While Chevrolet and their Corvettes have long been synonymous with the Le Mans 24hrs, the rest of their racing has usually been confined to North America and their IMSA campaigns, fans are now going to see the US brand well outside their usual comfort zone,
In a statement from Detroit today, Chevrolet announced that Corvette Racing will compete in the fifth round of the FIA World Endurance Championship Super Season, the 6 Hours of Shanghai on the 18th November bringing the number of manufacturers in the championship to seven.
“We are delighted to be able to welcome Corvette Racing and Chevrolet Shanghai GM to the 6 Hours of Shanghai in November,” said FIA WEC boss Gerard Neveu. “To have a brand with the history and success of Corvette Racing join our already very strong field of manufacturers means an even higher level of competition in our LMGTE category, and increased entertainment for the thousands of Chinese fans who visit the race. I know the whole WEC paddock will look forward to welcoming Chevrolet and Corvette Racing.”
In addition the GTE-Pro C7.R Corvette, which will wear a special Redline livery for the event and it will be the first factory-run Corvette to race in Asia, There will also be additional support from Chevrolet Shanghai GM. More details about which chassis will be used plus driver line-up will be announced shortly.
“Corvette Racing has proven itself as a world-class racing program,” said Chevrolet’s Director of Motorsports Competition Mark Kent. “Competing in the Shanghai race provides us an additional opportunity to test ourselves against the top manufacturers and teams in the FIA WEC.”
Chevrolet’s Redline specification and livery made its global debut in concept form at the 2015 SEMA Show. Inspired by a strong positive response, it became the broadest cross-portfolio special edition ever offered by Chevrolet. Last year, Chevrolet introduced its Redline special edition portfolio for China at Auto Guangzhou 2017 and announced that four Redline models will enter the domestic market in 2018. In the future, nearly all Chevrolet models in China will have Redline variants and this is one of the reasons that Chevrolet has announced their WEC comeback in China.
It is not yet known if the Corvette will then complete the current FIA WEC Super Season.
