Corvette Racing at VIR: A GT Challenge

One lap short a year ago, Garcia and Taylor eager for another shot at VIR win

DETROIT (Aug. 22, 2023) – After coming tantalizingly close a year ago, Corvette Racing’s Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor get another shot at their second victory together at Virginia International Raceway on Sunday in the Michelin GT Challenge, the ninth round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

Garcia and Taylor were runners-up 12 months ago in the GT-only race with Taylor finishing eight-tenths of a second from the victory in the pair’s No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R. It was a thrilling finish with the Corvette gaining more than two seconds on the eventual winning car on the final lap.

One more lap and the Garcia/Taylor duo might be entering VIR as defending race winners. A victory this weekend would be Corvette Racing’s sixth at VIR and third with the C8.R in its farewell season. Garcia ranks second in the field with three VIR wins – all of them overall – which gives him one more than Taylor.

Garcia and Taylor won earlier this year at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in GT Daytona (GTD) PRO, their lone win so far this season. They’ve been on the class podium in four other races.

Returning to Victory Circle also would keep championship hopes alive for the No. 3 Corvette drivers, their team and Chevrolet. The group is second in points and badly in need of victories in any of the remaining three rounds to challenge for the GTD PRO Drivers, Teams and Manufacturers titles.

The Michelin GT Challenge at VIR is scheduled for 2:10 p.m. ET on Sunday, August 27. The race will air live on USA beginning at 2 p.m. ET and stream live on Peacock inside the United States and IMSA.com outside the U.S. IMSA Radio will air all on-track sessions beginning with Friday morning’s practice at IMSA.com with the race call also on XM 207 and SiriusXM Online 992.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R:

“Going to VIR is nice because this is one of the first tracks I raced on in America. I liked it from the very start. It has some really fast and intense corners, long straights and some technical parts in the slower-speed turns. It’s like a test for both the driver and the car every lap. I’ve had many good races and wins there with Corvette Racing, and we came up just a little short last year. Hopefully we’re that much better this year and can get the win we need for the championship.”

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R:

“I’m looking forward to the weekend. I think we had pace to win at Road America, and VIR should be a similar type of track for us. Being a GT-only race, it’ll be another intense event without being able to rely on traffic to make some opportunities. VIR was one of the strongest races we had last year, so I think we should be in good shape this time around. We’ve had a few races slip through our fingers this year, so I’m hoping we can cap the season off with some wins. Let’s start this weekend.”

2023 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – GTD PRO
(After eight of 11 events)

Driver Standings
1. Ben Barnicoat/Jack Hawksworth – 2,810
2. Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2,641
3. Daniel Juncadella/Jules Gounon – 2,594
4. Klaus Bachler/Patrick Pilet – 2,587
5. Alex Riberas/Ross Gunn – 2,468

Team Standings
1. No. 14 Vasser Sullivan – 2,810
2. No. 3 Corvette Racing – 2,641
3. No. 79 WeatherTech Racing – 2,594
4. No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports – 2,587
5. No. 23 Heart of Racing Team – 2,468

Manufacturer Standings
1. Lexus – 2,810
2. Chevrolet – 2,641
3. Mercedes-AMG – 2,594
4. Porsche – 2,587
5. Aston Martin – 2,479

Source:
Corvette Racing at Chevrolet

Related:
[VIDEO] Corvette Racing’s Costly Refueling Penalty at Road America Explained
Corvette Racing at Road America: Back on the Podium
Corvette Racing at Lime Rock: Tough Luck on Tight Track

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