After a decade of competing with the GT1 big dogs in the American Le Mans Series and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, this weekend marks the start of a new era for Corvette Racing. The race at Mid-Ohio this Saturday (we'll be on hand live) will mark the debut of the all-new GT2 Corvette C6.R. For the last two years, the Corvettes have run without any factory competition in the ALMS GT1 class, and with GT2 being where all the action is, Chevrolet has decided the time was ripe for a change.

The original GT1 C5R debuted in 1999, and in 2005, the team transitioned to the then-new C6.R body style. Over the years, competitors like the Dodge Viper, Aston Martin DBR9 and Ferrari 575 have come and gone, but the Vettes have soldiered on to fight the good fight. After farewell races at Sebring, Long Beach and Le Mans earlier this year, the GT1 cars have been retired. Mark Kent, GM Racing manager, Doug Fehan, Corvette Racing program manager, Tadge Juechter, Corvette chief engineer, Johnny O'Connell, driver No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R all took part in a conference call today to discuss the move to GT2, and we were on the line

Propulsion for the remainder of the 2009 ALMS season comes from a downsized 6.0-liter version of the 7.0-liter V8 that has been running in the GT1 car. The bore size remains the same, with the primary change being a shorter stroke crankshaft. For 2010, some new engine rules in GT2 will mean an all-new engine for the Corvette. Come Sebring next March, the GT2 Vettes will be running a new 5.5-liter V8 based on the next-generation version of the GM small block. Unlike the GT1 engines, the engines for the new cars will be assembled on the line at the GM Performance Powertrain Center alongside the production LS9 and LSA used in the ZR1 and Cadillac CTS-V.