chicot60
07-02-2011, 09:35 PM
Alex Nishimoto
http://wot.motortrend.com/files/2011/07/2000-Dodge-Viper-GTS-R-Le-Mans-623x389.jpg
Having won GT class victories at Le Mans three years in a row from 1998 to 2000, the sports car racing legacy of the Dodge Viper is certainly one to be proud of. Chrysler apparently wants to continue that legacy, as Autosport reports that the manufacturer is considering a return to international GT competition with the next-generation Viper, expected to arrive in 2013.
According to Autosport, Chrysler has picked Riley Technologies, which currently builds the most successful chassis in the Daytona Prototype class of the Grand-Am Rolex Series, to assess the racing value of the new Viper production car in a series of technical analyses.
“We are investigating some things and seeing what is out there, although no decision has been made yet,” said Gary Johnson, Chrysler’s motorsports manager. “We have to be very careful about what we do,” Johnson continued, likely referring to the rather large shoes a next-gen Viper race car would have to fill – those of the Viper GTS-R.
Making its competition debut in 1996, the Viper GTS-R was a race-bred coupe chiseled out of the then-roadster-only body of the Dodge Viper RT/10 by Chrysler’s own engineers with the help of French racing team Oreca. Campaigned under the Chrysler brand in Europe, the Viper GTS-R quickly earned the American brand respect on the track. The Viper GTS-R took home its first GT class win at Le Mans in 1998, but one of its biggest claims to fame was its triumph over then-new works team Corvette Racing and its Corvette C5.R race cars at the 2000 24 Hours of Le Mans. After the GTS-R was retired, the Viper continued its participation in sports car racing both professionally and on the amateur level with the Viper Competition Coupe and later ACR-X, but didn’t achieve the same international recognition the model enjoyed in previous years.
If a new Viper race car were to enter the sports car racing fray in a few years, it would have to contend with some serious competition from the likes of Chevy, Ferrari, Porsche and BMW in the newly revised GTE class. The game has changed significantly since Chrysler last tasted victory at Le Mans, and if the company wants to see that kind of success again, it will likely want to take its time with the development of its next racer.
Read more: http://wot.motortrend.com/next-gen-viper-to-mark-chrysler%e2%80%99s-return-to-sports-car-racing-92537.html#ixzz1QzDfjvzd
http://wot.motortrend.com/files/2011/07/2000-Dodge-Viper-GTS-R-Le-Mans-623x389.jpg
Having won GT class victories at Le Mans three years in a row from 1998 to 2000, the sports car racing legacy of the Dodge Viper is certainly one to be proud of. Chrysler apparently wants to continue that legacy, as Autosport reports that the manufacturer is considering a return to international GT competition with the next-generation Viper, expected to arrive in 2013.
According to Autosport, Chrysler has picked Riley Technologies, which currently builds the most successful chassis in the Daytona Prototype class of the Grand-Am Rolex Series, to assess the racing value of the new Viper production car in a series of technical analyses.
“We are investigating some things and seeing what is out there, although no decision has been made yet,” said Gary Johnson, Chrysler’s motorsports manager. “We have to be very careful about what we do,” Johnson continued, likely referring to the rather large shoes a next-gen Viper race car would have to fill – those of the Viper GTS-R.
Making its competition debut in 1996, the Viper GTS-R was a race-bred coupe chiseled out of the then-roadster-only body of the Dodge Viper RT/10 by Chrysler’s own engineers with the help of French racing team Oreca. Campaigned under the Chrysler brand in Europe, the Viper GTS-R quickly earned the American brand respect on the track. The Viper GTS-R took home its first GT class win at Le Mans in 1998, but one of its biggest claims to fame was its triumph over then-new works team Corvette Racing and its Corvette C5.R race cars at the 2000 24 Hours of Le Mans. After the GTS-R was retired, the Viper continued its participation in sports car racing both professionally and on the amateur level with the Viper Competition Coupe and later ACR-X, but didn’t achieve the same international recognition the model enjoyed in previous years.
If a new Viper race car were to enter the sports car racing fray in a few years, it would have to contend with some serious competition from the likes of Chevy, Ferrari, Porsche and BMW in the newly revised GTE class. The game has changed significantly since Chrysler last tasted victory at Le Mans, and if the company wants to see that kind of success again, it will likely want to take its time with the development of its next racer.
Read more: http://wot.motortrend.com/next-gen-viper-to-mark-chrysler%e2%80%99s-return-to-sports-car-racing-92537.html#ixzz1QzDfjvzd