# 33 Corvette clinches GTE AM Championship at Monza – Part 1 of a HUGE day in Italy and Canada

On Sunday, July 9, a fourth-place finish by drivers Ben Keating, Nico Verrone and Nicky Catsburg was enough to win the 2023 WEC GTE Championship.

They beat out the 2 closest contenders-the # 25 Aston Martin Vantage ORT by TF & the # 85 Porsche 911 RSR-19 Iron Dames while the # 77 Porsche 911 RSR-19 Proton/Dempsey won in the 12-car field.

 Finish video https://twitter.com/i/status/1678085735612571649

The 3.6 - mile Monza circuit just north of Milan Italy is known as “the temple of speed” dating back to 1922.

Keating started sixth but jumped up 3 spots in the early going.  Varrone recovered from a drive-thru penalty to stay with the leaders.  Catsburg drove the final 90 minutes knowing that fourth place awarded enough points to secure the championship.

With only 2 more races to go at Fuji & Bahrain, no one can catch them based on a second-place and winning 3 times including Le Mans which counts for double points.

Winning the championship adds momentum to the Corvette Z06 GT3.R customer program arriving to the WEC next year with the afore-mentioned Tom Ferrier, TF Sport UK.