Category: IMSA

No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R team aims for continued improvement in second race of season

DETROIT (April 10, 2023) – Following an impressive debut of the hybrid Cadillac V-Series.R in the FIA World Endurance Championship, Cadillac Racing turns its attention to the opening leg of the European schedule and the 6 Hours of Portimão in Portugal this weekend.

Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn and Richard Westbrook will share the driving duties of the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R In the 11-car Hypercar class on the Algarve International Circuit.

“It will be the first time we run the car in Europe. That will be a challenging weekend,” said Bamber after the team opened with a fourth place in the 1000 Mile of Sebring on March 17.

Its sister racecars – the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R and the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R – on Saturday will seek to give the iconic brand six consecutive victories on the streets of Long Beach, California, in the third race of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season.

The 100-minute race is scheduled for 5 p.m. ET on the 1.968-mile, 11-turn circuit.

The No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R, co-driven by Pipo Derani, Alexander Sims and Jack Aitken, started from the pole and went on to claim the victory in the Twelve Hours of Sebring on March 18. It was Cadillac’s third consecutive win on the 3.741-mile, 17-turn course and first in the recast Grand Touring Prototype class.

“We have a solid car and we can’t wait to get to the rest of the WEC season and the IMSA season and show the world how great it is,” GM sports car racing program manager Laura Wontrop Klauser said. “Every time we turn the car on, we learn something. Whether if we move it or even if it sits still, we learn something, and the racing is the best way possible to learn. We can only grow and get better.”

The 6 Hours of Portimão will mark the third race for the No. 2 drivers in the new Cadillac V-Series.R powered by a 5.5-liter V-8 normally aspirated engine developed by GM’s Performance and Racing propulsion team paired with the spec energy recovery system.

They opened with a fourth place in the Rolex 24 At Daytona in January followed by the strong showing at Sebring International Raceway.

“We’ll keep giving it the same effort we’ve given it so far and try to build on this good result,” team manager and strategist Stephen Mitas said.

The WEC has visited the Algarve International Circuit once (June 2021) – an eight-hour race in which Westbrook co-drove a Hypercar entry with Ryan Briscoe and Romain Dumas that qualified 11th and placed 30th overall (54 laps behind). Bamber and Lynn have raced at the circuit in various formulas.

Completed in 2008, the racecourse has hosted the Formula One Portuguese Grand Prix, MotoGP and the Lamborghini Super Trofeo World Finals among other races and is an annual stop for the European Le Mans Series. Bamber observed that many of the circuit’s 15 turns have personality and that its undulating 4,653 kilometers (2.891 miles) length is akin to riding on a roller coaster.

Two free practices Friday and one Saturday totaling 150 minutes precede the 15-minute Hypercar qualifying session. Green flag for the 6 Hours of Portimão is scheduled for 7 a.m. ET/noon local Sunday.

As announced late last month, a second Cadillac V-Series.R is entered for the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps on April 29. Sebastien Bourdais and Renger van der Zande will drive the No. 3 Cadillac V-Series.R.

What they’re saying

Earl Bamber: “I’m very excited for Portugal. We had a great day in Sebring, fighting for a podium, and I think we all want to go one step higher and make it there this time. The team has been doing some really good preparation and I know we are going to make positive steps every race. It’s a learning process in the WEC, but we have all eyes forward to make it on to the podium.”

Alex Lynn: “It was a strong showing for the whole crew in Sebring, and we’re all excited to now get our European adventures started. This will be the first time competing with this car in Europe, and we’ve put a lot of time into understanding what the car needs, making efforts across the simulator and now it’s about executing a clean race. There is this big buildup to Le Mans, where we can score some serious points beforehand. We’re really looking forward to continuing to learn and carrying on with this strong momentum that this car and team has provided.”

Richard Westbrook: “We had a lot of positives come out of our first WEC race — reliability, good points and we got a ton of data. With how our car was running, it is disappointing not to have come away with a podium finish at Sebring. But we are a brand-new WEC team and are still learning about the car and the WEC rules. It will be a bit of going into the unknown at Portimao because it is unlike any track we’ve raced on or tested on in the U.S. Still, I’m looking forward to the challenge and confident we’ll continue to score more solid points in the championship.”

Transcript: Defending pole and race winner aims for repeat in No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R

Renger van der Zande, co-driver with Sebastien Bourdais of the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R in the Grand Touring Prototype class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, met with the media via Zoom conference to preview the April 14-15 race in Long Beach, California.

Van der Zande and Bourdais will look to successfully defend their race win on the 1.968-mile, 11-turn temporary street circuit. Cadillac has won every IMSA prototype race at Long Beach since the start of the DPi era in 2017.

Q&A with van der Zande transcript:

As you prepare for this event and look back on last year, what comes to mind?

“I think the Long Beach Grand Prix is always special. I finished second there a lot and then last year won it finally so happy to go there and defend the win. This year it’s with a new car. We haven’t raced the Cadillac LMDh on any street track. You never know what to expect. We know from the past that Long Beach is a hard track for tires; tire degradation can be hard. The DPi Cadillac was always good with that; I think it was an advantage compared to the competition. We have a weapon this year, which is Sebastien Bourdais my teammate. He was flying last year. I think it was very special to see him go. He even planted it in the wall and still drove back to first place. I had to drive it home and that’s a very comfortable position, though it’s never easy on a street track. Of course, I had to do some work. We got it done and we won that race. (This year) the car is a little heavier than the DPi, it has less downforce than a DPi, it has more power. At the same time are systems that under braking can be tricky, so what to do with all the bumps and different tarmac changes and the curbs. For example, around the fountain is something to consider. We are discussing that right now with our engineers to be best prepared. It’s an interesting street track. It’s always spectacular. It’s always something happening with that last hairpin, and it’s also a lot of stop and go, 90-degree corners that you have to deal with and, of course, the fountain. Turn 1 is always a guess on how much grip you have, flying toward that outside wall. It’s not an easy track and let’s see what we can make of it. Not much lost at Sebring, but at the same time I’m still digesting that one going to Long Beach.”

With new homologation, closer performance level and BoP rules with the GTP cars, will that open the door for other manufacturers to be on more level ground than previously at a street circuit?

“LMDh is a different platform where the weight is the same, the power is the same, the basics of the car are the same. We all have the same tires, the same weight, the same power. I do think that things are much closer. We’re all searching here and there for details and fine-tuning the setup – from the engine side, the chassis side and the aerodynamics and balance everything. What you saw at Sebring and Daytona is it’s pretty close. Going to Long Beach, I think it’s a new starting level. It have a strong feeling that it is more equal than ever before.”

Are there differences in the way the GTP cars are racing each other compared to the DPi?

“I feel it’s hard to overtake. The speeds are higher but we have to brake a bit earlier and the weight is higher as well, so the minimum speed is a lot lower. You rely on let’s brake super late and dive bomb someone and get away with it. I think if you dive bomb someone you’re going straight so you’re going to miss the corner. I feel that in traffic it makes a bigger difference. You can see the last part of Daytona, there were some faster cars in front of us and when there was traffic there were gaps and those gaps remained, so there are a few spots on track where you can overtake and you’re limited more than the DPi in those spots. I think with the DPi you could overtake someone on track because you have a bit more downforce, you had more minimum speed grip to get away with a mistake. These cars, if you out-brake yourself you’re actually going to out-brake yourself and go off the track. You have to be a bit more careful. Traffic management is super important. The GTs are really in cooperation with the GTPs.”

Talk about the Long Beach hairpin and the role it plays in the race.

“I think the steering on our Cadillac is a bit better than it was on the DPi, so I think that won’t be a problem. We’ve seen a lot of action there, some misfortune for some people stranded there. It’s one of those do-or-dies on the last corner of the last lap of the race. That makes Long Beach a difficult street track with no room for error. Around that corner there really is only one line. If you dive bomb on the inside you probably won’t get away with it. If you do, might get lucky and win that race. Also in GTP, spare parts are at a premium, we don’t have that much stock. If you keep on taking off bits of the car in the first practice, second practice and then qualifying, it’s something to keep in mind. That last corner is special, and the corner before that – the long left-hander with all the drifting rubber – it’s easy to screw it up a well.”

About cold tires on the GTP car.

“Our cold tires are super tricky. I had an LMP2 driver to come me and ask if we were still charging our hybrid system when we were coming out of the pits because why are you so slow. I said nothing like that, it’s just no grip at all. If you’re coming out of the pits and you’re racing each other you have zero grip. The GTP drivers must think we have a problem, but really trying to get a read on the tires, temperature and grip. So, that’s another element in this championship.”

No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3:
Davide Rigon (ITA)
Daniel Serra (BRA)
Gabriel Casagrande (BRA)

(Sebring, Florida, March 19, 2023) … The No. 62 Risi Competizione kept to their game plan and brought the Ferrari 296 GT3 to the checkered flag in the sixth position in the GTD Pro class with drivers Daniel Serra, Davide Rigon and Gabriel Casagrande.

The 71st annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race saw 12 cautions and exhilarating, action-packed racing over the 12 hours at the 3.74-mile, 17-turn central Florida road course.

Brazilian Daniel Serra was the starting driver from the fourth position in the GTD Pro class and 53-car field for the Houston, Texas-based team. Cautions played a big part in the race as numerous cars found their way off course, which tended to make the track slippery and brought out the many cautions. The Risi Competizione team kept to their strategy and generally stayed out of trouble in a race full of mishaps.

Risi Ferrari team and Sebring newcomer Brazilian Gabriel Casagrande drove a respectable stint and accomplished his drive time minimum as planned. The team strategy was to utilize the two Ferrari Competizioni GT factory drivers to their fullest. After racing in yesterday’s FIA WEC 8-hour race, they were well tuned to the challenging Sebring circuit and its conditions this weekend.

Driver Quotes:
Daniel Serra, driver, No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3:
“Unfortunately it is not the end we were expecting. We were there, fighting for the podium, but unfortunately a prototype put me out on corner 3. I don’t know what happened. I saw the images I know it was a prototype who bumped me in the back and then I spun and that’s it. Anyway, now we have to think about Watkins Glen, see what we can do better. I hope to have a better BoP [balance of performance] as well. It’s still a little bit far from the others in terms of weight and power so, I don’t know… let’s see what they do for the next races.

“For sure we are closer, but not close enough. If you compare with Corvette or Mercedes, they’re flying compared to us. They’re on a different level. I was able to fight with them and see what the difference is. IMSA usually do a good job, so let’s see what they do for the next race.”

Davide Rigon, driver, No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3: (being edited by Luca)
“Actually, through the race we were pretty fast, good pace, good strategy, nothing to say. The team did an amazing job to prepare the car, and Ferrari did a big improvement from Daytona, so we are just very happy about our car. The balance [of the car] was very nice and it was a pleasure to drive this car during the race. [In the] last stint you win or you lose, and we were unlucky at the end. We got hit by a prototype and that’s it. We could have arrived at the podium this time, but we will continue to push with Risi and Ferrari to improve our car. Let’s see if we can win at least one race this year.”

Davide Rigon exits the Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3 during a pit stop
Gabriel Casagrande, driver, No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3:
“It’s not the end we expected, but we were cheering for Daniel at the end. We thought we could maybe fight for the podium. It was a nice experience for me. I’m glad to have been here and helped Daniel and Davide with the car. And to bring the car home in one piece was my target here. I’m thankful for this opportunity and really a huge thank you to Mr. Risi, Anna and the team. I hope to back.”

Rick Mayer, Risi Competizione Race Engineer:
“It certainly was a rough weekend. Sebring is always a difficult place to come with a new car and this was no exception. I think we improved it during the three practices we had on Thursday and got the car better. We made it the best we could, but we just didn’t have the pace in the race to be competitive. There were some issues with the clutch that caused us some problems in the pits inevitably and took us out of a podium. Gabriel was new with us this weekend. He got up to speed rather quickly and I think he’ll do good in the future. We were hoping for a podium finish, but we’ll recoup, make some changes and be ready for Watkins Glen.”

Points for the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup (IMEC) Championship will be tabulated in the coming days and officially announced by IMSA.

The next scheduled race for the Risi Competizione GTD Pro team is Sahlens’ Six Hours of the Glen at Watkins Glen International in upstate New York on July 2, round three of the IMEC championship.

For more information about Risi, please go to www.risicompetizione.com and follow us on Facebook/RisiCompetizione, Twitter @RisiComp and Instagram @RisiComp.

(Sebring, Fla.) March 18, 2023 — In a day that looked to be going the way of the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 and Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport (WTRAndretti) team, matters ultimately ended up finishing in disappointing fashion with a fourth-place finish. After qualifying third for the prestigious 12-hour event, Ricky Taylor piloted the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 for the first three hours of the race and ensured the team were well and truly going to be a contender for victory.

After Taylor’s marathon opening stint, Deletraz inherited driving duties and maintained the team’s presence at the front of the field. Towards the end of Deletraz’s stint, an impressive strategy call saw the team dive for the pits where Fillipe Albuquerque was able to take the controls of the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 as well as the lead of the race. As the race rolled into the night and various cautions caused shuffles amongst the top of the order, Albuquerque was in the thick of the lead battle that saw a dramatic final 20 minutes of action. Unfortunately, after making some sensational passes that saw him move up to second and challenging the No. 6 Porsche for the lead, the two cars made contact that meant both cars were unable to see the checkered flag.

“I’m so disappointed for everybody on the WTRAndretti team, Acura, HPD, all our partners and the whole Andretti organization,” said Wayne Taylor. “I’m so proud of everybody because they did such a good job and Filipe, what he did in those last 10 laps was incredible. I’m proud of him and thankful he is not hurt. I was expecting to come back and see the car totally destroyed, but it’s not nearly as bad as I thought. Oreca built us a good, safe car. I felt we dominated most of the race today and to end like this is really disappointing. It’s going to make my drive back home a lot longer, but that’s racing as they say and we’ll be ready to go to the next one.”

“I’m super proud to be a part of this WTRAndretti team,” said Ricky Taylor. “There are certain races where you’ll never settle for second and this is one of those races. Here, Daytona and Petit Le Mans at the end of the year, you give everything for the win, and that’s why we have Filipe on the team. We know he is always going to give us our best shot at winning the races. Today we had a very, very strong No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06, the strategy at the end was just so complicated. Unfortunately, the Porsche had a really good pit stop and Filipe had a great attempt at the overtake, and that’s just the way it ends up. Proud of the team, and we now focus on Long
Beach.”

“What a sad ending,” said Filipe Albuquerque. “Unfortunately, in the last pitstop, the Porsche managed to pass us. We were P3. It was kind of crazy that all my laps were in the lead and the last 20 minutes, I was behind somebody, which was weird. We knew the No. 31 had no chance because he had old tires and the fight was with the Porsche ahead of me. I think we had a little bit of an edge on them, but staying behind it was super hard to follow, so it needed to be done in traffic. The traffic came and I saw a hole, tight, but I saw it. I think he (Jaminet) moved, but I need to see the replay again because I don’t want to place blame on anybody. I think I was there and then there was contact with the two of us, and the second touch threw me completely in the grass and I couldn’t stop the car then I was a bowling ball, just knocking cars down. It was pretty brutal where I got hit once and then somebody hit me. I just felt like I was getting thrown from one side to another, but these cars are safe and I’m good, that’s what’s most important. It’s sad to not get the win when we had such a strong car and for the WTRAndretti team, they put a lot of energy into this. I’m not a guy to finish P2, I give it my all and I would do the same again.”

“Tough result,” said Louis Deletraz, endurance driver for WTRAndretti. “We for sure wanted to win and I think it was clear from everyone that Filipe gave it his best. No hard feelings. He did really well and we’re proud of him. Crashes happen. We still finished fourth. We were leading and being fast and had good strategies and good calls. The whole team did great. Great pit stops and in general everything was perfect until the last fifteen minutes. I think we’re still close in the championship and thank you to everyone for it.”

The No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 and WTRAndretti team head to the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach for the first sprint race of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship on April 15, 2023.

ABOUT KONICA MINOLTA
Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc.’s (Konica Minolta) journey started 150 years ago, with a vision to see and do things differently. The company innovates for the good of society and the world. The same purpose that kept it moving then, keeps it moving now. Konica Minolta aims to partner with clients to Give Shape to Ideas by supporting their digital transformation through its expansive Intelligent Connected Workplace portfolio. Its business technology offerings include IT Services, intelligent information management, video security solutions and managed print services, as well as office technology and industrial and commercial print solutions. Through its ongoing work, the company is fortunate to be continuously recognized for its products and services. This includes, but is not limited to being included on CRN’s MSP 500 list numerous times; named a finalist in the IT Software Category by The World Technology Awards; recognized as the #1 Brand for CustomerLoyalty in the MFP Office Copier Market by Brand Keys and presented with Keypoint Intelligence’s BLI 2021 A3 Line of The Year and BLI 2021-2023 Most Color Consistent A3 Brand Awards for its bizhub i-Series.

Sustainability also continues to be a key driver for the company. As such, Konica Minolta Inc. has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for nine consecutive years and has spent six years on the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World list. For more information, please visit Konica Minolta online and follow its accounts on Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and Twitter.

The No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 effort and Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport is supported by an outstanding lineup of partners including Harrison Contracting Company, Acura Motorsports, Honda Performance Development and Hammer Nutrition.

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.

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.”

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in nearly 80 countries with nearly 2.7 million cars and trucks sold in 2021. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

(Sebring, Fla.) March 18, 2023 — In what looked to be a promising race for the No. 93 Harrison Contracting Company Acura NSX GT3 Evo 22 for Racers Edge Motorsports and Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport ended in heartbreak after suffering damage on a restart over seven hours into the 12-hour race. In Friday’s qualifying session, Kyle Marcelli ran an impressive lap to place the Rely on Red No. 93 machine on pole position in GTD for the 71st Running of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. As the12-hour event saw the warmest heat of the week, Ashton Harrison, Danny Formal and Marcelli rotated through stints behind the wheel of the NSX to alleviate effects of the Florida heat. A flux of multiple caution periods in a row caused a stack up of cars, and while still in contention for a solid result, the No. 93 fell victim to contact during a restart.

Continuing their pursuit in the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup championship, the No. 93 Harrison Contracting Company Acura NSX GT3 Evo 22 will take on the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen at Watkins Glen International on June 25, 2023.

No. 93 Harrison Contracting Company Acura NSX GT3 Evo 22 DRIVER QUOTES:

Ashton Harrison: “This is just such a super unfortunate way to end the weekend having such strong results in practice and qualifying, with Kyle laying down a monster lap to get the pole in GTD in our Harrison Contracting Acura NSX GT3 Evo. I feel like we were in a really good spot up to that point in the race. We really had a strong car and had a lot of potential and the chance at the podium. There are a lot of things that can happen in a 12-hour race and to that point, we were part of the mix. But then contact from an incident that we just couldn’t avoid took us out of the race altogether. I know the Racers Edge Motorsports with WTRAndretti crew will have us ready for our next event. I’m super thankful for all of their hard work this weekend, all of the crew over the wall, our engineers gave us some great strategy, and we really had the opportunity. I’m disappointed we really couldn’t showcase all of that here at Sebring. We’ll be ready to push for the podium at Watkins Glen.”

Kyle Marcelli: “We came into this weekend full of excitement and confidence after such a strong showing at Daytona. We knew we had a strong team, strong car, and strong driver lineup coming into Sebring. The weekend started off great. We were quick in all of the practices, top five every time. And then we snagged the pole and everything was looking good, until it wasn’t. With about four and a half hours left in the race, we just got caught up in some drama during Ashton’s stint. No fault of hers, just really a silly, silly racing incident. A car spun off track a few cars ahead and there was just sort of a stack up that we couldn’t avoid. It was just a freak accident, and you hate to see it. Unfortunately, it put us out of the race. Next up for us is Watkins Glen. We’ve had success in the past there with this car, so we’ll just show up and do what we do best.”

Danny Formal: “Not the result we wanted today at Sebring after an amazing qualifying lap yesterday from Kyle. It’s very unfortunate. We were just keeping the car safe and out of trouble and waiting for the nighttime and the temperatures to drop. This Harrison Contracting Acura NSX GT3 is just so fast when it gets cold out. I did three stints today, so I drove quite a bit. The car was really, really good to drive. The Racers Edge Motorsports with WTRAndretti did a fantastic job with the car. I feel so bad for Ashton; there’s nothing she could do in that situation. It’s racing, it happens. And we’ll come back stronger from this and hopefully take our first win at Watkins Glen.”
About Harrison Contracting
Harrison Contracting Company, Inc. (HCC) is a commercial painting and facility maintenance contracting company headquartered in Villa Rica, GA with divisional offices in Florida and Texas. HCC provides repainting/reimaging and facility maintenance services nationwide, and new construction painting across the southeastern US. At HCC, red is more than the company color, its culture. RED stands for Reliable, Experienced, and Diligent, and is the cornerstone for all we do. We are more than just your painter; we are your partner.

Racers Edge Motorsports with WTRAndretti is also proudly sponsored by Acura Motorsports and Honda Performance Development (HPD).

No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R prevails in race of attrition

SEBRING, Fla. (March 18, 2023) — Sitting on the pit wall collecting his thoughts and barely holding back tears, Chris Mitchum personified the unpredictable nature of endurance racing.

Moments earlier, the Action Express Racing director of operations watched the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R survive the literal and figurative bumps in the Sebring International Raceway course to score Cadillac Racing’s inaugural victory in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) era.

It wasn’t easy, somewhat surprising and certainly satisfying.

“Everybody says you never quit, but all the way through the end there was belief,” said Mitchum, who celebrated Action Express Racing’s 29th victory. “We had our issues, we had a good car all weekend and you have to be there at the end and we were. I could not be more proud to get Cadillac’s first GTP win in IMSA.”

Cadillac’s third consecutive win in the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring is the longest manufacturer streak since Audi’s 2000-07 run, and the luxury brand has won five of the past seven on the 3.741-mile, 17-turn racetrack starting in the IMSA DPi era, including the past three from the pole.

But starting from the Motul Pole Award didn’t come into play in the final 15 minutes of the grueling race of attrition. Jack Aitken inherited the three GTP competitors ahead of him tangled, causing a full-course yellow. The first-year prototype driver took the green flag with 4 minutes, 37 seconds left and held off the charges of the second-place BMW to take the checkered flag by 2.940 seconds.

“This one was wild, but that’s why you go endurance racing. We worked really hard to be in the position we were at the end,” he said. “It wasn’t an easy race for us. You can’t choose how you win but we deserve that in the long ways.”

It was Cadillac’s 28th prototype win in IMSA since 2017 (most by any manufacturer) and 67th in all series/classes since 2004.

“It takes perseverance. That’s one of the great things about endurance racing. It’s not over till it’s over,” Cadillac Global Vice President Rory Harvey said in Victory Circle. “We made it entertaining for the fans today and it was a fantastic win for the No. 31 car. It was an outstanding performance collectively.”

Pipo Derani, who drove to Cadillac’s third consecutive pole start in a row in the event, earned his fourth victory (2023, 2019, 2018, 2016) in the Twelve Hours of Sebring – joining four others on the all-time list. Tom Kristensen is the leader with six overall wins.

“I’ve had so many unlucky races since the last win here so I’ll take a little bit of luck,” he said. “I feel bad for the guys who crashed. But you have to be lucky a little bit in motorsports. We had a fantastic race. We started on pole, had a flawless race after the incident in the beginning, so we recovered well and just fantastic to get number four. This is for my little girl one at home.”

The Action Express Racing team overcame contact with an LMP3 car that spun directly in front of Derani, who did not have time to take evasive action, at the two-hour mark. Replacement of a damaged nose assembly was performed quickly and Derani and co-drivers Alexander Sims and Aitken made up the lost time throughout the remainder of the first quarter of the race.

Dominating the first half of the race – leading 127 of the 168 laps — it looked as if both Cadillac Racing cars would earn podium spots.

Renger van der Zande recorded the fastest lap of the race (1:48.311) on Lap 165, endurance championship points were collected, and the two cars traded the point through pit stops and consistently blunted challenges from the field.

While leading the race, the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R with Sebastien Bourdais behind the wheel made an unscheduled trip down pit lane with 3 hours, 8 minutes left. After examination on pit lane and back in the garage, the Chip Ganassi Racing campaigned racecar was retired.

Cadillac Racing issued a statement: The No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R experienced a fuel distribution system issue. It is the first time we have seen it in testing — including a successful 24-hour test at Sebring International Raceway in November and two days of testing at the track in February — and race conditions. Cadillac Racing will figure out the root cause and prepare for the next race.

The next race is April 15 on the streets of Long Beach, California, where Bourdais and van der Zande will seek to make it two victories in a row. They won from the pole in 2022 in the No. 01 Cadillac DPi-V.R.

Overall, the Cadillac V-Series.Rs led 183 of the 332 race laps over the 12 hours.

Cadillac Racing high-resolution IMSA GTP photos available for editorial use

A 2023 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing was the pace car/safety car for the race. The race weekend marked the kickoff of the 20th anniversary of the Cadillac V-Series performance vehicle lineup, and Cadillac was announced as the Official Luxury Vehicle of Sebring International Raceway.

The CT5-V Blackwing is a Car and Driver 10Best again for 2023: “…the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing is the greatest sports sedan on sale today, if not of all time.”

On March 17, the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R finished fourth in the 1000 Miles of Sebring – its debut race in the Hypercar class of the FIA World Endurance Championship.

An interview with the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadilac V-Series.R race winners:

Pipo Derani:

What does this fourth win at Sebring mean to you?

“I’ve been on the unlucky side a few times since my last win. I’ve been close many times but you have to be lucky in motorsports. The most important thing is that we were there in the end with a car that was still running, especially after an early incident of no fault of our own. We were able to capitalize on all the others’ mistakes. I want to say thank you to the whole group. We came here with a very strong car in qualifying and put it on pole. We had an amazing weekend from FP1 through the end of the race. Jack had to start with old tires at the end, so we didn’t quite have the pace to keep the position but we were there at the end with the mistake that others made; it allowed us to get ahead and take the win. It’s a special one for me. It’s the first win I’ve had since fatherhood. My little girl is at home and three months old. It’s the fourth win at Sebring… one that I’ve been hoping to get for a few years. Like I said, I’ve been on the unlucky side so to get it is fantastic. First win as well for the Cadillac V-Series.R and our new LMDh car. A lot of hard work has been put into this program from the beginning, especially on the reliability side. To finish at Daytona and Sebring now with a win and already have pole position is a fantastic effort form the whole group. A big thank you to Whelen Engineering for providing us with amazing lights, Action Express for the amazing job that they’ve done since the beginning and Cadillac for providing us a very fast racecar.”

What about double-stinting the qualifying tires?

“I think we underestimated the fact that it was quite hot out there. We tried. We knew we couldn’t make it, especially if it was green most of the race, on the amount of tires that we had. We tried to be a little aggressive at the beginning to have more tires at the end. Obviously it wasn’t great at the end of the second stint; the second half of that stint was quite difficult. Very quickly after that, I had contact with a P3 that spun right in front of me. I had to stop for repairs and we removed that set of tires from the car. It was not an easy race in terms of tires. At the end, some had a few new tires to put on their car and some didn’t. It was a balance between using them at moments where the track was a bit warmer and temperatures were hotter or trying to save them for the end. So it’s a bit of you win early or you win later. We had an extra set of tires, but we decided at the end to gain track position on one of the last restarts. Jack continued on his tires and unfortunately we didn’t have the pace to keep the cars behind, but luck played into our side today.”

Jack Aitken:

What was going through your mind when you saw the accident at the end?

“I was trying to do some quick counting at that moment. In those moments so late in the race, you’re pretty much in the moment. I saw the crash and was watching out for debris and other cars because there were cars pretty much everywhere and just trying to survive. It was after I got through that I was waiting for the caution and I thought, ‘That was quite a lot of GTP cars. Maybe we’re alright here.’

Were you worried about the BMW at the end?

“We’ve had a lot of trouble on the restarts previously. We had a great strategy call to get us into the lead. The team were fantastic with that one, and it was quick thinking. I just wasn’t able to fight it and the other guys were really impressive with their speed at the restart. We didn’t quite have the pace, especially on warm-up. I was a little bit concerned, but luckily when the flag dropped we were able to sprint away pretty quickly and could just bring it home safely for the last laps.”

Going three-wide into Turn 1 late before the accident.

“It was very, very tough racing. We were trying to hold our position as good as we could. The other guys were fighting extremely hard. At some point, you have to realize when it’s time to give up and that’s part of the reason we made it to the end today. We all drove pretty smart as well as racing as hard as we could when we had the pace. I was waiting a little bit for an accident to happen at some point.”

Were driving standards OK?

“It was hard racing. I’m not going to sit here and say that because I was waiting for a crash doesn’t mean that people were necessarily over the limit. It was just really, really hard racing. In this new era where we’ve got so many teams and cars that are racing at a very similar level, it’s inevitable that you’re going to get a little bit of bumping and some close calls. I had a good time out there. I don’t think anyone was particularly out of line.”

Alexander Sims:

What was the reaction watching the accident at the end?

“From my side, it was just a bit surreal, honestly, to watch all that unfold. Until that moment and after the end of the second-to-last safety car restart, it seemed like – as Jack mentioned – we seemed not to have the pace. In your mind, you’re resigning yourself to finishing fourth. And so yeah, the emotions go through a bit of roller-coaster to realize that we’re in the seat to win the race. There’s some level of sorrow for the three ahead that did crash out, to be honest, because we’ve all been in that situation and we know how that feels. Conversely, it benefits you sometimes and we’ve got to take it and enjoy the moment.”

Have you seen anything like this before?

“That was a surprising end. An excellent effort through the race. We had really good pace at times and the race of attrition was our friend today. The car was in one piece and in good condition at the end, and it was fantastic for Jack to bring it home and capitalize on the issue at the front at the end of the race.”

No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R

Sebastien Bourdais: “It’s obviously pretty disappointing for everybody. The guys did a great job. A couple of incidents that kind of put us out of sequence and then we paid the price with the double stints on tires. Renger did a heck of a job hanging onto the car because it was well over two stints on the tires and not easy. And a typical safety car reset the field. We had a great restart from last to ninth and we worked out way to the lead with a great pit stop by the guys. The car was quick. Cadillac seems to have something that works pretty well at Sebring, so that’s really encouraging. I think we made some great progress from Daytona in performance, so that’s encouraging for the rest of the season after finishing on the podium but needing more pace at Daytona. It’s great to see the program heading in the right direction and everyone at Chip Ganassi Racing and Cadillac are working very hard to make progress.”

Scott Dixon: “It was quite the race. The car was really fast and I felt like everybody on the team did a tremendous job. We had some ups and downs, but ultimately, we were top-three most of the race and led a good majority of it. Just bummed that it ended the way it did, and we didn’t win the race. It’s one that’s eluded me, and it would have been great to take this one. But we had great speed, great teamwork and everybody did a hell of a job.”

Renger van der Zande: “Sebring is a special one, and it’s a shame that it didn’t fall in our direction. We had a strong Cadillac car here and while we’ve been testing all over, we’re still trying to improve things across the board. We’re still learning. We go deep to try to optimize performance. It’s just an unfortunate end to the race after showing so much speed.”

A wiring issue put the defending race winners down in the field but the team kept on fighting, earning valuable points

SEBRING, Fla. (18 March 2023) – Sean Creech Motorsport (SCM) came into the 71st Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring with high hopes, looking to repeat its race winning effort from last season. Unfortunately, a lap one incident and an electrical issue ended the chance for a repeat victory.

Race two of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship got off to a rough start for the SCM team, which came into the weekend as the Michelin Endurance Cup leaders (the race-within-a-race that awards points in the four endurance classics). In the inevitable chaos in turn one, Willsey had to get hard on the brakes which caused the back end of the car to come around. Clipped by another car, Willsey headed for pit lane for a new nose, but then a penalty for getting service in a closed pit forced him to do another trip down pit lane, which put the team two laps down.

During the first yellow flag, Willsey got that lap back and headed to pit lane for service and a change to Barbosa.

Setting lap times among the leaders, Barbosa slugged his way forward. When another yellow came out, he stayed out until the leaders pitted, putting himself back on the lead lap. It was only for a moment, however, as a loss of telemetry in the cockpit necessitated a master-switch recycle in the pit box and a push to engage the clutch.

Barbosa was a man on a mission. Putting down laps that were over three seconds faster than the leaders, he got the team back on the lead lap.

When Barbosa handed the car back to Willsey, he was not able to engage first gear. Taking the car back to the garage, the mechanics began their search for the issue and found that a short in the wiring loom was the cause. The team quickly put the No. 33 back together and Willsey headed back on track – albeit having lost 55 minutes in the race.

Completing his drive time with a double stint, Willsey handed off to Pino who was racing at Sebring for the first time. The 18-year-old Chilean managed traffic perfectly, making solid passes and delivering a strong race pace. Pino, Barbosa, then Willsey took the car into the night, trying to make headway on the field. Willsey clocked his drive time just as darkness fell, disappointed with what might have been.

“I’m not sure exactly what happened on that first lap, but when I got on the brakes, the rear just came around on me,” said Willsey. “It’s on me – things stacked up, I saw a gap and I had to take it. The team did a great job getting the nose on and we got back up to P4, then out of the blue we had an electrical issue. I feel bad for the team and our supporters – we had a good car and we would have been in the hunt. It’s always great to be at Sebring: sometimes it works with you, sometimes it works against you.”

Sebring is a tricky 17-turn, 3.74-mile circuit. The mixture of asphalt and concrete, along with cool morning and evening temperatures combined with humid heat in the afternoon makes it one of the toughest tracks in the world on the team engineers. The SCM team kept the car in contention, pace-wise, as the drivers worked to secure as many points as possible.

Pino and Barbosa split the final hours, with Barbosa bringing the car home – and making the pass on the last lap of the race of a car that had retired to finish in seventh position. Barbosa set the team’s fast lap of 1:57.531 on lap 201.

“My first stint, I had an alarm on my steering and everything froze,” said Barbosa. “I had no telemetry at all, I was driving by ear. But the car was good, I was making up time. Then with the electrical problem, it took a while to figure out what it was. But I’m super proud of the team – it would have been easy to just quit, but they kept pushing to get the car back on track, and it was worth it. They kept working through the rest of the race as if we were in the lead, and that’s a testament to them. We didn’t get the result, but the direction we’re going in is good.”

“It was an unfortunate race for us, between the lap one crash and the electrical problem,” said Pinot. “But the team did a great job to keep at it, getting that position on the last lap to get more points. The car was quick, one of the fastest cars on track. So overall, I’m happy with the way we performed, thought the results weren’t there.”

“Tough day all around,” said team principal Sean Creech. “We were able to recover from the lap one incident well, but then had the electrical issue. We’ve had it before, so we tried what worked before, and it didn’t work. When you plug into the car, there’s a list of items to check and it turned out to be something not even on that list – just a bad wiring harness. After that, it was about getting as many points as possible. I thought Billy (Glavin, Jr lll team owner) and the 30 car was going to win but they got taken out and we got past them on that last lap, the hard way. But this crew, they’re the best. They work tirelessly, every one of them.”

SCM thanks partners Exelixis and Focal One for their continued support.

About SCM

Team leader Sean Creech has competed in a multitude of sports car series from 1990 until the present day, including Group C, IMSA GTP, WSC, Grand-Am, SRO World Challenge, and IMSA. SCM will contest the full WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in 2023 with João Barbosa and Lance Willsey. http://seancreechmotorsport.com/

About Exelixis

Founded in 1994, Exelixis, Inc. is a commercially successful, oncology-focused biotechnology company that strives to accelerate the discovery, development and commercialization of new medicines for difficult-to-treat cancers. https://www.exelixis.com/

About Focal One

One in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime in the United States. The Focal One® HIFU Prostate treatment offers patients a non-invasive outpatient procedure to target prostate tissue while avoiding the common side effects such as loss of urinary continence and sexual function. The Focal One treatment uses high-performance, high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) to precisely target and ablate the prostate, allowing patients to quickly return to normal activities. http://www.focalone.com/

Sebring, Fla. (18 Mar 2023) – The Heart of Racing (HOR) was back in IMSA WeatherTech action this weekend, returning to another legendary circuit to take on the Sebring 12 Hour with the two-car squad looking to build on its strong start to the 2023 season.

HOR drivers Roman De Angelis, Marco Sorensen, and Ian James teamed in the No. 27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage GTD, while the No. 23 Heart of Racing Aston Martin GTD PRO machine once again had Alex Riberas, Ross Gunn, and David Pittard sharing the driving duties.

Starting from the seventh row, James powered through the opening three hours of the race and moved forward as the track temperatures rose in the warm Florida conditions. Racing forward and into podium contention within the first hour, James then turned the car over to Sorensen. De Angelis was next up in the car, driving it up to third before turning the Aston Martin back to Sorensen, who drove the car into the lead on lap 185.

After a driver change under a caution, De Angelis was hit from behind on the restart, forcing him back to thirteenth. Over the course of 24 laps and two caution periods, De Angelis made his way back to sit second in GTD competition with three and half hours remaining. Sorensen took the Aston Martin to the lead on lap 284 before a caution returned just three laps later.

Unfortunately, the promising run to a Sebring podium ended when Sorenson was forced off track as he raced through traffic late in the race. The World Champion was able to get the car off to a safe location, but the race was run for the team.

The GTD Pro effort saw Riberas place the Aston Martin Vantage third on the starting grid. A pair of procedural penalties slowed the effort briefly before Gunn took over the controls in seventh. But the bad luck didn’t stop there, as three and half hours into the race Gunn encountered an electrical issue exiting turn seven forcing the car to the paddock. The HOR team was able to diagnose and fix this issue in just 18 minutes and get the Aston Martin back on track. Restarting 10 laps down, the No. 23 team continued to push forward as the team continued to deliver quick pit stops and well-executed strategy to take an eighth place finish.

The Heart of Racing’s next IMSA WeatherTech event will be the Grand Prix of Long Beach April 14th and 15th. The WeatherTech teams will be joined by HOR’s Formula Drift squad at the California event.

Heart of Racing Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Quoteboard

Roman De Angelis: “The race was pretty chaotic, we went from the front to the back a couple of times. I thought we had a really good change at the end leading the last few hours, but some pretty stupid driving from somebody else put us in a bad position and the car couldn’t finish due to a broken suspension. That was not the way we wanted to end, at least we could have grabbed some good points at the end with the way our strategy turned out, but that’s racing. Hopefully we can come back and get some points in Long Beach.”

Marco Sorensen: “To end the weekend like we did just now was definitely not the plan. There isn’t a whole lot that I could have done differently when a car just cuts across the track. It shows a little bit of lack of perspective in general in the paddock, but it is what it is now. We can’t change it. We just have to come back at Long Beach. The team did a really really good job and the car was actually better than what we expected to have here at Sebring. It’s been a pleasure all weekend and we have a good car, it was just unfortunate.”

Ian James: “I think the team performed really well, it was a pleasure to drive with Roman and Marco here at Sebring. I had three pretty good stints to start there and I really thought we were on for a good result, but unfortunately somebody else’s stupidity took us out. That is all part of racing, you have the highs and the lows. Our high was Daytona and now we are seeing a low. The most frustrating part is we had a car that could have won, but that’s okay because we will bounce back.

Alex Riberas: “In the beginning of the race everything was going very well and according to plan. It is tough to process the fact that we had a car to fight to the victory today, but due to mechanical failure we were unable to stay on the lead lap. On the other side the team stayed positive and we know we are executing well, everything that is in our control is really well. I remain positive for the future and I can not wait for Long Beach.”

Ross Gunn: “Super disappointing to have an issue early on when we had a very strong base. It’s a very similar story to Daytona, very unfortunate because all the guys worked super hard for this weekend to give us a great car. Really, really disappointing, but we will fight back in Long Beach.”

David Pittard: “This was the first Sebring Twelve Hours for me, it was actually good to finish because that was an experience on its own for me. I have always loved watching IMSA racing because the races are always so close in the final minutes. It was awesome racing, I am ashamed we were a few laps down, but it happens. Big huge thank you to the Heart of Racing guys for their hard efforts.”

About The Heart of Racing

The Heart of Racing races to raise funds and awareness for Seattle Children’s Cardiology Research. The team competes internationally with concurrent campaigns in IMSA, SRO, Formula Drift and the 24H SERIES. Last season The Heart of Racing won the IMSA GTD Championship title in the No. 27 Aston Martin Vantage GT3. The Heart of Racing team hosted their first all-female driver shootout in November of 2022, bringing to the team Hannah Grisham and Rianna O’Meara-Hunt for the 2023 SRO GT4 America season. To contribute to The Heart of Racing’s fundraising efforts please visit: https://give.seattlechildrens.org/fundraiser/3642390

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.”

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in nearly 80 countries with nearly 2.7 million cars and trucks sold in 2021. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.