Robert Wickens will begin a new chapter step in his incredible racing career next season, when he joins DXDT Racing for the five sprint rounds of the 2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, beginning in April at the Long Beach Grand Prix.
Wickens, who suffered a life-changing spinal cord injury following an IndyCar Series crash in 2018, will drive the #36 DXDT Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R at Long Beach, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Road America, and VIRginia International Raceway. He will share the cockpit in these events with a co-driver to be announced at a later date.
Wickens will be the only driver in the IMSA WeatherTech series using hand controls developed by Bosch Motorsports, featuring a new electronic hand brake control system.
“This is the opportunity I have been seeking for quite a while now,” said Wickens, “and it wouldn’t be possible without the support from David Askew at DXDT, Bosch and General Motors. My goal since returning to racing was to race in the IMSA Weathertech Series, so to tick that box with a limited schedule in 2025 is a huge step in achieving my goals.
“It was never going to be an easy task, but when great minds put their heads together anything is possible.”
Wickens’ racing odyssey began in 2005 in single seater racing. His junior formula career in North America and Europe peaked when he won the 2011 Formula Renault 3.5 Series title ahead of a strong field of drivers that included Daniel Ricciardo, Jean-Eric Vergne, Brendon Hartley, and Alexander Rossi. From there, he entered the world of GT racing in 2012 when he joined the Mercedes-AMG factory programme in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM). Across six seasons in DTM, Wickens recorded six wins and 15 podiums.
That success in Europe – along with a one-off Rolex 24 at Daytona appearance in 2017 – put him on the radar for a move back to North America. And in 2018, Wickens landed a drive in the IndyCar Series with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports (now Arrow McLaren). In his very first race on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, Wickens won the pole position, and in his first oval race at Phoenix Raceway, he finished second for his first podium.
Wickens added three more podiums at the Indianapolis Grand Prix, his home race at Toronto, and Mid-Ohio – and was named 2018 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year with a ninth-place finish.
But his impressive debut season was brought to a sudden and violent halt after a violent crash at Pocono Raceway. Wickens suffered numerous injuries including a spinal cord injury that left him a paraplegic.
Just a little over three years after his accident, Wickens was back in the cockpit, using a Bosch hand-control system to drive a Hyundai Elantra N TCR car in the 2022 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge series. He scored his first win at Watkins Glen that season, and won again at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park – his first time in victory lane since his accident. The following season, Wickens and co-driver Harry Gottsacker collected seven podiums and clinched the IMPC TCR Championship – Wickens’ first championship in multi-class sports car racing.
Now, after a runner-up finish in the 2024 championship, he is ready to take the next step in his second racing career.
“It’s always great when you can add a driver of Robert’s calibre to the team,” said David Askew, Team Owner of DXDT Racing. “He is a top driver and has shown through drive and resilience that nothing is out of reach, evidenced by his race wins and championship titles in TCR. It’s certainly going to be a new challenge for all of us, but it’s one I’m so excited to take on. I know with all the work by us, Bosch, GM, and Pratt Miller this offseason, we’re in a good position to hit the ground running in Long Beach.”
“We are proud to be part of this effort alongside DXDT Racing, Pratt Miller, Bosch and of course, Robert Wickens,” added Mark Stielow, Director of GM Motorsports Competition Programmes. “For many years, Corvette Racing and Bosch have worked together to drive innovation in motorsports, most notably through the Collision Avoidance System that is now common in sports car paddocks around the world. It means a tremendous amount for Robert and Bosch to choose the Corvette Z06 GT3.R and DXDT Racing as they achieve their goal of making racing more inclusive to all competitors around the world, no matter the series or classification.”
DXDT Racing makes its IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship debut in 2025 following a successful run in the SRO GT World Challenge America series. Last year, DXDT Racing gave the new Corvette Z06 GT3.R its first victory in global competition, as drivers Alec Udell and Tommy Milner finished second in the 2024 GTWCA Pro Championship.
Udell, Charlie Eastwood, and Salih Yoluc will drive the #36 DXDT Corvette in the five IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup races – including the Rolex 24 at Daytona, where they will be joined by another driver to be named later.
Images © Michael L. Levitt / LAT / IMSA / Honda
