Robert Wickens will attain one other milestone in his years-long restoration subsequent yr when he joins DXDT Racing to drive its Corvette Z06 GT3.R in a commencement to IMSA’s WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
The 2023 IMSA TCR champion with Bryan Herta Autosport in IMSA’s Michelin Pilot Problem collection departs BHA to affix DXDT for 5 dash races within the GTD Corvette, which is outfitted with the identical brand-new hand-control and electronic-braking know-how developed by Bosch Wickens used to shut the season in his Hyundai Elantra N TCR. Wickens’ teammate will probably be named at a later date.
The Canadian is about to affix the David Askew-owned, Bryan Sellers-led group for a program beginning at Lengthy Seashore and persevering with with stops at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Highway America, and Virginia Worldwide Raceway.
“That is the chance I’ve been searching for for fairly some time now, and it wouldn’t be doable with out the help from David Askew at DXDT, Bosch and GM,” Wickens mentioned. “My purpose since returning to racing was to race within the IMSA WeatherTech Sequence, so to tick that field with a restricted schedule in 2025 is a big step in my development again to skilled racing. It was by no means going to be a simple activity, however when nice minds put their heads collectively something is feasible.”
Severely injured in an IndyCar crash at Pocono Raceway in 2018, Wickens fought by way of paralysis in his legs to regain the power to stroll in brief bursts, however lingering harm made the usage of hand controls to handle braking and throttle software a requirement upon his return to racing with BHA and Hyundai in 2022.
Paired with Mark Wilkins, the duo took two wins on his TCR debut, and with a change in co-drivers to Harry Gottsacker, the 2 earned the TCR title in 2023 and returned to take runner-up honors within the class in 2024. Within the routine developed with BHA, a driver change assistant was deployed to hold and set up Wickens into the automotive and take away him and carry him again to the pit wall, which is anticipated to proceed at DXDT.
Having spent a lot of the yr working within the background to develop a possibility to compete within the WeatherTech Championship, Wickens hoped to create a full-time alternative for himself, however will embark on the brand new journey with DXDT at IMSA’s shorter races and look to increase his calendar in 2026 and past.
“It’s all the time nice when you may add a driver of Robert’s caliber to the group,” Askew mentioned. “He’s a high driver and has proven by way of drive and resilience that nothing is out of attain, evidenced by his race wins and championship titles in TCR. It’s actually going to be a brand new problem for all of us, however it’s one I’m so excited to tackle. I do know with all of the work by us, Bosch, GM, and Pratt Miller this offseason, we’re in a great place to hit the bottom operating in Lengthy Seashore.”
That is what I’ve been pushing for since day 1 of my restoration. I’m excited to announce that I’m getting into the @IMSA Climate Tech Sequence within the GTD class with @DXDTRacing. None of this might have been doable with out the help of the group, Bosch, GM, and so many extra. pic.twitter.com/7Ou8SM9zfC
— Robert Wickens (@robertwickens) November 25, 2024
Wickens is the one driver immediately supported by Bosch, and whereas different distributors have provided hand controls within the collection, he’ll race the mid-engine V8-powered Corvette with the primary hand-control system made by the corporate to be used within the WeatherTech Championship.
Pratt Miller Motorsports, which turns the manufacturing Corvettes into GT3-specification race vehicles for Basic Motors, has built-in Bosch’s know-how into the American supercar for Wickens and DXDT, with performance in-built that permits the hand-control system to be switched on for Wickens and switched off for co-drivers preferring to make use of the brake and throttle pedals.
“We’re proud to be a part of this effort alongside DXDT Racing, Pratt Miller, Bosch and naturally Robert Wickens,” mentioned Mark Stielow, GM’s director of motorsports competitors packages. “For a few years, Corvette Racing and Bosch have labored collectively to drive innovation in motorsports, most notably by way of the Collision Avoidance System that’s now frequent in sports activities automotive paddocks around the globe. It means an amazing quantity for Robert and Bosch to decide on the Corvette Z06 GT3.R and DXDT Racing as they obtain their purpose of constructing racing extra inclusive to all rivals around the globe, irrespective of the collection or classification.”
