Chevrolet has taken the wraps off its striking new United SportsCar Championship weapon, the Corvette C7.R, which Australian Ryan Briscoe will drive in this month’s Daytona 24 Hour.
As previously reported, Briscoe has been drafted into the team’s lead car for the Daytona and Sebring endurance races alongside Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia.
The new GTLM/GTE car, which the team will also campaign at the Le Mans 24 Hours, is being touted as a major step forward over its predecessor, the C6.R.
Like its 2015 road car companion, the new race car features a revised aluminium chassis that us reportedly 40 percent stronger than its predecessor.
The C7.R sees both the road and race car chassis built in-house at Corvette’s Kentucky factory for the first time.
Briscoe tested the car in a camouflaged livery at the recent pre-event test and said he was impressed with what he felt.
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“The car was a lot of fun to drive,” said the Sydney-born driver, who will compete full-time for Ganassi Racing in this year’s IndyCar Series.
“I would say it exceeded expectations on grip level, handling and overall performance.”
The revised Corvettes will be pitted against their regular GT foe, including the Ferrari 458, Aston Martin V8 Vantage, Porsche 911 RSR, Viper GTS-R and BMW Z4 in this year’s USC.
Briscoe will be one of four Australians on the Daytona grid, joining David Brabham (Extreme Speed Sports HPD), John Martin (Action Express Racing Corvette) and James Davison (TGR Aston Martin).
Kiwi interest will also be high thanks to the presence of V8 Supercars star Shane van Gisbergen (Alex Job Racing Porsche), Richie Stanaway (Aston Martin Racing Vantage) and Earl Bamber (Muehiner Motorsport Porsche).
The race will take place on January 25-26.
See below for more on the new Corvette with Chevrolet’s vice president of Performance Vehicles and Motorsports, Jim Campbell
