A look at the new Viper GTS-R ALMS race teams
#1
04-06-2012, 02:23 PM
A look at the new Viper GTS-R ALMS race teams
As announced Wednesday, the 2013 SRT Viper GTS-R will come back to compete in the GT class of the American LeMans Series. When they do, these four drivers will be at the helm of the two new factory backed Viper race teams:
Dominik Farnbacher
Born Sept. 26, 1984, in Ansbach, Germany, where he currently resides
Competed in 2012 Rolex 24 at Daytona with TRG Motorsports
Has seven career starts in the Rolex 24 at Daytona (2009-2012, 2005-2007)
Won 2005 Rolex 24 at Daytona GT class alongside co-drivers Wolf Henzler, Shawn Price and Pierre Ehret
Grew up in an auto racing family watching father Horst Farnbacher compete in Europe
Is a four-time winner in the ALMS GT class
On Sept. 14, 2011, Farnbacher established a new production-car lap record at the famous Nurburging Nordschleife by covering the 12.9-mile course in 7:12.13 seconds in a Dodge Viper ACR shattering the previous lap record by more than two seconds
Marc Goossens
Born Nov. 30, 1969, in Geel, Belgium
Has 11 starts in the 24 Hours of Le Mans (1996-2003, 2008, 2010-2011)
Competed in Formula 3000 from 1994 to 1996 and part-time in the series from 1999 through 2001
Won 24 Hours of Zolder four times (1997, 1998, 2005 and 2007) with co-drivers Vincent Dupont and Anthony Kumpen. The event is yearly sports car and touring car endurance race held at Circuit Zolder in Belgium
Competed in FIA GT series from 2002 through 2005
Scored a ninth-place finish in first NASCAR Nationwide Series start at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City in 2006 driving for Robert Yates Racing
Made his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International in 2006
Ryan Hunter-Reay
Born Dec. 17, 1980 in Dallas and resides in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Drives for Andretti Autosport in the IZOD IndyCar Series
Has competed full-time in the IndyCar Series since 2008
Most recent IndyCar Series victory came in 2011 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Won IndyCar Rookie of the Year in 2007 (despite a limited schedule) and captured the same honor in the 2008 Indianapolis 500
Secured first career victory at Surfers Paradise, Australia in 2003, becoming first American rookie in more than 20 years to win a Champ Car race
Has four starts in ALMS, all in the 12 Hours of Sebring, with one win in 2011 in the LMP2 Class
Has 16 previous starts in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series where he scored one win and three podium finishes. Victory came in 2007 at Miller Motorsports Park in Toole, Utah where he teamed with Jim Matthews and Marc Goossens to score the victory
Has six starts in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, all coming in the last six consecutive races. His best finish came in 2010 when he placed third
Competed in the Toyota Atlantic Series in 2002 where he won three races and led the series in laps led and poles
Was the 1999 Skip Barber Formula Dodge National Champion
Kuno Wittmer
Born Sept. 6, 1982, in Pointe Claire, Canada
In 2000, he became the youngest driver to compete in the Toyota Atlantic Championship when he was just 17 years old
Scored six victories while competing in the SCCA World Challenge GT class in the United States from 2008-2010
Broke the timed single-lap record at Miller Motorsports Park, Tooele, Utah, in a 2010 Dodge Viper ACR on April 11, 2011. Wittmer ran a record lap of 1:59.995 (91.444 mph average), eclipsing the 2-minute mark for the first time in a production car on the 3.048-mile road course and shattering the previous track record by close to 4 full seconds. Wittmer has also driven the same Dodge Viper ACR to single-lap production car records at Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Fla.; Gingerman Raceway in South Haven, Mich.; Monticello Motor Club, Monticello, N.Y.; New Jersey Motorsports Park, Millville, N.J.; Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis.; Texas World Speedway, College Station, Texas and Virginia International Raceway, Alton, Va.
Dominik Farnbacher
Born Sept. 26, 1984, in Ansbach, Germany, where he currently resides
Competed in 2012 Rolex 24 at Daytona with TRG Motorsports
Has seven career starts in the Rolex 24 at Daytona (2009-2012, 2005-2007)
Won 2005 Rolex 24 at Daytona GT class alongside co-drivers Wolf Henzler, Shawn Price and Pierre Ehret
Grew up in an auto racing family watching father Horst Farnbacher compete in Europe
Is a four-time winner in the ALMS GT class
On Sept. 14, 2011, Farnbacher established a new production-car lap record at the famous Nurburging Nordschleife by covering the 12.9-mile course in 7:12.13 seconds in a Dodge Viper ACR shattering the previous lap record by more than two seconds
Marc Goossens
Born Nov. 30, 1969, in Geel, Belgium
Has 11 starts in the 24 Hours of Le Mans (1996-2003, 2008, 2010-2011)
Competed in Formula 3000 from 1994 to 1996 and part-time in the series from 1999 through 2001
Won 24 Hours of Zolder four times (1997, 1998, 2005 and 2007) with co-drivers Vincent Dupont and Anthony Kumpen. The event is yearly sports car and touring car endurance race held at Circuit Zolder in Belgium
Competed in FIA GT series from 2002 through 2005
Scored a ninth-place finish in first NASCAR Nationwide Series start at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City in 2006 driving for Robert Yates Racing
Made his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International in 2006
Ryan Hunter-Reay
Born Dec. 17, 1980 in Dallas and resides in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Drives for Andretti Autosport in the IZOD IndyCar Series
Has competed full-time in the IndyCar Series since 2008
Most recent IndyCar Series victory came in 2011 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Won IndyCar Rookie of the Year in 2007 (despite a limited schedule) and captured the same honor in the 2008 Indianapolis 500
Secured first career victory at Surfers Paradise, Australia in 2003, becoming first American rookie in more than 20 years to win a Champ Car race
Has four starts in ALMS, all in the 12 Hours of Sebring, with one win in 2011 in the LMP2 Class
Has 16 previous starts in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series where he scored one win and three podium finishes. Victory came in 2007 at Miller Motorsports Park in Toole, Utah where he teamed with Jim Matthews and Marc Goossens to score the victory
Has six starts in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, all coming in the last six consecutive races. His best finish came in 2010 when he placed third
Competed in the Toyota Atlantic Series in 2002 where he won three races and led the series in laps led and poles
Was the 1999 Skip Barber Formula Dodge National Champion
Kuno Wittmer
Born Sept. 6, 1982, in Pointe Claire, Canada
In 2000, he became the youngest driver to compete in the Toyota Atlantic Championship when he was just 17 years old
Scored six victories while competing in the SCCA World Challenge GT class in the United States from 2008-2010
Broke the timed single-lap record at Miller Motorsports Park, Tooele, Utah, in a 2010 Dodge Viper ACR on April 11, 2011. Wittmer ran a record lap of 1:59.995 (91.444 mph average), eclipsing the 2-minute mark for the first time in a production car on the 3.048-mile road course and shattering the previous track record by close to 4 full seconds. Wittmer has also driven the same Dodge Viper ACR to single-lap production car records at Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Fla.; Gingerman Raceway in South Haven, Mich.; Monticello Motor Club, Monticello, N.Y.; New Jersey Motorsports Park, Millville, N.J.; Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis.; Texas World Speedway, College Station, Texas and Virginia International Raceway, Alton, Va.
