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By Richard S. James | June 23, 2023 11:15 AM ET
A partnership that has lasted a quarter century continues into 2024 and the competition introduction of the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R, as Chevrolet and Pratt Miller Motorsports have announced the creation of Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports.
Starting with the 2024 Rolex 24 At Daytona, Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports will campaign a pair of the new-for-2024, GT3-spec Corvettes for a full season in the GT Daytona (GTD) PRO category of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The factory-supported effort is the first of two 2024 WeatherTech Championship programs that feature the Corvette Z06 GT3.R to be confirmed, with additional customer programs set to announce in the coming weeks.
The link-up between Chevrolet and Pratt Miller Motorsports (PMM), which has been developing the new GT3 car with Chevrolet and will build the cars, was expected as it’s a natural fit. The current full-factory Corvette Racing program is in the midst of its 25th season with 125 race victories to date, the most recent coming at the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans for the team’s ninth class win and its first in GTE-Am.
“Chevrolet and Pratt Miller have collaborated for more than 25 years on the Corvette Racing program, and we are thrilled that we are able to continue together into the GT3 era,” said Christie Bagne, Corvette Z06 GT3.R Program Manager.
General Motors had previously confirmed the cessation of a factory team with the advent of its first in-house customer GT3 car. Corvette Z06 GT3.R customer teams will compete under the umbrella of Corvette Racing, which also will include customer and technical support.
“It makes sense to have Corvette Racing with Pratt Miller Motorsports lead the competition element of the Z06 GT3.R program in the GTD PRO championship starting in 2024,” Bagne said.
“We couldn’t have a better representative than the same group that has been part of the development, build and testing processes for our new Corvette racecar. The learnings we will take from testing and competition will flow to our other Z06 GT3.R customer teams to ensure that the Corvette brand is a championship contender around the world.”
The Corvette Z06 GT3.R is currently undergoing final homologation testing in Europe after nearly 5500 miles of testing since September of last year. Additional testing is planned through the summer and fall to fine-tune the car for the multiple brands of tires used in various GT3-based championships around the world such as WEC (beginning in 2024), GT World Challenge and the 24 Hour Series.
“This is an exciting time for everyone at Pratt Miller,” said Brandon Widmer, Pratt Miller Vice President, Motorsports. “We’ve experienced a lot of successes, race wins and championships with Chevrolet through the Corvette Racing program. Now we move into the GT3 era. Everyone is pleased with the progress of our testing and development programs, and new car builds are under way.
“We’re appreciative of the decades-long relationship with Chevrolet. Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports is looking forward to continue showing our expertise in race operations and management to our fans, our commercial partners and new prospects as we go forward.”
In addition to the GTD PRO team and a customer team in GTD, customer teams are expected to race in WEC and Fanatec GT World Challenge America Presented by AWS in 2024. Those teams will be named at a later date, as will the driver lineup for Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports.
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