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Nicolás Varrone

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Nicolás Varrone
Varrone in 2023
NationalityArgentina Argentine
Born (2000-11-06) 6 November 2000 (age 24)
Ingeniero Maschwitz, Buenos Aires, Argentina
FIA World Endurance Championship career
Racing licence FIA Gold
Car number33
Starts2
Wins1
Poles0
Fastest laps0

Nicolás Martín "Nico" Varrone[1] (born 6 November 2000) is an Argentine racing driver. He is the 2023 WEC champion in the LMGTE Am class, having won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the category with Corvette Racing.[2] Varrone has also won the race in the LMP2 Pro-Am subclass with AF Corse in 2024.[3]

Early career

[edit]

Having competed in karting, Varrone made his car racing debut in the national Formula Renault category at the end of 2016. He remained in the series the following year and ended up 20th in the standings.

A move to Europe followed in 2018, as Varrone joined the V de V Challenge Monoplace, first driving for Inter Europol Competition before switching to TS Corse. The Argentine dominated, taking six wins from 14 races and claiming the title. This made him the final champion of the series' history.

In a 2019 season plagued by monetary concerns, Varrone took part in three rounds of the BRDC British Formula 3 Championship with Hillspeed, where he was able to win the reversed-grid race at Spa-Francorchamps.[4] As a consequence, the youngster signed for Chris Dittmann Racing for the 2020 season.[5][6] However, plans of running the entire season were scuppered by the COVID-19 pandemic, which meant that Varrone was forced to abandon his season after the opening pair of events.

Sportscar career

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After being forced to stop his British F3 campaign, Varrone returned home to Buenos Aires, thinking that he would have to abandon his racing career to work in the family business. However, manager Jose Balbiani managed to connect Varrone to Rinaldi Racing owner Michele Rinaldi, giving Varrone the chance to test an LMP3 car and subsequently partake in the final round of that year's Le Mans Cup.[7]

In 2021, Rinaldi paired Varrone with Alexander Matschull for the entire Le Mans Cup season, where three podiums earned the duo third place overall.[8]

Varrone driving the No. 17 Duqueine M30 - D08 at the 2023 6 Hours of The Glen

In 2022, Varrone made his debut at the IMSA SportsCar Championship where he entered the Six Hours of The Glen in the LMP3 category.[9] He then signed with the Canadian racing team AWA for the 2023 season.[10]

In January 2023, Varrone signed for Corvette Racing to contest the LMGTE Am class of the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship, driving a Chevrolet Corvette C8.R alongside Nicky Catsburg and Ben Keating. [11][12] He and his team had a successful year, not only winning their 24 Hours of Le Mans category but also their whole World Endurance Championship category.[13] The campaign contained three race wins, as well as a fastest lap set by Varrone at Le Mans. As a result, Varrone was upgraded to the FIA Gold ranking ahead of 2024.[14]

Ahead of the 2024 season, the Argentinian became a Corvette factory driver in lieu of a campaign in the GTD class of the IMSA SportsCar Championship.[15][16] However, after retiring from the opening two races of the campaign due to car issues, Varrone's team, AWA racing, and his teammate Anthony Mantella decided to withdraw from the series.[17][18] Varrone would soon find another drive, joining reigning 24 Hours of Nürburgring winners Frikadelli Racing for the 2024 event together with Luca Ludwig, Daniel Keilwitz, and Felipe Fernández Laser.[19]

Racing record

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Career summary

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Season Series Team Races Wins Poles F/Laps Podiums Points Position
2016 Fórmula Renault 2.0 Argentina MS Racing Car 4 0 0 0 0 15 27th
2017 Fórmula Renault 2.0 Argentina MS Racing 24 0 0 0 0 103 20th
2018 V de V Challenge Monoplace Inter Europol Competition 4 1 3 2 3 546 1st
TS Corse 10 5 10 6 8
Fórmula Renault 2.0 Argentina MS Racing 14 0 0 0 0 107 18th
TC2000 Championship Riva Racing 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC†
2019 Porsche GT3 Cup Trophy Argentina ? ? ? ? ? 14 9th
BRDC British Formula 3 Championship Hillspeed 9 1 0 0 2 109 17th
2020 International GT Open Team Lazarus 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC
Le Mans Cup - LMP3 Rinaldi Racing 1 0 0 0 0 10 24th
BRDC British Formula 3 Championship Chris Dittmann Racing 7 0 0 0 0 58 20th
2021 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Rinaldi Racing 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC
Le Mans Cup - LMP3 7 0 0 2 3 68 3rd
2022 European Le Mans Series - LMGTE Rinaldi Racing 6 1 1 0 1 39 11th
IMSA SportsCar Championship - LMP3 FastMD Racing 1 0 1 0 0 315 29th
24H GT Series - GT3 Wochenspiegel Team Monschau 1 1 0 1 1 0 NC
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Am Iron Lynx 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 17th
Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie - VT3 Team Mathol Racing e.V. 3 2 2 2 2 0 NC†
Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie - VT2-FWD 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC†
2023 Asian Le Mans Series - LMP3 WTM by Rinaldi Racing 4 0 4 1 1 31 5th
FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE Am Corvette Racing 7 3 0 1 5 173 1st
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Am 1 1 1 1 1 N/A 1st
IMSA SportsCar Championship - LMP3 AWA 4 1 0 0 2 882 13th
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup AF Corse 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC
2024 IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD AWA 2 0 0 0 0 251* 29th*
IMSA SportsCar Championship - LMP2 DragonSpeed
Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie - SP9 Frikadelli Racing Team 1 0 0 0 0 * *
24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP9 1 0 0 1 0 N/A 12th
European Le Mans Series - LMGT3 AF Corse 5 0 0 1 1 43 12th
2024-25 Asian Le Mans Series - GT AF Corse
Source:[20]

† As he was a guest driver, Varrone was ineligible to score points.

Complete BRDC British Formula 3 Championship results

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Pos Points
2019 Hillspeed OUL
1
OUL
2
OUL
3
SNE
1
SNE
2
SNE
3
SIL1
1

17
SIL1
2

4
SIL1
3

14
DON1
1
DON1
2
DON1
3
SPA
1

11
SPA
2

17
SPA
3

8
BRH
1
BRH
2
BRH
3
SIL2
1

13
SIL2
2

22
SIL2
3

13
DON2
1
DON2
2
DON2
3
17th 109
2020 Chris Dittmann Racing OUL
1

9
OUL
2

51
OUL
3

Ret
OUL
4

Ret
DON1
1

Ret
DON1
2

118
DON1
3

4
BRH
1
BRH
2
BRH
3
BRH
4
DON2
1
DON2
2
DON2
3
SNE
1
SNE
2
SNE
3
SNE
4
DON3
1
DON3
2
DON3
3
SIL
1
SIL
2
SIL
3
20th 58

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

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Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
2022 Italy Iron Lynx Germany Pierre Ehret
Germany Christian Hook
Ferrari 488 GTE Evo GTE Am 324 53rd 17th
2023 United States Corvette Racing Netherlands Nicky Catsburg
United States Ben Keating
Chevrolet Corvette C8.R GTE
Am
313 26th 1st
2024 Italy AF Corse United Kingdom Ben Barnicoat
France François Perrodo
Oreca 07-Gibson LMP2 297 18th 4th
LMP2 Pro-Am 1st
Sources:[21][22]

Complete European Le Mans Series results

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Year Entrant Class Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 Rank Points
2022 Rinaldi Racing LMGTE Ferrari 488 GTE Evo Ferrari F154CB 3.9 L Turbo V8 LEC
1
IMO
Ret
MNZ
6
CAT
9
SPA
10
ALG
9
11th 39
2024 AF Corse LMGT3 Ferrari 296 GT3 Ferrari F163 3.0 L Turbo V6 CAT
LEC
6
IMO
6
SPA
MUG
ALG
10th* 16*
Source:[21]

* Season still in progress.

Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Class Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Rank Pts
2023 Corvette Racing LMGTE Am Chevrolet Corvette C8.R Chevrolet 5.5 L V8 SEB
1
PRT
1
SPA
2
LMS
1
MNZ
4
FUJ
2
BHR
7
1st 173
Sources:[21][23]

Complete WeatherTech SportsCar Championship results

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team Class Make Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Pos. Points Ref
2022 FastMD Racing LMP3 Ligier JS P320 Nissan VK56DE 5.6 L V8 DAY SEB MDO WGL
4
MOS
ELK
PET
29rd 315 [24]
2023  AWA LMP3 Duqueine M30 – D08 Nissan VK56DE 5.6 L V8 DAY
1
SEB
4
WGL
3
MOS
ELK
IMS
PET
6
13th 882 [25]
2024 AWA GTD Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R Chevrolet LT6 5.5 L V8 DAY
18
SEB
22
LBH LGA WGL MOS ELK VIR IMS PET 29th* 251* [26]
Source:[21]

References

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  1. ^ "Pilote des 24 heures du Mans : Nicolás Martín Varrone". www.24h-en-piste.com (in French). Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  2. ^ says, Steve Vest (2023-06-11). "Corvette Racing take GTE-Am victory at Le Mans". Motorsport Week. Retrieved 2024-06-16.
  3. ^ "Ferrari goes back to back with No. 50 victorious at Le Mans". RACER. 2024-06-16. Retrieved 2024-06-16.
  4. ^ Hine, Nathan (2019-09-18). "REVIEW: 2019 BRDC British Formula 3 Round eight Donington Park – consistent Clement Novalak clinches title after clash with Hoggard". The Checkered Flag. Retrieved 2023-07-13.
  5. ^ Wood, Ida (2020-03-05). "Nico Varrone make full-time move to BRDC British F3 with Chris Dittmann Racing". Formula Scout. Retrieved 2023-07-13.
  6. ^ Taylor, Lauren (2020-03-09). "Chris Dittmann Racing confirm Nicolás Varrone for 2020 BRDC British F3 Championship". The Checkered Flag. Retrieved 2023-07-13.
  7. ^ "From Covid Disruption To Corvette Glory: Varonne's Journey To The Centenary Le Mans | dailysportscar.com". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 2023-07-13.
  8. ^ "LMC". www.lemanscup.com. Retrieved 2023-07-13.
  9. ^ Dagys, John (June 15, 2022). "49 Entries for 6H Watkins Glen". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
  10. ^ Dagys, John (December 21, 2022). "AWA Confirms Lineup for Two-Car LMP3 Effort for Daytona". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
  11. ^ Thukral, Rachit (14 January 2023). "Varrone completa la alineación de Corvette en el WEC GTE Am 2023". lat.motorsport.com. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  12. ^ "Corvette Racing Rounds Out FIA WEC Lineup in No. 33 C8.R". en.endurance-info.com. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  13. ^ "Dempsey Proton win LMGTE Am in Monza as Corvette crowned champions". www.fiawec.com. Retrieved 2024-02-24.
  14. ^ "Iron Dames drivers see classification changes in latest FIA driver rankings". Motorsport Week. 2023-10-04. Retrieved 2024-04-05.
  15. ^ Staff, Sportscar365 (2023-11-13). "Juncadella, Bamber Among Corvette Factory Driver Additions – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 2024-04-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  16. ^ Euwema, Davey (2023-11-24). "Varrone: AWA Pro Role "Doesn't Change Anything" – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 2024-04-05.
  17. ^ "AWA Scales Back To Single Car For Rest Of 2024". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 2024-04-05.
  18. ^ "AWA down to one Corvette after Mantella departs". Motorsport Week. 2024-03-26. Retrieved 2024-04-05.
  19. ^ "Frikadelli-Ferrari mit drei neuen Fahrern bei 24h Nürburgring". Motorsport-Total.com (in German). Retrieved 2024-04-05.
  20. ^ "Nicolás Varrone | Racing career profile | Driver Database". Driver Database. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  21. ^ a b c d "Nicolás Varrone Results". Motorsport Stats. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
  22. ^ "Nicolas Varrone". Automobile Club de l'Ouest. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  23. ^ "Nicolas Varrone". FIA World Endurance Championship. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  24. ^ "Nicolás Varrone – 2022 Weathertech SportsCar Championship Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  25. ^ "Nicolás Varrone – 2023 Weathertech SportsCar Championship Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  26. ^ "Nicolás Varrone – 2024 Weathertech SportsCar Championship Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
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