DETROIT (September 2, 2025) TF Sport is bringing its pair of Chevy Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs home to the United States at Circuit of the Americas for the FIA World Endurance Championship’s lone race in North America.
The six-hour Lone Star Le Mans is the sixth of eight rounds in the FIA WEC this season, and the first since mid-July.
Both TF Sport entries sit in the top-five in both the LMGT3 Drivers and Teams championship standings heading to the Lone Star State.

This year’s race at COTA is the second for the TF/Corvette combo with one of the team’s Z06 GT3.Rs finishing in the points last year.
TF Sport’s Ben Keating will be front and center as he races in his home state for the first time in a Corvette. Keating, Jonny Edgar and Corvette factory driver Daniel Juncadella enter COTA third in the LMGT3 championship and searching for their first podium since a season-opening victory at Qatar.

Juncadella was part of the TF Sport lineup last year that finished eighth in class, driving the No. 82 Corvette lineup. He made up seven positions during his 2.5-hour stint to cap his debut race at Circuit of the Americas. Keating was also part of last year’s Lone Star Le Mans in LMGT3 and has four GT-class victories at the circuit to his credit in IMSA competition from 2013-2017.

Edgar is making his first career start at COTA and is coming off a strong run at Sāo Paulo in the previous WEC round. He drove the final two hours and was the fastest Corvette driver in the race as the No. 33 trio finished seventh in class.

No. 81 TF Sport Corvette Z06 GT3.R

No entry in LMGT3 has the momentum of TF Sport’s No. 81 Corvette. The trio of factory driver Charlie Eastwood, Rui Andrade and Tom Van Rompuy arrives at COTA on the heels of a third-place finish at Le Mans and a runner-up result at Sāo Paulo to vault up into fifth place in the Drivers Championship standings.

The No. 81 Corvette was on course for a similar result in the second half of the year’s Lone Star Le Mans. Running second at the time, the Corvette suffered heavy contact from another competitor, which knocked it down the order and eventually into the garage for a heart-breaking retirement.
Eastwood and Andrade already have been part of a winning TF Sport effort this year with a victory in the ELMS in their No. 82 Corvette. Van Rompuy, who made his COTA debut last year along with Andrade, hopes to keep his strong season going with what would be his fifth Hyperpole appearance in six races.

The six-hour Lone Star Le Mans is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT on Sunday, September 7. Full, live television coverage is available on the MotorTrend in the United States. Live-streaming coverage of Free Practice 3, qualifying and the race will be available on the FIA WEC app and the MAX app in the United States.

TF SPORT PRE-EVENT QUOTES

DANI JUNCADELLA, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“Being back in the U.S. is always pretty cool. COTA is actually a track that surprised me quite positively last year. With these tracks that have a lot of asphalt runoffs, it can be misguiding sometimes when you think it’s an easy track.
But COTA has a lot of technical corners; it’s a very cool Sector One with a lot of high-speed, flowing corners.

This is also a challenging race with the heat. Last year was super-hot, but I like the big challenges like that. It makes the racing harder and more exciting for everyone. We’re coming off a couple of difficult races with some unlucky situations that were out of our control, but we are still third in the championship.

There are three rounds to go and considering the success weight that the leaders are carrying, I think we are in a good position to fight for big points. That should play in our favor to fight in the championship for the last few races. I’m hoping for a strong result in COTA, especially as a home race for Corvette and Ben. The car was good last year as well, so I expect that we will be strong.”

JONNY EDGAR, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“I am looking forward to racing at COTA for the first time, as this looks like a great track to drive. The last two races have been quite difficult, and our results haven’t reflected the pace we have had, so hopefully we can have an issue-free race and score good points for the championship. On top of all that, it would be nice to have a good result for Corvette and Ben’s home race.”

BEN KEATING, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“I love racing all around the world, but there is no place like home! I am excited to help host the WEC in Texas. This is home for Corvette and home for me. I have a lot of great results at COTA from the past years. Our No. 33 Corvette needs a great result to stay in the championship hunt for 2025. So this race is extremely important, but I believe we are up for the challenge!”

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

“COTA was a good event for the Corvette last year.
On our side, we didn’t have a good run, but the sister car was super strong, as were we; we just got caught up in a few incidents that pretty much did us in.

From my side, there are a couple of question marks with the hard-compound tire. In the Corvette, we’re so good on tire deg, especially on the Goodyear, that the hard tire at COTA and Bahrain will probably bring the others a bit closer to us toward the end of the stint, but hopefully we still will have a bit of a delta to work with. So I’m looking forward to it. It’s a tough track, you know, especially in that heat.

Everything’s screaming, the tires are screaming, drivers are screaming with the heat. But we’re on a good momentum swing with TF Sport and the Corvette. Even if you look back at 2024, we were excellent in these last three events toward the end of our first season.
We’ve been much stronger up to this point this year, so hopefully then we can be stronger still in these last three.”

The on-track sessions will begin with free practice on Friday, 5 September. Qualifying and the all-important Hyperpole top ten shootout starts at 15:00 local time (22:00 CEST) on Saturday, 6 September, with the race getting underway at 13:00 local time (20:00 CEST) on Sunday, 7 September.

For further information, including the full event timetable and entry list, click HERE.

Tickets all of which include access to seating in a permanent grandstand can be purchased here, starting from $79 USD. Children aged 12 and under will be admitted free of charge with an accompanying adult.

Watch FIA WEC live or on-demand via the official FIA WEC TV app your full-access pass to the FIA World Endurance Championship, including the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans. Don’t miss a moment. For further information, check out the app.

2025 FIA World Endurance Championship Points

LMGT3 Drivers Standings
1. Riccardo Pera/Richard Lietz/Ryan Hardwick – 89
2. Alessio Rovera/Francois Heriau/Simon Mann – 76
3. Ben Keating/Daniel Juncadella/Jonny Edgar – 66
4. Clemens Schmid/Jose Maria Lopez/Petru Umbrarescu – 57
5. Charlie Eastwood/Rui Andrade/Tom Van Rompuy – 56

LMGT3 Teams Standings
1. No. 92 Manthey 1ST Phorm – 89
2. No. 21 Vista AF Corse – 76
3. No. 33 TF Sport – 66
4. No. 87 Akkodis ASP Team – 57
5. No. 81 TF Sport – 56

BMW, Ford Receive Significant Weight Breaks in LMGT3
The BoP for LMGT3 is highlighted by sizable weight breaks for both the BMW M4 GT3 EVO and Ford Mustang GT3.

The BMW gets a significant 26 kg reduction, while the Mustang gets a 17 kg weight decrease in what has marked nearly wholesale changes in minimum weight across the class.

While the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R only gets a 10 kg weight break, and the McLaren 720S GT3 Evo sheds 9 kgs since Brazil, the Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo and Porsche 911 GT3 R receive more minor 5 kg and 2 kg reductions, respectively.

The only LMGT3 cars to have weight increases are the Ferrari 296 GT3 (+8 kg) and Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo (+9 kg), while the Lexus RC F GT3 is the only car to remain unchanged in minimum weight.
While power gains have been slightly adjusted for all GT3 models, the Mercedes-AMG receives a 1 percent power increase at the first stage.

The No. 21 AF Corse Ferrari, meanwhile, will run as the heaviest LMGT3 car, at 1378 kg, when factoring in the category’s success handicap. The No. 87 Akkodis ASP Team Lexus, which won last time out, will be the second-heaviest at 1372 kg.

DXDT, Chevrolet Maintain Strong Form
Practice 2 Results

The UAB Medicine GT World Alabama benefiting Teal Wings of Hope continued on Friday with GT America powered by AWS Practice 2, where Blake McDonald once again showcased the pace of the No. 11 DXDT Racing Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R around the 2.38-mile Barber Motorsports Park circuit.

McDonald surged to the top of the timing sheets early in the session, setting a benchmark that went unmatched through to the checkered flag. Behind him, early attention went to series newcomer Tony Davis, who placed the No. 004 HP-TECH Ferrari 296 GT3 into second place during the opening stages.

As the session progressed, Memo Gidley charged forward in the No. 56 SKI Autosport Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVOII, climbing to second at the halfway point with Ross Chouest close behind in the No. 50 Chouest Povoledo Racing Corvette.

The second half of the session brought more shuffling in the top five. Kyle Washington powered his No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 992 GT3 R into second, only 0.614 seconds off McDonald’s time, before Gidley responded in the closing laps. With less than two minutes to go, the Audi driver reclaimed second, pushing Washington back to third.

Chouest in the No. 50 Chouest Povoledo Racing Corvette and Joel Cortes in the No. 19 RS1 Porsche 992 GT3 R traded places for fourth, but Chouest ultimately prevailed to secure the spot, leaving Cortes to round out the top five.

With both practice sessions wrapped up, the field will look to translate their pace into qualifying tomorrow and convert their speed into top grid positions at Barber.

Let’s Get Racing

The GT America powered by AWS series will return to the track for Qualifying on Saturday morning, September 6th at 8:10 AM CT.

3 Americans competing for WEC LMGT3 honors at COTA

Apart from the fact it’s a close race at the top between three teams and three different cars in the FIA Endurance Trophy for LMGT3 standings, all of those leading title contenders have an American driver on the team.
It makes for a perfect scenario as the FIA World Endurance Championship’s annual visit to the United States kicks off this weekend. With only three races left in the season, Sunday’s Lone Star Le Mans at COTA could be a race which influences which American driver joins their teammates in becoming LMGT3 champions.

Ryan Hardwick (above) had the edge for most of the season; he and his Manthey 1st Phorm teammates Riccardo Pera and Richard Lietz have two wins including the Le Mans 24 Hours. He wants to keep that momentum going.
“Our expectation is to continue leading the championship when we leave here,” Hardwick said to RACER ahead of Sunday’s race. “Our sole goal is the championship at the end of the season, and we feel that this track could generally be a good track for the Porsche.

“I think it’s going to be a perfect race between the three of us. The Corvette does look very strong, at least from the first practice, so I think they should be really good.”
Hardwick also feels that his physical training, which by his description seems closer to that of a full professional driver than a so-called amateur, gives him an edge in the extreme heat that’s likely to persist into Saturday and Sunday.
“I enjoy the heat,” he continued. “I’ll be honest with you, it’s not easy in this heat. If any driver says it’s easy, they’re lying to you.

“Being in the best physical condition that you can be in, I think it’s an advantage for me compared to a lot of the other guys I race against.”
If the car and the driver are suited for COTA, and the heat doesn’t bother Hardwick and company, competing with 36 extra kilograms of success weight in their No. 92 Porsche 911 LMGT3 R (the most of any car in the field this weekend) likely will be their biggest obstacle to overcome.

“We’re still carrying the success ballast from Le Mans; this definitely hurts our lap times,” he admitted. “But so [are] our competitors in the championship.
“I think if we just worry about the things that we can control and drive a clean race, without penalties, and we stay consistent – I think we’ll find ourselves towards the front, right where we need to be at the end of the race.”

Twenty three points behind, Hardwick is his counterpart in the No. 33 TF Sport Chevrolet Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R, the true home hero at COTA, Ben Keating.

The No. 33 Corvette’s landmark win in Qatar was followed up by productive but somewhat pedestrian results for he and co-drivers Jonny Edgar and Daniel Juncadella.
“I don’t like being in the position where I feel like we have to have a good race every time, but the fact is that there are only three races left,” Keating said earlier this week.
“There are only so many opportunities to earn points versus the competition, and if you have a bad race, then it almost takes you out of the hunt. There is the pressure on that side of things to say, I feel like I have to have a good race.”

COTA is Keating’s home race and a track he loves driving at; he came out of his GT racing hiatus last year to drive one of Proton Competition’s Ford Mustang LMGT3s, where ironically he was a teammate to Hardwick in the other car.
“I won the first four races I ever did at COTA," he said. "I won five out of the first seven.
I won overall in the 24-hour race (in the Creventic 24H Series) of COTA, and I’d say every driver loves the tracks that love you back.

“Obviously I know this track very well, and there’s no other race that I’d rather be going to.”
With Keating inviting 330 guests to his favorite circuit, there’s extra incentive to put on a show during his time behind the wheel of his GT3 Corvette.
“I would say that it has taken me a while to really understand what the car likes and doesn’t like,” he said. “I feel like everything is coming together pretty well for us at this race. I’m feeling more and more comfortable with the car.”

The third American doesn’t play the same role as his compatriots. Unlike the other two Bronze-graded amateur drivers, Simon Mann is the compulsory Silver-graded driver in the No. 21 Vista AF Corse Ferrari 296 LMGT3.
Winning the last race of the 2024 WEC season in Bahrain shows Mann made a significant step forward in his form this year and can now be evaluated as one of LMGT3’s better Silver drivers.

Part of that improvement is down to the strong chemistry between himself and co-drivers François Heriau and Alessio Rovera.
We had really good momentum last year, and this year, we started off well with some good results. I think that as a team, everyone is gluing really well together,” said Mann, who’s spent his entire documented racing career driving for AF Corse.

“I just feel excellent within the team. Vista AF have really helped me progress a lot throughout the years, not just over the past year. It’s great to be in that top three. There’s still three races to go, so anything can happen.”
Mann won Spa and finished second behind the Hardwick-led No. 92 Porsche at Le Mans, but at São Paulo, the No. 21 Ferrari was shut out of the points. They’re currently 13 points behind, but the urgency for the leading Ferrari to leave COTA with a big points haul is picking up.

“I don’t think we’re going to be the fastest this weekend, so I think that’s why scoring points is so crucial, especially going into Fuji and then Bahrain,” Mann admitted.
“At the same time, I think a strength is we focus on ourselves; we have the package we have, we just have to optimize what we have, and then we’ll see. The important thing is that we all do our best, like we always do. I’m sure, in the end, we’ll be good enough.

It’s likely that Mann will have to fight his way past TF Sport’s Edgar, Manthey’s Pera, or any of LMGT3’s other “super Silvers” to achieve a result.
As for Keating and Hardwick, it’s not impossible to see a scenario where the two of them are fighting each other on track for position in this pivotal title race.
“I’ve always enjoyed racing around Ben,” said Hardwick. “We had some nice time on track together at Le Mans this year, and we both respect each other a heck of a lot. He’s a great driver and I always enjoy racing around him.

“But I won’t lie, it’s always nice to beat your fellow countryman. Seeing that we’re competing for the championship this year, the opportunity presents itself. We’ll have a good time on track but I definitely hope to come out in front!”

Giammarco Levorato put the No. 88 Proton Competition Ford Mustang GT3 on pole position, leading 1-2 for the Blue Oval on home soil.
Levorato reeled off a 2:07.645 in the dying moments of the LMGT3 Hyperpole session to beat his stablemate Ben Tuck by 0.018 seconds
Notably, the No. 88 car was not in Hyperpole initially after Stefano Gattuso qualified 11th in first qualifying.

However, the No. 87 Akkodis ASP Team Lexus RC F GT3 was pulled from Hyperpole for taking the checkered flag twice, allowing the Proton entry to go through.
Sean Gelael took third in the No. 95 United Autosports McLaren 720S GT3 Evo, ahead of Valentino Rossi’s No. 46 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 EVO.

The top five in the class was rounded out by the No. 33 TF Sport Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R of Jonny Edgar, while the second United McLaren slotted into sixth with Sebastien Baud at the wheel.

The sole remaining Lexus in Hyperpole took seventh courtesy of Finn Gehrsitz, with the No. 60 Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo, the No. 31 Team WRT BMW and No. 27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo the last cars to make up the top ten.

Notably, the two cars atop the LMGT3 points standings failed to make the cut for Hyperpole as both the No. 92 Manthey Porsche 911 GT3 R and No. 21 Vista AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 were eliminated.
AF Corse saw both of its cars knocked out as Thomas Flohr’s No. 54 machine also failed to go through, with the No. 81 TF Sport Corvette,
No. 61 Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG, No. 10 Racing Spirit of Leman Aston Martin and No. 85 Iron Dames Porsche also dropped.

The six-hour race at COTA is set to kick off Sunday at 1 p.m. CST.