Development of the SRT® Viper GT3-R continues in preparation for the 2014 racing season. Recently, the car hit the track for the first time at Carolina Motorsports Park in Kershaw, South Carolina, with two-time SRT Viper Cup Series champion Ben Keating behind the wheel.



Keating was the first to purchase a GT3-R and has teamed with world-class endurance racer Jeroen Bleekemolen for a full-time run next season in the GT Daytona class with the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. Keating’s car will be maintained by the team at Riley Technologies in Mooresville, North Carolina, the group that also manages the SRT Viper GTS-R race program. Bill Riley and his staff conducted the test at Carolina Motorsports Park with Gary Johnson, SRT Racing Manager.

“When you take a racecar to the track for the first time, you look at some of the major components and systems on the car,” said Johnson. “For example, you want to make sure the car runs and shifts correctly when in motion. If all goes well, then you can focus on suspension set up and get into more details as the test progresses. Bill (Riley) and his guys have been great to work with. They have a lot of experience with Vipers now, and they know how things go together. We can really lean on them when we have questions.”

Many facets of the GT3-R were tested at Carolina Motorsports Park, which is a 2.279-mile natural terrain road course that provides a combination of straightaways, hard-braking areas, and a variety of corners. Some of the focal points during the test were calibration of the engine, a new engine control system and a new shift strategy for the transmission.



“The development of the car has been coming along great,” Johnson said. “We’ve been able to apply some of the suspension settings and techniques we learned on the SRT Viper GTS-R to the GT3-R. Also, the car looks absolutely fantastic. It is a beautiful piece of machinery.”

The GT3-R will likely hit the track at least once more for testing under the guidance of Keating, prior to the first official test for the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship in the middle of November. The car will make its competitive debut in the 2014 season-opening 24 Hours of Daytona at the legendary Daytona International Speedway.

Orders for the SRT Viper GT3-R are currently being taken. Check out full specs of the SRT Viper GT3-R.

-Taken from http://www.drivesrt.com/news/2013/10/srt-viper-gt3-r-hits-the-track-for-first-test-at-carolina-motorsports-park.html