CHEV SILVERADO TO RACE AT FINKE

Chevrolet Racing, the motorsport arm of General Motors Australia and New Zealand, is partnering with GMSV to take on this year's Tatts Finke Desert Race with the Chevrolet Silverado ZR2 off-road racing concept.

“This is Chevrolet Racing’s first foray into the world of off-road racing and builds on other motorsport categories we compete in, including Supercars and Drag Racing,” said Chris Payne, General Manager Chevrolet Racing Australia and New Zealand.

“It’s a natural fit for a vehicle such as the Chevrolet Silverado ZR2, which is already an accomplished all-terrain performer in its own right, as this provides an opportunity to showcase all-round capability and demonstrate multi-purpose off road prowess.”

The Off-Road Racer concept was built at GMSV’s Port Melbourne workshop by volunteer employees and was taken to the next level with the involvement of Chevrolet Racing and competition partner Rampex, who will support the race effort at Finke this June.

Preparations included the exchange of learnings with GM Motorsports Division in the USA and tapping into the knowledge of Hall Racing, especially on suspension development.

From small beginnings, the project has grown into a fully-fledged team which has come together to take on the Tatts Finke Desert Race.

“Extensive testing has proven this off-road racer is no slouch, but at the same time we’re under no illusions that this race is one of the toughest in the world and is going to be a real challenge for team and machine,” Payne added.

Chevrolet Racing have locked in three-time Supercars Champion, Craig Lowndes to drive the race-spec Silverado ZR2, with Dale Moscatt as navigator. Lowndes’s record speaks for itself, while Moscatt is highly experienced in the field of off-road racing, including multiple visits to Dakar and other signature off-road events.

Lowndes says he’s looking forward to swapping his ‘daily driver’ Silverado for the racing version: “I’m thrilled to be taking the Silverado to Finke. It’s been a while since I won the Australian Safari, which was way back in 2010. This is going to be a great test.

“I drive a Silverado ZR2 every day and regularly put it through its paces off-road on weekends, as well as towing our caravan yearly to the Bathurst 1000. It covers impressive distances and handles Australian conditions so easily. Now we're out to prove its off-road capability.”

At Finke, Lowndes and Moscatt will be in the Production 4WD class that includes the Ford Ranger Raptor that won the class at its first attempt last year. The vastly experienced off-road racer Geoff Pickering is also entered in this class with a Ranger Raptor.

The Tatts Finke Desert Race takes place on 7-10 June (King’s Birthday long weekend), with the street party on 6 June, followed by scrutineering on 7 June and the prologue on 8 June. The two-day race gets underway on Sunday, 9 June with the 226km run from Alice Springs to Aputula (Finke), followed by the return leg to Alice Springs on Monday, 10 June.

For more details, go to: finkedesertrace.com.au

In the lead up to Finke, GMSV are releasing a series of videos chronicling the Silverado ZR2 racer’s development and testing, with the first video to drop in mid-May.

Chevrolet Silverado ZR2 Off-Road Racer

Racing specifications: