2024 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R is a new era of Corvette motorsports

At the time of writing, Corvette Racing has won 120 races, including eight class wins at Le Mans, 14 manufacturers’ championships and 15 teams’ titles. It’s likely that the team will find a way to add at least one win this year, the modesty of that statement comes from the fact that the Corvette C8.R only won once last year. In 2024, this is the beast that will carry the burden of expanding the trophy case, the 2024 Corvette Z06 GT3.R. The current C8.R was built to GT Le Mans/GT Endurance Pro specs, then switched to the more restrictive GT3 spec last year when IMSA and the FIA ​​eliminated GTLM/GTE. The new racer is the first Corvette developed for GT3 competition and we expect it will get Jake back on the regular winning streak when it enters competition at the Rolex 24 at Daytona next year.

Despite the completely changed name, it is a facelifted current C8.R, this car has always been a close brother of the production Z06. An aluminum frame off the Corvette assembly line in Bowling Green is shipped to longtime partner Pratt & Miller Engineering to be fitted with the roll cage and carbon fiber body. There’s still a 5.5-liter flat-crank V8 behind the cab, also built at Bowling Green, that’s rated at the regulations-mandated maximum power of 600 hp. There’s a six-speed sequential gearbox like the C8.R. A double wishbone suspension shares the same architecture as the Z06 road car, but mates with motorsport-specific springs and dampers. Six-piston front calipers and four-piston rear calipers to press race-specific pads onto race-specific rotors.

The move to GT3 racing means Chevrolet Motorsports is entering a new era of working with customer teams, something not seen in the past 25 years with factory-supported GTLM and GTE cars. GT3 means the opportunity to drive in more series. In addition to appearances in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in the GTD Pro and GTD classes and the FIA ​​World Endurance Championship in the GT3 class, cars could also appear in the Fanatec GT World Challenge, Intercontinental GT Challenge, SRO America and the Intercontinental GT Challenge. Chevrolet Motorsports says it will provide broad customer entry support, including a parts truck with full replacement parts on track at race weekends and Chevrolet engineers for set-up, pre- and post-race documentation support and data analysis. Teams can move up to “full tech, race strategy and other items” in the support menu if teams have the budget.

By the time customer deliveries begin in the third quarter of this year, the Z06 GT3.R will have seen two years of development, including one on the track. Chevrolet didn’t mention the price, that figure will likely be made public shortly before launch.