Schultis Enjoying “Flexibility” of GT America Racing

Photo: Jonathan Grace

Mirco Schultis says he “loves the flexibility” of his race-by-race GT America powered by AWS program as the lone driver in professional North American competition to compete with the Callaway Corvette C7 GT3-R.

The No. 70 Mishumotors Corvette has thus far taken to the track in the season-opening rounds at Sonoma Raceway, where the German driver finished on the podium in both 40-minute races.

While he is set to contest the weekend’s pair of rounds at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, Schultis says he is taking a “race-by-race” approach to his race program.

“I love the flexibility,” he told Sportscar365. “It makes me sleep well; I don’t have pressure. You do this for so many years and you’re, at least me, still excited.

“I still want to be in Germany in the summer, so I do it race-by-race.

“Sebring, I should do, because it’s around the corner. COTA, I have to fly to Germany on Monday, and I don’t know when I will be back. I don’t know if I can do it.

“I already told the guys and SRO it will be a short-term decision if I do it.”

Callaway Competition sidelined its independent motorsports efforts in 2022 after global successes with its cars, including titles in ADAC GT Masters and the FIA GT3 European Championship.

The Corvette, however, remains eligible for GT3 competition through next year.

“The car, I think, has one more year of homologation,” said Schultis. “So, maybe we should do one or two [GT] World Challenge [America] races just to see what a Pro could do in the car.

“It would be at a track then that suits the car. Road America is difficult with the long Carousel and the fast Turn 1. 
We have understeer always. But Indy is too long. I will have to look. I’ve talked to one, two guys, friends of mine who would probably do it just for fun.

“I would ask Daniel Keilwitz, who knows the car. I think he would he would do it. Renger [van der Zande] would not be allowed, probably. 
He would also [like] to do it. He did races with his car in GT Masters already. I don’t know. I will see.

“I just want to enjoy it. I want to have fun.”

Schultis also remarked on his love of driving his front-engined V8-powered GT3 car, saying his joy for driving the Callaway Corvette outweighs the appeal of more modern-day GT3 offerings.

“This is a V8 engine,” he said. “I love it. It’s kind of old school, it’s front-engined. Yes, there’s for sure an easier way to compete, meanwhile, with a mid-engine car, with the new aero, with air conditioning they have in the car.

“It’s not easy to drive, but I’m old. I just have to prove to myself that I am still able to fight with the car.

“Yes, results are also important, but I just love it. I’ve always liked Chevys. It’s not very popular for Europeans to have American cars. I always liked them.”

The former American Le Mans Series LMPC racer returned to professional North American competition in 2022 in GT America and has been a stalwart competitor since, having also made starts in IMSA’s VP Racing SportsCar Challenge in the LMP3 ranks.

“I was running it in with the start of GT America,” said Schultis. “The first year was ’22, and then I started. I got the car for this series. Just this one. There is no backup there.”