Every year since 2000, Corvette can be counted on to cross the Atlantic for Le Mans.
The C5-Rs (2000-2004), C6.Rs (2006-2013) and C7.Rs (2014-2019) and their huge V8s have waged battle at the legendary circuit. Easily recognizable by their roar, their liveries also set them apart and now the C8.R will carry on the legacy.

It is a given that every year you will see a pair of Corvettes on the sections of national road added to the circuit for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Well, except in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted the tradition. The American team, its drivers, cars, engineers and mechanics stayed at home. It was as heartbreaking for team members as it was for the marque's executives and for fans.
From this absence was born a strong desire: to return as quickly as possible and to sound every day of the week, at noon precisely, the famous foghorn.

Jordan Taylor, with Corvette Racing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans without interruption between 2012 and 2017, confirms the team couldn't wait to be back. "Everyone lives for that event. It’s the biggest event for the team and in sports car racing.
Having missed last year is going to make everyone want to win it that much more and get back there as fast as possible."

A member of a legendary American racing family, including at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (his brother Ricky boasts six participation and his father Wayne, 13), Jordan Taylor knows how much it means to a driver to compete at Le Mans. "Having to watch Le Mans on TV isn’t the easiest thing.

As a kid watching it, it’s an amazing race, and you grow to love it and want to be there one day. Once you get there, the magnitude of the event, the people, the fans, the atmosphere it’s like no other race.
So when you get that feeling and emotion, you don’t want to lose it, makes you miss it that much more and be that much more motivated to go back and be competitive."

Tommy Milner has represented Corvette Racing since 2011, so it has been 10 years since he left is role as an official BMW driver to join the "Boys.
" He has won the LMGTE Pro class twice (2011 and 2015) and has also been extremely impatient to return to the race he loves
. "This is a race that for a lot of people is a bucket-list item. To go there once is special. Each time going back is more so."

Yellow and Striking

The main challenge for the Corvette Racing team is the jump into the unknown. Painted yellow and still equipped with a V8, the Corvette C8.R first burst onto the scene in the U.S. in 2020 and will take the track for the first time at Le Mans. Everything is new, so the team will need to accelerate its learning curve to face off against the other two officially entered manufacturers, Ferrari and Porsche.

The C8.Rs took advantage of Test Day with decent results.
With a time of 3:53.440 for the #64 and 3:54.281 for the #63, they are certainly trailing the lead Porsche's (3:52.901 for the #92 and 3:52.904 for the #91), but the foundation is good. The car has all it needs to win.

The aerodynamics in particular have been finessed to close the gap noticed in the previous generation vis-à-vis the competition.
The revised position of the engine block (moved from the front to a central rear location) will inevitably affect weight distribution and the car's behavior on the track.
The drivers will need to find their bearings and quickly.

The Corvettes will focus on assessing and monitoring their opposition before going on the attack.
A win is possible since Corvette Racing has already had an excellent showing with the C8.R in a 24-hour race:
Daytona in January thanks to the #3 shared by Nick Catsburg, Antonio García and Jordan Taylor. Joining forces this week at the wheel of the #63, the three drivers are aware of their potential, as are Tommy Milner, Nick Tandy and Alexander Sims in the #64.

Who will claim the top step on the class podium on Sunday, Corvette?

C8.Rs did not qualify well at all

Corvette Racing’s Nick Tandy put the No. 64 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R into the Hyperpole round of qualifying for the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Tandy set a best lap Wednesday of 3:47.074 (134.216 mph) in the mid-engine Corvette that he is sharing this week with Tommy Milner and Alexander Sims.

The Thursday night Hyperpole session includes the six fastest cars from Wednesday’s preliminary qualifying session for all classes.

Antonio Garcia, driving the No. 63 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette with Jordan Taylor and Nicky Catsburg, posted a best lap of 3:49.643 (132.725 mph).

Wednesday’s two free practice sessions and qualifying allowed Corvette Racing to continue fine-tuning both Corvettes for the weekend’s race, the first time at Le Mans for the C8.R.
A stringent simulation program combined with on-track testing and a race in the FIA World Endurance Championship at Spa-Francorchamps helped the program arrive at Le Mans with a strong baseline for the C8.R.

In addition to the Hyperpole session at 9 p.m. CET/3 p.m. ET, Corvette Racing and other competitors at Le Mans will take part in two additional practice sessions at 2 p.m. CET/8 a.m. ET and 10 p.m. CET/4 p.m. ET.

Corvette Racing will contest the 24 Hours of Le Mans on Aug. 21-22 with the green flag set for 4 p.m. CET and 10 a.m. ET.
MotorTrend TV will air the race live with the MotorTrend App adding coverage of official practices Aug. 19. Live audio coverage will be available from Radio Le Mans.

NICK TANDY, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FOURTH IN GTE PRO QUALIFYING:

“Whenever you drive a racing car on low fuel and fresh tires at Le Mans, it’s your lucky day.
There isn’t much greater experience in motorsport, from what I’ve seen.
This is always great. The C8.R felt superb
.
We kind of went into an unknown area because this is the first time the car has run like this with low fuel. We tried a semi-qualifying simulation in practice, but it wasn’t as light as we could make the car.
So I’m happy with how the performance was. The balance was very good. We tuned during the session.
The engineers and the crew did a great job in getting the car turned around and improving the pace in it. We’re very happy to go through into the Hyperpole round and try for a spot as high up the grid as we can.”

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 63 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – EIGHTH IN GTE PRO QUALIFYING:

“During the Test Day we only did very few laps (because of the electrical issues) and this afternoon in the first free practice session, I jumped in after Jordan and Nicky had had enough seat time.
With the new (one-hour) qualifying format, it wasn’t easy with all the full-course yellows and slow zones. During my first attempt, I got caught by a slow zone maybe five seconds before the finish line.

That lap time would not have put me in the top-six, but it would have helped to better understand the car.
We then tried again, and I again had traffic and yellows.
“We only wanted to use two sets of tires in qualifying, and the first was already thrown away because of the full-course yellows.
The same thing then happened on the second set: traffic and more yellows, so in the end we just stayed on the same set, refueled the car and I did as many laps as we could, working toward the race setup.

Luckily this race is not about pole position, so from now on we will just keep focusing and working towards the race.
“Last Sunday, Jordan and Nicky had done most of the driving before I had the issue, which sidelined us for most of the afternoon.
The last hour or so we still had after the engine change, we decided to give them the extra five or six laps, which of course didn’t help me to get up to speed today. But the other car is right up there, so there is no reason to think we shouldn’t set similar times as well. We’ll be ready for the race.”

ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FIRST LAPS IN THE C8.R AT LE MANS:

“If you weren’t looking at lap times, then it would be fantastic fun out there.
The competitor in me would like to be a bit faster. I don’t feel 100 percent comfortable with the car quite yet.
In the daytime, things start to make a bit of sense, but you start to lose some of your cues at night. You just have to rely on fewer senses, and you don’t want to make mistakes while building it up. There is still more to come, for sure.

“I’m just lacking a bit of confidence on the brakes.
The biggest thing is that I don’t know how much it is in me and how much could be helped by the car.

It’ll be good to look at some data and have another go tomorrow.
Overall, it’s been really nice to be back in the C8.R. It’s been five or six months since Sebring.
And it’s cool to be out here at Le Mans. I’ve been here before, but that was three years ago. Getting back into the rhythm again is nice.”


Tomorrow, 23 cars will go after the fastest time possible at the 24 Hours of Le Mans circuit.
During the 30-minute Hyperpole, competitors (the top six in each class except Hypercar with only five entrants) will push their cars to the limit on a much less crowded track than today. It is certain to be a stunning show that spectators will be able to enjoy for the first time on site!

HYPERCAR

Competitors in every class will take part in the Hyperpole. Toyota has already clocked a top time of 3:26.279 thanks to Kamui Kobayashi. Alpine trails slightly and the Glickenhaus 007 LMHs are hungry for a great showing. The battles will rage fiercely even though pole position does not carry much weight in endurance racing, it does a certain prestige.

#7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid | TOYOTA GAZOO Racing | Mike Conway - Kamui Kobayashi - José María López
# 8 Toyota GR010 Hybrid | TOYOTA GAZOO Racing | Sébastien Buemi - Kazuki Nakajima - Brendon Hartley
#36 Alpine A480-Gibson | Alpine Elf Matmut | André Negrão - Nicolas Lapierre - Matthieu Vaxivière
#708 Glickenhaus 007 LMH | Glickenhaus Racing USA | Luís Felipe Derani - Franck Mailleux - Olivier Pla
#709 Glickenhaus 007 LMH | Glickenhaus Racing | Ryan Briscoe - Richard Westbrook - Romain Dumas

LMP2

Major players in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) and European Le Mans Series (ELMS) will take the track for the Hyperpole. Belgian outfit Team WRT, for example, making its debut this year in prototypes, already has two wins in the ELMS.
The United Autosports team, a top contender in the LMP2 class, is the only participant to place two cars in the Hyperpole. French outfit Panis Racing, winner at Monza in the ELMS, as well as G-Drive Racing and JOTA will also fight for the pole. Who will prove the fastest?

#23 ORECA 07-Gibson | United Autosports | Paul di Resta - Alex Lynn - Wayne Boyd
#26 Aurus 01- Gibson | G-Drive Racing | Roman Rusinov - Franco Colapinto - Nyck de Vries
#28 ORECA 07-Gibson Pro/Am | JOTA | Sean Gelael - Stoffel Vandoorne - Tom Blomqvist
#32 ORECA 07-Gibson | United Autosports | Nicolas Jamin - Jonathan Aberdein - Manuel Maldonado
#41 ORECA 07-Gibson | Team WRT | Robert Kubica - Louis Delétraz - Yifei Ye
#65 ORECA 07-Gibson | Panis Racing | Julien Canal - Will Stevens - James Allen

LMGTE Pro

Three Porsche 911 RSR-19s will take on two Ferrari 488 GTE Evos and one Corvette C8.R during the Hyperpole in this class.
AF Corse's two Ferraris and the #92 official Porsche all qualified in under 3:47 per lap. Can they do even better?

#51 Ferrari 488 GTE EVO | AF Corse | Alessandro Pier Guidi - James Calado - Côme Ledogar
#52 Ferrari 488 GTE EVO | AF Corse | Daniel Serra - Miguel Molina - Sam Bird
#64 Chevrolet Corvette C8.R | Corvette Racing | Tommy Milner - Nicholas Tandy - Alexander Sims
#72 Porsche 911 RSR-19 | Hub Auto Racing | Dries Vanthoor - Alvaro Parente - Maxime Martin
#91 Porsche 911 RSR-19 | Porsche GT Team | Gianmaria Bruni - Richard Lietz - Frederic Makowiecki
#92 Porsche 911 RSR-19 | Porsche GT Team | Kévin Estre - Neel Jani - Michael Christensen

LMGTE Am

As in LMGTE Pro, Porsche has the strength in numbers advantage on the two Ferraris.
But, Aston Martin will have something to say with the #33 Vantage AMR. Scoring pole position in the class is a good start in the quest for victory.

#33 Aston Martin Vantage AMR | TF Sport | Ben Keating - Dylan Pereira - Felipe Fraga
#47 Ferrari 488 GTE EVO | Cetilar Racing | Roberto Lacorte - Giorgio Sernagiotto - Antonio Fuoco
#56 Porsche 911 RSR-19 | Team Project 1 | Egidio Perfetti - Matteo Cairoli - Riccardo Pera
#71 Ferrari 488 GTE EVO | Inception Racing | Brendan Iribe - Ollie Millroy - Ben Barnicoat
#86 Porsche 911 RSR-19 | Gr Racing | Michael Wainwright - Benjamin Barker - Tom Gamble
#88 Porsche 911 RSR-19 | Dempsey-Proton Racing | Julien Andlauer - Dominique Bastien - Lance Arnold

A series of accidents and stoppages severely impacted the running of Free Practice 3 for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which saw a total of two red flags and numerous Slow Zones and Full Course Yellows.

The LMP2 class Oreca 07 Gibsons from IDEC Sport and DragonSpeed were among the heaviest hit, with separate accidents by Dwight Merriman and Juan Pablo Montoya at the entrance to the Dunlop Curves that resulted in lengthy red flag periods for track cleanup and barrier repairs.

Merriman lost control of his No. 17 IDEC entry near the end of the opening hour, while Montoya had a nearly identical incident one hour later.

At least ten other cars either had incidents over the course of the three-hour session, including the No. 65 IDEC Sport Oreca (Patrick Pilet), three off-course excursions for the No. 29 Racing Team Nederland Oreca (Guido van der Garde/Frits van Eerd) and the No. 20 High Class Racing entry of Marco Sorensen.

The No. 1 Richard Mille Racing Oreca of Sophia Floersch stopped on track with engine issues,
while Antonio Garcia had an uncharacteristic off at the Porsche Curves, damaging the rear of the No. 63 Chevrolet Corvette C8.R.
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The Ferrari 488 GTE Evo has been hit with a mid-event Balance of Performance adjustment ahead of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Confirmed by the FIA Endurance Commission on Thursday, both the GTE-Pro and GTE-Am variants of the car have received reduced boost levels across all RPM levels.

While the biggest reduction is at low revs, the change, roughly, equates to only 8 horsepower decrease compared to the specification the Prancing Horses ran in the test day and opening day of official track action at Circuit de la Sarthe.

As part of the change, the Ferraris also lose 1 liter of fuel capacity.

The pair of AF Corse Ferraris were quickest in Wednesday’s qualifying session to set the field for this evening’s Hyperpole session.
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After the Hyperpole session, here is how the first 6 cars will line up for the start of the race, with the #64 C8.R in third place

HubAuto Beats Factory Entries in GTE-Pro

Dries Vanthoor handed a surprise GTE-Pro pole position to privateer outfit HubAuto Racing with a 3:46.882 flying lap.

Taiwanese squad HubAuto, which is receiving support from Team Project 1 for its debut with the latest GTE-spec Porsche, beat factory entries from the likes of Porsche GT Team, AF Corse/Ferrari and Corvette Racing.

Vanthoor, who normally drives Audi GT3 machinery, was fourth-fastest after the opening set of laps following the red flag for Estre’s accident in the opening stages.

The Belgian then scaled the GTE-Pro class with 10 minutes to go, beating Daniel Serra’s original best of 3:47.063 in the No. 52 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE Evo by 0.181 seconds.

Nick Tandy delivered the third-fastest lap at around the same as Vanthoor landed pole, with the British driver planting the No. 64 Chevrolet Corvette C8.R third on the grid for its Le Mans debut.

Tandy was the only Corvette driver in hyperbole, after the No. 63 Corvette failed to make the cut during Wednesday evening’s collective qualifying practice.