Corvette shows new GT3 machine

Corvette took the time at home during the ROLEX 24 Hours to reveal its new GT3 machine to the public, as the Corvette Z06 GT3.R will be the next step in Corvette’s history in the class, and also in GT racing overall.

The vehicle shown at the Daytona International Speedway will be available for customer teams from 2024, and is stated as being the closest that a racing Corvette is from its road going counterpart, thanks to the GT3 class regulations. When the new car, based on the C8 platform, hits the circuits, it will also be the only GT Corvette in action, as the Corvette C8.R GTE will be phased out after the end of the 2023 season, along with the GTE class itself.

In part, the departure of the GTE class left Corvette with the only choice of joining GT3 to adapt to the times to stay in GT racing, as IMSA made a full switch to GT3 in its production classes, and ACO and FIA will incorporate GT3s in the FIA WEC and ELMS, while the Asian LMS will stay with its GT class unchanged. While Corvette loses most opportunities to run a factory team due to the spec regulations, it will open the door for more appearances at different points of the World, with GT3 cars being in practically all continents.

The Z06 GT3.R means that GM will rely again on home resources to be in GT3, years after the controversial Cadillac ATS-V.R GT3, a car that forced SRO to change the class regulations of minimum production of cars and distribution to customers.

While GT3 Corvettes exist for almost the entire time of the class, this is only the first one that will be prepared in the United States by the GM and Pratt & Miller, as Callaway Competition, the sporting department of Callaway Cars, took production of variations of the C6 and C7 models for itself for more than a decade, having quite a complicated relationship with GM as lack of factory support hindered their scope and goals, although their product was quite successful in ADAC GT Masters in Germany.

The mid-engine layout and the 5.5 liter flat plane crank V8 engine that mark  the road going version will be present in the Z06 GT3R, while counting with the comforts seen in any GT3 to make it suitable for drivers with varied ranges of experience, such as refined traction control and ABS, and the goal during the tests made since September of 2022 is to make sure this works correctly.

For the moment there is no plans for competitive testing of the Z06 GT3.R at the moment despite the GT World Challenge Europe, NLS and 24H Series allowing one-time exceptions for new cars in process of homologation, but the likely debut is set for the 2024 ROLEX 24 in fully homologated spec.

PHOTO: Corvette Racing