The Chrysler Group's Street and Racing Technology (SRT) team made history on
Sept. 14, 2011, at the famed Nurburgring Nordschleife as their ultimate,
street-legal, track-ready car - the Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR - recaptured the
production car lap record with a 7:12.13 elapsed time.
With no 2011 model-year Dodge Viper cars being produced, SRT joined forces with
the Viper Club of America and the ViperExchange by Tomball Dodge team from
Tomball, Texas, which supplied two brand-new 2010 Dodge Viper ACR's off their
showroom floor for the record-setting effort.
"We're extremely proud to set the lap record for a second time at the famed
Nurburgring Nordschleife," said Ralph Gilles, President and CEO - SRT Brand and
Motorsports, Chrysler Group LLC. "Our team returned to Germany knowing we'd left
some time on the track when we set our first lap record, so this effort shows
the incredible depth and capability the Viper ACR has by running a full 10
seconds faster than we did in 2008."
ViperExchange team owner and longtime Viper enthusiast Ben Keating, also was
instrumental in securing veteran GT driver Dominik Farnbacher to drive the Viper
ACR to the new record lap. Keating and Farnbacher previously teamed up at the 24
Hours of Daytona in 2011.
The street-legal Viper ACR is factory-equipped and tuned for outstanding track
performance with coil-over racing dampers that are adjustable for both damping
and ride height. The shocks are two-way factory adjustable without removing the
wheels - a timesaver at any track configuration - and they include a large range
for compression and rebound adjustment. Aerodynamics are also adjustable via
carbon-fiber rear wing with seven-position stanchions and an adjustable front
splitter.
SRT's first official visit to the Nurburgring took place in August 2008 when the
newly launched 2008 Dodge Viper ACR came to Germany with driver Tom Coronel and
established a new production car lap record time of 7:22.1, a record that stood
through much of 2011.
As a result of their original trip to Nurburgring, SRT engineering implemented a
few specific improvements to get even more speed out of the record-setting
supercar.
For the 2010 model year, the Viper ACR received a shorter fifth gear ratio
(changing from 0.74 to 0.80) for improved high-speed acceleration and higher
straightaway speeds. This helped achieve higher speeds down the front
straightaway of Dottinger Hohe and past the Antonius Bridge on the Nurburgring
course. The rear-wing profile and end plates also were redesigned to further
optimize the vehicle aerodynamics and improve yaw downforce, which allowed
greater speeds through the high speed turns such as Schwedenkreuz. A new
short-throw shifter also came in 2010 models for enhanced driver control and
quicker shifts.
The hot-lap testing was spread over two days. On Sept. 12, the track was
completely wet at the beginning of the four-hour session. By the final hour, the
track was mostly dry but peak performance was limited due to a few remaining
damp areas at the Bergwerk corner and Fuchsrohre and Wippermann areas. The best
lap of the day was a 7:15.6 at the end of the session. By Sept. 14, a clear
weather pattern allowed the track to dry and gave the team good conditions for
the Viper ACR's final lap of 7:12.13.