The brand-new Corvette C6-R race car will debut at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 
 March 2005 after a full year of rigorous testing and development. The two-car,
 factory-backed Chevrolet sports car program will compete in the production-based
 GT1 class (formerly GTS) of American Le Mans Series as well as the legendary 24
 Hours of Le Mans in France, a race where the Corvette has won its class for three
 out of the past four years. The new race car is the most technically advanced
 sports car ever developed by General Motors, culling years of experience from the
 dominant Corvette C5-R as well as the advancements brought forth from the
 next-generation Corvette C6 and Z06 production models.
 
   The Corvette C6-R is the best sports car we’ve ever built and it has been our
 privilege to develop it alongside the new Corvette Z06,” said Harry Turner , GM’s
 group manager for road racing. “History will remember the C5-R as one of the
 best sports racing cars of all-time and we’ve set the bar high for the C6-R. With
 the new C6 chassis and body structure as our starting point, we’re already ahead.
 We left no stone unturned in the development of this new car and we are looking
 forward to racing it in front of the world in 2005.”
 
   Like the C5-R before it, the Corvette C6-R starts from production roots: the
 same hydro formed frame rails that roll down the assembly line at the Corvette
 plant in Bowling Green , Kentucky are sourced for the structure of the race car.
 

   With the new C6 production model measuring shorter in overall length (but with a longer wheelbase), race car engineers faced a new set
 of numbers in which to achieve their goals to make the car faster on the 180-mph Mulsanne Straight at Le Mans and other high-speed
 circuits.
 
   At first glance, the shortened front and rear overhangs on the C6 would seem to present a challenge in developing a racecar with 
 maximum aerodynamic down force, said Steve Wesoloski , program engineering manager for Corvette Racing. “However, the low drag
 features on the C6, such as the sleek body and flush headlamps, lend themselves to an easy task of converting the production design
 into a low-drag race car.”
 
   Adding a rear wing and a front splitter enabled the team to develop a package that achieves a lift-to-drag ratio better than that of the
 C5-R. Through a combination of Computational Fluid Dynamic studies and on-track testing, the end result will be an aerodynamically 
 balanced package, tunable to the low drag demands of Le Mans or the high down force requirements of Mosport.
 
   The phrase “technology transfer” has never been more appropriate than when used to describe the matched set of Corvette C6-R and
 Corvette Z06. Lessons learned on the track have benefited the Z06, just as GM’s vast resources have enriched the C6-R race car. Both
 cars are powered by 7-liter small-block V-8 engines with dry-sump lubrication systems, CNC-ported cylinder heads, titanium valves and
 connecting rods, forged steel crankshafts, and plate-honed cylinder bores. While the components and specifications of the street and
 competition engines are tailored to their specific environments, the thought process behind them is identical.
 
   The same six drivers that piloted the C5-Rs to an historical undefeated season in 2004 will return to the track in 2005: Ron Fellows,
 Johnny O’Connell and Max Papis will drive the #3 Corvette C6-R and Oliver Gavin, Olivier Beretta and Jan Magnussen will drive the #4
 Corvette C6-R.
 
   Corvette C6R engine
   The roots of the GM family tree of V-8 engines reach to the fabled small-block V-8 that was introduced in 1955. The current small-block
 V-8 shares virtually no components with the original design, yet it retains the longstanding virtues of compact size, simplicity, reliability
 and high specific output that have made the small-block V-8 the world's most successful production-based racing engine.
 
   When the production LS1, the first of GM's new-generation small-block V-8s, debuted in the fifth-generation Corvette in 1997, it
 provided a foundation for the Corvette Racing engine program.
 
   Before the introduction of the LS1 small-block V-8, almost every V-8 engine used for racing dated back to designs that originated in the
 mid-'50s," said Mark Kent, director of GM Racing. "The GM small-block V-8 that has been the cornerstone of America's racing industry for
 more than 50 years is being replaced by derivatives of the LS series of engines. The LS engine family is truly the high-performance
 small-block V-8 of the future."
 
   The race-prepared engines that power the Corvette C6.R race cars are more powerful than their showroom counterparts, but are still
 production small-block V-8s at heart. In fact, the heavy-duty blocks and cylinder heads designed by GM Racing engineers for Corvette
 Racing are based on the design of the production parts.
 
   The ALMS rules mandate the use of air restrictors to equalize the performance potential of the wide variety of cars that compete in the
 series. The size of the restrictor is determined by the vehicle's weight, engine displacement, induction system (naturally aspirated or
 turbocharged) and other factors. The C6.R Corvette, for example, is required to breathe through two 31.8-mm restrictors. These orifices
 are about the size of a 50-cent coin.
 
   Much like the carburetor restrictor plates used by NASCAR on superspeedways, the ALMS air restrictors limit airflow through the engine,
 thereby controlling the horsepower produced. Moreover, ALMS officials can change the size of the restrictor orifice to maintain a level
 playing field.
 
   The 7.0-liter engine combination allows us to run relatively low rpm to maximize fuel economy and reliability while producing extremely
 high torque numbers that make the cars very ‘driver-friendly' on a road course," explained GM Racing engineer John Rice.
 
   The key components of the LS7.R racing engine are a heavy-duty, siamesed-bore cylinder block and CNC-ported competition cylinder
 heads. These components have close ties to their production counterparts.

   We designed the competition engine using as much of the production designs and processes as possible," said GM Racing engine
 specialist Roger Allen.
 
 Corvette C6R specifications
 
 Front Suspension
 independent, short/long double wishbone, fabricated steel upper & lower, machined aluminum knuckle, coil-over multi-adjustable shock
 absorbers, anti-roll bar
 
 Rear Suspension
 independent, short/long arm double wishbone, steel fabricated upper & lower control arms, machined aluminum knuckle, coil-over multi-
 adjustable shock absorbers, anti-roll bar
 
 Brakes
 4-wheel disc with monoblock calipers, carbon rotors and pads
 
 Wheels
 18 x 12.5 (front)
 18 x 13 (rear)
 
 Tires
 Michelin racing tires
 290/33-18 (front)
 310/41-18 (rear)
 
 Fuel Capacity
 26.4
 
 Chevrolet Corvette Official Website
 Corvette Racing Official Website
 Pratt & Miller Official Website
 Katec Engines Official Website
 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Fan Website
 Corvette Motorsports Website