# 33 C8 ZO6 GT3R notches NINTH win at Le Mans

Word travels fast these days on how a trio of “amateur” drivers overcame long odds to chalk up Corvette’s NINTH win at the centennial 24 Hours of Le Mans in their # 33 C8 ZO6 GT3R on June 10-11, 2023.

Some of us may think that qualifying is no big deal in a 24-hour race.  But it really IS a big deal for a single Corvette in a huge field a of 5 Aston Martins, 7 Ferraris and 8 Porsches in the final year for the GTE AM class. 

Just as the qualifying session came to a close, Ben Keating set the fastest time, helped by a low tank of gas in weather perfectly suited for tire grip.

Disaster struck during pre-race practice when Nico Varrone crashed the car.   The car needed a new right-side suspension, new right-side brakes, a new floor, rear facia, rear wing, decklids, seat belts, right side front and rear fender, right side door and right-side rocker.

 About 2 hours into the race, Nicky Catsburg felt a vibration that the crew traced to the right-front shock mount that had collapsed.  It could have stemmed from that earlier practice crash.

The time to repair the car ate up two laps that translates to about 17 miles to catch up.

 In an unprecedented stroke of good fortune, crashes, mechanical problems and whatever took out 11 cars including second, third and fourth place in the GTE AM championship.

Regardless of what some might shrug as luck, this resounding victory was by no means a fluke.  It results from a base and principles started by Gary Pratt and GM Program Manager Doug Fehan in 1999; and built upon by drivers Ron Fellows, Johnny O’Connell, Andy Pilgrim and the like. 

We call it a total effort by a mechanics and racing engineers trained under a work ethic that everyone counts and no single person takes the blame.  As Fehan says, “winning comes down to (1) don’t break it, (2) don’t hit anyone and (3) keep it on the track.”

Watch this Video Recap: https://youtu.be/YYiIHrnn5pY

The highly-developed C8 ZO6 GT3.R was the class of the field for the trio of “amateur” rated drivers that were the cream of the crop.

For the record, the # 33 Corvette completed 313 laps, a full lap ahead of the # 25 ORT Aston Martin Vantage AMR & the # 85 Iron Dames Porsche 911 RSR who were by then simply racing for the podium.

Next year at least 2 new C8 ZO6 GT3.R Corvettes are slated for Le Mans in the hands of private customers.  One will likely be the French Team Larbre that has partnered in the past with the Corvette Racing Team; and the other is likely to be a team formed by Pratt & Miller folks. 

GM showed up in force by entering three Cadillac V- series R in the Hypercar class and Rick Hendrick won over a lot of fans with a modified NASCAR # 24 Camaro ZL1 in the Innovative Car Class.

Not to mention the welcome shenanigans from IMSA star Jordan Taylor serving as “car coach.”

The 2023 centennial edition of the 24 hours of Le Mans will be most remembered for the # 51 AF Corse Ferrari 499P Hypercar that won overall fifty years since a Ferrari last tasted victory.

Photos thanks to Richard Prince, Nigel Dobbie, Christian Cubillos, Eric Marchal