Corvette Racing will contest both the FIA World Endurance Championship and IMSA’s Weathertech Sportscar Championship for the full season in 2022.
Both Championships will welcome a single car entry for the season with the FIA WEC set to feature a single-car Corvette C8.R entry in the final year of their GTE Pro class and IMSA also welcoming a single C8.R in the new for 2022 GTD Pro class.
A two-car effort is planned in the 2022 Le Mans 24 Hours in GTE Pro.
All six Corvette Racing drivers from 2021 will return for the new season. Antonio Garcia, Jordan Taylor and Nicky Catsburg make up the attack in IMSA while Tommy Milner, Nick Tandy and Alexander Sims contest the WEC.
“This is the most ambitious schedule that Corvette Racing has faced in its nearly 25 years of competition,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. Vice President, Performance and Motorsports. “It will be an honour to race in both the IMSA and WEC series at some of the best tracks in the world.”
IMSA GTD Pro
Garcia and Taylor, who are on the verge of repeating as GTLM Drivers champions – are to contest the full 10-race championship in the #3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R. Catsburg will rejoin the Garcia/Taylor duo for the Rolex 24 At Daytona (where they won the 2021 GTLM class), Sebring and Petit Le Mans.
The GTD-PRO Corvette C8.R will look similar to the GTLM trim. A revised wing profile will mean a slightly different level of downforce at the rear of the Corvette. The C8.R will run on customer Michelin tires, per GTD regulations.
Under the skin, the GTD-PRO Corvette will retain the same 5.5-litre, flat-plane V8 with a slightly decreased power output over the GTLM rules package. An anti-lock braking system (ABS), tested by Corvette Racing at Belle Isle’s race in June, also will be featured on the IMSA C8.R along with other driver aids that are mandated by the class regulations.
Chevrolet has won 13 Manufacturers Championships (14 with the start of Saturday’s Petit Le Mans) in IMSA since 2001.
Antonio Garcia: “I’m looking forward to being back with Corvette Racing, Jordan and in IMSA. It will be my 12th full season in America and I’ve enjoyed all of it. The GTD-PRO class is a little different but in some ways things will be the same as GTLM. We will have the C8.R with some modifications for the rules. It will be good to have the number of cars that it seems we will have in the category. It reminds me a lot of the good years in GTLM where we had four and five manufacturers. That always brings good racing. That’s the key thing and what we all want to do – race and race against the best manufacturers and best drivers. For us, it will be a big change with one car and there is a lot to learn about the GTD-PRO category over the course of the year. We need to maximize all our resources to keep winning in the same way we have for all these years.”
Jordan Taylor: “I’m super excited to be coming back to IMSA. Obviously going to a new class with more cars and more competition will be exciting. There is a lot to learn for us at Corvette Racing to help with the transition, but the team has so much experience over the years in GT racing that I’m confident we can adapt well. We’ve done some testing behind the scenes already with the car to understand where we are and what we need to work on. So far, so good. It’ll be great to be back with Antonio and Nicky. We’ve had two great years in a row, and hopefully we can make it three in IMSA.”
Nicky Catsburg: “GTD-PRO is going to be very competitive with hopefully many competitors in the class. Already the team has done a lot of development and preparation for next year. For those reasons, we are all looking forward to it. I am very happy to again be part of the Corvette Racing program, and it will be nice to continue working with Jordan and Antonio. We are a strong lineup with a strong team behind us. This will be a big challenge but we are ready for it.”
FIA WEC
The presence of Corvette Racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship means Chevrolet will fight for the GT Manufacturers World Championship along with another IMSA Manufacturers title in 2022.
The effort marks the first ever full-season WEC campaign from the factory Corvette team following on from selected one-off races in recent seasons in addition to the annual (with the exception of the COVID-affected 2020 season) two car effort at the Le Mans 24 Hours.
Milner and Tandy will take on the six-round championship with the #64 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R, which will continue in the GTE Pro category against factory entries from Porsche and Ferrari.
Milner and Tandy’s season will begin with the 1,000 Miles of Sebring on March 18 as the FIA WEC returns to its doubleheader weekend with IMSA, which runs the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring the following day.
A handful of new circuits for Corvette Racing, Monza, Fuji and Bahrain, await on the WEC calendar for 2022, plus a return to Spa-Francorchamps. The focal point, as is the case each season, is the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Corvette Racing aims to gain invitations for two Corvette C8.Rs as the programme goes for a ninth class victory since 2001. Sims will reunite with Milner and Tandy at Le Mans, with the Garcia/ Taylor/ Catsburg trio eyeing a Le Mans return, as well.
Tommy Milner: “It’s an exciting and new challenge to do a full season in WEC. As the decisions were being made, I was asked my preference of what I would like to do for 2022. I’ve obviously enjoyed every single year that I’ve been in IMSA with some amazing tracks and events. But the opportunity to race at some other famous and storied circuits, ones that I’ve never been to, in a Corvette and in the WEC is amazing. The constants of the car, the Michelin tires and having Nick as a teammate are all great benefits. We got a look at what it’s like to race in a normal WEC race when some of the team raced at Spa last year. Having that experience and knowledge will be beneficial for 2022. Personally, I’m thrilled for this.”
Nick Tandy: “I’m excited about this new challenge. I last competed for a full season in the FIA WEC in 2017, so I know what the championship is all about. I’m especially looking forward to taking this Corvette to tracks and events where we haven’t raced the car before. Obviously, I’ve been involved in the full IMSA season and Le Mans this year, but to run the C8.R in six- and eight-hour events that WEC runs is something still a little unknown to us at Corvette Racing. Yes, it’s a step into the unknown, but it’s a new challenge and those are always exciting.
I definitely will miss my friends, the fans and the familiar faces in the IMSA paddock but at the same time, I’m looking forward to seeing some familiar faces that I’ve known throughout the years in the WEC paddock. On top of that, this is a World Championship and that is something that is really important for Corvette, Chevrolet and our team. Going for a World Championship is something that not many people compete for, so I’m looking forward to what comes ahead.”
Alexander Sims: “Looking ahead to 2022, I’m excited to continue the relationship with Corvette Racing and continue racing with this team. It’s great to have another year with Tommy and Nick at Le Mans. It’s been a great experience working with the team and the racing has been great. Already we are hopeful of getting a big race win at Le Mans for the C8.R.”
