The factory-supported effort will run alongside additional customer programs, run under the Corvette Racing umbrella, which are set to announce in the coming weeks as will the driving lineup for the Pratt Miller-run works cars.
In total, four of the new cars are expected to be on the IMSA grid next year.
It extends Corvette Racing’s association with Pratt Miller, which is currently in its 25th season with 125 race victories to date. It is currently running single-car efforts in IMSA and the World Endurance Championship, winning the GTE Am class of the recent Le Mans 24 Hours with its C8.R.
“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, program manager of the Corvette Z06 GT3.R.
“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 all-new car has been testing since September last year and was launched at the Daytona 24 Hours – where it will make its race debut in 2024. It has accumulated nearly 5,500 miles of running and is currently undergoing its final homologation testing in Europe.
“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.”
While Pratt Miller has led the chassis builds and engineering of the Z06 GT3.R, GM Propulsion Performance and Racing Center in Pontiac, Michigan, developed the 5.5-liter, flat-plane crankshaft DOHC LT6 V8 engine that will power the racecar.
The LT6 engine for the Z06 GT3.R originates from the Performance Build Center in Bowling Green, the same line on which all production Corvette Z06 engines are built. The racing engines are delivered to the Performance and Racing Center where they are fitted with certain race-specific components.
The 5.5-liter powerplant shares more than 70 percent of its parts with the production Z06 engine, including the crankshaft, connecting rods, cylinder heads, fuel injectors, coils, gaskets and a variety of other sensors.
Corvette Racing’s current IMSA GTD Pro driver line-up is Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor (with Tommy Milner for endurance races), while Nicky Catsburg, Nicolas Varrone and Ben Keating drive PMM’s WEC C8.R.
