The new-for-2024 Corvette Z06 GT3.R has been unveiled to the media at the 2024 Rolex 24 At Daytona as Chevrolet’s first racecar that fully meets FIA technical regulations for GT3 cars.
The car follows on from two seasons with the factory campaigning a GTD-compliant version of the current Corvette C8.R GTLM-spec car in IMSA’s GTD Pro class.
The design and development of the mid-engine Z06 GT3.R is a collaboration between GM’s Competition Motorsports Engineering and Pratt Miller Engineering (note the name change, the company is no longer known as Pratt & Miller).
The car has been designed from the outset with an eye specifically toward customer racing and will be eligible for multiple championships around the world with a high level of parts and technical support available for its customers.
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 where the new Chevrolet is set to go head-to-head with the new Mutimatic-designed and built Ford Mustang GT3 as well as a myriad of other players!
For 2024, 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.
There will be requests too for two Corvettes in the new-for 2024 LM GT3 category of the FIA WEC which would include a continuation of Corvette’s long history at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Chevrolet Motorsports will also be evaluating 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.
“This has been an intense but very rewarding process,” said Laura Wontrop Klauser, GM sports car racing program manager. “From the time we announced a Corvette GT3 car, I’ve received more inquiries than I can count. It’s a testament to a known product like Corvette, the minds behind design, development and build, and the quarter-century success of Corvette Racing.”
“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 racecar leverages learnings from throughout Corvette Racing’s lengthy and successful history, plus the expertise of our Corvette production design, engineering and powertrain teams.”
The new car has required not only the usual processes of design, development and build but also the establishment of an entirely new customer support network and programme.
An at-track parts truck will be a fixture 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. On the technical side, 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 with Corvette Racing and GM Motorsports engineers also available for remote engineering and operations support.
“Supporting our customers is an area where we are putting in a lot of time and effort,” said Christie Bagne, GM assistant sports car racing program manager. “With this being our first customer GT3 offering, we have had meetings with many prospective customers to learn from their previous experiences, find what is important to them from a support standpoint and come up with a program that meets their expectations.”
Testing
The reveal of the Z06 GT3.R follows 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.”
Winning Bloodline
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 span.
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 it’s 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.
