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CORVETTE RACING AT BAHRAIN: No. 33 Takes P6 in Finale
Hard-fought race to close FIA WEC season for TF Sport Corvettes
SAHKIR, Bahrain (November 8, 2025) – TF Sport’s No. 33 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R of Daniel Juncadella, Jonny Edgar and Ben Keating closed their season Saturday with a sixth-place LMGT3 finish in the FIA World Endurance Championship’s Eight Hours of Bahrain.
It was the first points-scoring finish since July for the No. 33 Corvette trio, which opened the season in February with a class victory at Qatar and entered Bahrain with hopes of fighting for top-three finish in the class championship.
Fortunes weren’t any better for the No. 81 Corvette of Charlie Eastwood, Jonny Edgar and Tom Van Rompuy. Winners in the previous WEC round at Fuji, they arrived this week with an outside chance at the LMGT3 title. However they finished 11th on Saturday and out of the points to place fifth in the class standings, one spot ahead of their teammates.
There were different tire and driver rotation strategies throughout the LMGT3 race. For the two Corvette, Keating and Van Rompuy started with each doing a triple-stint in the heat. Keating took tires on his first stop in an effort to gain track position and doubled those to the driver change just past the 2.5-hour mark while Van Rompuy double stinted his opening set and got fresh tires for his final run.
Edgar and Andrade had to suffer with tire-saving as well with the goal of being able to have three fresh sets of tires for both Corvettes at the end. Both double-stinted one set of tires and then took a split set shortly after the restart following the first of two Safety Car periods. The final driver swaps came inside the final two hours, 45 minutes with Eastwood climbing into the No. 81 Corvette first followed by Juncadella in the No. 33.
A late safety car period created some drama but ultimately the pace of the leading cars was too much for the Corvettes to overcome.
TF Sport and the Corvette Z06 GT3.R program will start the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship with the 1812KM of Qatar on March 28.
TF SPORT POST-EVENT QUOTES
DANIEL JUNCADELLA, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "That's the season for us in WEC. Unfortunately it wasn't what I expected from this season. It was looking good after Qatar with the first win but unfortunately the rest of the season we struggled to match the pace of the cars up front. Today we could only manage P6 after struggling in the last stint and sixth in the championship result. A disappointing result but a lot of positives to take into next season."
JONNY EDGAR, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “The safety car was pretty unlucky with the timing of it. We were on pretty good tires at the time but had to put a set on during the Safety Car because otherwise on the restart we would have dropped to the back. We had a set on from qualifying because you have to use them at some point. But that stint was pretty OK. To make sure we have tires left to the end we had to put on a set from my stint back on, so they were more than a half-stint old compared to others. As everyone’s tires wore, my pace got closer and closer. Overall I'm pretty happy all things considered. It was a shame about the Safety Car timing. A stint later or earlier probably would have helped us more, but what happened probably helped a few competitors catch up.”
BEN KEATING, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "I feel good. It was a lot of fun out there. It was kind of hot in the beginning. Everybody has such different strategies in a long race. You have to double-stint tires at some point so everyone is doing a whole different combination of things. I'm really proud of the TF Sport guys because I think they called it really well. I had a lot of fun, but it's mayhem. I think I had contact five or six times. Thank goodness the Corvette is such a strong car! It was beautiful because we all kept it straight and on the track. This was the kind of racing where it's fun and you enjoy it."
(On the strategy) "I was saving fuel a lot because it was also saving the tires. We were doing longer stints than most of the other cars and trying to save my tires for the third stint. I was pretty happy and did a decent lap at the very end of the double-stint. So the strategy was good."
CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "A tricky day for us. We obviously were carrying ballast from the previous success we've had in the last few rounds. We just missed a podium for the championship. It is what it is and we didn't have the pace. Still, it was an amazing year with everyone from TF Sport and Corvette Racing. The jump that we made from last season to here is huge, and hopefully we can go and gain a couple more steps next year."
RUI ANDRADE, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "A difficult finish with how we came into the weekend. Both cars had a bit more exceptions. We were fighting for the championship and the 33 was fighting for the top-three. Unfortunately we just didn't have the pace all weekend. We tried a risky strategy to save tires early in the race and try to be competitive late. Even this didn't pay off, even with a safety car. We got bunched up and the other cars were a bit too quick for us. But it was a good season with a lot of positives to take away. We can all be pretty happy. The drivers and team did a great job. From where we were last year to coming here to fight for the championship after race wins and podiums, it was a big step forward. Everyone should be proud."
TOM VAN ROMPUY, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "Not the result we were hoping for. We just missed out on the third position in the championship with not scoring points today. It was a tough race for us with the pace we had and also struggling with the tires. We tried to maximize what we had. We took a gamble on the strategy but the race didn't come to us. It's been a nice two years with TF Sport, Corvette and Pratt Miller. I'd like to thank all the people involved for all their efforts. It was a nice adventure and I hope someday it will continue. I'm looking back on two great seasons and had big fun. So today wasn't the result we were hoping for but that's racing."
Ryan Smith
Judy Kouba Dominick
CORVETTE RACING AT BAHRAIN: No. 33 Takes P6 in Finale
Hard-fought race to close FIA WEC season for TF Sport Corvettes
SAHKIR, Bahrain (November 8, 2025) – TF Sport’s No. 33 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R of Daniel Juncadella, Jonny Edgar and Ben Keating closed their season Saturday with a sixth-place LMGT3 finish in the FIA World Endurance Championship’s Eight Hours of Bahrain.
It was the first points-scoring finish since July for the No. 33 Corvette trio, which opened the season in February with a class victory at Qatar and entered Bahrain with hopes of fighting for top-three finish in the class championship.
Fortunes weren’t any better for the No. 81 Corvette of Charlie Eastwood, Jonny Edgar and Tom Van Rompuy. Winners in the previous WEC round at Fuji, they arrived this week with an outside chance at the LMGT3 title. However they finished 11th on Saturday and out of the points to place fifth in the class standings, one spot ahead of their teammates.
There were different tire and driver rotation strategies throughout the LMGT3 race. For the two Corvette, Keating and Van Rompuy started with each doing a triple-stint in the heat. Keating took tires on his first stop in an effort to gain track position and doubled those to the driver change just past the 2.5-hour mark while Van Rompuy double stinted his opening set and got fresh tires for his final run.
Edgar and Andrade had to suffer with tire-saving as well with the goal of being able to have three fresh sets of tires for both Corvettes at the end. Both double-stinted one set of tires and then took a split set shortly after the restart following the first of two Safety Car periods. The final driver swaps came inside the final two hours, 45 minutes with Eastwood climbing into the No. 81 Corvette first followed by Juncadella in the No. 33.
A late safety car period created some drama but ultimately the pace of the leading cars was too much for the Corvettes to overcome.
TF Sport and the Corvette Z06 GT3.R program will start the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship with the 1812KM of Qatar on March 28.
TF SPORT POST-EVENT QUOTES
DANIEL JUNCADELLA, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "That's the season for us in WEC. Unfortunately it wasn't what I expected from this season. It was looking good after Qatar with the first win but unfortunately the rest of the season we struggled to match the pace of the cars up front. Today we could only manage P6 after struggling in the last stint and sixth in the championship result. A disappointing result but a lot of positives to take into next season."
JONNY EDGAR, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “The safety car was pretty unlucky with the timing of it. We were on pretty good tires at the time but had to put a set on during the Safety Car because otherwise on the restart we would have dropped to the back. We had a set on from qualifying because you have to use them at some point. But that stint was pretty OK. To make sure we have tires left to the end we had to put on a set from my stint back on, so they were more than a half-stint old compared to others. As everyone’s tires wore, my pace got closer and closer. Overall I'm pretty happy all things considered. It was a shame about the Safety Car timing. A stint later or earlier probably would have helped us more, but what happened probably helped a few competitors catch up.”
BEN KEATING, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "I feel good. It was a lot of fun out there. It was kind of hot in the beginning. Everybody has such different strategies in a long race. You have to double-stint tires at some point so everyone is doing a whole different combination of things. I'm really proud of the TF Sport guys because I think they called it really well. I had a lot of fun, but it's mayhem. I think I had contact five or six times. Thank goodness the Corvette is such a strong car! It was beautiful because we all kept it straight and on the track. This was the kind of racing where it's fun and you enjoy it."
(On the strategy) "I was saving fuel a lot because it was also saving the tires. We were doing longer stints than most of the other cars and trying to save my tires for the third stint. I was pretty happy and did a decent lap at the very end of the double-stint. So the strategy was good."
CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "A tricky day for us. We obviously were carrying ballast from the previous success we've had in the last few rounds. We just missed a podium for the championship. It is what it is and we didn't have the pace. Still, it was an amazing year with everyone from TF Sport and Corvette Racing. The jump that we made from last season to here is huge, and hopefully we can go and gain a couple more steps next year."
RUI ANDRADE, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "A difficult finish with how we came into the weekend. Both cars had a bit more exceptions. We were fighting for the championship and the 33 was fighting for the top-three. Unfortunately we just didn't have the pace all weekend. We tried a risky strategy to save tires early in the race and try to be competitive late. Even this didn't pay off, even with a safety car. We got bunched up and the other cars were a bit too quick for us. But it was a good season with a lot of positives to take away. We can all be pretty happy. The drivers and team did a great job. From where we were last year to coming here to fight for the championship after race wins and podiums, it was a big step forward. Everyone should be proud."
TOM VAN ROMPUY, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "Not the result we were hoping for. We just missed out on the third position in the championship with not scoring points today. It was a tough race for us with the pace we had and also struggling with the tires. We tried to maximize what we had. We took a gamble on the strategy but the race didn't come to us. It's been a nice two years with TF Sport, Corvette and Pratt Miller. I'd like to thank all the people involved for all their efforts. It was a nice adventure and I hope someday it will continue. I'm looking back on two great seasons and had big fun. So today wasn't the result we were hoping for but that's racing."
Ryan Smith
Judy Kouba Dominick
