Corvette Racing Celebrates Historic Win at 2020 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship

It has been a long wait for Corvette Racing but the team has finally managed to sweep GT Le Mans titles!

The C8 Corvette has stirred up quite a lot of excitement in the automotive world, and the brand’s first-ever mid-engine offering seems to be fast on its way to becoming a motoring masterpiece. Corvette racing recently clenched another decisive victory at the 2020 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar championship. The team won all GT Le Mans titles, making it the 13th Manufacturers title for the Golden Bow Tie brand since 2001.

Corvette Racing was competing with its C8.R twins, which wrapped up the mid-engine sports car’s first-ever season at the championship on a winning note. The team started the season back in January at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. By finishing second at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca that took place earlier this month, drivers Antonio Garcia, Jordan Taylor, along with the No. 3 Corvette Racing team secured Team Championship and GTLM Drivers titles.

This meant that in order to win, Corvette Racing only had had to do finish the final stage of the championship- the 12 Hours of Sebring. Throughout its maiden season, the Corvette C8.R ran 3,800 total laps covering 11,000 miles thereby helping the team achieve 6 class victories and 13 podium finishes.

The President of General Motors, Mark Reuss commented on the win and said, “The first season for the Corvette C8.R has shattered all of our expectations,” he further added. “The success of the Corvette Racing team wouldn’t be possible without the close link between the crew and the Corvette engineering team. It has been great to watch these two teams work closely together to learn from each other. I can’t wait to see what next season brings.”

The development of the C8.R race car began 5 years ago alongside the 2020 Corvette Stingray. Adhering to IMSA’s engine displacement regulations, the racecars were equipped with a naturally-aspirated race-tuned 5.5-liter V8 motor that produces 500 horsepower and 480 lb-ft of peak torque in the C8.R.

To accommodate C8.R’s racing diffuser, the team mated the powerplant to a compact six-speed Xtrac sequential transmission. Corvette racing even swapped the stock radiator setup for a large centrally-mounted unit to accommodate the racecar’s ultra-bright headlights.

The team has waited a long time for this win as the final 12 Hours of Sebring race was supposed to be held back in March but was postponed in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Well, you know what they say: better late than never!

Photos: Chevy Racing

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