Corvette Z06 GT3.R GTD PRO, GTD teams reunite near Monterey coast
DETROIT (April 29, 2026) – All five Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R teams will be back together this weekend as the GTD PRO- and GTD-class Corvettes take on iconic WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca for the Monterey SportsCar Championship.
It’s the second straight race for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in California after the GTP and GTD categories competed at the Long Beach street circuit.
Both production-based classes are sharing the track again with the aim of extending the Corvette Racing program’s long history of success at the 2.238-mile, 11-turn road course just minutes from the Pacific Ocean.
Corvette Racing will go for its ninth – and potentially 10th – class victory at Laguna Seca. The circuit has played a large part in the history of the program and is one of only three that has played host to Corvette Racing entries since its debut in 1999.
GTD PRO: Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports
The Pratt Miller organization is responsible for all eight victories in the era of the Corvette Racing factory team. The team has recorded a podium finish each of the last two seasons: Tommy Milner and Nicky Catsburg in 2024, followed by defending GTD PRO Drivers champions Antonio Garcia and Alexander Sims last year.
Garcia and Milner each have three career victories in IMSA competition at Laguna Seca and two as part of Corvette Racing, while Sims was a race-winner in 2017. Garcia and Catsburg also are past pole-winners at the circuit.
The No. 4 Corvette of Milner and Catsburg come into the race second among full-season teams in the Drivers Championship with No. 3 teammates Garcia and Sims two spots behind after endurance rounds at Daytona and Sebring.
Both of the Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvettes will have a different look this weekend. To celebrate IMSA’s “throwback” theme in Monterey, the two Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs will contest the event with the yellow and white livery that adorned the pair of Corvette C5-Rs in the early part of the 2000 season.
GTD: 13 Autosport, DXDT Racing, DragonSpeed
Unlike the GTD PRO Corvettes, the Z06 GT3.R GTD teams were in action two weeks ago in the 100-minute Long Beach street race. The Laguna Seca round will be last race for the GTD class until the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen in late June.
DXDT Racing posted its best finish of the season in its No. 36 Corvette. Robert Wickens made his first start of the season in style with his first career pole position in GTD and led the entirety of his stint before he and Mason Filippi finished sixth in class. Rewinding to a year ago, DXDT Racing qualified second in GTD before finishing 10th.
DragonSpeed’s Henrik Hedman and Giacomo Altoé placed 11th at Long Beach for the team’s best finish in its first season with its No. 81 Corvette. The team finished second a year ago in GTD PRO (one spot ahead of the No. 3 Pratt Miller Corvette), and Altoé captured pole position.
13 Autosport driver/team owner Orey Fidani retained his lead in the Bob Akin Award standings with a 12th place finish at Long Beach and fourth among GTD cars with a Bronze-rated driver. He and Matt Bell were Akin Award winners last year in the No. 13 Corvette. As was the case a year ago, this is their final race before contesting the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the LMGT3 category.
The Monterey SportsCar Championship is set for 1:10 p.m. PT on Sunday, May 3 from WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. It will air live on NBCSN starting at 4 p.m. ET with simultaneous streaming coverage on Peacock. IMSA Radio will stream live audio coverage on XM 206, Channel 996 on the SiriusXM app and IMSA.com.
CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R PRE-RACE DRIVER QUOTES
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:
“Laguna Seca is a special place for me. It’s where I won my first race for Corvette Racing and was a nice part of our championship run last year. It feels like we have been away for quite a long time since Sebring so it will be nice to get back to the track and with the team. We have another new livery for this year on our cars and I’m excited to see it. Hopefully things go the right way for us and we can mark this special occasion with a race victory.”
ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:
“The Monterey event is one of the most enjoyable races for me each year. It’s a beautiful area with an iconic track that has an incredible reputation. The multi-class aspect is tough with some sections which have two or three corners consecutively one after the other without much chance for a clean pass. So you have to take advantage of every opportunity you get to overtake within your class once the passing lanes open. I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:
“For me, I’m excited to be at Laguna. I feel like Nicky and I have had a good start to the season so far, kind of building on some momentum from last year as well. The goal at times last year was just trying to get race wins. This year, both Nicky and I agreed that just getting points is more important than always going for outright race wins. It’s great to be in a good position and getting those points at the first two races. Obviously, a lot of racing happening there, 36 hours of racing, and to be at the front for most of that hopefully bodes well for the rest of the season. But now we kind of get into the meat of the season here in IMSA where these two-hour and 40-minute races will feel quick, and will feel short compared to those first two endurance races. So, really minimizing mistakes in the race, making sure that we have a good race car from the start to the finish. And, hoping to continue down the path of scoring points and going for a championship.”
NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:
“I’m very much looking forward to returning to Monterey and Laguna Seca. It obviously is a very historic track in the U.S., and one where I have had some success with Tommy. We come into this race in a good spot in the championship. Even though it is still early at the point in the season, it’s important to keep scoring good finishes that will ultimately add up at the end of the season. No doubt we would really, really like to get the win this weekend. It would boost our championship, and it also would be cool to win with the throwback livery to the C5-R Corvettes. Those were amazing machines and it’s super cool that the team has decided to do this. I’m looking forward to seeing the cars, be back with the team and start what is going to be a busy stretch of racing coming up.”
MATT BELL, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:
“Laguna Seca is such an iconic and fun track, I always love coming back here. It’s a short and intense lap which always bunches the GT classes together, and always produces quite a few fun battles. We’ll be aiming to be at the front of them! The team gave me a great car here last year so I know we’ll be competitive. It’s a track that I expect will suit our Corvette Z06 GT3.R, so I’m looking forward to the race.”
MASON FILIPPI, NO. 36 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:
“Coming off a good performance at Long Beach, I’m excited to be back in the car so soon. Our DXDT Corvette is fast and the team has been knocking on the door of a podium all year. Robert and I have been through some good prep and we’re feeling good heading to Monterey.”
ROBERT WICKENS, NO. 36 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:
“Our hopes are high for this week, especially coming off the Long Beach race. Laguna Seca is a track that both Mason and I know very well, and the DXDT Corvette was really good at last year’s event. I think we had maybe our best chance at a podium but unfortunately another car blocked our car from getting into the box on our first stop. But there is plenty of data and experience that we can reference for this weekend. I’m excited to get back into the Corvette again and hopefully keep our strong form going.”
2026 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Points
GTD PRO Drivers Standings
1. Connor De Phillippi/Max Hasse/Neil Verhagen – 658
2. Klaus Bachler/Ricardo Feller/Thomas Preining – 658
3. Tommy Milner/Nicky Catsburg/Nico Varrone – 628
4. Alessio Picariello/Harry King/Nick Tandy – 580
5. Alexander Sims/Antonio Garcia/Marvin Kirchhöfer – 521
GTD PRO Teams Standings
1. No. 1 Paul Miller Racing – 658
2. No. 911 Manthey – 658
3. No. 4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports – 628
4. No. 77 AO Racing – 580
5. No. 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports – 521
GTD PRO Manufacturers Standings
1. BMW – 704
2. Porsche – 683
3. Chevrolet – 681
4. Ford – 580
5. Mercedes-AMG – 570
GTD Drivers Standings
1. Dudu Barichello – 690
2. Patrick Gallagher/Robby Foley – 876
3. Aaron Teliz/Benjamin Pedersen – 827
4. Spencer Pumpelly – 804
5. Philip Ellis/Russel Ward – 792
7. Matt Bell/Orey Fidani/Lars Kern – 764
9. Mason Filippi – 694
18. Giacomo Altoé/Henrik Hedman – 563
GTD Teams Standings
1. No. 27 Heart of Racing – 930
2. No. 96 Turner Motorsport – 876
3. No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Racing – 827
4. No. 57 Winward Racing – 792
5. No. 34 Conquest Racing – 769
6. No. 13 13 Autosport – 764
7. No. 36 DXDT Racing – 694
15. No. 81 DragonSpeed – 563
GTD Manufacturers Standings
1. Ferrari – 1008
2. Aston Martin – 990
3. Mercedes-AMG – 962
4. Chevrolet – 917
5. BMW – 906
Source:
CorvetteRacing.com
Related:
Pratt Miller Motorsports Unveils C5-R Era Throwback Livery for Corvette Racing at Laguna Seca
DXTD Racing’s Robert Wickens to Host a Fireside Chat Dinner on May 1st in Monterey
Corvette Racing at Long Beach: Season-Best Sixth for DXDT
Subscribe Now:
