The First Viper GT3R Race Team Prepares for a Daytona Debut

Ben Keating and Riley Technologies are teaming up to put together the first new SRT Viper GT3-R race team with a planned debut at the Rolex 24 at Daytona.  Keating, who runs Tomball Dodge in Tomball Texas and is responsible for a huge number of Viper sales each year, was incredibly successful in the Dodge Viper Cup behind the wheel of his Viper Exchange sponsored Viper SRT10 ACR-X including a championship win in 2010.  After that Viper Cup success, Keating made the decision to snatch up the very first new Viper GT3-R to go endurance racing and he turned to the Viper experts at Riley Technologies to prepare his car for the Daytona debut.  Riley is the same company that prepares both of the 2013 SRT Viper GTS-R race cars that are competing in the American LeMans Series.

“I’m passionate about the car. I’ve had lots of success in the car and as soon as I heard there was going to be a GT3 Viper race car developed, I was the first person in line to jump on it. I feel like I’ve got the best car, the best class structure and the best co-driver. Everything is fitting together perfectly for success,” said Keating.  “I don’t have the time to invest to be a professional sports car driver. However, I am passionate about racing and I’ve been successful in a Viper. I feel I can measure up extremely well compared to other amateur drivers, especially driving a Viper.”

Joining Ben Keating in the #33 Viper Exchange SRT Viper GT3-R will be experienced professional racer Jeroen Bleekemolen.  Bleekemolen was on the Dodge Viper GTS-R team that won the 2001 FIA GT1 champship with his current accolades including a win this year at the 12 Hours of Sebring and wins each of the past two years in the 24 Hours of Dubai.

“I think the Viper is going to be one of the best cars in the GT Daytona Class,” said Bleekemolen. “That’s one of the main reasons I’m pleased to join this team. The team is very strong and the Viper is one of the best cars out there. I raced the Oreca Viper back in 2001 for the GT1 championship, so I have some experience with the Viper.”

Keating and the Riley team will first hit the track for closed testing in October with expectations of open track testing in November before making its racing debut next January for the 24 hour race at Daytona International Speedway.

The 2013 SRT Viper GT3-R enters the world of endurance racing as the first mass produced GT3 car that is designed and engineered in the USA.  The Chevrolet Corvette will be among the competitors but the group responsible for homologation is based out of Germany by Callaway.  The Viper GT3-R will debut in the USCR but it will also be eligible for the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA), North American Road Racing Association (NARRA), Pirelli World Challenge GT Class and International GT3 Championships.

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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