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MISC: Dodge Viper cruises to victory in Michelin One Lap of America

16 May 2000

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

4,000 Mile Car Endurance Event Puts Man and Machine to the Test

South Haven, MI - The Michelin One Lap of America endurance car event finished last night at Gingerman Raceway in South Haven, MI. Brian Smith and Spencer Geswein won the overall event in a 1999 Dodge Viper GTS fitted with Michelin Pilot SX MXX3 Z-rated tires. Complete results can be found on www.michelin.com.

The week-long event, sponsored by Michelin, started on May 6 in South Haven and worked its way through 15 states and 4037 miles, before ending back at Gingerman on Saturday, May 13.

Michelin One Lap of America tests endurance and competitive racing skills. Vehicles are not limited to high performance machines like Viper, Ferrari, Porsche and Mercedes. The field also includes cars like a VW Beetle, Honda Civic and 1954 Chevy ton truck. Teams of two or more drivers pilot each car, navigating hundreds of miles between seven racetracks across the eastern U.S. Points are accumulated during time trials held at the raceways.

These points are used to determine the overall winner as well as winners in each class. The Dodge Viper won the Sports Grand Touring Class as well as the overall event.

"Dodge Viper has a strong racing heritage. They've won their class in every American LeMans race since June 1999 and took the overall victory at the 24 Hours of Daytona," said Ron Wood of Michelin North America. "So it's no surprise that the vehicle performed so well in the Michelin One Lap of America." Dodge Viper is fitted with Michelin tires as original equipment and competes with Michelin Pilot racing slicks on its sportscars.

Car and Driver contributing editor, Brock Yates, founded the Michelin One Lap of America. The event is a descendant of the famous Cannonball Run - a race Yates founded and later immortalized in the movie starring Burt Reynolds and Farrah Fawcett.

Michelin manufactures and sells tires for every type of vehicle, including airplanes, automobiles, bicycles, earthmovers, farm equipment, heavy-duty trucks and the space shuttle. Headquartered in Greenville, S.C., Michelin North America (www.michelin.com) employs 27,000 and operates 23 plants in 21 locations.

Text provided by Bob Andrew

Editors Note: To view hundreds of hot racing photos and art, visit The Racing Photo Museum and the Visions of Speed Art Gallery.