The No. 3 Corvette Racing C8.R of drivers Antonio Garcia, Jordan Taylor and Nicky Catsburg held off its sister car to win the GT Le Mans class at the 24 Hours of Daytona.
The team, however, could not hold off COVID-19, as Garcia, 40, received a positive test result for the coronavirus during the race. Crew members and those who came in contact with the driver now face more testing for the virus.
Garcia was pulled from competition in hour 17 of the 24-hour race. Taylor and Catsburg finished the race for the No. 3 car, which topped the No. 4 Corvette by 3.519 seconds for the class win. That No. 4 car was driven by Tommy Milner, Alexander Sims and Nick Tandy.
Corvette Racing issued the following statement:
“As part of international COVID travel protocols, all drivers and team members traveling in and out of the US are required to take a COVID test before and after any race activities. While Antonio Garcia tested negative in preparation for his arrival for the Rolex 24, we have received notice that he has now tested positive in preparation to depart the country. He was immediately pulled from competition upon notification of the positive test result and, although he wasn’t experiencing any symptoms, will no longer participate in any additional race activities at the Rolex 24 at Daytona.
“Upon consulting with IMSA and its Event Operations Protocols, the series determined Corvette Racing met all conditions under the IMSA event protocols that allowed it to compete in a safe and responsible manner. We have notified crew members and others who had contact with Antonio and will conduct testing with racing team members after 72 hours, per CDC guidelines.”
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