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Chevrolet Corvette C8.R

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Chevrolet Corvette C8.R
The No. 33 C8.R at the 2023 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps
CategoryIMSA SportsCar Championship GTD Pro
FIA World Endurance Championship LMGTE Am
ConstructorUnited States Chevrolet (Pratt Miller)
Designer(s)Vlad Kapitonov
PredecessorChevrolet Corvette C7.R
SuccessorChevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R
Technical specifications
ChassisAluminum monocoque
Length182.3 in (4,630 mm)
Width80.7 in (2,050 mm)
Height45.2 in (1,148 mm)
Wheelbase107.2 in (2,723 mm)
EngineLT6.R[1] 5.5 L (336 cu in) 90° V8 naturally aspirated, mid-engine, longitudinally mounted
TransmissionXtrac P529 6-speed sequential manual
Power500 hp (373 kW) @ 7,400 rpm
FuelTotalEnergies (WEC)
VP Racing Fuels (IMSA)
LubricantsMobil 1
Competition history
Notable entrantsUnited States Corvette Racing
Notable driversSpain Antonio García
United States Tommy Milner
United States Jordan Taylor
United Kingdom Oliver Gavin
Germany Mike Rockenfeller
Switzerland Marcel Fässler
Netherlands Nicky Catsburg
United Kingdom Nick Tandy
United Kingdom Alexander Sims
Debut2020 24 Hours of Daytona
First win2020 WeatherTech 240
Last win2023 Michelin GT Challenge at VIR
Last event2023 8 Hours of Bahrain
RacesWinsPodiumsPolesF/Laps
5722502314
Teams' Championships3 (2020 & 2021 IMSA), 2023 FIA WEC)
Constructors' Championships2 (2020, 2021)
Drivers' Championships3 (2020 & 2021 IMSA), (2023 FIA WEC)

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

[edit]

2020

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results

[edit]

(key) Races in bold indicates pole position. Races in italics indicates fastest lap.

Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results
Year Entrant Class Drivers No. Rds. Rounds Pts. Pos.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
2020 United States Corvette Racing GTLM Spain Antonio García
United States Jordan Taylor
Netherlands 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
United Kingdom Oliver Gavin
United States Tommy Milner
Switzerland 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 United States Corvette Racing GTLM Spain Antonio García
United States Jordan Taylor
Netherlands 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
United Kingdom Nick Tandy
United States Tommy Milner
United Kingdom 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 United States Corvette Racing GTD Pro Spain Antonio García
United States Jordan Taylor
Netherlands 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
United Kingdom Nick Tandy
United States Tommy Milner
Denmark Marco Sørensen
4 1
1
1
DAY 1
7
DAY 2
10
SEB
LBH
LGA
WGL
MOS
LIM
ELK
VIR
PET
35th 234
2023 United States Corvette Racing GTD Pro Spain Antonio García
United States Jordan Taylor
United States 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
Sources:[11][12][13][14][15][16]

Complete World Endurance Championship results

[edit]

(key) Races in bold indicates pole position. Races in italics indicates fastest lap.

Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results
Year Entrant Class Drivers No. Rds. Rounds Pts. Pos.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
2019–20 United States Corvette Racing LMGTE Pro Germany Mike Rockenfeller
Denmark Jan Magnussen
63 5
5
SIL
FUJ
SHA
BHR
COA
6
SPA
LMN
BHR
0 NC
2021 United States Corvette Racing LMGTE Pro Spain Antonio García
United States Jordan Taylor
Netherlands Nicky Catsburg
United Kingdom Oliver Gavin
63 1, 4
4
4
1
SPA
4
POR MON LMN
2
BHR BHR 0 NC
United Kingdom Nick Tandy
United States Tommy Milner
United Kingdom Alexander Sims
64 4
4
4
SPA POR MON LMN
6
BHR BHR 0 NC
2022 United States Corvette Racing LMGTE Pro Spain Antonio García
United States Jordan Taylor
Netherlands Nicky Catsburg
63 3
3
3
SEB
SPA
LMN
RET
MZA
FUJ
BHR
0 NC
United Kingdom Nick Tandy
United States Tommy Milner
United Kingdom Alexander Sims
64 All
All
3
SEB
2
SPA
4
LMN
RET
MZA
1
FUJ
5
BHR
2
102 6th
2023 United States Corvette Racing LMGTE Am United States Ben Keating
Argentina Nicolás Varrone
Netherlands Nicky Catsburg
33 All
All
All
SEB
1
POR
1
SPA
2
LMN
1
MZA
4
FUJ
2
BHR
7
173 1st
Sources:[17][18][15]

Race Victories

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Year No. Race Title Circuit Class Series
2020 1 WeatherTech 240 United States Daytona International Speedway GTLM IMSA
2 Cadillac Grand Prix of Sebring United States Sebring International Raceway GTLM IMSA
3 IMSA SportsCar Weekend United States Road America GTLM IMSA
4 Michelin GT Challenge at VIR United States Virginia International Raceway GTLM IMSA
5 Acura Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio United States Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course GTLM IMSA
6 MOTUL 100% Synthetic Grand Prix United States Charlotte Motor Speedway GTLM IMSA
2021 7 Motul Pole Award 100 United States Daytona International Speedway GTLM IMSA
8 Rolex 24 at Daytona United States Daytona International Speedway GTLM IMSA
9 Detroit Sports Car Classic United States The Raceway on Belle Isle GTLM IMSA
10 Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen United States Watkins Glen International GTLM IMSA
11 WeatherTech 240 at the Glen United States Watkins Glen International GTLM IMSA
12 Northeast Grand Prix United States Lime Rock Park GTLM IMSA
13 Hyundai Monterey Sports Car Championship United States WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca GTLM IMSA
14 Grand Prix of Long Beach United States Long Beach Street Circuit GTLM IMSA
15 Michelin GT Challenge at VIR United States Virginia International Raceway GTLM IMSA
2022 16 Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring United States Sebring International Raceway GTD Pro IMSA
17 6 Hours of Monza Italy Autodromo Nazionale di Monza LMGTE Pro WEC
2023 18 1000 Miles of Sebring United States Sebring International Raceway LMGTE Am WEC
19 6 Hours of Portimão Portugal Algarve International Circuit LMGTE Am WEC
20 24 Hours of Le Mans France Circuit de la Sarthe LMGTE Am WEC
21 Chevrolet Grand Prix at CTMP Canada Canadian Tire Motorsport Park GTD Pro IMSA
22 Michelin GT Challenge at VIR United States Virginia International Raceway GTD Pro IMSA

References

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  1. ^ "The C8 Corvette Z06 Engine Shares Plenty With the C8.R Race Car". Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  2. ^ a b "The C8.R is set to do battle with Porsche's mid-engine 911 RSR". Hagerty. 19 July 2019. Retrieved 2019-09-19.
  3. ^ a b "This Is the New Corvette C8.R Race Car". Road & Track. Retrieved 2019-09-19.
  4. ^ "Corvette Racing Field C8.R at WEC CoTA Race | dailysportscar.com". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 2022-07-07.
  5. ^ "Corvette Racing For Full Season Efforts In Both FIA WEC & IMSA In 2022 | dailysportscar.com". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 2022-07-07.
  6. ^ "Corvette to Continue With Single C8.R in GTD Pro | sportscar365.com". www.sportscar365.com. Retrieved 2022-10-08.
  7. ^ "Keating Joins Corvette Racing for GTE-Am Effort | sportscar365.com". www.sportscar365.com. 18 October 2022. Retrieved 2022-10-18.
  8. ^ "Nico Varrone Completes Corvette WEC Line-up | dailysportscar.com". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 2023-03-24.
  9. ^ "Ferrari wins the 24 Hours of Le Mans Centenary". 24h-lemans.com. Retrieved 2023-06-12.
  10. ^ "MSN". MSN.
  11. ^ "2020 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Points - Official.pdf" (PDF). results.imsa.com. 17 November 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 May 2024. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  12. ^ "2021 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Points - Official.pdf" (PDF). results.imsa.com. 16 November 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 May 2024. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  13. ^ "2022 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Points - Official.pdf" (PDF). results.imsa.com. 4 October 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 May 2024. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  14. ^ "2023 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Points - Official.pdf" (PDF). results.imsa.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 June 2024. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  15. ^ a b "Complete Archive of Chevrolet Corvette C8 .R". Racing Sports Cars. pp. 1, 2. Archived from the original on 8 March 2024. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  16. ^ "Complete Archive of Chevrolet Corvette C8 .R GTD". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  17. ^ "Season 2022 Results". FIA World Endurance Championship. Archived from the original on 24 March 2023. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  18. ^ "Season 2023 Results". FIA World Endurance Championship. Archived from the original on 18 January 2024. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
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