The Corvette C8.R is carrying Corvette Racing to one of its strongest seasons ever in 2020. The new mid-engine racer has taken four wins in five races in the IMSA WeatherTech Championship’s GTLM class and has received an abundance of praise from the team’s experienced roster of drivers – but the future of the sports car program is currently being called into question.
There’s no denying that a big part of the reason the Corvette C8.R has been doing so well this year is due to the lack of competition in the GTLM field. With the two Chip Ganassi Racing-prepared Ford GTs now gone from the series, only Corvette, Porsche and BMW are left in GTLM. Porsche has already confirmed it will be pulling out of IMSA at the end of this season and BMW is believed to be reevaluating its sports car racing efforts, too, which would leave only the two Corvettes in the class for 2021 and effectively spell the end of the GTE/GTLM format in North America.
One potential solution would be to create a new class within IMSA that would see pro drivers like Corvette Racing’s Jordan Taylor and Antonio Garcia compete in the slightly slower GT3 machinery that currently makes up the series’ GT Daytona class. The problem with this plan, though, is that the Corvette C8.R was designed as a faster GTLM/GTE car and pegging it back to adhere to the vastly different GT3 rules would be a big challenge, Corvette Racing manager Ben Johnson told Sportscar365 in an interview this week.
“As far as changing it, it’s a relatively large task to make sure you’re changing the car, if we were to do that, to the GT3 rulebook,” Johnson said. “It’s not something simple that can be done in a relatively short amount of time.”
“To change a car from GTE to GT3 is not as simple as changing homologation stickers, unfortunately,” Johnson added. “There’s quite a bit of work to make sure you’re meeting all of the technical regulations for the GT3 platform.”
That doesn’t mean General Motors and Corvette Racing don’t want to make it work, though. The automaker is happy with the marketing and branding returns it has seen with its factory-back racing efforts and wants to keep racing the Corvette C8 on the global stage, but some very major discussions with regard to converging the GTE/GT3 classes in IMSA competition and in the global FIA WEC series will likely have to happen if it wishes to keep doing so.
“The future of GT racing is obviously critical to Corvette. We’re committed to it and find a lot of value in professional-level GT racing [being] part of the Corvette product,” Johnson said. “We’ll continue to work with IMSA, the ACO and FIA to build the future of GT racing.”
One positive sign is that IMSA, the ACO and the FIA are currently working on a new set of GT3 regulations, which it may be able to work with the sanctioning bodies with to ensure the Corvette C8.R could fit within them. The new rules will be introduced for the 2023 season, though, so it will probably still be a while yet before we see any such changes made to the C8.R.
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Comments
The solution is not easy or cheap but it is clear, Chevy runs the cars in GTLM next year while developing new rules for GTD so al, teams will be in new cars. This class would provide a lower cost class for GTLM teams and make the GTD cars even more the focus.
The GTD cars are closer to stock and could be more beneficial to relating them to show room cars.
While many complain about BOP it exist to prevent this from happening and control cost. But at times the cost is still too high once some teams have achieved their goals.
This is not the first time Corvette was a one brand class and they got it worked out. They again will this time.
The real trouble in the GTLM class is only factory teams could afford it. GTD has private owners. I would love to see a mix of factory and private teams in class for larger fields.
Racing is just so expensive and now with the virus many series are in trouble financially.
sport car racing is not about racing the cars it is about racing the team engineers. go back to stock cars with safety equipment needed to make it safe.
NASCAR is DEAD so how about reviving IROC Trans-Am style race series made up of Corvette, Camaro, Ford GT, Mustang, Challenger, Cadillac, etc. Penske has brought about a whole new interest in Indy car racing. It’s time things get back to the roots of road track racing in America.
The Trans Am series is very alive and well. They are putting on great racing with a wide range of economic priced race cars.
They have Porsche, Dodge , Chevy, Ford, Cadillac Jaguar etc.
The shame is so few watch or go to the races.
I was at Mid Ohio and they started over 70 cars including drivers like Greg Pickett Tommy Kendell and evening Bill Elliot.
A clarification. Porsche is not leaving IMSA, it is leaving the IMSA GTLM class. It will continue with IMSA in GTD, Pilot Challenge and its one make series. Porsche is widely expected to enter a Porsche LMD-h in the new Prototype hybrid top class when it debuts in 2022 or 2023.
Quite the assumption that Champion GTLM drivers like Garcia and Taylor would actually want to go back to racing lesser cars in a class with amateur drivers. I’m sure it’s just coincidence that it seems everyone has been trying everything to slow down the Corvette since it entered competition in 2000.
I see a pattern. When ever the Corvettes dominate they have to add weight or come up with some other method to slow them down . So now cry baby Porsche , BMW and Ford want to take their ball and go home !
they will go drive for who pays the most money
Increase the hp and speeds allowed in GTE
Wont mean anything if all the manufactures are leaving.
Lets not pretend that Corvette doesn’t cry when the BOP isn’t in their favor. It is all about politics.
I agree with you