Corvette Racing at Sebring: No Place Like Home

GTE Am campaign for No. 33 C8.R starts at lone FIA WEC American stop

DETROIT (March 9, 2023) – For the second straight year, Corvette Racing begins its globe-trotting venture in the FIA World Endurance Championship at an all-too-familiar place, albeit in an unfamiliar category.

The 1,000 Miles of Sebring on Friday, March 17 kicks off the seven-round WEC season, which sees Ben Keating, Nicky Catsburg and Nico Varrone team in the No. 33 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R. It’s the first race together for the trio and the first for Corvette Racing in the GTE Am category, which will feature 14 entries in the event.

The entire class and the 37-car field will take part in this weekend’s two-day Prologue test session ahead of the first official practice session on March 15.

The Corvette program is easily the most experienced team in the WEC paddock at the 3.74-mile, 17-turn Sebring International Raceway circuit. It has 25 years of racing experience at the historic track, which sits on the site of an Army airbase from World War II.

In addition to two previous starts in GTE Pro at the Sebring WEC round – including a runner-up finish last year for Tommy Milner and Nick Tandy – Corvette Racing has 13 victories at the track with 12 coming in the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.

On the driver front, both Catsburg and Keating have previous starts in the Sebring WEC round. Catsburg finished second in GTE Pro in 2019 while Keating placed third a year ago in GTE Am on his way to the class championship. Meanwhile, Varrone will make his first full-season start as a WEC competitor in the 1,000 Miles.

In addition to Sebring, the Corvette lineup will content the full GTE Am championship including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where the No. 33 C8.R will be among 21 entries in class for the French endurance classic.

The 1,000 Miles of Sebring for the FIA World Endurance Championship is scheduled for noon ET on Friday, March 17. MotorTrend and MotorTrend Plus will provide both level television and streaming coverage. Radio Le Mans will stream audio coverage of all practice sessions, qualifying and the race.

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R:

“I’m massively looking forward to Sebring. It’s the start of a new program for us in GTE Am together with Ben and Nico. I feel like we have a very strong lineup and I cannot wait to get started. We can build on strong results from last year after winning there in IMSA and the guys in the WEC finished P2, so the car obviously has good potential around Sebring.

“The plan is to stay out of trouble and focus on the championship right from the start. I’m looking forward to getting back together with the team and looking forward to going over the IMSA paddock and see everyone on that side again. It’ll be a big weekend, and I’m ready to get started.”

BEN KEATING, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R:

“I’ve said over and over again how excited I am as an American to drive for an American team in an American brand, and I’m excited to be racing in a brand that I sell. Not only are we going to be racing this American brand with an American team all around the world, but the first race in the USA, which is special. There is one race in the United States for the World Endurance Championship, and clearly we want to show well on our home soil. As a team, Corvette Racing has thousands of laps around there during the last 25 years, so I expect the team, the car, the drivers and everyone is going to be well tuned up and ready to go for this race.

“My first laps in the Corvette were at the WEC Rookie Test in Bahrain, and it was different enough there that I left thinking that I had a lot to learn about this car. Then we did the test at Sebring and it was a totally different experience. That left me thinking, ‘Wow… this is a really special car.’ Not only is it special from my standpoint of racing it, but the performance level around Sebring is awesome. Sebring is unlike anywhere else in the world – very flat, very bumpy and very different from a typical FIA circuit that we go to in WEC. This is not that; this is an old, historic circuit and the Corvette performed amazingly well at the test. It set my expectations really high for the race. It handles the bumps extremely well, and it’s very comfortable to drive. I don’t know if there’s such a thing as an easy car to drive around Sebring because it’s such a physical track. It will beat you up a little bit. But “the Corvette is such a delight to drive, and it’s easy on the driver.

This also is the first race for me to do with Nico and Nicky. I’m super excited about my teammates. We’ve all gotten along exceedingly well. There are no egos. No one is out there trying to prove what they’re capable of doing as an individual. It’s a great feeling of being great teammates – not just for this race but the whole World Endurance Championship. I couldn’t imagine having a better group of teammates going into the season, and I’m super excited to go racing with these guys.”

NICO VARRONE, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R:

“I’m really excited to start this new program with Corvette Racing. It’s my first time racing for a factory team so it’s a dream for me, and to do it with this great brand makes it even better! Teaming up with Nicky Catsburg and Ben Keating is a great chance for the whole team to achieve some good things in the GTE Am class. Speaking personally, I can learn a lot from them and keep growing as a driver. I simply can’t wait!

“Sebring is really special. I did some laps in the C8.R with Corvette Racing in December and I really enjoyed the track. I cannot think for a better place for my debut with this team than to do it at this legendary track where Corvette has achieved so much success.”

Source:
Corvette Racing at Chevrolet

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