TF Sport claims LMGT3 runner-up finish at the 6 Hours of Imola

TF Sport opens its 2026 FIA WEC campaign on the italian podium at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari. After starting from 14th place, the No. 33 Corvette Z06 GT3.R climbed through the field over the course of the 6 Hours of Imola to take the checkered flag just two tenths behind the No. 69 BMW of Team WRT.

This marks the team’s second consecutive podium in season-opening rounds with the manufacturer’s latest GT3 model. Alongside Nicky Catsburg, who tamed the V8 engine in the final stint, Jonny Edgar and rookie Blake McDonald also stood out in securing second place.

McDonald delivered a strong performance at the start of the race and handed over the No. 33 car to Edgar already on the LMGT3 top five. The trio briefly took the lead halfway through the race, when Jonny also set the fastest lap of his stint.

In the closing stages of the 6 Hours of Imola, Edgar returned to the pits and Catsburg took over the Corvette while the trio was running in third place.

Despite TF Sport’s final pit stop being slightly extended due to an issue with a wheel gun, the Dutch driver pushed to secure P2 and reduced the gap to the leader from three seconds to just two tenths with 35 minutes remaining.

Meanwhile, the Racing Team Turkey No. 34 Corvette Z06 GT3.R, also managed by TF Sport, crossed the finish line in 16th place after suffering an electrical issue in the final part of the race, resulting in an additional pit stop on the fifth hour.

Before the setback, the Salih Yoluc/Peter Dempsey/Charlie Eastwood trio showed strong pace, climbing from P10 to P4 in the early stages and fighting for a podium finish.

The FIA WEC heads to Belgium from May 7th to 9th for the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, the second round of the 2026 season.

Corvette Z06 GT3.R driver quotes after the 6 Hours of Imola

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “First off all, it’s great to be back in WEC and to come back with a podium is obviously really nice. That’s definitely thanks to my teammates who did an impeccable job today. No mistakes and that’s what you need to be on the podium here. I feel like we got unlucky in the pitlane a couple of times, otherwise I think we could have won. I tried really hard with the BMW at the end but I know Dan Harper really well. He used to be a teammate; I was not expecting to make a mistake, and he didn’t. Unfortunately I couldn’t pass him. In the first stint I struggled behind him quite a lot and destroyed my tires a bit. Overall I think we can be happy with the result and we can look forward to a good season.”

JONNY EDGAR, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It was a good first race, and I enjoyed my stint a lot. We were on a different tire strategy than other cars around, so we managed to jump to the lead but had a little worse tires for the next stint. I was defending a lot from the McLaren and managed to hold him off most of the stint. We also had an energy advantage on all the cars we were racing and were in a good position. It was really unlucky on Nicky’s last pit stop. We had a wheel gun failure and lost quite a few seconds. Without that, I think we had a good chance of coming out in the lead. It’s a shame to have that happen at an unlucky time. But Blake and Nicky did an outstanding job. Coming from 14th to second is a great start to the season. I’m really happy with this and really enjoyed the car. It was great all week.”

BLAKE McDONALD, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “First WEC race and first WEC podium. I think we had the victory and the car to win and we had the pace as well. A couple of little mishaps put us in P2 but I can’t complain too much about that. Starting from P14 and getting up to P2, leading the race for a portion… Jonny did such a good job and Nicky did such a good job. I couldn’t be more proud. I’ve done a lot of work with TF Sport in Asia and now in the ELMS. To get a podium with them and a trophy with them means everything to me. I get to go into my week-long break before Paul Ricard in ELMS with a lot of momentum. This high will probably take a little while to come down from.”

CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 34 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Unfortunately it wasn’t the result we wanted. There were a lot of positives throughout the week, we were really quick from FP1. Peter was the fastest driver in Q1. The Corvette had unbelievable pace. It was looking good until it wasn’t. A small electrical issue maybe cost us the race or at least a podium. Not long before Spa to bounce back so we need to get some points on the board there before Le Mans.”

SALIH YOLUC, NO. 34 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It was pretty eventful but I didn’t make it easy on myself starting farther back than I would have liked. But all in all, it was good for a place like this that is difficult to overtake. Going from 10th to fourth is quite OK.”

PETER DEMPSEY, NO. 34 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It started off well for us. Salih had good pace at the start. My first stint, we boxed early for a refill and probably burned the rears off a bit too much. I was able to control it better for the second stint. Unfortunately we ran into a technical issue with the car. We lost some time in the cockpit trying to solve the issue and the loss of power. It’s a huge learning experience for me. I know I have areas where I can improve but I think I did a solid job. I’ve got work to do for the next one but I’m happy enough overall.”