No. 33 Corvette looks to continue early-season momentum after Sebring win DETROIT (April 10, 2023) – It’s a new track for Corvette Racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship this weekend, but the team is hoping for a familiar result in its second race of the season. Nicky Catsburg, Ben Keating and Nico Varrone will look for consecutive GTE Am victories in the No. 33 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R when Corvette Racing visits Portugal for the Six Hours of Portimão. |
The trio of drivers claimed a convincing victory in the 1,000 Miles of Sebring in their first race together to grab the early-season lead in the GTE Am Drivers Championship. It also was Corvette Racing’s first win in its first season of GTE Am competition. But rather than a familiar track where the program has thousands of miles of testing under its belt, Portimão is an unknown commodity. | CORVETTE RACING MEDIA INFORMATION Corvette Racing media information is updated and available ahead of this weekend’s WEC round at Portimao. Materials include: · WEC race advance and quotes· Corvette Racing stats and figures· Corvette Racing racecar comparisons· Corvette Racing Fast Facts· Driver biographies |
The 2.891-mile, 15-turn circuit is new to the Corvette Racing team but not new to the WEC calendar, having played host to the championship in 2021. It’s also not new to the three Corvette Racing drivers, each of whom have competed previously at Portimão in WEC competition and other racing championships. Varrone is the most recent driver having time at Portimão, having contested the European Le Mans Series in 2022 at the circuit. Keating was part of the GTE Am field at the circuit in the 2021 WEC event. For those who enjoy trivia, Catsburg drove a Corvette C6.R in the 2011 FIA GT1 Championship. Although there is no real-life experience at Portimão from a team perspective, the Corvette program has done its homework in the virtual world with Driver in the Loop simulator sessions at the GM Tech Center in Charlotte with Keating getting a couple of days work in during the last two weeks. After Portimão, Corvette Racing will contest the final five rounds on the WEC on tracks where it gained valuable experience in last year’s championship with the mid-engine C8.R. The Six Hours of Portimão for the FIA World Endurance Championship is scheduled for 7 a.m. ET / noon Western European Time on Sunday, April 16. MotorTrend and MotorTrend Plus will provide both live television and streaming coverage. Radio Le Mans will stream audio coverage of qualifying and the race. |
2023 FIA World Endurance Championship – GTE Am (After two of seven events)Driver Standings1. Ben Keating/Nicky Catsburg/Nico Varrone – 382. Christian Ried/Julien Andlauer/Mikkel Pedersen – 273. Daniel Serra/Scott Huffaker/Takeshi Kimura – 234. Simon Mann/Stefano Constantini/Ulysse De Pauw – 185. Davide Rigon/Francesco Castellacci/Thomas Flohr – 15 Team Standings1. No. 33 Corvette Racing – 382. No. 77 Dempsey-Proton Racing – 273. No. 57 Kessel Racing – 234. No. 21 AF Corse – 185. No. 54 AF Corse – 15 Corvette Racing By the Numbers• 1: As in one team, one manufacturer and one model of car for 25 years: Corvette Racing, Chevrolet and the Chevrolet Corvette.• 14: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001.• 19: Number of street circuit victories for Corvette Racing – more than any other IMSA entrant at the circuit.• 26: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte Motor Speedway, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Daytona, Detroit, Houston, Laguna Seca, Le Mans, Lime Rock, Long Beach, Miami, Mid-Ohio, Monza, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen• 34: Number of drivers for Corvette Racing since 1999. Ben Keating and Nico Varrone joined that list with their participation – and victory – in the 1,000 Miles of Sebring for the World Endurance Championship.• 123: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 113 in North America and eight at Le Mans.• 269: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999.• 353,311.01: 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 then some! |