Viper GTS-R qualifies 1st and 3rd in Long Beach

daytonprowler

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Farnbacher finishes third in Long Beach

Posted on April 21st, 2013 • by Bill Cawthon




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The No. 91 Fast & Furious 6
SRT




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Viper GTS-R driven by Domnik Farnbacher and Marc Goossens finished third in the GT class at Saturday’s American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patron. The No. 93 Pennzoil Ultra Viper, driven by Kumo Wittmer and Jonathan Bomarito finished in eighth place after a couple of time-eating spins knocked them off the pace.
The No. 91 Viper led for much of the race before worn tires and dwindling
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dropped the car behind the RLL team’s new BMW Z4 GTE. Then Farnbacher went wide in Turn One, allowing the No. 56 Bimmer to get by and finish second.
After the race, Farnbacher said, “We’re still learning but we couldn’t be happier with our result, a podium and third-place. I mean five races ago, we were still further back. All in all, it was a great race for us. I think we can all be proud of it.”
Marc Goossens, Farnbacher’s teammate, said, “We were close, I mean ten minutes from the end we were still P1. If you would have told me that before the weekend, I would have signed for it straight away. It proves that the whole team is working very hard. The entire SRT Motorsports team is getting there, slowly. We shouldn’t forget that it’s only race six and we’re already on the podium and could have won. We might have had some issues with tire management there towards the end of the race but that’s part of the learning curve. We need to learn about all these different types of tires, need to learn about these street courses. It was a totally new game for me here. My task was to keep it up front at the start. It’s a mandatory thing that I have to start the race on the qualifying tires that Dominik used yesterday. Last night they went through a heat cycle and I don’t think they take that very well because my
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was really well balanced. The problem was that I had zero grip from them. It’s something that we need to learn about the tires and how they behave during the race, temperature related and everything else. All in all, I think we should be very, very happy.”
Of the No. 93 car’s eighth-place finish, driver Jonathan Bomarito said, ”At the end of the race, it was a little bit of a frustrating day after we got spun. But the big picture is that our SRT Vipers were fantastic this weekend. My hat’s off to everybody. So much hard work has gone into this program. This team has worked so hard since Sebring. We came to Long Beach and qualified 1st and 3rd, put the No. 91 Viper GTS-R on the podium which is a great weekend. I’m really happy for the guys.”
Kuno Wittmer commented, “The race was off to a good start and with Marc leading in the 91 and myself in third position, you know, sandwiching the Corvettes was actually a lot of excitement for us. For the first 20, 25 minutes it was going really, really well. The car was working really, really well. The SRT Viper GTS-R was handling outstanding. It was working just in the right direction that we would have a strong finish for this race and just out of the blue, I was turning into corner 11. I guess the number 62 Ferrari just locked up and t-boned me. It put a lot of damage on the car which is unfortunate. We fell back to eighth and that’s where we finished.”


 

SnakeBitten

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Congrats. Nice finish SRT. Soooo close. It wont be long till the first victory. Tire management was the problem NOT mechanical or handling. That is great news in my book. So they jsut have to learn these tires a little bit better and hopefully get hit less and I can see a win very soon.

Crazy how BMW gets to run an engine that's not available in the street car. Reminds me of exactly what they did with the E46 M3 race cars back in the day. They only had 6cyl available in the street cars and they showed up and were allowed to race the E46 M3 with a V8. I guess the homologation requirements dont include engines? Anyway it was great to see teh two newjacks [BMW and SRT] take it to the established regulars. And a Viper did finish in front of the two Vettes:2tu:
 

redtanrt10

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Disapointed the 91 didn't win, they ran strong all day. Pissed at the Falken Porsche, prevented the 93 from getting on the podium too. Happy to see the vetts finish mid pack, they had strong owner/fan support all over the track. . Hey SRT, your back in ALMS, thanks! How about a viper corral like chevy and BMW??

ABC TV coverage was only fair for the GT class in the last 30 minutes, ton's of action. The 93 carried the Toyota banner the entire time after it got pushed into the tire wall by the Porsche. Looking forward to the next race in Monterey!
 

TowDawg

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Crazy how BMW gets to run an engine that's not available in the street car. Reminds me of exactly what they did with the E46 M3 race cars back in the day. They only had 6cyl available in the street cars and they showed up and were allowed to race the E46 M3 with a V8. I guess the homologation requirements dont include engines?
This is the main thing that bothers me. If the Viper had lost to anyone else, it's one thing. I just hate losing to BMW (in 1st and 2nd place, no less) running a car that doesn't even exist. Now if they want to start building a V8 powered Z4, then so be it. But until they do, they ought to have to run something similar to what they actually sell.
 

jsd512

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Podium finish is pretty sweet. They'll get their first win soon.
 

chikane

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after this race now i see that

its not the drivers that are gonna have to wait for the vip to get better but the car thats gonna have to wait for this rookies to get better..

sorry but there is no excuse for what Dominik Farnbacher or however was driving the #91 at that time to make such a mistake the viper shoud had won that race not the bmw
 
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Stealth

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The BMW team has a good lawyer. The old cars were allowed aero advantages and to run a different front suspension from the street version. Among other things, the Z4 is allowed to run an engine that is based on an engine not available in the street version. :)

I think it is more than just the BMW engine exception. For the BMWs to move through the field the way they did, they have a flatout advantage. This is usually addressed by the series making the (unfairly) faster cars run extra weight, restrictive restrictor plates, etc.

Nevertheless, a great showing for SRT.
 

Bill Pemberton Woodhouse

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Chikane,

Frankly I think your comment about Dominik is very uncalled for. Tire management is a key ingredient to racing and that is about the only thing that bit Mr. Farnbacher in the end. He qualified on Pole, ran a strong race till towards the end when one could see the tires were going away. Great race for SRT and kudos to all the engineers, mechanics, drivers, etc. for such a great showing in the first year of a return to a Full Season of ALMS.

Only irritant was the English announcer who kept calling the Viper a Vette, and even commented on the Vette having a 10 cylinder engine -- geez!!!
 

chesapeake07

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Chikane,

Frankly I think your comment about Dominik is very uncalled for. Tire management is a key ingredient to racing and that is about the only thing that bit Mr. Farnbacher in the end. He qualified on Pole, ran a strong race till towards the end when one could see the tires were going away. Great race for SRT and kudos to all the engineers, mechanics, drivers, etc. for such a great showing in the first year of a return to a Full Season of ALMS.

Only irritant was the English announcer who kept calling the Viper a Vette, and even commented on the Vette having a 10 cylinder engine -- geez!!!

I completely agree, the tires just didn't have enough left. The announcer had the hair on the back of my neck raised everytime he confused the two cars. Not to mention they are different colors. He totally drove me crazy!
 

SnakeBitten

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Crazy how BMW gets to run an engine that's not available in the street car. Reminds me of exactly what they did with the E46 M3 race cars back in the day. They only had 6cyl available in the street cars and they showed up and were allowed to race the E46 M3 with a V8. I guess the homologation requirements dont include engines?
This is the main thing that bothers me. If the Viper had lost to anyone else, it's one thing. I just hate losing to BMW (in 1st and 2nd place, no less) running a car that doesn't even exist. Now if they want to start building a V8 powered Z4, then so be it. But until they do, they ought to have to run something similar to what they actually sell.

My feelings exactly. I'm not totally versed in the homologation rules but as far as I know engines are included. I remember Porsche made a big deal about this when they were allowed to run the E46 M3's with V8's instead of the I6's the street cars came with. Since Porsche made the complaint back then I'm assuming engines are definitely part of the homologation requirements. So I would love to hear the sanctioning organizations explanation on why BMW and Chevy [7 ltr in the C5R] were allowed to run non homolgated engines.

Anyway the Viper will never be a car they allow any clear advantage like they do some of the other marques like BMW. Its just got too many advantages stock so it will always be restricted more heavily. This just makes all the Vipers history of victories that more phenominal to me. Especially the numerous Oreca, Zakspeed and T1 victories despite the heavy restrictions etc. Im hoping for the same with SRT back in the game. IMHO its only a matter of time before they start winning again despite the anchors holding them back.
 

rw99

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I think it is more than just the BMW engine exception. For the BMWs to move through the field the way they did, they have a flatout advantage. This is usually addressed by the series making the (unfairly) faster cars run extra weight, restrictive restrictor plates, etc.

Nevertheless, a great showing for SRT.

But, a clear advantage for the Z4's would've shown up in qualifying, right? And qualifying well is more important at Long Beach than any other ALMS course: such a short race, with less real estate for passing. So I don't think they sandbagged.

Perhaps more likely that they had the tires (and perhaps fuel) to run flat out when it mattered most...
 

rw99

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Oh, and is there some way to watch these races in "GT only" mode? With more knowledgeable announcers? That seemed pretty bush league; I wonder if those guys were the regular Indy car announcers that were pressed into service for the entire weekend?

Aaghh: "the number 93 Corvette"


Rich
 

daytonprowler

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Chikane,

Frankly I think your comment about Dominik is very uncalled for. Tire management is a key ingredient to racing and that is about the only thing that bit Mr. Farnbacher in the end. He qualified on Pole, ran a strong race till towards the end when one could see the tires were going away. Great race for SRT and kudos to all the engineers, mechanics, drivers, etc. for such a great showing in the first year of a return to a Full Season of ALMS.

Only irritant was the English announcer who kept calling the Viper a Vette, and even commented on the Vette having a 10 cylinder engine -- geez!!!

Agreed Bill.:2tu:

Chikane,

ALL of the drivers on OUR Viper Team are professionals, not rookies.

As for Dominik, his accomplishments speak for themselves:

http://www.speedsport-magazine.com/race-driver-database/biography/dominik-farnbacher~3000.html


In 2005 at age 20 Dominik has a WIN in GT Class at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona.

As well at age 21 he takes 2nd at the 24 hours of Le Mans in 2006.

So he missed the apex by about 2 feet because of slick tires. Cut him and the team a break.

We took care of the Corvettes at this race and we'll take care of BMW at the next race. :2tu: :drive:

Ultimate Driving Machine....... HA! :rolleyes:
 
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I Bin Therbefor

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Managing the tires duriong a race is a critical part of the driver's job as well as the entire team's. It involves set up, tire choice, if there is one, chosing when to push, general race pace, and driving style. This is a critical part of the team Viper's learning curve. The cars are dependable and have pace. Couple of items like tire management and the wins will be there. :2tu:

IMHO. IMSA is very happy with the results thus far this year. I am NOT happy with the BMW running a V8 in a Z4 as there is no such thing available. Maybe enough complaints to the "powers that be" will solve that issue, but I doubt it. And I will be very unhappy if IMSA gives AM a ton of exceptions to get AM back into racing in the states.

My best race finish has Viper and Corvette filling the first four places!!!
 

Hoosier Daddy

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Streets turned into race courses pretty much **** in my opinion. You have to have a very nimble car. Most of the time it is follow the lleader. I think I remember Tommy Archer winning one of these a few years ago, but the Viper has never been a player at these. The most disappointing fact will be all the BMW Club Z4 track posers believing they have something at the Glen or the two convertable balding tards at work talking trash how fast their pile of crap is.
 

MtnBiker

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Agreed Bill.:2tu:

Chikane,

ALL of the drivers on OUR Viper Team are professionals, not rookies.

As for Dominik, his accomplishments speak for themselves:

http://www.speedsport-magazine.com/race-driver-database/biography/dominik-farnbacher~3000.html


In 2005 at age 20 Dominik has a WIN in GT Class at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona.

As well at age 21 he takes 2nd at the 24 hours of Le Mans in 2006.

So he missed the apex by about 2 feet because of slick tires. Cut him and the team a break.

We took care of the Corvettes at this race and we'll take care of BMW at the next race. :2tu: :drive:

Ultimate Driving Machine....... HA! :rolleyes:

Viper could have won. Farnbacher seems to have missed a shift (turn up the volume and listen). But, they did a great job on a tough course! Way to go SRT!
 

TowDawg

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I admit I wasn't paying as close attention as you were, but how do you "miss a shift" with a sequential trans and paddle shifters?
 

Bill Pemberton Woodhouse

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Good question TowDawg and since we are all trying to be armchair racers , there is a very real chance an issue with the transmission, tires maybe going off, could have led to the tough last laps of the race for SRT. Missed shifts are actually quite common, as electronics can go bad and anyone who watches F1, IndyCar, ALMS, Grand Am, World Challenge Series, know that gearbox malfunctions with the sophisticated systems are not even remotely uncommon.

Knowing the skill of the SRT pilots, and Dominik in this particular thread, I lean towards a class act gentleman who is not one to make excuses, but trying to analyse the car from lack of adhesion ( under braking and under power), a recaltrant tranny could have been part of the troubles too. Is this a fact, heck no, but the realities are professional racers still can make errors, but it was a great run and I find those expecting perfection ( not knowing all the real variables ) , not to truly understand the dynamics of driving a machine at speed in a concrete canyon. I , for one, am extremely pleased with the rapid advancement SRT has made in ALMS, and we easily forgot about the years it took Corvette to get to the top.

Way to go SRT, and check out the schedule ---- SRT is making great deals for Viper owners, SRT owners, etc. to get to these races at a nice discount , to hang around with the Teams ( drivers, engineers, crew, SRT Sales and Marketing folks, etc. )
 

Boxer12

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Congrats to SRT and all the drivers...it was an admirable performance. The Vipers were in front of the camera almost the entire race!! Its as if the Protos were not there..LOL. Nice job capitalizing with numerous commercials too!

On the fateful corner where 91 ran wide, it sounded like a misses shift to me, but with the sequential tranny, that seems unlikely. Either Dom downshifted one too many times or perhaps what I heard was TC kicking in bcz the rear tires were skidding. Data will need to be reviewed to find out what happened, but on a course like LS, to make every corner perfect is impossible. The BMW's were superior on this day...ALMS will do something about that but it good to see so many manufacturers competitive even if the rule making is kinda a moving target. It does make for better (closer) racing in the end I think. I don't think the Vipers were hampered by HP, I think its a track with a lot of tight turns and the Z4 go-cart was a perfect match for it.

Kuno was hit hard from behind and turned around, and later so was Bom. It was as if they other drivers had a bounty on the boys. SRT should paint a bullseye on the gearbox to remind everyone. LOL
 
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Gunman

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Keep in mind, the teams only had 2 hours of practice, which doesn't leave much time to set the car up, AND do long runs to see how the tires drop off over a stint.

BMW's engine was homologiated via waiver, much like the Viper's oversize engine.
 
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