Corvette Racing has confirmed it will enter a single Corvette C8.R chassis in the FIA World Endurance Championship season opener in Portugal this April.
Team veterans Antonio Garcia and Oliver Gavin will share the No. 63 LM GTE Pro entry – marking the first time the duo have shared a car in their Corvette Racing careers.
Gavin stepped back from his full-time role with Corvette Racing last year, but at the time said he would continue to explore “opportunities to represent Chevrolet and Corvette Racing in the future.” The 8 Hours of Portimao will be the first event Gavin has competed in with Corvette Racing since the 2020 Petit Le Mans last fall.
Oliver Gavin
Portimao will also mark the Corvette C8.R’s FIA WEC debut. Corvette Racing has not competed in a WEC race since the 2019 24 Hours of Le Mans, with the team electing to sit out last year’s edition of the endurance classic due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Corvette Racing is expected to contest both the 8 Hours of Portimao and the 6 Hours of Spa this year as it prepares to return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans in July. The precursor events will give the American squad an important refresher on the specific WEC rules and strategy methods, as the FIA-sanctioned series has vastly different procedures for pit stops and safety cars than the IMSA WeatherTech Championship that it regularly competes in.
A total of five cars have been entered in the LM GTE Pro class for the 8 Hours of Portimao, including two Ferrari 488 GTE Evo entries from AF Corse and a pair of Porsche 911 RSRs fielded by Porsche GT Team.
Festivities for the FIA WEC 8 Hours of Portimao will kick off on April 2nd.
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