Dodges stupidity with not racing vipers

[Toronto_ACR]

This past weekend at Sears Point the corvettes did very well and are cleaning up thanks to no competition. That really makes me, a proud viper owner very upset. We would of kicked their butts again and really showed the world that the viper was the king. It was the Viper that changed the fortunes of Chrysler around the world. It was Viper that gave people a different perspective on the company. Chevy is doing what they can to support the Corvette. Ferrari is allways there and so is BMW and Porsche. These idiots were starting to make the Viper into another Porsche. Respected by everyone around the world. Especially in Europe. Now they don't even have a GTS car for 2003. It looks like the beginning of the end for the Dodge Viper. To bad there are to many narrow minded thinkers in Chrysler that think the company can't go back to the small cheap company it once was, because that is what will happen if they don't support racing which every other car manufacturer in the world is doing. Winning races sells more cars than any other kind of advertisement. Audi is claeaning up in the sales department thanks to winning at Le Mans. The Corvette is adding to the inaccurate perception of the Corvette being the best North American sports car which I think is a bunch of CRAP. But people see them winning at Le Mans and what else are the ignorant ones going to think of. The fools running Chryler had something great and they just abandoned it. We were close to turning the Viper into a legend.

 

[FrankBarba]

how many road races do you attend a year? do you do them seriously or just for kicks?
racing takes lots of money, DC is now concentrating on Nascar & the Craftsman Truck Series. Where do you think they sell more cars?
Do you think that more Vipers are sold because they won all those races (what is it 25 in a row)? If DC were selling 40,000 Vipers a year maybe they would have continued their racing project. Personally i would rather have a hand built car where each are different in a unique way instead of a new corvette.

Corvettte wasn't always racing.

 

[Toronto_ACR]

Your missing the point. Viper could have been another elite car never forgotten. You cant just race for 3 or 4 years and think you can be in that league. If they kept going for 10 years then you have made a real name for yourself. I am upset that the viper is being left aside. Like I said it was the Viper that changed the fortunes of Chrysler. Last time I checked Chevy was also racing nascar and American Le Mans. So why cant Chrysler do the same thing.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by HEMIDAYTNA:
how many road races do you attend a year? do you do them seriously or just for kicks?
racing takes lots of money, DC is now concentrating on Nascar & the Craftsman Truck Series. Where do you think they sell more cars?
Do you think that more Vipers are sold because they won all those races (what is it 25 in a row)? If DC were selling 40,000 Vipers a year maybe they would have continued their racing project. Personally i would rather have a hand built car where each are different in a unique way instead of a new corvette.

Corvettte wasn't always racing.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

 

[GTS Bruce]

They are.Have a presence at the drags,ovals(dirt and pavement)and road courses in the prototype class which is likely to get more notice than a gts.Also more likely to win overall.MB engines are used in CART and of course F1.Me thinks viper racing is dead.Been there, done that.They want to sell MB,Chrysler,Dodge sedans and trucks.Can't be any money at all in selling a Viper.Its probably a money looser. Bruce

 

[RickV2K]

i personally would rather see dodge do well in the nascar arena. the viper has (dominated) the alms series the past three years. dc will make way more money selling a more family oriented car like the intrepid..and that's what looks like is about to happen. to win 24 hour endurance races time after time...year after year...and place 1st, 2nd and 3rd in most cases, proves to me that the viper is an awesome automobile. i'm pretty sure that most genuine car enthusiasts know what the viper is all about. remember.....it's all about money. i'd hate to think they totally abandoned the viper altogether...but you never know. they sure did a number on the car with that lame generic styling. hang in there.

 

[MES]

Toronto_ACR I kind of agree with you. Although I'm not much of a racing fan, knowing Dodge was kicking everybody's a$$ with the Viper gave a lot of respect from the general public to the Viper. Too bad the non-DC sponsored Viper racing team is not doing so well, now Corvette guys can claim they kick our butts.

I foresee 2 possible futures for the Viper.

1. Bad - The Gen III GTS is killed, RT/10 released in 2003 and is sold out. In 2004 RT/10 sales down and DC can't understand why (umm no GTS) In 2005 RT/10 sales still too low DC finds it's too expensive and stops production on the Viper. This ends a successful 13 year run of the Viper, 13 years is actually quite good for a car model run. In 2006 DC no longer has the "C" as in Chrysler. Chrysler is merged into the parent company and the name Chrysler is no longer used. Due to mounting losses and outdated designees Daimler cuts 50% of the car models out of the Chrysler lineup and lays off 75,000 people. All remaining cars are renamed and re-badged.

2. Good - The Gen III GTS is put on the back burner. RT/10 released in 2003 and is sold out. In 2004 RT/10 sales are down so DC releases a top secret report as follows -&gt; "The Gen III GTS will be released as a 2004 1/2 model and will feature an improved engine design producing 535HP and 520TQ, the GTS will look EXACTLY like the prototype" Sales of the new GTS exceed that of the RT/10. In 2005 both cars feature the improved engine design and once again the Viper GTS dominates the road races with a DC sponsored team. They decide to give me a free 2005 Viper GTS for this post they found on the Viper website which foretold their impending doom.

 

[Steve Ferguson]

Guys, relax.

Dodge brought out the Viper, developed it into one of the greatest road racing cars ever, and you are not happy???????

They, like everyone who is a true fan, understood that by remaining in the game, with the added restrictors and weight mandated, that they would soon be passed by the more than adequately updated Vette chassis. Why not go out on top?

Haven't you seen athletes stay way to long pat their prime? Why should Viper stay in a game that was only going in the wrong direction? They came, dominated, won, and went home!

Ask yourself this: Would you rather see the Viper racing today, and loosing the majority of the time? Or would you rather see that research and development go into an all new chassis, that will set a new standard on the track?

All Race cars have a life cycle, and Viper is no different. Think about this. The original Viper chassis was designed as a street car. The current one under development is starting life as a "RACE CHASSIS", as told by John Fernadez (Head of Team Viper).

What we need to see is privateers taking the Viper and running it. At least they would be there running the course, and when the Vett has its usually GM reliability issues, the Viper could then be in a position to WIN!

I for one am happy to see that while Viper was at the track, that it dominated! Makes me proud to be an owner.

 

[Steve Ferguson]

I was simply Quoting John about the chassis, and that is what he said a year and a half ago. But since his background is from racing, you get rest assured that he will strive to build a mean track machine. There have been discussions already about racing the Chapter 3 Viper, so don't think that racing is going to be abandoned.

My take is that GM is now wasting a bunch of money trying to re-establish their reputation as America's sports car. At the same time, Dodge is building something else that will dominate again! GM didn't race for years, they had nothing to prove. But because of Viper they had to get back in the game. I think this is the best thing that could happen to the sports car world.

As for the Z06, it is still a Vette, not a Viper. For all my Vette friends out there, I hope that GM keeps trying to catch the Viper. It is more fun racing Vette's than racing against fellow Viper Owners.

 

[Frank 03SRT]

Furthermore, in my opinion, there is WAY too much attention by the public to the Viper for DC to ignore the Chapter III GTS. It's a huge feather in their hat. Deitze (sp??) said DC is heading toward profitability, and they will start bringing on new innovative products, because that is what they do best. The GTS will happen and I think we are worrying way too much.

So what if they aren't doing factory racing today --- bet it happens in just a few more years. AND I CAN'T WAIT until the new GTS surfaces --- bet it does in model year 06, which would be 3 years from now. (Please let me dream).

 

[Toronto_ACR]

myothercarsaviper you are correct. The Viper is for image. You don't have to race and win all the time year after year to prove that you are a serious sportscar. Viper raced and won. That added to the Chrysler perception. Does Ferrari make a lot of money racing. Does any car manufacturer make money racing. Of course not. But it gives you awareness and respect. If your good enough to win it gives you sales. Audi won Le Mans. They spent $100 million dollars trying to do it. But they will make a billion or more because of it. And who sais that the Corvette would have kicked our butts. That is ridiculous. Corvette got beat at Le Mans by a ton of less powerful Porshes. So please stop the crap about Corvette. Look at GM and their record at road racing. The Cadillac is a joke. The first time out for Chrysler at LeMans this year and they finish a very respectable fourth. Plus the Viper is still the King Of The Slalom. Corvette is still a lowly Corvette and will always be. If Viper was their it would have won again and again.