Keating Joins Corvette Racing for GTE-Am Effort

Photo: MPS Agency

Ben Keating will make the switch from Aston Martin to Corvette for the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship season, having been confirmed as part of Corvette Racing’s new GTE-Am effort.

The Bronze-rated driver, who currently leads the GTE-Am championship standings with TF Sport, will team up with Nicky Catsburg and a yet-to-be-confirmed Silver-rated driver in Pratt & Miller-run Corvette C8.R for a full season campaign.

Corvette’s refocused program comes after a season of racing in GTE-Pro, which concludes in next month’s 8 Hours of Bahrain in the category’s final race. GTE-Am will be the only eligible production-based class in the WEC next year, which has promoted the move to the class.

Keating, considered one of the most successful Bronze-rated drivers in the paddock, is the reigning GTE-Am class winner at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, while also having been victorious at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring and other major endurance races and championships.

The 51-year-old Texan came close to securing a deal in 2020 that would have seen him drive a customer Corvette C8.R in the WEC run by former BMW factory squad MTEK, a prospect that ultimately never materialized.

“I’ve really wanted to race a Corvette for a long time and have been chipping away at this to make this happen because I want to race what I sell,” said Keating, who has retained his Bronze driver rating for 2023. “I’m in the unique position of enjoying cars as a vocation and a recreation.

“This is something I’ve been dreaming of for a long time. I’m incredibly excited for this opportunity.

“I know that Corvette Racing is really excited about the program and I am too. There’s just something special about the 100th anniversary of Le Mans, the last year of GTE-spec cars and something special with an American driver racing for an American team.

“I’m excited that when – not if! – we win a race that we will hear the U.S. National Anthem. I haven’t had that because I’ve driven for British and German teams. So this will be awesome.”

Keating added: “Having been teammates with Jeroen Bleekemolen for a number of years and both of them being Dutch, Nicky was kind of always around! So I’ve always felt a good connection with Nicky.

“Even though we’ve never been teammates, I’ve paid attention very closely to him. I remember him testing a Corvette for the first time at Le Mans, and I wasn’t surprised when he went out and set the fastest GT lap of anyone in the field on the Test Day! So he is fun to watch.

“He’s extremely quick and is someone who knows all the tracks in the WEC and is someone I get along with extremely well. I’m super excited to be teamed with him.”

While Keating will race a Corvette for the first time, Catsburg has established himself as a fixture with the marque and steps up to a full-season seat for the first time.

Since joining the program in 2020, the Dutchman recorded a victory at Daytona in 2021 and Sebring this year alongside Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor.

“It’s been my goal from the get-go when I joined the team to be a full-time Corvette Racing driver,” said Catsburg. “It’s super-cool to do races like Daytona, Sebring, Le Mans and Petit Le Mans. But I knew that I always wanted to do something full-time with the team.

“I’m super happy and proud that it’s happening and that I can call myself a full-time Corvette driver. It’s super-nice. It’s a dream come true and I can’t wait to get this going.”

Keating will get his first laps in the Corvette during the WEC’s end-of-season Bahrain Rookie Test on Nov. 13.

Corvette’s WEC program will be in addition to a continued presence in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, with a single Corvette C8.R GTD for Jordan Taylor and Antonio Garcia.

“We learned a great deal this year about running dual programs in both IMSA and the FIA WEC – all of which will benefit the Corvette brand going forward,” said GM sports car racing program manager Laura Wontrop Klauser.

“In IMSA, we will return to GTD Pro against a very competitive group of manufacturers while laying the groundwork for the Corvette Z06 GT3.R. Similarly, Corvette Racing’s FIA WEC program allows us the opportunity to continue growing the global presence of Corvette in a world championship.”

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By: John Dagys
Title: Keating Joins Corvette Racing for GTE-Am Effort
Sourced From: sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/keating-joins-corvette-racing-for-gte-am-effort/
Published Date: Tue, 18 Oct 2022 12:59:04 +0000