Corvette withdraws from 2020 Le Mans 24 Hours
Corvette Racing has pulled its pair of GTE Pro C8.Rs from the rescheduled Le Mans 24 Hours, citing several factors for the withdrawal.

A statement from Jim Campbell, VP of motorsports and performance, said that "several factors played into our decision, including current conditions and the rescheduled timing".
He added the decision to end an unbroken run of participations for the Corvette Racing squad at Le Mans, which this year has been moved to Sept. 19-20, stretching back to 2000 "was not an easy one".
The move comes against the backdrop of the ongoing world health crisis and a re-jig of the calendar in IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship calendar, in which the Pratt & Miller factory team competes full-time. The Laguna Seca IMSA round is set for Sept. 6, just one week before the two new mid-engined Corvettes would be due in France for Le Mans scrutineering.
The Mid-Ohio round, originally planned for 3rd May, is now scheduled to take place just one week after Le Mans on the Sept. 27.
Read Also:
Campbell stressed Chevrolet intends to return to Le Mans with the latest-generation Corvette racer, which made its race debut at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona in January.
"We hope we have the opportunity to race at Le Mans again,” he said, having seen Corvette last take GT victory honors at the iconic endurance event in 2015. "We’re proud Corvette Racing has been invited to Le Mans 24 Hours over the past 20 years and regret that we won’t be participating this year."
The two American factory cars were due to be driven by Oliver Gavin, Tommy Milner and Marcel Fassler, along with Jordan Taylor, Antonio Garcia and Nicky Catsburg.
Corvette's withdrawal follows that of the pair of factory Porsche 911 RSRs to be run by the IMSA CORE autosport squad.
It leaves just the six regular World Endurance Championship entries, two each from Porsche, Ferrari and Aston Martin, and the Risi Competizione Ferrari in GTE Pro, leaving the class with its smallest ever grid.
The Danish High Class Racing team's second LMP2 class Oreca 07 and an additional GTE Am entry from the Proton Porsche team are in line to move up from the reserve list following the withdrawal of the Corvettes.

Previous article
LM Hypercar rules amended to converge with new LMDh regs
Next article
Gallery: Corvette's 20-year history at Le Mans

About this article
Series | Le Mans , WEC , IMSA |
Teams | Corvette Racing |
Author | Gary Watkins |
Corvette withdraws from 2020 Le Mans 24 Hours
Why Ferrari is ending its 50-year top-flight sportscar racing exile
Making a return to top-flight sportscar racing after 50 years away, Ferrari will enter the Le Mans Hypercar ranks in 2023. The Italian marque denies the link with Formula 1's new cost cap that frees up resources, but it's certainly no coincidence...
Oliver Gavin's Corvette Racing highlights
Oliver Gavin has stepped down from the full-time Corvette Racing line-up after a stellar career with the team spanning nearly 20 years. He looks back on a stint that encompassed, among other successes, five Le Mans 24 Hours victories.
How Tandy joined an exclusive club of endurance legends
Victory at last year's Spa 24 Hours meant Nick Tandy had completed the unofficial sextuple crown of the world's six biggest endurance races, becoming the first Briton to do so. Ahead of his fresh start with Corvette Racing, he explains how he did it…
The cherished curios kept by motorsport's professionals at home
Keeping trophies and momentos of key triumphs is par for the course for motorsport professionals, but what are the most cherished souvenirs picked up by the drivers and engineers who have seen and done it all?
The Porsche icon that forged sportscar racing's greatest era
Porsche is returning to the top class of Le Mans with an LMDh prototype that it hopes will write its next successful chapter in sportscar racing. But it will have to go some to emulate its 956/962, a car which defines the Group C age more than any other.
How Tom Kristensen forged his ‘Mr Le Mans’ legend
He is synonymous with success at the Circuit de la Sarthe, but Tom Kristensen's sportscar legacy amounts to much more than his record-breaking nine Le Mans wins, as the most successful driver ever at Sebring and a world champion to boot…
Why Audi’s shock return promises a new age for sportscars
OPINION: The news that Audi will return to Le Mans means we'll at last get to see the fight promised in 2012 against Peugeot and Toyota. It also gives LMDh a tangible form, which could open the floodgates for more like-minded marques to follow suit…
The eternal debate revived after the 2019/20 WEC season
It may have been missed amid the clamour over Lewis Hamilton's seventh F1 title, but Britain had another world champion crowned last weekend. Mike Conway's WEC crown raises an old conundrum - does title glory make up for the pain of Le Mans defeat?