TEMECULA, Calif. – Callaway Competition USA will enter the Pirelli World Challenge road racing series next year with a pair of GT3-spec homologated Corvette C7 GT3-R race cars.

“Joining the Pirelli World Challenge has been a long term objective for Callaway Competition,” said Reeves Callaway of Callaway Competition USA. “Now the field is a roll-call of the most capable sports cars from every country. To do well here, you must beat the best in the world. What better way to showcase our iconic American car?”

“For several years fans have asked when they would see the Callaway Corvette GT3 run in the Pirelli World Challenge,” said Greg Gill, president and CEO of Pirelli World Challenge. “The wait is over and we are very pleased to announce the arrival of the Callaway Corvette GT3 for the 2018 season.”

Callaway Competition USA plans to run a two car squad as a factory effort next year. For 2019 and beyond, the manufacturer will withdraw its factory entries and instead offer full support to its customer racing efforts across North American sports car racing.

“For 2018, we will run a Callaway factory team to give us the best chance of continuing the championship record the Corvette has achieved in international competition,” said Callaway. “For 2019, we will not race against our customers, but provide high-quality support to them in the tradition of other manufacturer customer racing support programs.”

The Callaway Competition USA Corvette C7 GT3-R will be unveiled and both full season drivers announced at the Performance Racing Industry show in Indianapolis on Dec. 7 at the Pirelli World Challenge booth. Following the unveiling event, the car will be on display for the remainder of the trade show. Details of the presentation will be announced in the coming weeks.

Callaway founded Callaway Cars in 1977, utilizing his passion for enhancing the power of OE engines. In 1982, Callaway built his first factory, and in 1985, General Motors enlisted the operation to create the twin turbo versions of the Corvette. In the decades to follow, Callaway and his efforts have been instrumental to the advancement of sports car racing, developing specialist models for manufacturers such as Aston Martin, Range Rover and Mazda.

In an agreement with GM, Callaway was authorized to design build and homologate the GT3 version of the C7 Corvette. Callaway Competition GmbH has established a strong racing record, most recently securing the 2017 ADAC GT Masters championship, and not for the first time.

Following Cadillac Racing’s withdrawal of its own factory program from the series at the conclusion of the 2017 season, the Corvette GT3 effort was aimed at North American competition. The Pirelli World Challenge was selected for the debut due to its SprintX format closely matching the GT Masters format of two drivers splitting the duties for a one hour race.

“We’re incredibly proud to bring the Corvette C7 GT3-R to competition on American soil,” concluded Callaway. “It is going to be a very competitive season, and we are looking forward to getting started.”