Doug Fehan, the manager of Corvette Racing, confirmed to reporters that the Corvette C6.R will start the 2010 season with a brand-new 5.5-liter V-8 engine. Some observers believe the smaller engine is a harbringer of future changes for the production Corvette. The new engine is ready to go. GM has called it "a 5.5-liter production-based small-block V8." It will be put together at GM's Performance Build Center where ZR1 and Z06 engines are built. It uses E85R ethanol racing fuel.