Anthony Mantella appears to be calling time on his IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD effort with the new Corvette Z06 GT3.R run by AWA.
After two DNFs in the first two races of the 2024 season, including an alternator issue at Sebring that left the car sidelined after only two laps, Mantella posted on Instagram that the Z06 GT3.R was for sale. Mantella made the switch with the AWA team from LMP3 to GTD for 2024 as AWA was selected as the first customer team in IMSA competition for Chevrolet’s first factory GT3 car.
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Mantella had Corvette factory pilot Nico Varrone, who was part of the WEC GTE-Am-winning trio for Corvette Racing in 2023, on board, along with Thomas Merrill for the endurance races and Charlie Eastwood at Daytona. The No. 17 Corvette completed 508 laps in the 24-hour race to the winning car’s 731 laps, 200 laps better than the No. 13 sister car did at Daytona. At Sebring, Orey Fidany, Matt Bell and Lars Kern finished ninth, on the same lap as winners Winward Racing.
The best finish for the factory-supported Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports team has been a fifth in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, seven laps down from the winning car in GTD PRO.
The post by @mantella_autosport read, “Imsa spec GTD Corvette Race car for sale. Used very infrequently. Hasn’t finished a race. Perfect for the collector who wants the latest iron from Pratt and Miller / Corvette Racing. Not a perfect race car but unobtainium to the public.”
AWA, meanwhile, posted on social media that while Mantella was out, the No. 13 Corvette would be continuing and present at the next round, the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.
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