Click for more information.
Chevrolet today debuted the new Corvette Z06 GT3.R race-car, a year before it makes its competition at Daytona. Z06 GT3.R is Chevrolet’s first race-car that fully meets FIA technical regulations for GT3 cars. The mid-engine race-car is meant for customer teams. The Corvette Z06 GT3.R will race for the first time as part of the GT Daytona (GTD) PRO category at the 2024 Rolex 24 at Daytona to open next year’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
“The Corvette Z06 GT3.R breaks new ground for Chevrolet and the Corvette Racing program,” said Mark Stielow, director, GM Motorsports Engineering Competition. “This customer-focused race-car leverages learnings from throughout Corvette Racing’s lengthy and successful history, plus the expertise of our Corvette production design, engineering and powertrain teams.”
During 2024, Chevrolet and Corvette Racing will continue seeking key sports car racing championships with North American and global entries. The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship will see up to four Corvette Z06 GT3.R entries with a mix of GTD PRO and GTD teams starting with the 2024 Rolex 24. Two Corvette chassis will be bound for FIA WEC in hopes of a double entry in the yet-to-be-named GT category, which would include the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Chevrolet Motorsports said it will also be appraising opportunities to be represented in SRO Motorsports including SRO America and the Intercontinental GT Challenge. Specific team announcements including drivers will be announced at a later date.
Chevrolet and Pratt Miller worked together to use a number of the C8.R structures in the GT3.R, building on safety construction from the C8.R. The Z06 GT3 has a side-impact crash structure between the driver’s side door and roll cage. Pioneered in the C7.R, the box has an outer casing of carbon fiber and Kevlar, and is filled with an aluminum honeycomb construction. The GT3 Corvette’s integrated steel roll cage is slightly modified from the current racing Corvette to provide easier ingress and egress.
The reveal of the Z06 GT3.R tails a two-year testing program. Virtual simulation through Chevrolet’s Driver in the Loop simulator began in early 2021. The first on-track test of the Z06 GT3.R took place in September 2022, which means the Z06 GT3.R will have a full year of on-track development when it gets into the hands of customers in the third quarter of 2023.
“We’re all very pleased with the results from the track testing program so far,” said Laura Wontrop Klauser, GM sports car racing program manager. “What’s even more encouraging is the correlation between simulator sessions and what we’re finding in the real-world track testing. It’s another level of validation that gives us confidence in the development process.”
The Z06 GT3.R is the latest in a line of championship-winning Corvette race-cars that date back to the late 1990s and the introduction of Corvette Racing and the Corvette C5-R. Entering its 25th season, the program has scored 122 race victories around the world, including 113 in IMSA competition.
Those wins have led to 14 Manufacturer’s and Driver’s championships and 15 Team titles. No team in IMSA history has won more races or championships than Corvette Racing in that era.
The mid-engine C8.R, the predecessor of the Z06 GT3.R, has won 15 times around the world since its on-track debut in 2020. The 2023 season will be its second and last with a dual program in both the WeatherTech Championship and the FIA WEC. The latter will move from the current GTE regulations to the global GT3 platform beginning in 2024.
The Z06 GT3.R will use a 5.5-liter, flat-plane crankshaft DOHC V8 engine derived from the production Z06. This engine began on-track development in 2019 with the initial testing of the C8.R, ahead of its use in the production Z06. The LT6 engine for the GT3.R originates from the Performance Build Center in Bowling Green, the same line on which all production Corvette Z06 engines are built. The 5.5-liter powerplant shares more than 70% of its parts with the production Z06 engine, including the crankshaft, connecting rods, cylinder heads, fuel injectors, coils, gaskets and a variety of other sensors, according to Chevy.
Customer Support and Options
Chevrolet and Corvette Racing is establishing a complete customer support program that will be available to teams running the Z06 GT3.R in North America and elsewhere. An at-track parts truck will be at North American race events starting in 2024 with expansion to overseas support ramping up in the first two years of the Z06 GT3.R program.
Corvette Racing will carry full spares packages of bodywork and internal components for its customer teams in supported championships. Engineers will assist teams with items such as pre-race documentation, including chassis setup and data sharing plus post-event documentation, data analysis, and relative comparisons. Full engineering, race strategy and other items also are incremental support options for Corvette Z06 GT3.R customer teams.
AutoInformed on
Corvette Z06 GT3.R 2024 Racecar Shown at Daytona
Click for more information.
Chevrolet today debuted the new Corvette Z06 GT3.R race-car, a year before it makes its competition at Daytona. Z06 GT3.R is Chevrolet’s first race-car that fully meets FIA technical regulations for GT3 cars. The mid-engine race-car is meant for customer teams. The Corvette Z06 GT3.R will race for the first time as part of the GT Daytona (GTD) PRO category at the 2024 Rolex 24 at Daytona to open next year’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
“The Corvette Z06 GT3.R breaks new ground for Chevrolet and the Corvette Racing program,” said Mark Stielow, director, GM Motorsports Engineering Competition. “This customer-focused race-car leverages learnings from throughout Corvette Racing’s lengthy and successful history, plus the expertise of our Corvette production design, engineering and powertrain teams.”
During 2024, Chevrolet and Corvette Racing will continue seeking key sports car racing championships with North American and global entries. The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship will see up to four Corvette Z06 GT3.R entries with a mix of GTD PRO and GTD teams starting with the 2024 Rolex 24. Two Corvette chassis will be bound for FIA WEC in hopes of a double entry in the yet-to-be-named GT category, which would include the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Chevrolet Motorsports said it will also be appraising opportunities to be represented in SRO Motorsports including SRO America and the Intercontinental GT Challenge. Specific team announcements including drivers will be announced at a later date.
Chevrolet and Pratt Miller worked together to use a number of the C8.R structures in the GT3.R, building on safety construction from the C8.R. The Z06 GT3 has a side-impact crash structure between the driver’s side door and roll cage. Pioneered in the C7.R, the box has an outer casing of carbon fiber and Kevlar, and is filled with an aluminum honeycomb construction. The GT3 Corvette’s integrated steel roll cage is slightly modified from the current racing Corvette to provide easier ingress and egress.
The reveal of the Z06 GT3.R tails a two-year testing program. Virtual simulation through Chevrolet’s Driver in the Loop simulator began in early 2021. The first on-track test of the Z06 GT3.R took place in September 2022, which means the Z06 GT3.R will have a full year of on-track development when it gets into the hands of customers in the third quarter of 2023.
“We’re all very pleased with the results from the track testing program so far,” said Laura Wontrop Klauser, GM sports car racing program manager. “What’s even more encouraging is the correlation between simulator sessions and what we’re finding in the real-world track testing. It’s another level of validation that gives us confidence in the development process.”
The Z06 GT3.R is the latest in a line of championship-winning Corvette race-cars that date back to the late 1990s and the introduction of Corvette Racing and the Corvette C5-R. Entering its 25th season, the program has scored 122 race victories around the world, including 113 in IMSA competition.
Those wins have led to 14 Manufacturer’s and Driver’s championships and 15 Team titles. No team in IMSA history has won more races or championships than Corvette Racing in that era.
The mid-engine C8.R, the predecessor of the Z06 GT3.R, has won 15 times around the world since its on-track debut in 2020. The 2023 season will be its second and last with a dual program in both the WeatherTech Championship and the FIA WEC. The latter will move from the current GTE regulations to the global GT3 platform beginning in 2024.
The Z06 GT3.R will use a 5.5-liter, flat-plane crankshaft DOHC V8 engine derived from the production Z06. This engine began on-track development in 2019 with the initial testing of the C8.R, ahead of its use in the production Z06. The LT6 engine for the GT3.R originates from the Performance Build Center in Bowling Green, the same line on which all production Corvette Z06 engines are built. The 5.5-liter powerplant shares more than 70% of its parts with the production Z06 engine, including the crankshaft, connecting rods, cylinder heads, fuel injectors, coils, gaskets and a variety of other sensors, according to Chevy.
Customer Support and Options
Chevrolet and Corvette Racing is establishing a complete customer support program that will be available to teams running the Z06 GT3.R in North America and elsewhere. An at-track parts truck will be at North American race events starting in 2024 with expansion to overseas support ramping up in the first two years of the Z06 GT3.R program.
Corvette Racing will carry full spares packages of bodywork and internal components for its customer teams in supported championships. Engineers will assist teams with items such as pre-race documentation, including chassis setup and data sharing plus post-event documentation, data analysis, and relative comparisons. Full engineering, race strategy and other items also are incremental support options for Corvette Z06 GT3.R customer teams.
AutoInformed on