The Chrysler Group and the folks at the American LeMans
Series (ALMS) announced this morning that the Grand Prix of Baltimore will officially
be presented by the SRT brand while the ALMS race at that event will be named
the Baltimore Sports Car Challenge Presented by SRT.
In addition to having “presented by” added to the Grand Prix
of Baltimore and the ALMS Baltimore Sports Car Challenge, the 2013 SRT Viper
GTS and the 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 will serve as the pace vehicles for
all of the major races held at the Baltimore Inner Harbor race course on August
31st, September 1st and September 2nd.The entire Grand Prix of Baltimore Presented
by SRT includes the IZOD IndyCar Series, the Firestone Indy Lights, the USF2000
National Championship and the Star Mazda Championship in addition to the
American LeMans Series so the SRT name will be reaching a wide spread of race
fans during that weekend.
Of course, the 2013 SRT Viper GTS-R race teams will be in
the GT Class field of the ALMS Baltimore Sports Car Challenge Presented by SRT
with the #91 Forza Motorsport 4 Viper and the #93 Pennzoil Ultra Viper looking
to improve their level of competition as they prepare for a full schedule in
2013.On top of the naming rights, the
pace vehicles and the two race teams, the SRT brand will be prominently
displayed around the Baltimore Inner Harbor race course as well as highlights
during the various telecasts.
The Baltimore Sports Car Challenge Presented by SRT takes
place is scheduled to begin on Saturday September 1st at 4:30pm EST
with live coverage beginning on ESPN3 at 4:15pm.Those who don’t have access to ESPN3 can
catch the action from the SRT sponsored race on Sunday September 2nd
at noon.Hopefully, the Viper teams will
have some more experience under their belts by that time so that they can give
the GT Class front runners a run for their money in the race that sports their
company name.
"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.
