📷 © Luc Warnotte at 6 Hours of Portimao. Second victory for the #33 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette C8.R in WEC LMGTE AM class.

FIA Endurance Trophy for Corvette Racing C8.R

For its first and unique full season lineup in the World Endurance Championship LMGTE AM, Corvette Racing clinched the FIA Endurance Trophy LMGTE AM Drivers and Teams at Monza after three victories – Corvette Racing’s ninth class win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, at the 1,000 Miles of Sebring, and the Six Hours of Portimão – and three pole positions for Keating.

Nicky Catsburg, Ben Keating and Nico Varrone with the #33 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette C8.R close their campaigns in the WEC with five podiums despite facing an uphill battle on the performance front with the C8.R being heavier than any other GTE Am car after each success and a pre-event reduction in power.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at 24 Hours of Le Mans. Nicky Catsburg, Ben Keating and Nico Varrone win the Centenary with #33 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette C8.R .

Corvette Racing finished seventh at the Eight Hours of Bahrain to close the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship and put a cap on a historic season.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. P2 for the #33 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette C8.R in WEC LMGTE AM class.

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED SEVENTH IN CLASS: "The result of today isn't important. If we couldn't win today, it's great to see the Iron Dames win. I think they deserved one all season. But we deserved the championship. We celebrated it once, and it was nice to celebrate it again tonight with the team. On the cool-down lap, I was thanking them and I realized that the stuff we accomplished this year was really cool. We did it with two races to go but that doesn't make tonight any less special. I'm super happy and super proud of the entire team, and I can't wait to work them again in America next season."

📷 © Luc Warnotte at 1,000 Miles of Sebring. First race, first win for the #33 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette C8.R in WEC LMGTE AM class.

BEN KEATING, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED SEVENTH IN CLASS: “I didn't have any contact at the start. There were cars everywhere. I lost a lot of positions but avoided any contact. It was a green and clean race, and unfortunately we didn't have the pace this weekend. I think it was the price for having really good strategy all year. It was a magical season and a magical time – the last race for GTE, the last race for me with Corvette Racing and the last race for me in World Endurance Championship. It's still surreal and magical when you think about this season. To have won the championship, to have won Le Mans and had such great results all season long... it's pretty hard to sit back and enjoy it when you're as busy as I was out there in the race. But I tried to remind myself of it as often as I could. It's been a lot of fun."

NICO VARRONE, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED SEVENTH IN CLASS: “I'm really happy to finish the season with Corvette Racing. It was an amazing year and a fairytale story. Driving the C8.R for the final time in Bahrain was really nice, and I've enjoyed every minute. This race was tough for us with tires and our performance. Other cars were passing us easily, and we had no power in a straight line. The only chance we had to match them was trying to save our tires and see if that worked. I tried to be consistent and not make mistakes to lose as little time as possible. Other than that, the Corvette was good. Always here it is tricky with traction and grip. We were just missing power. That's just how it was. We cannot complain too much. We've had an amazing season." Source: Corvette Racing

The Corvette Z06 GT3.R in WEC LM GT3 with TF Sport

The Corvette Z06 GT3.R is slated to be part of the WEC grid next year in the hands of TF Sport for the LM GT3 category. Corvette Racing is expanding its roster of factory drivers with Daniel Juncadella and Charlie Eastwood who will drive the new TF Sport Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R.

DANIEL JUNCADELLA, CORVETTE RACING BY PRATT MILLER MOTORSPORTS TF SPORT (FIA WEC FULL-TIME): “I have not been to Le Mans. I did watch a lot of this year’s race. I was already in talks with Corvette so I knew it might be one of my possibilities for next year, and that made me be more interested in the race. This year obviously was a big year for Hypercar and all the brands coming together with the new regulations. It was an interesting year with a lot of stuff – the Centenary, the last year of GTE… I have to say I was a bit worried that Corvette was winning again because I was like, ‘They are winning so much this year that it’s going to make it difficult for me next year being so successful.’ But it did make me realize how good of a brand they are, how good of a team they are and how they turned things around. It was very exciting.”

CHARLIE EASTWOOD, TF SPORT: “This certainly ranks up there for me, joining such a brand like Corvette and an organization like GM. It’s what so many drivers wish for their whole career. It seems to be an amazing place to be, and you can see that because so many drivers stay for so long. I’m really looking forward to that opportunity to learn from the best in the business and push on together to achieve great things for many years to come.” (Being back with TF Sport): “It’s really beneficial. Obviously, this is a brand-new car with new regulations going to GT3 from GTE, so knowing all the team and the engineers already I feel like it can give us the upper hand in how quickly we can develop a brand-new car. It’s a short timeframe between receiving the car and only a few days testing before we get to Qatar. We need to make sure that we’re making the most out of the time that we have together. Knowing all the personnel and the engineers, I hope that will put us in a really good place going into the first round at Qatar.”

Corvette Racing C8.R third in IMSA GTD PRO

The Chevrolet Corvette C8.R ended its run in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship leading Petit Le Mans, but unfortunately that happened just past the halfway point of the 10-hour race at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.

Corvette Racing’s mid-engine challenger retired with an engine issue that caused Tommy Milner to lose power while leading the GT Daytona (GTD) PRO class with less than five hours left in the race. He, Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor had dominated the race up to that point by leading 87 of the Corvette’s 189 laps.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Motul Petit Le Mans. 20 victories in 80 races for Corvette C8.R.

The C8.R has compiled an impressive record of 20 victories in 80 races – including Le Mans, Daytona and Sebring – and IMSA Manufacturers, Drivers and Team championships in 2020 and 2021. It will give way in 2024 to the Corvette Z06 GT3.R, which will see four cars running in the WeatherTech Championship next season.

At Road Atlanta, it appeared early that the C8.R would add a long-sought Petit Le Mans victory to the honor roll. Garcia began the race second in class but moved to the GTD PRO lead just past the one-hour mark. He drove a double-stint to open before handing off to Taylor for his own double.

The Corvette ran fourth just shy of the three-hour mark, but a sterling pit stop by the Corvette crew during the race’s fifth full-course yellow leap-frogged Taylor - making his final start with Corvette Racing - back to the lead. That’s where he ran before handing over the C8.R to Milner four hours into the race.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona: #3 Corvette C8.R ended second 3.916 seconds behind the winning Mercedes-AMG.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “It was looking quite good. I was surprised how competitive we were right away. My double-stint was good. Jordan’s double-stint was really good. Tommy was leading. Everything was kind of falling in the right places for us. We had little things with strategy where we might have lost the lead, but we were up there and executing another great Corvette race. Even if most of the cars had more pace than us, it would have been difficult for them. It’s a shame to end this way. I wish we had another result and another way to do our last race with Jordan and this car. But it feels like another Petit Le Mans where I go away not winning it! It’s disappointing, but I’ll never give up trying to win this one.”

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Rolex 24 at Daytona. #33 Corvette C8.R.

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “It’s sad and a bittersweet ending. We went out leading, which is a positive. It’s too bad the fans didn’t get to see us finish one last race in IMSA in the C8.R. It’s been an amazing run with this car – two GTLM championships, we’ve won the WEC championship this year, a Le Mans, Daytona, Sebring… we were just missing Petit Le Mans. It’s been an amazing run for this generation of Corvette, and hopefully the next one can get this one checked off the list.

“This isn’t a farewell. I won’t be driving for the team any more, but I’ll still be around. I don’t want anyone to not come around and say hello. I’ve been here for 12 years now, and I’ve grown up in this program. With these team members, the crew members, the engineers, management, the race fans – they’ve all seen me grow and progress. I wouldn’t want any of that to change. These people will be family for the rest of my life.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “At the end of the day, it’s not the result we were hoping for and on track for. The car was great today. Antonio and Jordan did a phenomenal job today. The engineering guys made the right pit calls, even a little risky setup call for the race today that we weren’t totally confident in. But those guys worked hard to give us a great Corvette today, and they definitely did. So I’m disappointed with the finish but I’m super proud of what this team has achieved from the very beginning of the C8.R’s life – not just the guys here but the guys in WEC and a lot of guys in Michigan who have spent a long many years working on this car, developing the car and making it better. It’s not how we wanted to end it all, but I’ve excited for what’s to come with the Corvette GT3 racecar. It took me a little bit to get used to this car because I’ve driven the GT3 for so long, and it does so many things really well. I’m really excited for the future.” Source: Corvette Racing

Four Corvette Z06 GT3.R in IMSA 2024

The Corvette Racing effort transitions into the Corvette Z06 GT3.R era starting with the Rolex 24 At Daytona on Saturday, Jan. 27 under the Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports banner in the GTD PRO class. The 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship will see a pair of Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs compete with a quartet of drivers: Alexander Sims along with returning veterans Antonio Garcia, Tommy Milner and Nicky Catsburg. Daniel Juncadella and Earl Bamber will race with the factory-backed program in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring and Petit Le Mans. Juncadella will drive with Garcia and Sims while Bamber joins Milner and Catsburg.

DANIEL JUNCADELLA, CORVETTE RACING BY PRATT MILLER MOTORSPORTS (IMSA ENDUROS) / TF SPORT (FIA WEC FULL-TIME): “I’ve been a witness to what it means to be a Corvette driver in the U.S. That’s means a really big fanbase. That’s pretty exciting, to be honest. At every autograph session in IMSA that I’ve been sitting next to the Corvette tent, there is a queue of 100 people waiting to get an autograph from their drivers, and we were just sitting around! That’s very exciting, I have to say, to see the legacy that Corvette Racing has created in the U.S. and to see the amount of awareness about the brand is very exciting. It makes me proud and it feels quite unique to be a Corvette factory driver.

EARL BAMBER, CORVETTE RACING BY PRATT MILLER MOTORSPORTS: “It’s really exciting to be joining Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports for the long races. I’ve been a part of some big rivalries for many years in IMSA racing. But this organization has won so many races and championships… it’s really impressive. When I did my first test at Road America, you could see why they’ve been so successful. I’ve driven the Z06 GT3.R and I think the package is really good. These guys have built fantastic GTLM cars over the years, and I don’t see why the Corvette GT3 should be any different. It’s a well-balanced car already just in its infancy, so I think they will be a formidable force not just in IMSA but also as this program seeks out to go all around the world. I think it will be one of the benchmark cars into the future.”

Two additional customer Corvette Z06 GT3.R will be field by AWA (Andrew Wojteczko Autosport traditionally competing in the LMP3 class with Duqueine D08) in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD class.

Nico Varrone, Corvette Racing’s rising star in this year’s FIA WEC, will transition to full-time IMSA duties in his first year as a factory driver. He rejoins AWA – a team with which he won this year’s Rolex 24 At Daytona in the LMP3 class – and will partner with Anthony Mantella in the GTD category.

NICO VARRONE, AWA: “First of all, it’s a big honor to be a factory driver for Corvette. It’s also nice to be back in IMSA next season with everyone at AWA. These are people that I know from this year and doing the endurance races in LMP3. It was a good year. We won Daytona and had great performances throughout the season. It will be a big challenge with the new car, not only for our team but everyone in the entire Corvette program. But this is also a completely new class for AWA. It will be a challenge but we will be prepared to make the most of it and get some wins with the Corvette Z06 GT3.R and have a great season.” Source: Corvette Racing