Robert Wickens embraces last-minute call-up for IMSA…

Robert Wickens is taking a whirlwind turn of events in stride. Armed with short notice and high confidence, the Canadian driver is stepping into the spotlight this weekend to make his IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD class endurance debut at Road America.

Wickens received the call on Wednesday afternoon to drive DXDT Racing’s No. 36 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R in place of Salih Yoluc. He will share the car with fellow sprint co-driver Mason Filippi, along with Charlie Eastwood on the grueling 4.048-mile, 14-turn natural terrain road course.

Minimal Prep, Maximum Determination

#36 DXDT Racing Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Mason Filippi, Robert Wickens at CTMP this season. (Photo by: Michael Tan)

A late call-up often means scrambling for video footage and telemetry, but Wickens is keeping his focus entirely forward.

"I don't know the exact details of why Salih couldn't make it... but for me, it was a great opportunity," Wickens told Motorsport.com. "I found out Wednesday afternoon that it was official that I was doing it. So, I wasn't able to watch the race tapes, onboards to kind of get into the swing of it as much. But we're here, the car's fast, the team's doing a great job. We're looking forward to it."

This weekend marks Wickens’ first IMSA endurance start since the 2017 Rolex 24 at Daytona, where he competed in LMP2.

While Wickens had hoped to secure a full-season WeatherTech campaign including endurance races this year, funding constraints initially kept those plans at bay. Additionally, his sprint campaign was interrupted when DXDT suffered a transporter fire en route to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and was forced to withdraw. The team returned for the Six Hours of The Glen in late June, with Wickens returning to his sprint role last month at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP).

However, this sudden opening offers a major stepping stone toward his long-term goals.

Ready for the Endurance Challenge

#36 DXDT Racing Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Mason Filippi, Robert Wickens, Charlie Eastwood (Photo by: Michael L. Levitt / Lumen via Getty Images)

Despite the truncated preparation, Wickens refuses to view the endurance format as an insurmountable obstacle.

Wickens brings solid credentials to the cockpit despite the last-minute nature of the drive. During a sprint race at CTMP last year, he spent 1 hour and 58 minutes behind the wheel, demonstrating his capabilities across extended stints. Furthermore, his long-distance pedigree includes tackling the grueling 24 Hours of Nürburgring and completing four six-hour NLS races in a TCR car last season. In GTD action this year, he holds a best result of sixth in class across two previous outings, building on a high-water mark of fourth at CTMP last season.

"Everyone puts so much attention on the endurance aspect of it... but even though it's a sprint, the stints are not that different," Wickens explained. "A two-hour and 40-minute race isn't even half of what a six-hour race is. Strategies are a little more open—more opportunity to gain, more opportunity to lose.

"I'm not foreign to endurance racing... Obviously, putting it into real-life practice in a GT3 car at a high level like the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is going to be interesting, but I'm looking forward to the challenge."

Chasing the Top Step

#36 DXDT Racing Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Mason Filippi, Robert Wickens at CTMP. (Photo by: Brandon Badraoui / Lumen via Getty Images)

Filippi set the foundation for Sunday’s race by qualifying the #36 Corvette ninth in class on Saturday. With Corvette factory Charlie Eastwood completing the lineup, Wickens believes the team has all the ingredients to fight at the front.

"The goal is always the same: this team wants to win," said Wickens. "We've been so close so many times. Mason and I have proven in sprint races that we're very competitive... Charlie is a pro through and through, so I feel like in the GTD class, our driver lineup's very strong. We have every opportunity to have success this weekend."