There aren’t any traditional sports leagues that do it, but in racing circles, some series love to kick off the season with their biggest race. Enter the Rolex 24 at Daytona–the king of endurance races for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. As many enthusiasts will recall, last year was the first year for the Z06 GT3.R race car, and many teams experienced teething issues with this new platform. As a matter of fact, when CorvSport covered this grueling 24-hour race just one year ago, both AWA Z06s failed to finish the race due to mechanical issues. Oh boy, look how much difference a year can make! [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.]
This year was even more exciting for the CorvSport team because one of our own, our founder and contributor Scott Kolecki, was in attendance for the race, offering a perspective that can only be accomplished in person. In addition to his numerous real-time Facebook updates, Scott shared one Rolex 24 video he took that garnered over 13,500 views!
What’s Inside This Edition Of CorvSport’s Corvette Racing News:
- A quick review of the teams, the drivers, and the amazing Z06 GT3.R Corvettes
- A full recap of the Rolex 24 from the official Corvette Racing press release
- Driver quotes from the Corvette Racing press release
- The sights and sounds from CorvSport: Check out Scott Kolecki’s on-track reporting
1) Let’s meet the teams, the drivers, and the Z06 GT3.R Corvettes they drive:
We’ve got some new racing liveries this year!
2) The Official Full Press Release From Corvette Racing: Authored by Ryan Smith and Judy Kouba Dominick
CORVETTE RACING AT DAYTONA: AWA Corvette Wins The Rolex!
Win for No. 13 Corvette is first in a 24-hour race for Corvette Z06 GT3.R
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (January 26, 2025) – The Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R started its second season of competition by winning one of the biggest races the world as AWA and drivers Matt Bell, Orey Fidani, Lars Kern and Martin Kirchhöfer captured the GT Daytona (GTD) victory in the Rolex 24 At Daytona to start the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
The No. 13 Corvette crossed the finish line by 1.454 seconds for the 21st victory for Chevrolet in the Rolex 24 and the fifth for the Corvette Racing program since 1999. AWA’s victory was its second in three seasons at Daytona, also the first in a 24-hour race for the Corvette GT3 and 12th since debuting at the Rolex 24 a year ago.
Five Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs entered the race with two making the podium. Antonio Garcia, Alexander Sims and Daniel Juncadella placed second in GTD PRO in Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports’ No. 3 Z06 GT3.R.
GTD PRO Corvette Z06 GT3.R Results
- No. 3 Corvette – Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports – Antonio Garcia, Alexander Sims, Dani Juncadella – Runner-up in class
- No. 4 Corvette – Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports – Tommy Milner, Nicky Catsburg, Nico Varrone – Seventh in class
- No. 91 Corvette – Trackhouse by TF Sport – Ben Keating, Scott McLaughlin, Shane van Gisbergen, Connor Zilisch – Ninth in class
GTD Corvette Z06 GT3.R Results
- No. 13 Corvette – AWA – Matt Bell, Orey Fidani, Lars Kern, Marvin Kirchhöfer – First in class
- No. 36 Corvette – DXDT Racing – Charlie Eastwood, Pipo Derani, Alec Udell, Salih Yoluc – 20th in class
AWA’s victory began to take shape past the halfway point. Both Fidani and Kern completed the minimum drive time in the first 13 hours to set the stage for Bell and Kirchhöfer to drive most of the remaining 11 hours with Kern giving the pair a stint’s worth of a break before going the rest of the way.
The GTD race swung in favor of AWA inside the final seven hours when Bell stopped for fuel and tires and retained the class lead. The class running order went back and forth the rest of the way with Bell taking the lead for good with 20 minutes left and running as low as fourth after a restart with 40 minutes to go.
As joyous as the win for AWA was, the fate of the No. 4 Corvette from Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports was just as heartbreaking. After cycling up and down in the GTD PRO order, Tommy Milner moved into the lead inside the final two hours but his attempt to extend his lead over the second-place No. 1 car was repeatedly blocked by that car’s team entry. That allowed the No. 1 to get to the back of Milner’s Corvette, which suffered rear damage that required multiple stops to repair.
Despite that, the No. 4 squad remained in contention with Varrone racing his way up to second before the trio eventually finished seventh. The wild late-race chaos also saw Sims go from seventh to second inside the final hour.
The No. 91 Trackhouse by TF Sport Corvette Z06 GT3.R of Ben Keating, Scott McLaughlin, Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch took the fight to the GTD PRO regulars and consistently ran in the class’s top half for the majority of the race.
DXDT Racing’s No. 36 Corvette was on pace for a solid result in its IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship debut before retiring at the halfway point with Charlie Eastwood moving toward the front.
The next race for the Corvette Z06 GT3.R program is 1812KM of Qatar – the opening race of the FIA World Endurance Championship – on Friday, February 28. The next round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on Saturday, March 15.
JESSICA DANE, CORVETTE RACING PROGRAM MANAGER:
“Congratulations to Andrew Wojteczko, drivers Orey Fidani, Matt Bell, Lars Kern and Marvin Kirchhöfer and all of AWA for their incredible victory in the Rolex 24 At Daytona with the Corvette Z06 GT3.R. What this team has achieved in one year with the Corvette is nothing short of phenomenal. Thank you to AWA and every person and partner who contributes to Corvette Racing’s success. There is no better way for AWA to start the season and the team’s road to the 24 Hours of Le Mans.”
3) Driver Quotes: Provided by Corvette Racing
MATT BELL, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:
“This means absolutely everything. To me, to my teammates Orey and Lars and Marvin. Everybody on this team has worked so hard. To think where we were this time last year and how far we’ve come to now… it’s so much hard work to do this. From the minute the checkered flag fell at Petit Le Mans, no one took a rest. No one took a break. It’s been 24-7 since then to get a car that is capable of winning the Daytona 24 Hours. AWA gave the four of us car to do it. IMSA is the hardest championship in the world. Our competitors gave us a hell of a run. I had to work so hard to get on top of those guys but we managed to make it work and bring it home in the last 10 minutes. Thank you to the competition for making it this hard, and thank you to AWA and my teammates to get us over the line.”
The winning pass:
“Honestly, I can’t remember a thing. There were PRO cars, there were GTD cars… I don’t remember that. I’ll have to watch the video later! Every time there was a car in front of me, I was trying to overtake it. I asked the guys to stop giving me updates on the radio. I just a GT car and wanted to pass it. That’s all I was focused on. I can’t thank my teammates and everyone enough. That’s one beat up Chevrolet Corvette but they make them tough in Detroit!”
More on the win:
“That was so tough. The competition here in this series is the best in the world. The AWA team gave me the best car in the world. The AWA team gave me the best car in the world. I couldn’t have asked for a better Corvette to take on the best here. There was some hard, hard racing… really hard but fair all the way. I have to give credit to our competitors. That was proper racing and why I love this race series. I hope the fans enjoyed it as well. I can’t thank AWA, Corvette, GM and my teammates. Everyone did such a good job giving us a car to go to work in.”
OREY FIDANI, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:
“This was always a dream, but I didn’t think about it before coming here two weeks ago. I think I drove my best-ever race in this one, the car was hooked up, my teammates drove really well and everything just came together. This is huge boost for the team and myself heading to the 24 Hours Le Mans. If we can this one, I think Le Mans also is a possibility as well. We’ll take that energy from here and roll it forward into that. But first, let’s try going for the 12 Hours next at Sebring!”
LARS KERN, NO. 13 AWA CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:
“I thought this is something that would never to happen to me. I lost out on a big win on the Nurburgring once where I was pretty sure that we had it. So I kind of thought I’m just the unlucky guy. Today, we all did our job but then at the end, we were discussing who was going into the car and I put my money on Matt. And we were all like ‘yeah, he can do it.’ What he did at the end and how the car performed over the whole race was just incredible. We knew on pace that we had an edge on everybody because the car was just absolutely epic to drive. Loved it. That’s why all of us had great pace in the race. But then at end it was just pure carnage and chaos. The way he managed it was incredible. The team with so many hiccups and so many gremlins with refueling and stuff, we always found a solution for it. It’s unreal.”
What does this do for you and for the team going to the other 24-hour race…
“We were laughing a couple of days ago that if we win this, it’s a good test for Le Mans. So we can continue like this. I think that’s our approach.”
MARVIN KIRCHHÖFER, NO. 13 AWA CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:
“How I’m describing this one, I don’t know. I’m lost for words. What an amazing race. I mean the result is one thing, but if you look behind the scenes, AWA, GM, Chevy and everyone, the amount of work everyone put in to have a great race and then actually winning the race in the last 30 minutes, I mean it’s absolutely amazing. Thanks to everyone for the support…to Chevy, to AWA, they welcomed me in the best possible way. As we said, quite nice way to start – one race, one win. Hopefully, there’s a few more coming. Amazing result, and just very, very thankful for everyone on the team involved to win the Rolex 24.”
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:
“All race we were going everywhere, basically. We solved a wiring problem during the night, and the car got back to being alive. We were lucky our crew could fix that, and the car was back in contention and fast. Ever since I drove it at night, we at least had a chance. I don’t think it would have made a ton of difference, but it’s a shame that penalty that I had, which from my point of view, was a little bit on the edge and avoidable from both sides. Such a shame. That put us on our back foot, and no yellows for three hours, at least. That was painful because if there were a yellow, we could have made our way to P1 and P2. I think we were both fast enough to be P1 or 2 or be up front on regular strategy instead of gambling on our strategy. Here you only want to win, but the good thing you can take is championship points for manufacturers, drivers, and teams. We’ll go up from here. And congratulations to the AWA guys on their win in GTD with their Corvette.”
ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:
“Right at the end for the last few hours, things really chopped and changed a lot for everyone in the field, really. But our Corvettes were working really well. We maybe didn’t have the pace overnight, but during the day things really came to us and we had the laptime. It was just a little bit difficult to race in a pack with a couple of the other manufacturer cars who were particularly fast on the straights and weaker in the corners, which is where we made our laptimes. Honestly, from where things looked like a few hours from the end, second is pretty good. But when you’re fighting super close for the win, you can’t help as a sportsman to feel disappointed not to get the win.”
Considering where you were a year ago…
“I thought that exactly too. Here we had a near flawless race. Our Corvette held up really, really well. The whole team did a fantastic job to execute so much of the race so well. It was a good start for the year.”
DANI JUNCADELLA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:
“I’ve had some time to cool down and to be honest, it’s an amazing result to finish second. A great start to the year. Really thankful to the team. They made us believe in winning, and we ended up just short. Alex is an absolute legend. That last 30 minutes gave us the shivers and made us dream about the victory. We just came short. It is what it is. Tomorrow will taste way better and I think looking at the overall performance and where we’re coming from one year ago, it’s fantastic. So really happy for the Pratt and Miller guys, everyone at Corvette Racing. They gave us a fantastic Corvette GT3 car and that was good fun.”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:
On incident with No. 48:
“That’s not what IMSA is about, sports car racing is about. First and foremost, the driver should be embarrassed, the team should be embarrassed… with that kind of racing. It is team racing here but not like that. They have a car that’s laps down out of the race whose only job is basically only to help the teammate, and not like that. Lap after lap, blocking, blocking, blocking, waiting for me. It’s just like I said, not how sports car racing should be. It’s disappointing. I don’t have an issue with 1 car. Those guys are in their own race. It’s just the sister car that’s out there just to be a nuisance. Poor sportsmanship, poor driving, just embarrassing on their part.
It sounds like they timed their pit stop to come out in front of me. On their previous stint, they waited for me until I got close, then held me up for a bit but for whatever reason, either he pit or got the black flag, then came out and did it again. Their only goal is to race dirty. Again, it’s just disappointing. It’s not how this kind of race should go. I was content for a while just to sit behind him. I’m not a big believer in spirits and those kinds of things, but if karma was going to work, it would be a good time today.”
More on the incident…
“Basically that’s not what IMSA and sports car racing is about. Hard racing between competitors is totally fine. I have no issue with the 1 car. At the end of the day the driver of the 48 should be embarrassed, the team should be embarrassed… a car that’s only out there to slow us down isn’t what this race is about. I have no issue with the 1. They’re still in the hunt. We’ll continue to race them clean as we have.
In the end what hurt us the most was to continue to stay out after they had a blocking penalty to block more. Whoever was in the 48 really slowed me up in (Turn) Three and got me a little bit crossed up and put me into the 1. The car isn’t totally right for sure. There’s lasting damage from all of that for sure, not to mention the problems we had with the bumper. Hopefully that is fixed now. It’s just disappointing. The team at Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports has done a great job all race long. I’m really proud of our guys. Nicky and Nico have done a great job all race long. It’s a shame for us to work that hard to put us into contention to have a good result and for it to be spoiled like that was pretty pathetic.”
CONNOR ZILISCH, NO. 91 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:
“It’s been so much fun bringing Trackhouse to IMSA and run the Rolex 24 with this team. All my teammates were a blast to be teammates with and hang out with off the track. Ben brought so much expertise to the team, and Scott and Shane – with all their experience racing V8 Supercars, IndyCar, NASCAR – I had a lot to learn from. I’m grateful that I got this chance to race with all those guys and race with them. I’m frustrated with how the race ended but looking back at the last two weeks, it was so much fun that I don’t sweat the result too much.”
4) The Sights And Sounds From CorvSport: Scott Kolecki’s On-Track Reporting
These are active Facebook posts, so if you’d like to join Scott and the other enthusiasts in the discussion, click on the “f” at the top right corner.
The short video from Scott that garnered nearly 14,000 views!
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