Wickens looking to build on Long Beach IMSA debut

When the checkered flag fell after Saturday's IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race at Long Beach, Robert Wickens, Tommy Milner, and the No. 36 DXDT Racing Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R were classified 15th in the GTD class – by no means representative of the form that they showed leading up to the race.

But to merely get to this point in his second racing career was a significant milestone for Wickens, who still took away several positives from the weekend.

"I'm disappointed with the result, but I am proud of what we achieved," Wickens said after the race on Saturday evening. "It definitely wasn't the end to the weekend that we wanted. Qualifying dictated the weekend for us, unfortunately."

Wickens had his fastest lap from Friday afternoon's qualifying session deleted for bringing out a red flag in the preceding practice session. A collision with the No. 70 Inception Racing Ferrari during the 15-minute Qualifying session bent the right-rear suspension and limited Wickens' potential to do better than eighth on the grid.

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"We knew it was going to be a track-position race," he said. "Qualifying was not what we deserved; we know we had more speed than that, but it is what it is. This is a competitive championship, and we did what we could in the race.

"I kept the car clean and gave it to Tommy, and he got out in P10. We lost some track position, but then Tommy drove his heart out. He got us up to P5 and was making things happen. It was awesome to see."

In an unfortunate case of deja vu from Daytona, contact between Milner and a BMW M4 GT3 EVO while exiting a hairpin corner caused damage to the rear bodywork of the No. 36 DXDT Corvette.

And just like the Daytona incident between Milner and Paul Miller Racing's BMW in GTD PRO, this accidental clash between Milner and the Turner Motorsport BMW of Robby Foley resulted in IMSA ordering the No. 36 Corvette to pit for repairs.

"I think that was a little harsh, but there is nothing you can do when race control gives you a black flag for repairs," Wickens said of the decision from race control.

Before the incident, Wickens spent his 35-minute opening stint running seventh after the No. 34 Conquest Racing Ferrari went off course and later retired from the race. During the team's scheduled pit stop, it took less than 19 seconds for DXDT Racing's crew to assist Wickens out of the Corvette and for Milner to jump into the car.

Wickens' excitement upon completing his first race stint was clear to see and hear.

"It was good, he said after getting out of the car. "We stayed clean, which is the most important thing. I feel like we had more pace than what we showed in qualifying and unfortunately we kind of paid the price. I feel like if we had clear track, I had more in it. But I just made sure we kept the car in one piece so Tommy could have a go.

"I'm having a lot of fun. This is exactly what I wanted. I love the fact that we didn't maximize qualifying and we were nearly outside the top 10. That's the way it should be, and that just proves how strong it is in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and that's why I worked so hard to get to this through this level. Hopefully now I can prove that I belong and then I can stay here."

Despite causing a red flag in the second practice session, Wickens still set the fastest time of all 16 GTD cars and 32 drivers once he got back in the car. And despite not being able to gain track position on the road, Wickens' race pace was still better than most of the Silver-graded drivers that started the race with him.

And it came at one of the most demanding circuits on the calendar – with several tight corners that would be a significant challenge for a driver using their hands to control steering, braking, and throttle input.

"I think we all knew coming into this weekend that this was almost the worst-case scenario of learning the hand-control system in the Corvette Z06 GT3.R at Long Beach," he said.

"Honestly, I even surprised myself with the pace that I had in in FP2 and our potential pace that we could have had in quali, and even in the race. I felt super comfortable and I felt like I was always attacking more than defending, although I didn't do a whole lot of attacking. But I think that's just the nature of this track.

“There are a lot of positive takeaways from the weekend. We proved we belong here, that we can be competitive. The Bosch hand-control system worked flawlessly, DXDT Racing gave us a great Corvette. The car was very good all weekend and I feel like we had one of the cars to beat. We just couldn't maximize it, and that is what hurts right now."

Less than 24 hours later, Wickens was in Victory Lane at Long Beach after coaching Andretti Global driver Kyle Kirkwood to the victory in the IndyCar Series main event on Sunday afternoon. In four weeks, Wickens will be back on track for DXDT Racing at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, hoping to continue his progress and get the result that reflects the pace he had at Long Beach.