Ryan Hunter-Reay, Rob Bell Signed to Drive Vipers in Rolex 24 at Daytona

The 2014 Rolex 24 hour race at Daytona International Speedway is a couple weeks away and as the two SRT Motorsports Viper teams prepare for the grueling endurance race, each of the teams has signed on a new driver to join those racers who spent time last year behind the wheel of the Viper race cars in the American LeMans Series.

“With Ryan returning and Rob joining SRT Motorsports, we’ve solidified our team for competition in the longer endurance events,” said Beth Paretta, Director of Marketing and Operations – SRT Brand and Motorsports, Chrysler Group LLC. “We can now turn our focus to continuing to get ready for Daytona and the upcoming season. We’re excited to kick off the new season and confident that we can continue improving and have an even better year in 2014.”

Ryan Hunter Reay joins the SRT Motorsports team for the Rolex 24 at Daytona to drive #91 SRT Viper GTS-R along with Dominik Farnbacher and Marc Goossens.  Hunter Reay was the 2012 IndyCar Series champion along with having won races throughout his career in the ranks of CART, ChampCar, ALMS and Grand Am. Hunter-Reay has driven the modern Viper GTS-R previously when he assisted the teams in the 2012 American LeMans Series.  Hunter-Reay has driven in the Rolex 24 at Daytona seven times before with a best finish of second overall back in 2013 behind the wheel of a Corvette Daytona Prototype.

“The SRT Motorsports program has come such a long way in a short period of time,” Hunter-Reay said. “This is truly one of the most competitive forms of GT class racing in the world and for the Viper GTS-R team to earn three poles and a win last season is outstanding. I have a long history with the Riley Technologies family and am looking forward to working with the same group in 2014 to again represent SRT on the track.”

Rob Bell joins the SRT Motorsports team for the 2014 Rolex 24 at Daytona to help pilot the #93 Viper GTS-R along with Kumo Wittmer and Jonathon Bomarito – who steps in to fill the slot previously held by Tommy Kendall.  Bell comes to the SRT team from his position as a McLaren GT factory driver while having also worked as a factory driver for Ferrari, Aston Martin and Porsche with track time spent in the American LeMans Series, the European LeMans Series (where he has won two championships) and the FIA GT.  Bell has made two previous starts in the Rolex 24 at Daytona with a second place finish in the GT class in 2011 and a rough outing in 2012 where his Porsche team finished 52^nd overall and 39^th in the GT class.

“After seeing the steady progress the SRT Motorsports team has made, I can’t wait to get behind the wheel at Daytona and compete against some of the best GT class teams in the world,” Bell said. “Being the new kid on the block that is joining a team as it continues to grow and get better with every race, I’m confident it won’t take long to feel right at home.”

Both of the 2014 SRT Viper GTS-R teams will compete in the GTLM class in the Rolex 24 at Daytona on January 25 and 26 – against automakers like Porsche, BMW, Ferrari, Aston Martin and the Chevrolet Corvettes that have been the Viper teams’ American rivals since the SRT name returned to endurance racing in 2012.

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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