GM To Ditch Factory-Backed Corvette Racing Team In 2024
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General Motors will discontinue its full factory Corvette Racing efforts in 2024, according to a recent report by Sportscar365.
Mark Stielow, motorsport competition engineering director for GM, said the decision to move on from the full factory Corvette Racing team will allow the automaker to focus on Chevy Corvette Z06 GT3.R customer teams. As such, Stielow said that GM will drop factory support for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and FIA World Endurance Championship Corvette Racing teams, which currently field Corvette C8.R race cars.
“We’re moving into the GT3 platform so we’re going to have a true customer program,” Stielow explained in an interview. “My team wanted to be very enthusiastic and build a lot of cars; I wanted to keep the launch slow, but very high quality.”
He added, “We’re not going to have a fully factory-funded Corvette race program, but we’re going to have a pool of Corvette drivers [that will race with customer teams]. We’re going to support different teams to a degree, but it’s not going to be like Cadillac, which is a fully funded factory effort.”
Moving forward, approximately eight Corvette Racing machines will compete in IMSA next year, with at least four representing full-time GTD Pro and GTD class entries. GM also expects to take up two entries in the new LMGT3 division.
Pratt Miller, which currently fields factory-backed Chevy Corvette race cars, is expected to continue competing in the GTD Pro class. However, at this time, it’s not clear if Pratt Miller will continue under the Corvette Racing umbrella upon conclusion of the 2023 season.
“It’s a big shift for our marketing team to be like, ‘What do you mean we’re not going to have the classic two yellow Corvettes?'” Stielow said. “I think it’s going to be good though because we’ll have more high-level Corvettes racing in more places.”
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It seems like they have it backwards. They should fully fund Corvette, and “support” Cadillac instead.
Here is the deal. The Class Corvette runs in now is going away.
They are going to GT3 and in GT3 factory teams are not permitted. Also they are permitted a veteran driver and have to have a up and coming armature. This part gets a bit fudged.
So GM is not permitted to have a team anymore in the Corvette class.
But GM and Pratt and Miller can build and sell GT3R Corvettes to independent teams and they can run these cars. So in place of one or two cars in Europe and the states there will be a number of Corvette teams supported by GMand Pratt and Miller.
Don’t be surprised with some big names running these teams. I would not be shocked the Garage 56 team would be part of a Hendrick Motorsports Corvette team.
Also the GT3R corvettes are more stock based and production platforms vs the present GTE Cars.
This is going to be fun as it is going to give us more of what we want in the Corvette.
The Cadillac teams are sort of run this way too as Cadillac is not running the teams but supporting the cars. Independent teams are running these cars.
Good info, CR8….I’ll back off the ledge now. 🙂
Not good for Pratt and Miller
That Sucks..But the factory Corvette teams have not really been able to compete for the last few years anyway..Finishing P2 or P3 is the same as last..
Much of the trouble has been that
#1 GM came out with a new C8R and then the racing bodies killed the Class before they got the car fully sorted out.
#2 The car has been grandfathered into the GT3 class and has been forced to use a spec tire that is smaller vs the one they developed the car on for the GTLM class they used to run,. Michelin made them special tires in larger sized.
#3 The car was also forced to move the weight in the car from where it was developed.
#4 The car also has much less down force now.
Because of these factors GM has had to move to a fast development of a GT3 customer car so they can take full advantage of the rules and race in the class properly.
Best to get all the info before you complain too much.
This is true and the thing was a monster as a GTLM. It was developed as a GTLM and the switch to GT3/GTD killed it. Id expect them to be back on top soon tho
Corvettes would have been completive if IMSA with drop their ridiculous BOF. Every time Corvette won 2 or 3 races in a row, IMSA would penalize them.. making them add more weight, or reduce the throttle body size. Instead of gelding Corvette because they are winning….how about making the other manufactures (teams) step up their game.?
I have to agree with you on that one. Racing is about improving you car to beat the competition not penalizing the competition.
GM can’t claim to be a green auto company saving the planet if they run ICE powered race cars and the stockholders may not like that.
They can claim what ever they like. There is no real class here for Hybrid with the Corvette yet. But the Cadillacs will employ alternative power systems in road racing and F1 in the near future.
Stock holders are more influenced on income and profits. If you invest based on how green you are not a real investor.
You sir are so out of touch with the real world as well as real gm stockholders. Your green weenieness is showing and it is not a good look on you.
Right.
Hmmm. Interesting. If you bought gm stock when they emerged from bankruptcy and held on until present date. You would be down – 4.1% not including dividends. I wonder what stockholders have say about gm stock performance or lack thereof. Perhaps they are hoping for a big EV payoff in another decade or two.
I kinda don’t blame them because they just spent a ton of money to develop a car then a couple of years later discontinue it.
Because, Cadillac can use that money to go F1 racing, which will be a frustrating, short lived exercise in “learning the hard way.”. It’s a sad day.
The Cadillac money is something else all together. The Corvette program would not pay for much there.
Note the GT3 class actually will give GM much more.
#1 they will sell the cars and private teams will do the hard work.
#2 more teams and more cars
#3 Pratt and Miller are still involved and many of their people will be manning the teams.
#4 They will be running a car much close to the production cars.
#5 they will be racing some of the best cars in the world in closer to production form and it will be much more benefit for their marketing. It is one thing for a Ferrari to be a Corvette but a Corvette beating a Ferrari. That will be much more to GM’s benefit.
As for Cadillac GM will provide the tech but Andretti will run the team. The real question is will they let them in.
The handwriting was on the wall when Doug Fehan was fired.
Dougs failure was to spend all that time on the new GTLM car and not anticipate that the class was going to die. The other teams were leaving and GM spent a ton of money on the new car only to be stuck into a grandfathered GT3 class with a car not designed for it.
So would this mean with a GM funding the program, that they reap the reward of more money in the kitty to use elsewhere? And if so, how much might they be saving?
Watch Doug resurface to run one of the top customer teams.
Not saving anything. Will recoupe sone cost by selling customer cars and parts. That money will go back in for continued development.
Let’s just change the rules every year or so to screw up racing just like NASCAR. A builder developes a car for a certain class and the damn rules get changed before you get to race. I say decide the class on body type and engine size and leave the rest up to builder.
I just want to see more C8 Corvettes on the track racing.
As Doug Fehan said 3 weeks ago wait for the book.
When the Corvette Racing team was running the C5R and C6R.. they were winning a Lot of races. When they switched over to the C7R they didn’t seem to have as much success. Then, when the C8R came along they seem to be struggling. despite the fact that the mid-engine configuration was suppose to be so much better then the front engine car. I have never been happy with IMSA and their Balance of Performance. It seems, when ever the Corvettes won two races in a row, they would make them add weight or reduce the size of the throttle body. You don’t take the best car in a race, and handicap it, because the car was too good. You tell the other manufactures to “step up their game” I grew up in the 60’s watching Can-Am racing, back then , the best cars won, and you didn’t keep playing with the rules, because the losers didn’t win the races.
Here is the trouble. This class is running cars of different shapes sizes, weight and engine sizes. BOP is the only way to keep the, equal.
This is not like NASCAR where they are all the same.
If a mfg has no chance to win they either don’t race or they leave. It is hard enough to keep mfgs around even with BOO.
Note the Cam Am has died a few times til, they got a balanced formula, same for trans am. Even IMSA died and came back.
Road Racing is expensive and gets little coverage. Mfgs want a return on the investment.
If not regulated one mfg just plows so much money they only win like the 917 Porsche. People stop watching teams leave.
No BOP is not great but if unregulated there would be no race series.
Pure racing died when technology and more money came to the sport.
The joke in IMSA for years is “How do you win $1 million dollars in IMSA? Spend $100 million.
The Corvette team one year raced with their two cars only in class. They also have been given an advantage by BOP at times too. What goes around comes around.
It’s a damned shame it never has gained the popularity it deserves because LeMans-based road racing with all the different classes and car platforms is arguably the best kind of racing there is. It’s especially enjoyable in person at a track where you can get close to the action (like Sebring).
Yes in one way that is bad but I also like going to these races and the access is amazing.
I used to see Dan BInks from Pratt and Miller every year at Mid Ohio. He was great to talk to and he even would let me sneak into the garages to get some good photos of the cars and crews working. Not many series will let you do that.
Heck we even got invited to hang with a GTD team one year. They took us around and we got to see it all. We were even in the Andy Lally Lounge in the transporter watching take the data from the car and plot the times.
You don’t do that in NASCAR or F1.
Trans Am is the best. They let you in. I have had them give me T shirts and I think one guy would have let us help if we hung around. I left with half the hood from Greg Picketts Jag after it burned. Still hanging in the garage with the soot still on it.
Agreed on the access with IMSA and Trans Am (and SVRA/vintage racing)….there’s nothing quit like them. I have a similar story from last year when Rafa Matos crashed at COTA during TA2.. The crew was awesome and friendly even though they were dealing with a hurt car. My son and I both have his Mustang’s front fenders hanging in our garages. Pretty cool garage art.
I have two team local here Krieder racing and Ruman racing. Both are great people I have friends on both teams.
Andretti racing also is great. Adam is really a good guy and he even came up and watched one of the races with us. His wife even wrenches on the car.
I miss his father Aldo, he was Mario’s twin brother and he was a really cool guy. We would make time to visit him every year.
The one year Bill Elliot came and ran TA2. That was fun.
We won job well done.
While the Corvette had a power advantage this year they really had to work for this coming nearly 3 laps back.
Guess you negative guys didn’t watch Le mans from a lap down to winning by over 2 minutes. Been kicking @ss since 99
Corvette took its time in Le Mans before pushing it. I could not find a video on the MT recordings to see when they took the lead which was frustrating. The announcers were ok but did a poor job of including the LMP2 and GT racing action. There ought to be separate broadcasts for each of the classes however it $s as usual and the number of viewers.
As far as the GT3 change is concerned I have been disappointed with the fact that there has been only one Corvette represented in IMSA and the WEC circuit but now the truth is known. No direct factory teams but hopefully a number of privateer teams supported by the factory in whatever way they can, i.e., Porsche, Ferrari, M-B, etc. I like the evening out of the performance of the GT3 cars more than NASCAR as you get totally different design and engineering from a number of manufacturers yet somewhat comparable performance. Obviously, the performance of the street able versions is very different than the racing versions but the bragging rights after each race ignore that.
The fact that Cadillac finished all three of their entries was a win as well.
If you noticed it but the announcers commented on the different sound of the NASCAR 56 entry sound and the Corvette thinking it was the headers. I think the 5.5L OHC and the 5.8L OHV engines design might contribute to the sound difference as well. Never really heard the 56 but it probably sounded more like the C5R rather than a Ferrari.
the 5.5 corvette engine has a 180 degree crank and the NASCSR 5.8 has a 90 degree crank.
the NASCAR engine has a 90 degree crank and the C 8R has a 180 degree crank better known as a flat crank