A Victoria resident plans to hit the Interlagos circuit in São Paulo, Brazil on Sunday.

Ben Keating will be racing a Corvette Z06 GT3.R in the LMGT3 class with 33 TF Sport, his team of drivers, in the 2025 FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile) World Endurance Championship. Keating and his team will compete against drivers of other endurance sports cars such as Aston Martins, Ferraris, and Porsches.

At 52, Keating is among the oldest competitors in the event.

Coming into the event, 33 TF Sport ranks third in the FIA Endurance Trophy standings for LMGT3 teams with 60 points. The points team leader is 92 Manthey First Phorm with 81.

A strong showing in Brazil would help Keating’s group close the gap, or possibly take the lead in the season standings. After this race, there will be three more event in 2025, with the last one taking place in Bahrain on Nov 6-8.

Keating and his group placed seventh in their previous race, the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans in France, on June 14 and 15. They won the season-opening competition, the Qatar 1812km, on Feb 26- March 1.

In that event, 33 TF Sport recorded a winning time of 10:03:04.050. The next fastest team at that event clocked in at 10:03:04.543. Keating indicated he is focused not only on the next race, but moving up the season standings and in position for a shot at the title.

“My main goal is to win the championship, and we are still in that hunt for sure,” Keating said. “I’ve never been to São Paulo. But I’ve spent a lot of time on my simulator and learning it. So I’m looking forward to being back toward the front.”

Robert Brewer is a sports reporter for the Victoria Advocate. He can be reached at robert.brewer@vicad.com.

Classified as an amateur racer, Keating makes his full-time living as the owner of 30 auto dealerships across the state of Texas. The Tomball native and Texas A&M graduate has been auto racing since 2007 and bought his first race car in Port Lavaca.