Corvette Racing Returning to IMSA, FIA WEC in 2023
We are delighted to relay Corvette Racing announcements for 2023
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ 24 Hours of Le Mans 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021.
DETROIT (Oct. 18, 2022) – In its 25th season of top-level endurance racing, Corvette Racing will continue its long-running commitment to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in 2023 as part of the GT Daytona (GTD) PRO class while taking on a new challenge by transitioning into GTE Am competition in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
For the second year in a row, Corvette Racing will enter one car in each of sports car racing’s most prestigious championships. The premier races in the world will be part of the schedule for the Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R including the Rolex 24 At Daytona, 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, among others.
“We learned a great deal this year about running dual programs in both IMSA and the FIA WEC – all of which will benefit the Corvette brand going forward,” said Laura Wontrop Klauser, GM Sports Car Racing Program Manager. “In IMSA, we will return to GTD PRO against a very competitive group of manufacturers while laying the groundwork for the Corvette Z06 GT3.R. Similarly, Corvette Racing’s FIA WEC program allows us the opportunity to continue growing the global presence of Corvette in a world championship.”
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ 1.000 Miles of Sebring 2022.
FIA WEC: Catsburg, Keating form partnership in GTE Am
The Corvette C8.R will again join the grid in the World Endurance Championship as a full-time entry, this time in GTE Am. The C8.R will be driven by Nicky Catsburg, who moves to full-time duty in a Corvette for the first time, and highly successful Bronze driver Ben Keating – widely considered one of the world’s best privateer drivers.
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ 6 Hours of Spa 2022.
The sporting rules of the GTE Am category require at least one Bronze-level driver, as rated by the FIA. One professional-level driver is allowed along with a second Bronze or Silver-rated driver. Corvette Racing will confirm the final member of the WEC lineup at a later date.
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ 24 Hours of Le Mans 2022.
The trio will contest the full seven-race FIA WEC calendar including the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June.
Keating is a past winner at Le Mans, Daytona, Sebring and many of the other premier races in FIA WEC, IMSA and Intercontinental GT Challenge. The personable Texan began racing in 2006 and quickly established a reputation as one of sports car’s fastest and most reliable amateur drivers in both prototype and GT categories. He races with the support of Four Horsemen Racing and Wynns.
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ 6 Hours of The Glen 2022.
While Keating will race a Corvette for the first time, Catsburg has established himself as a fixture with the marque. Since joining the program in 2020, Catsburg recorded a victory at Daytona in 2021 and Sebring this year alongside Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor.
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ 6 Hours of Monza 2022.
The 2023 campaign will be Catsburg’s first in the World Endurance Championship since 2019. He also has wins in long-distance races at the Nürburgring, Spa and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, among other venues.
Garcia, Taylor back in IMSA GTD PRO full-time
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ ROLEX 24 2022.
With two championships in three years together, the aforementioned Garcia and Taylor will reunite for another run at the GTD PRO title in 2023.
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ 6 Hours of The Glen 2022.
Like this year’s effort, the familiar yellow Corvette will run in a modified state to fit the C8.R in the performance window of GT3 cars that make up both the GTD PRO and regular GTD entries in the WeatherTech Championship. The 2022 season was a learning experience for both Corvette Racing and IMSA as the two groups work together on balancing the C8.R and the rest of the GTD category from technical and competitive standpoints.
The victory at Sebring for Garcia, Taylor and Catsburg was the highlight of the 2022 season, which also included runner-up finishes at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and VIR.
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ 12 Hours of Sebring 2022.
Garcia is a five-time IMSA champion dating back to 2013. He has made 136 starts with the program since joining as a long-distance driver in 2009. Among his career highlights include two Rolex 24 wins, two Le Mans wins and five victories at Sebring.
Taylor is a four-time IMSA champion with two coming in the GT Le Mans (GTLM) ranks with Garcia in 2020 and 2021. He joined Corvette Racing in 2012 as a long-distance third driver and won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2015. He moved to a full-time role in 2020 – the same season the C8.R made its competition debut.
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ 24 Hours of Le Mans 2022.
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ Motul Petit Le Mans 2022.
Milner back to IMSA, focusing on GT3 development
Tommy Milner, currently contesting the full WEC for Corvette Racing, will take over the endurance driver role in the WeatherTech Championship for 2023. He will drive with Garcia and Taylor at Daytona, Sebring and the 1,000-mile Petit Le Mans.
Milner also will serve a key role as the primary testing and development driver for the Corvette Z06 GT3.R, which will be available to customer racing teams starting in 2024.
Milner made his 130th start with Corvette Racing at the most recent WEC round at Fuji and has been part of the program as a full-time driver since 2011. He is a two-time IMSA champion, claimed a pair of victories at Le Mans and scored his first WEC race victory – outside of Le Mans – in July at the Six Hours of Monza.
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ Motul Petit Le Mans 2022.
Chevrolet is in the midst of an extensive development program for the Z06 GT3.R using both on-track testing and the manufacturer’s Driver-in-the-Loop simulator. The latter has been the focus for more than a year as Corvette Racing continues to refine items such as chassis platform, traction control, ABS and other tools that are features of GT3 racing.
The Corvette Z06 GT3.R will leverage the strong foundation provided by the mid-engine Corvette Z06 supercar. The Z06 GT3.R will share the same aluminum chassis, a production engine modified for use in the racecar, and similar aerodynamic features.
At the heart of the Z06 GT3.R is a 5.5-liter, DOHC LT6 V8 engine with the same flat-plane crankshaft architecture that powers the Corvette C8.R and the production Corvette Z06.
Corvette Racing’s 2023 IMSA campaign kicks off with the Rolex 24 At Daytona on January 28-30, while the FIA WEC season begins with the 1,000 Miles of Sebring on March 17.
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