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. 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 2020

The Corvette C8.R made its competitive debut at the 2020 24 Hours of Daytona. The best of the Corvettes, the #3, finished 4th in the GTLM class and 16th overall with 785 laps. The second car, #4, finished the race in last place, after running into multiple issues. Throughout the rest of the season the Corvettes managed to score six 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. Initially Corvette also entered the 2020 24 Hours of Le Mans, but had to withdraw due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

2021 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. 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

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. For IMSA the team developed a GTD kit, as the GTLM class had been replaced by GTD Pro.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

For 2023, Corvette Racing are continuing with their modified C8.R in GTD Pro. Jordan Taylor and Antonio García will drive at all events, with Tommy Milner joining them in the endurance rounds.

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. Catsburg, Keating and Varrone won the GTE-Am class in the C8.R, in the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans Centenary race.

On Sunday, July 9, at the 2023 WEC 6 Hours of Monza, Corvette Racing claimed the FIA World Endurance Championship's GTE Am division with two races remaining in the series.

Competition History Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results (key) Races in bold indicates pole position. Races in italics indicates fastest lap.

+Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results Year Entrant Class Drivers Rounds 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 2020 Corvette Racing GTLM Antonio García Jordan Taylor Nicky Catsburg3AllAll1, 9, 11 DAY 1 DAY 2 SEB 1 ELK VIR ATL 1 MOH CLT ATL 2 LGA SEB 2 351 1st Oliver Gavin Tommy Milner Marcel Fässler4AllAll DAY 1 DAY 2 SEB 1 ELK VIR ATL 1 MOH CLT ATL 2 LGA SEB 23153rd 2021 Corvette Racing GTLM Antonio García Jordan Taylor Nicky Catsburg3AllAll1-2, 12 DAY 1 DAY 2 SEB BEL WGL 1 WGL 2 LIM ELK LGA LBH VIR ATL35491st Nick Tandy Tommy Milner Alexander Sims4AllAll1-2, 12 DAY 1 DAY 2 SEB BEL WGL 1 WGL 2 LIM ELK LGA LBH VIR ATL34482nd2022 Corvette RacingGTD Pro Antonio García Jordan Taylor Nicky Catsburg3AllAll1-2, 12 DAY 1 DAY 2 SEB LBH LGAWGL MOS LIM ELK VIR PET 31943rd Nick Tandy Tommy Milner4111 DAY 1 DAY 2 SEB LBH LGA WGL MOS LIM ELK VIR PET 234 35th2023 Corvette RacingGTD Pro Antonio García Jordan Taylor Tommy Milner3AllAll1-2, 11 DAY SEB LBH MON WGL MOS LIM ELK VIR IMS PET 3579 3rdSources:

Complete World Endurance Championship results (key) Races in bold indicates pole position. Races in italics indicates fastest lap.

+Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results Year Entrant Class Drivers Rounds 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 2019–20 Corvette Racing LMGTE Pro Mike Rockenfeller Jan Magnussen 63 55 SIL FUJ SHA BHR COA SPA LMN BHR 0 NC 2021 Corvette Racing LMGTE Pro Antonio García Jordan Taylor Nicky Catsburg Oliver Gavin 63 1, 4441 SPA POR MON LMN BHR BHR 0 NC Nick Tandy Tommy Milner Alexander Sims 64 444 SPA POR MON LMN BHR BHR 0 NC 2022 Corvette Racing LMGTE Pro Antonio García Jordan Taylor Nicky Catsburg 63 333 SEB SPA LMN MZA FUJ BHR 0 NC Nick Tandy Tommy Milner Alexander Sims 64 AllAll3 SEB SPA LMN MZA FUJ BHR 102 6th 2023 Corvette Racing LMGTE Am Ben Keating Nicolás Varrone Nicky Catsburg 33 AllAllAll SEB POR SPA LMN MZA FUJ BHR1731stSources:

Race Victories +YearNo.Race titleCircuitClassSeries20201WeatherTech 240 Daytona International SpeedwayGTLMIMSA2Cadillac Grand Prix of Sebring Sebring International RacewayGTLMIMSA3IMSA SportsCar Weekend Road AmericaGTLMIMSA4Michelin GT Challenge at VIR Virginia International RacewayGTLMIMSA5Acura Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio Mid-Ohio Sports Car CourseGTLMIMSA6MOTUL 100% Synthetic Grand Prix Charlotte Motor SpeedwayGTLMIMSA20217Motul Pole Award 100 Daytona International SpeedwayGTLMIMSA8Rolex 24 at Daytona Daytona International SpeedwayGTLMIMSA9Detroit Sports Car Classic The Raceway on Belle IsleGTLMIMSA10Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen Watkins Glen InternationalGTLMIMSA11WeatherTech 240 at the Glen Watkins Glen InternationalGTLMIMSA12Northeast Grand Prix Lime Rock ParkGTLMIMSA13IMSA Monterey Grand Prix WeatherTech Raceway Laguna SecaGTLMIMSA14Grand Prix of Long Beach Long Beach Street CircuitGTLMIMSA15Michelin GT Challenge at VIR Virginia International RacewayGTLMIMSA202216Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Sebring International RacewayGTD ProIMSA176 Hours of Monza Autodromo Nazionale di MonzaLMGTE ProWEC2023181000 Miles of Sebring Sebring International RacewayLMGTE AmWEC196 Hours of Portimão Algarve International CircuitLMGTE AmWEC2024 Hours of Le Mans Circuit de la SartheLMGTE AmWEC21Chevrolet Grand Prix at CTMP Canadian Tire Motorsport ParkGTD ProIMSA22Michelin GT Challenge at VIR Virginia International RacewayGTD ProIMSA

References

External links Corvette Racing