Sneak Peek at New Racing Corvette

As if anyone had any doubt about a racing version of the new 2014 Chevrolet Corvette, the answer came Saturday at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion.

Without any prior warning to the hundreds of Corvette fans gathered here, what is expected to be the next racing Corvette -- clad in black-and-white camouflage -- took a lap at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

It was supposed to be a "parade lap," but it seemed mighty fast. The Corvette, designated the C7.R, was driven hard around the track, apparently to signal that it intends to be a force like never before on the racing circuit. It's the seventh generation Corvette and the R stands for racing.

The lap comes days after the new seventh-generation Corvette made available for drives bythe press near here last week. The new car is more powerful and more capable than the one it replaces, and it has dramatic new styling. The styling stood out in particular when it came to the racing version of the Corvette.

Its first racing appearance won't come until January in Daytona Beach, Fla.