Robert Wickens makes IMSA Endurance debut at Road America

Robert Wickens makes IMSA Endurance debut at Road America

Robert Wickens took on a whirlwind turn of events as he prepared for his IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD class endurance debut at Road America. Wickens received a last-minute call on Wednesday afternoon to drive DXDT Racing’s No. 36 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R in place of Salih Yoluc. He was set to share the car with co-driver Mason Filippi and Charlie Eastwood on the challenging 4.048-mile, 14-turn natural terrain road course.

Despite the minimal preparation time, Wickens maintained a positive outlook. „I found out Wednesday afternoon that it was official that I was doing it. The car's fast, the team's doing a great job. We're looking forward to it,” he remarked. This race marked Wickens’ first IMSA endurance start since the 2017 Rolex 24 at Daytona, where he had competed in LMP2.

Wickens had initially sought a full-season WeatherTech campaign that included endurance races, but funding limitations hampered those plans. After his team faced setbacks from a transporter fire en route to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, which forced them to withdraw, the team managed to return for the Six Hours of The Glen in late June. Then, Wickens returned to his sprint role at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP) last month.

Despite the challenges, Wickens viewed the opportunity as an important step towards fulfilling his long-term goals. He was unfazed by the endurance format, stating that his previous experiences, including a 1 hour and 58 minutes stint at CTMP last year and participation in the demanding 24 Hours of Nürburgring, had prepared him well. "I'm not foreign to endurance racing... putting it into real-life practice in a GT3 car at a high level like the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is going to be interesting, but I'm looking forward to the challenge,” he explained.

Wickens aimed to capitalize on his team’s strengths as Filippi qualified the #36 Corvette ninth in class, while Eastwood provided professional expertise. "The goal is always the same: this team wants to win, and I feel like in the GTD class, our driver lineup's very strong. We have every opportunity to have success this weekend," Wickens asserted.