A new season of automotive racing is coming closer and closer to the green light, which, of course, could only mean one thing for the boys over at Corvette Racing->ke1280. Yes, friends, family, and countrymen, it’s time to gear up and buckle down for another season of the Track to Street series.

For the first episode, the team has set up shop at Road Atlanta to spend some laps testing out an important and newly legal element of GT2 racing: paddle shifters.

Whereas a lot of people driving streets cars with paddle shifters don’t necessarily feel the importance of this new technology, in GT2 racing, it can spell the difference between faster shifting from one gear to another while also minimizing the wear and tear on the gearbox.

In a racing series as grueling as the ALMS endurance races, the importance of keeping critical parts of your race as fresh as possible is of vital importance to any team that has aspirations of becoming a contender.

The addition of paddle shifters for the 2011 season may mean more work for the men of Corvette Racing, but then again, that’s the price you pay if you want to succeed in such a long and arduous racing environment.

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