Wickens Aiming for IGTC Outings Despite Systems “Hurdle”

Photo: Brandon Badraoui/IMSA

Robert Wickens has targeted outings in GT3 endurance races that are part of Intercontinental GT Challenge, despite the “hurdle” of his Bosch hand control and electronic braking system currently only being designed for the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R.

The 37-year-old Canadian, who has been competing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in DXDT Racing’s Corvette, hasn’t hidden his ambitions of taking on races such as the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa and Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour although faces the current limitation of being in a Corvette for the time being.

“The big thing for me is my system is only homologated with Corvette,” Wickens told Sportscar365. “So my sample size is already quite compressed to what kind of car I can drive it in.

“At Spa, there was one Corvette customer team that had an opening and that was the target and we fell short. I think from there it would be fun to do the Indy 8 Hour at the end of the year. It’s not necessarily a bucket list, but seat time is seat time.

“For me, like any driver, I’d love to go do the Bathurst 12 Hour, I want to do Daytona 24, I want to do it all. I want every opportunity to all the bucket list events.

“Nürburgring 24 in GT3 would be something special. I’ve already let them know that if they need someone, I’m interested.”

Wickens, who already has his Nordschleife ‘A Permit’ after finishing second in class in the 2025 N24 at the wheel of a Hyundai Elantra N TCR, admitted that it would take time for the system to be adapted to different cars, although it is physically possible.

“Every car is built slightly different,” he explained. “For me, with my electronic braking system and the electronics that go along with that, the loom is made to measure for that car; it’s not like it’s adjustable in length.

“If you have it too long, you have the chance of it rubbing and failures. It’s all measured out to the car.

“That’s the first hurdle; if there’s a change, getting Bosch to get eyes on that OEM and to understand and then manufacturing a loom.

“The next piece is the physical controls that I squeeze. Pratt Miller designed the current one that I’m using in the Corvette. It obviously suits the steering column for the Corvette.

“It might not necessarily fit exactly the same in a different OEM. There’s going to be some form of modification for each one you bounce around to. But the big thing is that the technology was always the biggest hurdle of getting my foot in the door with the team to talk.

“Bosch covers that for me. They take care of it. We have it. Now it’s just a little bit of looking and fine-tuning and making stuff work.

“But I think all of the R&D that we’ve done over the years now, from Hyundai in TCR to the Corvette and now for whatever the future holds, whether it’s a prototype or a different GT or still a Corvette, the opportunities are coming and that’s what I’m most grateful for.”

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