With so many changes coming in the motorsports world, where will Corvette Racing be competing in the next two years?
We should know General Motors’ decision on the focus of its racing future within the next 45 days, the company’s new motorsports director Mark Stielow tells Sportscar365.
“The biggest challenges that we’re working on right now is… on sports car racing,” Stielow said.
With the GTLM class converging into GT Daytona Pro in 2022, he says they have been “working a lot on a conversion package for that” without building a full GT3-spec version and instead coming up quickly with a modified car of its GTE-spec C8.R that would still be eligible for the new division.
Stielow, who took over for Mark Kent last year, also says “there has been a lot of investigation, a lot of work has been done, on our end studying the LMDh proposal” that will be coming online in 2023.
“LMDh is very interesting to us,” he says, “and there’s going to be a lot of manufacturers in that space, so we’ve been heavily looking at that.
“So there’s a lot of activity going on in that space… [and] there’s going to be some exciting stuff going on in motorsports in the next few years.”
In the LMDh class, Corvette would likely be competing against already-confirmed Audi, Porsche, and Acura, with BMW, Lexus, and at least one other manufacturer possibly joining the fray as early as the 2023 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season, according to Sportscar365.
Stielow also says that with the addition of the GT Le Man class to this year’s Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix on June 11-12, the factory Chevrolet Corvette C8.Rs will compete for the first time in WeatherTech Championship history, although as a non-points race.
“It’s always good to play on a home field,” Stielow tells SportsCar 365. “We’ll be racing in the shadow of the Ren Cen.
“Unfortunately, our competitors won’t be showing up to race against the Corvettes, so we’ll be running exhibition only. There are some prior commitments that Porsche has that they can’t get out of, so we’ll be running the Corvette exhibition. And the Cadillacs will be there strong and IndyCar also. It’s always a fun event.”
Source:
SportsCar365.com
Related:
Doug Fehan to Return to Corvette Racing as Brand Ambassador
Corvette Racing Expected to Get a Waiver to Race Current C8.Rs in 2022 IMSA GTD Pro Class
Corvette Racing to Run at Detroit’s Belle Isle After IMSA Shifts Schedule
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Time to walk away. Sad but true.
Why do I have the feeling they are announcing the end of the program? Its already apparent they have no intention to commission an FIA-compliant GT3-spec program.
GM, just say it now and get it out of the way. We loyal fans and customers deserve that respect.
Hell of a way to end the week.
First the C8.R lost it’s deep thunderous tone at the racetracks which always wowed the fans. And now it may slowly whimper away from top level racing altogether? So now, after spending a fortune to develop the C8 which is a bit better when taken to the track, is the irony that the C7 in several ways is still a better street/touring car? It was said that the 50/50 front engine car had been “taken as far as possible”. With 6 or 7 years further technology, I really doubt that to be a true statement. Maybe worldwide GT racing will find its deep pockets again and Corvette will kick butt. If not, the massive investment in developing the C8 may go from brilliant to ill advised. Either way, I will still be a fan until the end.
Why doesn’t Chevrolet run what they REALLY to run and that is a totally electric car, but run head-to-head against ICE-powered cars. Then we’ll see the total lack of competitiveness of electric cars when they are forced to pit for 6 or 8 hours to recharge batteries while the ICE cars soldier on. Needless to say, that plan would never pass muster with Mary, Mary, quite contrary!
Let the flaming commence!
Montana Bob
45 Days! Obviously, they’re scrambling to keep alive some form of a racing racing program. It’s time for a new BoD at GM.
I hate this. It is endurance racing on road courses where Corvette Racing should be competing. And they, the racing governing bodies, are trying to curtail the Corvettes because they’re so good at overcoming so many changes and barriers to CR’s racing acumen with stupid weight adjustments, baffling restrictors changes, and retarded fuel rations just to level the playing field when really, the other guys’ pit teams can’t keep up.
Why not run in both classes? GM sells 1million trucks a year! Give your halo car a shot at winning overall and providing privateers support in GTD-Pro if you don’t want two factory programs. I’m tired of Ford milking the Ford GT as the only American can to win overall at Lemans, etc. Am I missing something here?
GM can take part in races worldwide with a Cadillac LMDh and a Corvette C8 Z06.R GT3 and sell them in large numbers. In this way, GM can generate perfect marketing at a reasonable cost, but with high customer frequency. If this is not yet known here in the forum, in Europe, Germany in the ADAC GT Master a Callaway Corvette C7.R GT3 has been driving for victories for many years and has won this championship several times against factory cars from Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Porsche and Lamborghini. The Callaway Corvette C7.R GT3 was developed in Germany. The original 6.2 LT1 V8 is also used here as a racing engine. The possibility of BoP classification makes this cost-effective development and use in the ADAC GT Masters possible. This is how it should remain!
As far as you know, a current mid-engine Porsche 911 RSR GTE costs $ 900,000 plus tax. A Porsche 911 GT3 costs just $ 350,000 plus tax. In addition, there are the costs of use and spare parts. So also for GM a good deal if you can sell or lease at least 50 Corvette C8 Z06.R GT3 racing cars. GM can certainly expect support from Callaway Germany, as a Corvette C8 Z06.R GT3 should soon be driving in the ADAC GT Masters. Currently still the Corvette C7.R GT3 made by Callyway Germany.
Callaway would be the logical contractor to produce C8 GT3’s, but I think that’ll never happen.
Laura Wintrop Klauser, January 26, 2021: “Corvette Racing is not going anywhere in terms of a Corvette being on the grid somewhere because that’s our brand. That’s what belongs out there, beating the pants off a Porsche, BMW, and Ferrari, and anybody else we want to compete against.”
If that was the plan, there would not be a need for an announcement in a few weeks.
…unless they were going to develop an LMDh Corvette.
We’ll see.
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