Corvette Racing Special: The Long Game Begins At The Rolex 24

The racing season doesn’t ease in at Corvette Racing—it detonates. The 2026 season begins the same way legends are tested and programs are defined: 24 relentless hours under the lights at Daytona Beach, Florida. Much like NASCAR’s Daytona 500, the Rolex 24 at Daytona isn’t just another race—it is the opener, the biggest endurance test on the calendar, and the tone-setter for the entire IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season. CorvSport’s Corvette Racing Special launches at this exact moment, anchored by an official Corvette Racing press release and followed by a pivotal leadership shift that signals intent well beyond the first green flag.

Championship Momentum Rolls Straight Into 2026

Fresh off a dominant 2025 campaign that delivered a clean sweep of the GTD PRO Manufacturers, Drivers, and Teams Championships, Chevrolet’s factory Corvette effort returns with unfinished business—and no unnecessary changes. The foundation remains rock solid. Defending champions Antonio García and Alexander Sims are back in the No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R for the full 10-round season, while Tommy Milner and Nicky Catsburg again anchor the No. 4 entry. Corvette Racing didn’t reinvent success—it reinforced it. Five full-season Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs across four teams are locked into the 60-car Rolex 24 field, spanning two of IMSA’s four classes, ready to set the pace for a new year.

Five Corvettes, One Mission, And Daytona As The Proving Ground

Before the race clock ever starts, the work begins on the 3.56-mile Daytona Road Course. The Corvette collective hits the track Friday through Sunday for pre-Rolex 24 testing, sharpening a lineup already proven under pressure. An unchanged driver roster speaks volumes, but so do the top driver quotes flowing out of Corvette Racing’s official press release—confidence earned, not claimed. This is a team that knows what it takes to win championships and understands that endurance racing rewards preparation as much as outright speed.

New Leadership, Same Relentless Corvette DNA

Layered atop that championship continuity is a critical evolution: Andrea Hidalgo steps in as Corvette Racing’s new Program Manager at exactly the moment it matters most. A longtime GM and Corvette Racing engine specialist, Hidalgo brings deep technical roots from the Corvette Z06 GT3.R program, extensive trackside experience with TF Sport in WEC and ELMS competition, and firsthand involvement from the C8.R factory era. Her first assignment? Daytona. The Rolex 24 marks both the season opener and the opening chapter of her leadership era—one defined by precision, preparation, and pressure. For Corvette Racing, and for CorvSport, the message is clear: 2026 doesn’t begin with questions. It begins with intent.

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1 — The Official Rolex 24 Pre-Race Press Release From Corvette Racing: Authored by Ryan Smith

CORVETTE RACING AT DAYTONA: Targeting a 2025 Encore

Five full-season Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs ready for pre-Rolex 24 testing to start 2026

DETROIT (January 13, 2026) – Five Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs and seven Corvette Racing factory drivers are set to kick off 2026 during the next two weeks at Daytona International Speedway. Things kick off for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with the annual three-day Roar Before the 24 starting Friday.

It leads straight into the 64th Rolex 24 At Daytona with Corvette Racing eager to capture another class victory – or two – in the opening round of the season.

Five full-season Corvette GT3s from four teams are part of the 60-car entry across two of the four classes in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The Corvette collective will test Friday through Sunday on the 3.56-mile Daytona Road Course ahead of next weekend’s season-opening round:

Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports – GTD PRO:

♦ Antonio Garcia, Alexander Sims, Marvin Kirchhöfer (No. 3 Corvette);
♦ Nicky Catsburg, Tommy Milner, Nico Varrone (No. 4 Corvette)

13 Autosport – GTD:

♦ Matt Bell, Orey Fidani, Lars Kern, Ben Green (No. 13 Corvette)

DXDT Racing – GTD:

♦ Charlie Eastwood, Mason Filippi, Salih Yoluc, Scott McLaughlin (No. 36 Corvette)

DragonSpeed – GTD:

♦ Giacomo Altoé, Henrik Hedman, Casper Stevenson, Matteo Cairoli (No. 81 Corvette)

This year’s group matches last year’s entry of five Corvettes at Daytona; the biggest change is that all five will contest the entirely of the IMSA season. In addition to returning teams Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports in GTD PRO and GTD customer teams 13 Autosport (formally AW) and DXDT Racing, new Corvette team DragonSpeed will debut its Z06 GT3.R at Daytona.

As a program, Corvette Racing has a deep and successful history at the Rolex 24 and includes five GT-class victories – one of those an overall win in 2001. The Corvette Racing factory team scored additional class wins in 2015, 2016 and 2021, and 13 Autosport won in GTD last year under the AWA banner for the Z06 GT3.R’s first Rolex 24 triumph.

In addition, Corvette’s successes at Daytona have bolstered Chevrolet’s impressive record of 125 wins at the circuit across IMSA and NASCAR’s national series.

Corvette Racing and its teams are looking to build on the global success of the Z06 GT3.R from 2025 into the new season. Corvette teams captured 16 race victories across six different global championships, and Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports swept the full-season GTD PRO Manufacturers, Drivers and Teams titles.

The Roar Before the 24 is set for January 16-18 with seven sessions scheduled across the three days. The Rolex 24 goes green at 1:40 p.m. ET on Saturday, January 24 with qualifying on Thursday, January 22.

SELECT CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R DRIVER QUOTES

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“In a lot of ways, the Rolex 24 each year at Daytona feels like the championship. I think not many people who are there think about the championship very much during the week. That’s something you think about Monday. Last year when we finished second, it wasn’t that great until Monday and we realized we had second-place points! It seems like there everyone is fighting all-out for the win, which is classic Daytona. It will be good to be back there with Alex and bring in Marvin. If he brings to us something of what he had last year in the race, we’ll be very happy! He and the AWA guys did a great job to end up winning the race, which was great for all of Corvette. He’s been around the paddock and in a lot of the big races here and in Europe. The experience is there and the speed is there as he showed last year. We’re happy to have him and looking forward to working with him this year.”

ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“It’s nice to have continuity again going into a third season with the same main team, and it’s a great addition having Marvin with us. The core group of people on our car are mostly staying the same… Andy Ramsey our race engineer and obviously myself and Antonio, plus Tommy, Nicky and Nico in the other Corvette. That’s a huge bonus and should give us strength. I think that’s probably the first time in my career that I’ve had three years in a row with the same co-driver and engineer, so that’s very nice.

“We were second last year at Daytona, and I’m quite keen to try and go one better. As with all of the races, the championship is the No. 1 focus and then race wins and other things would be fantastic along the way. That generally tends to happen if you win the championship so we obviously need to try and maximize every race. Daytona being the big one straight off the bat is an immediate opportunity and a great challenge.”

MARVIN KIRCHHÖFER, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“It was really nice being back behind the wheel of the Corvette (at November test at Sebring). I was generally quite impressed by the whole setup of the team. I got a nice welcome, too, from my teammates as well. I already knew Nicky from previous racing before, too. That was very nice and I really, really enjoyed working with them. Everyone has been very supportive and very helpful getting me up to speed within the team and getting reacquainted with the Corvette. I also had the DIL test a couple of weeks ago in Charlotte, which also was quite interesting. I must say overall that it has been very good and very positive… good preparation for the Rolex coming up in a couple of weeks. Hopefully we’ve done our parts and our work well and can make it a good 2026 Daytona 24 race.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“Hopefully this Daytona is a boring one! Boring in the sense that we are three laps ahead by Hour Six and it’s the most boring GT race ever! Last year was disappointing on a number of levels for us on the No. 4 side. We had a great race going for a majority of it and then unraveled a little bit there at the end. I’m hopeful we can have another strong race as we did last year. There’s no reason why that should change. Daytona is always that crown jewel event and first race in the U.S. each season with a lot of emotions around it. For me, this race and the GTD PRO class in particular gets more and more competitive each year, and the excitement ramps up as we get closer.”

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“It’s good to be back and start working with everyone. I’m looking forward to being back in Daytona as always. Like every year it’s an amazing beginning of the season with one of the most important races of the year. At the start, I feel like this year on the No. 4 side we need to take a little bit more of a cautious approach to the race. It’s very important that we finish well because it kind of sets you up for the rest of the season. I feel like sometimes people can get a little over-excited because it’s Daytona. I really want to do well in the championship. The dream is to win the driver championship with the 4 car this year rather than 3! So I’m looking forward to realizing that. Daytona is always a very fun time with the teammates, as well. We have a couple of days off between the Roar and the race which is always a good time to sharpen up our Pickleball skills or paddle skills or mini-golf skills or whatever else we can do!”

MATT BELL, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“I’m really looking forward to defending our Daytona 24 win from last year. It’s very exciting to be coming back under the new 13 Autosport banner while essentially keeping the same group of people that we succeeded with 12 months ago. There are not many teams that have defended their 24-hour win in the past, so our objective is to join the few that have.”

OREY FIDANI, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“I’m very excited about this new 13 Autosport venture heading into Daytona. We’re going into our third year as a part of Team Chevy, and over the course of the past two seasons we have learned so much and made significant leaps with our No. 13 Corvette. We’re all very eager to continue to further contribute to Chevrolet’s success at Daytona and into the rest of the rounds. I’m ready to kick off another season with Matt and Lars, and we’re all looking forward to bringing Ben into the family.”

CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 36 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“I’m really looking forward to being back at Daytona with DXDT and the Corvette. Last year wasn’t what we hoped for in my first race with the team in our first race in IMSA. There were a lot of things to learn and ultimately we didn’t end up finishing the race. But throughout the year the team made some massive strides and everyone is super motivated to get a good result. I think everyone knows if you can do that at Daytona, it really starts your championship off well. We have a great lineup. Having Scott is brilliant as he brings a lot to the team with his previous experience with the Corvette and in big races. I think we have a really good shot at it.”

GIACOMO ALTOE, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“It’s a new beginning for me with DragonSpeed and Corvette. I’m very excited for what’s coming. The project is a big one and we committed properly to do everything in the best way possible. It will be great to race together with Henrik for his comeback to racing and we have high goals in GTD. It’s a very competitive class and it’s always special to start at Daytona, with a 24-hour race. I can’t wait to be with the crew again and to get to know everyone at Chevy and Corvette Racing to start this new project together!”

2 — Green Flag Energy: Corvette Racing Charges Into 2026 With New Leadership

A New Hand On The Wheel At Corvette Racing

Corvette Racing has officially appointed longtime GM and Corvette Racing engine specialist Andrea Hidalgo as its new Program Manager heading into the 2026 season. Hidalgo replaces outgoing Program Manager Jessica Dane, who has departed the company after a short tenure. The move places a deeply technical, battle-tested engineer into a role that blends strategy, execution, and championship-level pressure—right as the season lights turn green.

From The Dyno To The Pit Wall

Hidalgo’s résumé reads like a blueprint for modern GT racing leadership. She most recently served as Senior Race Engine Calibration, Development, and Track Support Engineer for the Corvette Z06 GT3.R program at GM’s Performance and Racing Center. Her work extended trackside with TF Sport, supporting Corvette Racing customer entries across the FIA World Endurance Championship and select European Le Mans Series events. Beyond hands-on race support, Hidalgo led critical controls development and implementation efforts as Corvette Racing aligned customer teams with FIA GT3 engine regulations. Her Corvette Racing roots stretch back to the C8.R factory era, with deep technical expertise spanning combustion, drivability, aftertreatment, diagnostics, and transmission development.

Daytona Awaits As Racing Returns

Hidalgo’s first official assignment as Program Manager arrives immediately on one of motorsport’s biggest stages: the Rolex 24 at Daytona. She steps into the role ahead of the Roar Before the 24 on January 16, helping steer Corvette Racing’s GT3 efforts as the season-opening marathon unfolds across the late-January race weekend. With the 24 Hours of Daytona set to roar to life days later, Corvette Racing enters 2026 with fresh leadership, proven technical strength, and unmistakable intent. For CorvSport, this is where the story begins—because when Corvette Racing makes a move, it’s never just about change. It’s about winning.