With the new 2024 Z06 GT3.R going through its first year teething and shaking out the bugs, it’s been a season of highs and lows for Corvette Racing, and this weekend’s race at the formidable Virginia International Raceway was no exception. After July’s first IMSA win for the Pratt Miller Motorsports No. 3 team, what took the wind out of their sails? After the racing recap, we’ve included our summary of the highs from the first year Z06 GT3.R, in case you needed some encouragement and a reminder of what this remarkable race car has accomplished this season.
Pratt Miller Motorsports’ Tommy Milner summed up the 160 minutes of racing at the Michelin GT Challenge at VIR best when he said it was “A tough day for us...” Conversely, the GTD team over at AWA was a little more upbeat after a respectable finish, and their sentiments were perfectly captured when the No. 13’s Matt Bell remarked, “We made all the right calls at the right times…” And that, my Corvette Racing friends, encapsulates the highs and lows of this year’s IMSA season. Now, onto our coverage!
The IMSA Teams And Drivers For VIR
♦ GTD PRO: Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports
- The No. 3: Antonio Garcia and Alexander Sims
- The No. 4: Tommy Milner and Nicky Catsburg
♦ GTD: AWA
- The No. 13: Matt Bell and Orey Fidani
- The No. 17: Anthony Mantella, the owner of the No. 17 car, quits after just two races; more details are here.
Race Results:
- The No. 4 Z06 GT3.R of Milner and Catsburg finished eighth in the GTD PRO class
- The No. 3 Z06 GT3.R of Garcia and Sims finished ninth in the GTD PRO class
- The No. 13 Z06 GT3.R of Bell and Fidani finished seventh in the GTD class
Race Highlights:
- With just one hour left on the clock, the No.4 Corvette, with Catsburg at the wheel, refused to restart after a pit stop. Despite this, Catsburg and Milner still managed to finish on the lead lap.
- While running a respectable third in the No. 3 Corvette, Garcia was called into the pits, where Sims took the helm. Sims returned to the track in fifth place, but before he could get up to race speed and rejoin the other cars, their No. 3 Z06 lost power.
- The Pratt Miller Motorsports team made several attempts to reset the power cycle, but with no success, Sims was instructed to take the No. 3 Corvette behind the wall to replace the power steering pump (a recurring issue). To add insult to injury, with just 45 minutes left, the No. 3 Z06 developed a suspension issue.
- The No. 13 for AWA, with Fidani and Bell splitting the driving duties, fared much better, with no reported mechanical issues. Fidani took the helm for the first 47 minutes of racing before Bell jumped in the seat to finish out the 113 minutes left on the 3.27-mile circuit. Despite being in 13th place after the final pit stop, the No. 13 made an impressive push to finish seventh place as the clock wound down and the checked flag waved.
Notable Driver Quotes:
- Tommy Milner, No. 4 Z06 GT3.R
“A bit of a gut punch today for the whole team. Having quite a few races with no issues, and then today with both cars having both problems is going to make quite a few people on this team unhappy… We’ll go back to look at it, figure out what happened and improve the car for the future. But yeah, a tough day for us.”
- Alexander Sims, No. 3 Z06 GT3.R
“Today is what it is. No one wants to have issues, but that was the reality today…”
- Matt Bell, No. 13 Z06 GT3.R
“It was another great IMSA battle and a great IMSA race… We made all the right calls at the right times. Tire deg and tire management was a huge part of this race. We had to be smart and give up pace at certain times but also know when to push and know when to go for it.”
What’s Next For IMSA?
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CorvSport Celebrates Corvette Racing’s 2024 Z06 GT3.R Milestones
- Nicky Catsburg grabs first pole position in the No. 4 Z06 GT3.R at Raceway Laguna Seca,
- The No. 4 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R of Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette Racing climbed the GTD PRO podium for the first time this season as Nicky Catsburg and Tommy Milner finished third at Raceway Laguna Seca (read Scott Kolecki’s full Raceway Laguna Seca feature here),
- At Laguna Seca, for the first time, all three Z06 GT3.Rs finished the race,
- DXDT Racing secures the first race victory for the Z06 GT3.R as Corvette factory driver Tommy Milner and Alec Udell won the first 90-minute race of GT World Challenge America’s event at Circuit of The Americas on May 18th,
- The No. 3 of Garcia and Sims score the season’s second podium finish for the Z06 GT3.R with a third-place result at the Six Hours of The Glen.
- The No. 3 of Sims and Garcia capture the first IMSA win for the Z06 GT3.R in the Chevrolet Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.
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