SPIED! CORVETTE C6-R.(Competition)

General Motors will go after the 2005 American Le Mans Series championship with its new Pratt & Miller-built C6-R, seen above during a recent test at Sebring. GM will show both the C6-R and Corvette Z06 production car (AW, Dec. 13) at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The C6-R's V8 is rumored to make between 600 and 650 hp. The car has some pretty big shoes to fill: Its predecessor, the C5-R, won the GTS class in 35 of 55 ALMS races, and won every ALMS event and Le Mans in 2004.

Three's company

Rahal Letterman Racing will run three cars in the 2005 Indy Racing League, with Rahal protege Danica Patrick, 22, joining the program full time. Patrick, who spent the last two years driving Rahal's Formula Atlantic entry, joins 2004 Indianapolis 500 winner Buddy Rice and Vitor Meira in the team's first full-season three-car effort. Rahal Letterman also signed Rice and Meira to multiyear contract extensions.

"Since I first started racing when I was just 12 years old, my dream has always been to run the Indianapolis 500,'' Patrick said. "When I signed with Bobby in 2002 he told me to be patient, because this was a lengthy process designed to advance me to the highest levels of racing. Back then it was easy to say I could be patient, but as a driver you never want to settle to be happy with the status quo. Today all those years of hard work, moving to England at 16, all the sacrifices have paid off, because I am ready to race in the IRL Indy car series.''

Assuming she finishes the season, Patrick will become only the second female driver-Sarah Fisher was first-to do so. And should she qualify for the 89th running of the Indy 500 in May, she would be the fourth woman to accomplish that feat.

That former Indy 500 winner Kenny Brack is not part of the three-driver equation is interesting. Brack, 38, said he has not recovered sufficiently from injuries suffered in 2003 to rejoin the team. He said he wants to test, but the team appears to have no room for him. Team officials say they will try to test Brack when he is ready.

Not so fast