself in a hole early as the No. 64 had to serve a drive-through penalty for exceeding track limits just shy of the 30-minute mark. Tandy rejoined the track undeterred and managed to gain a spot up to fourth with an inside dive on the No. 91 Porsche – which also was called in for a similar penalty – at the first corner just shy of the one-hour mark.
The tire management of the Corvette progressed nicely for the remainder of Tandy’s stint compared to the other GTE Pro runners. Another stroke of misfortune struck, however, as the Corvette ran out of fuel on pitlane as Tandy headed for his first stop. After some assistance from the Corvette Racing crew, the No. 64 took on fuel and left-side tires for Tandy’s second stint.
The struggles continued with Tandy reporting a severe lack of rear grip and a tire issue through the back half of his run.
Milner drove the middle two stints and took on four tires for each run in an effort to claw back into contention. Unfortunately the continuing struggles with pace and grip plus a caution-free race limited any ground that he and Tandy could make up at the end.
Corvette Racing closes its first-year WEC campaign with the Eight Hours of Bahrain on Nov. 10-12.
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Today was not our best day on many fronts, for sure. It was a frustrating day I think for Nick, frustrating for our engineers and frustrating for me all in our own ways. We’ll give ourselves some time after the race to decompress and think about those lessons and take them with us to Bahrain. In general, we had some struggles through practice and we improved the car for Nick through FP3 and qualifying. We were still behind the eight-ball a little bit, and in the race we saw some residuals from that. I was pretty slow the first couple of laps of my stint just because I was realistically driving a new car from what I had from the practice sessions. The second stint was a bit better but for me not as good as it needed to be. In the grand scheme of things, no thing that one person did or one group did had an ultimate effect on today; it was a collection of many things. We’ll isolate the mistakes and at the same time highlight the positives and find the things we did well. We’ll take our lumps from today and focus on Bahrain to be more prepared, be faster and make less mistakes. Hopefully that’s enough and we can have a good race there.”
NICK TANDY, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “The story of the race wasn’t so great. Really since Friday morning, it’s been a struggle. I think the characteristics of this track and the track surface just don’t suit our car. You’re never going to have the fastest car at every track you go to; that’s not how racing works. So what we have done is learned a lot. If we could start the race again tomorrow, there are things we absolutely would change but you only learn things from experience. This is something we can take forward. We’re not going to win every race. What we need to do is capitalize on days where the car is competitive. We had some issues but this was the one take because this was our least competitive showing from a pace perspective. This shows again the things we need to focus on in practice and in simulation when we are coming to a new track. And it shows that racing is difficult. It shows that the day we had Monza is just as big as we thought it was at the time. This weekend shows just what a good job we did there and how tough it can be if the stars don’t align.”
Team will dig into its bag of tricks to work forward in Six Hours of Fuji
CORVETTE RACING AT FUJI: Trying to Close the Gap Team will dig into its bag of tricks to work forward in Six Hours of Fuji
OYAMA, Japan (Sept. 10, 2022) – Corvette Racing will start fifth among GTE Pro runners Sunday morning in Japan as it tries for a second straight victory in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
Nick Tandy set a lap of 1:37.127 (105.074 mph) in the No. 64 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R that he will share with Tommy Milner in the Six Hours of Fuji. Only 0.756 seconds separates all of the GTE Pro entries, an interesting prospect for another thrilling race in the category.
Tandy and Milner won in their last time out at the Six Hours of Monza, which was the first victory for Corvette Racing as a full-time FIA WEC entrant.
With Fuji being a much more technical circuit that Monza – another new track for the Corvette program – the bulk of the three practice sessions were spent developing and fine-tuning chassis and aero setups, plus evaluating different tire compounds with an eye toward the race.
Both Milner and Tandy were happy with the long-run prospects of the Corvette after the final practice leading into qualifying.
Fuji is the Corvette program’s 32nd venue during its nearly 25-year run of racetracks around the world with Bahrain still to go in the WEC’s season finale.
The Six Hours of Fuji for the FIA World Endurance Championship is scheduled for 11 a.m. JST Sunday /10 p.m. ET Saturday from Fuji Speedway in Japan. The race will air live on MotorTrend from 9:30-11 p.m. ET on Saturday and the final hour and post-race from 3-4:30 a.m ET on Sunday. Live streaming coverage of the race an on-board feed from the No. 64 Corvette will be available on the MotorTrend Plus app. Radio Le Mans’ RS1 channel will stream play-by-play and race commentary from 9:30 p.m. ET on Saturday through 4:30 a.m. ET on Sunday.
NICK TANDY, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – QUALIFIED FIFTH IN GTE PRO: “Since Free Practice One, we’ve been at a pace deficit that has been similar throughout all the sessions. We’ve been improving the car, but it seems like something fundamentally with the circuit, how the car is working on the tires and other factors aren’t suiting us on single-lap performance. Looking at qualifying, things were better again from Free Practice Three, which was better from Free Practice Two. But of course, everyone else also is going faster. It’s kind of frustrating because we are improving and the Corvette is better to drive, but we are lacking a little bit of single-lap pace. “Of course this a new track to us and the one where Tommy and I have the least amount of experience on the WEC calendar. There’s something else kind of happening where our car and the tire combination isn’t working with the track surface. We can look again and come up with a few ideas for the race.
“Typically we are better in race pace in this WEC season than we’ve been in qualifying. We haven’t had a pole outside of Le Mans, but we manage to run at the front once the race gets going. There is still a long race to come. The thing with WEC is that you do have to double-stint tires, and up to two hours on a set of tires here is going to be a challenge for every team. Let’s see what happens.”
6 HOURS OF FUJI RACE SCHEDULE: Septembr 9-11, 2022 Monza, Italy Track NameAutodromo Nazionale di Monza Track Length2.84 miles Corners16 Race Distance6 Hours
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TV Broadcast:
TV: Motor Trend Channel and Velocity Channel (Canada) September 11, 2022 Saturday: 9:30 pm-11:00 pm EDT part 1 Sunday ending: 3:00 am -4:30 pm EDT part 2
A live stream will be available on the Motor Trend + app with all 6 hours start: Saturday: 9:30 pm EDT end: 4:30 am EDT
WEC FIA 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.
6 Hours of Fuji: Dates and start time in the US Friday 9 September 2022 Free Practice 2: 2:30 am-4:00 am (ET) Free practice 3: 9:20 pm-10:30 pm (ET)
Saturday 10 September 2022 Qualifying 2: 1:40 am-1:50 am (ET) Qualifying 2: 2:00 am-2:10 am (ET) Race: 10:00 pm
Milner, Tandy, No. 64 C8.R aim to keep momentum from Monza class win
CORVETTE RACING AT FUJI: Far East Beckons for First Time Milner, Tandy, No. 64 C8.R aim to keep momentum from Monza class win
DETROIT (Sept. 6, 2022) – The last time Corvette Racing visited a ‘new’ track, it resulted in its first victory as an entrant in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
It’s time again for the team to venture to a new venue as the WEC resumes with the Six Hours of Fuji at historic Fuji Speedway. It’s the fourth round of this year’s GTE Pro championship with Tommy Milner and Nick Tandy the most recent winners at Monza in the No. 64 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R.
The 16-turn 2.84-mile Fuji circuit has a good blend of technical and high-speed sections that will put a premium on engineering setup and strategy.
As is the case at the majority of circuits on the WEC calendar, Corvette Racing can lean on the knowledge of past experience of Tandy at Fuji, where he has made two career WEC starts albeit in prototype machinery.
While Fuji will be new to Milner, he does have experience racing in Japan as part of the Asian Le Mans Series more than a decade ago. That doesn’t mean that he and Corvette Racing will go in blind as the engineering team has spent many days in Chevrolet’s Driver in the Loop simulator to explore and establish baseline setups with Milner assisting and getting to know the circuit.
Fuji will be Corvette Racing’s 32nd venue during its nearly 25-year run of racetracks around the world with Bahrain still to go in the WEC’s season finale.
The No. 64 Corvette opened the WEC season with a strong second-place showing at the rain-shortened 1,000 Miles of Sebring. Things were trending the right way for the Tandy/Milner pairing at the Six Hours of Spa before a red flag just past the one-hour mark wiped out the team’s first planned pit stop and effectively put the Corvette a lap down before finishing fourth.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans was a cruel blow with the No. 64 C8.R eliminated while leading just shy of the 18-hour mark. Spirits lifted within the team following a thrilling class victory at Monza where the team won a fuel-mileage race for its first WEC win outside of Le Mans.
The Six Hours of Fuji for the FIA World Endurance Championship is scheduled for 11 a.m. JST Sunday /10 p.m. ET Saturday from Fuji Speedway in Japan. Qualifying is set for 2:40 p.m. JST/1:40 a.m. ET on Saturday. The race will air live on MotorTrend with live streaming coverage of the race and qualifying on the MotorTrend Plus app. Radio Le Mans will broadcast qualifying and the race.
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: : “I’ve done four days in the sim on Fuji. We’ve done quite a bit of work on it so far. It’s a super cool track. It’s really fast in a lot of places. It’s unique in some ways in that there are a lot of long-duration corners there. Car balance and tire life will be super important. There are things we can do on the setup side to help us put all of those things together. The sim also gives us a chance to take some really big swings at it and experiments so to speak with setup to find something with the car that we haven’t tried before. While it’s nice for me to be able to drive these tracks on the sim beforehand, I feel like it’s definitely a big help to go to these tracks and get in the car and get going right away. It’s for sure speeding up the learning process for me and but it’s also helping us quite a bit on car setup as well. I think we’re pretty happy with our simulator program and the benefits that it offers us. Continuing momentum from Monza: “Just because we won Monza doesn’t mean we are on a streak or a roll or whatever. We have to work as hard as we have to be as competitive as we possibly can to get the most out of the car. Focusing on yourself is always the best strategy to get the most out of package. While it’s nice to think we were owed something, we did a good job to get the car where we wanted it to be. The Corvette basically from the first practice was already really good; we were able to just tweak it a little bit throughout the weekend. We have to continue on that path – working really hard on the simulator and in engineering as they always do to figure out ways to get more out of it, which we’re doing. If we continue putting in the hard work, the results will continue.”
NICK TANDY, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Fuji is an F1-type of circuit where the surface is pretty smooth. It’s on quite a flat area. But it’s a track where it’s difficult to know the best way to go about setup philosophy. There’s this huge straight where you need obviously straight-line speed, but there are a couple other high-downforce corners. Turn Three there is a long right that is one of the fastest and most committed sections of racetrack anywhere in the world. Of course you want to trim your car out to be fast on the straight, but you can’t afford to give up downforce in these areas. It lends itself to good racing because there is a slipstream effect if you can stay close to the cars in front of you through the last sector and down the start/finish straight. There’s also the weather aspect. Fuji in September can see very changeable conditions and the rain can come in quickly. I’ve only been there twice but it’s the track where I have the least level of experience personally. It will be one of our toughest challenges as a team, I expect, being new to the circuit for the first time.” Motorsport culture in Japan: “Japan is a motorsport country and they have a huge following. There always is a massive turnout for the World Endurance Championship. They want to see the cars, and they want to see the racing. I’m sure having Corvette Racing for the first time in Japan will be a big thing for the Japanese who have never come to America or come to Le Mans to see the Corvettes. They’re always super excited about seeing the cars, and the people are super nice and respectful for everyone who comes over to race in front of them. I’m looking forward to being in the car and with the team to show them about Corvette Racing.”
Behind the scenes from this weekend's IMSA race at VIR. Let us know what you'd like to see more of next time now that we have a proper video man in Mark Urban!
PRESS RELEASE: No. 3 Corvette C8.R nearly claims third straight overall VIR victory
CORVETTE RACING AT VIR: Garcia, Taylor Take Hard-Fought Second No. 3 Corvette C8.R nearly claims third straight overall VIR victory
ALTON, Va. (Aug. 28, 2022) – Corvette Racing’s Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor finished second in the Michelin GT Challenge at VIR on Sunday, their second consecutive podium finish this year in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
Taylor made a last-lap charge to finish 0.823 seconds behind the race-winning Pfaff Motorsports entry. He and Garcia were going for their second overall win at Virginia International Raceway in three years and Corvette Racing’s third consecutive victory at the fast and flowing 3.27-mile, 17-turn circuit. The runner-up result was the second for the No. 3 Corvette on the season.
Garcia began second but ran third after the opening lap as fuel-savings began almost immediately for the top three cars. He ran anywhere between 0.3-0.6 seconds behind second-place Matt Campbell before the No. 3 Corvette team called in Garcia for the first time at 48 minutes running.
The No. 3 Corvette was the first GTD PRO car to stop and took fuel and four fresh Michelin tires as Garcia handed off to Taylor. The call and stop were perfect, as was Taylor’s outlap, as the C8.R went from third and nearly two seconds back to a nine-second advantage after the first pit cycle completed.
Taylor maintained that gap while saving fuel up to the race’s first full-course yellow near the 80-minute mark. It wasn’t what the team was hoping for as the Corvette needed more fuel than the rest of the GTD PRO field due to its early stop.
The race went back to green with 66 minutes to go and Taylor fourth in class - seventh overall. He picked up one spot in the overall standings at the start and diced his way through the regular GTD field to challenge for third in class 10 minutes later.
He moved to second overall with 55 minutes to go before stopping for a final splash of fuel to get to the end of the race. He trailed Mathieu Jaminet by as much as five seconds before running down the fuel-starved leader late. Slower GTD cars impeded Taylor in the closing laps but he charged back to finish within an eyelash of the No. 3 Corvette’s second victory of the season.
Corvette Racing closes its IMSA season with the 10-hour Petit Le Mans on Saturday, Oct. 1 from Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED SECOND: "I think we had a good race. We didn't get lucky with the yellow, for sure. We were the ones taking the gamble on the earliest first stop. From that point on, that 10-second lead we had didn't last. Over the last few years, I don't think we had a yellow here. It was the right choice to get up there with that strategy. It's a shame in that respect. But we showed more pace and performance today. Great job by Jordan and the team. Let's take this on to Petit Le Mans."
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED SECOND: "I knew Antonio wanted an easy day today! He's had a lot of long days this year! The Corvette was so good. The team did a great job with the strategy. That first call was the right one. At the time, we jumped ahead and had a nice lead. We were controlling it at the front but that yellow was really unfortunate; otherwise I think it would have been an easy day. Once that came out, we had to battle back past and passed some guys on track. After the last stop, I was trying to take care of the tires as long as possible, knowing it was going to be a long stint. Some of the Am cars lapping through there made it difficult to pass. That was frustrating or else I think we could have had a shot to win, especially seeing how close it was at the end. It was a tough day but it was nice to be back in a competitive spot. Hopefully we can go to Petit Le Mans with similar performance."
Team eyeing three straight Michelin GT Challenge victories from second-place grid spot
CORVETTE RACING AT VIR: Front-Row Start for Garcia, No. 3 C8.R Team eyeing three straight Michelin GT Challenge victories from second-place grid spot
ALTON, Va. (Aug. 27, 2022) – Corvette Racing’s Antonio Garcia qualified second in the GT Daytona (GTD) PRO class and overall Saturday for the Michelin GT Challenge at VIR, an event that Corvette Racing has won the previous two years at Virginia International Raceway.
Garcia’s time of 1:44.677 (112.470 mph) in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R put him only behind Ross Gunn’s pole-winning time ahead of Sunday’s 2:10 p.m. ET race (CNBC, Peacock). Garcia will start the No. 3 Corvette and will share driving duties with Jordan Taylor.
Oppressive heat and humidity were major themes from practice sessions Friday and Saturday, plus the afternoon’s qualifying. Air temperatures climbed into the low 90s and humidity levels crept into the 60s, which sent track temperatures well above 105 degrees for qualifying.
As a result, maintaining life and performance out of the Michelin tires will be key to Sunday’s race, which will be run in nearly identical conditions. That is an area where Corvette Racing has excelled this season, including at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in March – the program’s lone IMSA victory this year.
A Corvette Racing entry has claimed overall wins four times at VIR in IMSA competition. Garcia and Taylor were victors in 2020 in the now-extinct GT Le Mans (GTLM) category. They were second a year ago to Corvette teammates Tommy Milner and Nick Tandy, who are partnering this season in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
This year is the first for Corvette in the new GT Daytona (GTD) PRO category, and as such is the first at VIR for the GTD Corvette – which runs with more weight, less power, an anti-lock braking system and a spec Michelin tire compared to the GTLM class.
Corvette Racing’s love affair with VIR goes back to 2012. This will be the team’s 11th appearance at the 3.27-mile, 17-turn road course. The configuration of the circuit – two long straights and a mix of low- medium- and high-speed corners – creates opportunities for a number of engineering and strategic decisions. That’s an area where Corvette Racing has a distinct advantage given its 24-year history of competition.
The Michelin GT Challenge at VIR is scheduled for 2:10 p.m. ET on Sunday, August 28. The race will air live on CNBC and stream live on Peacock beginning at 2 p.m. ET.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – QUALIFIED SECOND: "I feel like I got a lot out the car but not all of it. It was a decent first laps with a few mistakes. Track conditions were tricky. We had to kind of guess where the track would develop. I think I was expecting more grip overall. At the end of the day, it's the first row. I don't think we had anything for pole, but looking at tomorrow I think a lot of things will happen. The conditions will be tricky again, and the track can bite you. It will be the same for everybody so we need to see as much of the data as possible so we can fine-tune and be as prepared as possible for the race.
"I'd say qualifying was more like what we will have for the race (compared to Friday practice). Warmup (on Sunday) can give us a direction but that will be at eight in the morning. I'm sure the car will feel great then. We'll focus on what we have and we did yesterday and today to get our Corvette to where it should be for the race. Generally over the long run, we've been more competitive on pace in the race than in qualifying. Let's see if that's that case again tomorrow. This is still a new race and new track for this spec of car. Having said that, I think we are in good shape. Let's see if we can keep it up."
CORVETTE RACING AT VIR: Going for Another Overall Win Program seeking fourth overall win at GT-only weekend in Virginia
DETROIT (Aug. 23, 2022) – Corvette Racing seeks to win overall for the fifth time and sixth in class at Virginia International Raceway as the team returns to the track this weekend for the Michelin GT Challenge at VIR.
It’s the second of two GT-only races on the calendar for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The event, scheduled for 2:10 p.m. ET on Sunday, is one that Corvette Racing has dominated since it went to its current format in 2014.
A Corvette Racing entry has claimed overall wins four times at VIR in IMSA competition, including each of the last two years. Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor, who share the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R, were victors in 2020 in the now-extinct GT Le Mans (GTLM) category.
They were second a year ago to Corvette teammates Tommy Milner and Nick Tandy, who are partnering this season in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
This year is the first for Corvette in the new GT Daytona (GTD) PRO category, and as such is the first at VIR for the GTD Corvette – which runs with more weight, less power, an anti-lock braking system and a spec Michelin tire compared to the GTLM class.
Aside from a win at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in March, the season has been mostly frustrating with a runner-up finish at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and third-place showings at Long Beach and Road America.
Corvette Racing’s love affair with VIR goes back to 2012. This will be the team’s 11th appearance at the 3.27-mile, 17-turn road course. The configuration of the circuit – two long straights and a mix of low- medium- and high-speed corners – creates opportunities for a number of engineering and strategic decisions. That’s an area where Corvette Racing has a distinct advantage given its 24-year history of competition.
The Michelin GT Challenge at VIR is scheduled for 2:10 p.m. ET on Sunday, August 28. The race will air live on CNBC and stream live on Peacock beginning at 2 p.m. ET. IMSA Radio will broadcast Saturday’s final practice and qualifying with the race call Sunday at IMSA.com, on XM 207 and SiriusXM Online 992.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: "VIR has everything... nice flow, especially. This should be a good weekend for us. It's another 'first' weekend for the GTD Corvette. We don't know where we will stand. There are some long straightaways, so we will have to decide on the best aero package to see what is most beneficial. It's a track where we always have fun at and have a ton of success. Hopefully it's the same way this year again. "There are a few tracks where we have to find aero balance like what we need at VIR. I would consider this track like Canadian Tire Motorsport Park or Watkins Glen where there are fast speeds and slow sections, but you probably need to take care of your top speed. At times, it pays to be a little lighter on downforce and being fast on the straights. We will figure out what's best.”
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: "In terms of enjoyment of driving around, VIR is probably in the top-three of the tracks we go to. It's one of those natural-terrain tracks that still feels like an old-school track. There's not much margin for error... high speeds and lots of elevation changes. It's just a lot of fun to drive. It's one of the ones we always look forward to going to. "It's a place where you can get caught out pretty quickly with a lot of blind corners that are high-speed. So you do have to be careful. It's one of the better tracks we go to because it's an all-GT race. If we had prototypes there, it would be pretty difficult because of how narrow it is. Every time we go there, the racing is always tough and tight. We saw that last year in the GTLM class with only three cars. Going back there this year with a little bit bigger grid, the racing should be super good."
2022 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – GTD PRO (After eight of 10 events) Driver Standings 1. Mathieu Jaminet/Matt Campbell – 2,793 2. Ben Barnicoat – 2,566 3. Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2,566 4. Alex Riberas/Ross Gunn – 2,476 5. Connor De Phillippi/John Edwards – 2,234
Team Standings 1. No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports – 2.793 2. No. 14 VasserSullivan – 2,566 3. No. 3 Corvette Racing – 2,566 4. No. 23 Heart of Racing Team – 2,476 5. No. 25 BMW Team RLL – 2,234
Manufacturer Standings 1. Porsche – 2,793 2. Lexus – 2,596 3. Chevrolet – 2,566 4. Aston Martin – 2,546 5. BMW – 2,319
CORVETTE RACING AT VIR: By the Numbers • 1: As in one team, one manufacturer and one model of car for 24 years: Corvette Racing, Chevrolet and the Chevrolet Corvette • 3: Generations of Corvette Racing entries at VIR since 2012 – Corvette C6.R (2012-2013) and Corvette C7.R (2014-2019) and the mid-engine Corvette C8.R, which is 2-0 at the circuit since debuting there in 2020 • 4: Overall VIR race wins for Corvette Racing – 2016, 2017, 2020 and 2021. Antonio Garcia was part of the first three • 5: Class wins at VIR for Corvette Racing, the most among IMSA entrants. Tommy Milner and Oliver Gavin won in ALMS GT competition in 2012, and Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen won overall in 2016 and 2017. Garcia and Jordan Taylor drove the C8.R to a win in 2020 with Milner and Nick Tandy victorious a year ago • 9: Number of VIR victories for Chevrolet since 2002 covering both ALMS and the Rolex Series; that’s the most among manufacturers • 14: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001 • 26: 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, Miami, Mid-Ohio, Monza, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen • 32: Number of drivers for Corvette Racing since 1999 • 122: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 113 in North America, eight at Le Mans and one in the FIA WEC • 262: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999 • 5,902.35: Number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing in its eight previous trips to Virginia International Raceway. If all goes to plan, the team will surpass 6,000 miles after 30 laps in this year’s race • 346,160.95: 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 more than halfway back!
Corvette Racing at Virginia International Raceway (wins in bold) 2012 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 8th in GT (Garcia fastest race lap) No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 1st in GT (Clinched ALMS GT title)
2013 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 3rd in GT (Clinch GT team, manufacturer titles) No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 6th in GT
2014 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 7th in GTLM (Taylor replaced Magnussen – injury) No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 9th in GTLM
2015 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 6th in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 8th in GTLM
2016 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 1st in GTLM (Magnussen pole) No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 9th in GTLM (Gavin fastest race lap)
2017 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 1st in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 6th in GTLM
2018 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 2nd in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 6th in GTLM
2019 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 3rd in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 4th in GTLM
2020 No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 1st in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 4th in GTLM
2021 No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2nd in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy – 1st in GTLM
Challenges with weather, pace work against Garcia and Taylor in GTD PRO
CORVETTE RACING AT ROAD AMERICA: No. 3 C8.R Back on Podium Challenges with weather, pace work against Garcia and Taylor in GTD PRO
ELKHART LAKE, Wisc. (Aug. 7, 2022) – Corvette Racing came home third in class Sunday at Road America in the IMSA Fastline SportsCar Weekend. Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor finished on the GT Daytona (GTD) PRO podium in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R for their second straight top-three finish at the circuit in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
Garcia started third and drove the first 40 minutes in mostly dry conditions, although track conditions grew more treacherous on his slick Michelin tires toward the end of his stint.
The Corvette Racing crew got the No. 3 Corvette and Taylor out at the head of GTD PRO after the first stop. Unfortunately, Taylor had the worst of the conditions as he rejoined the race on wet-weather tires. Even more frustrating was the No. 3 Corvette’s lack of straight-line speed also started to rear its head as Taylor went from first to third on the restart in a matter of two corners.
He fell down to fourth behind the No. 23 Aston Martin, but more than once he took back the position into one of Road America’s brake zones only to fall back again on the long runs between corners. Meanwhile, the rain was somewhat consistent at the start of Taylor’s stint but moved to drying conditions as the second of three full-course yellows flew with 78 minutes remaining. Garcia got back in on slick tires and restarted fourth in class.
He finally got the No. 3 Corvette back onto the podium with less than hour to go while a number of GTD cars were in a fuel-savings mode to try and make the end in case the race went green the rest of the way.
That didn’t happen as a third yellow came out with 54 minutes to go. Corvette Racing engineers elected to keep Garcia out to try and gain an advantage in track position, but a number of GTD cars had the same idea – including the eventual race-winning Lexus.
The race went green with 36 minutes to go but Garcia was swallowed up and passed by two more lapped GTD cars on the run from the final corner to the start-finish line. He was able to hold on to the third position in GTD PRO before a final yellow ended the race with eight minutes left.
Corvette Racing’s next event is the Michelin GT Challenge at VIR from Virginia International Raceway on August 26-28.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED THIRD IN GTD PRO:“The way to you get laptime in our car is completely different to everyone else. On every restart we lost at least one or two positions. So you feel helpless and frustrated. There’s nothing we can do to make our car faster. Hopefully the next race at VIR is better.”
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED THIRD IN GTD PRO: “It was a frustrating day as a whole. It seems our pace over a lap isn’t too horrible, but where our pace is made against everyone else makes it almost impossible to race anyone. It’s the same story on a different weekend from the last five or six races. It’s frustrating overall, so hopefully we can go to Virginia and be a little more competitive than this.”
Garcia, Taylor looking to build on team’s eight previous Road America wins
CORVETTE RACING AT ROAD AMERICA: Happy Garcia Third in GTD PRO Qualifying No. 3 Corvette C8.R on inside of second row in chase for ninth Road America win
ELKHART LAKE, Wisc. (Aug. 6, 2022) – Antonio Garcia qualified third in GT Daytona (GTD) PRO as Corvette Racing’s No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R will start on the inside of the second row for Sunday’s IMSA Fastlane Sports Weekend at Road America.
Garcia set a time of 2:05.829 (115.814 mph) Saturday around the spacious 4.048-mile, 14-turn circuit in scenic eastern Wisconsin. That put him 0.464 seconds off Jack Hawksworth’s pole-winning time in the class.
Garcia qualified at Road America for the first time since 2018 but knows how to go fast around the track with a pair of fastest race laps in 2018 and 2020. The contrast in weather between Saturday’s ideal conditions and predicted rain Sunday will play a major role in the race’s outcome.
Garcia and Taylor are seeking their second win of the year and second victory at Road America as a tandem following a GT Le Mans class in 2020. After seven races, the pairing sits second in the Drivers Championship.
Road America and the Corvette brand have a lengthy history dating back nearly 60 years. Chevrolet routinely used the track to test and validate the performance of early-generation Corvettes with that tradition continuing into the present day.
Road America was the site of the first on-track running of the Corvette C8.R in 2018, and the mid-engine Corvette continues to write new chapters each weekend.
The IMSA Fastlane SportsCar Weekend from Road America is scheduled for 10:40 a.m. CT on Sunday, August 7. The race will stream live on Peacock and air same-day beginning at noon ET on USA. IMSA Radio’s race call Sunday also will be available on IMSA.com, XM 207 and SiriusXM Online 992.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – QUALIFIED THIRD IN GTD PRO:"That definitely was the maximum. I must say that I had really good prep so the tires were where they needed to be. Even I improved fractionally on the second lap, I thought my first was probably it. Maybe if you put together both, you could shave off a tenth. I'm happy with how the car felt and how I approached the actual qualifying session and how I built up temperature and pressure on the tires. Now we're focused on the race. It's good we are on the second row where yesterday we didn't know where we would be. We are ready for tomorrow. Let's see what the weather brings. From that point on, we can see the leaders right there so we need to stay in contact with them and do the job. "I qualified once or twice on pole here but it's been awhile since I qualified at Road America. It's always very enjoyable. You feel like you have the track to yourself. Traffic didn't play a part; it was perfect. This is the best track to have low fuel, new tires and space. It's the best part of the weekend for sure."
IMSA SPORTSCAR WEEKEND-ROAD AMERICA August 4-August 7, 2022 Elkhart Lake, WI Times posted below are Eastern, Race track is on Central time Track: Road America Race Duration: 2 hours 40 minutes Circuit Length: 4 miles Entry by Class: DPi - 6 LMP2 - 6 LMP3 - 9 GTD PRO - 5 GTD - 11
Sunday, August 7, 2022 Television & Online Broadcast TV LIVE: USA: 12:00 pm-2:30 PM ET ONLINE STREAMING: Peacock Streaming: 11:40 am -2:20 pm ET IMSA.com (for live images, in-car cameras and announcers) http://imsatv.imsa.com/
Garcia, Taylor looking to build on team’s eight previous Road America wins
CORVETTE RACING AT ROAD AMERICA: Drive for Nine in Elkhart Lake Garcia, Taylor looking to build on team’s eight previous Road America wins
DETROIT (Aug. 3, 2022) – Corvette Racing is going from the shortest track on the IMSA schedule to the longest when the team and the rest of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship return to spacious Road America for the IMSA Fastlane SportsCar Weekend.
The 4.048-mile, 14-turn road course is one of the most revered on the IMSA calendar with high speeds, big braking zones and heavy g-loads under cornering. It also is one of Corvette Racing’s most successful venues with eight victories for the program and 14 IMSA wins for Chevrolet as a manufacturer.
In the two-hour, 40-minute race, Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor will continue their push for their third straight IMSA Drivers Championship in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R.
After seven races, the pairing have one win on the season – at Sebring – and sit second in the Drivers Championship in the new GT Daytona (GTD) PRO category.
Garcia and Taylor were GT Le Mans (GTLM) winners at the circuit in 2020 – the first year of the C8.R. With the class discontinued for 2022, this is the first time for Corvette Racing in GTD PRO at Road America. There are a number of differences – more weight and less power, for example – but the biggest change will be the GTD-spec tire from Michelin on the Corvette instead of the “confidential” Michelins that were designed specifically for the C8.R over the course of two-plus years.
Road America is usually notorious for eating up tires with high levels of degradation. Despite a lack of overall pace throughout the season, the No. 3 Corvette has remained in championship contention due in large part to its tire management, engineering strategy and crew execution.
Road America and the Corvette brand have a lengthy history dating back nearly 60 years. Chevrolet routinely used the track to test and validate the performance of early-generation Corvettes with that tradition continuing into the present day. Road America was the site of the first on-track running of the Corvette C8.R in 2018, and the mid-engine Corvette continues to write new chapters each weekend.
Chevrolet Motorsports Display On-Site at Road America In addition to the many series and events on the racetrack at Road America, fans will have plenty to see and experience from Chevrolet. The Chevrolet Motorsports Display will be full of Chevy vehicles that spectators can learn more about throughout the weekend.
The Chevrolet Motorsports Display opens at 8 a.m. Friday and Saturday plus 7:30 a.m. Sunday and is located in the Fan Midway in the Road America main paddock. Numerous Chevrolet vehicles and other highlights include:
• The 2023 Corvette Z06 convertible • Additional Chevrolet products such as Blazer RS, Silverado ZR2, TrailBlazer Activ, Camaro 2SS and Colorado ZR2 • A Corvette Racing C8.R showcar • An opportunity to receive a 2022 Corvette Racing t-shirt
The IMSA Fastlane SportsCar Weekend from Road America is scheduled for 10:40 a.m. CT on Sunday, August 7. The race will stream live on Peacock and air same-day beginning at noon ET on USA. IMSA Radio will broadcast all on-track sessions beginning with Friday afternoon’s practice at IMSA.com. The race call Saturday also will be available on XM 207 and SiriusXM Online 992.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: "This will be a little different Road America than we're used to with the GTD Corvette and the cars are racing now – both GTD and GTD PRO. You have to think about attacking the track in different ways given weight, power and other differences that are part of the GTD configuration versus GTLM. We also don't know about tire degradation, which was quite severe there in past years. We don't know how it will be this year on this tire but it can open up several different strategies for the race and can play a big role in the outcome. So we'll see. One thing that hasn't changed is how enjoyable it is to drive around Road America and in the area. It's a highlight visit every year, but hopefully this year that includes a good result or win for us."
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Road America will be an interesting one for us. Knowing where our car’s strengths and weaknesses are, this could be a tricky one for us from a pace point of view. From a tire degradation point of view, that has been our strength this season. Hopefully that will suit us. We have some ideas in the works for car development for that race, so I think we’ll go there with a little bit of a stronger package and hopefully be contending up front. We’ve been to simulator since Lime Rock, so we’ve done some running with some big swings of changes to see what comes alive. That’s been the tough thing this season with just one car on track each weekend. You don’t have the opportunities to take big risks on setups. That’s where the simulator has brought big value to us.”
2022 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – GTD PRO (After seven of 11 Events) Driver Standings 1. Mathieu Jaminet/Matt Campbell – 2,441 2. Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2,226 3. Ben Barnicoat – 2,181 4. Alex Riberas/Ross Gunn – 2,170 5. Connor De Phillippi/John Edwards – 1,946
Team Standings 1. No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports – 2.441 2. No. 3 Corvette Racing – 2,226 3. No. 14 VasserSullivan – 2,181 4. No. 23 Heart of Racing Team – 2,170 5. No. 25 BMW Team RLL – 1,946
Manufacturer Standings 1. Porsche – 2,441 2. Aston Martin – 2,240 3. Chevrolet – 2,236 4. Lexus – 2,211 5. BMW – 2,031
CORVETTE RACING AT ROAD AMERICA: By the Numbers • 1: As in one team, one manufacturer and one model of car for 23 years: Corvette Racing, Chevrolet and the Chevrolet Corvette. • 4: Generations of Corvette Racing entries at Road America since 2002 – Corvette C5-R (2002-2004), Corvette C6.R (2005-13), Corvette C7.R (2016-19) and Corvette C8.R (2020-21). This year’s race is the first at the track for the GTD-spec, mid-engine racing Corvette. • 4: Number of cars Tommy Milner passed in the final 15 minutes of the 2016 Road America race. He and Oliver Gavin went on to win in class and capture the GTLM Drivers Championship. • 8: Number of victories at Road America for Corvette Racing, the most of any entrant in IMSA. • 8: Pole positions at Road America for Corvette Racing by four different drivers. • 10: Number of drivers who have won races at Road America for Corvette Racing – Gavin (four); Olivier Beretta (three); Johnny O’Connell (two); and Kelly Collins, Ron Fellows, Antonio Garcia, Jan Magnussen, Milner, Andy Pilgrim and Jordan Taylor (one each). • 12: Fastest race laps for Corvette Racing drivers at Road America. That includes the last three seasons: Tommy Milner (2019 and 2021) and Antonio Garcia (2020) • 14: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001 • 14: Number of IMSA victories at Road America for Chevrolet, the second-most of any manufacturer in IMSA • 21: Number of Road America events for Corvette Racing counting this year’s IMSA race. • 26: 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, Miami, Mid-Ohio, Monza, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen • 32: Number of drivers for Corvette Racing since 1999 • 122: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 113 in North America, eight at Le Mans and one in the FIA WEC • 261: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999 • 12,148.10: Number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing in its 20 previous trips to Road America. That represents 2,993 laps or more than 102 trips across Lake Michigan. • 345,914.02: 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 more than halfway back!
Corvette Racing at Road America 2002 No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Oliver Gavin – 2nd in GTS (Fellows pole; Gavin fastest race lap) No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins – 1st in GTS
2003 No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell – 2nd in GTS No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Oliver Gavin/Kelly Collins – 5th in GTS (Gavin pole, fastest race lap)
2004 No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell – 2nd in GTS No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GTS (Beretta pole, fastest race lap)
2005 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell – 2nd in GT1 No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GT1 (Gavin pole, Beretta fastest race lap)
2006 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell – 1st in GT1 No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 2nd in GT1 (Gavin fastest race lap)
2007 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O'Connell – 2nd in GT1 (Magnussen pole, fastest race lap) No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GT1
2008 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Johnny O'Connell/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GT1 No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 3rd in GT1 (Gavin pole, fastest race lap)
2009 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O'Connell – 3rd in GT2 No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 6th in GT2
2010 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Johnny O’Connell – 4th in GT2 No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 3rd in GT2 (Gavin pole, fastest race lap)
2011 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Tommy Milner – 14th in GT No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 5th in GT
2012 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 6th in GT No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 4th in GT
2013 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 2nd in GT No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 3rd in GT
2014 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 6th in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 7th in GTLM
2015 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 4th in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 7th in GTLM
2016 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 6th in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 1st in GTLM (5th to 1st in final 15 minutes)
2017 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 4th in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 5th in GTLM
2018 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 3rd in GTLM (Garcia fastest race lap) No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 2nd in GTLM
2019 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 4th in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 6th in GTLM (Gavin pole, Milner fastest race lap)
2020 No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 1st in GTLM (Garcia fastest race lap) No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 2nd in GTLM
2021 No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2nd in GTLM (Taylor pole) No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 3rd in GTLM (Milner fastest race lap)
Taylor stymied in qualifying, No. 3 Corvette to start fifth on grid for GT-only sprint race
CORVETTE RACING AT LIME ROCK: Tough Job in the Race Taylor stymied in qualifying, No. 3 Corvette to start fifth on grid for GT-only sprint race
LAKEVILLE, Conn. (July 15, 2022) – Corvette Racing will start Saturday’s Northeast Grand Prix from the inside of the third row after qualifying Friday at Lime Rock Park.
Jordan Taylor set a best lap of 51.302 (103.715 mph) in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R. He’ll start fifth Saturday in the mid-engine Corvette that he shares with Antonio Garcia in a race where track position is key.
Taylor looked set to contend for the front row until a slower GTD car exited the pitlane and interfered with the Corvette going into the first corner. The Corvette’s Michelin tires were coming to their peak before Taylor had to abort the lap and regroup. By that time, however, the tires were past their optimum operating window and Taylor finished 0.223 seconds behind the pole-sitting No. 9 Porsche.
Corvette Racing used the first two practices to acclimate the GTD-spec Corvette to Lime Rock through a series of chassis and tire pressure adjustments.
The work paid dividends in the second practice at Taylor led the session late before ending second – just a half-tenth of a second behind the No. 9.
Corvette Racing’s history at Lime Rock dates back to 2004 with the fifth-generation racing Corvette, and the C8.R is the fourth different version of Corvette Racing entry to compete at the venue. The team has six previous victories to its credit to lead all IMSA entrants, and Chevrolet ranks second among manufacturers with 13 race victories.
The FCP Euro Grand Prix from Lime Rock Park is scheduled for 3:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 16. The race will stream live on Peacock and air same-day at 5 p.m. ET on USA. IMSA Radio will broadcast all on-track sessions beginning with Friday afternoon’s practice at IMSA.com. The IMSA Radio call of the race Saturday also will be available on XM 207 and SiriusXM Online 992.
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – QUALIFIED FIFTH IN GTD PRO:“Really frustrating session. We made good progress from the first practice. It took some time for us to balance the car and the tire this morning, but this afternoon we made a good step forward. I think a front-row start was a possibility until I got blocked. After that, I couldn’t get the tire pressure and temps back up and that was it. Overall I think our Corvette is good for tomorrow and we should have good race pace. We’re just going to have to work that much harder to make up positions either on the track or in the pitlane. We can do it but it’ll take patience and some luck at this track.”
Northeast Grand Prix Lakeville, CT July 15-16, 2022 Track: Lime Rock Park Race Duration: 2 hours 40 minutes Circuit Length: 1.5 miles Entry by Class: GTDPRO - 6 GTD - 9
Garcia, Taylor looking for back-to-back wins at sports car racing’s bullring
CORVETTE RACING AT LIME ROCK: Short Track, Big Fight Garcia, Taylor looking for back-to-back wins at sports car racing’s bullring
DETROIT (July 12, 2022) – After racing at the wide-open spaces of places like Daytona and Le Mans, Corvette Racing this weekend travels to sports car racing’s version of a bullring: Lime Rock Park for Saturday’s Northeast Grand Prix.
Saturday’s two-hour, 40-minute race is one of two GT-only events for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor, teammates in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R, are the defending winners from a year ago and aim to replicate that success in the GT Daytona (GTD) PRO category around the 1.474-mile, seven-turn road course in northwestern Connecticut.
Close-quarters racing is usually the name of the game at Lime Rock. It’s a circuit that features one left-hand turn and laps of around 50 seconds. Heat and humidity also typically play a role, and higher track temperatures place a higher importance on tire management for all GTD cars.
That’s been the biggest adjustment for the Corvette Racing team in 2022. In GTD PRO – and the regular GTD class as well – all cars must use the same Michelin customer tire instead of tires specifically designed for each racecar… as was the case in the GT Le Mans (GTLM) categories in recent years.
That tire management is what helped Garcia and Taylor finish as runners-up two weeks ago at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and move back into second place in the GTD PRO Drivers, Manufacturers and Team championships.
Corvette Racing’s history at Lime Rock dates back to 2004 with the fifth-generation racing Corvette, and the C8.R is the fourth different version of Corvette Racing entry to compete at the venue. The team has six previous victories to its credit to lead all IMSA entrants, and Chevrolet ranks second among manufacturers with 13 race victories.
The FCP Euro Grand Prix from Lime Rock Park is scheduled for 3:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 16. The race will stream live on Peacock and air same-day at 5 p.m. ET on USA. IMSA Radio will broadcast all on-track sessions beginning with Friday afternoon’s practice at IMSA.com. The race call Saturday also will be available on XM 207 and SiriusXM Online 992.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: "Lime Rock always gives us a unique challenge, especially in this part of the schedule. It's always a big difference between there and places like Le Mans and Watkins Glen. This year will be a tough fight with six cars in our class going for an overall win. We've had to fight for every position in the last two races to get back to second in the championship. We need to start winning races to make gains in the points. That will be everyone's goal this weekend."
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “After our strong run at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, I’m excited to get back to fighting at the front at Lime Rock. We had a great weekend there last year with the pole and win, so hopefully we can replicate that this year. Lime Rock is always tough on tires and tire degradation, and that seemed to be our strength at CTMP. Hopefully that will work to our favor this weekend.”
2022 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – GTD PRO (After six of 11 Events) Driver Standings 1. Mathieu Jaminet/Matt Campbell – 2,056 2. Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 1,918 3. Ben Barnicoat – 1,849 4. Alex Riberas/Ross Gunn – 1,820 5. Cooper MacNeil – 1,701
Team Standings 1. No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports – 2.056 2. No. 3 Corvette Racing – 1,918 3. No. 14 VasserSullivan – 1,849 4. No. 23 Heart of Racing Team – 1,820 5. No. 79 WeatherTech Racing – 1,701
Manufacturer Standings 1. Porsche – 2,056 2. Chevrolet – 1,928 3. Aston Martin – 1,890 4. Lexus – 1,879 5. Mercedes-AMG – 1,809
CORVETTE RACING AT LIME ROCK PARK: By the Numbers • 1: As in one team, one manufacturer and one model of car for 24 years: Corvette Racing, Chevrolet and the Chevrolet Corvette • 4: Generations of Corvette Racing entries at Lime Rock Park since 2004 – Corvette C5-R (2004), Corvette C6.R (2005-13), Corvette C7.R (2016-2019) and Corvette C8.R, which made its Lime Rock debut last year • 7: Pole positions at Lime Rock for Corvette Racing, the most of any entrant in IMSA. Jordan Taylor (2021) is the most recent • 6: Number of victories at Lime Rock for Corvette Racing, the most of any entrant in IMSA • 7: Number of drivers who have won races at Lime Rock for Corvette Racing – Oliver Gavin (four), Olivier Beretta (three), Jan Magnussen (two), and Johnny O’Connell and Tommy Milner (one each). Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor joined the list with last year’s victory • 7: Fastest race laps for Corvette Racing drivers at Lime Rock. Antonio Garcia (2017) was the most recent • 13: Victories for Chevrolet at Lime Rock – second among all manufacturers • 14: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001 • 26: 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, Miami, Mid-Ohio, Monza, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen • 32: Number of drivers for Corvette Racing since 1999 • 100: As in Corvette Racing’s 100th program victory at Lime Rock Park in 2016 • 122: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 113 in North America, eight at Le Mans and one in the FIA WEC • 260: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999 • 6,451.76: Number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing in its 14 previous trips to Lime Rock Park. That represents 4,312 laps or 61 trips from the Empire State Building in New York City to the track • 345,664.91: 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 more than halfway back!
Corvette Racing at Lime Rock Park 2004 No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell – 2nd in GTS No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GTS (Beretta pole, fastest race lap)
2005 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell – 2nd in GT1 No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GT1 (Beretta pole, fastest race lap)
2006 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell – 2nd in GT1 No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 4th in GT1 (Beretta fastest race lap)
2007 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O'Connell – 2nd in GT1 (O’Connell fastest race lap) No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GT1
2008 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Johnny O'Connell/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GT1 No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 2nd in GT1 (Gavin pole, Beretta fastest race lap)
2010 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Johnny O’Connell – 12th in GT2 No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 5th in GT2
2011 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Tommy Milner – 9th in GT No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 10th in GT
2012 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 2nd in GT No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 3rd in GT
2013 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 2nd in GT No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 6th in GT
2016 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 2nd in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 1st in GTLM (100tth Corvette Racing win; Gavin fastest lap)
2017 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 4th in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 8th in GTLM
2018 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 2nd in GTLM (Garcia pole) No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 4th in GTLM
2019 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 5th in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Marcel Fässler – 6th in GTLM
2021 No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 1st in GTLM (Taylor pole) No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy – 2nd in GTLM
No. 64 Corvette C8.R claims maiden win in FIA WEC on Monza debut
CORVETTE RACING AT MONZA: Celebrazione for Tandy, Milner! No. 64 Corvette C8.R claims maiden win in FIA WEC on Monza debut
MONZA, Italy (July 10, 2022) – VITTORIA for Corvette Racing at Monza!
Tommy Milner and Nick Tandy drove the No. 64 Chevrolet Corvette C8.R to a thrilling win in the Six Hours of Monza. It was the program’s first victory of the season in the FIA World Endurance Championship and the maiden win in the series for the mid-engine Corvette.
Tandy crossed the finish line first in GTE Pro after the leading Ferrari had to stop for a late-race splash of fuel with two laps to go. The No. 64 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette was close on fuel as well, but engineering strategy and Tandy’s fuel-saving made all the difference in the end.
The result was a welcomed one following a crushing retirement at the 24 Hours of Le Mans a month ago.
"This was a long time coming, but this team performed and executed so well today,” said Laura Klauser, GM Sports Car Racing Program Manager. “Tommy and Nick drove their hearts out in this Corvette. Even if we had a couple of setbacks, we found our way around them. We did what Corvette Racing always does: we never gave up!"
The victory was Corvette Racing’s first in the WEC since the 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans and its first as a full-time entrant in the series. Milner and Tandy came close with a runner-up finish to open the year at the 1,000 Miles of Sebring.
Tandy started from second but ceded the position in the tight first corner and carried on the fight from there. Differing early strategies moved the Corvette back to second ahead of its first call to the pits. A long stop dropped the Corvette down to fourth in class, but Tandy continued to drive steady until the third full-course caution of the race just shy of the two-hour mark.
He stopped and handed off to Milner, who rejoined fourth but made up track position with a safety car period near the two-and-a-half-hour mark. The No. 64 continued to match the pace of the leaders, and Milner – making his first career start at Monza – moved the Corvette back into podium position just prior to another round of pit stops with two hours to go.
Tandy went the rest of the way and moved up to second after a five-second penalty to the leading No. 51 Ferrari with 90 minutes to go. A final full-course caution period with 70 minutes to go opened up the pit window for the final stop, and Corvette Racing engineering called him in with 67 minutes to go and a full tank of fuel.
Tandy got within four seconds of the No. 52 for the class lead inside 40 minutes to go before backing off to save fuel and get to the finish without another stop.
After seemingly settling for second, Tandy and the rest of Corvette Racing were astonished and ecstatic when both Ferraris peeled off into the pitlane. Minutes later, yellow-and-black clad team members were at the pitwall celebrating as Tandy crossed the line.
Corvette Racing’s next event in the FIA WEC is the Six Hours of Fuji on Sept. 9-11.
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – GTE PRO WINNER: "I can't believe it. The Ferraris seemed to have a lap better than us on fuel than what we could do. The team gave Nick a fuel number that seemed impossible to me, but he was just barely making it. At some point, I guess they thought they couldn't go and we were sitting here thinking they had it in the bag. Obviously that wasn't the case!
“You could see on the faces of the crew guys underneath the podium how unexpected this win was. We could see early on in the race that a podium was possible. But based on the pace of the Ferraris and them going a lap longer than us on at least one occasion while we were trying to save fuel… it looked like during the last run that second place was really going to be it. Nick was given a fuel number and told to push quite hard to close the gap if possible. There was a combination of things, I’m sure. Us putting pressure on them early on in that last stint made it so they couldn’t save a lot, so here we are P1! “For me, it’s super special to be here at Monza for the first time. It’s a track that I’ve always wished I could race on. To be here for the first time and stand on the top step of that podium – which is quite historic – to see the fans and our crew guys just below us there was very cool.”
NICK TANDY, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – GTE PRO WINNER: "With two laps to go, I saw a red car coming in and didn't know which one. I asked if it was the 52 and the team said it was. Like Tommy said, we basically gave up with about 30 minutes to go because we had to hit a stupid number to make it. But we did! “We had no idea really what cars could make it. I think there were four of the five cars that pitted under a safety car with basically three hours left, so it was going to be a stretch for all those cars to make it on two more stops. From then on it became a fuel mileage race. When the last full-course yellow came out, it made it worse for all those cars because everyone needed to pit for fuel because firstly we needed it. It also made the last stint another couple of laps longer. In the end, we were the car to make it.
“We fully expected the Ferrari to be able to go to the end. They had already done a stint under green to start the race and went a lap longer than what we could do even when we were saving earlier. We knew we had to be super-aggressive with the fuel numbers. After the full-course yellow, the guys gave me a fuel number… I did laugh a bit when they said it at the start but I knew that if we stopped then it was going to be game over. So we had to run at that pace. The good thing is that at the end, the track came to us and the tires were definitely working really nicely toward the end of the race. So the car had good pace and we could take a bit of margin down the straight and keep the speed in the corners to put the pressure on the Ferrari. I could see that they picked up the pace and that’s when I guess they said they couldn’t make it. We didn’t know that at the time, so when they came in with two laps to go, it was happy days! Corvette’s first time in Monza and Corvette’s and Tommy’s first win! “I didn’t want to save anything. We were catching them quite quickly on the final stint and I thought things were looking really good. Then all of a sudden we had to start really making the fuel number they’d given me rather than trying to make it while still going quick. We didn’t really drop any pace but they suddenly seemed to start pulling away from us. I thought at the time and hoped that they had given up on their fuel savings. We just assumed they were safe and they could run the pace they wanted. As it turned out, they couldn’t. Everyone went from, ‘OK, good race and good podium’ to ‘We’re about to win the Monza Six Hours!’ So it was pretty cool!”
GTE Pro front-row start for No. 64 C8.R in Corvette Racing’s debut at Monza
CORVETTE RACING AT MONZA: Tandy Takes P2 in Qualifying GTE Pro front-row start for No. 64 C8.R in Corvette Racing’s debut at Monza
MONZA, Italy (July 9, 2022) – Nick Tandy put Corvette Racing on the front row of the GTE Pro class in qualifying Saturday ahead of the Six Hours of Monza for the FIA World Endurance Championship.
Tandy qualified the No. 64 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R second in class around the 3.6-mile, 11-turn Autodromo Naztionale Monza circuit. His time of 1:45.324 (123.031 mph) was only 0.054 seconds off the pole-winning time of the No. 51 Ferrari.
Tandy will start Sunday’s race and team with Tommy Milner in Corvette Racing’s first appearance at Monza.
Tandy set the fastest lap in class during Saturday’s final practice and was the only driver under the 1:46.000 mark ahead of qualifying. The competitiveness of the Corvette is a testament to the prep work on Chevrolet’s Driver in the Loop simulator and the efforts of the engineering team and crew to get the C8.R in an optimal spot for qualifying at a new circuit.
The team hopes to get back on the WEC podium, having started the season with a runner-up finish at the 1,000 Miles of Sebring. Misfortune while leading at both Spa and Le Mans dashed promising chances for victories at each.
The Six Hours of Monza for the FIA World Endurance Championship is scheduled for noon CET/6 a.m. CET on Sunday, July 10 from Autodromo Nazionale Monza in Italy. The race will air live on MotorTrend with live streaming coverage of the race on the MotorTrend Plus app. Radio Le Mans also will stream live audio coverage of the race.
NICK TANDY, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – QUALIFIED SECOND IN GTE PRO: "That was very close but I'm obviously really happy with a front-row start. The Ferrari looks very quick. It's nice for them to be on pole for their home race. Qualifying is always a situation where as a driver you push the limits. We had a fast lap but unfortunately I ran out of bounds of the track and we had the lap deleted. Luckily the car was still strong for the next two laps, which is a good omen for the race; it's not one lap of qualifying but an endurance race. So yeah, I'm glad we could get back in it and get this Corvette back on the front row. The first corner and first chicane at Monza... who knows whether it's better to start on the inside or the outside! But this was a good session, and it's overall been a good day and good weekend so far for Corvette Racing."
WEC FIA 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.
Qualifying: Saturday July 9th, 2022 1:30 pm EDT to 1:40 pm EDT Watch live FIA WEC app, MotorTrend + app ( app purchases)
Milner, Tandy seek to rebound from heartbreaking Le Mans in C8.R’s Italian debut
CORVETTE RACING AT MONZA: Visiting The Temple of Speed Milner, Tandy seek to rebound from heartbreaking Le Mans in C8.R’s Italian debut
DETROIT (July 5, 2022) – With the heartbreaking memory of Le Mans in the rearview mirror, Corvette Racing is looking to regroup as it heads to Italy for the first time ahead of the Six Hours of Monza in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
As they have for the previous three WEC races, Tommy Milner and Nick Tandy will share the No. 64 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R, which is on its maiden globe-trotting tour in 2022. It’s the first “new” event for the Corvette WEC program, having previously been to Sebring, Spa and – of course – Le Mans.
The 3.60-mile, 11-turn circuit is one of the fastest in the world with multiple long straights and huge braking zones for the four WEC categories. Even without having set foot inside Monza Park – where Autodromo Nazionale Monza sits – there already is data from the long straights and slow corners at Le Mans that Corvette Racing engineers can refer to when establishing a baseline for this weekend.
Input also will come from Tandy, one of the few Corvette Racing team members who has previous experience at the circuit. This will be the case for Fuji and Bahrain to close the WEC season, although Milner has accumulated several hours of simulator work ahead of his first race at the Italian circuit.
The No. 64 Corvette opened the WEC season with a strong second-place showing at the rain-shortened 1,000 Miles of Sebring. Things were trending the right way for the Tandy/Milner pairing at the Six Hours of Spa before a red flag just past the one-hour mark wiped out the team’s first planned pit stop and effectively put the Corvette a lap down before finishing fourth.
Le Mans was the cruelest blow with the No. 64 C8.R eliminated while effectively leading just shy of the 18-hour mark.
The Six Hours of Monza for the FIA World Endurance Championship is scheduled for noon CET/6 a.m. CET on Sunday, July 10 from Autodromo Nazionale Monza in Italy. Qualifying is set for 5:30 p.m. CET/11:30 a.m. ET on Saturday, July 9. The race will air live on MotorTrend with live streaming coverage of the race and qualifying on the MotorTrend Plus app. Radio Le Mans will broadcast qualifying and the race.
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “It’s another classic track that we’ve never had a chance to compete at before and it’s one I’m looking forward to. Based on what Nick has said about the area and especially the history of the track makes it something special to compete there. So I’m excited for that opportunity. I’ve had a chance to do some laps in the simulator. Looking at the track layout, it seems fairly simple in some ways but driving it has its own unique challenges. It’s fun to drive, too. The corners are quite different where you have some very slow chicanes and some pretty quick third- and fourth-gear corners. There is a wide variety of track sections. The slowest part of the track is preceded by a very long straightaway, which will be great for racing. It’s exciting. I enjoy the historic part of the sport so the chance to see the old Monza banking is something I can’t wait to see.”
NICK TANDY, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Monza is another classic place. When anyone speaks of Monza, it’s one of those iconic names and venues. The word just strikes passion into motorsport. Any series that races there is a top event, and it’s a privilege to race at the circuit and in Monza Park. It’s not a normal setting for a racetrack near a city but in an actual park. Even from driving into the circuit, it’s a different experience. When you get to the track, it’s unlike any other circuit. It’s short but it’s so defined by the fast straightaways. It’s a bit like Daytona in that sense. It’s fun.”
More Monza: “It’s a normal lap time but there are effectively six corners – three corners and three chicanes. From that point of view, it’s not the most technical circuit for a driver. On the other hand, for the car and engineering crew, trying to get a window where your car operates is critical. Of course you have to be fast in a straight line but the car has to be really good under braking. This is a huge thing about Monza. ... It’s a real tricky one to kind of figure out for what is best for ultimately making laptime out of your car. Of course, we are new as it will be the first time that Corvette Racing has been to Monza. I’ll be relaying my experience from previous years to the team and try to help out. Past that, we’ve already started our prep and started running on the sim before Le Mans. We’ve figured out a few options we can take with us to find what’s best. But I’m also looking forward to seeing everyone’s faces and the people who have never been and have a chance to go to Italy and have a look around this amazing facility and amazing town.”
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