Things continue to go downhill for the ALMS Viper teams in Baltimore

The pair of 2013 SRT Viper GTS-R race teams surely headed
into the Baltimore Sports Car Challenge presented by SRT with the hopes of
using the name that bears their brand name to improve their efforts but in the
end – things were worse than they were for any of the previous races.

Things started off rocky in the first practice sessions as
the #91 SRT Viper GTS-R was only able to turn in the 11^th best time
in the 13 car GT field (24^th overall) while the #93 SRT Viper team
struggled, finishing the first practice session as the slowest car in the GT
class and the 27^th vehicle overall. 
The second practice session of the day and the event offered the two
Viper GTS-R teams a chance to improve their positions in the field ahead of
qualifying but things would go much, much worse than the first session.

While the #91 Forza Motorsport Viper GTS-R had managed to
move up one notch to the tenth spot in the GT class, driving Dominic Farnbacher
ran into trouble just 8 laps into the sessions that would bring that practice
session to a halt and take the #91 car out of the event altogether.  The accident happened when Farnbacher
attempted to overtake one of the cars in the slower GTC class as they entered
the 9^th turn on the Baltimore street circuit.  Unfortunately, the rear end hit a bump on the
rough road course and caused Farnbacher to lose control of the Viper – sending it
hard into the wall.  While the Forza
Motorsport team would try to repair the car, the damages were too extensive to
safely get the #91 Viper back into the field.   The car piloted by Farnbacher and Kumo
Wittmer would not run in Saturday’s ALMS race.

Things were slightly better for the #93 Pennzoil Ultra SRT
Viper GTS-R race team as the driver pair of Tommy Kendall and Marc Goossens was
able to put the yellow and silver Viper in the 9^th spot in the GT
class (22^nd overall) for the big Baltimore Sports Car Challenge
presented by SRT.  Unfortunately, the 2
hour long race didn’t go nearly as well as at the end of the race, Marc
Goossens got a bit too friendly with fellow GT driver Guy Cosmo  in the #2 Ferrari
F458.  Goossens maneuver to get out of the
last place in the class did some damage to the #2 Ferrari and having decided
that the contact was avoidable – the ALMS judges called Goossens into the pits
for a 1 minute penalty.  That penalty
secured the #93 Viper team’s place in the 12^th and final spot in the
GT class – 18^th overall. 
Goossens and Kendal completed 65 laps, putting them two laps behind the
class winning Porsche
911 GT3 RSR piloted by Henzler and Sellers.

The 2013 SRT
Viper GTS-R race teams have two more events in the 2012 ALMS season to improve
ahead of their first full campaign in 2013. 
The next event is September 13-15 at Virginia International Raceway
followed by the series finale – the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta on October 17-20.

Click here to head into the DodgeForum.com racing section to discuss the American LeMans Series and the new race Vipers!

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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