Chevrolet Grand Prix offers up strong chance for Z06 GT3.R’s first IMSA win
DETROIT (July 9, 2024) – The Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports and AWA teams are both back on familiar ground this weekend and will give the Corvette Z06 GT3.R its racing debut north of the border this weekend: the Chevrolet Grand Prix and the only Canadian stop for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
Historic and challenging Canadian Tire Motorsport Park – the 2.459-mile, 10-turn road course circuit outside Toronto – has been a playground for Corvettes over the years. The program has recorded 12 class victories at the track formerly known as Mosport, including last year for returning Corvette star Antonio Garcia in a Corvette C8.R.
This year’s Chevrolet Grand Prix will feature three of the first-year Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs: No. 3 and No. 4 from factory-supported Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports in GTD PRO, and the No. 13 customer entry for AWA, which will contest its home race in a Corvette for the first time. The lineups are:
· Antonio Garcia and Alexander Sims in the No. 3 Corvette
· Tommy Milner and Nicky Catsburg in the No. 4 Z06 GT3.R
· Matt Bell and Ontario’s Orey Fidani in AWA’s No. 13 Corvette
The Pratt Miller-crewed squad enters Canadian Tire Motorsport Park as defending GTD PRO winner with Garcia victorious a year ago in the No. 3 Corvette C8.R with Jordan Taylor. This time around, Garcia and Sims – also a past winner at the track – will arrive in Canada coming off a third-place finish at Watkins Glen for their first podium finish of the year.
Milner and Catsburg hope to break through after nearly winning at The Glen. They were third in their Z06 GT3.R at Laguna Seca in May. Of note, this will be Catsburg’s first race at CTMP and Milner hasn’t raced there since 2018; he won there in 2013 in a Corvette C6.R.
For AWA, there are two goals: one is a podium finish at its home track, which is realistic given a very positive recent test session at CTMP for Bell and Fidani. The second is to grow Fidani’s lead in the Bob Akin Award standings, with the highest points-scoring Bronze driver at the end of the year earning an automatic entry to the following year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The AWA Corvette has finished in the GTD top-10 in three of the last four races going back to Sebring in March. Bell and Fidani were seventh in class at Watkins Glen to solidify the Akin Award lead.
In addition to the extensive success and following at CTMP, Corvette Racing legend Ron Fellows is part-owner of the circuit and is largely responsible for operations at the facility. In his Corvette Racing driving career – spanning 1999-2008 – Fellows won 30 races (three times at CTMP) and three championships in the American Le Mans Series. He also was one of the founding members of the team and a key development driver starting in 1997.
The Chevrolet Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park is scheduled for 11:05 a.m. ET on Sunday, July 14. The race will air live on the USA Network plus 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 afternoon’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: “I’m hopeful for this weekend. We had the chance to test the Z06 GT3.R at CTMP just after Watkins Glen, and already the car is pretty amazing around there. I’m not surprised considering how well each of our past Corvettes have been at Mosport. Given the strengths of our car, we are confident but we still need to go there and execute the classic Corvette race with great strategy and good work by the crew and us as drivers. If we can do all those things, I think we can have a really good weekend and hopefully get the first IMSA win for the Z06 GT3.R.”
ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It’s always a pleasure to return to place where you’ve had success. It’s even better when it is a place like Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. The track is very fast, very daunting and very old-school. It’s really one of the things I like about IMSA – the circuits and places where we race are phenomenal. The racing I had in the past in GTLM with the Corvettes around CTMP and Mosport were really hard, tough fights, and so was GTP last year. I suspect GTD PRO could be a level or two greater with the competition we have seen so far this year. It should make for a pretty spectacular weekend and hopefully a successful one for us. I’m looking forward to it.”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “We’ve been close, we feel like, for many of the races this year. For one reason or not, we haven’t quite finished the job so we’re trying to make that happen this weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. It’s an awesome racetrack. I had to go back and look; I haven’t raced there since 2018 so it’s been quite awhile. I missed the 2019 race with a broken hand. It’s been a little bit for me to be at CTMP but I was just there recently for testing. It reminded me of how awesome the track is and how much fun it is to drive. Even in our GT cars, the rhythm there is like no other racetrack in the world. It’s super-fast and a lot of fun.”
NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Before the start of the season, there were a few tracks that I circled in my head because I have never experienced them. Canadian Tire Motorsport Park – or Mosport – was one of those. I’m really excited to race there after hearing so much from my teammates and friends about the track, how fast it is and how challenging it is. Knowing that the circuit hasn’t changed much in so many years makes me appreciate it even more. It’s a proper, historic and old-school track that hopefully is as good for our Corvette as I hope it will.”
AWA PRE-EVENT DRIVER QUOTES
MATT BELL, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Canadian Tire Motorsport Park is on my list of top five circuits in the world. It’s only a short lap and looks like a tiny little place on a map. You see the grand circuits of the world like Le Mans and Spa, but you get to Mosport and it’s mega. The topography of the track, the commitment required, the bumps… it’s a recipe for an absolute addiction to racing. I’ve always found that one of my strengths is learning circuits and getting straight back on it when I get to a place where I haven’t been in awhile. But this is one of those places that just takes that little bit more respect and that little bit more time to get back in sync with the place. It takes a huge commitment, and I love the place.
“This is a race every year that AWA targets. Standing on the podium would mean that much more with it being the home race for the team. There will be a lot of thought and lot of effort going into that one.”
OREY FIDANI, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Canadian Tire Motorsport Park is my home track. I honestly couldn’t tell you how many laps I’ve done here. I feel like I could probably drive it with my eyes closed. It’s high-speed, very technical, and requires all your concentration from start to finish. It’s a challenging layout, and no matter how many times I drive it, it never gets old. It’s so special to race in front of the home crowd, it just means so much to have that extra support. We want to do well at each event, but stepping on the podium here would be a dream come true for us all.”
2024 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Points
GTD PRO Drivers Standings
- Laurin Heinrich/Seb Priaulx – 1632
- Ben Barnicoat/Jack Hawksworth – 1583
- Ross Gunn – 1572
- Bryan Sellers/Madison Snow – 1423
- Marvin Kirchhofer/Oliver Jarvis – 1394
- Alexander Sims/Antonio Garcia – 1389
- Nicky Catsburg/Tommy Milner – 1326
GTD PRO Teams Standings
- No. 77 AO Racing – 1632
- No. 14 Vasser Sullivan – 1583
- No. 23 Heart of Racing Team – 1572
- No. 1 Paul Miller Racing – 1423
- No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports – 1394
- No. 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports – 1389
- No. 4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports – 1326
GTD PRO Manufacturers Standings
- Porsche – 1657
- Lexus – 1607
- Aston Martin – 1586
- Chevrolet – 1474
- McLaren – 1458
GTD Drivers Standings
- Philip Ellis/Russell Ward – 1745
- Patrick Gallagher/Robby Foley – 1440
- Parker Thompson – 1353
- Albert Costa Balboa/Manny Franco – 1290
- Mikael Grenier/Mike Skeen – 1263
- Matthew Bell/Orey Fidani – 1083
GTD Teams Standings
- No. 57 Windward Racing – 1745
- No. 96 Turner Motorsport – 1440
- No. 34 Conquest Racing – 1290
- No. 32 Korthoff/Preston Motorsport – 1263
- No. 120 Wright Motorsports – 1198
- No. 13 AWA – 1083
GTD Manufacturers Standings
- Mercedes-AMG – 1837
- Lexus – 1493
- Porsche – 1470
- Lamborghini – 1454
- Aston Martin – 1383
- Chevrolet – 1296
CORVETTE RACING AT CTMP: By the Numbers
- 4: Generations of Corvette Racing entries at CTMP since 2000 – Corvette C5-R (2004), Corvette C6.R (2005-13) and Corvette C7.R (2016-2019). The Corvette C8.R raced at the track for the first time in 2002
- 7: Pole positions for Corvette Racing drivers at CTMP. Oliver Gavin leads with three with Antonio Garcia (2016) being the most recent
- 8: Number of drivers who have won races at CTMP for Corvette Racing. Johnny O’Connell (six), Jan Magnussen (five), Oliver Gavin (four), Ron Fellows (three), and Antonio Garcia and Olivier Beretta (two) each have multiple wins there with the team
- 12: Class victories at Corvette Racing at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park – all since 2001.
- 14: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001
- 27: 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, Portimão, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen
- 48: Number of drivers in Corvette Racing entries since 1999 – DXDT Racing’s Alec Udell being the latest in GT World Challenge America at Circuit of The Americas
- 71: Years since Corvette was introduced to the world on Jan. 17, 1953 in New York City. A total of 300 cars were produced that year
- 129: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 115 in North America, nine at Le Mans, three in the FIA WEC and two in GT World Challenge America
- 296: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999
- 11,626.15: Number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing in its 20 previous trips to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. That represents 4,728 laps
- 384,461.62: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing entries since 1999. 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
Corvette Racing at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (wins in bold)
2000
No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Andy Pilgrim – 2nd in GTS (Fellows pole, fastest race lap)
2001
No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 1st in GTS
No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins – 3rd in GTS
2002
No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 1st in GTS
No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins – 2nd in GTS (Pilgrim fastest race lap)
2003
No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 1st in GTS
No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Oliver Gavin/Kelly Collins – 7th in GTS (Gavin pole)
2004
No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GTS
No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GTS (Gavin pole, fastest race lap)
2005
No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GT1
No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GT1
2006
No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 4th in GT1
No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 2nd in GT1
2007
No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell – 1st in GT1
No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 2nd in GT1 (Gavin pole, fastest race lap)
No. 33 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Andy Pilgrim – 3rd in GT1
2008
No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Johnny O’Connell/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GT1 (O’Connell pole)
No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 2nd in GT1 (Beretta fastest race lap)
2009
No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell – 1st in GT2
No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 3rd in GT2
2010
No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Johnny O’Connell – 5th in GT2
No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 4th in GT2
2011
No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Tommy Milner – 6th in GT
No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GT
2012
No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 2nd in GT (Magnussen pole)
No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 10th in GT
2013
No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 4th in GT
No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 1st in GT
2014
No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 1st in GTLM
No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 7th in GTLM
2015
No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 3rd in GTLM (Garcia fastest race lap)
No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 5th in GTLM
2016
No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 3rd in GTLM (Garcia pole)
No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 2nd in GTLM
2017
No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 4th in GTLM
No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 8th in GTLM
2018
No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 2nd in GTLM
No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 3rd in GTLM
2019
No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 7th in GTLM
No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Marcel Fässler – 8th in GTLM
2022
No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2nd in GTD PRO
2023
No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 1st in GTD PRO
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