Viper Returns to Rolex Series and Grand Am

[Tomball Dodge]

Viper Returns to Rolex Series with Racers Edge Motorsports in 2012

Dec. 1, 2011




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Absent for several years from Rolex Series competition, the Dodge Viper will return to the series as part of a new direction for GT veteran Racers Edge Motorsports.

After fielding Mazdas and Pontiacs in the Rolex Series since 2007, the DeLand, Fla.-based team is developing cars for Dodge Motorsports in both GRAND-AM series for 2012 competition.

"We have been working closely with GRAND-AM officials and our suppliers to develop a Viper spec engine that meets all of GRAND-AM's requirements," said David Bailey, Senior Manager, SRT Motorsports Engineering. "We are very excited to see the Viper and Racers Edge competing in the Rolex Series next year."

Racers Edge Motorsports is preparing a pair of Viper Competition Coupes for the Rolex Series. Doug Peterson and Jan Heylen will co-drive the No. 87 3Dimensional.com/Dodge Motorsports Viper, powered by a Viper V-10 engine. The No. 85 will serve primarily as a test car.

"We are pleased that Racers Edge has chosen to race the Dodge Viper in the GRAND-AM Rolex Series for 2012," said Beth Paretta, Director of SRT Marketing. "The field is more diverse and competitive than ever and the Viper, with its racing pedigree will be an exciting addition. We look forward to seeing Racers Edge on the podium in 2012."

Peterson and Heylen will also co-drive the No. 87 Dodge Challenger SRT8 in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge. Racers Edge will field two cars in 2012 Grand Sport competition, including the No. 86 for the father-son team of Rod and D.J. Randall.

"It is great to be heading up this new program," said team owner Jon Mirachi. "The Viper Competition Coupe is an incredible machine and will make a great Rolex GT weapon for us to compete with for the championship. The Challenger SRT8 program is also fantastic and we can't wait to hit the track with that famous Hemi power."

"Building two new cars from scratch in just a few months has been an enormous undertaking," Mirachi continued. "We're pushing our own staff to the limit, but with our technical partners – 3 Dimensional Services Group and the engineers from SRT Motorsports Engineering – we were able to complete the task and build a couple of really high quality race cars. We are really looking forward to 2012."

The last Dodge Viper to race in the Rolex Series was in the 2002 Rolex 24, with an American Viper Racing entry finishing 13th in GTS. Viper won one of its two starts in 2001, with Eric Messley and Ritch Marziale winning the GTS class at Phoenix. The Oreca Dodge team won the inaugural GRAND-AM event, the 2000 Rolex 24, with a lineup of Karl Wendlinger, Olivier Beretta and Dominique Dupuy. Vipers took three of the top five overall positions in that event, with Rolex Series regular David Donohue part of the third-place lineup.



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[FrankBarba]

Where are the rules for the viper in this series......

 

[David Pintaric]

Where are the rules for the viper in this series......

Not released yet, but the car will run 305/320 sized tires, use a GA calibration in the computer, and will have a restrictor plate. Weight hasn't been released yet, either.

 

[Stan Wilson]

There is also a cam change required - I think.

 

[George Farris]

It will be super to see Vipers racing again ... just hope we get a fair shake!

 

[Dale.Volz]

I am excited beyond description . . . And Challengers in the GS series. Woo Hoo!

 

[BJ MOTORS]

I am being told the car is running a 60% restrictor , It was at testing and didn't make a full lap it had bugs to work out. The car should be at the roar before which is Janury 5th - 7th.

 

[MTGTS]

60% restrictor

Maybe Dodge can come out with a commercial like the Vette boys did about how much they restrict the car to try and make it fair. (I still lol everytime I see that commercial as it was the Vette boys doing the crying back in the day)

 

[David Pintaric]

I am being told the car is running a 60% restrictor , It was at testing and didn't make a full lap it had bugs to work out. The car should be at the roar before which is Janury 5th - 7th.

Wow! We run a 55mm plate, which is almost equal to a 30% restriction. 60? All I can say is "wow." But I expected something like this. I think, but may be wrong, that this is a Gen 4 motor. Can someone confirm? Even if it is a Gen 3, I think it is a GT2 build, which is pretty stout.

 

[Camfab]

I think it's great that the Viper is back in Grand Am, but castrating the car ruins the pedigree if you ask me. The whole point of racing from a manufacturers stand point is to sell cars. We all know that they claim the transfer of technology, but let's face it, it's about selling cars.

Your typical knucklehead race fan is actually going to believe that the Viper can't hang with inferior cars. I have to say, as much as I love racing, this kind of stuff makes me not want to watch it. It's like bracket racing in the drag racing world, worthless. It's about kicking ASS, like the Viper did at the RING. I don't want to race with my feet shackled and breathing threw a McDonalds straw, I want to see these cars run head to head period. No weight penalties, restrictors, smaller tires than stock or any other BS. That's why I don't watch NASCAR, nothing but a show about promoting itself and it's hand picked covey.

The best of luck to the team and I will support it 100%, but I'll be burning up inside knowing the truth.

 

[MTGTS]

Talked to Ralph about this yesterday. SRT didn't have a lot to do with the car but they did help develop the cam for the car which sadly takes away a lot of the torque which is what the governing body wanted. Pretty sure it's a Gen 3 motor which Arrow built/developed.

 

[VIPER GTSR 91]

We heard about this a long time ago and very excited. We will be at the 24 hour again and cant wait to meet the team and cheer for them. Great news.....Hope they kick butt.

 

[VIPER GTSR 91]

O. Beretta has left Corvette Racing and will be driving a Ferrari 428 Italia in a two car team too. Viper not good in practice but Ben did well. Corvette DPs really strong.

 

[Boxer12]

Nice, the only highlight they show of the Viper during the race recap on Speed TV is it spinning out.

 

[TowDawg]

I think it's great that the Viper is back in Grand Am, but castrating the car ruins the pedigree if you ask me. The whole point of racing from a manufacturers stand point is to sell cars. We all know that they claim the transfer of technology, but let's face it, it's about selling cars.

Your typical knucklehead race fan is actually going to believe that the Viper can't hang with inferior cars. I have to say, as much as I love racing, this kind of stuff makes me not want to watch it. It's like bracket racing in the drag racing world, worthless. It's about kicking ASS, like the Viper did at the RING. I don't want to race with my feet shackled and breathing threw a McDonalds straw, I want to see these cars run head to head period. No weight penalties, restrictors, smaller tires than stock or any other BS. That's why I don't watch NASCAR, nothing but a show about promoting itself and it's hand picked covey.

The best of luck to the team and I will support it 100%, but I'll be burning up inside knowing the truth.

BINGO!
It's absolutely absurd to me that a car would have to be de-tuned, have weight added, run smaller tires, etc, than the one that the public can buy off the showroom floor! I understand not letting a team produce a more powerful car for the sake of fairness, but to make the car less than factory stock is insane.
If the other cars in the class can't keep up, they need to step up their offerings.

 

[Dale.Volz]

Does anybody know what happened to the Viper in the 24 Hours of Daytona. It dropped-out pretty early.

 

[bluestreak]

BINGO!
It's absolutely absurd to me that a car would have to be de-tuned, have weight added, run smaller tires, etc, than the one that the public can buy off the showroom floor! I understand not letting a team produce a more powerful car for the sake of fairness, but to make the car less than factory stock is insane.
If the other cars in the class can't keep up, they need to step up their offerings.

You don't remake a racing class around one car (literally one car) just entering the series. That would be the end of grand-am. Same thing with Chevy, they know they can't/wouldn't run a ZR-1 with a supercharger in a real race and they brought their car to the class that already has rules. The other cars are restricted too, even the lesser hp ones. Racing is about engineering anyways, not hp. Dodge will need to put some effort in to make the Viper competitive through engineering.

 

[MoparBoyy]

Does anybody know what happened to the Viper in the 24 Hours of Daytona. It dropped-out pretty early.

Not sure but they were in the pits a lot at the beginning.

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