ULTIMATE CORVETTE

Tag: Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R

  • Corvette Racing at Laguna Seca

    Corvette Racing at Laguna Seca

    Corvette Racing did not leave Laguna Seca with the GTD PRO win, but it left Monterey with something nearly as important this early in the IMSA season: control of the championship conversation.

    The No. 4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R of Tommy Milner and Nicky Catsburg finished second in GTD PRO after starting eighth in class, turning a difficult opening position into one of the team’s strongest results of the year. It was not a straightforward afternoon. Milner had to manage the usual Laguna Seca traffic and early contact, while the Pratt Miller crew quickly recognized that the race would likely be decided as much by pit timing and fuel strategy as outright speed.

    That call proved critical. By moving the No. 4 Corvette onto an alternate strategy, the team gave Catsburg a chance to bring the car back into contention during the second half of the race. As the GTD PRO field cycled through stops and fuel-saving strategies began to unravel late, Catsburg was positioned to capitalize. He came home second, just behind the winning Ford Mustang GT3, securing another podium for the No. 4 team.

    For the No. 4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Z06 GT3.R, Laguna Seca was a championship-building afternoon. Tommy Milner and Nicky Catsburg turned an eighth-place starting position into a second-place GTD PRO finish, using smart pit strategy and a disciplined closing run to stay in contention as the race became a fuel-and-timing exercise. The result gave the No. 4 Corvette its second straight podium and moved Milner, Catsburg, Chevrolet, and the Pratt Miller entry into the GTD PRO points lead. It was not the win they wanted, but it was the kind of measured, high-value result that defines a serious title campaign. (Image credit: Autosports.com)

    More importantly, the finish moved Milner and Catsburg into the GTD PRO drivers’ championship lead. The No. 4 Corvette also took over the team standings, while Chevrolet moved to the top of the manufacturers’ championship. For a program still in the early stages of the Z06 GT3.R era, that is a meaningful marker.

    The sister No. 3 Corvette of Antonio Garcia and Alexander Sims also delivered a solid points-paying result, finishing fourth in GTD PRO. Their strategy played out differently, with Sims among the drivers trying to stretch fuel late in the race. When the caution they needed never came, the No. 3 Corvette slipped out of podium position but still gave Corvette Racing both factory-supported entries inside the top four.

    DragonSpeed’s No. 81 Corvette Z06 GT3.R
    DragonSpeed’s No. 81 Corvette Z06 GT3.R had a quieter but useful afternoon at Laguna Seca, bringing the car home 11th in GTD after a cleaner run than some of its earlier-season outings. It was not the breakthrough result the team is chasing, but for a customer Corvette program still building rhythm with the Z06 GT3.R platform, finishing the race and gathering data represented a step in the right direction.

    The customer Corvette programs had a more mixed afternoon. DragonSpeed’s No. 81 Corvette Z06 GT3.R finished 11th in GTD, giving the team a cleaner result after a difficult start to the season. The No. 13 13 Autosport Corvette retired with a mechanical issue, ending its day early.

    Laguna Seca was not perfect for Corvette Racing, but it was productive. The Z06 GT3.R showed pace, the Pratt Miller pit stand made the right calls, and Corvette left California leading the GTD PRO title fight.

    Corvette Racing turned a challenging Laguna Seca weekend into a championship-building result, with the No. 4 Z06 GT3.R landing on the GTD PRO podium and taking the points lead. The win slipped away, but Corvette’s two-car factory effort showed pace, strategy, and resilience when it counted.