FIM World Rally-Raid Championship

YANBU, Saudi Arabia, Jan 22, 2024 – (JCN Newswire) – Monster Energy Honda Team rider Ricky Brabec (U.S.A., age 32), riding the CRF450 RALLY factory bike, won the overall motorcycle category for the second time since 2020 in the Dakar Rally 2024, opening round of the FIM* World Rally-Raid Championship held in Saudi Arabia, which concluded with Stage 12 on Friday, January 19. This is the first time since 2021 that Honda has won the Dakar Rally.

Ricky Brabec rode his first Dakar Rally in 2016 with Team HRC (current Monster Energy Honda Team). After taking the overall lead in Stage 6 in this year’s edition, Brabec defended his position with solid riding in the subsequent stages to take the victory by a margin of 10 min 53 s for his second Dakar win.Adrien Van Beveren (France, age 33) was 3rd, and Jose Ignacio Cornejo (Chile, age 29) was 6th, giving Monster Energy Honda Team 3 top-ten finishes.

The Dakar Rally, known as “the most dangerous sporting event in the world,” was first held in 1979, making this year its 46th edition. Honda first competed in the third Paris-Dakar Rally in 1981. Its first victory came in 1986 on an NXR750, which was followed by three consecutive wins up to 1989. Honda left the Dakar the following year, and in 2013, decided to race once again in the Dakar Rally, then held in South America, with its new CRF450 RALLY factory bike. The race venue was moved from South America to Saudi Arabia in 2020, which Honda won. Honda also won the following year.

Ricky Brabec | Monster Energy Honda Team

“It’s a nice way to start the year with a victory. It wasn’t easy as the course was really tough and so was the competition. Ross [Hero] and my own team kept me on my toes, but not just me, I think we were keeping everyone on each other’s toes. It was definitely a fight to the end for everyone. I’m really happy we’re all here and all safe and we can go home. This time was a little bit different as I feel like this one was more earned as it was a lot tougher. In 2020, we had a big gap from the get-go. Here, I think me and Ross spent three days with a couple of seconds difference. It was a tight race for all of us. Ten minutes is not a big gap here on the rally. I had two good days, two opportunities to make a good push, but also stage 11 was a scare factor for me because I knew Ross was starting behind me, 18 minutes behind, and if he caught me it would be over. Stage 11 was hard but I stayed focused, got to the finishing line and didn’t lose too much time, so I’m really happy with this and I’m really happy for the team. I’m happy for all of us, we did an excellent job all of the two weeks. I think number 9 will be my lucky number from now on.”

Koji Watanabe, President of Honda Racing Corporation

“Congratulations to Ricky Brabec for the win. Thanks also to Adrien Van Beveren, Jose Ignacio Cornejo and all the Monster Energy Honda Team for completing a tough rally and finishing in the top 10. I know that the past three years have been very frustrating. I believe that the fact that we were able to turn that frustration into strength and take back the championship will be a great source of inspiration for Honda and HRC in the future. This is good news to kick off 2024 with. We hope to keep this momentum to win titles in many categories for both motorcycles and automobiles this season. Finally, I would like to thank all of our fans for their support and all of our sponsors for supporting our activities.”

About Ricky Brabec

Birth date: April 21, 1991 (32 years old)Birthplace: U.S.A.

Career Highlights:
2016 Dakar Rally 2016: 9th
2017 Dakar Rally 2017: Participated (One stage win)
2018 Dakar Rally 2018: Participated
2019 Dakar Rally 2019: Participated (One stage win)
2020 Dakar Rally 2020: Winner (Two stage wins)
2021 Dakar Rally 2021: 2nd (Four stage wins)
2022 Dakar Rally 2022: 7th
2023 Dakar Rally 2023: Participated (One stage win)
2024 Dakar Rally 2024: Winner (One stage win)

*FIM: Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme

(DAYTONA BEACH, Florida.) January 21, 2024 —The Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Global (WTRAndretti) GTD team wrapped up the Roar Before the Rolex 24 on-track action with qualifying for next weekend’s Rolex 24 At Daytona. Kyle Marcelli piloted the No. 45 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 for a shortened GTD qualifying after the session was red flagged for an on-track incident. Pushing to the limit, Marcelli drove the black and red DEX Imaging machine into a stout fourth place starting position for the iconic 24-hour event.

The No. 45 WTRAndretti Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 team are set for practice starting Thursday, January 25th at 10:05 a.m. ET. The 62nd Running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona will see the green flag fly and clock countdown begin at 1:40 p.m. ET on Saturday, January 27th. NBC will serve host to broadcast of flag-to-flag coverage on its’ family of networks including NBC, USA Network and Peacock.

TOP FIVE GTD STARTING GRID

1. No. 12 Vasser Sulivan (Lexus RC FGT3) F. Montecalvo, P. Thompson, A. Telitz, R. Miyata (122.648 mph)
2. No. 86 MDK Motorsports (Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)) K. Li, A. Fjordbach, L. Voorde, K. Bachler (122.597 mph)
3. No. 66 Gradient Racing (Acura NSX GT3) K. Legge, S. Monk, T. Calderon, S.McAleer (122.477 mph)
4. No. 45 WTRAndretti Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 (Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2) K. Marcelli, D. Formal, G. Doyle, A. Harrison (122.398 mph)
5. No. 78 Forte Racing (Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2) M. Goikhberg, L. Spinelli, D. DeFrancesco, S. Mitchell (122.396 mph)

Kyle Marcelli, No. 45 WTRAndretti Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2: “It has been a lot of work to get to this point. A huge expansion within WTRAndretti: a new car, so many new crew members, drivers, just so much new! We were drinking through sort of a fire hose just to get to this point, but today’s result is a reflection of the whole team’s effort. This team is one of the best in the business. They gave me a fantastic car today and it means a lot for the team to get a great starting position. For me personally, I am proud of the job that was done but I am even more happy to give that back to the team. It has been so much work to get to this point and they executed well. Now, it is about preparation for the 24-hour race. We are excited and looking forward to next week.”

ABOUT WTRANDRETTI
Andretti Global and Wayne Taylor Racing announced a new, long-term partnership in 2023 that combines the resources of the two championship-caliber teams to compete in IMSA’s top classes. In 2024, Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti (WTRAndretti) has expanded to a two-car GTP program as well as competes in the GTD class. Coming off its 2023 championship winning effort, WTRAndretti continues its Driver Development Program competing in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America series with a full stable.

WTRAndretti’s global motorsports enterprise boasts two IMSA driver championships (2013 and 2017), and back-to-back IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup Championships (2020, 2021) which contributed to nine IMSA manufacturer championships for Acura, Pontiac, Corvette and Cadillac. In its brief 17-year history, WTRAndretti has accumulated multiple victories in sportscar racing’s most iconic events: Rolex 24 At Daytona, Twelve Hours of Sebring, Petit Le Mans, Mid-Ohio, Road America and the Six Hours of The Glen. With its back-to-back PRO Class Championship wins (2022, 2023), WTR also has ten North America Lamborghini Super Trofeo Championship titles and a Lamborghini World Finals title.

Andretti Global, a Championship-winning motorsports organization, competes in additional racing categories worldwide, including the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, Extreme E, Australian Supercars and the Mexico SuperCopa Championship. Additionally, the racing enterprise commits to driver development through competition in INDY NXT by Firestone and through support of Sebastian and Oliver Wheldon’s racing careers.

WTRAndretti’s long term partnerships include Lamborghini Squadra Corse, DEX Imaging, Harrison Contracting Company and Gainbridge.

(DAYTONA BEACH, Florida.) January 21, 2024 —The Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Global (WTRAndretti) GTP teams have completed the Roar Before the Rolex 24 following today’s qualifying session to set the field for the 62nd Running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona. Navigating the 3.54-mile road course at Daytona International Speedway, Louis Delétraz drove the No. 40 WTRAndretti Acura ARX-06 sponsored by DEX Imaging and qualified fifth. In the No. 10 WTRAndretti Acura ARX-06, full season co-driver Filipe Albuquerque qualified the Konica Minolta blue and black machine in sixth position alongside his No. 40 WTRAndretti teammates.

WTRAndretti will continue preparations for the iconic 24-hour event beginning with practice at 10:05 a.m. ET on Thursday, January 25th. The Rolex 24 At Daytona is set for 1:40 p.m. ET on Saturday, January 27th with NBC providing flag-to-flag coverage across its’ family of networks, including NBC, USA Network and Peacock.

TOP SIX GTP STARTING GRID

1. No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac Racing (Cadillac V-Series.R) P. Derani, J.Aitken, T. Blomqvist (138.318 mph)
2. No. 01 Cadillac Racing (Cadillac V-Series.R) R. van der Zande, S. Bourdais, S. Dixon (138.212 mph)
3. No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsports (Porsche 963) D. Cameron, F. Nasr, M. Campbell, J. Newgarden (137.990 mph)
4. No. 25 BMW M Team RLL (BMW M Hybrid V8) C. De Philippi, N. Yelloly, M. Martin, R. Rast (137.774 mph)
5. No. 40 WTRAndretti Acura ARX-06 (Acura ARX-06) J. Taylor, L. Delétraz, C. Herta, J. Button (137.658 mph)
6. No. 10 WTRAndretti Acura ARX-06 (Acura ARX-06) R. Taylor, F. Albuquerque, B. Hartley, M. Ericsson (137.194 mph)

Filipe Albuquerque, No. 10 WTRAndretti Acura ARX-06: “We are starting P6 for the ‘Big Race’. It is more than enough for the 24-hour. We are still fighting the balance on the car, which was pretty good overall. Obviously, Louis did a good job, but we must be happy with what we did with the car with what we had. We will keep working hard for the race next week.”

Louis Delétraz, No. 40 WTRAndretti Acura ARX-06: “I definitely pushed hard; the car felt good in qualifying. We have been struggling slightly from test one, but we have done a great job as a team to put the car in the window and keep improving. That is what matters. Qualifying is nice but what matters is the 24-hour race. We want to be first on the last lap not first now.”

ABOUT WTRANDRETTI
Andretti Global and Wayne Taylor Racing announced a new, long-term partnership in 2023 that combines the resources of the two championship-caliber teams to compete in IMSA’s top classes. In 2024, Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti (WTRAndretti) has expanded to a two-car GTP program as well as competes in the GTD class. Coming off its 2023 championship winning effort, WTRAndretti continues its Driver Development Program competing in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America series with a full stable.

WTRAndretti’s global motorsports enterprise boasts two IMSA driver championships (2013 and 2017), and back-to-back IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup Championships (2020, 2021) which contributed to nine IMSA manufacturer championships for Acura, Pontiac, Corvette and Cadillac. In its brief 17-year history, WTRAndretti has accumulated multiple victories in sportscar racing’s most iconic events: Rolex 24 At Daytona, Twelve Hours of Sebring, Petit Le Mans, Mid-Ohio, Road America and the Six Hours of The Glen. With its back-to-back PRO Class Championship wins (2022, 2023), WTR also has ten North America Lamborghini Super Trofeo Championship titles and a Lamborghini World Finals title.

Andretti Global, a Championship-winning motorsports organization, competes in additional racing categories worldwide, including the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, Extreme E, Australian Supercars and the Mexico SuperCopa Championship. Additionally, the racing enterprise commits to driver development through competition in INDY NXT by Firestone and through support of Sebastian and Oliver Wheldon’s racing careers.

WTRAndretti’s long term partnerships include Acura, Honda Racing Corporation US (HRC), Konica Minolta Business Solutions USA, DEX Imaging, Harrison Contracting Company and Gainbridge.

Derani resets track record in earning pole; Bourdais close behind in second

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 21, 2024) – The winning atmosphere surrounding Cadillac Racing’s championship in the inaugural Grand Touring Prototype season carried over to a chilly January weekend as Cadillac swept the front row with a record-shattering qualifying for the 62nd Rolex 24 At Daytona.

Reigning IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTP champion Pipo Derani toured the 3.56-mile, 12-turn Daytona International Speedway course iin the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R in 1 minute, 32.656 seconds during the 15-minute session to earn his 10th IMSA pole overall and Cadillac’s fourth since the first season of DPi competition in 2017.

Sebastien Bourdais, driving the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R, was close behind at 1:32.727 to complete the front-row lockout. The previous track record was 1:33.695, set in 2019. Also, for comparison: 2023 pole-winning lap time in first race of GTP era – 1:34.031. 2022 pole-winning lap time in final year of DPi era – 1:34.034.

“I’m so proud of everyone involved in the program. The work has never stopped since we started designing the car to the development, to testing to the races to whatever they consider the offseason,” GM sports car racing program manager Laura Wontrop Klauser said. “It shows the amount of hard work and effort put in that we came ready and will continue to push and be ready to chase the win.”

Cadillac entries paced the 10-car GTP field on the time chart in four of the six test sessions leading into qualifications at the Roar Before The 24. Cadillac prototype entries have won the Rolex 24 four times since 2017.

“With the help of a great team and a great car beneath me, obviously the Cadillac was flying out there today. It’s a privilege and pleasure to drive such a car. It was really well-balance today,” said Derani, who will co-drive the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R with Jack Aitken and Tom Blomqvist. “I think we’re working in the right direction. Obviously, last year we were close to pole position, but we were not quite there. I think in the end, everyone is really tight.”

Blomqvist will aim for his third successive victory in the North American endurance classic.

Bourdais is co-driving the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R with Renger van der Zande, Scott Dixon and Alex Palou – a stout roster that represents seven Rolex 24 At Daytona overall victories and 12 INDYCAR championships.

“It was obviously a great day for Cadillac; you always want to go P1-P2,” said Bourdais, who 10 years ago co-drove a Chevrolet Corvette DP for Action Express Racing and earned the first of his two overall wins in the Rolex 24 At Daytona in the inaugural IMSA WeatherTech race following the merger.

“For us, it was a solid effort, but we just didn’t quite get everything the way we wanted for that perfect run. But we have a really solid racecar and now we will just try to adjust things over the next week to get it the best we can for the race. We’ll try to execute as a team, with the drivers, and hope that we can come out of this with a watch.”

Cadillac Racing Rolex 24 At Daytona poles

2023 — Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R (Pipo Derani, Jack Aitken, Tom Blomqvist)
2021 — Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R (Tristan Vautier, Sebastien Bourdais, Loic Duval)
2018 — Spirit of Daytona Racing Cadillac DPi-V.r (Matt McMurry, Tristan Vautier, Eddie Cheever III)
2017 — Mustang Sampling Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R (Joao Barbosa, Christian Fittipaldi, Filipe Albuquerque
*No overall wins when starting from pole.

Overall wins

2020 (Renger van der Zande, Ryan Briscoe, Scott Dixon, Kamui Kobayashi)
2019 (Renger van der Zande, Fernando Alonso; Jordan Taylor, Kamui Kobayashi)
2018 (Christian Fittipaldi, Filipe Albuquerque, Joao Barbosa)
2017 (Jeff Gordon, Jordan Taylor, Ricky Taylor, Max Angelelli)

An interview with Pipo Derani, No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R

Setting an overall track record of 01:32.656-seconds, co-driver of the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac Racing Cadillac V-Series R. Your 10th career pole, with all nine cars in the class qualifying under the old track record. Congratulations. How’d you do?

“With the help of a great team and a great car beneath me, obviously the Cadillac was flying out there today. It’s a privilege and pleasure to drive such a car. It was really well-balance today. I think we did a qualifying simulation before and were missing a couple of tenths to P1, and I think we worked exactly on what we needed to for qualifying in this gap that we had from practice to qualifying. Great teamwork there not to turn things around but improve what was needed to qualifying. Today, the car felt on rails and it was nice to enjoy and feel the full potential of the GTP.”

Cadillac went 1-2 in qualifying. What does that say about the program?

“I think we’re working in the right direction. Obviously, last year we were close to pole position but we were not quite there. I think in the end, everyone is really tight. I think Porsche was almost within a tenth from pole, if I’m not wrong. I think it’s details. At the end of the day, it’s fining those little details to find the little extra time, and we were able to do just that today.”

Did you think a 01:32.6-second run was possible going into this session?

“Well, to be honest, we weren’t really talking about what was possible. We were just trying to maximize the tools we had. We knew that we were pretty much there when we did the simulation in practice, but quite honestly, I was quite surprised we were almost a second quicker than the previous practice. I think the conditions were perfect for that as well. I think the cold, and the tires working well, obviously in qualifying you are lower on fuel and so on. I’d say we were a bit more surprised than not for a lap time.”

Cadillacs were quickest in most of the sessions this weekend. Do you think the other manufacturers are showing their true hand right now?

“I do the best that I can with what I have. If they are showing or not, we will see during the race. We certainly are doing the best we can with what we have, and it showed today with pole position. If it wasn’t enough, or if it was much, much quicker than anybody else, it’s completely out of my control. I’m just trying to do the best I can with what I have.”

Both you and Ben (Keating) talked about the ideal conditions for qualifying today. How much of that extra time from a year ago falls under that, and how much is having that much more knowledge of that car and getting software better, what you can control better, etc.?

“To be honest, I think a lot of it is just understanding the car. I think, obviously, the conditions help, but as usual, this time of year it’s quite cold at Daytona. More or less, the perfect condition for qualifying, but I think everyone else is just so much more integrated with their tools and how to extract lap times from such a difficult car. I would say, at least on our side, we are a much better team with the electronics and the complexities with the hybrid race car than we were 12 months back.”

Garcia to start third in GTD PRO; Varrone paces AWA in debut of Corvette Z06 GT3.R

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 21, 2024) – The new Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R will make its first race start from inside the top-10 of an extremely deep GT field in Saturday’s Rolex 24 At Daytona to kick off the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

Antonio Garcia led the Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports effort in Sunday’s 15-minute qualifying session to wrap up the Roar Before the 24 weekend. He set a lap of 1:44.786 (122.306 mph) in the No. 3 Oshkosh/Mobil 1 Corvette Z06 GT3.R during a red-flag interrupted run that saw the field get just eight minutes of green-flag running.

Teammate Tommy Milner, in the sister No. 4 Oshkosh/Mobil 1 Corvette Z06 GT3.R, wasn’t far behind at 1:45.215 (121.807 mph). The depth of the class was evident in qualifying with the first 10 GTD PRO cars within a second. Further illustrating that, 23 GT cars were within the same margin.

Two of those belonged to new Corvette team AWA in the GTD class. First-year Corvette factory pilot Nico Varrone qualified ninth in class with the No. 17 Corvette Z06 GT3.R. He set a best time of 1:44.959 (122.105 mph) – one year after winning the Rolex 24 in with AWA in the LMP3 class.

Teammate Matt Bell was 14th in class in the No. 13 Corvette at 1:45.206 (121.818 mph).

The official competition debut of the Corvette Z06 GT3.R comes almost 15 months from the first time the initial test car turned its wheels for the first time on a track. Since that time, continued testing and development has come at circuits around the United States and at Chevrolet’s Driver in the Loop (DIL) simulator.

The Corvette Z06 GT3.R is Chevrolet’s first car built to global GT3 regulations. It’s based on the production Corvette Z06 supercar with the two sharing a significant amount of DNA.

The racecar is built on the same production aluminum chassis frame – from Chevrolet’s Bowling Green (Ky.) Assembly plant – as the road-going Z06. Similar carbon-fiber splitters for front downforce, and the surface area from the top of the windshield to the rear of the Z06 remained intact on the Z06 GT3.R. That includes side air ducts behind the doors — directly inspired by Z06 production road car — that help to cool the engine, transaxle and rear brakes.

The similarities carry over to the hand-built 5.5L, flat-plane crankshaft V8 engine in the Z06 GT3.R. Both original from the Bowling Green factory with the racing version sharing 80 percent of the production content from the Z06, including the crankshaft, connecting rods, cylinder heads, fuel injectors, coils, gaskets and a variety of other sensors.

Corvette’s latest racing challenger benefits from a legacy of previous race- and championship-winning racecars. Three previous generations of Corvette – C5-R, C7.R and C8.R – have visited Victory Lane at Daytona with the program claiming four previous class victories. The goal for this year’s Rolex is to claim Victory No. 5… and No. 6.

The Rolex 24 At Daytona is scheduled to go green at 1:40 p.m. ET on Saturday, Jan. 27 with the race broadcast beginning on NBC. USA Network and Peacock also will air coverage throughout Saturday and Sunday.

CORVETTE RACING BY PRATT MILLER MOTORSPORTS QUALIFYING DRIVER QUOTES

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 OSHKOSH / MOBIL 1 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – QUALIFIED THIRD IN GTD PRO: “It was a bit stressful, but luckily I was in the right spot. Basically, I had nobody in front of me or everybody was pushing in front of me so I had nobody behind me. I could actually gauge that. We only had two good laps once the tire temps were up, so it was difficult to really nail both laps. But in a way, I think it was a decent qualifying considering it’s a 24-hour race. We have a lot of GTDs in the mix with us. But it’s still the start of a long week. I’m happy with where we are, and we just need to go from there. It’s going to be a tight race.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 OSHKOSH / MOBIL 1 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – QUALIFIED SEVENTH IN GTD PRO: “We race hard no matter what, that’s for sure. It was definitely a weird little qualifying session there with the long red flag and then really having only two timed laps to really go for it. The good thing is the Michelin tire peaks early on, so realistically that is the best that the tire and car will be. Still I’m happy with our Corvette, happy with the balance. Qualifying position isn’t crazy important for a 24-hour race, so I’m very pleased with our car balance and race car that we think we have going forward. I’m excited to go racing.”

AWA QUALIFYING DRIVER QUOTES

NICO VARRONE, NO. 17 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – QUALIFIED NINTH IN GTD: “It was very nice actually to be the first one to have the honor of qualifying the new Corvette. It was a super cool experience for us. About 30 seconds after we were on track, we had a red flag so that complicated some things and shortened it quite a bit. It was a bit tough to get everything working and in our range – tire pressures, temperature, etc. In the end, I think we did a good job. I’m happy with how we did. We improved from practice where we were struggling setup-wise. We still have to work on some things to get it ready for this race. But I would say with the new Z06 GT3.R, and also to the team and a new class, everything is working great. I’m looking forward to the 24. We’ll have some days off and the guys have to work some on the car to get everything for Thursday practice, but I think we’re looking good.”

CORVETTE RACING BY THE NUMBERS AT DAYTONA

• 0.034: As in seconds – the winning margin of victory in Corvette Racing’s 1-2 finish at the 2016 Rolex 24. Up until last year’s LMP2 finish, it was the closest finish in race history
• 1: Rolex 24 class win for AWA; the team won in LMP3 in 2023. Current team drivers Nico Varrone, Anthony Mantella and Thomas Merrill were part of that lineup
• 2: Number of the overall winning Corvette C5-R in the 2001 Rolex 24. Ron Fellows, Johnny O’Connell, Chris Kneifel and Franck Freon completed 656 laps for 2335.36 miles in the winning effort
• 4: Number of Corvette Z06 GT3.R entries for the 2024 Rolex 24 – two from Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports (GTD PRO) and two from AWA (GTD)
• 4: Rolex 24 wins for Corvette Racing as an entrant: 2001 overall, 2015 GTLM (Antonio Garcia/Jan Magnussen/Ryan Briscoe), 2016 GTLM (Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler) and 2021 GTLM (Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg)
• 9: Corvette/General Motors factory drivers piloting the Corvette Z06 GT3.R in this year’s race: Antonio Garcia, Alexander Sims, Dani Juncadella, Tommy Milner, Nicky Catsburg, Earl Bamber (Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller) plus Charlie Eastwood, Nico Varrone and Alex Lynn (AWA). Bamber and Lynn also are Cadillac Racing factory drivers in FIA WEC
• 14: IMSA Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001
• 24: Drivers who have driven for Corvette Racing at Daytona – Justin Bell, Ryan Briscoe, Nicky Catsburg, Kelly Collins, Dale Earnhardt, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Marcel Fässler, Ron Fellows, Franck Freon, Antonio Garcia, Oliver Gavin, John Heinricy, Chris Kneifel, Robin Liddell, Jan Magnussen, Tommy Milner, Simon Pagenaud, John Paul Jr., Andy Pilgrim, Mike Rockenfeller, Scott Sharp, Alexander Sims, Marco Sorensen, Nick Tandy and Jordan Taylor
• 27: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte Motor Speedway, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Daytona, Detroit, Fuji Speedway, Houston, Laguna Seca, Le Mans, Lime Rock, Long Beach, Miami, Mid-Ohio, Monza, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen
• 32: Number of drivers for Corvette Racing since 1999
• 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
• 127: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 115 in North America, nine at Le Mans and three in the FIA WEC
• 284: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999
• 99,600: Total number of racing laps completed by Corvette Racing entries since 1999. Barring any issues, the program will go over the 100,00-lap mark at the Rolex 24 of Daytona
• 361,990.52: 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 Daytona (wins in bold)

1999

No. 2 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Chris Kneifel/John Paul Jr. – 3rd in GTS

No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Scott Sharp/John Heinricy – 12th in GTS

2000

No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Chris Kneifel/Justin Bell – 2nd in GTS

No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon – 10th in GTS

2001

No. 2 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Chris Kneifel/Franck Freon – 1st in GTS (overall win)

No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Dale Earnhardt/Dale Earnhardt Jr. – 2nd in GTS

2014

No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Ryan Briscoe – 10th in GTLM

No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Robin Liddell – 5th in GTLM

2015

No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Ryan Briscoe – 1st in GTLM (Magnussen fastest race lap)

No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Simon Pagenaud – 3rd in GTLM (Gavin pole)

2016

No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 2nd in GTLM (Garcia fastest race lap)

No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 1st in GTLM (Winner by 0.034 second)

2017

No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 4th in GTLM

No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 9th in GTLM

2018

No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 3rd in GTLM (Magnussen pole)

No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 4th in GTLM

2019

No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 6th in GTLM

No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 8th in GTLM

2020 (Rolex 24 – January)

No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg – 4th in GTLM

No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 7th in GTLM

2020 (WeatherTech 240 – July)

No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 1st in GTLM

No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 5th in GTLM

2021

No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg – 1st in GTLM

No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy/Alexander Sims – 2nd in GTLM

2022

No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg – 6th in GTD PRO

No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy/Marco Sorensen – 10th in GTD PRO

2023

No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Tommy Milner – 2nd in GTD PRO

About Chevrolet

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in nearly 80 countries with nearly 2.7 million cars and trucks sold in 2021. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

Final day of Roar weekend features qualifying shootout to set Rolex 24 grid

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 17, 2024) – The four first-year Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs will roll into Sunday’s qualifying session for the Rolex 24 At Daytona following three test sessions Saturday as part of the Roar Before the 24 weekend on Daytona International Speedway’s road course.

Through two days and five sessions, Corvette Racing factory driver Tommy Milner has the best time in the GT Daytona (GTD) PRO class for Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports in the No. 4 Oshkosh/Mobil 1 Corvette Z06 GT3.R. The 2016 Rolex 24 GTLM class-winner and lead development driver for the Z06 GT3.R set a best lap of 1:45.844 (121.084 mph) in a tight and crowded field; 11 GTD PRO cars were within a second after Saturday.

Milner set his best lap in Saturday morning’s session. On the opposite end of the spectrum, new factory teammate Daniel Juncadella was the quickest driver in the No. 3 Z06 GT3.R with a 1:46.387 (120.466 mph) effort in night practice that was good enough to put the No. 3 sixth in class. Both GTD PRO entries spent time in the garage during the day to address an intermittent electrical issue. The pair of Corvettes returned to record laps in Saturday’s night session.

In GTD, customer team AWA steadily continued its progress during its first event weekend with the Corvette brand.

The No. 13 Z06 GT3.R, in the hands of Alex Lynn, was the 12th fastest car in class after five sessions with a lap of 1:46.314 (120.548 mph) during the night-time running.

First-year factory driver Charlie Eastwood was 17th in GTD after two days of Roar testing in the No. 17 Corvette. Eastwood’s best time was a 1:46.383 (120.470 mph) during Saturday morning’s session. Despite the running order, Eastwood was still within 0.644 seconds of the class leader – a testament to the depth of the 23-car field, which is the largest of the four WeatherTech Championship classes.

The Roar Before the 24 concludes with Sunday’s GTD PRO and GTD qualifying for the Rolex 24 scheduled for 1:55 p.m. ET. The session will stream live around the world on IMSA.com.

CORVETTE RACING MEDIA INFORMATION

Corvette Racing media information is updated and available ahead of the Roar Before the 24 as well as next week’s Rolex 24 At Daytona for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

Materials include Corvette Racing event advance and quotes, Corvette Racing stats and figures, Corvette Z06 GT3.R racecar comparisons, Corvette Racing Fast Facts, driver biographies and Corvette Racing photography, among other items.

CORVETTE RACING BY PRATT MILLER MOTORSPORTS SATURDAY DRIVER QUOTES

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 OSHKOSH / MOBIL 1 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Overall I’m pretty happy with how the Corvette Z06 GT3.R has been in both days of practice so far. Every time I’ve been in, it has felt very good and I’m happy with the balance. Realistically at this point we’re still trying some things to find some speed in a couple of the high-speed sections like the Bus Stop, so there is still work to do. All things considered, from where we were during testing in December to what things feel like now, we’re very happy.”

DANIEL JUNCADELLA, NO. 3 OSHKOSH / MOBIL 1 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I’m loving it so far. It’s great to be in a new environment. Everything that I have seen so far is very exciting. On the car side, the Corvette feels very good. There are still some miles to go and things we need to go through, but the first feeling is very good. We seem to be competitive as well. On the team side and with our personnel, it feels great. This is a great environment. I feel very much at home so far. I don’t want to get my expectations too high because it’s a long race, it’s still a long way away and many things need to go in your direction to have a chance. But so far so good.”

AWA SATURDAY DRIVER QUOTES

ALEX LYNN, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “So far, so good to be honest. I think we’ve had a really productive first couple of days at AWA. It’s the first time we’ve really run the Corvette hard in anger. We’ve had a lot of help from Corvette Racing and Pratt Miller, which has been great. The team is finding its feet really well with this car. We’re ticking boxes. We feel like we have a really great car under us and are just working through our stuff. It’s going to be a big fight next weekend. You can feel the intensity ramping up. There are a lot of great cars and a lot of great teams that are up for this one. I’m excited to get going.”

CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 17 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Yesterday was a steep learning curve for everybody. We did a test in December, but once you go into the pressure of a race weekend it all ramps up. I think we were all just finding our feet early. The transformation from yesterday afternoon to this morning – in terms of car feel, performance and everything the team was putting together – was incredible. To be fair, in both the sessions today we looked quite strong. It’s looking very positive but we are continuing to go through all the normal procedures… for example the guys have never changed a set of brakes, we’ve never done an oil dump. Getting all these contingencies and what-ifs are things we continue to try to get through. That list of stuff that we needed to run through felt like it was endless, but we’ve gone through so much and I feel like within in the team we are confident in our own ability. To go through that in basically two race event days is pretty promising.”

CORVETTE RACING BY THE NUMBERS AT DAYTONA

• 0.034: As in seconds – the winning margin of victory in Corvette Racing’s 1-2 finish at the 2016 Rolex 24. Up until last year’s LMP2 finish, it was the closest finish in race history
• 1: Rolex 24 class win for AWA; the team won in LMP3 in 2023. Current team drivers Nico Varrone, Anthony Mantella and Thomas Merrill were part of that lineup
• 2: Number of the overall winning Corvette C5-R in the 2001 Rolex 24. Ron Fellows, Johnny O’Connell, Chris Kneifel and Franck Freon completed 656 laps for 2335.36 miles in the winning effort
• 4: Number of Corvette Z06 GT3.R entries for the 2024 Rolex 24 – two from Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports (GTD PRO) and two from AWA (GTD)
• 4: Rolex 24 wins for Corvette Racing as an entrant: 2001 overall, 2015 GTLM (Antonio Garcia/Jan Magnussen/Ryan Briscoe), 2016 GTLM (Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler) and 2021 GTLM (Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg)
• 9: Corvette/General Motors factory drivers piloting the Corvette Z06 GT3.R in this year’s race: Antonio Garcia, Alexander Sims, Dani Juncadella, Tommy Milner, Nicky Catsburg, Earl Bamber (Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller) plus Charlie Eastwood, Nico Varrone and Alex Lynn (AWA). Bamber and Lynn also are Cadillac Racing factory drivers in FIA WEC
• 14: IMSA Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001
• 24: Drivers who have driven for Corvette Racing at Daytona – Justin Bell, Ryan Briscoe, Nicky Catsburg, Kelly Collins, Dale Earnhardt, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Marcel Fässler, Ron Fellows, Franck Freon, Antonio Garcia, Oliver Gavin, John Heinricy, Chris Kneifel, Robin Liddell, Jan Magnussen, Tommy Milner, Simon Pagenaud, John Paul Jr., Andy Pilgrim, Mike Rockenfeller, Scott Sharp, Alexander Sims, Marco Sorensen, Nick Tandy and Jordan Taylor
• 27: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte Motor Speedway, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Daytona, Detroit, Fuji Speedway, Houston, Laguna Seca, Le Mans, Lime Rock, Long Beach, Miami, Mid-Ohio, Monza, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen
• 32: Number of drivers for Corvette Racing since 1999
• 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
• 127: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 115 in North America, nine at Le Mans and three in the FIA WEC
• 284: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999
• 99,600: Total number of racing laps completed by Corvette Racing entries since 1999. Barring any issues, the program will go over the 100,00-lap mark at the Rolex 24 of Daytona
• 361,990.52: 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 Daytona (wins in bold)

1999

No. 2 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Chris Kneifel/John Paul Jr. – 3rd in GTS

No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Scott Sharp/John Heinricy – 12th in GTS

2000

No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Chris Kneifel/Justin Bell – 2nd in GTS

No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon – 10th in GTS

2001

No. 2 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Chris Kneifel/Franck Freon – 1st in GTS (overall win)

No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Dale Earnhardt/Dale Earnhardt Jr. – 2nd in GTS

2014

No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Ryan Briscoe – 10th in GTLM

No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Robin Liddell – 5th in GTLM

2015

No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Ryan Briscoe – 1st in GTLM (Magnussen fastest race lap)

No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Simon Pagenaud – 3rd in GTLM (Gavin pole)

2016

No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 2nd in GTLM (Garcia fastest race lap)

No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 1st in GTLM (Winner by 0.034 second)

2017

No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 4th in GTLM

No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 9th in GTLM

2018

No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 3rd in GTLM (Magnussen pole)

No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 4th in GTLM

2019

No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 6th in GTLM

No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 8th in GTLM

2020 (Rolex 24 – January)

No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg – 4th in GTLM

No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 7th in GTLM

2020 (WeatherTech 240 – July)

No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 1st in GTLM

No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 5th in GTLM

2021

No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg – 1st in GTLM

No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy/Alexander Sims – 2nd in GTLM

2022

No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg – 6th in GTD PRO

No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy/Marco Sorensen – 10th in GTD PRO

2023

No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Tommy Milner – 2nd in GTD PRO

About Chevrolet

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in nearly 80 countries with nearly 2.7 million cars and trucks sold in 2021. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.