An American sports car revolution: Mid-engine Corvettes debuted at the Rolex 24, endurance road race at the Daytona International Speedway
Story and photography by Terry Check
Since 1953 Zora Arkus-Duntov, known as the Father of the Corvette, dreamed of a mid-engine, American sports car. After designing and testing several prototypes throughout the years, the amazing Corvette design team finally created the 2020 Corvette C8 with an official unveiling and presentation to the public in October 2019. The C8 is the eighth generation of the Corvette since 1953.
Corvette’s first professional race was the 12 Hours of Sebring (1956), followed by the 24 Hours of Le Mans (1960). Throughout the years Corvette has accumulated 106 victories around the world, more than any other competitor in IMSA (International Motor Sports Association) history with multiple wins at the 24 Hours at Le Mans, Rolex 24 at Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring in the GTLM (Grand Touring Le Mans) class.
Secretly started in 2014, the design team studied the Ferrari 458’s balance of handling and ride quality, and Porsche 911’s steering and power train integration establishing the benchmarks for the C8, featuring a 40/60 rear-biased weight ratio delivering more power to the pavement and better handling on the street and racetrack. During the development of the C8 the design team worked in conjunction with the Corvette Racing team creating a collaborative design of shared concepts and specifications for both the C8 production version and the racing version, C8.R.
“It was important for us to develop the new race car alongside the production car, so that each product could properly take advantage of the new architecture,” said Ed Piatek, Corvette chief engineer. “The benefits of this mid-engine supercar, including its incredible balance and connected-to-the-road feel, will be obvious on the street and the track.”
“We have looked forward to racing a production-based mid-engine Corvette for a long time,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. vice president of Performance and Motorsports. “The debut of the C8.R is the result of immense collaboration between GM Engineering, Propulsion, Design and the Corvette Racing team. As Corvette Racing enters its third decade of competition, we’re excited to begin the next chapter.”
The new Corvette race cars, #3 C8.R and #4 C8.R started the 2020 Rolex 24 battling, head-to-head, with Porsche, BMW and Ferrari for the first 8 hours of the race. Unfortunately, the #4 Corvette developed an oil leak requiring several hours of repairs in the garage, taking the car completely out of the competition. The dedicated team completed the repairs and continued the race to the finish line. With Antonio Garcia, Jordan Taylor and Nicky Catsburg in the cockpit, the #3 car was leading the GTLM class in the early stages of the race. The team’s best track time of 1:42.168, second quickest in the class.
The Corvette Racing team finished fourth in the GTLM class with BMW and two Porsche 911’s taking the three podium positions. Why didn’t Corvette get a podium position? In review of the pit stops, the other cars pitted 27 times during the 24-hour race whereas the Corvette pitted 29 times requiring more fuel. Considering the IMSA Balance of Performance regulations, additional fuel capacity for the Corvette may be warranted in future races. The 2020 mid-engine Corvette, C8.R will certainly return to the podium in future races.
