jb_va2001

Is there a Corvette race equivalent of the ALMS/IMSA Porsche GT Challenge/GT3 Cup Challenge? It would be fun to see Z06/ZR1's battling like Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars.

If there is not a Corvette equivalent race, why?

Cheers,
JB

jcsperson

That was a spec class. Same chassis, motors, etc. Same with the LMPC cars. All the same.

They were really just field fillers. If they weren't there ALMS would've had 20-car fields in P1, P2 and GT combined.

heavychevy

There isn't one because GM doesn't support anyone racing Corvette's but GM.

One of the long list of stupid things GM has done, yet somehow continues to do. GM could build the equivalent of Porsche cup and sell factory built race cars left and right if they had any sense, but they refuse to do it. And instead tease with a what if ZO6X.

Plus you get all of the development of young drivers to put into the race seats. Porsche has one, even Dodge started one with the Viper. Mazda has development series too.

RedLS1GTO

It really is a shame that Chevrolet is still too stupid after all these years to learn a little something from Porsche.

Built by racers >> Built by lawyers

heavychevy

Thing is, they don't even need to start a whole series, they could just build a car that could compete with the Cups. Stick it in GTC, or GTD in the USCR. Offer up some factory support and people would buy them left and right. But instead they are determined to race GTO, G6's, CTS-V's and pigeon hole all of the teams that are trying to race Corvette's in these series. They could have been making millions supplying race cars. Porsche has made uge profits on their racing and parts program. Hard to believe GM can't figure that out.

andy3101

anyone think that maybe GM will do a C7R for the club racers and pro cars like what Ford Racing has done with the BOSS 302S and BOSS 302R or Dodge with the Viper ACR-X? I am not sure where Viper ACR-X falls into for Pro racing series...

GM has kind of done this with the COPO Camaro drag car that's not street legal, so road race car isn't too far fetched.

Only problem I see is that SCCA world challenge is running Cadillac in GT and private guys running Camaros in GTS... Grand Am continental challenge is running Camaros... Where and what class would you put a corvette??? SCCA TRANS AM TA3 would be my best guess.. anyone else have ideas?

jb_va2001

Spending a couple of days at ALMS events (Baltimore & VIR) gave the impression, because you saw so many 911s on the track in the paddock, that Porsche are used by serious race drivers and they dominate real races. That can't be the takeaway Corvette marketing would want you to leave with if they are seriously positioning C7 to take market share from Porsche.

Cheers,
JB

krisa9977

For last 4 years GM dominated in WTCC (FIA World Touring Car Championship) with its Chevrolet Cruze, winning four world championship for Chevrolet.

95jersey

I spoke with Doug Fehan directly on this and he said a BIG "NO".

jb_va2001

Corvette has a pretty large and loyal following. Does a GT3 Cup-like race for Corvette need to be sponsored by GM?

Seems like someone outside of GM could organize one.

Cheers,
JB

chuntington101

Great they are winning a championship with a car that has NOTHING to do with the production model! Being a lover of the BTCC series i can tell you these cars are TOTALLY different to the road going cars! The BTCC gusy even run regulatory front and rear suspension sub-frames!

A Corvette Cup car would be great and might actually allow GM to develop parts for the Corvette faster and in a race environment. That's what the likes of Porsche have been doing for years!

The Porsche model really dose work, Race cars HELPING to not only sell the product, but also to help in its development.

chuntington101

Yeah there are load of shops out there that COULD do it. Would it EVER get the following of a GM backed setup? NO.

GM could build and set up feilds of these racers across the world. How about national race series that fed into the World Series? Could a shop or shops do that? NO!

For other examples of this look at Caterham and Ginetta. Both probably have several hundred cars out there racing all over the world. Even Aston Martin gave it a go with the V8 (not a great success though).

parkerracing

Corvette Challenge, 1988-89. First and last.

hklvette

Heaven forbid they had some competition...

jb_va2001

Why did it fail?

jb_va2001

The Corvette Racing program (a pair of Corvettes running in the GT class race), and something like the ALMS GT Challenge/Porsche GT3 Cup car race series (every car in race is a Porsche 911 GT3 RS) but for Corvettes are completely different animals.

Doug Fehan may not want it, or he may be ambivalent, but he alone shouldn't keep it from happening. There must be something more.

Cheers,
JB

rfn026

Never forget that Porsche racing is a profit center. GM spends money to race. The Corvette Challenge cost GM a lot of money. It got so ugly that they canceled the 3rd year of the series at the last minute.

They tried it again with the C5 Box cars. Here's all about that program. It sort of ran out of energy because GM was interested in quarterly profits. Porsche thinks much longer term. That has more to do with the Euro markets and the US markets that with good guys vs bad guys. Also don't forget that GM was in the process of melting down back in the late 90's.

As much as we like to blame Doug Fehan for everything he's pretty far down the GM food chain. Jim Campbell, who was once Corvette Brand Manager, is the VP in charge of GM racing. Any program like the one we're talking about here would needs Jim's backing.

Keep in mind that GM won both Indy Car and NASCAR manufacturing championships. Things are going pretty well for GM. Why add a new series that would take a decade to develop?

Richard Newton

heavychevy

I think you answered the question at the beginning of your post. GM is spending money racing, so racing programs get cut first. If they are making millions, racing does not get cut.

CM could sell a ton of cars, and have a factory team running in the same series. Seems like everyone has caught on but GM. They could have been supplying cars and support for Grand-Am, ALMS, World-Challenge and all over the world. All it is is reusing technology they have anyways, and selling it. Using the work and money put into Corvette Racing, CTS-V etc to actually make money. Then let that trickle down to amateur racing with an actual Z06X spec car. That would make a killing, with little time/money invested. SRT did it with a small budget and a small team of engineers.

jb_va2001

Porsche sells the 911 GT3 for $130K+.

I suspect Chevy would sell more Z06 & ZR1 if there was a similar series where people could actually race them.

Cheers,
JB

crimlwC6

Porsche is the highest profit margin car company. Do you want a base corvette that cost $100,000.00 so you can buy a $250,000 corvette cup car? As a racer of corvettes, I'm really happy I could buy a 99 corvette for 10k and put another 10k in it and have a blast.