Daytona Beach, Florida – It’s safe to say Robert Wickens circled this weekend in red when he and DXDT Racing announced plans to compete in the Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) category of the 2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. After all, Wickens originally hails from Guelph, Ontario – a Toronto suburb – and the Chevrolet Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP) is the WeatherTech Championship’s only visit to Canada this year.

 

“There’s lots to be excited about and I’m just trying to embrace a home race. It's been a long time since I've been in the headline event at a hometown race,” admits Wickens. “The last was IndyCar in 2018 (streets of Toronto, where he finished third). The Canadian fans are always passionate and always super loyal, and it's going to be awesome to see everybody out there.”

 

It’s also safe to say that having run countless number of laps at CTMP, Wickens knows the 10-turn, 2.459-mile circuit inside and out – witness his two IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Touring Car (TCR) class wins there for Bryan Herta Autosport (BHA). Call it advantage number one for Wickens who was injured in a crash back in 2018 and now operates the No. 36 DXDT Racing Corvette Z06 GT3.R using hand controls including Bosch’s electronic braking system.

 

It's equally safe to say Wickens will heavily lean on another advantage this weekend, namely Josh Gibbs. After all, Gibbs plays a uniquely vital role in the Wickens + DXDT equation for he is the crew member responsible for lifting Wickens into and out of the No. 36 DXDT Corvette during driver changes with Wickens’ co-driver, Alec Udell. Efficiently executing Wickens’ ingress and egress from the cockpit during pit stops can win or lose positions on the track.

 

“It’s a cliche, but you can win and lose a race during a pit stop,” says Gibbs. “You’re literally carrying a human body around the car, around the tires and the rest of the crew doing their jobs, other cars coming in and out of the pits and constantly keeping your head on a swivel for safety sake.”

 

Prior to Wickens’ GTD debut at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach this season, he and Gibbs joined the team in spending a full day practicing pit stops at the DXDT shop in Charlotte, North Carolina under the watchful eyes (and remorseless stopwatch) of team manager Bryan Sellers. 

 

“But by the end of the day we were under six seconds for getting Robert out of the car,” Gibbs says. “So the next target was five seconds …” 

 

Gibbs did not come by this job by accident. A standout center on the Saginaw Valley State University football team, he didn’t hear his name called during the National Football League draft so, instead, he turned his attention to becoming a strength and conditioning coach for the Arena Football League’s Reno Express and later worked with AMA Motocross/Supercross champion Nico Izzi.

 

Subsequently, Gibbs worked in a spinal cord recovery clinic, where he met Michael Johnson who was paralyzed in a motocross accident at age 12 but who returned to racing go-karts and, later, using hand controls, race cars.  

 

When Johnson moved to race cars, Gibbs took on the added responsibilities of assisting his driver getting into and out of the cockpit, successfully as it turned out. Johnson won the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge race at Lime Rock Park in 2018 before joining BHA’s Michelin Pilot Challenge effort in 2021. Fortuitously, when Johnson brought the curtain down on his racing career, one Robert Wickens was quick to contact Gibbs.

 

“When Michael took the personal family ‘out’ Robert called and said ‘Hey, I’ll take you!’” Gibbs recalls.

 

“It’s crazy how effortlessly Josh can toss me around getting in and out of the car,” says Wickens.

 

However, it turns out there’s more to the job than brute strength. As Gibbs noted, helping Wickens in and out of the DXDT Corvette amid the helter-skelter action in the pits is daunting enough. Ultimately, doing it quickly takes second place to doing it carefully. 

 

“It’s a strong and powerful grip,” says Gibbs, “but it’s actually not hurting the way I do it. There is an art to it. I guess over the years I’ve perfected the grip and the moves, such that it’s not a ripping grab. I’m looking at the head. I’m looking at the arms. I’m looking at the body. I’m looking at which path we’re taking so that we’re not hurting anything.”

 

With Wickens’ GTD program limited to the non-endurance races on the WeatherTech Championship schedule, this weekend marks just the third time this season the Wickens/Gibbs tandem will be working together in the heat of competition. Wickens concedes there is work to do. 

 

“We’re still working to find time getting me into the car,” he says. “We’re quick but not as consistent as we’d like. Getting out is relatively easy, but there’s a lot more moving parts to get connected getting into the car. 

 

“We got the pit stops down to 16 seconds at Long Beach but even then we lost some time. At Laguna Seca the whole pit stop was a disaster, beginning with our car getting hit by another car. But like anything else in racing, we keep practicing, keep working to do what we need to do to be competitive.”

 

And to continue developing their fair advantage.

 

Toronto, Ontario – Following his electrifying runner-up finish at the Nürburgring 24 Hours—where he made history as the first driver to finish with hand controls—Canadian motorsport icon Robert Wickens returns to his homeland to compete in the Chevrolet Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP), July 11–13. Wickens is racing the #36 Corvette Z06 GT3.R in the GTD category of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

 

Robert Wickens: "I couldn't be more excited about being a part of the headline race, driving a Corvette Z06 GT3.R.  It's a big race for myself, as well as my team, DXDT Racing, we feel like a podium is just around the corner, and there is no place I would rather achieve that than at home at CTMP.  The Corvette has always been a fan favorite. Ron Fellows put Corvette Racing on the map in Canada with all of his success with Pratt and Miller. Ron has had a huge influence on CTMP and on my career.  He's someone I've always looked up to from a very young age, and he's helped me, other Canadian drivers progress from karts to cars. Now to return, driving a Corvette just like Ron has done for so many years holds a special place for me."

 

At the grueling 24‑hour endurance classic, Wickens and his “Bryan Herta Autosport -Team America’s” co‑drivers secured an impressive second-place finish in the #831 Elantra N TCR—an extraordinary feat given he raced using his hand-operated throttle and advanced Bosch electronic brake system. This marked a milestone as the first time in the event’s long history that a driver finished on the podium using non-traditional driver aids. 

 

Wickens attempted the fete in 2024, while still racing with Bryan Herta Autosport in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Series. His effort was cut short when he suffered a hand control failure during the “NLS” licensing races. Hyundai and Bryan Herta Autosport offered Wickens another opportunity this year, using the new Bosch hand control system.

 

The effort was a massive success, Wickens drove for over six hours in the legendary 24-hour endurance race and had the honor of taking the checkered flag, proving that both he and his Bosch hand control system are fully capable of competing for victories in endurance racing.

 

In the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Wickens has dazzled in the #36 Corvette Z06 GT3.R for DXDT Racing. With the evolution of the Bosch hand control system, GM and Pratt and Miller paired with DXDT Racing to give Wickens an opportunity in the GTD category of the IMSA WeatherTech Championship, North America’s premier SportsCar racing series. Wickens has impressed not just with inspiring perseverance, but also with pace:

Debut 2025 GTD race at Long Beach: set the second fastest lap of the race weekend in the GTD category.

 

Wickens and his teammate Alec Udell started on the front row at Laguna Seca and looked set for a podium before being hit in the pit lane.

 

This innovative braking technology, jointly developed by Bosch, Pratt Miller, Chevrolet, and DXDT, supports seamless driver swaps between manually controlled and pedal-powered configurations on the same steering system. The IMSA race at CTMP will be Wickens third of five races in the Corvette Z06 GT3.R this season.

 

Canadian fans are invited to get closer than ever through the “Wickens Ultimate Fan Experience” at CTMP. VIP guests receive:

 

From IMSA to INDYCAR: Immediately after CTMP, Wickens remains in-country to join the Toronto Indy — where he serves as a technical advisor for Andretti Global. Andretti Global are the defending race winners of the Toronto GP. Wickens works from Kyle Kirkwood’s timing stand, Kirkwood has won two of the three INDYCAR races on street circuits this season. Kirkwood, who recently triumphed at Long Beach, credited Wickens’ analytical expertise as pivotal to his performance.

 

Canadian driver Robert Wickens made a dramatic return to elite motorsport after a life-changing 2018 INDYCAR crash. Since returning to competition with hand controls in 2022, he has won the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge TCR title, earned a historic podium at Nürburgring 24, and competed in the IMSA GTD series using hand controls—with continued innovation in braking systems from Bosch. Wickens has become a trailblazer for the disabled community and continues to work toward innovation in public mobility.

Whitby, Ontario — Jonathan Woolridge Racing is proud to announce a new partnership with Oro Station, Canada’s newest premier motorsport and automotive innovation campus, ahead of the Chevrolet Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP). The collaboration brings together one of the country’s rising racing talents with an organization shaping the future of Canadian motorsport.

 

Located in Oro-Medonte, Ontario, Oro Station Motor Circuit features a 4.1-kilometre FIA Grade 3 circuit integrated into a state-of-the-art automotive campus focused on performance engineering, research, and education. As Woolridge prepares to race in front of a hometown crowd, the support from Oro Station adds both local pride and forward-thinking synergy to his campaign.

 

Currently competing in the IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge, Woolridge drives the #54 Ligier JS P320 LMP3 for MLT Motorsports and has already made headlines with a standout victory at Circuit of the Americas earlier this season. His sights are firmly set on progressing to the LMP2 category, and the partnership with Oro Station further reinforces his upward trajectory.

 

“Teaming up with Oro Station for my home race at CTMP is incredibly special,” says Woolridge. “Their commitment to innovation and engineering excellence aligns perfectly with the values I carry onto the racetrack every weekend. To represent such a forward-thinking Canadian organization at a track that means so much to me is a real honour.”

 

Oro Station branding will be featured on Woolridge’s #54 LMP3 machine and across team assets throughout the race weekend. The partnership also includes exclusive digital content that will give fans a deeper look into the shared ambition to elevate Canadian motorsport on the world stage.

 

The Chevrolet Grand Prix takes place July 11–13 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario, and is one of the most anticipated events on the IMSA calendar. For Woolridge, the weekend is more than just a race, it’s a celebration of hometown roots and a bold step forward.

 

Oro Station is a new automotive innovation park under construction in Oro-Medonte, Ontario,Canada. Oro Station will be home to the future of automotive technology and education, while providing specialized services in motorsports, automotive restoration, and advanced engineering. The site will feature 500,000 square feet of industrial space dedicated to automotive research, engineering, education and development, including a 4.1km FIA Grade 3 motor circuit with dynamic driving areas. Oro Station will create connections between enthusiasts and experts alike, and establish a vibrant community with an eye towards advancing the automotive industry in Canada.

 

For more information about Oro Station please visit www.orostation.ca

 

Radical Canada is thrilled to announce that Canadian racer Demi Chalkias will compete in the 2025 season of the FEL Emzone Radical Cup Canada as a driver with Radical Academy. This exciting partnership highlights both Chalkias’ and the Radical Academy’s commitment to empowering females in the motorsport world.

 

Demi Chalkias, a rising star in the racing community, expressed her enthusiasm about this opportunity: “I am incredibly excited to return to racing in Canada and to be part of the Radical Academy. It’s an honor to represent an initiative that supports and encourages girls in motorsport. I am looking forward to not only competing but also inspiring the next generation of female drivers.”

 

Radical Academy not only prepares women for roles as drivers, but it also opens doors to a wide range of career opportunities within the Motorsport industry. This includes technical and STEM, marketing and communications, as well as hospitality disciplines. By joining this prestigious program, Chalkias will have access to professional guidance, and a network of industry leaders, all designed to help her reach new heights in her racing career.

 

Radical Canada is proud to support this initiative and to have Demi Chalkias as a key ambassador for the program. “Demi embodies the spirit of the Radical Academy,” said Robert Burgess, Team Principal “Her passion and determination set a fantastic example for women everywhere. We believe that with our support, she will achieve great things on the track.”

 

Chalkias will take to the track in the FEL Emzone Radical Cup Canada, showcasing her skills against a competitive field. Fans and supporters can expect to see her in action throughout the season, as she aims for victory and aims to inspire others along the way.

 

For more information on Demi Chalkias and the Radical Academy, please visit www.demiracing.com and www.radicalcanada.ca/academy