Insane Formula Drift Viper Smokes Out Hoonigan at the ‘Burnyard’
Owned by formula drift pro Dean Kearney, Viper puts out 1,350 horsepower to the rears, delivers 150-mph wheelspins to the asphalt.
The Viper’s reputation as a terror knows no bounds. On the track, on the street, one wrong move or look, and the big V10 snake sinks its teeth into your heart and soul.
Now, just imagine a Viper slithering into Formula Drift. You don’t have to, of course, for such a serpent does exist, in the form of formula drift pro Dean Kearney’s 1,350-horsepower drift machine. And today, it pays The Hoonigans a visit to their smokehouse in Irwindale, California.
“This is a Generation Four, 2008 Dodge Viper,” said Kearney. “It’s a coupe body style. Then, we made [it] all custom. I have front bumper, fenders, rockers… We have the only two drift Vipers in the world.”
This Viper packs a pair of Garrett turbos mounted on the sides of the 8.4-liter V10, providing 16 pounds of boost. The monster is so powerful that not only is it the most powerful Formula Drift car around, it breaks dynos with 900 horses at 3,200 rpm. The 10 shots of nitrous running down the center of the block also help.
“On the inside, it’s kept relatively simple,” said Kearney. “We’re using this new piece of technology — well, it’s not new, but it will be new in drifting — called a V-box. It’s very common in rallycross and that kind of stuff. It’s for teaching the driver what they’re doing wrong on the track. I have a camera on the pedals, camera on the steering wheel, and a camera on the front of the car.”
The doors on the Viper are a composite of materials, including fiberglass and Kevlar. Meanwhile, getting into the car is fairly easy for Kearney, thanks to a grab bar on the roll cage and lots of time getting in and out of the tight space.
“This was actually all Dan [Sommer],” said Kearney of the work Sommer did on the rear of the Viper. “Dan done the fuel cell and rear rod and stuff. We had to notch the outside case… because we’re so tight on space with everything.”
Sommer also pointed out the lights tucked in the wheel wells for better lighting on those thrash sessions at night before a big event, like the big smokeshow Kearney is about to perform for The Hoonigans.
Kearney charges hard into the arena of black containers, his Viper’s rear tires already smoking it up. Round and round they went, dancing with the Hoonigans filming the madness. Kearney even managed to bip his former employee before high-tailing it back to cool off the car by removing the hood. But he wasn’t done yet.
Mason gets a chance to dance with the Viper on the second run, something we don’t recommend doing without leaving your brain at home. The tire destruction got so crazy that a few of the Hoonigans ducked under the flatbed trailer for safety.
A fresh tire swap later, and Kearney went out again to deliver the goods in fifth gear. The duo roar into the arena, turbos howling and V10s burbling. Everything was draped in smoke, including the cabin; thus, Kearney had to pull out to let it all clear before going back to do more damage to the tires.
The big finale left the tires bald and smokey, as well a big rubber mark on the asphalt, a demonstration of what 150 miles per hour of wheel spin can do when one turns a Viper into a hardcore drift machine.
Photos: Screenshots
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