Alexander Sims and Antonio Garcia have won the IMSA GT Challenge at Virginia International Challenge, to further extend their championship lead in the #3 Corvette.

Despite leading the championship, this was their first win all year in the IMSA SportscCar Championship series.

Garcia started the car fourth and remained there until he stopped. Giacomo Altoe, on pole in the #81 DragonSpeed Ferrari 296 GT3, lost the lead on the opening lap to #1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3’s Neil Verhagen, with his BMW teammate Dan Harper following him through.

This gave the German manufacturer a 1-2 at the front of the field. However, the race was soon neutralised as a sponsorship hoarding had been knocked over by a car going off track.

At the restart, Verhagen kept the lead over Harper, in the #1 Paul Miller BMW. They tried to stretch their lead, but Altoe in third kept them in check.

Garcia was the first to stop, from fourth. The two BMWs also soon stopped from the lead, as did Altoe. This gave Marco Mapelli, in the #9 Pfaff Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2, the lead until he too pitted.

Albert Costa, now in the #81 DragonSpeed Ferrari, had pitted as well. The two BMWs, with slower stops, rejoined behind both Costa and Sims, who had replaced Garcia in the #3 Corvette.

Soon, Sims was in the lead of the race, from Mike Rockenfeller in the #64 Ford Mustang GT3 and Costa third.

Max Hesse, now at the wheel of the #48 BMW, was fourth. However, he soon was reporting a loss of power from his M4 GT3, dropping down the field as other cars passed him. 

Before he could pit, though, the car dramatically caught fire from the right front exhaust, with the safety crew needing to extinguish the fire. This caused the race’s third full course yellow, which saw the entire field pit under yellow.

At the restart, the order was Sims, Tommy Milner in the #4 Corvette, Costa, Seb Prialux in the #64 Ford having replaced Rockenfeller, and Laurin Heinrich in the #77 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3R, ‘Rexy’ to his fans.

However, the race was not green for long, with another fire the cause of the race’s third FCY. This time, Danny Formal, in the #45 WTR Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2, had his car catch fire on track. 

This caused the car to spin uncontrollably into the tyre barriers, with Formal escaping quickly with possible light burns to his hands, with the entirety of the rear of the car engulfed in flame.

The next restart saw Sims retain the lead from Milner once again. However, Costa soon got passed the American in the closing minutes of the race, with the Spaniard setting about catching Sims in the lead.

As it was, Costa caught Sims but could not find a way by, with the Briton in the yellow #3 Corvette winning by just over a second from the Ferrari. Third was Milner in the sister #4 Corvette, a further four seconds back.

Fourth and fifth were Priaulx and Heinrich, with Snow in the #1 Paul Miller BMW sixth.

​​”I was just doing my job,” said Sims after the race. 

“Antonio did a fantastic job in his first stint and the team called a great strategy. We went aggressive on the first stop to try and force a situation, and it seemed to work. We could just about hold the gap to the BMW who had a significant fuel advantage on us had it stayed green. 

“We were fortunate with that second yellow but I think we just about had the race anyway. A really great job by everyone. The Corvette was fast today. The Michelin tires held on nicely. In these temperatures they were working hard but held on well. It was a really enjoyable race and it’s great to get our first win of the year.”

In GTD, Philip Ellis and Russell Ward took victory in the #57 Winward Racing Mercedes AMG-GT3.

Ward started the car second behind polesitter Jack Hawksworth in the #12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus. However, Hawksworth soon received a drive through penalty, promoting Manny Franco in the #34 Conquest Ferrari into the lead.

However, after a few laps in the lead Franco went off track, dropping down to fifth.

This promoted Formal to the lead in the #45 WTR Lambo, which later caught fire.

From then on, the race was between Philip Ellis and Mario Farnbacher in the #78 Forte Lamborghini. However, late on in the race, he received a 30s penalty for blocking, dropping him well down the field.

So, Ellis took the lead followed by Kenton Koch in the #021 Triarsi Competizione Ferrari, with Tom Gamble third in the #27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3.

The post Sims and Garcia take crucial IMSA victory for Corvette at VIR appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Alexander Sims was unfazed by Corvette Racing’s lack of recent IMSA wins after crediting consistency to their GTD Pro championship title lead.

“There’s only one (GTD Pro) winner in every race,” he told the media ahead of his 50th start in the IMSA SportsCar Championship, co-driving the #3 Corvette Z06 GT3.R with quad GTLM champion Antonio Garcia.

“We came third in the championship last year and we’re leading now, so it’s not like we’ve been uncompetitive.

“Consistent podiums are a great way to build a championship.

“Race wins help too, obviously, and we hope to get back to that. But I’d take a second or third as well.”

“I wasn’t actually aware of it being my 50th start, but that’s cool. I’m just looking forward to getting back to Mosport, to be honest. It’s one of my favorite tracks.

“Although it’s a short lap, there’s a lot of high-speed commitment with good undulation.

“A couple of really technical corners while having some ballsy ones as well.

“The Corvette works pretty well around there as we found last year.

“But nothing’s ever a given – we’ll be on our A-game to hopefully repeat, but it’s going to be tough.”

Sims and Garcia’s winless streak in nine races takes them back to their win last year at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP).

One year on from the Z06 GT3.R’s first IMSA win, Sims is aware of the challenge ahead at the twisty CTMP circuit.

“To race, there aren’t so many clear overtaking opportunities, so you have to rely on traffic creating opportunities… “

“I really like the fact that it’s fairly old school. It’s not been repaved very much. It’s still got character.”

READ MORE – Antonio Garcia credits ‘no mistakes’ in Corvette Watkins Glen podium

The post Alexander Sims unfazed by winless streak in GTD Pro title lead appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Corvette Racing’s Antonio Garcia credited a mistake-free Six Hours of the Glen performance, marking their fourth IMSA podium in five races.

The #3 Corvette Z06 GT3.R duo of Garcia and Alexander Sims entered the GTD Pro championship lead after finishing in second position from sixth on the grid.

Intermittent wet weather, followed by a heavy spell, made the opening race hour hectic and dramatic, with drivers on slick tyres, and some ending up in an incident amid the struggle and chaos.

Conditions soon dried as temperatures and humidity levels rose for the remainder of the race.

“Starting sixth in my stint, I was a little bit on the back foot there on track position,” said Garcia when he took over from Sims, the Brit having taken the race start.

“But overall, we made no mistakes. Every stop or every strategy call, we kind of felt like we always went in the right direction.

“We got into the lead near half-distance, so that felt really good.

“I felt I had the pace just to be there, and nobody seemed to be faster than us, at least at that time.

“But the car felt really good. On the restarts, I didn’t expect the #48 and #1 to be that fast.

“Pretty much everyone was competitive.

“It was difficult to defend on restarts and so on.

“So I thought I had a really good run, and the car felt really good.

“It’s a shame that we seem to be doing the lap time in different places than the others, but in a way, I think we maximised whatever we had today.

“So fuel strategy, the race strategy, driver changes, everything worked really, really good. So I’m happy with that.”

READ MORE – Valtteri Bottas leads Cadillac F1 wishlist as team opens talks with candidates

The post Antonio Garcia credits ‘no mistakes’ in Corvette Watkins Glen podium appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Rui Andrade of the #81 TF Sport Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R was encouraged by a stronger racing package since its debut Le Mans 24 Hours in 2024.

“We’ve learned a lot since last year,” he told Motorsport Week.

“Every race teaches us something. The level in WEC is so high that you constantly need to be pushing and maximising everything, or you’ll fall behind.

“TF and Pratt Miller have done a great job. Whether it’s on track or in the simulator, we’re always pushing.

“I can confidently say we’ve got a stronger package now, just based on improved setup and car balance.

“(Sharing data across the Corvettes) It helps the whole group move forward, especially when you’re chasing the smallest margins.

“The car feels really strong, especially in the high-speed corners, like the Porsche Curves.

“It gives us drivers a lot of confidence to push, which is so important here.

“Confidence is everything at Le Mans, and we definitely have that right now.

“The car is really fun to drive, and we hope that strength carries into the race.”

TF Sport claimed victory this season with their #33 Corvette at the Qatar 1812 km so the team are looking for their maiden victory in their partnership with Corvette.

Andrade, the sole Angolan driver out of 186 in the field, is taking on the race with his team-mates Charlie Eastwood and Tom van Rompuy once again, like last year.

Corvette took the GTD class Daytona 24 Hours win in January, thus General Motors’ manufacturer aims to take their first LMGT3 win.

With nine class wins in their history at Le Mans, Corvette are hoping TF Sport can deliver a winning result on 14-15 June, the fourth FIA WEC round.

READ MORE – Jessica Dane Interview: Steering Corvette’s GT3 programme into a new era

The post Corvette ‘stronger’ for Le Mans after year of development appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Jessica Dane told Motorsport Week exclusively about leading Corvette’s GT3 racing programme, drawing on her valuable experience in Supercars.

As a co-owner of Triple Eight Race Engineering from 2015 to 2024, Dane helped steer the most successful team in Supercars history through a dominant spell, securing five Drivers’ and six Teams’ Championships during her tenure.

For that reason, the overall tally rose to 11 Drivers’ titles and 12 Teams’ titles.

But her impact extended far beyond silverware. Dane became one of the most senior and visible women in Australian motorsport, championing gender diversity and introducing initiatives like FIA’s Girls On Track initiative (formerly Dare To Be Different) to the country in 2018.

In 2024, she sold her Triple Eight shares and moved to the United States to join General Motors, continuing a long-standing relationship formed during her time in Supercars.

She succeeded Christie Bagne as Programme Manager for Corvette Racing’s new GT3 venture, now overseeing customer teams across major global series including WEC, IMSA, and GT World Challenge Europe.

Dane spoke at length with Motorsport Week about her success in Australia, joining General Motors in the USA, and she explained what it takes to lead a programme as one of the newest GT3 manufacturers in a highly competitive racing landscape, with this week’s Le Mans 24 Hours hosting a trio of their Z06 LMGT3.Rs.

Early passion ignites motorsport career

“My earliest memories of racetracks are falling asleep at the side of the track when I was about three or four years old, while my dad, Roland, was racing,” she recalled.

“I had this amazing ability to fall asleep as soon as the green flag went and wake up just as the chequered flag came out.”

She attended her first Supercars round in Bahrain in 2007 — despite a double DNF in the opening race, one car bounced back to win the finale. It sealed her passion for the category.

“That’s what made it an easy decision to go to Australia during my gap year,” she said, while studying Multimedia Journalism at Bournemouth University.

She went about following her passion along with her father’s racing connections to pursue a career in motorsport, having earned a law degree since her undergraduate studies.

“Motorsport is such a family sport, so many people find their way into it through family.

“Having said that, he [Roland] didn’t find his way into it through family. He came from a family of doctors, and no real contacts or reason for him to have got involved in motorsport.

“But apart from the fact that he just loved anything with engines and wheels, and turned that passion into a successful career [in team management].”

Pushing for gender diversity in Australia

As she carved out a multifaceted role at Triple Eight — spanning legal, commercial, media and team coordination — Dane became a vocal advocate for gender equity in the paddock.

“In the more recent years of my career and the last eight years, I have been lucky enough to come across and work with and become close friends with a lot of really inspiring women in motorsport.

“It’s not an industry that’s easy for us to be in. And I will never pretend that I have had to deal with a lot of the boundaries that a lot of other women have had to deal with, who’ve perhaps come into it without a family introduction.

“I’m so grateful for some of the friendships that I’ve made and the inspiring women that I’ve met along the way – from engineers to drivers to media personalities.

“I introduced ‘Girls On Track’ to Australia back in 2018, or back then it was called ‘Dare To Be Different’.

“And I was the inaugural chair of the Australian Women Motorsport Commission and things like that.

“So in Australia, it was an awful lot of work that I did.

“I was kind of the go-to for a lot of people who were wanting to do more initiatives and put things together… and I love that it took up a lot of time doing that kind of work, it’s so special and so meaningful.”

Showcasing herself as more than the ‘boss’s daughter’

“As the boss’s daughter, I had to prove eight times over why I deserved my place,” Dane admits — a reality that shaped her hard-working, hands-on approach across every aspect of the team.

“And it was really important to me that people saw that, and they didn’t think that I wasn’t taking it seriously [and] showing that I was willing to do the hard yards because I was the youngest, I had the least experience.

“And I think that stood me in good stead through the years to earn respect that otherwise might have been quite hard to, or it was hard to come by.

“I’ve done a lot of media, commercial and marketing work – all the stuff that doesn’t make the cars go faster, from team coordination through to partnerships, team management; I spent many years in those roles.

“Motorsport is a privilege, not a given.”

“That has been fundamental to learning the business side of how motorsport works.”

Dane added how this fed into her current role at GM: “You have to understand contracts and budgets because I basically run a miniature business, we as programme managers, that’s what we’re doing.

“We have our budgets, we have our team members, we have our goals, and we have our strategies, and we’re running little businesses inside of a bigger business that is GM Motorsport – inside of a massive corporation that is General Motors.”

Joining GM amidst her move to the USA

Before Dane undertook her new role, she joined General Motors as ‘Motorsport Integration Manager’, having moved to the USA in December 2023.

She sought out a job to stay in the States, for a Visa. A NASCAR contact six months prior sent Eric Warren – Executive Director at GM Motorsports Competition – her curriculum vitae (resume).

After ‘randomly’ receiving an email from Warren, inviting her in with Jim Campbell (Chevrolet US’s Vice President for Performance Vehicles and Motorsports), the integration manager role evolved and opened up.

This year’s Le Mans marks her third, having attended in her previous GM role, albeit her first as the leading figure in the Corvette GT3 operation.

“I’m good friends with Christie [Bagne], my predecessor, who did a fantastic job of establishing the [GT3] programme.

“When she told me she was moving, she was like ‘You’re the right person for this role’.

“And of course, I’d already been working on the contracts in my previous role as motorsport integration manager, because I have a law degree and a lot of experience in motorsport contracts, it made sense that I should help on the contractual side while they were renewing several contracts.”

“It’s a massive learning curve going from the team side to the OEM side.

“There are more people to consider, more processes, more approvals. That’s definitely been an adjustment I’ve had to get used to.”

Priorities in the GT3 programme

Corvette Racing oversees GT3 programmes with seven customers across 13 full-time Z06 GT3.Rs, having sold a total of 17 cars. They have taken six wins so far this year.

The manufacturer draws on 27 years of sportscar racing experience with nine Le Mans victories, including 2023.

Yet they are one of the youngest GT3 programmes reaching across the FIA World Endurance Championship, and other European, American and Asian GT series.

She explained: “The programme was set up well, and to me, one of the worst things that a leader can do is come in and start changing things without a proper period of observation and understanding.

“So, priorities for me have been continuing the momentum of getting ourselves set up as a known quantity with reliable cars.

“We overcame a lot of reliability issues last year that the team worked extremely hard on.

“And now this year, the fact that we got through the Rolex [24] with four of our five cars finishing the 24 hours on the lead lap is testament to how much hard work went into improving the reliability there.

“It puts us in a really good position coming into Le Mans.

“But ensuring that as we grow, even though we are certainly not going to grow to the pace or speed or size of Porsche or AMG or anything like that [where] they have hundreds of chassis out there, we need to make sure that we are growing in a sustainable and successful way.”

“Winning championships is the goal, but we can’t forget motorsport is ultimately a marketing tool.

“So a big priority for me is supporting that (selling road cars), presenting opportunities like having multiple cars at events such as Spa 24.”

Sustaining customer partnerships, looking forward to Le Mans

Dane’s experience in teams helps her relate to Corvette’s customer partners. She believes in honest, two-way communication to build trust.

She said, “I make sure my teams know I come from a team background, so I understand their challenges.

“The worst thing would be for someone to stay silent instead of raising an issue,” she said. “It’s about people feeling heard, rather than being treated like a number.”

The 93rd edition of the Le Mans 24 Hours will host a grid of 62 cars across three categories.

TF Sport, as well as Daytona 24 class winners AWA, represent Corvette at the Circuit de la Sarthe.

Dane first attended the event in 2022 in a different role when she helped out, not officially working.

“I told myself, ‘Next time I come back, I want to be working properly.’

“In 2023, I was there in my Motorsport Integration Manager role, but without specific responsibilities, I sometimes felt like a spare part.

“So I set a goal: By next year, I want to be here making a real difference.

“At the time, there weren’t any roles open, but now here I am – Le Mans 2025 – responsible for a programme.

“It’s exciting. I’m really looking forward to it.

“We’ve got three cars — so a podium lockout would be nice!” she says with a grin. “It’s exciting. I’m really looking forward to it.”

Stay tuned for a driver interview tomorrow ahead of their Le Mans circuit debut…

READ MORE – Alexander Sims ‘didn’t think P2 finish was possible’ in hectic Detroit GP

The post Jessica Dane Interview: Steering Corvette’s GT3 programme into a new era appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Corvette Racing’s #3 Z06 GT3.R driver Alexander Sims doubted their second-place finish in Detroit was possible before the hectic sprint round.

Sims and his teammate, Antonio Garcia, faced a setback in qualifying when the latter driver caused a red flag in FP2, consequently losing their fastest qualifying lap time.

The Spaniard started on the fourth row on the grid, in eighth place, alongside AO Racing’s #77 Porsche 911 GT3.R driver Klaus Bachler.

Detroit’s Street Course was narrow and bumpy, which limited hopes for on-track overtakes during the 100-minute race, but the #3 Corvette sufficed after taking more risks during the pit stop cycles, which offered a more straightforward alternative to on-track passes.

“If I’m perfectly honest, no, I didn’t think this sort of result would be possible with a relatively normal strategy,” said Sims.

“But people fell off all around us. We gained a few positions on the pit stop, we had good pace in clear air, anyway.

“And it worked out for us this time. It’s impossible to overtake the Ford, but we had the car underneath us.

“Our Corvette was really working well around the streets here in Detroit.

“And yeah, after the pit stop, I took some big risks to try to get the lap time on the out-lap in case we needed to jump people on the stop, which we ended up doing, so it paid off, for sure.

“It all worked out well. I couldn’t ask for much more.

“The team did a great job.

“The Corvette felt nice. Thanks to Pratt Miller and everyone on the team.”

Sims pressured Mike Rockenfeller’s #64 Ford Mustang GT3 to the checkered flag. Despite finishing second, the #3 duo ultimately overtook them in the Drivers’ standings.

READ MORE – Ford’s Mike Rockenfeller beats Corvette to IMSA Detroit sprint victory

The post Alexander Sims ‘didn’t think P2 finish was possible’ in hectic Detroit GP appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway has revealed the pace car that will head the field the for upcoming Indianapolis 500.

The car is a special edition of the 2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, adorned in an Arctic White livery and the logo for the 109th Indianapolis 500 on the doors.

There are emerald green and gold accents on the hood and roof that match the colors of the logo, making for a striking appearance.

As is tradition, the car is not just for show. The Corvette produces 1,064 horsepower from a 5.5L twin turbo V8.

The powerful production car can reach speeds nearly as fast as an IndyCar, 233 MPH, although it will only be used at the head of the field while traveling at much safer speeds.

The car looks the part through and through, with a carbon fiber aero package that adds front dive planes and a large rear wing. Together the package produces 1,200 pounds of downforce at full speed.

“As we anticipate another iconic Indianapolis 500, we are once again excited to have the incredible American sports car Corvette pacing the field,” IMS and INDYCAR President J. Douglas Boles said.

“The race car-like performance of the Corvette ZR1 makes it the perfect car to pace the Indianapolis 500, and the distinctive sound of the Chevrolet V8 engine will echo brilliantly inside the walls of IMS.”

The Chevrolet Corvette has been the pace car of choice in recent years, and this year marks the 22nd time a Corvette has led the field to green.

NFL Hall of Fame member Michael Strahan will pilot the special car on May 25th, leading the field of 33 hungry drivers around the famous oval before unleashing them for 200 racing laps.

The post Corvette ZR1 pace car revealed for 109th Indy 500 appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Daniel Juncadella fended his way towards maiden LMGT3 victory at the Qatar 1812 km, the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship season-opener.

TF Sport’s #33 co-driver Juncadella held off pressure from Gregoire Saucy’s #59 United Autosports McLaren 720S LMGT3 EVO towards victory after 287 laps completed.

For the first time in the 2025 season, the grid of 18 LMGT3 competitors fought around the Lusail International Circuit for a 10-hour endurance event.

Conditions were mildly warm if not noticeably humid, impacting the drivers from a physical aspect to contend with.

United Autosports were clear stars during qualifying and at the race start, they held 1-2 formation with #95 McLaren driver Darren Leung ahead of James Cottingham’s #59 McLaren.

Arnold Robin initially maintained third place in the #78 Akkodis ASP Lexus RC F LMGT3, ahead of both AF Corse Ferrari 296 LMGT3s, but exhibited a move on Cottingham on Lap 2.

In fact, Robin was soon able to claim the LMGT3 class lead from Leung. In the other #87 Lexus, their race ended early when Petru Umbarasecu attempted a move on the inside of the #21 Ferrari, of Francois Heriau, but misjudged his attack and spun the Ferrari as a result.

He pitted soon after and the #87 continued back out and served an awarded drive-through (DT) penalty.

Whilst Robin went on to extend a prominent lead, the attention was on the fight for fourth place.

On Lap 13, Thomas Flohr (#54 Ferrari) defended Tom van Rompuy’s #81 TF Sport before Ahmed Al Harthy tried a move on the outside at Turn 7.

Van Rompuy soon became the second retirement due to a broken alternator shaft pulley.

Lexus falls back behind both McLarens

Robin’s prominent lead was diminished during the first round of pit stops, where the #78 Lexus driver emerged in third place behind the two McLarens.

Nevertheless, Robin continued his momentum as to challenge 2023 British GT champion Leung’s #95 in second place whilst his 2023 British GT vice-champion Cottingham led the charge at the front.

The top-four, to be exact, ensued in a tense battle as just two seconds covered the group.

Al Harthy showcased eager form again when he began chasing down Robin for third place, although managed to get into second during a pit stop sequence as Robin continued longer than the others before pitting.

Finn Gehrsitz took over from Arnold as the other Bronze-graded drivers continued going.

During the third hour, Christian Reid lost the rear end of his #61 Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG LMGT3 and got the rear wheels beached into a gravel trap at Turn 9.

This instigated the first virtual safety car of the race and brought the group of LMGT3s together again.

After the second SC period, declared when the two Cadillacs collided, Al Harthy continued to pressure the #78 Lexus even with Gehrsitz at the wheel.

The other #87 Lexus, meanwhile, became the second retirement of the race primarily induced from the damaging contact it had earlier.

During the fourth racing hour, Ben Tuck of the #77 Proton Ford Mustang LMGT3 fought amidst the leading back.

Sebastien Baud of the #59 McLaren duelled with Gehrisitz’s #78 Lexus, leaving Tuck to make a move for the lead on both of them.

Tuck then defended off the #78 Lexus, unfortunately losing the lead to Gehrisitz as Baud then overtook Tuck into second place.

United Autosports fends lead as Proton suffers heartbreak

The race surpassed the halfway mark with the United Autosports McLarens not in dominant form as they were during the opening stages of the race as the #78 Lexus kept them at bay in the lead.

With his hard work maintaining the top spot, Gehrsitz pitted from the lead to allow Robin.

Valentino Rossi undertook a fierce duel for fourth place in the #46 BMW M4 LMGT3 EVO with Francois Heriau’s #21 AF Corse Ferrari 296 LMGT3.

Rossi put a move on the inside at final corner but Heriau stuck with him on main straight, unable to return the favour.

Robin, a Bronze-graded driver, understandably fell to P5 after Sebastien Baud overtook him in the #59 McLaren.

With five hours remaining and the daylight well and truly gone, the humidity increased to 50%.

United Autosports regular Marino Sato fronted the LMGT3 class for the #95 McLaren on the restart and held off Heart of Racing’s Mattia Drudi and their #27 Aston Martin Vantage LMGT3 EVO.

A fourth safety car was deployed due to the #77 Ford which caught fire at the wheel of Bernado Sousa.

Smoke filled the cockpit as he drove down the main straight, prompting him to park the car at Turn 1– the team having previously suffered a fire during the Prologue with a new chassis to take on the season-opener as a result.

Sato and Gelael hold ground for the #95 McLaren

Marino Sato kept his form clean but strong in his defensive work which was relieved after Drudi faced a drive-through penalty for a previous unsafe pit stop release.

Juncadella piloted the #33 Corvette in third place but looked positive on virtual energy with more than those around him.

Ahead of the Spaniard, a fight for second ensued when Alessio Rovera (#21 Ferrari) chased Kelvin van der Linde’s #46 WRT BMW, before the #46 pitted and Rossi returned to the wheel.

Sean Gelael held a promising lead with smooth pace, having earned the Goodyear Wingfoot Award for his efforts during his driving time.

United Autosports’ controlled lead eventually came to a close at the beginning of the ninth racing hour; Gelael served a DT for an unsafe pit stop release in front of the #10 Racing Spirit of LeMan Aston Martin.

The #95 McLaren lost their winning chances with 1-hour and 26-minutes remaining, yet the fight for the lead continued with the #31 WRT BMW of Augusto Farfus ahead of Zach Robichon’s #27 Aston Martin, Jonny Edgar’s #33 TF Sport Corvette and Saucy in fifth place for the #59 McLaren entrant.

Quickly after Juncadella took over from Edgar, Saucy began his surging pressure on the Corvette in what would end up perpetuating right to the checkered flag.

Juncadella resists Saucy’s pressure for first win pursuit

Both TF Sport and United Autosports had yet to claim victory in the fairly new LMGT3 era of the WEC.

It became a closely matched, intense fight between the #33 Corvette and the #59 McLaren – especially with the McLaren crucially in position to return a win after United claimed pole – even if it was with the #95 McLaren.

Timur Boguslavskiy of the #31 BMW held the lead by 20-seconds over the fighting duo behind, but was significantly lower on virtual energy in comparison to the #33 and #59, therefore was destined to pit.

Back to the lead fight, #33 Juncadella in front had 10% more virtual energy than #59 Saucy and so evidently fended off the McLaren.

The pair duelled just 0.2 seconds between them as Saucy numerously stuck on Juncadella’s tail, occasionally looking for a window of opportunity.

There was pressure to make a move whilst not throwing away 10-hours of hard work by the #59 crew, and so Saucy tried a move but could not make it stick.

TF Sport wins tense fight for maiden LMGT3 win

After 287 laps, Juncadella won the LMGT3 class for TF Sport and Covette with his co-drivers Jonny Edgar and Ben Keating.

Saucy claimed second place under half a second behind the #33 at the finishing line – with his #59 McLaren co-drivers Sebastien Baud and James Cottingham, followed by the #31 WRT BMW trio of Timur Boguslavskiy, Augusto Farfus and Yasser Shahin in third.

Ben Barnicoat took fourth position for the #78 Akkodis ASP Lexus crew along with Finn Gehrsitz and Arnold Robin.

Alessio Rovera finished fifth for the #21 AF Corse Ferrari crew including Simon Mann and Francois Heriau.

Heart of Racing took sixth with their #27 Aston Martin and co-drivers Mattia Drudi, Zach Robichon and team principal Ian James.

Marino Sato secured seventh place in the end for the #95 McLaren team along with team-mates Sean Gelael and Darren Leung.

The other AF Corse, the #54 Ferrari, finished eighth with Davide Rigon, Francesco Castellacci and Thomas Flohr.

Racing Spirit of Leman came home in ninth with Valentin Hasse Clot, Eduardo Barrichello and Derek Deboer as Proton Competition’s #88 Ford trio of Dennis Olsen, Giammarco Levorato and Stefano Gattuso rounded out the top-10 finishers.

See the full classification of results here.

READ MORE: Ferrari sweep podium with dominant 1-2-3 at Qatar

The post Daniel Juncadella fends off McLaren towards Corvette LMGT3 victory in Qatar appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Corvette’s Tommy Milner was displeased with BMW’s Augusto Farfus, who blocked him in his fight to retain the lead with the #1 BMW late at Daytona.

Speaking after he completed his stint, Milner said: “That’s not what IMSA is about, sports car racing is about.

“First and foremost, the driver should be embarrassed, the team should be embarrassed… with that kind of racing.

“It is team racing here but not like that.

“They have a car that’s laps down out of the race whose only job is basically only to help the teammate, and not like that.

“Lap after lap, blocking, blocking, blocking, waiting for me … It’s disappointing.

GTD Pro class leader in the 22nd racing hour of the IMSA SportsCar Championship’s 24 Hours of Daytona, Milner, fended off the #1 BMW M4 GT3 EVO driven by Connor de Phillippi.

De Phillippi tried to pass the #4 Corvette Z06 GT3.R having used the side-draft and head-on slipstream to keep within distance of the yellow machine.

The pair came across the #48 BMW of Farfus, who was 57 laps down due to earlier misfortune in the race.

Blue flags notified Farfus of the pair behind although he was not obligated to surrender his track position with immediacy as per IMSA etiquette.

Given the existing challenge for a GT driver to overtake another GT car under racing circumstances, race control noted and penalised Farfus with a drive-through penalty for blocking Milner for providing an advantage to their #1 team-mate car.

Milner on the repercussions of his clash

“I don’t have an issue with #1 car. Those guys are in their own race. It’s just the sister car that’s out there just to be a nuisance.

“Poor sportsmanship, poor driving, just embarrassing on their part.

“… In the end what hurt us the most was to continue to stay out after they had a blocking penalty to block more.

“Whoever was in the #48 really slowed me up in (Turn) Three and got me a little bit crossed up and put me into the #1.

“The car isn’t totally right for sure,” he alluded to the rear-end damage to his #4 Corvette, “There’s lasting damage from all of that for sure, not to mention the problems we had with the bumper.

“… It’s a shame for us to work that hard to put us into contention to have a good result and for it to be spoiled like that was pretty pathetic.”

BMW’s statement from Augusto Farfus added: “The situation with the Corvette and our sister car was very difficult.

“My intention was to support my teammate in the sister car in the fight for victory.

“I was aware that it was hard racing.

“The situation that led to the collision between the Corvette and Connor De Phillippi behind me was very unfortunate – but I had nothing to do with it directly.

“I stayed on my inside line.”

Milner and his co-drivers Nico Varrone and Nicky Catsburg finished in seventh place by the end with the sibling #3 Corvette on the GTD Pro podium, splitting the two Mustangs.

READ MORE: Ford’s Dennis Olsen wins against Corvette for victory at Daytona 24H

The post Tommy Milner on BMW: ‘The team should be embarrassed’ appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Ben Keating and Jonny Edgar have joined TF Sport for the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship season in the #33 Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R.

Keating took the last GTE Am championship title with Corvette Racing in 2023 along with the Le Mans 24 Hours victory.

After a one-off return at the 2024 Lone Star Le Mans, Keating has returned to the WEC full-time in Corvette machinery again – albeit of the LMGT3 kind.

He has driven numerous machinery during his years of racing and competed with TF Sport for the 2021 and 2022 WEC seasons, gaining his first Le Mans class win in the latter campaign.

Edgar has a preexisting relationship with TF Sport having driven in their European Le Mans Series LMP2 campaign, where they partnered with AO Racing.

The 20-year-old became the 2024 ELMS LMP2 champion with co-drivers Robert Kubica and Louis Deletraz, and so will make his WEC debut next year.

“I am so excited to be back in the FIA World Endurance Championship family,” said Keating who will co-drive with Edgar and Daniel Juncadella.

“I have missed all the people and places I have come to love.

“I am also thrilled to be back with TF Sport many of the same reasons.

“This will be a new car for me, but I am excited to race in the same Corvette that I sell at Keating Chevrolet.

“I am grateful to be able to come back.”

Edgar’s excitement for his WEC and Le Mans debuts

Edgar added: “… It is great to be racing with TF Sport again after the success we had together in the ELMS in 2024.

“Racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship and in the 24 Hours of Le Mans is an amazing opportunity for me and I am looking forward to my first GT3 racing season.

“My teammates are great too, with Ben having already won the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the FIA World Endurance Championship with Corvette and Dani having had a lot of success in GT3 racing; I’m sure I can learn a lot from both of them.”

In the other #81 entrant, the driver lineup has remained the same with factory drivers Charlie Eastwood and Rui Andrade joining Tom van Rumpuy.

The team consistently fought towards the top end of the LMGT3 class and have made numerous Hyperpole appearances during the 2024 WEC season.

Next year’s Qatar 1812 km on 28 February will mark the second campaign for the LMGT3 category and crucially, for the Z06 LMGT3.R.

READ MORE: Trackhouse Racing partners with TF Sport for Daytona 24H entry

The post Ben Keating and Jonny Edgar sign with TF Sport for WEC 2025 appeared first on Motorsport Week.