Everyone here at Jim Butler Chevy of St Louis agrees that 2022 will be a monumental time to make history, as opportunities for brand-new beginnings are always appreciated most after periods of struggle and uncertainty! Corvette Racing will now take on the duty of contesting multiple endurance racing championships for the first time in its 24-year history, during a 2022 racing schedule that will provide the thrill of taking place in locations worldwide.
Corvette’s production-based race team is now set for the task of full-season championship challenges in both the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the FIA World Endurance Championship. The massively capable and track-savvy Corvette C8.R will have an esteemed model in each of these series, doubling up with a pair when the 24 Hours of Le Mans takes place. The familiar faces from last year’s behind-the-wheel expertise will return, as Antonio Garcia, Jordan Taylor, and Nicky Catsburg hold things down in IMSA. Tommy Milner, Nick Tandy, and Alexander Sims take part in the WEC.
Both Taylor and Garcia are taking on the full 10-race championship in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevy Corvette C8.R, sporting the GTD-PRO Corvette C8.R. The C8.R will be barreling through the corners with Michelin tires, as dictated by GTD regulations. The powertrain for the GTD-PRO model will be the same 5.5-liter, flat-plane V8 with an anti-lock braking system and slightly decreased power output over the GTLM rules stipulations.
Since 2001, Chevy has won 13 manufacturer’s championships in IMSA. This current presence of Corvette Racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship provides an ultimate showdown as Chevy will now fight for the GT manufacturers world championship along with another IMSA Manufacturers title in 2022. Now that the goal is to push forward full force for a ninth class victory, the Corvette Racing entity will see a completely new and aggressive weapon with the Z06 GT3.R.
This will exist as a close link to the Z06 with a few notable differences, and the same flat-plane crankshaft architecture that so many immediately were smitten with on the C8.R. The development of the GT3.R will now allow eager customer race teams the chance to put forth a Corvette that has already stood the test of time from Corvette Racing’s illustrated history.
This is a team we will be watching closely, as it has already done a great deal of development and preparation for the coming year, and so many are excited as can be at just how many resources have been maximized to make this happen. Using the C8.R as a benchmark will no doubt provide a winning formula and usher in a season to be all-out inspired for first-place commanding prowess!