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)


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)

Ryan Smith
Judy Kouba Dominick