Corvette Racing at Road Atlanta: Plenty at Stake

Corvette teams aim for first Petit Le Mans win since ’10, Endurance Cup and Akin Award

DETROIT (October 8, 2024) – Corvette Racing and the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R teams are set to close the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar season with the annual 10-hour Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta in a highly anticipated finale.

Three of the first-year Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs will race in the series for a final time in 2024 – the No. 3 and No. 4 from Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports in GTD PRO along with the No. 13 GTD entry from AWA, each sporting talented lineups for the day-to-night race around the 2.54-mile, 12-turn Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta circuit:

Antonio Garcia, Alexander Sims and Daniel Juncadella in the No. 3 Corvette
Tommy Milner, Nicky Catsburg and Earl Bamber in the No. 4 Z06 GT3.R
Orey Fidani, Matt Bell and Lars Kern in the AWA Corvette

There is plenty at stake at this year’s Petit Le Mans. For starters, Corvette Racing entries haven’t tasted victory in the event since 2010, the longest drought at any venue in the program’s 26-year history.

Of the nine Corvette drivers in this year’s race, only Sims (2018 GTLM), Bell (2014 GTD) and Juncadella (2023 GTD PRO) have won Petit Le Mans. Among those that haven’t are Corvette Racing veteran stalwarts Garcia and Milner.

Nevertheless, hopes and confidence is high going into this year’s running. A victory in GTD PRO would go a long way toward securing the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup Manufacturers championship, which Chevrolet leads by two points going into Road Atlanta.

The Pratt Miller Corvettes have displayed strong performance at each of the four previous endurance rounds this season – Daytona, Sebring, Watkins Glen and Indianapolis. For Petit Le Mans, points will be awarded at the four-, eight- and 10-hour marks.

One of the biggest prizes at the end of Petit Le Mans may await AWA. Going into Saturday, full-season driver Fidani leads the standings for the Bob Akin Award, which goes to the highest-finishing, Bronze-rated driver at the end of each race and at the end of the season. Fidani, Bell and Kern scored maximum points in the last round at Indianapolis, and the No. 13 Corvette did the same in the race before that at VIR.

Should AWA retain its hold on the lead position following Petit Le Mans, Fidani and AWA will earn an automatic invitation to the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans in the LMGT3 class.

DXDT RACING ADDS TO CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R LINEUP IN 2025 IMSA GTD

Fresh off ending its GT World Challenge America season with 10 victories and second place in Pro points, DXDT Racing will enter a Corvette Z06 GT3.R for the full 2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in the GTD class.

It adds a fourth Corvette GT3 to the grid with Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports (GTD PRO) and AWA (GTD) already confirmed.

“We are thrilled to see multiple Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs in IMSA’s GTD class for 2025,” said Mark Stielow, Director, Chevrolet Motorsports Competition Engineering. “DXDT Racing proved itself this year in GT World Challenge with double-digit victories across the Pro and Pro-Am classes in the first year with our Corvette GT3. We’re proud to support David Askew and DXDT Racing as they continue pursuing their goals in becoming a well-established and successful team across multiple series in sports car racing.”

Petit Le Mans is scheduled for 12:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, October 12. The first three hours will air live on NBC starting at noon followed by USA’s coverage from 6-10:30 p.m. Live streaming starts at noon ET on Peacock inside the United States and IMSA.com outside the U.S. IMSA Radio will air all on-track sessions beginning with Thursday’s opening practice at IMSA.com with the race call also on XM 206 and SiriusXM Online 996.

CORVETTE RACING BY PRATT MILLER MOTORSPORTS PRE-EVENT DRIVER QUOTES

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“This is going to be really crazy with the traffic but good for the show! I’m looking forward to it. I think we are coming into it in strong shape. It’s nice to have Dani back so Alex and I can have a little bit of a rest in the race! Let’s see how it comes out. I’ve been racing a Corvette at Road Atlanta since 2009 and haven’t won this one yet. It’s time to make it up and fix that!”

ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“With the number of GTP cars and the pace differences they have on the straights and not so much in the corners – plus the P2s – it’s going to be interesting among the different classes or cars, but the GTD PRO field is stacked in itself. It’s going to be super-hard from a driver point of view. There’s always mayhem. It’s the last race of the year and everyone is out to try to win championships or get the best positions they can. The racing is always pretty hard and fraught, but I love it. It’s an awesome place and really good fun with the undulation and nice, long backstraight for some overtaking opportunities.”

DANIEL JUNCADELLA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“It’s pretty crazy that I have not been back in IMSA since Sebring. It’s good because I feel like I am way more prepared ahead of Petit Le Mans with my experience in WEC with Corvette. It goes without saying that I want to defend my title there from last year, and it was an amazing experience. Being back in the car with Antonio, who is such a successful Spanish driver in the U.S., but hasn’t won Petit Le Mans, I hope I can be part of that success that he deserves after so many years racing there. That’s the goal and dream for that weekend. It should be an exciting weekend because of the race, the track, the atmosphere… everything that involves Petit Le Mans has always been exciting to me. So I’m really excited to get back and race again with the Pratt Miller guys in our Corvette.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“It’s exciting to go to Petit Le Mans. We had a strong car in the IMSA race at Indianapolis. Road Atlanta is a track that I really enjoy and a place where the Corvette has gone well. We just don’t seem to have Lady Luck on our side there. I’d say we haven’t had a lot of luck this season in IMSA, so maybe we’re saving all of that for this race. We’ll have to work for it, that’s for sure. We’ve seen that all year long and know what it’s like in this championship. I haven’t won there, Antonio hasn’t won there, and Corvette Racing hasn’t won there in 2010. I can promise you without having to be asked the question that every man and woman at Corvette Racing is eager to have a good result there. We’ll put our absolute best effort forward to make that happen.”

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“Petit Le Mans is a race that everyone looks forward to but also a race that not many of us in the team haven’t won before. So everyone badly wants to win but unfortunately for us so does the rest of the field. This race is similar to Sebring where things at the end of the race get slightly crazy. Hopefully things will be a little bit calmer than they have been. We need to focus on executing everything, not making mistakes and not getting any damage early on in the race. It’s always a bit crazy in terms of traffic, so I think we need to focus on being there for the end. It’s nice to have Earl as he is a very experienced driver and someone who fits in very well with our team. Hopefully we can finally get that well-earned win in the No. 4 Corvette this year! To do it at Petit Le Mans would be unbelievable.”

EARL BAMBER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“I can’t wait. I did some simulator work a few weeks ago for the Corvette guys. It was really good to be back with the Corvette Racing guys back at the shop. I love the Z06 GT3.R and am looking forward to rounding out the year in it. The car has been quick. We had the pace and potential to podium earlier this year. It’s certainly quick. I hope we can achieve something cool at Petit Le Mans.”

AWA RACING PRE-EVENT DRIVER QUOTES

MATT BELL, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“I love the Petit Le Mans event. It really is one of the hardest sports car races in the world. It’s a super intense race with one of the most packed fields of the season, but I always relish that challenge. It’s what makes it such an amazing event. We are coming here after an extremely competitive performance in the Battle On The Bricks, and our focus remains firmly centered on securing the Bob Akin Award and booking some plane tickets to France next year!”

OREY FIDANI, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“We’re ready to give one final push this year. Petit Le Mans is such a great race, the track is fast and technical, and it really puts you to the test as a driver. We know we can do well here, we finished on the podium in last year’s event and we had a successful couple of days of testing here recently. The car feels good, and I think we’re all extremely motivated and hungry for another great result to finish off the year and accomplish the goal we set for ourselves at the beginning of the season.”

LARS KERN, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“Petit Le Mans is one of the best IMSA events of the year, and obviously we want to end the season on a high. We had a great test at Road Atlanta and we feel well prepared for what will be a pretty busy 10-hour race. Our Corvette showed great reliability and performance at Indianapolis, so I’m confident for what’s up next. The team started the year being new to the Corvette itself and to the GTD class as a whole. You can only imagine how difficult and intense this route has been, but we’ve built such an amazing, talented group within AWA. It’s an absolute pleasure being a part of this team and I have great confidence for 2025. Here’s to hoping we can cut out the ‘Petit’ for one of the 2025 races.”

2024 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Points

GTD PRO Drivers Standings

1. Laurin Heinrich – 2887

2. Ross Gunn – 2788

3. Bryan Sellers/Madison Snow – 2668

4. Ben Barnicoat/Jack Hawksworth – 2659

5. Alexander Sims/Antonio Garcia – 2646

7. Nicky Catsburg/Tommy Milner – 2452

GTD PRO Teams Standings

1. No. 77 AO Racing – 2887

2. No. 23 Heart of Racing Team – 2788

3. No. 1 Paul Miller Racing – 2668

4. No. 14 Vasser Sullivan – 2659

5. No. 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports – 2646

6. No. 4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports – 2452

GTD PRO Manufacturers Standings

1. Porsche – 2950

2. Aston Martin – 2828

3. Chevrolet – 2761

4. Lexus – 2730

5. Ford – 2681

GTD Drivers Standings

1. Philip Ellis/Russell Ward – 3006

2. Patrick Gallagher/Robby Foley – 2784

3. Mikael Grenier – 2513

4. Parker Thompson – 2213

5. Loris Spinelli/Misha Goikhberg – 2213

7. Matthew Bell/Orey Fidani – 2088

GTD Teams Standings

1. No. 57 Windward Racing – 3006

2. No. 96 Turner Motorsport – 2784

3. No. 32 Korthoff/Preston Motorsport – 2513

4. No. 78 Forte Racing – 2213

5. No. 34 Conquest Racing – 2204

6. No. 13 AWA – 2088

GTD Manufacturers Standinga

1. Mercedes-AMG – 3217

2. BMW – 2646

3. Lamborghini – 2608

4. Porsche – 2607

5. Aston Martin – 2518

7. Chevrolet – 2360

Source:

CorvetteRacing.com

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