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The Chevrolet Corvette C8.R is a grand tourer racing car built by Pratt Miller and Chevrolet for competition in endurance racing. It serves as the replacement for the Corvette C7.R, using the C8 generation Chevrolet Corvette as a base. Corvette Racing fielded the C8.R in the IMSA SportsCar Championship GT Le Mans (GTLM) class starting with the 2020 season.[2][3] The car was built to LM GTE specifications as per GTLM rules.
In 2022, the GTLM class in the IMSA SportsCar Championship was replaced by the GT Daytona Pro (GTD Pro) class using GT3 machinery. As Corvette did not have any GT3 cars on the market (with the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R not debuting until 2024), the C8.R was allowed to run in the GTD Pro class using a GTD kit. This year Corvette Racing would also field a full season entry in the WEC for the first time.
Racing history
2020
The Corvette C8.R made its competitive debut at the 2020 24 Hours of Daytona. The best of the Corvettes, the no.3, finished 4th in the GTLM class and 16th overall with 785 laps. The second car, no.4, finished the race in last place, after running into multiple issues. Throughout the rest of the season the Corvettes managed to score 6 class victories at Daytona, Sebring, Road America, Virginia, Mid-Ohio and Charlotte Motor Speedway. The #3 corvette would end up taking the Championship. Corvette also made their WEC debut at the 2020 Lone Star Le Mans in the GTE pro class.[4] Initially Corvette also entered the 2020 24 Hours of Le Mans, but had to withdraw due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[2]
2021
At the beginning of the 2021 Corvette took a class victory in the 2021 24 Hours of Daytona. They also won their class at 6 other races, with the only opposition coming from Weathertech Racing and BMW. Corvette also returned to the WEC with a single entry at the 6 hours of Spa.[3] This year also saw the C8.R's debut at the 24 hours of Le Mans, with the #64 Corvette managing to take 2nd place in class not far behind the winning Ferrari.
2022
For 2022 Corvette entered only one car for the IMSA Weathertech Sportscar championship, their other car entering full season in the 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship in the GTE Pro class.[5] For IMSA the team developed a GTD kit, as the GTLM class had been replaced by GTD Pro. For the first race at Daytona the Corvettes faced a lot of reliability issues and BoP issues, meaning it wasn't very competitive. The squad however, quickly bounced back to win at Sebring, but would fail to earn a second trip to victory lane for the rest of the season. Eventually, the team settled for third in the final championship standings, behind the Pfaff Motorsports Porsche and Vasser-Sullivan's Lexus.
The FIA WEC half of the operation would earn a victory at Monza, and would place second at Sebring (separate from the 12 Hour-enduro IMSA race they won) and at Bahrain, but the Tommy Milner-Nick Tandy piloted entry was routinely outpaced by AF Corse's Ferrari and Porsche's factory effort. As a result, the two Corvette wheelmen wound up tied for sixth in the final points table.
2023
For 2023, Corvette Racing are continuing with their modified C8.R in GTD Pro. Jordan Taylor and Antonio Garcia will drive at all events, with Tommy Milner joining them in the endurance rounds.[6]
With the GTE-Pro class being eliminated for the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship. Corvette's squad moved to GTE-Am. As a result of having to alter its driver lineup to meet the class regulations, Platinum-rated Nicky Catsburg will lead the squad, joined by Ben Keating, a Bronze-level driver, and Nicolás Varrone as their silver driver.[7][8] Catsburg, Keating and Varrone won the GTE-Am class in the C8.R, in the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans Centenary race.[9]
On Sunday, July 9, at the 2023 WEC 6 Hours of Monza, Corvette Racing claimed the FIA World Endurance Championship's GTE Am division[10] with two races remaining in the series.
Competition History
Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results
(key) Races in bold indicates pole position. Races in italics indicates fastest lap.
| Year | Entrant | Class | Drivers | No. | Rds. | Rounds | Pts. | Pos. | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | ||||||||
| 2020 |  Corvette Racing |
GTLM |  Antonio García Jordan Taylor Nicky Catsburg |
3 | All All 1, 9, 11 |
DAY 1 4 |
DAY 2 1 |
SEB 1 2 |
ELK 1 |
VIR 1 |
ATL 1 5 |
MOH 1 |
CLT 1 |
ATL 2 2 |
LGA 2 |
SEB 2 5 |
351 | 1st | |
 Oliver Gavin Tommy Milner.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Marcel Fässler |
4 | All All 1, 9, 11 |
DAY 1 7 |
DAY 2 5 |
SEB 1 1 |
ELK 2 |
VIR 4 |
ATL 1 2 |
MOH 2 |
CLT 4 |
ATL 2 4 |
LGA 6 |
SEB 2 6 |
315 | 3rd | ||||
| 2021 | Corvette Racing |
GTLM | Antonio García Jordan Taylor Nicky Catsburg |
3 | All All 1-2, 12 |
DAY 1 2 |
DAY 2 1 |
SEB 4 |
BEL 2 |
WGL 1 1 |
WGL 2 1 |
LIM 1 |
ELK 2 |
LGA 2 |
LBH 2 |
VIR 2 |
ATL 6 |
3549 | 1st |
| Nick Tandy Tommy Milner Alexander Sims |
4 | All All 1-2, 12 |
DAY 1 1 |
DAY 2 2 |
SEB 5 |
BEL 1 |
WGL 1 4 |
WGL 2 2 |
LIM 2 |
ELK 3 |
LGA 1 |
LBH 1 |
VIR 1 |
ATL 4 |
3448 | 2nd | |||
| 2022 | Corvette Racing |
GTD Pro | Antonio García Jordan Taylor Nicky Catsburg |
3 | All All 1-2, 12 |
DAY 1 6 |
DAY 2 6 |
SEB 1 |
LBH 3 |
LGA 4 |
WGL 6 |
MOS 2 |
LIM 4 |
ELK 3 |
VIR 2 |
PET 5 |
3rd | 3194 | |
Nick Tandy Tommy Milner Marco Sørensen |
4 | 1 1 1 |
DAY 1 7 |
DAY 2 10 |
SEB |
LBH |
LGA |
WGL |
MOS |
LIM |
ELK |
VIR |
PET |
35th | 234 | ||||
| 2023 | Corvette Racing |
GTD Pro | Antonio García Jordan Taylor Tommy Milner |
3 | All All 1-2, 11 |
DAY 2 |
SEB 5 |
LBH 2 |
MON 4 |
WGL 3 |
MOS 1 |
LIM 4 |
ELK 3 |
VIR 1 |
IMS 5 |
PET 7 |
3rd | 3579 | |
Complete World Endurance Championship results
(key) Races in bold indicates pole position. Races in italics indicates fastest lap.
| Year | Entrant | Class | Drivers | No. | Rds. | Rounds | Pts. | Pos. | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | ||||||||
| 2019–20 | Corvette Racing |
LMGTE Pro |  Mike Rockenfeller Jan Magnussen |
63 | 5 5 |
SIL |
FUJ |
SHA |
BHR |
COA 6 |
SPA |
LMN |
BHR |
0 | NC |
| 2021 | Corvette Racing |
LMGTE Pro | Antonio García Jordan Taylor Nicky Catsburg Oliver Gavin |
63 | 1, 4 4 4 1 |
SPA 4 |
POR | MON | LMN 2 |
BHR | BHR | 0 | NC | ||
| Nick Tandy Tommy Milner Alexander Sims |
64 | 4 4 4 |
SPA | POR | MON | LMN 6 |
BHR | BHR | 0 | NC | |||||
| 2022 | Corvette Racing |
LMGTE Pro | Antonio García Jordan Taylor Nicky Catsburg |
63 | 3 3 3 |
SEB |
SPA |
LMN RET |
MZA |
FUJ |
BHR |
0 | NC | ||
| Nick Tandy Tommy Milner Alexander Sims |
64 | All All 3 |
SEB 2 |
SPA 4 |
LMN RET |
MZA 1 |
FUJ 5 |
BHR 2 |
102 | 6th | |||||
| 2023 | Corvette Racing |
LMGTE Am | Ben Keating Nicolás Varrone Nicky Catsburg |
33 | All All All |
SEB 1 |
POR 1 |
SPA 2 |
LMN 1 |
MZA 4 |
FUJ 2 |
BHR 7 |
173 | 1st | |
Race Victories
| Year | No. | Race Title | Circuit | Class | Series |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 1 | WeatherTech 240 | Daytona International Speedway |
GTLM | IMSA |
| 2 | Cadillac Grand Prix of Sebring | Sebring International Raceway |
GTLM | IMSA | |
| 3 | IMSA SportsCar Weekend | Road America |
GTLM | IMSA | |
| 4 | Michelin GT Challenge at VIR | Virginia International Raceway |
GTLM | IMSA | |
| 5 | Acura Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio | Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course |
GTLM | IMSA | |
| 6 | MOTUL 100% Synthetic Grand Prix | Charlotte Motor Speedway |
GTLM | IMSA | |
| 2021 | 7 | Motul Pole Award 100 | Daytona International Speedway |
GTLM | IMSA |
| 8 | Rolex 24 at Daytona | Daytona International Speedway |
GTLM | IMSA | |
| 9 | Detroit Sports Car Classic | The Raceway on Belle Isle |
GTLM | IMSA | |
| 10 | Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen | Watkins Glen International |
GTLM | IMSA | |
| 11 | WeatherTech 240 at the Glen | Watkins Glen International |
GTLM | IMSA | |
| 12 | Northeast Grand Prix | Lime Rock Park |
GTLM | IMSA | |
| 13 | Hyundai Monterey Sports Car Championship | WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca |
GTLM | IMSA | |
| 14 | Grand Prix of Long Beach | Long Beach Street Circuit |
GTLM | IMSA | |
| 15 | Michelin GT Challenge at VIR | Virginia International Raceway |
GTLM | IMSA | |
| 2022 | 16 | Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring | Sebring International Raceway |
GTD Pro | IMSA |
| 17 | 6 Hours of Monza |  Autodromo Nazionale di Monza |
LMGTE Pro | WEC | |
| 2023 | 18 | 1000 Miles of Sebring | Sebring International Raceway |
LMGTE Am | WEC |
| 19 | 6 Hours of Portimão |  Algarve International Circuit |
LMGTE Am | WEC | |
| 20 | 24 Hours of Le Mans |  Circuit de la Sarthe |
LMGTE Am | WEC | |
| 21 | Chevrolet Grand Prix at CTMP | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Canadian Tire Motorsport Park |
GTD Pro | IMSA | |
| 22 | Michelin GT Challenge at VIR | Virginia International Raceway |
GTD Pro | IMSA |
References
- ↑ "The C8 Corvette Z06 Engine Shares Plenty With the C8.R Race Car". Retrieved 22 August 2023.
- 1 2 "The C8.R is set to do battle with Porsche's mid-engine 911 RSR". Hagerty. 19 July 2019. Retrieved 2019-09-19.
- 1 2 "This Is the New Corvette C8.R Race Car". Road & Track. Retrieved 2019-09-19.
- ↑ "Corvette Racing Field C8.R at WEC CoTA Race | dailysportscar.com". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 2022-07-07.
- ↑ "Corvette Racing For Full Season Efforts In Both FIA WEC & IMSA In 2022 | dailysportscar.com". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 2022-07-07.
- ↑ "Corvette to Continue With Single C8.R in GTD Pro | sportscar365.com". www.sportscar365.com. Retrieved 2022-10-08.
- ↑ "Keating Joins Corvette Racing for GTE-Am Effort | sportscar365.com". www.sportscar365.com. 18 October 2022. Retrieved 2022-10-18.
- ↑ "Nico Varrone Completes Corvette WEC Line-up | dailysportscar.com". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 2023-03-24.
- ↑ "Ferrari wins the 24 Hours of Le Mans Centenary". 24h-lemans.com. Retrieved 2023-06-12.
- ↑ "MSN". MSN.
External links
- Corvette Racing Archived 2010-12-24 at the Wayback Machine