The key to Chevrolet’s 2026 IMSA Championship? Consistency.
2026-10-07
For the 16th time since Corvette Racing started in 1999, Chevrolet has won a GT-class Manufacturer championship. Chevrolet took home the IMSA GTD PRO Manufacturer honors when the checkered flag flew at this past weekend’s Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta, capping off a challenging, yet rewarding 2026 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
Andrea Hidalgo, Program Manager for Corvette Racing, says this year’s success comes down to consistency.
“With the way IMSA scores points for qualifying and the race, you can win the championship without ever winning a race,” Hidalgo says. “So, that persistence, aiming for strong execution even when you’re down, pays off.”
You can see that in the results. Only one time each did the No. 3 and No. 4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs finish outside the top 10 this year. The No. 3 won Chevrolet’s home race, the Detroit Grand Prix, while the No. 4 finished on the podium a remarkable four times across the 2026 season. The No. 4 team also won two additional awards; the BDO Knows Strategy Award for its race-day strategy and execution; and, the Michelin All Hands for the Win Award for the least time spent in pit lane across the season.
A strong sixth-place finish from Team DragonSpeed, running a one-off entry in the GTD PRO class with the No. 74 car at Petit Le Mans, helped Chevrolet get the title across the line. In addition to the GTD PRO Manufacturer Championship, a Corvette team, 13 Autosport, took home IMSA’s Bob Akin Award for the third year in a row, with driver Orey Fidani the highest scoring bronze-rated driver in the GTD class. That award comes with an invitation to race in the 24 Hours of Le Mans next year.
Beyond simply executing on the track, much of the work winning this championship happened between races. With track testing over the course of the season, the team developed new powertrain settings aimed at helping drivers get maximum performance out of the car. The team also did extensive virtual testing.
“We got a lot out of our driver-in-loop simulator this year,” Hidalgo adds. “After each race, our drivers and engineers would run sessions simulating the last race, so we could be sure we’re always improving our models. Having spent that time on correlation between the real and virtual worlds, we can be sure our simulations are accurate and useful.”
That work will continue in the months leading up to the 2027 IMSA season, which kicks off with the Rolex 24 at Daytona in January. The team will also be hard at work finalizing the “Evo” upgrade package for the Corvette Z06 GT3.R. The package consists of upgrades aimed at enhancing aerodynamic performance and increasing both reliability and serviceability.
With fierce competition in IMSA and beyond, there’s no time for Corvette Racing to rest on its laurels. Naturally, that sort of thing isn’t in the nature of the team members.
“Everyone on the program is passionate – they really care” Hidalgo says. “They want to work towards these wins by making the car better each race through continuous development and teamwork.”
#4: Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports, Corvette Z06 GT3.R, GTD Pro: Tommy Milner, Nicky Catsburg, Nico Varrone
For the 16th time since Corvette Racing started in 1999, Chevrolet has won a GT-class Manufacturer championship. Chevrolet took home the IMSA GTD PRO Manufacturer honors when the checkered flag flew at this past weekend’s Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta, capping off a challenging, yet rewarding 2026 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
Andrea Hidalgo, Program Manager for Corvette Racing, says this year’s success comes down to consistency.
“With the way IMSA scores points for qualifying and the race, you can win the championship without ever winning a race,” Hidalgo says. “So, that persistence, aiming for strong execution even when you’re down, pays off.”
You can see that in the results. Only one time each did the No. 3 and No. 4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs finish outside the top 10 this year. The No. 3 won Chevrolet’s home race, the Detroit Grand Prix, while the No. 4 finished on the podium a remarkable four times across the 2026 season. The No. 4 team also won two additional awards; the BDO Knows Strategy Award for its race-day strategy and execution; and, the Michelin All Hands for the Win Award for the least time spent in pit lane across the season.
A strong sixth-place finish from Team DragonSpeed, running a one-off entry in the GTD PRO class with the No. 74 car at Petit Le Mans, helped Chevrolet get the title across the line. In addition to the GTD PRO Manufacturer Championship, a Corvette team, 13 Autosport, took home IMSA’s Bob Akin Award for the third year in a row, with driver Orey Fidani the highest scoring bronze-rated driver in the GTD class. That award comes with an invitation to race in the 24 Hours of Le Mans next year.
#3: Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports, Corvette Z06 GT3.R, GTD Pro: Antonio Garcia, Alexander Sims, Marvin Kirchhöfer
Beyond simply executing on the track, much of the work winning this championship happened between races. With track testing over the course of the season, the team developed new powertrain settings aimed at helping drivers get maximum performance out of the car. The team also did extensive virtual testing.
“We got a lot out of our driver-in-loop simulator this year,” Hidalgo adds. “After each race, our drivers and engineers would run sessions simulating the last race, so we could be sure we’re always improving our models. Having spent that time on correlation between the real and virtual worlds, we can be sure our simulations are accurate and useful.”
That work will continue in the months leading up to the 2027 IMSA season, which kicks off with the Rolex 24 at Daytona in January. The team will also be hard at work finalizing the “Evo” upgrade package for the Corvette Z06 GT3.R. The package consists of upgrades aimed at enhancing aerodynamic performance and increasing both reliability and serviceability.
With fierce competition in IMSA and beyond, there’s no time for Corvette Racing to rest on its laurels. Naturally, that sort of thing isn’t in the nature of the team members.
“Everyone on the program is passionate – they really care” Hidalgo says. “They want to work towards these wins by making the car better each race through continuous development and teamwork.”
