For TF Sport, title success means stronger ties with Corvette, AO Racing

TF Sport closed out its 2025 European Le Mans Series campaign in style last weekend at Portimão, locking up both the LMP2 Pro/Am and LMGT3 championships – and in doing so, delivering major milestones for both Corvette and AO Racing.

The season finale in Portugal marked a breakthrough double for the British outfit. The AO by TF partnership successfully defended its LMP2 title, this time in the Pro/Am ranks, while TF earned its first championship with Corvette – also the first ELMS title for General Motors and its new Corvette Z06 GT3.R. Neither achievement came easy, as both sides of the garage of the garage had to grind through plenty of adversity to hit their targets.

In LMP2 Pro/Am, the Spike The Dragon-liveried ORECA run under the AO by TF banner sealed the title with a runner-up finish for PJ Hyett, Dane Cameron, and Louis Deletraz in Saturday's finale.

For Hyett, who co-founded AO Racing with Gunnar Jeanette, the championship capped an incredible run that stretched across both sides of the Atlantic. Once he got that elusive first win — which, remarkably, came at Le Mans — the results started flowing. He followed his La Sarthe triumph up with another ELMS victory at Imola, plus IMSA wins at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and Road America, before clinching the IMSA LMP2 title at Petit Le Mans.

“We were trying to encourage him (PJ) at the start of the year — he was itching for that first win,” Cameron told RACER. “It’s a huge commitment, and it can be frustrating when the results don’t come. But once he got that first one, it snowballed. Now he knows he can do it, and the momentum’s there.”

The title also checked off personal goals for Hyett’s co-drivers. Deletraz has now collected four ELMS titles in five seasons, while Cameron achieved his own objective of winning a championship in Europe after stepping away from Porsche's factory prototype program at the end of 2024.

“This was something I really wanted when I came over (to WEC),” Cameron said. “I know all the tracks in the States, but I wanted to push myself somewhere new. My WEC adventure was tough, but it gave me the experience to make this happen. Having TF, Louis, and PJ together was the perfect combo.”

On the GT side, TF Sport’s Corvette program earned GM its first-ever ELMS crown, along with an automatic Le Mans entry for 2026. Beyond the silverware, it also served as validation for the Z06 GT3.R’s credentials outside of factory hands. The new GT3-spec Corvette proved it could win with a customer team as well as with the Pratt Miller factory squad back home.

The championship was sealed in a tense final hour as factory driver Charlie Eastwood had to fend off United Autosports' hard-charging McLaren, all while managing a late-race drop in pace which the team is yet to diagnose.

“It was super stressful,” Eastwood admitted. “Wayne was right there the whole time. My engineer came on and said there were six laps to go, and he was literally glued to my bumper. I had to hang on — there was no room for error. I’m going to remember this one for a long time.”

For team owner Tom Ferrier, the twin titles represented validation for TF’s multi-front expansion and its growing ties to its partners on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.

“It’s a relief more than anything,” Ferrier said. “It showed our strength as a group. Working with AO again has been a pleasure, and we’re planning to be back to defend that title in 2026.

“With Corvette, it’s massive for the brand and what we’re building together. The Z06 GT3.R has come on fast after a tough start, and to take a title this early is huge. We’re already putting plans in place for the WEC and ELMS next year — and hopefully with a second Z06 on the grid for our European campaign.”