Corvette C6-R Race Car Launches in Detroit for 2005 Race Season

So where is Dodge and is V10-powered Viper now that Corvette's C5-R has been so dominating in a class the snake once

Both the production C6 and race-prepped C6-R get Chevy's new 7-litre small-block V8, featuring dry-sump lubrication, CNC-ported cylinder heads, titanium valves and connecting rods, forged steel crankshafts, and plate-honed cylinder bores. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

charmed. After all, the Auburn Hills based automaker made world news by achieving Le Mans victories in the previous GTS class as well as an outright checkered flag at American Le Mans Series (ALMS) sanctioned Sebring when all prototypes had dropped out of the 12 hour event, in a Team Oreca prepared Viper GTS-R coupe.

Dodge has put most of its racing budget into NASCAR, but now, with an all-new Viper SRT-10 Coupe having just been unveiled in Los Angeles and on display at the Detroit auto show, prospects for a racing version that goes beyond the limited run of Competition Coupes it build for privateers just after the 2003 Viper SRT-10 went into production are good, but there is no word if the DaimlerChrysler division will back a factory team like Chevrolet has.

Chevy deserves kudos for the efforts it has put into dominating its class in Le Mans and the ALMS, an in house program that has

The Z06 (foreground) and C6-R (background), shown here during the Detroit launch, are clearly cut from the same composite cloth. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

not only brought pride to those on the racing team and the thousands of employees that work within General Motors, but made the Chevrolet brand and the Corvette household names throughout Europe and other markets that hadn't had the availability of many bowtie products until late last year when GM rebadged Daewoo as Chevrolet in Europe.

No doubt, Chevrolet will attempt to reap the benefits of its new C6-R program by winning Le Mans on Sunday, June 19th, and selling new Chevrolet cars to Europeans on the following Monday.