Press Release:


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.”