2023 Chevrolet Corvette C8.R #33
Pilots: B. Keating, N. Varrone, L. Duval
Team: Corvette Racing
Race: 26th overall (1st in LMGTE-Am class) at Le Mans in 2023
Spark - S8760 (resin)
Published 12/20/24
When you think of an American brand racing at Le Mans, you obviously think of Ford. Not surprisingly – after all, four (!!!) overall wins is an impressive feat. However, that’s the only thing Ford did. And these wins came mostly because of a corporate beef… With some very few exceptions, it is rare to see a Ford at La Sarthe. On the other hand, which American brand forged a (solid!) reputation in the GT classes? Chevrolet, or more specifically, Corvette. A Corvette first raced there in 1960, and until 2022, they achieved 11 class wins. Comparatively, Ford has two class wins (1972 and 2016). In fact, starting in 2000, a Corvette has always been a contender for a class win. So, it was no surprise that the Corvette C8, launched in 2019, would compete in La Sarthe.
Chevrolet debuted the eighth generation of the Corvette in July of 2019. It was a huge deal, since the new car was the first Corvette to have a mid-engine configuration. And yes, that was bonkers – a Corvette with an “European” set up 😲? For the first time an American car received praise for its handling, and not just for power output. Shortly after, produced by Pratt & Miller, Chevrolet introduced the racing version of the C8: the C8.R. The new car debuted in 2020, at Daytona, finishing second in class. The C8.R debuted at La Sarthe in 2021, also finishing in second (LMGTE-Pro). Despite the previous good result, 2022 was disappointing – both cars of the Corvette team DNF. Nonetheless, of course they were back for 2023. After all, 2023 would be the 100th year of the 24 Heures du Mans.
Despite being the Centennial Le Mans, 2023 was also a sad race. That year was the last race of the LMGTE Era. The previous year was the last race of the LMGTE-Pro class, and 2023 was the last LMGTE-Am race. With that, we said goodbye to possibly the most exciting class at La Sarthe for the last 10 (?) years. No, there’s no denying: LMP1 became boring in the later years. Audi left in 2014, followed by Porsche in 2017 and it then became a Toyota private event. Sorry, it’s true: we all knew that Toyota would win. However, in LMGTE (and of course, LMP2 also) we saw some great battles on track. There was never a favorite, the podium was up for grabs for all who could complete the 24 hours. For 2024, FIA replaced LMGTE with the new LMGT3 class. For better or for worse? We’ll see…
With all that, Corvette’s win in 2023 was historical. Piloted by Ben Keating, Nicolás Varrone and Loïc Duval, C8.R #33 came in 26th overall and first in LMGTE-Am. That was Corvette’s 12th class win. As a side note, the class speed record was 309.1 km/h, by a Ferrari 488 GTE Evo. If you remember that in 1923 the race’s overall speed record was 107.33 km/h… 😲 Bottom line, C8.R #33 here is a must buy for the Le Mans nut. As expected, Spark delivered a fantastic model, though I have to say that the livery is only meh. Well, obviously that’s not Spark’s fault, however in my Corvette line-up C8.R #33 is a bit dull. Nonetheless, the model compensates for that with a great detail level and historical significance. So, let’s hope that LMGT3 will be as exciting as LMGTE was. Corvette already has the Z06 GT3.R waiting…