Dodge Viper to Enter American Le Mans Series
22 April 1999
Dodge Viper to Enter American Le Mans Series
LAS VEGAS, April 22 -- DaimlerChrysler Corporation
today announced at the opening ceremonies for this week's Viper
Owners Invitational that it would enter the newly-formed American Le Mans
Series with two factory-prepared Dodge Viper GTS-Rs.
The Dodge Viper, defending 24 Hours of Le Mans class winner and two-time
Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) GT2 Champion, has achieved
considerable success and recognition at the highest level of professional
European sports car racing. Yet, until now, America's most powerful and
competitive sports car has appeared at only a limited number of North American
racing venues.
That all changes when Viper Team ORECA joins the new American Le Mans
Series, following the June 12-13 Le Mans 24-hour race in France.
"For the past several years, it's been up to the Viper to carry the
American motorsports flag in Europe," said DaimlerChrysler Vice President of
Motorsports Operations Lou Patane. "We're proud of what we've accomplished.
Without detracting from our FIA title defense, we're prepared to challenge for
the American Le Mans championship."
"The attractive television package certainly played a part in our decision
to enter the American Le Mans Series," said Jim Julow, Vice President - Dodge
Car & Truck Division. "But frankly, we think the prospect of seeing the Dodge
Viper compete adds to the spectator appeal of the sport. We feel that
bringing the World Champion to the party and giving fans a true factory battle
is the show of support that this series needs to gain a foothold for
professional sports car racing in America.
"It's no coincidence that we've chosen the Viper Owners Invitational to
make this announcement," added Julow. "Not only do these enthusiasts
appreciate the significance of this event and the significance that
motorsports plays to this company, but they'll also play a large and vocal
part in supporting this new series."
The Viper GTS-R competes in the Grand Touring Sports or GTS Class against
other production-based sports racers such as the new Chevrolet Corvette C5-R
and Porsche 911 Turbo.
The driving lineup for the Dodge Viper GTS-R team of Viper Team ORECA will
be made at a future date.
A WINNING RECORD
The Dodge Viper is well on its way to establishing a motorsports legacy.
In 1997, in only its second year in racing, the Viper GTS-Rs entered by Viper
Team ORECA won the prestigious FIA GT2 Manufacturer's Championship and the
driver's title with Justin Bell dominating the series throughout the year.
Viper Team ORECA repeated the feat in 1998 with Olivier Beretta and Pedro
Lamy.
Along the way, Viper earned an unprecedented bonus, finishing first and
second in the GT2 class at Le Mans in 1998. The event marked the first win by
an American manufacturer in 29 years -- and the first-ever win for an American
production-based car.
VIPER TEAM ORECA
Chrysler joined forces with respected racing tactician Hugues de Chaunac
to create the Viper factory development racing team, Viper Team ORECA.
"The Viper GTS-R has become the benchmark in GT racing and we've been able
to achieve great success with DaimlerChrysler," said ORECA owner Hugues de
Chaunac. "I'm looking forward to competing in both new championships."
PRIVATE TEAMS
The most successful car in FIA GT2 competition is now available to private
race teams through DaimlerChrysler's racing partner, ORECA of France.
The agreement allows ORECA to build and sell the Viper GTS-R to select
private teams throughout the world. In addition, ORECA manages a customer
service department to supply spare parts and to provide technical support to
Viper GTS-R owners.
DaimlerChrysler has sold more than a dozen factory-built racing Vipers,
offering private race teams the design, engineering and race-readiness they
need for winning on any level.
Cars are built at ORECA's race shop near the Circuit Paul Ricard in
Signes, France, to the same technical specifications as the 1998 Viper GTS-R
that won the FIA World Championship in GT2. The base price for the Viper
GTS-R is $325,000 U.S.
MOTORSPORTS PHILOSOPHY
DaimlerChrysler uses its own engineering resources and some of the world's
best suppliers to build and develop the Viper GTS-R into a world-class race
car.
Each race car is a product of an in-house program that utilizes the same
engineers and craftspeople that work on production versions. This in-house
approach allows the company to improve its people, processes and consumer
products through racing.
"Winning the most prestigious endurance race in the world, the 24 Hours of
Le Mans, proves that DaimlerChrysler's motorsports philosophy of investing in
people to create new and innovative processes in a compressed and pressurized
environment works," said Patane. "In the future, this approach will deliver a
competitive advantage for DaimlerChrysler. Our involvement in motorsports
directly benefits the development of new and innovative cars and trucks for
our customers worldwide.
"DaimlerChrysler's motorsports philosophy stretches beyond publicity,"
added Patane. "Our focus is on obtaining tangible, internal benefits to
people, processes and consumer products. Our motorsports programs are truly
an integral part of our product development processes. The Viper racing
program has led to advancements in engine block and cylinder head tooling,
transmission and suspension refinements, and race-inspired exhaust manifolds."