DXDT driver Robert Wickens detailed mixed feelings with his IMSA SportsCar Championship return and GTD class debut at Long Beach.
“I’m disappointed with the result, but I am proud of what we achieved,” said the #36 Corvette Z06 GT3.R driver whose sole IMSA appearance was at the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2017, over one year before his life-changing IndyCar accident at Pocono.
“It definitely wasn’t the end to the weekend that we wanted. Qualifying dictated the weekend for us, unfortunately.
“We knew it was going to be a track-position race.
“Qualifying was not what we deserved; we know we had more speed than that, but it is what it is.”
Wickens’ first push-lap during the 15-minute qualifying session was met with the Inception Racing #70 Ferrari 296 GT3.
Brendon Iribe aborted his lap at the exit of Turn 9 before retreating to the driver’s left-side for T10.
The two made contact, enduring minor front-right suspension damage for Wickens – leaving him for the rest of qualifying with a damaged car.
Wickens qualified eighth on the grid by the end with a fastest lap time of 1:18.411.
Repeated damage woes race potential
DXDT Racing opted for an alternative strategy compared to their 15 GTD opponents.
Instead of using one set of tyres for the full 100-minute race, they changed all four tyres at the pit stop as Wickens was picked up and assisted out of the car and team-mate and double IMSA GTLM champion Tommy Milner took over.
Wickens uses hand-controls, developed by Bosch, for the braking and acceleration of his #36 Corvette in addition to the gear changes
They impressively carried out the driver change in 18.7 seconds and avoided using any additional time to change the tyres during the refuelling process.
“This is a competitive championship, and we did what we could in the race,” Wickens continued.
“I kept the car clean and gave it to Tommy [Milner], and he got out in P10.
“I think our driver change wasn’t quite what it needed to be.
“We lost some track position, but then Tommy drove his heart out (setting the fastest lap time in the GTD class immediately).
“He got us up to P5 and was making things happen. It was awesome to see.
“Unfortunately we had to come in and make a repair after Tommy took fifth.
“I think that was a little harsh, but there is nothing you can do when race control gives you a black flag for repairs.
“There are a lot of positive takeaways from the weekend.
“We proved we belong here, that we can be competitive.
“The Bosch hand-control system worked flawlessly, DXDT Racing gave us a great Corvette.
“The car was very good all weekend and I feel like we had one of the cars to beat.
“We just couldn’t maximise it and that is what hurts right now.”
Wickens’ next outing will be the following Course de Monterey at Laguna Seca for a 160-minute sprint race with GTP, GTD Pro and GTD classes on 11 May.
READ MORE: Five key storylines from the IMSA Grand Prix of Long Beach
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