Time Out of Car Since VIR 2025 Set to End at Long Beach
By John Oreovicz
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Robert Wickens was always planning a return to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in 2026 with Chevrolet, DXDT Racing and his specially equipped Corvette Z06 GT3.R. The question was only whether it would expand to a full-time effort or continue with the five sprint races. Then there’s the matter of newborn twins making him a father of three, and his continued responsibilities as driver coach and engineering advisor to Andretti Global’s IndyCar team.
Wickens still has plenty on his plate after he was officially confirmed earlier this week for a reprise of his 2025 IMSA sprint program. He’ll team with fellow former IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Touring Car (TCR) class veteran and Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai driver Mason Filippi to drive DXDT Racing’s No. 36 Corvette Z06 GT3.R in the Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) class at Long Beach, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, VIRginia International Raceway, and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In 2025, Wickens teamed with Alec Udell in four of his five races, achieving a best finish of fourth place at CTMP – Robbie’s home track. He drove alongside Corvette Racing’s Tommy Milner at Long Beach.
Fact is, Wickens would be running the full WeatherTech Championship schedule including five IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup rounds if he could find the budget. But the paraplegic racer, who uses hand controls and an electronic braking system developed by Bosch, continues to inspire no matter how many races he runs.
He’s especially stoked to team up with his good friend Filippi, who is dovetailing another season with the Hyundai Elantra N TCR in Michelin Pilot Challenge with a full season in the DXDT Corvette. Filippi’s Michelin Endurance Cup teammates are Charlie Eastwood and Salih Yoluc.
“Mason and I talk every day, and we were scheming and plotting throughout the whole winter on how we could be teammates for the full season together,” related Wickens, who worked alongside Filippi at BHA/Hyundai in 2022-24, but never shared a car in the Michelin Pilot Challenge. They did join forces though, along with Michael Lewis and Bryson Morris, to take second in class at the 2025 Nürburgring 24 Hours.
“We’re really looking forward to working more hand-in-hand like at the Nürburgring 24 and starting this journey together,” he continued. “We shared a car together and his feedback is amazing. He’s an A-class teammate. He’s fresh in DXDT Racing and moving up into the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship himself. He’s been very fast in the first two races, so we’re going to keep building momentum, keep moving forward. The goals are podium finishes for me in the sprint races, for sure.”
Wickens was disappointed that he couldn’t round up backing to contest the full WeatherTech Championship season, calling it “heartbreaking.” He sees the need to prove himself all over again every time he’s in a racing car but also recognizes the statement he’s made so far with his performances at the top levels of sports car racing since the 2018 IndyCar accident that left him without the use of his legs.
Since 2022, he has claimed three race wins and the 2023 TCR championship (with Harry Gottsacker) in BHA Hyundais and showed impressive pace in the DXDT Corvette in the WeatherTech Championship. Filippi only missed sharing the 2025 TCR title with Gottsacker due to, ironically, missing the Watkins Glen IMSA round to race the Nürburgring with Wickens. The adaptability of the Bosch electronic braking system to almost any racing car has been a key factor in Wickens successfully resuming his driving career.
“I felt like I showed some results, that I am not a liability, and that I can do all facets of the sport,” Wickens said. “Doing the 24 Hours of Nürburgring last year, I think, put the stamp on that, finishing second in class. In IMSA, we showed success in ’25, but kind of all at the wrong times. We would have a strong practice, and in three or four of the five sprint races, we were in the top three in the closing 30 minutes of the race and somehow came away empty-handed in all of them.
“The team does a great job,” he added of DXDT, which is managed by longtime IMSA racer Bryan Sellers. “You can see it week in, week out – whether it’s endurance or sprint, they put themselves in position for success. Eventually tides will turn, and I am a strong believer that you create your own luck. As long as we keep pushing with the same work ethic, stuff will start going our way. Once we get the first one, everything will kind of fall into place.”
Wickens has not driven a racing car since the final 2025 WeatherTech Championship sprint race in August at VIR, but he’s not worried about being sharp when he straps back in for the April 17-18 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. He’s constantly thinking about driving, strategy, and racecraft as part of the Andretti Global effort that propelled Kyle Kirkwood (who also drives in IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup races for Vasser Sullivan Racing Lexus in the GTD PRO class) to victory at the recent Grand Prix of Arlington and into the lead of the IndyCar standings.
He noted his improvement from session one to session two last year as a case-in-point at Long Beach, when he topped the charts before qualifying.
For Long Beach, Wickens said he will study data and in-car video from last year’s race and will try to get in a little iRacing – a tough task in a household that expanded from three to five when twins Daisy and Dash arrived early to join Robbie, wife Karli, and son Wesley.
“To be honest with the twins growing up fast, it’s a bit of a hectic household over here!” he laughed. “Finding time to go onto the sim in my basement is hard to come by, but I am going to try ironing out some time to do some race prep for sure.
“With Andretti, I feel like I’m still at a racetrack every weekend but doing a slightly different role. So, it’s going to be exciting to get the helmet on again, suit up and put my theories to the test.”
Wickens will be part of an enhanced GTD field for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, which is live on network NBC at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 18. Streaming is available via Peacock and IMSA’s Official YouTube channel.