Robert Wickens had a dream. His first run with Bryan Herta Autosport in a modified Hyundai Elantra N TCR more than three years ago turned that dream into a possibility. The new brake-by-wire system that Bosch developed and implemented on the BHA Elantra for the Indianapolis round of Michelin Pilot Challenge threw the doors wide open. Now Wickens is ready to fulfill that dream as he moves to IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in the Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) category with DXDT Racing and the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R.
“I’ve been wanting to move up into WeatherTech for quite some time – I felt like I was fairly transparent in that messaging – but it was always a difficult communication,” Wickens explained. “Trying to convince the OEMs or the team owners to, one, put me in the car like any other racing driver; and then say, ‘Oh, by the way, you have to design a whole braking system that doesn’t exist.’ So the fact that Bosch came to the table with with their technology, it’s already proving that it’s giving me the opportunities that I want in my career. Not only just in this next journey, moving up into the IMSA WeatherTech series, but we already raced it in the TCR category for the final two rounds of the Michelin Pilot challenge series with great success.”
As the 2023 IMPC TCR champ (with Harry Gottsacker) notes, budget has been a big obstacle into getting into another car. Developing a hand control system for a car isn’t exactly easy. The Bosch system, while not quite plug-and-play, clears many of the hurdles, especially as Bosch ABS systems are used in many GT3 cars – not to mention that the brake-by-wire system in the LMDh cars that make up the majority of GTP entries are Bosch as well.
Wickens hasn’t yet driven a Z06 GT3.R with the Bosch system installed, and indeed, such a beast doesn’t yet exist. He has seen a prototype model of the controls as they will be implemented in the car. The fact that Bosch and Pratt Miller, the builder of the Z06 GT3.R, are practically neighbors seems to be streamlining the process. Wickens has had a lot of input into the layout, and the car he drives will have its own special homologation to accommodate the system.
“This is going take some time, but we’re hoping to get on the driver-in-the-loop simulator in the coming weeks,” Wickens said of the timeline. “Then hopefully we can get our first straightline test sometime in January, in or around Daytona, with plans for our first on-track – call it performance – running in that late February to March timeline. So definitely up against the clock a little bit. But I know if anyone’s going to do it, it’s GM, Bosch and Pratt Miller. So I know I’m in good hands.
“It’s really cool to see the development, because it’s kind of starting from near nothing. I’ve been to Pratt Miller already. I saw the 3D-printed rapid production concept of the steering wheel and the hand controls and kind of fine tuning stuff. It’s tailor-made, really, so it’s a unique situation. Not many drivers can tailor-make their throttle and brake and everything to how they want unless you’re driving in Formula 1 or something, so it’s been a cool journey so far.”
Since Wickens is doing only the sprint rounds of the WeatherTech Championship – those races of 2h40m or less – the timeline to get everything done is longer. Wickens is looking forward to making his debut in the Corvette at Long Beach, a track he raced in IndyCar, but hasn’t had the opportunity to drive since his accident. He expects the debut to be rough, but he’s excited to have it at a track where he will be among his IndyCar brethren.
“Having my season kick off in Long Beach is going to be a little bit of a baptism by fire for sure,” he laughed. “Why not learn IMSA WeatherTech racing at a track with no runoffs and walls everywhere? But the emotional journey of having my debut on a race weekend that we share with IndyCar is going to be pretty special, with my active role within Andretti Global that I still have, and there’s going to be a lot of friends around – old drivers, current drivers… it’s just going to be really cool to see. And I’m sure the support is going to be really, really nice. So the whole thing’s just going to be fun. Honestly, I think there’s definitely more excitement than nerves.”
Wickens is eagerly anticipating getting back into a rear-wheel-drive racecar. He thinks it may suit his driving style a bit better, noting that he often has to be later on the throttle than his teammates at corner exit because the first small percentages of throttle are difficult to apply with the hand controls. Too much throttle early in a front-drive car leads to wheelspin and understeer, so he’s found it easier to just delay throttle application. He thinks the Corvette might make easing onto the throttle with the hand controls a more effective proposition.
Wickens isn’t yet sure whether he will be returning to BHA and the IMPC TCR class for 2025, although he would certainly appreciate the extra track time. But he notes the contributions that program has made toward getting him where he is now.
“I wouldn’t be anywhere without Bryan, Herta, Sean Jones and Hyundai,” he said. “Those were the key people that allowed me a chance to drive a racecar again, and frankly, lit the spark that I knew was never dead inside of me. It really just kind of got the whole thing started, and we had a very successful three years together. There’s nothing but great feelings. If our journey ends now, or if it can continue on to the future, we’ll have to see, but I think for now, we accomplished a lot of great things together in TCR.
“It would have been nice to get another championship – every driver wants to win every championship in every race – but I think to look back on my three seasons in the Michelin Pilot Challenge series and TCR, and to have such great results and consistency throughout, it was a great journey.”
Either way, Wickens expects to be at Daytona International Speedway for the Rolex 24. He plans to absorb as much knowledge about his new DXDT Racing team, the Corvette Z06 GT3.R, and the series as possible. And then awaiting his own turn behind the wheel of a GT3 car, something that seemed like only a dream a short time ago.