Here is the journalists' response to my email I sent him.
<snip>
----- Original Message -----
From: "John"
To: "Vic"
Sent: Sunday, January 29, 2006 3:41 PM
Subject: Re: Your comment about the "underwhelming" Dodge Viper
Dear Mr. Rough,
Thanks for the message. Your offer is intriguing, but it wouldn't be much
of a contest, because I drive a 2000 VW Passat 4-cylinder 1.8 liter engine.
I think the Viper would kick my butt. However, I will forward your
invitation to Mr. Schnyder who is unimpressed with Vipers.
John
The Orange County Register
<unsnip>
Here is my response to him-
<snip>
John,
Thanks for your response.
My invitation was only to you, because "underwhelming" was not directly attributed to Mr Schnyder. I don't want to extend my invitation to just anyone, because there are certainly people who may own a newer car than mine, or may be professional racers or similar. My particular model Viper is getting old, its a 2001, and its performance capabilities are eclipsed by the current Viper, and also the current Z06 Corvette. Addtionally, when a challenge is issued to anyone who can hear it, "ringers" of all camps climb out of the woodwork. It is not my intention to swagger into a bar and declare that I can "whip the tar out of anyone in the place".
My challenge was aimed at you, and I was counting on my modest track experience to garner a win for the blue-collar home division. I also felt, from the tone of your comments about the Dodge Viper, that you probably had no idea of how well a Viper can do on the racetrack, and so I was confident of victory! I'm sure there are Ferrari drivers that could do better than me on the track, but these types usually have at least some respect for the capabilities of the Viper, and generally don't express themselves as you did. There is an unspoken awareness among racers, of each others' cars and their abilities, and "track rat"cognoscenti give credit where it is due. Even Viper owners give respect to the inexpensive Mitsubishi EVO, which, despite its ugly taxi-cab styling, has a low center of gravity, compliant suspension, and can run (stock) at Willow Springs just a few seconds behind the current Dodge Viper. If the Viper driver is not experienced, a competent EVO driver can beat him. Racers don't underestimate a car because of its cost or appearance, neither do they fear a competitor just because of his/her machinery. There is more to the driver's skills, than there is to the car, that is, until you get into the professional levels, where the drivers are more evenly matched, and the car's performance becomes more critical.
If you talk to My Schnyder again, you might mention that in the famous "Viper-Ferrari" wars, held annually many times at the Gingerman racetrack, no Ferrari ever won. Not even once. The attendees at these informal gathrings were not professional racing teams, just grass roots enthusiasts, with a passion for racing. With not a single victory to their credit, after a few years the Ferraris eventually quit coming! I don't think this is so much a reflection on Ferraris as such, as it is on Ferrari owners, who largely tend to be more reserved and less enthusiastic than Viper owners. If a statistical analysis were made, I think it would show that a far greater percentage of Viper owners regularly attend track events, than Ferrari owners do. For this reason, there are a higher percentage of great track-day drivers who own Vipers than Ferraris, lending a better talent pool to the Viper "nation". One notable example is the late Paul Mumford, who, in his very first Speed World Challenge GT race at Laguna Seca, took his Dodge Viper to first place, beating out seasoned and notable competitors such as Hans Stuck, Lou Giolatti, Max Papis, Angelelli, and all the other factory sponsored, big-budget teams. That was an amazing accomplishment for a self-sponsored rookie, and that is the kind of enthusiasm and passion for racing that many Viper owners share. Incidently, Vipers are assigned by the SCCA with very heavy balasts, and engine air intake restrictions, in order to make the competition between the various makes in WCGT appear even. It has been this way for a few years, unbeknownst to the viewing public. When you hang around with the racing crowd, info like this comes into focus, and we in the Viper nation are aware that the Dodge Viper would be out in front of the pack more if it were not for the handicap that is forced upon them to make the race interesting. No one out in TV land wants to watch a single file parade, and the advertising revenue would fail if the races were always a "lock" for any one make, and the outcome always assured. This is a matter of record, and the SCCA can be contacted to verify this common practice. Vipers have frequently been awarded the most weight of any make.
There are great everyday Ferrari drivers also, I have driven with some of them. The group I went out with, go so far as to indentify themselves as, and I quote, the "Ferrari DRIVERS club", to differentiate themselves from the typical Ferrari owner. By their own admission, they recognize that most Ferrari owners are timid about their car's capabilities, and don't know how to drive them properly near their limits of performance. By and large, they tend to be a country club set, and Ferrari ownership often revolves around the golf course, show and shine events, and their cars are usually relegated to being garage-queens.
Mr Schnyder's attitude towards Vipers likely stems from the pride and power that money brings, and his disdain for Vipers probably parallels his disdain for those who are less monied than himself. This kind of smug conceit is endemic in automobiledom, since the beginning of the motoring era, and is neither surprising nor unique. (Or even interesting).
If I am wrong about his class conciousness, then maybe merely thinks Vipers are too "plasticy" and crude, and I can't defend that, for its true, Vipers are not leather trimmed, lack cup holders, and won't impress the valet at the Jonathan Club.
What they are, are tremendously fast, great performing sports cars, that run with, or better than, much of the world's best. For comparatively little money, they perform as well or better than cars costing far more. In fact, if I were a Ferrari owner, (with the exception of the $675K Enzo), I would feel really angry if my high dollar exotic were to get beat on the strip or track by a "lowly" Viper. I would have to console myself with talk of the Ferrari's superior reputation, my superior social status, or some such thought.
Its great that journalists like yourself share the lofty and edifying opinions of citicens such as Mr Schnyder with the general public. Maybe you would like to also include the opinions of Viper owners, who represent the first American sports car to win division at Le Mans, and FIA champions? We're easy to find.
regards, Vic
<unsnip>
