2013 SRT Viper GTS-R testing under way at Road Atlanta

Over the past few days, the cars of the American LeMans
Series have taken to the 2.54 track at Road Atlanta in preparation for the
final race of the 2012 ALMS season – the Petit Le Mans.  Among the GT Class field during the Sunday
and Monday practice sessions were both of the 2013 SRT Viper GTS-R teams, with
both teams turning in respectable times that put them in the middle of the
field along with being within a second of the quickest cars in the GT Class.  The drivers during these test sessions were
not specified.  For the big race on Saturday,
the #91 car will be piloted by Kumo Wittmer, Dominik Farnbacher and Ryan
Hunter-Reay while the #93 Viper will be driven by Marc Goossens, Tommy Kendall
and Jonathon Bomarito.    

On Sunday, the #91 Forza Motorsport Viper GTS-R and the #93
Pennzoil Ultra Viper GTS-S ran in both of the practice sessions.  In the first, shorter practice session, the
#91 Viper ran just 7 laps but turned in the better time of the two Viper
entries with a best lap of 1:22.108.  For
comparison, the quickest car in the GT field was the Team Falken Tire Porsche 911 GT3 RSR with a time of 1:21.062
– putting the Forza Motorsport Viper just over a second off the class
pace.  The #93 Viper was just a half of a
tenth of a second slower in its best lap with a time of 1:22.159.  Overall, the two Vipers were 9^th
and 10^th overall in the 16 car field. 

During the
second, longer practice session, both of the Viper GTS-R teams shaved about a
second and a half off of their times from the first session but this time – the
#93 Viper was the quicker of the two. 
The yellow and silver Pennzoil Ultra Viper ran a best time of 1:20.538
while the #91 Viper ran a best time of 1:20.573, which put them in 5^th
and 6^th place respectively in the GT Class.  During the second session, the quickest GT Class
car was the #45 Flying Lizard Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 RSR with a time of 1:19.812
so the two Viper race teams were within 8 tenths of a second of the “class of
the class”.  Overall, the two Viper teams
were 7^th and 8^th overall in the 18 car field.

During the
Monday test sessions, the 2013 SRT Viper GTS-R teams only participating during
the later run with the #93 Pennzoil Ultra Viper once again being the quicker of
the two.  With a best lap time of 1:20.434,
the #93 team improved on their best time from Sunday’s practice – once again
sitting within 8 tenths of a second of the #3 Corvette that lead the class in
this session with a time of 1:19.769. 
The #91 Viper turned in a strong time of 1:20.822 but that was a touch
slower than the Forza Viper’s best time the day before.  The Vipers were 7^th and 8^th
in the GT Class along with sitting 17^th and 18^th in the
27 car field.

The field will
take the team later today so stay tuned to DodgeForum.com for more coverage of
the final event of the 2012 American LeMans Series featuring the 2013 SRT Viper
GTS-R.

Click here to head into the DodgeForum.com racing section to discuss the Viper’s attack on the ALMS!

Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com

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