Keating will staff up with Nicky Catsburg and Nico Varrone within the WEC, however says the approach required to extract tempo from the C8.R shouldn’t be like something he had encountered beforehand.
The 51-year-old Texan has change into some of the extremely revered Bronze-rated drivers of the previous 10 years, adapting nicely and profitable races in Prototypes whereas additionally starring in GT automobiles such because the Dodge Viper, Ferrari 488, Ford GT, Porsche 911 RSR and, most lately, the Aston Martin Vantage. Final yr, he and Marco Sorensen received the GTE Am class of the WEC in TF Sport’s Aston Martin.
However Keating admitted that his first check within the Corvette in Bahrain final November left him puzzled.
“I received to do 10 laps precisely; we have been extra targeted on testing Silver [-rated drivers] and watching Nico go quick round Bahrain,” he mentioned.
“After I first received within the automobile at Bahrain, I do know it that it’s a mid-engine automobile, so I stored making an attempt to consider how I’m purported to drive this automobile. Am I purported to drive it like a Ford or just like the Porsche or just like the Ferrari, these being different mid-engine automobiles?
“I’ll say that I used to be fairly upset with my efficiency in Bahrain. I got here again and appeared on the knowledge and realized that you just drive this automobile utterly in a different way than any of these. So whereas I used to be leaning on my expertise of how you can go quick in all these different automobiles, I wasn’t capable of finding it.
“Then fast-forward one other couple of months and we went testing at Sebring. It was unbelievable. The velocity got here fairly fast for me, I’d say. I felt very comfy within the automobile, and I really feel like I made some enormous steps in studying how this automobile likes to be pushed. It’s considerably totally different than all of the others.
“For me personally, it’s taken just a little bit to get used to. I’ve been in a turbo automobile for the final couple of years, and the massive V8 has much more torque immediately at low RPMs than having to attend for that huge turbo to wind up, so that you don’t have that lag which takes a short time to get used to.
“The yr earlier than, I used to be within the Porsche RSR and once more it doesn’t have the identical stage of torque {that a} huge V8 has. All of them have barely totally different dealing with traits.
“After Bahrain I used to be fearful, however after Sebring I’m excited! I made the transition and was actually pleased with my efficiency after the check. After that, I’ve been testing within the LMP2 there as nicely, and I really feel there’s a first rate crossover between the 2 automobiles at this specific observe. I’m prepared.”
Varrone, who final yr raced a Ferrari 488 within the European Le Mans Collection, concurred along with his veteran teammate that the Corvette may be very totally different.
“I did some laps in Bahrain and Sebring, and I used to be actually comfy with the automobile,” mentioned the 22-year-old Argentinean. “I personally loved driving the Ferrari GTE, however with the Corvette I really feel there’s something particular within the first moments. It fits rather well my driving fashion.
“As Ben mentioned, I used to be making an attempt to make use of all my expertise with the Ferrari and put it within the Corvette, and it wasn’t engaged on the primary outing I did. I used to be actually scuffling with low-speed corners with some oversteer.
“I labored with the engineers on the info, they usually informed me it was a very totally different method of driving. As soon as I began engaged on it by means of the laps and over the runs, I actually improved on it.
“I’ve to say it’s a unique idea to drive it and you need to get used to it. And after I received to Sebring, I already had this expertise from Bahrain and I received used to it. It wasn’t an enormous problem for me as a result of I received used to it actually rapidly.
“Due to my driving fashion, I favored the way in which of driving it. However it’s actually totally different to different automobiles I’ve pushed previously.”
