After a very successful season last year, Corvette Racing prepares to compete in the Rolex 24 at Daytona in the brand-new GT Daytona PRO (GTD PRO) class based on the GT3 formula. This new class replaces the GT Le Mans (GTLM) class Corvette Racing has been successfully contending over the past few years, with the two C8.R cars finished 1-2 in last year’s drivers’ championship. They are also defending last year’s Rolex 24 at Daytona where they also finished 1-2. The #3 C8.R, the winner of last year’s race, is again being driven by Antonio Garcia, Jordan Taylor and Nicky Catsburg, while the #4 car will be driven by Tommy Milner and Nick Tandy, with the addition of new teammate Marco Sorensen.
This year’s C8.Rs are not a lot different visually to the GTLM cars. The rear wing is running a higher angle of attack, providing an increase in rear-end downforce, which also imparts more drag on the car, reducing its top speed. The engine remains basically the same but will produce slightly less power than last year due to the slightly different engine rules for the new class. This is accomplished by Corvette’s engine running a smaller diameter air restrictor whch restricts the airflow and reduces maximum power. Further mandatory changes include anti-lock brakes and other driver aids as required in the GTD PRO class.
The sanctioning body conducts Balance of Performance (BOP) assessments early in the season to create an evenly balanced competition. They change parameters such as weight carried and the air restrictor diameter. A BOP was conducted mid-week when the Corvettes languished at the bottom of the time charts. However, the adjustments failed to improve the performance level and the Corvettes still showed a significant performance deficit in Saturday’s qualifying and Sunday’s race. The team did point to their limited experience with the control tyres as a probable cause for the poor performance. They pointed out other competitors had been running these control tyres for a long time.
Official testing and competition took place at Daytona Beach on the weekend of January 22-23 in preparation for the race. Corvette Racing found they had some work to do after finishing eight and ninth in the qualifying race, finishing a lap behind the class-winning Lamborghini Huracan. The changes necessary for the GTD PRO class have left the C8.Rs with more weight, less power and more drag. The cars suffered badly with a lack of top speed. The cars must also run customer Michelin tyres rather than last year’s tyres which were uniquely designed for the C8.R.
The race engineers were, however, happy with the data they collected over the test sessions, particularly regarding items new to the car. The engineers will spend the remaining days before the race, pouring over the data to make the Corvettes as fast as they possibly can. The 24 hour race will be run over Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th January.