Over this past weekend, the World Endurance Championship (WEC) visited the Circuit Of The Americas in Austin, Texas.
As reported by GM Authority, the Corvette C8.R ran reliably and without any major mechanical issues for the entire 6 hours of the race. Total distance covered was about 570 miles, which is just about a round trip from Los Angeles to Las Vegas and back again.
Unfortunately, the C8.R was off the pace, unable to challenge for a class win in the GTE Pro division. However, Corvette Racing was aware of this fact, as many of the other competitors were using tried and true endurance cars such as the Porsche RSR, Ferrari 488 GTE, and Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GTE.
Instead, Corvette used the 6 Hours Of COTA as a data collection exercise, measuring fuel usage, tire wear, chassis handling, suspension tuning, and the like. Their stated goal was to use the data to streamline performance and evolve the car in preparation for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the headliner of the FIA WEC series, the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
By having a mistake free day from both drivers of the #63 C8.R, Mike Rockenfeller and Jan Magnussen, and the pit crews during stops, the team was able to come away from the weekend with confidence regarding the 2020 racing season. Both Rockenfeller and Magnussen also provided valuable feedback to the team regarding the car, as both have several endurance championships between them.
The next planned race is a double header for Corvette Racing in March, with the WEC 1000 Miles of Sebring run before the IMSA 12 Hours of Sebring.
Why are the C8’s engine so off the pace ?
Honestly, from the interviews and feedback Corvette Racing has given over the past couple of months, their main goal is the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The other major factor is that the C8.R is a brand spanking new race car.
It debuted at the 2020 24 Hours of Daytona, while other teams are using cars that have been challenging GT3, GTLM, GTE classes for years now like the Ferrari 488 GTE. Every time you make a race car, you are bound to have some hiccups and growing pains along the way.
This is why in some series, such as Formula 1, you don’t actually get to see the cars’ true pace until after the mid-year break, as they have been tweaking, tuning, engineering the entire time through the first half of the season.