Long Beach, Calif. – Robert Wickens, Canadian racing driver, will make his highly anticipated debut in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD (GT Daytona) class with DXDT Racing at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Wickens will race in a Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R equipped with Bosch’s state-of-the-art hand-control braking system for the first time, an evolution of previous systems that enabled his return to racing following a life-changing spinal cord injury sustained in an INDYCAR Series crash in 2018. His participation marks a significant milestone in his remarkable recovery and another breakthrough in motorsports innovation and accessibility.
Wickens moves up into the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship following three successful seasons in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge TCR (Touring Car class; 2022-24), which included multiple race victories and a series title. Wickens’ transition to Grand Touring (GT) racing represents another milestone made possible through the collaboration of Bosch, Pratt Miller, Chevrolet and DXDT Racing. Together, they have outfitted the Z06 GT3.R with adaptive technologies that can perform at the highest level among some of the world’s top drivers.
Engineering Innovation - Driving Accessibility
For over a century, Bosch has pioneered motorsports technology, from groundbreaking braking systems to advanced driver-assistance innovations. Bosch took on the hand-control system project to help make racing more accessible with the aid of its electronics to continue this legacy.
Wickens has been relentless in his pursuit of returning to competitive racing. He returned to racing in 2022 but needed more advanced technology to enhance his performance. He turned to the expertise of Bosch in braking and control systems.
In 2024, Wickens and Bosch Motorsport developed a revolutionary hand-control braking system adapted from Bosch’s technology used by the Le Mans Daytona h (LMDh) platform that races in the top classes of both the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and FIA World Endurance Championship. An Electronic Braking System (EBS) module is used to match the functionality of traditional foot pedals with hand-operated paddle controls, allowing Wickens to manage acceleration, braking and gear shifting entirely with his hands.
After more than a year of development, Wickens debuted the Bosch hand-control system at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the final rounds of the 2024 TCR championship.
“Returning to high-level racing has been my ultimate goal since day one of my recovery, and the Bosch system has helped to open doors for achieving my goals,” Wickens said. “The debut in Long Beach in the GTD class with DXDT and Chevy racing in the Corvette Z06 GT3.R is another milestone not just for me, but for the topic of accessibility in racing.”
This technological breakthrough not only reinforced Wickens’ ability to compete but also brought together the world-class engineering expertise of Bosch, Pratt Miller and Chevrolet to continue to push the boundaries of motorsports.
Pratt Miller, Chevrolet’s long-time constructor and motorsports associate, played a key role in developing the new hand-control system and adapting the Corvette Z06 GT3.R to integrate the Bosch hand-control system.
Corvette Racing factory driver Tommy Milner, who will share the race car with Wickens at Long Beach, performed initial in-vehicle testing. WeatherTech Championship rules require a driver-change during the race, so Bosch’s system enables hand-control as well as pedal-based throttle and brake application.
“Developing the bespoke hand control system for the Corvette Z06 GT3.R was a fast-paced and highly collaborative effort,” said Ben Johnson, motorsports technology group executive director, Pratt Miller. “Our team at Pratt Miller delivered a fully integrated solution in a remarkably compressed timeframe—one that enables seamless transitions between hand control and traditional pedal operation with the push of a button. This project showcased the full depth of our capabilities across design engineering, rapid prototyping, fabrication and complex systems integration. We’re proud to help advance inclusive technologies in motorsports and honored to support Robert Wickens and the broader community this system represents.”
Chevrolet’s Commitment to Inclusion in Racing
The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach will mark Wickens’ first race in a Corvette Z06 GT3.R. His impressive resume pairs well with the Corvette Racing program, whose history of success includes 140 race victories around the world – 117 of them in IMSA competition – along with 14 Manufacturers championships for Chevrolet.
General Motors and Chevrolet have long been committed to accessibility for customers and employees. Upon hearing of Wickens’ interest in GTD, Chevrolet helped to bring Bosch, Pratt Miller and DXDT together to bring him into the Corvette Racing family.
"Everyone within Chevrolet and Corvette Racing is excited to be part of this project," said Mark Stielow, director, Chevrolet Motorsports Competition Programs. "Chevrolet’s commitment to accessibility and innovation in motorsports drove investment in this project. We all support Robert's drive to compete at the highest levels of motorsport and are proud to partner with groups like Bosch, Pratt Miller and DXDT Racing to realize part of that dream.”
This is the first of five sprint rounds of the 2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship that Wickens will participate in this year. In addition to Long Beach, he also will drive the No. 36 DXDT Racing Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Road America and Virginia International Raceway.
Press photos are available on the Bosch Media Service at us.bosch-press.com.
Media contacts:
Megan Bonelli – Bosch
Katie Brannan – DXDT Racing
Nate Siebens – IMSA
Brad Zimmerman – Pratt Miller
