GM Opens New Performance and Racing Development Center

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GM Officially Opens New Racing Development Center


General Motors is bringing its racing and performance efforts together as the company looks to integrate nearly 100 engine builders, engineers and support staff under one roof.

To help that effort, GM officially opened a new $200 million state-of-the-art performance and racing center located on the Pontiac Powertrain Campus in Pontiac, MI.

The Performance and Racing team develops the engines for Corvette Racing as well as Chevrolet’s efforts in NASCAR, NHRA, IndyCar other series.

“We race to win and learn,” said Dan Nicholson, vice president, General Motors Global Powertrain. “This new facility offers unprecedented opportunities to connect our racing engineers and powertrain engineers, integrating their knowledge to give our racers an edge on the track and our customers better vehicles on the road.” According to General Motors, the racing engines under responsibility at the new center include:

  • NASCAR “R07” – a unique 358-cubic-inch V-8 engine designed and developed exclusively for NASCAR Sprint Cup racing

  • IndyCar 2.2L Twin-Turbo V-6 – a technical marvel that uses a pair of high-boost-producing turbochargers to help extract about 700 horsepower from the small-displacement, direct-injected V-6

  • NHRA COPO Camaro V-8 engines – racers competing with a new 2016 COPO Camaro in NHRA’s Stock and Super Stock eliminator classes can select from supercharged and naturally aspirated LS- and LT-family engines

  • Corvette Racing 5.5L V-8 – Based on the production LT engine family, the naturally aspirated and all-aluminum 5.5L V-8 engine is used by the Corvette Racing C7.R team

  • Cadillac ATSV.R Twin Turbo – A racing engine based on the production model’s 3.6L twin-turbo engine.


The new facility is 111,420 square feet and will include engine assembly bays, a CNC machining area as well as an area for engine testing, dynos and an electronics lab for engine calibration.

“Chevrolet earned six manufacturer and five driver championships in 2015, and we are carrying that momentum into 2016,” said Jim Campbell, GM U.S. vice president of Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “This new center is a valuable tool in developing powertrains with the right combination of performance, durability and efficiency to help our drivers and teams win races and championships.”

Jim Campbell, GM U.S. vice president of Performance Vehicles and Motorsports
Jim Campbell, GM U.S. vice president of Performance Vehicles and Motorsports


“Louis Chevrolet established GM’s racing legacy more than a century ago and every win since then has helped us design and build better vehicles,” said Campbell. “With the new Powertrain Performance and Racing Center, we will advance that legacy with greater competitiveness on the track and stronger technology transfer to production vehicles.”


Source:
General Motors

Related:
GM to Invest $44 Million and Create 36 New Jobs at the Corvette Assembly Plant
Engine Build Experience Returns for the Corvette Z06’s LT4 Supercharged V8
CorvetteBlogger Visits the GM Performance Build Center

 



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