The C8.R racing variant of the new Corvette was presented by the motorsport division of Chevrolet in October last year, and ever since it has been the talk of the racing world, as all were expecting to see what the new monster is all about. And this past weekend, at the Rolex 24 in Daytona, it made quite an impressive appearance.
Taking the start in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the Vette completed the course without any issues, being driven by a trio of pilots for 785 laps totaling 2,794.6 miles (4,497.4 km). That’s the longest run for any Corvette in this particular race in history.
For those attending the event, the thing that struck the most was not necessarily the way in which the car behaved, but the sound it made.
Road-going C8 Corvettes are powered by 6.3-liter pushrod V8 engines, which obviously emit a very distinct, American-like rumble. In the case of the C8.R however, we’re talking about a 5.5-liter V8 with a flat-plane crankshaft.
So instead of the harsh-sounding noise one would expect from a Vette, those in Daytona were treated with a higher-pitched howl, one people there immediately associated with the one made by Ferraris.
"It was a tremendous honor to debut the Corvette C8.R at the Rolex 24 Hour at Daytona – 22 years after we debuted the C5-R in the same location,” said in a statement Jim Campbell, US Vice President Performance and Motorsports.
“I'm so proud of our team and how they prepared and executed the race with the 2020 mid-engine Corvette. I can't wait for the rest of the season and watch the excitement from our fans grow with every race."
There will be plenty of other opportunities to experience the different music of the racing Vette during the GTLM class races this year. Chevy will be fielding two cars in the series, No. 3 and No. 4.
Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News