Nick Catsburg now knows the Corvette C8.R in GTE and GT3 trim: Why the difference is not that big and what is really the limiting factor
Nick Catsburg is probably what you can call a jack-of-all-trades in motorsport. The 34-year-old has been switching back and forth between GTE, GT3 and TCR cars for years. Since 2020, he has been driving a Chevrolet Corvette C8.R in the US IMSA series for Corvette Racing.
But the car had to be neutered for this year. Due to the end of the GTLM class, in which cars were entered according to GTE regulations, the US bolide had to be adapted to the new GTD-Pro category. This is where GT3 cars are actually raced. But the difference between the two classes is not great, says Catsburg.
“People really overestimate the differences between GTE and GT3,” “In our case, there are a few changes to the differential, significantly more weight, and different tyres. Those are the main differences. As drivers, we now have to deal with a tyre that has less grip and degrades faster. And we have ABS. “
GTE vs. GT3: Tyres the biggest difference
All these changes affect the performance of the Corvette, but not so much the driving experience. The Dutchman is pretty sure: “If you put the same tyres as in the old GTLM class on a GT3 car, and work a bit on the set-up, the GT3 car can be just as fast. It’s very similar. “
And in the GT3 race car, Catsburg knows his stuff. He has been racing in this class for various BMW teams for years. For the carmaker from Munich, he won the 24h Nürburgring 2020 and the 24h Spa 2015, among others. This year, he will be competing in a BMW M4 GT3 from Schubert Motorsport in the ADAC GT Masters.
The biggest difference between GTE and GT3 is the tyre, Catsburg has noticed: “Coming from our Michelins in the GTLM class and putting on the new tyre, we are completely out of the window in terms of set-up. We really had to work and change a lot of the set-up to make the tyre work for us. “
Nick Catsburg: No problems with the changeover
Generally, the Dutchman outed himself as a fan of the GTE version of the Corvette C8.R, “without ABS, with less weight, and also with a bit more power. It’s just nicer and faster.” Still, he says the car is fun in GT3 trim as well.
The switch between the two vehicle categories is also relatively easy for Catsburg because he has been dancing on several weddings for years. “I’m a happy boy there and I keep noticing: that’s an advantage,” he said on the sidelines of the German GT Championship season opener at Oschersleben.
Catsburg continued: “It’s not that hard to adapt and that makes me a better driver. I just drive more, I drive different cars, I work with more and different people. So it feels like it’s just making me better and there’s no real downside.”
At Corvette Racing, Catsburg has competed in the US endurance classics 24h Daytona, 12h Sebring and Petit Le Mans in recent years. This year he, Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor won at Sebring in the neutered Corvette C8.R. A thoroughbred GTE version is still running in the FIA WEC: there, Tommy Milner and Nick Tandy share the only permanently registered US steam hammer.
