Corvette C8.Rs Ran With GT3-Spec ABS in Detroit

Photo: Phil Abbott/IMSA

Antonio Garcia has revealed that Corvette Racing’s Chevrolet Corvette C8.R’s were equipped with GT3-style anti-lock brake systems in the Detroit Grand Prix weekend, as preparation for the manufacturer’s expected GTD Pro effort with the car next year and eventual build of a brand-new GT3 model that’s earmarked for 2024.

The pair of GTE-spec Corvettes took part in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship street race as an invitational, non-points scoring class following the postponement of the 24 Hours of Le Mans to August.

It had not been publicly known until now that the cars had been running outside of the ACO’s GTE technical regulations for that race, which Garcia said has helped the Pratt & Miller-run team prepare for 2022 when the cars are expected to run in an adapted form closer to FIA GT3 regulations, which mandate ABS.

“For sure we’ve been trying different systems and everything,” Garcia sad. “Knowing that next year is just an evolution of the car we actually have and just having a few things to put together with the current car we have.

“We’ve been developing and testing different things. [We’re] just trying to learn the car and how it’s going to feel like.

“We could run the ABS at the Detroit Grand Prix because it was a one-off. We were just racing one-another, so it was a good thing that we could run it there and have a first experience on that.”

GM sports car racing program manager Laura Wontrop Klauser confirmed such details to Sportscar365, explaining that the ABS system was run in Detroit to “test how it would perform” should Corvette opt for GTD Pro and the eventual GT3 build that would come with that commitment. 

She said they had IMSA’s blessing to run the system, which had been tested on Chevrolet’s sim and offered a chance for some “real-world correlation.”

The ABS system is understood to be one of a handful of additions or changes IMSA has requested for the current GTE-spec cars to compete in the new-for-2022 GTD Pro class alongside GT3 machinery.

GM has yet to officially confirm its GTD Pro plans or that an all-new GT3-spec Corvette is already under development.

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John