Chevrolet announced today that Corvette Racing will close its 20th season of competition in grand style by competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) 2018 race in Shanghai. The C7.R racecar, which will wear a special Redline livery for the competition, will be the first factory-run Corvette to race in Asia.
The 6 Hours of Shanghai will take place from November 16-18 at the 16-turn, 5.45-km Shanghai International Circuit. Built in 2004, the venue plays host to a number of motorsports’ top championships, including the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix.
“Corvette is a global icon that we are excited to be bringing to race in China – the second largest market for Chevrolet,” said Scott Lawson, general director of Chevrolet for SAIC-GM.
The WEC is one of the world’s key sports car series that features racing at venues across the world with all races being at least six hours in duration. The Le Mans 24 Hours endurance race is the WEC’s most famous stop and it features twice in the 2018-2019 calendar. It tests not only speed and driving skills, but also the stability and fuel economy of cars in extreme driving.
“Corvette Racing has proven itself as a world-class racing program,” said Mark Kent, Chevrolet director of Motorsports Competition. “Competing in the Shanghai race provides us an additional opportunity to test ourselves against the top manufacturers and teams in the FIA WEC.”
Corvette Racing team highlights:
Winner of 107 races around the world
12 manufacturer championships in International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) competition
11 driver’s championships in IMSA competition
11-time class champion of the Sebring 12-hour endurance race
Eight-time winner of the Le Mans 24-hour endurance race
Three-time class champion of the Daytona 24-hour endurance race
Captured wins in Daytona, Sebring and Le Mans endurance races in 2015
Racing has been part of Chevrolet’s DNA since the brand was established by race car driver Louis Chevrolet more than a century ago. This performance-inspired DNA continues to influence the entire Chevrolet lineup today.
Redline
The Corvette C7.R will wear a special Redline livery for the race in Shanghai to promote the launch of the special edition in China across Chevrolet’s portfolio.
Redline 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.
“Chevrolet is strengthening its brand in China by boosting our product lineup and our overall customer and ownership experience. We have begun rolling out our more youthful and sporty Redline edition to help us reach younger customers,” said Lawson.
