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Update: CORVETTE RACING AT LONG BEACH: DXDT Racing's Robert Wickens and the No. 36 Corvette Z06 GT3R will start on the GTD Pole for Saturday's Grand Prix of Long Beach after the No. 89 Lexus failed its technical inspection and will start from the rear.-CorvetteBlogger
Press Release
CORVETTE RACING AT LONG BEACH: Front Row for Wickens, DXDT
No. 36 Corvette rolling off second in GTD for IMSA season’s first sprint race
LONG BEACH, Calif. (April 17, 2026) – DXDT Racing’s Robert Wickens thrilled his team and fans at Long Beach on Friday with second-place qualifying effort for Saturday’s Grand Prix of Long Beach in the No. 36 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R specially equipped with a hand-control system.
Wickens set a lap of 1:18.562 (90.181mph) in Friday’s 15-minute session for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s GTD class. He was just 0.151 seconds off the class pole-winning time.
Long Beach will be his first race of the season back in the cockpit of the Corvette as he embarks on a five-race campaign in IMSA’s sprint rounds with full-season DXDT driver Mason Filippi.
Friday’s result was his best since joining DXDT Racing and Corvette a year ago. Long Beach in 2025 was the site of Wickens’ debut both in the WeatherTech Championship and in the Corvette.
The Z06 GT3.R features a fully electronic braking system by Bosch with a specially constructed steering wheel attachment that allows Wickens to accelerate and brake with his hands. The advancement is a revolutionary and collaborative effort between DXDT Racing, Bosch, General Motors and Pratt Miller, which is the constructor of the Corvette GT3.
DragonSpeed’s No. 81 Corvette and the No. 13 entry from 13 Autosport will start Saturday’s race from the eighth and ninth rows of the GTD grid, respectively.
Chevrolet and the Corvette brand have been a fixture at Long Beach since the Corvette Racing program first visited Long Beach in 2007. In 18 visits, Corvette GT cars have captured eight victories with two additional in the Corvette Daytona Prototype era. Combined with results from the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, Chevrolet boasts a total of 22 victories in the Grand Prix’s two premier events.
The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach is set for 1:05 p.m. PT on Saturday from the Long Beach street circuit in southern California. It will air live on NBC starting at 4 p.m. ET with streaming coverage on Peacock. IMSA Radio will stream live audio coverage on XM 206, Channel 996 on the SiriusXM app and IMSA.com.
CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R POST-QUALIFYING DRIVER QUOTES
ROBERT WICKENS, NO. 36 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "We've been having some radio issues here and there so I heard I went P1 at the checkered. And then I didn't hear anything for the rest of the lap because of the static. But yeah, P2 is alright! As soon as I heard that I missed it by a tenth, I knew exactly where I could have found that to snag P1. DXDT Racing gives me a good racecar, and the Corvette Z06 GT3.R is a dream around here. Living a good life!"
(Do you feel like you're getting back in a comfort zone?) "Especially this weekend. The last time I drove a car was VIR last year. So it's been a steep learning curve. Ironically I felt more prepared last year even though it was my debut in the series. This team is so strong. Mason (Filippi) has been doing an amazing job getting me up to speed. It's a full team effort here. Hopefully we can play from P2 and try to get a podium."
(Satisfying after last year's qualifying?) "A bit of a redemption from last year, even making it through FP2 and having a clean weekend this year compared to last. DXDT Racing and Corvette Racing are doing an amazing job. The car is so nice to drive. When I heard I missed it by a tenth, you immediately know as a driver where you could have found it. It’s a good problem to have. We had the equipment to put it on the pole today. Hopefully with a little more experience, I can get a little more from the car and from the hand control system from Bosch. Going into this weekend, if you told me I’d be on the front row, I would have taken it."
(Thinking about Turn One at the start?) "I’m not really thinking about Turn One. I’m more thinking about the hairpin to take the green. I feel like when you’re the slower class on the starts, it’s a bit of free-for-all and you can go wherever you want. I’m more worried about getting stuck on the outside of the hairpin and maybe getting a bad exit. I’m going to spend some time tonight and tomorrow looking at race starts over the past few years and see what I can learn."
Ryan Smith
********************************************
CORVETTE RACING AT IMOLA: TF Sport Aiming to Move Forward
Fifth-, seventh-row starting spots for team’s Corvettes to start 2026 FIA WEC
IMOLA, Italy (April 18, 2026) – TF Sport will begin its 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship campaign with its pair of Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs starting on the fifth and seventh rows of the LMGT3 grid for the season-opening Six Hours of Imola.
The No. 34 Racing Team Turkey by TF Corvette of Charlie Eastwood, Salih Yoluc and Peter Dempsey will start 10th in a tight field of GT3 cars that saw the top-six entries in the 10-car Hyperpole session separated by less than seven-tenths of a second.
Getting into Hyperpole was quite an accomplishment with series and Corvette rookie Dempsey posting the fastest time in the opening qualifying session at 1:41.642 (108.056 mph). Yoluc had just set his best lap in Hyperpole when he spun off-track to bring the session to an early end.
The No. 33 TF Sport Corvette of Nicky Catsburg, Jonny Edgar and Blake McDonald will start 14th in class.
?McDonald, who drives for the team in the European Le Mans Series, was a late call-up to replace the injured Ben Keating for the first two laps. As a result, his qualifying run was his first in the series and the circuit. Of note, Edgar had the second-fastest time of all LMGT3 drivers across the three free practice sessions leading into qualifying.
The 2026 season is the fifth for Corvette Racing in the WEC. In that span, Corvettes have captured six victories plus the 2023 GTE Am championships. Two of those victories came via TF Sport in 2025 – one for each of its two entries – with the team looking for new heights in its third season as a Corvette Z06 GT3.R team.
The Six Hours of Imola and opening round of the FIA World Endurance Championship is set for 7 a.m. ET / 1 p.m. CET on Sunday. Live streaming coverage plus timing and scoring is available through a subscription on FIA WEC Plus with additional live streaming on the HBO Max app in the U.S.
CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R POST-QUALIFYING DRIVER QUOTES
?CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 34 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "The weather forecast for the Prologue looked a lot worse than it actually was. We thought we would only get wet running, but it was great and we got quite a bit of dry running. Peter has never been here. Salih has never been here in a GT, so we needed that dry running to get some laps under the belts for everybody. It looked pretty decent. As always with the Corvette, it goes well with the higher track temps. We struggled a little to switch on the front tire in the Prologue but now with the higher track temps, we seem really strong. New for 2026 is single-stinting all the tires but even with that there is enough degradation around here that if the temps stay as they are, we should be strong in the last 10 laps of the stint. It continues to go well.”
(On new tire allocation rules for 2026) “I think the lesser cars come into the picture. So the likes of the BMW, they struggled in a double-stint last year so they will now be in the picture a lot more fighting for wins when they were never really there versus cars like us who were similar in the first stint. So it doesn't really change much. It will get more people fighting for the win.”
PETER DEMPSEY, NO. 34 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "That felt fantastic. It was my first qualifying session in a long time so I was a bit nervous before I started. But once I rolled out of the lane I felt pretty comfortable. TF Sport and Corvette gave me the tools for the job for Racing for Turkey so I'm really happy with that performance."
NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “The weekend has been great so far, to be honest. We’ve been really fast all week in the Prologue and now as well. Unfortunately for Blake in qualifying, he didn’t really put it together but he has the pace to be inside the top-10. Jonny had a great chance to fight for pole. The car and the team are working well. I’m having a good time. It’s great to work with Blake and Jonny. The sister car was super-fast with Peter in Q1 but unfortunately Salih had an incident. But I think we all will show great pace tomorrow and we can move forward.”
(On being back in WEC) “It’s great to be back. It’s a paddock that I’ve missed. When I’m in IMSA, I miss WEC. And when I’m in WEC, I miss IMSA. So why not just do both! I’m a really lucky guy and it’s great to be back. Having Ben here is great for moral support. I’ve missed hanging out with him. It’s good to have him back and hopefully he recovers quickly so we can share the car again soon.”
Ryan Smith
Press Release
CORVETTE RACING AT LONG BEACH: Front Row for Wickens, DXDT
No. 36 Corvette rolling off second in GTD for IMSA season’s first sprint race
LONG BEACH, Calif. (April 17, 2026) – DXDT Racing’s Robert Wickens thrilled his team and fans at Long Beach on Friday with second-place qualifying effort for Saturday’s Grand Prix of Long Beach in the No. 36 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R specially equipped with a hand-control system.
Wickens set a lap of 1:18.562 (90.181mph) in Friday’s 15-minute session for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s GTD class. He was just 0.151 seconds off the class pole-winning time.
Long Beach will be his first race of the season back in the cockpit of the Corvette as he embarks on a five-race campaign in IMSA’s sprint rounds with full-season DXDT driver Mason Filippi.
Friday’s result was his best since joining DXDT Racing and Corvette a year ago. Long Beach in 2025 was the site of Wickens’ debut both in the WeatherTech Championship and in the Corvette.
The Z06 GT3.R features a fully electronic braking system by Bosch with a specially constructed steering wheel attachment that allows Wickens to accelerate and brake with his hands. The advancement is a revolutionary and collaborative effort between DXDT Racing, Bosch, General Motors and Pratt Miller, which is the constructor of the Corvette GT3.
DragonSpeed’s No. 81 Corvette and the No. 13 entry from 13 Autosport will start Saturday’s race from the eighth and ninth rows of the GTD grid, respectively.
Chevrolet and the Corvette brand have been a fixture at Long Beach since the Corvette Racing program first visited Long Beach in 2007. In 18 visits, Corvette GT cars have captured eight victories with two additional in the Corvette Daytona Prototype era. Combined with results from the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, Chevrolet boasts a total of 22 victories in the Grand Prix’s two premier events.
The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach is set for 1:05 p.m. PT on Saturday from the Long Beach street circuit in southern California. It will air live on NBC starting at 4 p.m. ET with streaming coverage on Peacock. IMSA Radio will stream live audio coverage on XM 206, Channel 996 on the SiriusXM app and IMSA.com.
CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R POST-QUALIFYING DRIVER QUOTES
ROBERT WICKENS, NO. 36 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "We've been having some radio issues here and there so I heard I went P1 at the checkered. And then I didn't hear anything for the rest of the lap because of the static. But yeah, P2 is alright! As soon as I heard that I missed it by a tenth, I knew exactly where I could have found that to snag P1. DXDT Racing gives me a good racecar, and the Corvette Z06 GT3.R is a dream around here. Living a good life!"
(Do you feel like you're getting back in a comfort zone?) "Especially this weekend. The last time I drove a car was VIR last year. So it's been a steep learning curve. Ironically I felt more prepared last year even though it was my debut in the series. This team is so strong. Mason (Filippi) has been doing an amazing job getting me up to speed. It's a full team effort here. Hopefully we can play from P2 and try to get a podium."
(Satisfying after last year's qualifying?) "A bit of a redemption from last year, even making it through FP2 and having a clean weekend this year compared to last. DXDT Racing and Corvette Racing are doing an amazing job. The car is so nice to drive. When I heard I missed it by a tenth, you immediately know as a driver where you could have found it. It’s a good problem to have. We had the equipment to put it on the pole today. Hopefully with a little more experience, I can get a little more from the car and from the hand control system from Bosch. Going into this weekend, if you told me I’d be on the front row, I would have taken it."
(Thinking about Turn One at the start?) "I’m not really thinking about Turn One. I’m more thinking about the hairpin to take the green. I feel like when you’re the slower class on the starts, it’s a bit of free-for-all and you can go wherever you want. I’m more worried about getting stuck on the outside of the hairpin and maybe getting a bad exit. I’m going to spend some time tonight and tomorrow looking at race starts over the past few years and see what I can learn."
Ryan Smith
********************************************
CORVETTE RACING AT IMOLA: TF Sport Aiming to Move Forward
Fifth-, seventh-row starting spots for team’s Corvettes to start 2026 FIA WEC
IMOLA, Italy (April 18, 2026) – TF Sport will begin its 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship campaign with its pair of Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs starting on the fifth and seventh rows of the LMGT3 grid for the season-opening Six Hours of Imola.
The No. 34 Racing Team Turkey by TF Corvette of Charlie Eastwood, Salih Yoluc and Peter Dempsey will start 10th in a tight field of GT3 cars that saw the top-six entries in the 10-car Hyperpole session separated by less than seven-tenths of a second.
Getting into Hyperpole was quite an accomplishment with series and Corvette rookie Dempsey posting the fastest time in the opening qualifying session at 1:41.642 (108.056 mph). Yoluc had just set his best lap in Hyperpole when he spun off-track to bring the session to an early end.
The No. 33 TF Sport Corvette of Nicky Catsburg, Jonny Edgar and Blake McDonald will start 14th in class.
?McDonald, who drives for the team in the European Le Mans Series, was a late call-up to replace the injured Ben Keating for the first two laps. As a result, his qualifying run was his first in the series and the circuit. Of note, Edgar had the second-fastest time of all LMGT3 drivers across the three free practice sessions leading into qualifying.
The 2026 season is the fifth for Corvette Racing in the WEC. In that span, Corvettes have captured six victories plus the 2023 GTE Am championships. Two of those victories came via TF Sport in 2025 – one for each of its two entries – with the team looking for new heights in its third season as a Corvette Z06 GT3.R team.
The Six Hours of Imola and opening round of the FIA World Endurance Championship is set for 7 a.m. ET / 1 p.m. CET on Sunday. Live streaming coverage plus timing and scoring is available through a subscription on FIA WEC Plus with additional live streaming on the HBO Max app in the U.S.
CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R POST-QUALIFYING DRIVER QUOTES
?CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 34 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "The weather forecast for the Prologue looked a lot worse than it actually was. We thought we would only get wet running, but it was great and we got quite a bit of dry running. Peter has never been here. Salih has never been here in a GT, so we needed that dry running to get some laps under the belts for everybody. It looked pretty decent. As always with the Corvette, it goes well with the higher track temps. We struggled a little to switch on the front tire in the Prologue but now with the higher track temps, we seem really strong. New for 2026 is single-stinting all the tires but even with that there is enough degradation around here that if the temps stay as they are, we should be strong in the last 10 laps of the stint. It continues to go well.”
(On new tire allocation rules for 2026) “I think the lesser cars come into the picture. So the likes of the BMW, they struggled in a double-stint last year so they will now be in the picture a lot more fighting for wins when they were never really there versus cars like us who were similar in the first stint. So it doesn't really change much. It will get more people fighting for the win.”
PETER DEMPSEY, NO. 34 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: "That felt fantastic. It was my first qualifying session in a long time so I was a bit nervous before I started. But once I rolled out of the lane I felt pretty comfortable. TF Sport and Corvette gave me the tools for the job for Racing for Turkey so I'm really happy with that performance."
NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “The weekend has been great so far, to be honest. We’ve been really fast all week in the Prologue and now as well. Unfortunately for Blake in qualifying, he didn’t really put it together but he has the pace to be inside the top-10. Jonny had a great chance to fight for pole. The car and the team are working well. I’m having a good time. It’s great to work with Blake and Jonny. The sister car was super-fast with Peter in Q1 but unfortunately Salih had an incident. But I think we all will show great pace tomorrow and we can move forward.”
(On being back in WEC) “It’s great to be back. It’s a paddock that I’ve missed. When I’m in IMSA, I miss WEC. And when I’m in WEC, I miss IMSA. So why not just do both! I’m a really lucky guy and it’s great to be back. Having Ben here is great for moral support. I’ve missed hanging out with him. It’s good to have him back and hopefully he recovers quickly so we can share the car again soon.”
Ryan Smith
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