Ralph is a track stud.

[ACR steve]

I was at the event and know the players. I agree with Bill P. 100% There is no way Ralph's car was anything but 100% legal. (Could you imagine the bad press if it wasn't) After watching and in fact helping coach another driver I can tell you that Ralph"s qualifying was fantastic. It was his first time on a very technical track and he drove it fast and more importantly very consistent . Trust me if he wasn't in the position he is in I don't think Tanner would have led the last half of the race. Tanner on the other hand was in the position where he had to win . (he drove great as well) I was most impressed on how well he started both races. man he gets the car off the line well

My hats off to Ralph for a great drive after some really bad luck the day before.

 

[JonB]

ACR-x Dodge Viper Cup is a "SPEC" series. And tech-inspected as such. Driver Ralph, aka Voodoo, Cory Vetzuck, Portia Billoughs, Karl Black is 1000% focused on honorable racing versus his fellow competitors. And his winnings have gone to charity. He attends the meetings, and follows the rules. In his earlier 4 races, he had himself DQd, so the Cup racers would earn higher positions and points. Why Karl Black? Its a Black Car, = Car, Black on the entry list, = "KARL BLACK"

When he has had car damage, he feels bad for the lost parts expense, but he and the team joke that Viper owners would eventually BUY the parts, autographed, to help recoup team expenses. At Miller, he wrote "OOOPS" and autographed on the cracked headlight. (Rain-induced wall hit) His other true concern is the WORK the crew has to perform to fix his car. In the "METEOR SHOWER" of rocks (not gravel, ROCKS) at Spring Mt, his crew did a monumental job to make that car track-worthy, and presentable, and win the pole. Eddie Martin jumped in as well. Michael VonQ loaned Ralph an entire rear deck, resulting in a "Red-Wing" car for race #2, the pole car. {we called the car ROCKY after that)

Unfortunately, he lost 1st place by the first corner, with a worse launch than Tanner (a NICE, lo-ego guy at trackside !) After a late bobble, "Karl" slipped to 3rd.

As far as adding more, once again I concur 100% with Bill P.

JonB / NARRA Pace Car....2nd best seat in the house.

 

[JonB]

Just to fan the flames a bit, my neighbor is a former Chrysler engine plant manager, and he says they were always getting calls to make up special parts for top brass. Also, faster in the corners could be indicative of more tq, rigid frame, etc. I am just sayin. The 01 is, after all, the Dodge factory race car.

There is no doubt that nobody has more seat time in an ACR than Ralph, and prob same holds true for the ACRX. I doubt he has to pay for repairs or anything whatsoever if he has a shunt either, so that adds to the 'drive it like you stole it factor.' Whatever, he still has to handle the wheel so even if his car was the best of the pack, he still had to drive it and it takes talent to do that. I applaud him for getting out there and mixing it up. Now what about NASCAR? That would be something!!

Boxer, Flames indeed:

1) "Best of the pack car? Ludicrous insinuation. He drives different cars! And 'Rocky' was a flat-tired, aero-damaged, suspension-hammered, setup-ruined, demolition-derby car just 12 hours earlier, that he DROVE TO THE POLE POSITION.

Viper Plant cannot / did not 'order special parts' for top brass. Or anyone else. Trim level stuff, yes. While it is common knowledge that manufacturers use massaged "blueprinted to spec" motors for some media testing, this is NO WAY applicable to ACR-X spec cars.

2) Ralph has owned 2 personal Vipers that I know of, and does much of his own work. He converted his own 98 GTS race car to ABS. If he races a Spec car in Dodge spec series, so be it. Dues paid, Skills learned in his GTS racer and his own karts.

3) He lamented at Spring Mountain that he wont likley have any driving fun or spare time for the next 5 months, as he travels around 'selling' the new Dodge models. If he had the TIME to test-drive as you insinuate, he would likley WIN all the races. He is first of all a CEO.....

4) 'Drive It Like You Stole It' does not win races....... he is very safety-concious for himself, (his family) and his fellow competitors. His no-fault rocky-meteor shower could have been worse, and he nursed his crippled ACRx away from danger as best he could. It looked like a demolition derby car, truly.

 

[gb66gth]

Ralph is the man.

Yeah Ralph is the man and a pretty darn cool CEO, but Bob Lutz has a fighter jet. Sorry Ralph, Bob's fighter jet trumps your Karting track.

 

[fireball]

Yeah Ralph is the man and a pretty darn cool CEO, but Bob Lutz has a fighter jet. Sorry Ralph, Bob's fighter jet trumps your Karting track.

If it were an aircraft company - yes.

But not for a car company.

Greg

 

[rschimsk]

Not to fan any flames, take any sides, or cause any drama, but as an individual "involved" I can say with almost 100% certainty that the only difference between ralph's car, and mine and tanner's... was the 200lb's of rewards weight that I run, and asked that tanner run, to keep things equal.

My .02

 

[JonB]

Come to think of it, I believe Ralph had earned 50 lbs of rewards weight !

Congrats Ryan......great, consistent season; Series Champ. Id say you were 'involved' !

 

[BJ MOTORS]

Ryan comon you know you added Nitous

 

[Boxer12]

Ralph has a cart track in his back yard? That's awesome!

 

[Viper ACR]

Yeah, although Ralph is awesome on a real race course, the CEO of GM handles his Vette bodied golf cart with amazing skill

Props to Ralph for a great job....but, is there ANY reason we're not seeing TV commercials with Ralph in the ACRX races? This is the attitude we need to convey on how Dodge is being run, who is running it and how we feel about the cars we build, drive and race. I can promise you 99% of the Vette and Mustang GT owners (potential Dodge customers, not just for Vipers) have no idea what Ralph and Dodge have accomplished. I think seeing Ralph (corporate CEO) out on the track is a huge marketing advantage.

Everytime I see the Challenger commercial with George Washington driving I still get goose bumps....I think a "Ralph Gilles" racing commercial would be a powerful tool for getting increased awareness of who Dodge is, where it is heading and what the passion is.

Vooodoo, I know Ralph is a humble guy, but really, he is the most powerful marketing advantage Dodge has....we need to let other potential customers know about him and his automotive passion.

Cheers,
George

I think this would be a great idea . Provide even more Pride for a die hard Dodge fan . Ralph truely is a great guy and it was a pleasure speaking with him and meeting him at VOI .

 

[vooodoo]

Just wanted to say a big thank you to Jon B., Bill P., ACR Steve and rschimsk for defending Ralph's integrity... it means a lot to us to have friends like you guys!

 

[Boxer12]

Vooodoo, ...Seriously, just having a little 'garage banter' fun on here. What else is there to do this time of year?

Can you post up some pics of Ralph racing his cart in the back yard? Has he ever had any celebrities like Shumy over to race? We would all enjoy seeing that...

 

[gb66gth]

Congrats. Ryan! Well done! It was fun to watch you guys, you deserve the title.

 

[rschimsk]

Just to clarify, I was not putting Ralph down in any way, shape, or form. He is an outstanding competitor and highly respected by me and others. I look forward to racing him again next year, as I really enjoy the enthusiasm and passion he brings to each event. Thank you all for the support. Everyone at Whitehead Motorsports appreciates it.

 

[Wolfc2e]

...the 200lb's of rewards weight that I run...

I just had an idea: Can I (and a 30lb backpack) be the rewards weight for next season?

 

[Mopar Boy]

 

[JonB]

Just to clarify, I was not putting Ralph down in any way, shape, or form. He is an outstanding competitor and highly respected by me and others. I look forward to racing him again next year, as I really enjoy the enthusiasm and passion he brings to each event. .....

I think they know that, 'cuz they posted:

Just wanted to say a big thank you to Jon B., Bill P., ACR Steve and rschimsk for defending Ralph's integrity... it means a lot to us to have friends like you guys!

 

[Dave Scott]

Jon, first of all, many thanks again to you and Doris for your stellar work with pace car duty, both with Viper Cup and VRL races.

Second, while it would be very inappropriate for me to comment about any specific racers, since I was race steward this season, my comments about Ralph were specifically related to his role as CEO and the example he sets. That said, EVERY Viper Cup competitor impressed me this season. Everyone raced and behaved much better than many would have expected. Yes, we had contact incidents and bumping and DQ's and protests. That's racing, at any level. But all in all, given the level of competition (high) and the money at stake (large), everyone did a great job of comporting themselves extremely well. For that I thank you.

I look forward to 2011 with much larger fields and some awesome tracks!