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Le Mans / ALMS
ALMS: SRT Evaluating Customer Viper Program
“We’re open minded to it and it would fit like a glove for us in many ways,” Ralph Gilles, President and CEO of SRT Brand and Motorsports tells SPEED.com...
SRT is considering making its new Viper GTS-R available to customers in the future. (Photo: John Dagys)
With its factory program set to enter its first full season of the American Le Mans Series and having gained two entries for this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, SRT appears to be on the brink of expanding its Viper GTS-R program to customer entries.
Ralph Gilles, President and CEO of SRT Brand and Motorsports, confirmed to SPEED.com that talks are underway, which could see the Riley-built Vipers be offered to privateer teams in the various ACO-blessed championships worldwide.
“We’re actually getting a lot of interest from private owners about that,” Gilles said. “We’re... looking at it. We know how to do it, let’s just be honest with you. The car is just a hair’s breath away from being able [to]. It’s just a matter of priorities right now. Our priorities have to be focused. Our team is very small. We don’t want them subdivided at this moment in time.”
If SRT pulls the trigger on customer sales, it would be nothing new for the American manufacturer. More than 30 of the previous-generation Viper GTS-Rs were sold through its former partner ORECA, which built up a considerable customer base with the championship-winning GTS-class machines.
While Gilles said that a factory program in the FIA World Endurance Championship is not currently in the cards, he wouldn’t rule out supporting customer Viper programs in other championships, in order to grow the brand’s international presence.
“We’re actually going to use these next four events leading to Le Mans to measure that exact question,” Gilles said. “There are a lot of aspiring racers and private racers [that] go to the events that we’ll be at and we’ll have those discussions and see what the market can bare.
“We have some connections in Europe and Japan and all over the world that have already been talking about, ‘Hey, are you going to go GT3 racing’ and that type of thing. We’re open minded to it and it would fit like a glove for us in many ways.”
John Dagys is SPEED.com’s Sportscar Racing Reporter, focusing on all major domestic and international championships. You can follow him on Twitter @johndagys or email him at
Ralph Gilles, President and CEO of SRT Brand and Motorsports, confirmed to SPEED.com that talks are underway, which could see the Riley-built Vipers be offered to privateer teams in the various ACO-blessed championships worldwide.
“We’re actually getting a lot of interest from private owners about that,” Gilles said. “We’re... looking at it. We know how to do it, let’s just be honest with you. The car is just a hair’s breath away from being able [to]. It’s just a matter of priorities right now. Our priorities have to be focused. Our team is very small. We don’t want them subdivided at this moment in time.”
If SRT pulls the trigger on customer sales, it would be nothing new for the American manufacturer. More than 30 of the previous-generation Viper GTS-Rs were sold through its former partner ORECA, which built up a considerable customer base with the championship-winning GTS-class machines.
While Gilles said that a factory program in the FIA World Endurance Championship is not currently in the cards, he wouldn’t rule out supporting customer Viper programs in other championships, in order to grow the brand’s international presence.
“We’re actually going to use these next four events leading to Le Mans to measure that exact question,” Gilles said. “There are a lot of aspiring racers and private racers [that] go to the events that we’ll be at and we’ll have those discussions and see what the market can bare.
“We have some connections in Europe and Japan and all over the world that have already been talking about, ‘Hey, are you going to go GT3 racing’ and that type of thing. We’re open minded to it and it would fit like a glove for us in many ways.”
John Dagys is SPEED.com’s Sportscar Racing Reporter, focusing on all major domestic and international championships. You can follow him on Twitter @johndagys or email him at
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