IMSA GTD team Inception Racing switches to Chevy for 2027

One of the true Pro-Am teams in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s GTD class is changing manufacturers for the 2027 season as Inception Racing has announced it will switch to Chevrolet and the Corvette Z06 GT3.R next year.

Run by the UK’s Optimum Motorsport, Inception Racing will field the No. 70 Corvette full-time in IMSA GTD, bringing back its familiar driver line-up of Brendan Iribe and Frederik Schandorff for the full season, and Ollie Millroy for the five-race Michelin Endurance Cup.

“We are extremely excited to be joining the Corvette family for our IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship campaign,” said Inception Racing sporting director Bas Leinders. “GM and Pratt Miller have an incredible racing pedigree and a long history of success in sports car racing. We are already building a strong relationship with both organizations, and we look forward to working closely together.

“At every IMSA event, we see the passion and loyalty of the Corvette fans, and it is fantastic to now become part of that community and such a rich racing heritage. We are looking forward to this new chapter and are determined to contribute to Corvette’s continued success on track.”

“Corvette Racing and Chevrolet are pleased to welcome Inception Racing to the Corvette Z06 GT3.R family for the 2027 IMSA season,“ added Corvette Racing program manager Andrea Hidalgo. “Inception is one of the leading GTD teams in the series, and we’re grateful for its confidence in what our program represents. This addition will strengthen both teams and the broader Corvette Racing program in 2027.“

Chevrolet will be Inception Racing’s third manufacturer in IMSA since it debuted in 2021 with the McLaren 720S GT3. Inception ran the 720S GT3 and its Evo package through late 2024 when the team made an in-season switch to the Ferrari 296 GT3 (pictured, top).

With Ferrari, Inception Racing took its long-awaited first IMSA GTD race victory at Indianapolis in 2025. This season, Iribe drove the No. 70 Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo to sixth in the GTD standings, matching his and the team’s best result from 2023 – the same year Iribe also won the Bob Akin Award as the top Bronze driver in GTD.

“He’s among all these experienced people,“ Leinders said of Iribe. “He’s made good progress and he continues to. And don’t forget, he’s a businessman with work every day. To combine racing at this level and continue his business is amazing.“

“He’s super competitive considering the gap between me and him now,“ said Schandorff, who’s been Iribe’s full-time co-driver since 2023. “So, for sure, his job now has been super important, especially the sprint rounds. In Virginia, there was no safety car after only the first one. But after that, his driving actually matters a lot, so that’s why we actually used his speed to our advantage when there is no safety car.“

Millroy, who has been part of Inception Racing from the start, is expected to return to action in 2027 after he was injured in an accident during the China GT Championship round at Shanghai on Sept. 5.

“We are definitely not to forget Ollie,“ Leinders said. “Without Ollie, there’s no Inception Racing as such. Ollie came together with Brendan at the end of 2019, beginning of 2020, so first we started running GT Open and other championships. And we ran with others – Ben Barnicoat, for instance, He got this really good deal and fit with Lexus. Then Jordan Pepper, who then went to Lamborghini (and later, BMW). 

“Then we got Fred. I think it’s four years now. The combination of the three of them is great. They’re friends and part of the family. That is what Brendan likes. Yes, he likes fast drivers, but good people and folks he wants to work with. He wants to enjoy it fully.“

Inception Racing’s move to Chevrolet will ensure at least two Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs on the grid next year in GTD, alongside that of 13 Autosport – owned by Iribe’s main rival for the Akin Award, Orey Fidani. After Iribe won the award in 2023, Fidani has won it each of the last three seasons.