The folks from the American LeMans Series made the
announcement today that the 2013 SRT Viper GTS-R race program will officially
debut in August 4th at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge.There has been plenty of rumors and
speculation about when the new Viper would attack the ALMS but now we know that
the new Viper race debut is less than a month away.
The 2013 SRT Viper GTS-R will arrive in the American LeMans
Series with two factory-backed teams; one being silver with blue trim, sporting
the Forza Motorsport 4 sponsor and the number 91 while the other car will be
silver with bright yellow trim, with the main sponsor being Pennzoil Ultra and
wearing the number 93.
These two 2013 Viper race cars
will be piloted full time by Dominik Farnbacher of Ansbach, Germany; Marc
Goossens of Geel, Belgium; and Kuno Wittmer from Montreal, Canada.Texan Ryan Hunter-Reay will do some driving
duties for the SRT Viper GTS-R team during longer endurance races – although the
ALMS announcement of the Viper’s return did not mention which drivers will be
driving which cars.The release does say
that there will be more driver and team announcements – presumably the exact
driver lineup for the two Viper teams at their debut in Ohio.
“We’re thrilled to return to the world-class competition in
the American Le Mans Series with our flagship American supercar,” said Ralph
Gilles, President and CEO – SRT Brand and Motorsports, Chrysler Group LLC. “The
new SRT Viper GTS-R represents a rebirth for us on the race track. It
epitomizes the best of what our new SRT performance brand represents and
showcases the Viper’s natural affinity for road courses. Now the time has
finally come to go head-to-head with the best sports car teams from around the
world.”
To get Viper fans excited about the August 4th
debut of the 2013 SRT Viper GTS-R at Mid-Ohio, the ALMS folks added a video to
this morning’s announcement showing the Viper GTS-R being tested with Kimo
Wittmer at the helm.Crank up your
speakers because the sound on this video of the race-ready Viper is incredible.
"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.
The folks from the American LeMans Series made the
