SPEED CHANNEL has the 12 HOURS of Sebring today. The Dodges(SRT Viper) return to racing is going good so far. They started in the rear of the GT class and now are working on 1st place!

Way to go SRT race team!

I am watching

OH wait they will dominate and then get penalized for being unstopable. Happened the last time. Forced to add weight to the point of not being competitive.
All the drivers love the cars. They are very predictable, have lots of bottom end torque and can be corrected easily. Matt

Just back from 4 days at Sebring. My first race was 1959. I got 13 pertinent pics I'll post. The Viper GT class was quite a show. With the monster always well performing Vettes, the The screaming v12 Ferrari, the miata on steroids looking with a V8 BMW, the hauling Astons, and I believe a time tested 911 thrown in, it was very exciting seeing them snake around the track. The first 10 hours its like dogs fighting over a fire hydrant, the last two hours in the dark the ones left smell blood. Those who watch on TV likely know better the actual race development, but seeing, smelling the tire smoke, and of course the roar, is beyond words.


However IMO the stink of nascar has already arrived at Sebring based on on the changes so far, in IMO completer difference to the fans. i suspect many race fans at Sebring are post nascar fans like myself. For instance, ALMS for the fans in years past had every racecar install on both sides, 3 LED lights. Each of the four racing classes had a different color set of LEDS. The number of lights lit indicate class position. Very helpful since race is so loud, its a long course with limited sight lines, and very few scoring towers. This year, no leds.

The list goes on.

Since I have 13? pics to post, could you wait say 10 mins till i get them all up before replying to keep them as block. I have maybe a 1000? more but this is a family site. Enjoy.

Personal Skybox Turn #3

Viper #91

Vi[per #93

Winning Vette

Aston Martin #007

BMW #55

V-12 Awesome, "evil" has below replied that is incorrect, its a imo a v-12 sounding v-8

Half of Viper Pit

Viper pit post race, notice the still on car system monitor still visible to the left, I took a close up pic, and the SRT crew freaked out and shut them all quickly down, it has a very interesting amount of viewable data, I will not post it.

I will share one item, most of the values are non metric

Delta Wing, fast, very Skittish

historic Sebring "Dodge" city

Race fan Field guage

Dodge is still in Nascar

Getting up close and personal in wiiner's circle, soon likely to end

last one, ALMS IMO saying Sorry

A couple of additional observations, during the race when walking thru the paddock, the SRT spokesperson was giving the fans a little run down on the Viper program, they are running E-85 first time, they upped the CR, they are limited to two approx 25mm intake orifices, they gear for a low rpm (4400rpm? because of restricted air intakes), and that enhance reliability, the rpm is pretty much confirmed by what I saw on the pit monitor ( which mainly showed last lap).

The team looked as funded as needed, old nascar dollars I suspect.

I have no way to dispute that, however, I never, ever heard a V-8 scream like that. It sounded like every v-12 I have ever heard. I can't imagine the rpms a V8 would have to turn to sound like that.

You are not alone in belief its a V8 ,
http://corseclienti.ferrari.com/2013en/2013/03/458-italia-podium-sebring/

but I kno what I heard , maybe it was those steam speed sounding Vipers that convinced me they were v-12's. Seriously, are they a flat crank or something, or what to get that sound?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrari_458_Italia

Specs are there for both street and GT3/2 versions.

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OH wait they will dominate and then get penalized for being unstopable. Happened the last time. Forced to add weight to the point of not being competitive.
All the drivers love the cars. They are very predictable, have lots of bottom end torque and can be corrected easily. Matt

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Actually, that's not what happened at all. The Oreca Vipers ran strong and won championships until 2001, when Chrysler shifted their corporate backing to the LMP effort. With no factory backing, the Vipers were left to the privateers and simply could not compete with the well funded Prodrive Ferrari and (later) Pratt/Miller Corvette.

Thanks for the pics; I assume by the "family site" reference that the spring-break-girlwatching is as good as ever.
The production 458 is indeed a V8, so unless that's some kind of "Prototype" somehow running in the GT class, it should also be a V8. By the same token, IIRC the BMWs were running V8s last year in a car that doesn't have a production V8 version. As for its sound, listen to the Ferrari F1 V8; may be some of that technology crossing over.

My gut feeling was 'leader lights" was cutback on the promoters part. There maybe a reason the company no longer supports the system and money maybe part, seems odd it was well liked. There were many other areas the event seemed cut back, less free grandstands stands for race fans, fewer portable toilets, least fan friendly winners circle fan accommodation and very shortened time frame wise, requiring a parking ticket for any trailer attached to an already ticketed tow vehicle (first time this has been done). Some of this maybe because less pre race ticket sales, which maybe from same reasons nascar is down, or more likely no real top tier Audi competitor, and Audi is already out the door.

OK, I thought BMW was using the Z4 last year...

jcc.. Thanks for the pictures. I've never been to Sebring or any road race but been a fan since the late 50s.
You'll have to post a few pictures from the early days.
Fred