DETROIT — Corvette Racing manager Doug Fehan has confirmed that the Chevrolet Corvette C6.R will start the GT2 racing season with a brand-new 5.5-liter V8 engine.
The GT2-class C6.R, based on the Corvette ZR1, first ran at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in August with a 6.0-liter small-block engine, based on the GT1-class car's 7.0-liter LS7.R V8 engine. At the time, GM said the engine was temporary while a 5.5-liter engine was under development.
The new engine, described by GM as "a 5.5-liter production-based GM small-block V8," is to be built at GM's Performance Build Center where the ZR1 and Z06 engines are built. It will be fueled by E85R ethanol racing fuel, Corvette Racing said.
Fehan called the 2009 season, during which the GT2 version of the Corvette C6.R was introduced in the American Le Mans Series, "tumultuous" and "a year of transition." The 2010 season-opening 12 Hours of Sebring takes place in Florida on March 20 with a unified single GT class.
Inside Line says: This new engine could hint at smaller-displacement V8s for the next-generation production Corvettes. — Laura Sky Brown, Correspondent
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