The season for the FIA World Endurance Championship opened with a stream of firsts; most notably, it was the first race for TF Sport under the Corvette Racing banner and the first start as WEC full-season competitors for each of the three drivers of the #82 Z06 GT3.R. And speaking of that Z06 GT3.R, this was also the first season for that new race car, a season that was kicked off with a shift from factory-backed to factory-supported race teams. And, as we wrapped up the FIA World Endurance Championship season in Bahrain, the most impressive firsts were accomplished. But before we get into the details, let’s get reacquainted with the team and drivers. [Author’s Note: This article is FREE and not behind a paywall. If/when any popups occur, please click to make them disappear and continue enjoying the article.]
The TF Sport Team and Their Drivers:
- #81 Z06 GT3.R Drivers: Tom Van Rompuy (making his first career FIA WEC appearance), Charlie Eastwood, and Rui Andrade
- #82 Z06 GT3.R Drivers: Hiroshi Koizumi, Sébastien Baud, and Daniel Juncadella
The Results: Full Press Release From Corvette Racing
[Authored by Ryan Smith and Judy Kouba Dominick]
Corvette Racing at Bahrain: Two Podiums to Close 2024!
TF Sport’s No. 81 Corvette second, No. 82 Z06 GT3.R third in LMGT3
SAKHIR, Bahrain (Nov. 2, 2024) – TF Sport and the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R climbed on the class podium to close the FIA World Endurance Championship with second- and third-place finishes after the Eight Hours of Bahrain.
The No. 81 Corvette of Charlie Eastwood, Tom Van Rompuy and Rui Andrade were runners-up in the LMGT3 class, just ahead of the No. 82 Z06 GT3.R trio of Daniel Juncadella, Hiroshi Koizumi and Sebastien Baud. Not only was it the first podium result for the Corvette GT3 program in this season’s championship, but it also is the first double-podium finish for the Corvette brand in FIA World Endurance Championship competition.
“Congratulations to TF Sport, team owner Tom Ferrier, the drivers and all the members of the team on today’s double-podium to close the FIA WEC season in Bahrain – the first in this championship for the Corvette Z06 GT3.R,” said Mark Stielow, Director, GM Motorsports Competition Engineering. “It has been exciting to watch the team continually work and extract more and more from their Corvettes at each event this year. This is a great way not just to end 2024 but also use this as a springboard to bigger and better things in 2025.”
After having potential podium finishes taken away in the previous two races, fortune finally went the way of the TF Sport squad in Bahrain. Both Corvettes led at one point, and the No. 81 ran in front six times for a race-high 121 laps.
The runner-up Corvette raced its way from eighth to first twice in the race – once in the opening hour and again following the race’s second safety-car period with less than two hours. Van Rompuy charged and passed six cars to go from eighth at the start to second by the end of his first stint. Eastwood emerged from the pitlane in the lead following the class pitstop cycle.
Both Eastwood and Andrade drove single stints to firmly establish the No. 81 Corvette by as much as 30 seconds at the end of the first driver rotation. Van Rompuy and Andrade drove double-stints in the middle of the race, but the first of two safety cars sent the race way from the No. 81 as it went from first down to eighth due to competitors behind the Corvette being on fresher tires.
Andrade survived and handed over to Eastwood with an hour, 45 minutes to go and the No. 81 Corvette in eighth place to set the stage for Eastwood’s charge.
The No. 82 Corvette had a thrilling drive-back of its own from early in the race. Koizumi picked up a spot from 10th at the start but was assessed a five-second, stop-and-go penalty for avoidable contact in the opening 20 minutes. That dropped Koizumi down to 16th but he, Juncadella and Baud clawed their way back toward the front over the next four hours.
While the safety cars hurt the chances for the No. 81, the opposite was true for the sister Corvette. Juncadella found himself in 10th with about 90 minutes to go. He worked his way forward just as rapidly as his factory teammate Eastwood and gained two spots coming out of a full-course yellow period to fourth just ahead of the seven-hour mark.
Juncadella made his final stop two laps after Eastwood and emerged from the pitlane just ahead of the sister Corvette with 40 minutes to go but ceded the position on colder and newer tires than the No. 81.
The 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship starts February 28 in Qatar.
TF SPORT POST-EVENT DRIVER QUOTES
CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:
“The race was great from start to finish from us. We got super-unlucky with the first VSC and the timing of it. We weren’t able to change tires and most of the class were. We dropped down the order by the time of my last double-stint. Our pace on the first set of tires was really strong, and the same with the second set as well. I just came out close to the No. 60 Lamborghini who ended up passing me on the outlap then we got to the back of the 54 who hadn’t boxed and had a drive-through. So maybe a little bit of team owners to slow us down. We didn’t give up until the very end. We got it down to three seconds but it wasn’t enough. But ultimately for the team to finish with a double-podium is a fantastic result.”
TOM VAN ROMPUY, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:
“We started the season on a high with pole position at Qatar. In between we had some dips but we have finished on another high – two podiums today. I’m a very happy man. There has been great progression that we have made with the team. It was a great effort by everyone, my co-drivers and the team.”
RUI ANDRADE, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:
“It kind of sums up our season again – a story of what could have been without the safety car. We were ahead by about 40 seconds and the race for us was in a good place. We were in a good rhythm and good pace. Tom, myself and Charlie did a really good job and I’m proud of what we did. I was kind of in no-man’s land because we didn’t take tires on my second stint. We were hoping the strategy would pay off, and Charlie got new tires and back into the lead. I’m really happy to finish the season with such strong races back-to-back-to-back. Since COTA, the car has been super-strong and the team has done a great job making it faster and faster. It’s good to end the season on a high.”
DANI JUNCADELLA, NO. 82 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:
“It’s great to finish the season on a high like this – second and third for the team. This is incredible and I’m happy for TF Sport and Corvette Racing. This is the best way to finish the season with two cars on the podium and third for myself, Hiroshi and Seb. This has been a long time coming and I think we deserve it. It was a hard race at the end. The Lamborghini behind me was flying and I had good duel with him for 25 to 30 minutes. It was a tough one but we made it and I’m really, really happy and proud about that.”
HIROSHI KOIZUMI, NO. 82 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:
“This is a great finish and great way to finish the season. I’m really happy with my race throughout. It was my first time at this track, and during practices I feel I did very well. So I’m very happy with the result and weekend.”
TOM FERRIER, TF SPORT OWNER:
“I feel like this has been a long time coming. I think at COTA we could have had a podium and at Fuji we could have had a win were it not for some contact. So it’s really nice to finish in this way. To get both cars on the podium is a massive team effort. I’m incredibly happy for all the guys and girls who have worked so hard. It’s been a dry year for podiums but we’ve been getting better and better. Everyone at GM and Corvette Racing have been working tirelessly in the background. It’s a lovely result for everyone involved. It sets us up for next year with a good starting point. We should come out of the blocks firing on all cylinders.”
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