Photo Credit: Richard Prince, Corvette Racing

Corvette Racing finds itself “in a good spot” these days, riding a wave of momentum with its Z06 GT3.R customer base. And according to program manager Andrea Hidalgo, that stability means the global Corvette footprint isn’t expected to change much heading into next season.

Hidalgo recently spoke with Sportscar365, offering a wide‑angle look at the program while still savoring last month’s landmark victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

“We’re in a pretty good spot now,” she said. “Part of what distinguishes our program is that we work very closely with our customer teams. In racing, there’s always things you can be doing better, but we’re pretty happy with the size of the program right now. At this scale, we can still interface directly with each team and have that relationship. If we expand too much, we’d lose a bit of that.”

The Pratt Miller–built Corvette Z06 GT3.R is set to enter its fourth season in 2027, debuting a new Evo package designed to sharpen performance and refine the car’s competitiveness. Since its launch, the GT3.R has made its strongest impact in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, where five cars have appeared this season. Two come from the factory‑supported Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports effort in GTD Pro, while customer teams — 13 Autosport, DXDT Racing, and DragonSpeed — have campaigned the car in GTD. Together, they’ve given Corvette a broad and visible presence across the IMSA paddock as the platform heads toward its next evolution.

Globally, the reach is just as strong. TF Sport continues to represent Corvette in both the FIA World Endurance Championship and the European Le Mans Series, fielding LMGT3 entries. In North America, Chouest Povoledo Racing carries the flag in GT America powered by AWS, while Steller Motorsport competes in GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS. And after running GT World Challenge Asia powered by AWS last season, JMR Johor Racing has stepped up to a full‑time program in the Intercontinental GT Challenge, further expanding Corvette’s global GT3 footprint.

Even if one or more IMSA GTD customer programs change hands for 2027, Hidalgo says the number of Corvettes in the WeatherTech Championship is expected to remain steady.

Hidalgo also took a moment to reflect on Corvette Racing and TF Sport’s LMGT3 class victory at Le Mans — the brand’s 10th class win at the legendary endurance race. The triumph came courtesy of the No. 33 Corvette driven by Jonny Edgar, who earned his first Le Mans win, alongside veterans Ben Keating and Nicky Catsburg. For Catsburg, the victory marked his first return to the top step since 2023, the lone year the Corvette C8.R captured a class win.

“It’s always the goal to win,” Hidalgo said. “We always wanted that, but when it happened, the impact of it really hit — being the 10th win.”

She noted the victory carried extra significance because it extended a remarkable streak.

“Every generation of Corvette has won at Le Mans since we’ve been racing,” she said. “That was the last year of that car in its non‑Evo configuration, and we won it. So that continued the streak of every generation.”

With the Evo version of the Z06 GT3.R arriving next season, Hidalgo acknowledged that defining “generations” may become more nuanced — but the importance of the 2024 win remains unchanged.

“Having won with this one now was pretty impactful,” she said. “As we’re going to the Evo, I don’t know how you will define a generation, if it’s Evo or non‑Evo. It’s great to have that win and continue that streak.”

Weeks later, the emotion still lingers.

“After winning, the whole impact of it unfolds,” Hidalgo said. “We’re still riding the high.”

Looking ahead, she’s “cautiously optimistic” that Corvette can keep the momentum rolling as the WEC season resumes next month at Lone Star Le Mans at Circuit of The Americas.

“The longer you work with the car, the more you get to know it and the setup,” she said. “I think the engineers are feeling really comfortable with the setup directions they’re taking. We’re utilizing the Driver‑In‑the‑Loop simulator as well, and that’s getting in a good place. The more data you have, the more it feeds and improves those models so that you can use them to help the car. We’ve got some momentum where we really understand the car, so we’re hoping to keep that momentum through the rest of the WEC season and find those gains.”

Source:
Sportscar365.com

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