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No. 33 C8.R driving back through field after early-race mechanical, safety
car issues
CORVETTE RACING AT LE MANS: Six-Hour Update
No. 33 C8.R driving back through field after early-race mechanical, safety
car issues
LE MANS, France (June 10, 2023) – Corvette Racing on a mission – attempting
to drive back through the field after a couple of issues in the opening
quarter of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Ben Keating was back in for his second run the No. 33 Mobil 1/SiriusXM
Chevrolet Corvette C8.R, which ran 15th in the GTE Am class as the Centenary
Le Mans race entered the seventh hour. Keating, Nico Varrone and starting
driver Nicky Catsburg rotated through the Corvette as dusk began to fall on
the 8.5-mile track.
Catsburg established a strong pace early from the lead before the first of
two safety-car periods in the first six hours. The team elected to take fuel
early to gain an advantage in the first stint and re-emerged in 12th.
Disaster struck not long after as the Corvette crew had to replace the
right-front damper after Catsburg radioed in that something didn’t feel
right.
The service in the garage was a quick change but it still put the C8.R down
two laps. Class pole-winner Keating – who got in the Corvette while the
damper was still being fixed – began to claw back time before heavy rain
pelted parts of the circuit.
Keating survived the deluge, and Corvette race engineers called him to the
pitlane for wet tires. The race’s second safety car period came out moments
later, giving the team hope of gaining a lap back because the C8.R would be
ahead of the class leader in a train behind one of the three safety cars.
For reasons unknown to the team, a group of cars – including the GTE Am
leader – were allowed to exit pit lane before the next of the three safety
cars came around. The mistake meant that the Corvette was trapped behind the
class leader and couldn’t advance around the track to catch back up after
all the safety car queues moved.
Undeterred, Varrone drove a speedy triple stint that saw him make up more
than a half-lap on the field with times between four and seven seconds
quicker than the rest of GTE Am.
The next Corvette Racing update is scheduled for 4 a.m. CT/10 p.m. ET.
NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: "It was
very strange. Everything was going fine. The car was running great and was
all good. Out of nowhere, prototypes passed me and after that I had a weird
feeling. Maybe this was because I had to go off-line and had some pickup,
but it wouldn't disappear. The car was moving around a lot and it wouldn't
disappear. The car was moving around a lot under braking and at all speed.
So I told the guys that I think we had an issue. When we got it into the
pitlane, it was the damper and we lost two laps. The crew still did an
awesome job and couldn't have done it quicker. It's really tough, though, to
come back from this spot. It seems like a disastrous race with the safety
cars. But our main competitors in the championship are out of the race, so
even with zero points we will still lead the championship. So we need to
focus and get as many points as possible. Maybe we can get back on the lead
lap. I kind of doubt it, but we will never give. Let's see. The car is
definitely fast, and everything went well. So I know we have a good car."
BEN KEATING, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: "We had a
great start but also an unexpected mechanical issue on the car. We are
racing back. The team decided that I should get some of time out of the way.
It was so treacherous. There were cars going off everywhere. Before they
said anything about rain, I went into the Porsche Curves and it was a
downpour. I just went straight and didn't want to turn the wheel because I
was afraid I'd be afraid. The next time around there, I was tip-toeing
around and told the guys that I thought I was giving up too much time. They
told me I was going to box and have a driver change, and I was very grateful
for that news! The moved looked brilliant at the time. We put wet tires on
and everyone else should have had to stop for wet tires. But the long safety
car and the officials' messing up the safety car procedure at pit exit
didn't help us and we didn't get our lap back. But there's a lot of time
left. We'll keep going."
Ryan Smith
Judy Kouba Dominick
No. 33 C8.R driving back through field after early-race mechanical, safety
car issues
CORVETTE RACING AT LE MANS: Six-Hour Update
No. 33 C8.R driving back through field after early-race mechanical, safety
car issues
LE MANS, France (June 10, 2023) – Corvette Racing on a mission – attempting
to drive back through the field after a couple of issues in the opening
quarter of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Ben Keating was back in for his second run the No. 33 Mobil 1/SiriusXM
Chevrolet Corvette C8.R, which ran 15th in the GTE Am class as the Centenary
Le Mans race entered the seventh hour. Keating, Nico Varrone and starting
driver Nicky Catsburg rotated through the Corvette as dusk began to fall on
the 8.5-mile track.
Catsburg established a strong pace early from the lead before the first of
two safety-car periods in the first six hours. The team elected to take fuel
early to gain an advantage in the first stint and re-emerged in 12th.
Disaster struck not long after as the Corvette crew had to replace the
right-front damper after Catsburg radioed in that something didn’t feel
right.
The service in the garage was a quick change but it still put the C8.R down
two laps. Class pole-winner Keating – who got in the Corvette while the
damper was still being fixed – began to claw back time before heavy rain
pelted parts of the circuit.
Keating survived the deluge, and Corvette race engineers called him to the
pitlane for wet tires. The race’s second safety car period came out moments
later, giving the team hope of gaining a lap back because the C8.R would be
ahead of the class leader in a train behind one of the three safety cars.
For reasons unknown to the team, a group of cars – including the GTE Am
leader – were allowed to exit pit lane before the next of the three safety
cars came around. The mistake meant that the Corvette was trapped behind the
class leader and couldn’t advance around the track to catch back up after
all the safety car queues moved.
Undeterred, Varrone drove a speedy triple stint that saw him make up more
than a half-lap on the field with times between four and seven seconds
quicker than the rest of GTE Am.
The next Corvette Racing update is scheduled for 4 a.m. CT/10 p.m. ET.
NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: "It was
very strange. Everything was going fine. The car was running great and was
all good. Out of nowhere, prototypes passed me and after that I had a weird
feeling. Maybe this was because I had to go off-line and had some pickup,
but it wouldn't disappear. The car was moving around a lot and it wouldn't
disappear. The car was moving around a lot under braking and at all speed.
So I told the guys that I think we had an issue. When we got it into the
pitlane, it was the damper and we lost two laps. The crew still did an
awesome job and couldn't have done it quicker. It's really tough, though, to
come back from this spot. It seems like a disastrous race with the safety
cars. But our main competitors in the championship are out of the race, so
even with zero points we will still lead the championship. So we need to
focus and get as many points as possible. Maybe we can get back on the lead
lap. I kind of doubt it, but we will never give. Let's see. The car is
definitely fast, and everything went well. So I know we have a good car."
BEN KEATING, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: "We had a
great start but also an unexpected mechanical issue on the car. We are
racing back. The team decided that I should get some of time out of the way.
It was so treacherous. There were cars going off everywhere. Before they
said anything about rain, I went into the Porsche Curves and it was a
downpour. I just went straight and didn't want to turn the wheel because I
was afraid I'd be afraid. The next time around there, I was tip-toeing
around and told the guys that I thought I was giving up too much time. They
told me I was going to box and have a driver change, and I was very grateful
for that news! The moved looked brilliant at the time. We put wet tires on
and everyone else should have had to stop for wet tires. But the long safety
car and the officials' messing up the safety car procedure at pit exit
didn't help us and we didn't get our lap back. But there's a lot of time
left. We'll keep going."
Ryan Smith
Judy Kouba Dominick
