Category: Other Series PR

Toyota City, Japan, Sept 17, 2024 – (JCN Newswire) – TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s winning run on home ground came to an end despite a valiant effort in a dramatic 6 Hours of Fuji, the penultimate round of the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).

An intense team effort, committed driving and bold strategy put the GR010 HYBRIDs in the fight for victory despite their revised power and weight parameters at Fuji, but TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s run of six consecutive home wins ultimately ended in frustration.

In front of 65,800 enthusiastic fans, a battling drive from Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa in their #8 GR010 HYBRID looked to have earned a podium until a late penalty dropped them down to 10th place.

The #7 GR010 HYBRID of Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries had led with two hours to go but were forced to retire due to accident damage. That effectively ends the World Championship challenge of Kamui and Nyck with one race remaining.

The team found itself on the back foot from the opening stages. Either side of a lap-two safety car, Sébastien dropped from second to fourth while Mike also lost ground from fourth on the grid, and spent the first stint in fifth, behind the #8.

Further position changes saw the second hour end with Mike still in fifth, but Sébastien now sixth, although those positions were swapped soon after when the #7 GR010 HYBRID suffered tyre degradation, causing it to pit earlier than planned. Nyck took over while Brendon replaced Sébastien soon after.

Despite the tough start, the team’s fuel and tyre strategy started to pay off. After half distance, Nyck overtook the #15 BMW and the #50 Ferrari then overhauled the #6 Porsche in the pits to lead. The #8 also made progress and Brendon boldly passed two Ferraris before handing over to Ryo, who joined the podium fight.

After almost four hours of intense competition, Kamui took over for two stints to hunt down the victory, with both cars now in a stronger strategic position in terms of fuel and tyres than their rivals. But a virtual safety car early in the fifth hour took away that advantage by giving all Hypercars the chance to pit and lose less time compared to doing so under racing conditions.

A 90-minute sprint to the flag saw Ryo initially hold third before the #35 Alpine overtook. The #7 fared worse when Kamui and the #5 Porsche made contact in the battle for eighth. Damage to the rear suspension and bodywork could not be repaired in time, so the car was retired with an hour remaining.

Ryo pushed hard to bring the #8 back onto the podium in the final hour, overtaking both JOTA Porsches and then moving into a comfortable third after a penalty for the #35 Alpine. But with 16 minutes to go, the #8 incurred its own drive-through penalty, for an incident with the leading #6 Porsche, and Ryo finished 10th, 58.879secs behind the winner.

Despite the very frustrating result, the team is already focused on retaining its manufacturers’ title in a showdown in Bahrain on 2 November when the fight for the World Championship will be concluded. TOYOTA GAZOO Racing is just 10 points behind leaders Porsche going into the eighth and final race of 2024.

Kamui Kobayashi (Team Principal and driver, car #7):

“It was a very tough race. The second safety car brought us into a difficult situation. After that I tried to fight with Porsche #5 for a couple of laps, but our lack of straight-line speed was clear, so he tried to overtake through the first three turns. On the inside of turn three we both committed to the corner in the same moment and could not avoid contact. Unfortunately, we then had another contact, and the damage was too heavy to repair. It definitely was not our day, and I feel sorry for our home fans who supported us so much. Hopefully we will come back strong for the last race in Bahrain.”

Mike Conway (Driver, car #7):

“It’s been a pretty rough day on both cars. Unfortunately for car #7 we had contact and the car was not repairable, so we didn’t score any points which is bad for our drivers’ championship, and as a team we didn’t score well for the manufacturers’ either. It’s obviously frustrating and not the result we wanted for our home fans and all the partners and Toyota colleagues who support us here. But there is one round to go and it’s a longer race, with more points available, so we will do our best to come back fighting.”

Nyck de Vries (Driver, car #7):

“It is a tough pill to swallow for the whole team. It has been hard all weekend. We were aware that our race pace was not good enough to challenge at the front based on our speed alone and that we needed to execute the best possible race to score good points for both championships. We had a great strategy to do just that but unfortunately due to the race circumstances, we didn’t pull it off. That is a real pity.”

Sébastien Buemi (Driver, car #8):

“It was a bit of a disaster for us. We had a solid start, considering we were a bit slower than our rivals. I had no chance to race into turn one because the acceleration of the other cars was much better. But we came back into it, then got unlucky with the safety car. Without the drive-through penalty we would have finished on the podium which would have been an acceptable result. We’ll analyse everything, regroup and come back stronger in Bahrain.”

Brendon Hartley (Driver, car #8):

“We had a pretty clean race. Séb did a great job looking after the tyres which gave us a real chance based on our strategy. We didn’t have the pace of our competitors, but we did our best. A big thanks to the team because everyone fought hard. It was an important race for us and in the end we came up short for many different reasons. But we will keep our heads up and fight back in Bahrain for the manufacturers’ championship. Huge thanks to everyone here in Japan who has supported us this week, the Toyota colleagues, partners and all the fans.”

Ryo Hirakawa (Driver, car #8):

“Obviously it is a really disappointing day. We wanted to have a good race in front of our fans and partners but it didn’t turn out that way. We tried everything and at one point it looked promising, but then things went against us. There is one race remaining and hopefully we can finish on a high by winning the championship; we are going to keep fighting. Thanks to the team for their hard work all week, and special thanks to our partners and fans for all the support.”

6 Hours of Fuji – Result

1st #6 Porsche Penske (Estre/Lotterer/Vanthoor) 213 laps
2nd #15 BMW M Team WRT (Vanthoor/Marciello/Wittmann) +16.601secs
3rd #36 Alpine Endurance Team (Lapierre/Schumacher/Vaxiviere) +42.321secs
4th #93 Peugeot TotalEnergies (Jensen/Müller/Vergne) +45.846secs
5th #12 Hertz Team JOTA (Stevens/Ilott/Nato) +49.689secs
6th #38 Hertz Team JOTA (Button/Hanson/Rasmussen) +51.916secs
10th #8 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing +58.879secs
DNF #7 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing

About Toyota

Toyota strives to be a strong corporate citizen, engaging with and earning the trust of its stakeholders, and to contribute to the creation of a prosperous society through all its business operations.

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Event		Grande Finale XPN 250
Track		Autodrome Montmagny (Montmagny, Quebec), September 22nd, 2024
Broadcast		TSN + app (live) | TSN (tape delayed) | RDS (tape delayed) | FloRacing (USA)
Race		5 :30 PM E.T. – nascar.ca/race-center/

Trois-Rivières (Quebec), September 16^th, 2024.- For the first time in its history, the NASCAR Canada series will present its final round in Quebec, on Sunday, September 22 at the Autodrome Montmagny Speedway, east of Quebec City. Previously, two events in Ontario, at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and then on the Delaware Speedway oval, marked the end of the summer races. Two races that offered different scenarios for three-time series champion Louis-Philippe Dumoulin.

At Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (Mosport), the WeatherTech 200 race unfortunately ended short for Dumoulin, who suffered an engine overheating problem on the fourteenth of 51 laps, after qualifying eighth. A week later at Delaware Speedway, the driver of the car #47 WeatherTech Canada | Groupe Bellemare | Omnifab was back at the front of the field: ninth on the starting grid, he completed the 200 laps of the race with a new Top 5. “After the disappointment of Mosport, the Delaware race was really good, it put our team back at the forefront, our usual position in the series,” explains Louis-Philippe Dumoulin.

Even though he has already won at Delaware Speedway in the past, Louis-Philippe Dumoulin knew that this 2024 edition would not be the easiest. The final result is therefore significant: “Delaware Speedway is not the track on which our car is at its best. We are missing two tenths of a second per lap to aim for victory. It seems small but the level is incredibly high in NASCAR Canada series this season and that’s what makes the difference.” Dumoulin adds: “I fought throughout the race, I never wanted to give up a single tenth of a second, a single position. I knew that if I managed to get into the top 5, I could hope for a podium if a full-course yellow came out in the final laps. There was no late yellow, but I still managed to fight in the group of drivers battling between third and eighth place and I am very proud, for the entire team of the #47 WeatherTech Canada | Groupe Bellemare | Omnifab car, to have achieved this result after two difficult events.”

Before the grand finale of the season on September 22 in Montmagny, Louis-Philippe Dumoulin obviously intends to finish the season in the best possible way. In the championship standings, he can still hope to finish in the top four, but he is 19 points behind 4th place, while having a 20-point lead over 6th position. So that is not where the stakes are. “We went to test at the Autodrome Montmagny a few days ago, in preparation for this finale. It went well, I’m confident for the race,” says Louis-Philippe.

For him, the fact that the NASCAR Canada series is presenting its season finale in Quebec for the first time in its history has a major impact: “I remember the packed grandstands at the Autodrome Chaudière of Vallée-Jonction in early June. I’m sure it will be like that in Montmagny. Performing on tracks in eastern Quebec is a privilege that NASCAR Canada offers to drivers and even more so to fans. I’m sure it will be a great event. For my part, I’m going to give my best to end the season on a high note. This 2024 season hasn’t always been easy for Dumoulin Compétition, but we’ve also had some very good races. Finishing on the podium would be truly wonderful!” concludes the driver of the #47 WeatherTech Canada | Groupe Bellemare | Omnifab car.

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Groupe Bellemare is a 3rd generation family business that has been serving clients since 1959. Today, the company has more than 500 employees and provides them with an innovative work environment facilitating work-family balance and a healthy and safe quality of life. With over a half century of experience and its sustained R&D efforts, the Company offers high-quality products and services in areas as diverse as concrete, abrasives and minerals, dimensional load transportation, and recycling. Groupe Bellemare is also very involved in its industry and attaches great importance to its social and environmental role as a member of the business community. Groupe Bellemare makes a positive contribution to the quality of life of citizens in the communities it serves by supporting numerous social causes and promoting local purchasing through its responsible procurement practices. For more information, visit groupebellemare.com

Omnifab has joined Dumoulin Compétition in June 2023. In less than twenty years, Omnifab has made its place in the mechanical manufacturing industry in Quebec. They have earned this place by offering a unique turnkey solution to large companies and SMEs that want to modernize their production line or have their industrial equipment repaired. No matter your industry, you can count on Omnifab team to manufacture custom industrial machinery or solve your mechanical problems with great precision, in a timely manner and with quality components, as pledged. Visit omnifab.ca for more information.

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Dumoulin Competition

Jean-François and Louis-Philippe Dumoulin founded the Dumoulin Competition Race Team in 2009. Working with financial, marketing, logistics and sports management experts, they built up a solid business structure. Dumoulin Competition prepares its own race cars in-house since 2016. Their motto: “Passion – Performance – Partnerships” expresses their will to perform on the track and offer their partners maximum visibility and profitability in return for their commitment. Their vision: To become Canada’s leader in motorsports through on-track performance, an entrepreneurial spirit and human values. dumoulincompetition.com

DAMS Lucas Oil scored an excellent second-place in the Sprint Race, as Jak Crawford managed to earn his fifth top-three finish of the 2024 campaign.

In Saturday’s semi-reverse grid event, the Aston Martin Driver Development Programme member started on the front row, having qualified ninth. Involved in a race-long battle, Crawford made some excellent overtakes to clinch second place, while Juan Manuel Correa finished 15th.

On Sunday, an opening lap red flag saw a reduced timed race, with Crawford battling inside of the top-10 throughout the Feature. After his pit-stop, the 19-year-old would manage to clinch eighth, claiming three points, extending his scoring streak to six races in a row.

In the #8 car, Correa would suffer an engine failure which would lead to his retirement in the early stages of the race.

“I’m pleased to pick up a fifth podium of the season which is brilliant on a weekend when we were a bit off the pace. It was crucial to qualify inside the top-10, and we made the most of starting on the front row in the Sprint Race. Sunday’s event was challenging with the reduced time, but I was able to get some points as we aim to maximise the last two rounds of the season after the break.”

Results
Qualifying: 9th
Sprint Race: 2nd (+8 points)
Feature Race: 8th (+3 points)

“It was a weekend that started off very promising in practice, but we couldn’t take this further into qualifying. We went with the medium downforce set-up to do something different on Saturday and then were forced to retire in the Feature Race. There’s a long break now so we’ll make sure we come back stronger and prepare for a new challenge in Qatar.”

Results
Qualifying: 14th
Sprint Race: 15th
Feature Race: DNF

“It’s great to see Jak on the podium again, as even in a weekend when we haven’t been the quickest, we still managed to be in the top-three. It was a tricky event for JM after a positive start in practice, but we tried to do something different on Saturday which didn’t work, and then on Sunday we suffered an engine issue. It’s two and a half months until the double header to end the campaign where we’ll hope to finish the year on a high.”

Drivers’ Championship

1. Gabriel Bortoleto 169.5
2. Isack Hadjar 165
3. Zane Maloney 135

-5. Jak Crawford 116
-17. Juan Manuel Correa 31

Teams’ Championship

1. Invicta Racing 243.5
2. Campos Racing 208
3. MP Motorsport 181.5
4. Prema Racing 169

-8. DAMS Lucas Oil 147

About DAMS
DAMS is a professional racing team founded in 1988 by Jean-Paul Driot, currently competing in FIA Formula 2, F1’s main feeder series. Ahead of the 2022 season, ex-F1 driver Charles Pic took control of the team. So far, 33 DAMS drivers have reached F1, with many more going on to become professional racing drivers. In its history, DAMS has won 15 drivers’ titles, 16 teams’ championships and has scored over 170 race victories.

Facebook: /damsracing
X: @damsracing
Instagram: @damsracing
LinkedIn: /dams-lucas-oil
Web: www.damslucasoil.com

No. 81 Z06 GT3.R takes fourth place in LMGT3 despite late-race contact

GOTEMBA, Shizuoka, Japan (September 15, 2024) – TF Sport’s No. 81 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R posted its best result of the FIA World Endurance Championship season Sunday with a fourth-place LMGT3 finish in the Six Hours of Fuji for Charlie Eastwood, Rui Andrade and Tom Van Rompuy.

The Corvette spent a significant amount of time out front in the class and showed the best pace in its first season of WEC competition. Despite the positive result, the team was left wondering if it could have been more as contact from another competitor knocked the No. 81 from contention for a landmark race win.

Following excellent stints from Van Rompuy and Andrade – each of whom led in class during their time in the Z06 GT3.R – factory driver Eastwood was running fourth inside the final 75 minutes when he was hit and spun at the final corner by the No. 35 Alpine Hypercar.

The race start couldn’t have gone much better for TF Sport. Van Rompuy grabbed the lead at the first corner from his second-place starting position and led twice for a total of 50 laps in his two-hour-plus stint. He handed over to Andrade, who also led toward the end of his time in the Corvette before Eastwood climbed aboard with a little less than two hours to go.

The race’s second safety car period with 1:45 left jumbled the LMGT3 field and swung the advantage away from TF Sport. Eastwood restarted fourth but quickly mounted a challenge for the podium before contact sent him around and down to 11th place. Undeterred, Eastwood gathered himself and the Corvette back up and made up seven positions in the final 75 minutes including a leap from eighth to fourth in less than 25 minutes.

For his performance, Eastwood received the Goodyear Wingfoot Award, which goes to the LMGT3 driver who achieves the best stint average at each race.

A spate of bad luck also did in the No. 82 Corvette of Daniel Juncadella, Sebastien Baud and Hiroshi Koizumi. After Japanese driver Koizumi had his best stint of the season and made his first pit stop from fifth place, the Corvette wouldn’t refire in the pitlane and the team lost 10 laps changing the starter. The No. 82 also stopped on-track with a loss of power inside the final hour and was forced to retire once it returned to pitlane.

TF Sport and the Corvette Z06 GT3.R program closes the FIA WEC season with the Eight Hours of Bahrain on November 2.

TF SPORT POST-RACE DRIVER QUOTES

CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “What could have been, once again. We were in a really good spot the whole race. The Corvette was really flying and we were in the podium spots. Unfortunately a Hypercar missed his braking into the last corner and spun us around. He got a drive-through for it, but it was no real consolation to what it did to our race. The positive is that we came back from P11 to P4, chased down the podium cars and didn’t give up until the finish. The whole team at this point deserves a great result. A podium at a minimum and probably a win today got away through someone else’s mistake. It’s a frustrating one but we need to keep taking away the positives of the steps we are making and how fast the Z06 GT3.R has become so we can close the season in Bahrain on a high.”

RUI ANDRADE, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It’s a two-edged sword, isn’t it? On one hand, the car was really good. I believe myself, Tom and Charlie ran a really good race. We were there the whole time with really good pace. Safety cars didn’t really help us and brought some of our competition back into it. Even so, Charlie was so on it and so quick. We were incredibly competitive. Unfortunately the contact from the Hypercar ruined our chances at a win. Charlie did amazing going from P11 to P4. We were so close to the podium. So on one hand, I’m really upset because I think the win was there. But in the end, we’re taking big steps. At COTA we took big steps. Today we took big steps. We just have to give everything we have to finish on a high in Bahrain.”

TOM VAN ROMPUY, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “We had a really, really strong race and were in contention to win the race but had contact from one of the Alpine Hypercars, which touched us in the back. We fell back to P11 but it was a fantastic recovery drive from Charlie to bring us back to P4. We were about two laps short to get back to podium position. It was a really strong car and a strong performance by the team. We know it’s there. We just have to grab it in Bahrain.”

DANIEL JUNCADELLA, NO. 82 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Very frustrating weekend because I think we had a really good package. The car was really fast, my teammates were really spot-on and we had a real shot at winning. Hiroshi did an amazing job all weekend. After the first stint, we were P5 when we boxed and all was looking great for a top result but unfortunately we had an issue with the starter at the stop so he couldn’t restart it. We kept driving because it’s good to continue to learn new things. You always take all the experiences for future races and next year. The car was absolutely great. I did one stint and it was fantastic. Then toward the end with Seb back in the car we had to retire the car after he stopped on track. We don’t know what happened yet. It’s an unfortunate result but a lot of positives today.”

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands. 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.

No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R tops Hyperpole field for the Six Hours of Fuji

FUJI, Japan (Sept. 14, 2024) – The plush mallard duck perched on the roof of the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R in the garage at Fuji Speedway is an object lesson and team mantra – maintain a calm, businesslike approach while paddling furiously.

That is what Cadillac Racing has done in its 14-race FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) program spanning two seasons — maintain focus and determination through ups and downs, highs and lows to extract the best from the racecar and individuals.

A milestone nearly as tall as nearby Mount Fuji was attained Saturday as Alex Lynn drove the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R to the team’s first WEC pole position.

“Congratulations to the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R on securing pole position in qualifying for the Six Hours of Fuji,” said John Roth, global vice president of Cadillac. “We are excited to get back on the track and compete for the overall win tomorrow.”

Lynn recorded a best lap of 1 minute, 28.901 seconds on the 2.835-mile, 12-turn circuit with 55 seconds left in the 10-minute Hyperpole session. He advanced to the 10-car shootout by topping the lap time chart in the 12-minute Hypercar qualifying of the assembly of 18 cars. The Hyperpole field was separated by .688 of a second.

“It feels so good. Honestly, we’ve tried so hard all year,” Lynn said. “I have to say this car is amazing on one lap. Massive congrats to Cadillac. I just wanted to give the team a pole position this year. We came so close so many times and I’m so proud to have finally done it.”

It is the fifth consecutive race that the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R powered by the purpose-built 5.5-liter V8 engine has qualified in the top four and third time this season that it has qualified on the front row, though second for the 24 Hours of Le Mans was met with a grid penalty. P3 at Bahrain was the highest qualifying effort in the inaugural season of the Cadillac LMDh platform.

Lynn and Earl Bamber are coming off a season-high fourth-place finish after qualifying third two weeks ago at Circuit of the Americas and will be aiming to match the qualifying spot in the race.

About the race

Green flag is at 11 a.m. Japanese Standard Time Sunday/10 p.m. ET Saturday. MotorTrend TV’s live coverage (in U.S.) is from 9:30-11 p.m. Saturday and 3-4:30 a.m. Sunday. Full live streaming coverage will be on the FIA WEC app and the MAX app in the U.S. RadioLeMans.com will stream the full race.

For a different perspective

Watch the Six Hours of Fuji from the perspective of No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R drivers Earl Bamber and Alex Lynn at 10 p.m. ET Saturday. WATCH

Media resources: Cadillac Racing photo gallery | ’24 WEC statistics

Qualifying quotes

Alex Lynn: “It feels so good. Honestly, we’ve tried so hard all year. I have to say this car is amazing on one lap. Massive congrats to Cadillac. I just wanted to give the team a pole position this year. We came so close so many times and I’m so proud to have finally done it. I still have nightmares of that Le Mans night, missing it by a tenth. Nothing is given for free. If you can start up front in these races, it’s a big advantage. The tire preparation has been a big part of extracting the maximum over one lap. It’s a fantastic racecar that Cadillac has built us. We’re still trying to figure out how to make it just as fast over six hours or even 24. We know how to make it fast, it’s just getting it to do that for the whole time, being at that speed for the whole time. I feel confident that we should be finding some good points tomorrow. We haven’t changed our mentality. We know we’re quite good in qualifying, but 99 percent of our focus has been on the race. Hopefully, all that work we’ve put in will stand us in good stead tomorrow when the lights go out. The track is pretty good. It’s quite hot out here this year, so that’s always a challenge trying to set the car up for multiple temperatures throughout tomorrow’s race.”

Earl Bamber: “Alex has been doing a fantastic job the last 18 months in quali. He’s put us in the best possible position tomorrow. I’m going to take the start and hopefully we can get through Turn 1 and start a good race. It’s been building with this program. We’ve been working really hard, chipping away at the details and we’re slowly getting into the window. COTA was a great race for us, so hopefully we can continue that momentum. (about two drivers in six-hour races): We think it’s an advantage. We get a lot more track time during the weekend. COTA was really tough because of the heat but I think we both did a good job. Tomorrow will be a humid one, but I think we can manage it.”

Laura Wontrop Klauser, GM sports car racing program manager: “I could not be prouder of the team and drivers with all the effort they’ve put in to getting us to Hyperpole here at Fuji. We are so excited to take the green tomorrow and will be shooting to finish in the same position we started.”

Stephen Mitas, team manager: “Wonderful result today for the team. It’s been a long time coming. It’s been an interesting two years as we built up to this. Alex was mega, team was mega, so looking forward to a great race tomorrow.”

Koizumi starts seventh as both TF Sport Corvettes make Hyperpole for first time

GOTEMBA, Shizuoka, Japan (September 14, 2024) – Tom Van Rompuy and TF Sport’s No. 81 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R will start on the front row of the LMGT3 category for the Six Hours of Fuji as both of the team’s Corvettes made the 10-minute Hyperpole session for the first time this year.

Van Rompuy posted the second-fastest time in Saturday’s 10-minute Hyperpole session that set the top 10 spots on the grid ahead of the seventh round for the FIA World Endurance Championship. He set a best lap of 1:40.975 (101.097 mph) in the Corvette that he shares with Rui Andrade and factory driver Charlie Eastwood to miss the Z06 GT3.R’s second pole position of the season by just 0.082 seconds.

The biggest story, however, was both TF Sport Corvettes making Hyperpole, thanks to Hiroshi Koizumi’s strong performance in the No. 82 Z06 GT3.R. The Japanese driver advanced for the first time while Van Rompuy finished in the top-10 for the third straight event and fifth time this season.

Koizumi’s best lap at his home track came on his final effort – a 1:41.310 (100.724 mph) – in the Corvette that he will drive with Sebastien Baud and Corvette factory driver Daniel Juncadella. It equaled the best starting spot for the No. 82 Z06 GT3.R of the season, matching the position at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Both Corvettes were within 0.3 seconds in the first 12-minute qualifying session ahead of Hyperpole, showing the continued strength in pace and performance of the Z06 GT3.R.

TF Sport is coming off a strong showing two weeks ago at Circuit of The Americas, where the No. 82 finished eighth in class – thanks to Juncadella’s strong performance in the final three hours – and the No. 81 ran as high as second before being hit by another LMGT3 competitor.

As evidenced by qualifying, momentum is on the side of TF Sport heading to Fuji Speedway. It’s a track the team knows well, having scored two race wins, a runner-up and a pair of pole positions in its previous four trips to the 2.84-mile, 16-turn circuit less than two hours outside Tokyo.

The Six Hours of Fuji is scheduled for 11 a.m. Japanese Standard Time (JST) on Sunday / 10 p.m. ET on Saturday. MotorTrend TV will air live television coverage from 9:30-11 p.m. ET on Saturday plus 3-4:30 a.m. ET on Sunday. Full live streaming coverage of the race will be available on the FIA WEC app and the MAX app in the U.S. Radio Le Mans also will stream audio coverage of Sunday’s race.

TF SPORT POST-QUALIFYING DRIVER QUOTES

TOM VAN ROMPUY, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – STARTS SECOND IN LMGT3: “It’s a very good starting position. Thanks to the team for keeping on working on the setup to give me a really good car. It felt really good and felt good on the lap. It’s really tight, but we’re on the front row. It’s a good position from where to start tomorrow, and hopefully we can gain one more.

“It was a really tight qualifying session, and everyone was bunched tight together. We have a really strong car especially for the race tomorrow. We are in a really, really good window. So I’m really happy with the result today, and we will fight for a podium and try to go for a win tomorrow.”

RUI ANDRADE, NO. 81 TF SPORT CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Things are really good so far. FP1 was a little tricky for everyone because the track was pretty dirty. As it cleaned up and into FP2, I think the car balance shifted a lot. For us, we learned the car is still quite strong. From the changes we made already for COTA, we saw that we had a lot of pace and were happy with the progression things had taken. We’ve maintained that for Fuji. It’s a completely different track with different characteristics, but the Corvette still seems quick and strong compared to our competition, so I’m happy with that.”

(Race prospects) “It’s hard to say. Everyone always has a little bit left in the bag. The most important thing is the feeling that we have in the car and the car balance. We were quite happy at the end of FP2. There are still some small tweaks to be made, but it’s always good when you can end a Friday on a high note and you don’t have so much left to do on setup with Free Practice Three and qualifying. Now it’s about fine-tuning things. It was warmer today and closer to race conditions so it was good to see for our race setup.”

HIROSHI KOIZUMI, NO. 82 TF SPORT CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – STARTS SEVENTH IN LMGT3: “I was happy to get into my first Hyperpole! I was aiming for pole position but ended up with P7. In tomorrow’s race, we will win it! This is my first race at Fuji in a year but in a new car with the Corvette and my team at TF Sport. So I’m feeling both excited and nervous! I haven’t had very good results so far this year, but I’ll do my best to achieve a slightly better result for the Japanese fans here at my home track. Our aim is for the podium and hopefully the top step.”

DANIEL JUNCADELLA, NO. 82 TF SPORT CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Since COTA, we have been very competitive. The Corvette has been very nice to drive, and we have been up there for every session. Unfortunately we couldn’t get a result in the COTA race due to some penalties. Now here for Hiroshi at Fuji, he can really feel it’s his home race and he has some extra performance in him! This is a great starting position, and we have high expectations for tomorrow.”

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands. 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.

• Kyle Washington Finishes Third in Saturday’s GT America Sprint Race at Barber Motorsport Park in the No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R
• Top-Five Pro-Am Finish and Fastest Lap of the Race in Saturday’s GT World Challenge America for Washington and Tom Sargent in Sister No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (September 10, 2024) – GMG Racing secured a podium finish for the fourth straight SRO America race weekend Saturday at Barber Motorsports Park where team driver Kyle Washington drove the No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R to a third-place showing in the 40-minute GT America powered by AWS sprint race. The P3 run for Washington set the stage for another strong result later on Saturday when Washington and Tom Sargent co-drove to a top-five Pro-Am finish in the 90-minute Fanatec GT World Challenge America race in the team’s sister No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R. Sargent also set the fastest race lap in the closing stages of Saturday’s GT World Challenge race.

“We have just seen incredible improvement and progress from Kyle and Tom,” said GMG Racing Founder and Principal James Sofronas. “Kyle has made it to the podium every SRO America race weekend since Circuit of The Americas (COTA) back in May with Tom closing the deal for two of those finishes with fantastic final stints in GT World Challenge. Getting on the box again at Barber showed that the hard work is paying off because we were not able to test here, and our drivers have never been here before, but we had the fastest Porsche on the grid and Tom set the fastest race lap overall on Saturday. It’s a testament to the team and drivers hitting on all cylinders each and every race weekend.”

Washington was impressed by the unique nature and rolling terrain and turns of the pristine Barber Motorsports Park circuit and facility.

“This place is amazing,” Washington said. “It reminds me of a skate park! Everything is cambered, it’s up and down and super, super fun. The rain kept us from getting much practice early in the weekend, but when I finally got some laps around the track I felt like I knew it better. I had a good sprint race with a P3 podium, which I was super happy about, and we had a solid run in the GT World Challenge race on Saturday.”

Washington’s visit to victory lane at Barber followed a GT America season-best second place finish at COTA in May. One race weekend later, Washington and Sargent broke through for their first GT World Challenge America victory at VIRginia International Raceway (VIR). From there, the podium and race-winning momentum continued straight to Road America in August where Sofronas marked his professional racing debut on the 4-mile Wisconsin circuit 30 years earlier with a GT America Sunday race win in his No. 14 GMG Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO2. The milestone victory for Sofronas followed a second-straight GT World Challenge podium run for Washington and Sargent who scored a second-place GT World Challenge Pro-Am finish at Road America on Saturday.

“Kyle is really improving on his race craft,” Sofronas said. “He put a move on Johnny O’Connell on Saturday at Barber which was something Johnny would have put on most people back in the day. Overall, Kyle’s confidence is increasing and Tom is certainly showing his abilities despite having never been to most of the tracks. We don’t have a testing program in place due to Kyle’s heavy corporate schedule away from the track, so we really couldn’t be happier to keep reaching the podium and picking up some race wins too.”

The third-place showing at Barber was the fifth podium for GMG Racing in the current streak dating back to COTA, but the team has a total of 12 visits to victory lane this year. Sofronas (GT3) and Brent Holden (GT2) each scored a pair of GT America podium finishes in April’s Grand Prix of Long Beach GT America doubleheader. Holden also picked up a pair of GT2 podiums in the season-opening GT America race weekend at Sonoma Raceway where he was joined in victory lane on Sunday by Sofronas, who finished second in GT3 in the Audi.

Next up for GMG Racing is the final USAC Porsche Sprint Challenge race weekend of the season at Sonoma Raceway, September 26 – 29. One week later, GMG arrives in full force at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the season-ending Indianapolis 8 Hour that includes the final rounds of both GT World Challenge America and GT America, October 3 – 6.

NOTEWORTHY – Sights on Thermal:

• GMG Racing’s move to its new 28,000 square-foot race shop at The Thermal Club in October is now just weeks away. The shop is nearly complete and is located in the heart of one of the most impressive country club motorsports facility in the world. The facility will soon be open for service, performance upgrades and motorsports arrive-and-drive programs and track support. The Thermal shop will also continue to offer the same street performance product support and maintenance services as the Santa Ana shop, which is also open for both street and track support over the next few weeks before the permanent move to Thermal. “We are excited to bring all of our current customers, and to welcome all of our new clients, to the Thermal Club where we will continue to do everything that we currently do in our existing shop at our all-new and state-of-the-art facility,” Sofronas said.

About GMG Racing: Founded in 2001, GMG Racing quickly established itself as North America’s premier performance tuning facility. What began as a small 1,200 sq. ft. shop, maintaining two race cars, has grown into a state-of-the-art performance tuning, racing and service facility located in Santa Ana, California in Orange County and with a trackside motorsports facility at 28,000 sq. ft. currently being built at The Thermal Club. The staff, attention to detail, and passion are what make GMG the choice of professionals and enthusiasts worldwide. GMG, in its early years, was located directly across the street from Porsche Motorsport North America (PMNA). This close proximity allowed GMG to build a strong relationship with the legendary racing brand which has helped us support our customers to the highest level possible. From club racing to Sebring, Daytona and Spa, GMG can take you as far as you want to go. More information can be found at www.gmgracing.com.

Confidence growing at TF Sport after strong pace for Z06 GT3.Rs at COTA

DETROIT (September 10, 2024) – The Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R will make its debut in Asia this weekend as TF Sport moves to the Six Hours of Fuji and the seventh round of the FIA World Endurance Championship.

Coming off a strong performance two weeks ago at Circuit of The Americas, hopes are high for a podium finish – and maybe more – in a deep and highly competitive LMGT3 class.

Corvette factory driver Daniel Juncadella led the No. 82 Corvette, which he shares with Sebastien Bourdais and Hiroshi Koizumi to an eighth-place finish in class.

Both of the team’s Z06 GT3.Rs showed impressive pace with the No. 81 Corvette of factory driver Charlie Eastwood, Rui Andrade and Tom Van Rompuy running as high as second before being hit by another LMGT3 competitor and eventually retiring from the race.

Despite that, momentum is on the side of TF Sport heading to Fuji Speedway. It’s a track the team knows well, having scored two race wins, a runner-up and a pair of pole positions in its previous four trips to the 2.84-mile, 16-turn circuit less than two hours outside Tokyo.

Eastwood was part of a GTE Am victory (2019) and runner-up finish (2018) with TF Sport. In addition, Juncadella contested the GT World Challenge Asia weekend at Fuji last season and scored an overall pole position. His Japanese teammate, Koizumi, is set for his home race and will make his second career WEC start at the circuit having debuted in the series at last year’s event.

From an engineering perspective, TF Sport can lean on learnings from the Corvette C8.R’s previous two appearances including last year when the program finished second in GTE Am after claiming pole position.

The Six Hours of Fuji is scheduled for 11 a.m. Japanese Standard Time (JST) on Sunday / 10 p.m. ET on Saturday. MotorTrend TV will air live television coverage from 9:30-11 p.m. ET on Saturday plus 3-4:30 a.m. ET on Sunday. Full live streaming coverage of Free Practice 3, qualifying and the race will be available on the FIA WEC app and the MAX app in the U.S. Radio Le Mans also will stream audio coverage of Saturday’s final practice and qualifying, plus Sunday’s race.

TF SPORT PRE-EVENT DRIVER QUOTES

CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Fuji is a track and a place that I absolutely love, as was Austin to be fair. I’ve had some good success at here in the past, and my first win in WEC was at Fuji. Both the track and the place are really nice places to be. Car-wise, we were so strong at COTA. It shows the commitment and work that both the team and Corvette Racing are doing in the background to keep this car moving forward. So I’m really hopeful again going into Fuji. Although we haven’t a result we wanted so far this year, I feel one is just around the corner. We’ll be going for that. I think this type of track will suit our Corvette. We just need to start putting the weekends together.”

RUI ANDRADE, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Fuji is a special place. It’s always a pleasure to go to Japan and such a beautiful country. The culture is incredible. A lot of drivers that I know always takes a few days to explore Tokyo, drive around and go to Mount Fuji. It’s that kind of place where you take things in. It’s such a beautiful place. As far as the track goes, it’s incredible and amazing. It has a good complex and combination of corners with a super-long straight and then a really fast first sector. It’s pretty high up on my list of favorites.”

DANI JUNCADELLA, NO. 82 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I was at Fuji last year in GT World Challenge Asia. It’s a track that I really love. I was on pole, and it was just about the time I was having my meetings with Corvette Racing to finalize my contract! So I have a pretty good memory of that weekend because I didn’t have a lot of sleep because I was excited for those new prospects. But those are really good memories from Fuji because it is a track I really enjoy. On top of that, Hiroshi is a Japanese driver and if there is one track where he is going to be very competitive, I think Fuji is the one. He’s going to be excited, and I’m massively pumped. I love Japan. We’ve had a very competitive car the last couple of races. The Corvette has been getting better and better. We seem to be improving reliability-wise and pace-wise. Everything has been going in the right direction. I’m really excited. There has to be a race where we have a chance in the last two hours, and I hope it’s Fuji.”

HIROSHI KOIZUMI, NO. 82 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It is very exciting for me to race at Fuji Speedway, my home track, with TF Sport and our Corvette. I feel confident for this race because I know the track and our car is very fast. I am hopeful good performance from myself so that we can have our best finish of the year.”

SEBASTIEN BAUD, NO. 82 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It was my first time racing in America at COTA and this will be my first time in Japan. It’s very nice because we have had a lot of driving and racing in a lot of countries. It’s great because I get to do this in a Corvette as this is my dream to do this in a World Championship. It is the home race for Hiroshi, which is good. I hope we can visit some places with him! But for me it is very important to have a good result at Fuji. I’m a competitor and I think we are better as a team as we have learned more about the Corvette. The car is good, and I think we can definitely be on the podium.”

2024 FIA World Endurance Championship Points

LMGT3 Drivers Standings

1. Aliaksandr Malykhin/Joel Sturm/Klaus Bachler – 118
2. Morris Schuring/Richard Lietz/Yasser Shahin – 90
3. Augusto Farfus/Darren Leung/Sean Gelael – 84
4. Alex Riberas/Daniel Mancinelli/Ian James – 81
5. Alessio Rovera/Francois Heriau/Simon Mann – 50
6. Daniel Juncadella/Hiroshi Koizumi/Sebastien Baud – 14
7. Charlie Eastwood/Rui Andrade/Tom Van Rompuy – 11

LMGT3 Teams Standings

1. No. 92 Manthey PureRxcing – 118
2. No. 91 Manthey EMA – 90
3. No. 31 Team WRT – 84
4. No. 27 Heart of Racing Team – 81
5. No. 55 Vista AF Corse – 50
6. No. 82 TF Sport – 14
7. No. 81 TF Sport – 11

CORVETTE RACING AT Fuji: By the Numbers

• 2: Previous appearances at the Six Hours of Fuji for the Corvette Racing program
• 11: Victories in the first year of the Corvette Z06 GT3.R
• 13: Hours difference between Fuji and Detroit in the Eastern Time Zone. That means this weekend’s race will begin Sunday morning in Japan but late Saturday night Eastern Time
• 14: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001
• 28: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Barber Motorsport Park (the latest), Charlotte Motor Speedway, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Daytona, Detroit, Houston, Laguna Seca, Le Mans, Lime Rock, Long Beach, Miami, Mid-Ohio, Monza, Portimão, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen
• 38: Hours of racing left in the Corvette Z06 GT3.R season covering WEC, IMSA and GT World Challenge
• 51: Number of drivers in Corvette Racing entries since 1999. DXDT Racing’s Bryson Morris joined the list at Road America in GT World Challenge America
• 71: Years since Corvette was introduced to the world on Jan. 17, 1953 in New York City. A total of 300 cars were produced that year
• 138: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 116 in IMSA, nine at Le Mans, three in the FIA WEC and 10 in GT World Challenge America
• 304: Event starts by Corvette Racing entries since 1999, starting with that year’s Rolex 24 At Daytona. No. 300 came in early August at Road America in IMSA
• 390,295.42: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing since its inception. To put that in perspective, Corvette Racing is more than halfway to the distance traveled by Apollo 13 – the longest manned spaceflight in history: 622,268 miles. That means Corvette Racing has raced to the moon and more than halfway back!

Corvette Racing at Fuji Speedway

2022

No. 64 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy – 5th in GTE Pro

2023

No. 33 Corvette C8.R: Nicky Catsburg/Ben Keating/Nico Varrone –2nd in GTE Am

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands. 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.

September 9, 2024 DJ Kennington, driver of the #17 Castrol EDGE Dodge, delivered another stellar performance at his home track, Delaware Speedway, in the NASCAR Canada Series on Sunday afternoon. The St. Thomas, Ontario native, with five previous victories at the historic half-mile track, was once again a top contender.

Starting the 200-lap feature from the seventh position, Kennington wasted no time moving up the ranks. He quickly positioned himself within the top five and remained a fixture at the front of the pack throughout the race. With a huge crowd of supporters and team partners cheering him on, Kennington expertly navigated the challenges of the day, showcasing the skill and experience that have made him a success at Delaware Speedway.

Kennington’s relentless drive culminated in a podium finish, marking his ninth podium in just 12 NASCAR Canada Series starts at the track. The third place race result not only delighted the local fans but also solidified Kennington’s hold on fourth place in the overall championship standings.

DJ Kennington Quotes: “This place is special to me, getting my start here and being so close to home. To have so many supporters here cheering on the Castrol team and to be able to deliver a podium finish for them and for our partners is really rewarding. We’ve got a lot of momentum heading into the final stretch of the season, we’ve made some good strides this year on our oval program”.

Next up:
DJ Kennington and the Castrol Edge Dodge team are back in action for the final event of the season at the Autodrome Montmagny on Sunday, September 22nd.

TV & Live Streaming
The NASCAR Canada race from Delaware Speedway will be broadcast on TSN, and on RDS2. Dates and times, TBD. All races are streamed live on TSN+ and through FloRacing in the United States.

Race fans can follow DJ Kennington and the #17 Castrol Edge Dodge team on their official social media platforms:

Twitter www.twitter.com/@djkracing
Instagram www.instagram.com/djkracing
Website www.djkracing.ca
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DJKenningtonRacing/

No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R heads to Fuji for seventh round of WEC season

DETROIT (Sept. 9, 2024) – Buoyed by the best result of its second FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) season, Cadillac Racing enters the home stretch of the schedule with renewed confidence and direction.

Alex Lynn and Earl Bamber drove the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R to fourth place September 1 in the six-hour Lone Star Le Mans at Circuit of The Americas, battling the Texas heat/humidity and 17 Hypercar competitors for 183 laps on the 3.426-mile, 20-turn course.

The team’s previous top points result was seventh in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in mid-June. A fourth-place finish in the opener in Qatar was vacated after FIA stewards ruled on a post-race technical infraction.

“It was our first race where we could really work on the detail and dig into when we’re fighting for one-tenth every single lap what do I need in the car. Just a solid day,” Lynn said after congratulating team members at COTA.

A day earlier, Lynn was congratulated for qualifying third in the 10-minute Hyperpole session for an unrivaled fourth consecutive race in the top four.

Now the team’s attention turns to the Six Hours of Fuji on Sept. 15 at Fuji Speedway, where the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R qualified fifth of 12 Hypercars in the six-hour race in 2023. Tire degradation on the 2.835-mile, 12-turn circuit, two drive-thru penalties for infractions and a lengthy garage visit for repairs countered the positive start and the team finished 10th.

Data and experience gleaned from the event are important aspects in developing the hybrid racecar and assisting the drivers for the race against 17 Hypercar entries.

“I believe Fuji last year was the event where we learned the most. The trajectory that we’ve been with the car all started with Fuji,” added Lynn, who went on to qualify third in the 12-car Hypercar field at the final in Bahrain. “I’m excited to get back there and see what we’ve done as improvements.”

What they’re saying

Alex Lynn: “I think Fuji last year was the event where we learned the most. That’s the most important thing we took out of the race. The trajectory that we’ve been with the car all started with Fuji. It was one of our toughest weekends and we’ve learned a helluva lot. I’m excited to get back there and see what we’ve done as improvements. It’s a special place. I love going there. From Austin to Tokyo to Fuji, I’m looking forward to it.”

Earl Bamber: “Fuji was challenging for us last year and we’ve put quite a bit of effort in the simulator to try to understand where we went wrong. I think in the second year of the program we’re understanding the areas where our strengths and shortcomings are and working on the deficiencies. I think we’ve managed to make it into a better window this year with the car always in the top five when the race goes right. We’re looking to show our progress in these last two races. I love Japan. The fans are incredible and last year we had a lot of support for Cadillac, so I’m looking forward to going back.”