Viper 5th gear ratio change nets new track record.
Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2009 5:07 pm
Viper SRT10 ACR recaptures lap record at Laguna Seca
Posted on Wednesday, November 25th, 2009 at 9:44 AM EST.
The Street and Racing Technology (SRT) team from Chrysler Group LLC arrived at Laguna Seca raceway yesterday on a mission—to recapture the production car lap record at the world-renowned road course in Monterey, Calif. Mission accomplished.
Chris Winkler, an SRT vehicle dynamics engineer piloted a black and red 2010 Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR (American Club Racer) to a lap record of 1:33.915 as recorded by Motech in-vehicle data recorder (1:33.944 – as unofficially recorded by trackside clock) around the 2.238-mile, 11-turn course, shattering the previous lap record by more than 1.1 seconds.
“It was definitely exciting but a somewhat uneventful lap overall from behind the steering wheel,” said Winkler, who is still learning the intricate details of Laguna Seca raceway, having spent only one other session on the course. “The Dodge Viper ACR has amazing power and handles like a dream, so following my first practice here last month, I came away pretty confident that we’d be able to set a new record.”
In 2008, professional road racer Randy Pobst, drove a 2008 Dodge Viper ACR to a one-lap, production car record of 1:35.117 at Laguna Seca raceway while working with Motor Trend magazine. That record stood until Aug. 6, 2009, when the most recent record of 1:35.075 was established by a one-off exotic prototype.
Ralph Gilles, President and CEO, Dodge Brand and Senior Vice President, Product Design Office, was impressed with the Viper’s performance. “I’ve been closely tied to this car my entire career and even after owning one myself for some time, I’m still amazed with what the Dodge Viper can do on and off the race track,” Gilles said. “After our record-setting lap at the Nürburgring circuit, we’re excited to set a second performance benchmark record at another world-famous road course.”
The Dodge Viper is going into the final year of production for the current-generation model. Approximately 500 Viper cars will be produced in 2010.
“We’re going to keep Dodge’s performance icon alive and well by not only producing some of the most special Vipers ever built, but we’re also investigating what the next-generation Viper is going to be,” Gilles added. “When we have partners across the ocean who are known as the best sports carmakers in the world, the future opportunities are huge.”
New for the 2010 model year is a shorter fifth gear ratio (changing from 0.74 to 0.80) for improved high-speed acceleration and higher straightaway speeds. This improvement is a direct result of SRT’s experience at the 12.9-mile Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit in Germany where during the lap-record run in 2008, it was found that a revised gear ratio would have resulted in a higher speed capability and potentially a shorter elapsed time.
The Dodge Viper ACR also receives a new short-throw shifter in 2010 for enhanced driver experience and better performance. The rear wing profile and end plates are redesigned to further optimize the vehicle aerodynamics and improve rear yaw downforce. These changes result in an increase in top speed of 4 mph (to 184 mph).
Powered by the venerable 8.4-liter, V-10 engine with 600 horsepower and 560 lb.-ft. of torque, the Dodge Viper ACR continues to offer extreme performance, including 0-60 mph acceleration in less than 4 seconds, quarter-mile time in the mid 11-second range and 0-100-0 mph in 11 seconds flat.
Posted on Wednesday, November 25th, 2009 at 9:44 AM EST.
The Street and Racing Technology (SRT) team from Chrysler Group LLC arrived at Laguna Seca raceway yesterday on a mission—to recapture the production car lap record at the world-renowned road course in Monterey, Calif. Mission accomplished.
Chris Winkler, an SRT vehicle dynamics engineer piloted a black and red 2010 Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR (American Club Racer) to a lap record of 1:33.915 as recorded by Motech in-vehicle data recorder (1:33.944 – as unofficially recorded by trackside clock) around the 2.238-mile, 11-turn course, shattering the previous lap record by more than 1.1 seconds.
“It was definitely exciting but a somewhat uneventful lap overall from behind the steering wheel,” said Winkler, who is still learning the intricate details of Laguna Seca raceway, having spent only one other session on the course. “The Dodge Viper ACR has amazing power and handles like a dream, so following my first practice here last month, I came away pretty confident that we’d be able to set a new record.”
In 2008, professional road racer Randy Pobst, drove a 2008 Dodge Viper ACR to a one-lap, production car record of 1:35.117 at Laguna Seca raceway while working with Motor Trend magazine. That record stood until Aug. 6, 2009, when the most recent record of 1:35.075 was established by a one-off exotic prototype.
Ralph Gilles, President and CEO, Dodge Brand and Senior Vice President, Product Design Office, was impressed with the Viper’s performance. “I’ve been closely tied to this car my entire career and even after owning one myself for some time, I’m still amazed with what the Dodge Viper can do on and off the race track,” Gilles said. “After our record-setting lap at the Nürburgring circuit, we’re excited to set a second performance benchmark record at another world-famous road course.”
The Dodge Viper is going into the final year of production for the current-generation model. Approximately 500 Viper cars will be produced in 2010.
“We’re going to keep Dodge’s performance icon alive and well by not only producing some of the most special Vipers ever built, but we’re also investigating what the next-generation Viper is going to be,” Gilles added. “When we have partners across the ocean who are known as the best sports carmakers in the world, the future opportunities are huge.”
New for the 2010 model year is a shorter fifth gear ratio (changing from 0.74 to 0.80) for improved high-speed acceleration and higher straightaway speeds. This improvement is a direct result of SRT’s experience at the 12.9-mile Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit in Germany where during the lap-record run in 2008, it was found that a revised gear ratio would have resulted in a higher speed capability and potentially a shorter elapsed time.
The Dodge Viper ACR also receives a new short-throw shifter in 2010 for enhanced driver experience and better performance. The rear wing profile and end plates are redesigned to further optimize the vehicle aerodynamics and improve rear yaw downforce. These changes result in an increase in top speed of 4 mph (to 184 mph).
Powered by the venerable 8.4-liter, V-10 engine with 600 horsepower and 560 lb.-ft. of torque, the Dodge Viper ACR continues to offer extreme performance, including 0-60 mph acceleration in less than 4 seconds, quarter-mile time in the mid 11-second range and 0-100-0 mph in 11 seconds flat.
He's got to have some kind of 'in' for me, I'm thinkin'.
