There will be some that will be reading the headlines today around the reveal of Chevrolet’s new-for-2024 Corvette Z06 GT3.R with some bemusement.
Described, entirely accurately, as Chevrolet’s “first racecar that fully meets FIA technical regulations for GT3 cars”, it is not however the first Corvette badged and homologated as at GT3 car – or the second – or the third!
That’s because Chevrolet has previously licensed the rights to build Corvette’s to GT3 specification to Callaway Competition in Germany!
That history started at the very beginning of the GT3 ruleset with the original Corvette Z06.R GT3, in fact, the fifth GT3 car to receive an FIA homologation.
The car was almost immediately successful, a relatively simple performance package in amongst some complex exotica, the 2007 FIA GT3 Teams title went to the (Callaway) factory-operated team.
2010 saw the debut of a significant upgrade under a new homologation, redubbed the Corvette Callaway Z06.R GT3 the car saw the introduction of a new and uprated aero package, a new drivetrain and an entirely new engine for the GT3 package based around Chevrolet’s well-proven LS3 V8.
Again the car had no little success, particularly impressive bearing in mind the level of factory customer racing involvement by now, the ADAC GT Masters title in 2013 going to a Corvette squad.
2016 saw the homologation of the final iteration of Callaway Corvette and the debut in GT3 of the C7 Corvette platform, the brutally beautiful Callaway Corvette C7.R GT3. The car was built in limited numbers and has seen service in racing including: ADAC GT Masters, 24H Series, The Suzuka 1000kms Super Taikyu as well as a (very) brief US programme in GT World Challenge North America after the withdrawal of the Cadillac GT3 which saw GM finally allow Callaway to market their car stateside. Once again it took an ADAC GT Masters title before the team wound up their operations.
Major Honours For the GT3-Spec Callaway Corvettes
Z06-R GT3
2007 FIA GT3 European Teams Championship, Martini Callaway Racing: #18 Luca Pirri / Jurgen von Gartzen (three wins, 2nd and 3rd in drivers’ points), #17 Martin Matzke / Jiri Skula, #16 Uli Berberich-Martini / Klaus Ludwig
2008 FIA GT3 European Drivers Championship, James Ruffier / Arnaud Peyroles (two wins, five podiums, series champion)
2009 ADAC GT Masters Teams’ Championship, Marc Hennerici / Luca Ludwig (three wins, 2nd place in points); Christian Hohenadel / Toni Seiler (one win, 4th place)
2010 FIA GT3 European Drivers’ Championship, Daniel Keilwitz / Christian Hohenadel (four wins, eight podiums, series champion)
2010 ADAC GT Masters Gentlemen Trophy Toni Seiler
Corvette Callaway Z06.R GT3
2013 ADAC GT Masters Drivers’ and Teams’ Championships, Diego Alessi / Daniel Keilwitz (five wins, series champion)
C7 GT3-R
2016 ADAC GT Masters Gentlemen Trophy, Remo Lips (with Sven Barth)
2017 ADAC GT Masters, Drivers’, Teams’, and Junior Drivers’ Championships, Jules Gounon (three wins, six podiums, series champion) Accompanied by Daniel Keilwitz (two wins), Renger van der Zande (one win)
2019 ADAC GT Masters Gentlemen Trophy, Sven Barth (with David Jahn)
Does not include SRO America/Pirelli World Challenge and SRO sanctioned events in Japan
