Chevrolet Corvette C8 R claimed the 2020 GT Le Mans Manufacturers title in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship

Update 2020 November 14th - Chevrolet Corvette C8 R claimed the GT Le Mans Manufacturers title in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship today SEBRING, Fla. — Chevrolet claimed the GT Le Mans Manufacturers title in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship today after the Corvette C8.R started the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. This is Chevrolet’s 13th Manufacturers title in IMSA GT competition since 2001 and concludes the mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette C8.R’s inaugural season. Corvette Racing fielded two of the new Corvette C8.Rs in the 2020 WeatherTech Championship. Antonio Garcia, Jordan Taylor and the No. 3 Corvette Racing team clinched the GTLM Drivers and Team championships two weeks ago at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. "The first season for the Corvette C8.R has shattered all of our expectations,” said Mark Reuss, GM president. "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 mid-engine C8.R and 2020 Corvette Stingray were developed simultaneously, and the race car and production vehicle share more technology and parts than any previous-generation Corvette. When initial Corvette C8.R design and development work began more than five years ago, Corvette Racing engineers worked closely alongside Corvette production personnel. Within the last 18 months, track testing began with a heavy emphasis on wind tunnel and simulation testing. Chevrolet swept the three full-season GTLM titles for the third time in five years. This is only the second time that a first-year Corvette race car has won an IMSA championship. In 2005, Corvette C6.R won the American Le Mans Series championship during its first season. Corvette Racing captured six victories leading into Sebring. Garcia and Taylor gave the Corvette C8.R its first victory at Daytona International Speedway in July, Corvette Racing’s 100th IMSA win. Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner won the next race in the No. 4 Corvette C8.R with Garcia and Taylor in second – the first 1-2 finish for the C8.R. wallpaper for Chevrolet Corvette C8 R claimed the GT Le Mans Manufacturers title (click on images to enlarge)     Update July 5th Daytona- Chevrolet Corvette C8R first win- GTLM Class win-- IMSA 100th Victory for Corvette 2020-07-04 -Garcia, Taylor team for program’s 100th win in IMSA competition

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Corvette Racing earned the first victory with the new Chevrolet Corvette C8.R, and the team won the 100th time in IMSA competition Saturday as Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor claimed the IMSA WeatherTech 240 at Daytona. Garcia took the GT Le Mans (GTLM) checkered flag by 1.977 seconds in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R. He drove nearly two hours to the finish after Taylor drove a challenging single stint on a damp but drying track at the start. Class pole-winner Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner placed fifth in the No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R. “Congratulations to Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor on winning today’s IMSA race at Daytona,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. Vice President, Performance and Motorsports. "Their win is twice as special for Chevrolet, as Corvette Racing has now achieved 100 victories in IMSA competition. It also is the first for the new mid-engine Corvette C8.R in just its third race. This milestone win belongs to everyone who has been part of the Corvette program over the years, our Corvette owners and our fans.” The race, as it usually is in GTLM, featured multiple tire strategies. Both Corvettes opted to begin the race on slick Michelin tires despite the wet surface. Gavin, after leading a Corvette 1-2 in qualifying earlier in the day, began first but Taylor was one of quickest drivers in the class early on and managed to go one lap longer on fuel than most of his GTLM competitors during his opening stint. Meanwhile, Gavin clawed back from a tough start to regain the lead at the end of his first run before handing off to Milner for the final two stints in the No. 4 Corvette. He led at the time of his final stop with 55 minutes left but had to save fuel in order to prevent an extra pit stop to finish the race. As Taylor did in his stint, Garcia went a lap longer than most of his competitors in his first run and emerged directly behind Earl Bamber’s Porsche with 51 minutes go as the two stopped on the same lap. Patience paid off for Garcia, who made the winning pass with 31 minutes left and set fastest GTLM lap of the race in the process. Corvette Racing’s next event is the Cadillac Grand Prix of Sebring on Saturday, July 18 from Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Fla. (source GM-Chevrolet Media Service)

Update January 26th 2020 - CORVETTE RACING AT DAYTONA: Record Distance in Corvette C8.R Debut

Oliver Gavin (l to r), Tommy Milner and Marcel Fässler, co-driver teammates in the #4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R; and Nicky Catsburg (l to r), Jordan Taylor and Antonio Garcia, co-driver teammates in the #3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R, will race Saturday, January 24, 2020 in the GTLM class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s Rolex 24 at Daytona in Daytona Beach, Florida. This is the first race for the new, first-ever mid-engine Corvette C8.R.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Corvette Racing’s new Chevrolet Corvette C8.R finished its maiden race with a fourth-place finish in the Rolex 24 At Daytona to start the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

Antonio Garcia, Jordan Taylor and Nicky Catsburg led the team’s effort Saturday and Sunday in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R, which had a mostly trouble-free run in its competition debut. The trio completed 785 laps for 2,794.6 miles – the greatest distance for any Corvette entry in Rolex 24 history.

The No. 3 C8.R led twice and was in contention for victory in its first race for the majority of the 24. The performance showed the potential of the mid-engine Corvette, which was developed simultaneously with the 2020 Corvette Stingray.

"It was a tremendous honor to debut the Corvette C8.R at the Rolex 24 Hour at Daytona – 22 years after we debuted the C5-R in the same location,” said Jim Campbell, US Vice President Performance and Motorsports. “I'm so proud of our team and how they prepared and executed the race with the 2020 mid-engine Corvette. I can't wait for the rest of the season and watch the excitement from our fans grow with every race."

The No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette C8.R of Oliver Gavin, Tommy Milner and Marcel Fässler underwent multiple trials Saturday and Sunday, but the trio ultimately finished the race as well. While things looked optimistic in the first eight hours with the team racing inside the top-five, an oil leak near the ninth hour forced the No. 4 Corvette into the garage for extensive work. Complicating matters, the leak was in an area that required the team’s crew to remove the engine in order to make the repair.

Diligent and non-stop work for nearly nine hours brought the Corvette back into the race with the aim of evaluating tire settings and setup options to help the No. 3 for the end of the race.

“The Rolex 24 At Daytona is a demanding race, so to even finish here with a brand-new car with a brand-new engine is a major accomplishment,” said Mark Kent, Chevrolet Director of Motorsports Competition. “To have both of the new Corvette C8.Rs finish – and one of them nearly finish on the lead lap – is a tremendous reflection of the strength of this car and this program.”

Corvette Racing’s next event is the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida on March 19-21 at Sebring (Fla.) International Raceway

source Chevrolet Corvette Racing Media Archives

Wallpapers for CORVETTE RACING AT DAYTONA: Record Distance in Corvette C8.R Debut (click on images to enlarge)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. October 2nd 2019 —  More than 60 years of racing heritage helped set the stage for the most important debut in Corvette’s racing history tonight, as Chevy’s first mid-engine GTLM race car - the Corvette C8.R - made its surprise debut alongside the 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray convertible at the Kennedy Space Center. The C8.R and Corvette Stingray represent a true technology transfer, taking lessons from the street straight to the track and vice versa.

 “The C8.R is much more than just a race-tuned version of the 2020 Corvette Stingray. It’s a culmination of many years of testing and development between GM Design, Propulsion, Engineering and the Corvette Racing team,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. vice president of Performance and Motorsports. “The collaboration between these teams has allowed us to take these vehicles’ performance to the next level, both on the street and the track.”

With its tremendous success on the track over the last 20 years, Corvette Racing has helped push the development, performance and popularity of Corvette’s top-line performance cars on race tracks across the world.

Since 1999, Corvette Racing has won 107 races – the most of any professional sports car team in North America - including 13 Team championships and 12 Driver and Manufacturer titles. In 2015, Corvette Racing became the first sports car team in 15 years win endurance racing’s Triple Crown - victories at Rolex 24 at Daytona, Twelve Hours of Sebring and 24 Hours of Le Mans - in the same season.

The C8.R No. 4 car dons a new silver livery, inspired by the color of iconic Corvette concepts such as the 1973 Chevrolet Aerovette and the 1959 Corvette Stingray Racer. This car also features yellow accents.

Complementing the No. 4 vehicle is the No. 3 car which will feature a traditional yellow color scheme with silver accents that continues the lineage of the successful GTLM racing Corvettes of the past 20 years.

BRASELTON, Ga. October 12th 2019 —  Chevrolet begins a new chapter in its storied racing legacy with the introduction of the new mid-engine Corvette race car, known as the C8.R. The C8.R will be Chevrolet’s first mid-engine race car to compete in IMSA’s GTLM class and the first clean sheet race car design since the C5.R debuted in 1999. It will make its racing debut at Rolex 24 at Daytona on Jan. 25, 2020.

The C8.R is based on the strong foundation of the 2020 Corvette Stingray. There is a deeper level of technology transfer between the race car and production Corvette than ever before, which helps contribute to many of its advancements. As a result, the C8.R shares the highest percentage of parts between the production and race car than any previous generation.

“It was important for us to develop the new race car alongside the production car, so that each product could properly take advantage of the new architecture,” said Ed Piatek, Corvette chief engineer. “The benefits of this mid-engine supercar, including its incredible balance and connected-to-the-road feel, will be obvious on the street and the track.”

Since certain features of the 2020 Corvette Stingray aren’t necessary in a racing environment, the engineering and design teams found innovative ways to get benefits out of every part of the vehicle. For example, on the C8.R, a single centrally-mounted radiator was placed in the area used as the front storage compartment on the production Corvette. Ultra-bright racing headlights were packaged on the race car where the radiators are located on the production car.

In compliance with IMSA engine displacement rules, the C8.R will feature a 5.5L naturally-aspirated V8 engine, producing 500 hp and 480 ft.-lb. of torque.

A new compact Xtrac six-speed sequential gearbox was developed in order to provide room at the rear of the C8.R to package a race car specific diffuser.

“We have looked forward to racing a production-based mid-engine Corvette for a long time,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. vice president of Performance and Motorsports. “The debut of the C8.R is the result of immense collaboration between GM Engineering, Propulsion, Design and the Corvette Racing team. As Corvette Racing enters its third decade of competition, we’re excited to begin the next chapter.”

The C8.R utilizes a production 2020 Stingray chassis structure produced in the Bowling Green Assembly plant. The chassis is then modified to meet race series requirements. The new C8.R chassis structure is significantly stiffer and lighter than its predecessor.

Designed to Improve Aero, Weight and Stiffness

Improving aerodynamics, increasing stiffness and decreasing weight from the previous generation car were all primary focuses of the C8.R development.

The use of computer analytics made it possible to start the design of the race car well in advance of any production Corvette components being available. Chevrolet’s state of the art Driver in the Loop Simulator was heavily utilized to evaluate numerous chassis and aero design concepts. The engineering and design teams produced thousands of 3D-printed rapid prototype parts for chassis and wind tunnel testing. The use of these development tools resulted in a race car with improved aerodynamics, vehicle dynamics and weight distribution.

The C8.R utilizes a production 2020 Stingray chassis structure produced in the Bowling Green Assembly plant. The chassis is then modified to meet race series requirements. The new C8.R chassis structure is significantly stiffer and lighter than its predecessor.

With a lower center of gravity and more even weight distribution on the wheels, Corvette Racing worked closely with Michelin to optimize the tire compound and construction to best support the unique traction needs of a mid-engine race car. The C8.R will ride on 18 inch MICHELIN® Pilot® Sport GT competition tires.

Sporting Both Yellow and Silver

While yellow continues to be a mainstay of Corvette Racing, it is now joined by a new look for the 2020 season.

The No. 4 race car features a new silver livery, inspired by the color of iconic Corvette concepts such as the 1973 Chevrolet Aerovette and the 1959 Corvette Stingray Racer that pushed the envelope both in design and on-track performance. This car also features yellow accents.

It will be joined by the No. 3 race car in a yellow color scheme with silver accents that continues the lineage of the successful GTLM racing Corvettes.

“Since the mid-engine race car is such a revolutionary vehicle, we felt it would be fitting to honor Corvette Racing’s legacy with both a redesigned, modern livery along with a traditional livery in Corvette yellow,” said Vlad Kapitonov, lead creative designer, Chevrolet Performance Cars. “Both liveries pay homage to Corvette’s Racing storied heritage, as well as the impressive engineering and design milestones that led to up to this extraordinary race car.”

Wallpapers of the Corvette C8-R mid engined racing car 2020 (click on image to enlarge)

link to Chevrolet Corvette Stingray C8 first mid engine model for 2020