When the original Dodge Viper GTS-R race program hit the track back in the late 1990s, it was a nearly unstoppable force that displayed success that has become legendary in the racing world. It was that same success that the Street and Racing Technology (SRT) group had hoped to achieve when they launched the new Viper GTS-R race program last year but the 2013 SRT Viper-based racing teams have struggled since day one.
After spending much of the 2012 American LeMans Series at the rear of the field, the two Viper teams planned to have a better outing in a full 2013 ALMS schedule but that has not been the case. This past weekend’s disappointing 25th and 32nd place finishes at the 2013 24 Hours of LeMans came as a brutal reminder to Mopar endurance racing fans that things just aren’t going right for the modern Viper race program. This has led many to question whether more experience for the teams and drivers will eventually lead to some podium finishes or is this rough start just a sign that the new Viper GTS-R just isn’t good enough to win in the hotly contested GT racing world.
There is no question that the class in which the SRT Viper GTS-R competes has gotten a great deal more competitive since the late 1990s with incredible entries including the Corvette C6-R, the Ferrari 458 and a handful of very good Porsche teams. These teams were all caught off guard when the Viper hit the endurance racing scene back in 1998 and all of those manufacturers spent the next few years working to catch up. The Viper raised the bar for the GT class – seemingly so much that the modern Viper GTS-R program is struggling to keep up.
So what do you think? Do you think that the current SRT Viper race program will grow to be as successful as the Team Oreca Vipers of the late 90s and early 2000s? If so, what needs to happen for them to get there? Of not, what is preventing it from happening? Click here to head into the forums to tell us what you think about the current Viper racing program – both in the global seen along with the American LeMans Series.
"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.
