(Corvette Racing)
Chevrolet and Pratt Miller Motorsports officials announced Friday the formation of a program that will lead competition and development efforts with the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R – Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports. Starting with the 2024 Rolex 24 At Daytona, Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports will campaign a pair of the new-for-2024, GT3-spec Corvettes for a full season in the GT Daytona (GTD) PRO category of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The factory-supported effort is the first of two 2024 WeatherTech Championship programs that feature the Corvette Z06 GT3.R with additional customer programs set to announce in the coming weeks. Drivers for the GTD PRO effort will be announced at a later date, as well. The link-up between Chevrolet and Pratt Miller Motorsports (PMM) is a natural fit. The current full-factory Corvette Racing program is in the midst of its 25th season with 125 race victories to date, the most recent coming at the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the team’s ninth class win at the famed French classic. Also, for the second year in a row, Corvette Racing has programs in both IMSA and the FIA World Endurance Championship with the Corvette C8.R, now in its final season of competition. Corvette Z06 GT3.R customer teams will compete under the umbrella of Corvette Racing, which also will include customer and technical support to help carry on the tradition of Corvette Racing excellence that began in 1999. With an eye toward the future, Chevrolet Motorsports Competition Engineering and Pratt Miller began planning more than two years ago for the Corvette GT3 era. Pratt Miller – located in New Hudson, Michigan – is the constructor of the Z06 GT3.R. Pratt Miller engineers have worked hand-in-hand with Chevrolet Motorsports engineers on development, build and testing to date. With Pratt Miller dedicated to chassis builds and engineering on the Z06 GT3.R, GM Propulsion Performance and Racing Center in Pontiac, Michigan, also has been busy with development and refinements on 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. Since September of last year, Corvette Racing and Pratt Miller have accumulated nearly 9,000 kilometers (5,500 miles) with the Corvette Z06 GT3.R. The car currently is undergoing its final homologation testing in Europe with additional testing planned for the summer and fall to fine-tune the Z06 GT3.R to multiple brands of tires for use across an array of championships around the world. Editor-in-Chief's Note: Halle-frickin-luja! GM Racing gets it right, against all odds. But let me be very clear about this - there was a faction within GM Racing who, for the longest time, didn't believe a factory team was necessary, that the participating teams would just figure it out. As incredibly stupid as that flawed logic was, cooler heads prevailed and the Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports deal was struck. It exactly mirrors the approach that Porsche has taken with its 911 racing program for years, with a factory team leading the charge in development, while sharing its learnings with its other participating customer teams. I am thrilled that the official name for this endeavor gives Pratt Miller its due, because frankly, without PM, the Corvette Racing program would be nowhere. -PMD
(Photo of Alex Palou by James Black for Penske Entertainment)
The juggernaut known as Alex Palou reached top gear Sunday, winning the Sonsio Grand Prix at Road America presented by AMR for his third victory in the last four NTT INDYCAR SERIES races. Palou drove his No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing The American Legion Honda to victory by 4.5610 seconds over Josef Newgarden in the No. 2 Team Penske PPG Chevrolet. Pato O’Ward finished third in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, his fourth podium finish in eight races this season. “It’s been an amazing weekend,” Palou said. “I’m super happy. They gave me the pit stop that gave us the win. It was an amazing day for the No. 10 American Legion Ganassi car, and we’re going to keep it going.” The victory expanded Palou’s lead to 74 points – more than one race worth of points – over teammate Marcus Ericsson in the championship race as the Spaniard aims for another season title to add to his 2021 crown. This was the seventh career victory for Palou, and the 250th victory for Chip Ganassi Racing across all racing disciplines. Palou will split $10,000 with Chip Ganassi Racing and his chosen charity, The American Legion, for his victory as part of the PeopleReady Force For Good Challenge. He has won two of the three legs needed to earn a $1 million bonus, with a win on the road courses at IMS and Road America and the street circuit at Detroit. Palou can secure the bonus with a win in any of the three remaining three oval races, a doubleheader July 22-23 at Iowa Speedway and Aug. 27 at World Wide Technology Raceway. The next NTT INDYCAR SERIES race is The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio presented by the 2023 Accord Hybrid on Sunday, July 2 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course near Columbus, Ohio. Watch the Race Highlights here. (Thank you to INDYCAR Media)
(Photo of Josef Newgarden by Karl Zemlin for Penske Entertainment)
Josef Newgarden (No. 2 Team Penske PPG Chevrolet) finished a strong but ultimately disappointing second at Road America.
(Photo of Pato O'Ward by Karl Zemlin for Penske Entertainment)
Pato O’Ward finished third in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, his fourth podium finish in eight races this season.
(Photo of Scott Dixon by Karl Zemlin for Penske Entertainment)
After a tumultuous practice on Saturday, including causing a massive wreck with Will Power, six-time series champion Scott Dixon drove from the 23rd starting position to place fourth in the No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing PNC Bank Honda.
(Photo of Nolan Siegel by Karl Zemlin for Penske Entertainment)
Nolan Siegel earned his second consecutive victory this season and took the championship lead with a composed drive to the checkered flag Sunday in the INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix at Road America. Rookie Siegel added his second career victory in the No. 39 HMD Motorsports with DCR car to his win in Round 2 of the Streets of Detroit doubleheader on June 4. Siegel, 18, from Palo Alto, California, finished 1.2695 seconds ahead of veteran Jacob Abel, who earned a career-best runner-up result in the No. 51 Abel Motorsports car. Veteran Hunter McElrea finished third in the No. 27 Smart Motors car fielded by Andretti Autosport, his first podium finish of the season. Watch the Race Highlights here.
(Formula1.com)
Max Verstappen (No. 1 Red Bull Racing) made it six victories from eight races in 2023 with a dominant display during Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix, leading home Fernando Alonso (No. 14 Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team) and Lewis Hamilton (No. 44 Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team), as Red Bull maintained their 100% winning record for the season so far. Verstappen’s lights-to-flag triumph also gave Red Bull their 100th victory in the sport, 18 years on from the team’s debut, while the Dutchman made more history by drawing level with the legendary Ayrton Senna with 41 wins – extending his championship lead in the process. Watch the Race Highlights here. (Thank you to Formula1.com)
(Trans Am Series)
Indianapolis native Matthew Brabham (No. 20 Chris Dyson Racing GYM WEED Ford Mustang) put on a clinic at his home track, leading the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway from start to finish. Brabham was the class of the field in front of his hometown crowd, scoring his second victory of 2023 and leading a 1-2 finish by CD Racing. Chris Dyson (No. 16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang) was second, and Paul Menard finished third in the No. 2 Weaver Racing/Technique Dodge Challenger. “I want to give a big thanks to everyone who came out to the track today, it’s so good to see the crowd here at my home track,” said Brabham from the top of the podium. “Most importantly, I want to thank my CD Racing team. It’s so good to be a part of this team. They did an awesome job all weekend; we had really fast cars. To get a 1-2 at a place like IMS with Chris is fantastic. Thanks to the team and to GYM WEED.” (Thank you to Trans Am Media)
(Photo of Jorge Martin by AE Special Contributor Whit Bazemore)
Jorge Martin (No. 89 Prima Pramac Racing) vs Francesco Bagnaia (No. 1 Ducati Lenovo Team), 2023 Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland – that’s a battle that will be remembered for years to come as the Ducati duo treated us to a spell-binding scrap for victory at the Sachsenring, with Tissot Sprint winner Martin coming out on top by the barest of margins: 0.064s. Johann Zarco (No. 5 Prima Primac Racing) made it two Prima Pramac Racing riders on the rostrum as the Frenchman notched up his fourth podium of the year. Watch the Race Highlights here. (Thank you to MotoGP.com)
Our dearly departed billboard at Road America. As most of you know, Peter coined the phrase "America's National Park of Speed" and gifted it to the track. -WG
The overall vision of Road America grew out of the dreams of Clif Tufte, a highway engineer, who chose 525 acres of Wisconsin farmland outside the Village of Elkhart Lake for the track. The natural topography of the glacial Kettle Moraine area was utilized for the track and for fan viewing areas, sweeping around rolling hills and plunging through ravines. Since opening in 1955, countless facility improvements have been made over the years, but the 4.048-mile, 14-turn road course itself is virtually the same today as it was when it was first laid out. Now in 2023, an entirely new track surface stands ready for racers and enthusiasts alike. - Road America
Editor's Note: You can access previous issues of AE by clicking on "Next 1 Entries" below. - WG
