TF Sport in the UK shook down its pair of Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs ahead of the car’s FIA World Endurance Championship debut at the upcoming Qatar 1812km.
The two cars, fitted with their race liveries, turned laps at the Dubai Autodrome as part of a two-day test to prepare for the team’s first season with Corvette.
At least six drivers took part in the test, with Bronze-rated drivers Tom van Rompuy and Hiroshi Koizumi both on site, and factory stars Daniel Juncadella and Charlie Eastwood and Silver-rated additions Rui Andrade and Sebastien Baud.

Belgian racer Van Rompuy, who previously competed in LMP3 and LMP2, will share the yellow-nosed No. 81 machine with Andrade and Eastwood, while the sister lineup sees Koizumi and Juncadella team up with Frenchman Baud.

The Tom Ferrier-led operation will be the first team to represent Corvette in WEC’s new LMGT3 category, stepping into a new chapter after many years of racing Aston Martin machinery.
The team enjoyed a highly successful alliance with the British manufacturer in WEC, securing seven class wins (including two at the 24 Hours of Le Mans), a further 14 podiums and winning the GTE-Am title in 2022.

Juncadella, who will be making his WEC debut in his new role as Corvette factory driver is cautiously optimistic about the team’s chances for its first year with the GM brand, but stressed vigilance.

“I know there will be support from Corvette in the early days, because everything is so new,” Juncadella stated.
“But the TF Sport guys are also very high-level. I got to know them last year when we did a test at COTA, and they are highly motivated to be successful.
“Still, we have to accept that it’s early days, and we can’t go into the first round thinking we’re going to blow the field away.”

Juncadella had his first outing as a Corvette factory driver in the recent Rolex 24 at Daytona, finishing fifth in class as part of the Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports stable in GTD Pro.
The Spaniard believes the mileage clocked in what was a trouble-filled debut race for the Corvette Z06 GT3.R will be a benefit for the driver crew aboard the No. 82 car.
“I’m the kind of driver who doesn’t like to set expectations too high, I don’t think that helps the mentality and the focus,” he said.
“But on the other hand, it’s great to be doing all this mileage in the car ahead of the season, because it will give me the experience to help guide the team in the first weeks.
“It’s a brand-new car, it’s a new championship for me, and it’s Pro-Am, so there are many things coming into play.
“My main focus is to help my teammates get up to speed as quickly as possible, because they will have more impact on the speed of the car.”

The new Chevy Corvette Z06 GT3.R is set for its second debut this time in the hands of TF Sport at the FIA World Endurance Championship’s opening event for 2024.

For the first time, the Corvette brand and the FIA WEC field will visit Lusail International Circuit in Doha, Qatar. The Qatar Airways Qatar 1812 Km in reference to Qatar Day, observed on December 18 and commemorating the country’s unification – also marks the first event in the World Endurance Championship for the Corvette GT3 racecar following its competition debut last month in the Rolex 24 At Daytona.

TF Sport is set to campaign the No. 81 and No. 82 Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs in the WEC’s LM GT3 class for the full season.
The squad led by team owner Tom Ferrier is a perennial contender in a number of GT series around the world, and will field Corvettes for the first time in 2024.

Following three days of testing last week in Dubai Monday and Tuesday working on general and procedural items due to flooding rains with one full day of running Thursday, the TF Sport Corvettes will take part this weekend in the FIA WEC Prologue. It’s two days of testing at Qatar ahead of official free practice, qualifying and the race from February 29-March 2.

Two first-year Corvette factory drivers will spearhead the lineups in each Z06 GT3.R. Charlie Eastwood a familiar face within the TF Sport garage leads the No. 81 Z06 GT3.R with Rui Andrade and Tom Van Rompuy joining for the full season. In the sister No. 82 Corvette, Daniel Juncadella will embark on his first season in the FIA WEC alongside Sébastien Baud and Hiroshi Koizumi.

Both Corvettes and all six drivers will contest the full eight-race calendar, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June, a race that the Corvette brand won nine times with the Corvette Racing factory team from 2001-2023.

Four of the Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs raced at the Rolex 24, and members of the Corvette Customer Support team flew directly afterward to TF Sport’s shop in the UK to help with car prep and final installations ahead of the Dubai test.

Corvette Racing engineers also conducted an intensive review process following Daytona to focus on operational reliability and optimizing areas of improvement, with the findings relayed to TF Sport ahead of Qatar.

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.

The FIA WEC Prologue is set for Saturday and Sunday on the 3.34-mile, 16-turn Lusail International Circuit. The Qatar 1812 Km is scheduled for 11 a.m. Arabian Standard Time / 3 a.m. Eastern Time on Saturday, March 2. MotorTrend and MotorTrend Plus will provide both live television and streaming coverage of the race and Friday’s qualifying, as will the FIA WEC app. Radio Le Mans will stream audio coverage of the race, plus Friday’s final practice and qualifying.

TF SPORT PRE-EVENT DRIVER QUOTES

CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“We finally got to drive the Z06 GT3.R last Thursday at Dubai. To be honest, it was very good to have three days with the car just to get through all the procedural stuff because this is a brand-new car for everybody. On that Monday and Tuesday, we still got through a lot of things media things, all our seat fits and some general procedures.
The team has been used to being with Aston Martin before, and for everyone this is a new challenge with how this car works from the pit stops and everything else.

So we were able to get some efficient use out of those couple of days. After last week, I think everyone feels significantly more prepared than we would have if we just tested on the Monday and Tuesday. The test went very well. Even in the short span of time from Daytona, it was a massive step forward from Corvette and Pratt Miller with the car. The test went flawlessly, and all the drivers got up to speed super quick.
They all loved it, so it was an excellent test in general. Now we’re all ready to go for Qatar.”

DANI JUNCADELLA, NO. 82 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“I couldn’t really turn any laps at the test in Dubai because of the weather, but my teammates did get a day Thursday, which is very positive. The main thing is that they get comfortable with the car. Anything I can do as the pro driver to help my teammates go faster is going to be better for our overall results. That is my main focus.
They luckily got a day Thursday, and I heard everything went well in getting their first kilometers in the Corvette.
We didn’t have any setbacks, which is great for our reliability.

We took some knowledge from the setbacks we had at Daytona, which is positive. All in all, with the limited mileage in the Corvette for the team, I think we are well-prepared. It will be my first experience in WEC, and that’s pretty exciting to say the least.
We are going in with a lot of motivation, and hopefully we can build on a good starting base after a good Daytona weekend for me as a Corvette driver

CORVETTE RACING BY THE NUMBERS: Qatar 1,812 Kilometers

• 2: Number of Corvettes entered the full FIA WEC championship for the first time the No. 81 and No. 82 Z06 GT3.Rs from TF Sport

• 3: Number of GTE Am wins a year ago for Corvette Racing in the FIA WEC for the No. 33 Corvette C8.R

• 7: Wins in FIA WEC competition for TF Sport, including the 2020 24 Hours of Le Mans; current TF and Corvette factory driver Charlie Eastwood was part of that triumph

• 14: Drivers who have driven in entries affiliated with Corvette Racing for at least one FIA WEC race Nicky Catsburg, Marcel Fässler, Antonio Garcia, Oliver Gavin, Ben Keating, Jan Magnussen, Tommy Milner, Mike Rockenfeller, Alexander Sims, Nick Tandy, Jordan Taylor, Ricky Taylor, Nico Varrone and Richard Westbrook.
That number will go up by six in Qatar

• 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

• 41: Number of drivers for Corvette Racing since 1999.
GM factory drivers Earl Bamber, Dani Juncadella, Alex Lynn and Charlie Eastwood joined the list at Daytona, as did AWA’s Matt Bell, Orey Fidani, Lars Kern, Anthony Mantella and Thomas Merrill

• 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

• 285: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999

• 101,857: Total number of racing laps completed by Corvette Racing entries since 1999.
The program went over the 100,00-lap mark at the Rolex 24 of Daytona

• 370,025.44: 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

Minimum Weight Set for LMGT3; LMP2 Le Mans Specification Outlined

The BoP for the debuting LMGT3 class has also been published, setting the minimum weight for each of the competing nine manufacturers.

Thirty kilograms separate the lightest and heaviest cars, with the Porsche 911 GT3 R weighing in at 1315 kg while the Lexus RC F GT3 starts off at 1345 kg before success ballast is applied.

The Lexus runs 13 kg heavier than the closest car in the category, which is the Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 at 1332 kg.

The Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R and Ferrari 296 GT3 both sit at 1331 kg, with Ford on 1326 and McLaren on 1327.

Schedule

First day of the WEC race, there were 2 practice sessions

In the first one the results were the six LMGT3 runners in the opening session were the No. 59 United Autosports McLaren 720s GT3 Evo driven by WEC rookie Nicolas Costa who peaked on the best lap of 1m56.583.

The No.81 TF Sport Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs was second in LMGT3 as Charlie Eastwood set a 1m56.634 lap, while Chilean ace Nico Pino placed the second United Autosport McLaren third with a 1m56.679.

Second practice completed with the Z06s being slower in 5th and 11th places

Third practice over

TF Corvettes finish in 3rd and 7th places

TF Sport and Corvette Racing put the wraps on two days of testing Tuesday at Lusail International Circuit ahead of this weekend’s FIA World Endurance Championship opener in Qatar.

The three test sessions served as a dress rehearsal for the debut of the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R in the globe-trotting championship, starting with Saturday’s Qatar Airways Qatar 1812 Km.

Daniel Juncadella set the best time for the two-car TF Sport team in the No. 82 Corvette that he will share throughout the season with Hiroshi Koizumi and Sébastien Baud. The Corvette factory driver’s top lap was a 1:54.691 (105.695 mph) effort that put the No. 82 Z06 GT3.R fifth in the new LMGT3 category.

Across the garage, fellow Corvette factory driver Charlie Eastwood set the pace in the No. 81 Corvette Z06 GT3.R with the best lap of 1:55.369 (105.074 mph) to put both TF Sport Corvettes well within a second of the fastest Prologue time in the class. Eastwood is teaming with Tom Van Rompuy and Rui Andrade for the full year.

The TF Sport effort is the first customer program in FIA WEC for Corvette Racing, which has four wins in the series to its credit, including last year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans in addition to the 2023 GTE Am Drivers and Teams titles with the Corvette C8.R.
The Corvette Z06 GT3.R is a completely new car from the ground up and 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 the 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 originate 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.

The Qatar Airways Qatar 1812 Km is scheduled for 11 a.m. Arabian Standard Time / 3 a.m. Eastern Time on Saturday, March 2. MotorTrend will provide both live television coverage in the U.S. Streaming coverage of the race and Friday’s qualifying will be available on MAX, MotorTrend Plus and the FIA WEC TV app.

CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“We got a lot of laps in. There were just so many unknowns going into this week.
We had one test day as a team with the Z06 GT3.R, which went very well at Dubai. But now we are at a brand-new track and one that’s very different from Dubai. But from the very first session, we were pleasantly surprised to be in a very good window.
From then, we ran through all the drivers, and both Rui and Tom have been building up.
There are still so many unknowns. But as a team and car crew, I feel we are looking quite strong.”

DANIEL JUNCADELLA, NO. 82 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“Honestly this was very good and very positive. We had three trouble-free sessions with a lot of mileage on our Corvette. It might have been the most mileage of all the LMGT3 cars. That’s really encouraging for everyone here. All three drivers had enough laps, and we’re all happy to have gone through the program.
I’m very happy with how things feel. Seb was very fast and likes the car a lot. Hiroshi is a very positive surprise. He is very consistent with no mistakes and very few track limits. He is doing it the right way. It’s very good, and we will take that into the weekend.”

TOM VAN ROMPUY, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“These test days were quite positive. We have a strong car and a strong package. With traffic management, we have to pay attention to other cars, but I think we are strong there too. On tire degradation, I think we have one of the better cars in LMGT3.
So yes, I’m very positive as we look ahead to the race weekend.”

RUI ANDRADE, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“The delays left everyone in a little bit of anticipation, but the car feels great. It already felt great in Dubai. The balance is strong, I think. The combination of TF Sport and Pratt Miller is doing a great job at the moment.
They gave us a good car right at the start, which is always important so you don’t feel lost from the get-go. We had some solid running yesterday. We had an issue when
I accidentally set off the fire extinguisher so we lost some laps!
It’s a new car for me and these things happen. Today we went through the run plan with no issues and got lots of laps with good feedback on the car.
We had some cool running Monday late afternoon into the night, and it was very warm this morning.

So getting a read on the car in these conditions is really important. In traffic and with the Hypercars, there is a big speed delta so they have to get through the GT traffic as fast as possible, which means we are bullied a little bit. For us, we have to focus on our driving and also focus on our mirrors and rearview camera. Whoever does that best will be fastest. But I feel good. We are getting better and have a good base.
We feel strong but will see where we are on Saturday.”

HIROSHI KOIMUZI, NO. 82 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“Monday was a good feeling. Today was a little better feeling. There was more traffic in the last two sessions, but I still had a good feeling.
The Corvette is a very good car. I am happy with my teammates. Dani is a very fast driver as our No. 1 and Sébastien is fast. I’m very lucky to have them!”

SÉBASTIEN BAUD, NO. 82 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“I am very happy. It was my first Prologue, my first with the team, my first weekend with Corvette and my first time at this track. The car is really great. The work between myself, Dani and Hiro was very good. We had no issues, and now we can try some different setups and strategies for qualifying and the race. It’s very comfortable in this Z06 GT3.R. The driving is very different from previous cars I have driven.

Confidence for the race and qualifying is high because Hiro was very good during his qualifying sim. This is all very good for the race. There is a lot of confidence and consistency in this car, and there are still things we can work on and try. No issues and everything looks fine for the race weekend.”

CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R PROGRAM MANAGER:

“Everyone at TF Sport and Corvette Customer Support should be proud of the efforts during the Prologue. Both Corvettes completed a high number of laps, which led to a lot of productive running on track. The feedback from the drivers is positive.
Operationally, things went well as the team continues to learn more about the Z06 GT3.R heading into practice and qualifying. All in all, we all are happy with the last two days.”

Tom Van Rompuy stole the show in the GT ranks, setting an astonishing 1m54.372s time in the No. 81 TF Sport Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R to take the first-ever pole in LMGT3 class history by eight-tenths.

“It’s a good thing this is on the screens because I otherwise I wouldn’t believe it!” enthused Van Rompuy.
It’s my first qualifying session in WEC. We’ve worked really hard this week to improve the car and improve ourselves. The team did a mega job, as did the guys at Corvette and Pratt Miller. In the end, we made it all work so this is a team effort. I could put a excellent lap together, and I’m really amazed with this result.
“That’s what everyone wants from qualifying drivers pushing flat out for pole.”

It was a hugely impressive showing in Hyperpole from the Belgian driver in what is a very new car, scoring its first pole position globally. His fast time came with two minutes remaining and although the other contenders in the session had time to respond, there were no significant improvements in the final seconds.

Lithuanian team Pure Rxcing’s Manthey Porsche 911 LMGT3 R 992 will start alongside the brand-new Corvette after Alex Malykhin set a 1m55.179s in the team’s first WEC Qualifying appearance.

One of the two Vista AF Corse Ferrari 296 LMGT3s ended up taking third after an impressive run from Thomas Flohr. His time was just 0.003s off Malykhin in the No. 54, which has looked fast all week.

The top five was completed by the two new Aston Martin Vantage LMGT3s, with the D’Station example set to start fourth, ahead of the car fielded by U.S. team Heart of Racing.

Prior to the shootout, Heart of Racing’s Aston topped qualifying, with a 1m55.251s from Ian James in the final moments of the first 12-minute qualifying session to decide which teams made the cut for LMGT3 Hyperpole.

Of the teams that failed to make it to phase two, TF Sport’s No. 82 Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R came closest and ended up missing out by two-tenths. Hiroshi Koizumi will start 11th tomorrow.

Both AKKODIS ASP Lexus RC F GT3s and Proton Ford Mustangs (the No. 77 didn’t make it out) also failed to break into the top 10.

Another notable omission was WRT’s No. 31 M4 GT3. It will start 13th in class after Darren Leung’s efforts, while the sister No. 46 will line up ninth.

Corvette becomes first manufacturer with poles in three FIA WEC GT classes

• First pole for new Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R in initial race with TF Sport
• Tom Van Rompuy fastest LMGT3 qualifier in first FIA WEC start
• Fifth pole position for Corvette brand in FIA WEC competition
• No. 81 TF Sport Corvette Z06 GT3.R to start first, No. 82 TF Sport Corvette to start 11th

LUSAIL, Qatar (March 1, 2024) – Chevrolet’s new Corvette Z06 GT3.R secured its first pole position Friday as Tom Van Rompuy set the fastest time in the LMGT3 Hyperpole session for TF Sport ahead of the FIA World Endurance Championship’s Qatar Airways Qatar 1812 Km.

Van Rompuy, driving the No. 81 Corvette Z06 GT3.R, set a time of 1:54.372 (105.944 mph) around Lusail International Circuit to take the pole in his first career FIA WEC event. His time in the Corvette, which he will share with Charlie Eastwood and Rui Andrade, was 0.807 seconds clear of the second-fastest time in the class.

In addition to the first pole for the Corvette Z06 GT3.R, Friday’s achievement also marked the Corvette brand’s fifth pole position in WEC competition. It also is the first manufacturer to qualify on pole position in the series’ three GT classes.
The result also gave TF Sport its 10th pole in WEC competition and first since the Six Hours of Spa in May 2023.
The Qatar 1812 Km is the first race for the TF Sport/Corvette two-car alliance. The No. 82 Corvette of Hiroshi Koizumi, Sébastien Baud and Daniel Juncadella just missed the GT3 Hyperpole field and will start Saturday’s race 11th in class.

Friday’s session marked the first time outside of the 24 Hours of Le Mans that WEC used a Hyperpole session to set the grid for both the Hypercar and LMGT3 classes. The top-10 cars from the first round of qualifying advanced to the 10-minute Hyperpole.

The Qatar Airways Qatar 1812 Km is scheduled for 11 a.m. Arabian Standard Time / 3 a.m. Eastern Time on Saturday, March 2.
MotorTrend will provide both live television coverage in the U.S., as will MAX, MotorTrend Plus and the FIA WEC TV app on streaming devices.

TOM VAN ROMPUY, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“It’s a good thing this is on the screens because I otherwise I wouldn’t believe it! It’s my first qualifying session in WEC.
We’ve worked really hard this week to improve the car and improve ourselves. The team did a mega job, as did the guys at Corvette and Pratt Miller. In the end, we made it all work so this is a team effort. I could put a really good lap together, and I’m really amazed with this result.”

More on the key to taking pole position: “It was (important) really looking after the warm up of the tires.
The first lap was really slow and then I was building up. I got another GT car ahead of me on the third lap so I had to back off again to go again. So I had two laps to do it and made it work to put it all together. So I’m very happy.” Where is the team in managing what will be a long race:

“The team has done a really great job. We have a strong package to compete. Obviously it’s a different thing than qualifying race pace, managing the double-stinting and the other things. But I think we’re quite up to that. It’s exciting to see how it will work out tomorrow in the race.”

CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R PROGRAM MANAGER:

“We couldn’t be happier for Tom, the No. 81 Corvette team and all of TF Sport. Taking pole position in the first WEC race for the Corvette Z06 GT3.R is a great accomplishment for the team, Chevrolet, Pratt Miller and everyone at Corvette Customer Support with a tremendous collaborative effort making this possible. We look forward to an exciting race tomorrow for both TF Sport Corvettes.”

CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“The collaboration that we have within the team during the first race is something I’ve never experienced. The mix between GM and Pratt Miller integrating into TF Sport, and also all the drivers never meeting each other before last week and how we’ve all merged together, the pace of it is just incredible. In terms of helping my teammates, I’m trying to give them as much past experience as possible, even little things like full-course yellows, safety car procedures and things that are second-nature for myself now are very different from other championships in which they may have driven.

My goal is always with the Silver and Bronze drivers is to reduce the capacity of thinking so they can focus more on driving. If I can give them any information so they don’t have to come on the radio and ask questions, that just gives them more of their capacity to focus on driving fast.

“I’m very hopeful for the race. With so many pit stops in a 10-hour event and with the pace that we’ve shown throughout all of the lineup, I don’t think there are many in a much better spot. It’s a big points event, and I’m for sure sitting here going for the win. To be honest, I don’t think it’s being unrealistic. If the team does what they do every year and all the drivers nail their stints no track limit warnings, no drive-throughs and no mistakes
I feel like we can make a real difference in the race. We’ve been here a long time, and we don’t have long to wait to see where we finally are.”

DANI JUNCADELLA, NO. 82 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“I feel like everything has been smooth so far. We’ve done a lot of miles with zero issues, zero setbacks, no reliability issues and that’s really encouraging for a brand-new car and a team that is still learning the car. It’s all been really cool so far. My teammates have been great. Seb, I know, is a very fast kid. With Hiroshi, I had low expectations to be fair, and he has been way, way above where I expected. So that gives me a lot of encouragement for the race. He came here, didn’t know the track or the car, and was immediately on pace.”

RUI ANDRADE, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“We’ve tried a lot of things, which is important considering this is the team’s first race with the Corvette.
I think we are definitely in a strong window, and I’m really happy. We did take some steps that didn’t work out so well in practice, but now we are back in a quite comfortable spot.
The biggest steps have been learning what we can get from the setup and what we can’t. There’s no point in chasing something that you aren’t going to get.
We’ve found a good compromise and the car is strong.
This is normal as you test, and you do laps with a new car, so I’m pretty happy with what we have going into the race.”

SÉBASTIEN BAUD, NO. 82 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“I’m very happy going into the race. This is a very nice car and a very nice team. Everything is enjoyable.
This week gave me a chance to learn the Corvette, learn the team and work with Dani and Hiro, who are both very fast.
There is a good feeling now for the first race, which is very long. The car in practice has been good, we have no issues and the drivers have not made mistakes.

We will look at the results from qualifying and then tomorrow stay focused on the race. It is very important to be careful around the Hypercars; it is my first race for me, for Hiro and for Dani with those cars in this championship. But we should stay focused on our own race. It’s important to stay calm, make no mistakes, no track limits if we can finish in the top-five, this will be a good result for our first race together in this championship.”

TOM FERRIER, TF SPORT TEAM OWNER:

“This an absolute dream start with Corvette.
I’m not sure going into Hyperpole that we might be on pole. We weren’t thinking that far ahead! All credit to Tom, and the guys on the team did a great job. The race will be very long tomorrow, and that’s been our focus all week. It’s been a really busy winter trying to get everything ready.

We had some testing at Dubai that wasn’t so successful with some weather; believe it or not we got rained off for two days so that cramped our preparation a little bit. It’s been a lot of hard work in a very short amount of time. We’ll see where we are, and hopefully we’ve got the ingredients to have a strong result.”