ACR-X The Weapon for the New Viper Cup
By Dan Reid
New Vipers, New Race Series, New Record, New Features, New Colors and a New Web site.
The beginning of the holiday season brought Team Viper to both U.S. coasts for big events in California and Florida—starting at the Laguna Seca Raceway near Monterey, Calif., and then moving to the Los Angeles Auto Show; before heading back across the country for the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) show in Orlando. At each event Dodge served notice that Viper isn’t finished astounding the automotive world. Dodge also announced a new Viper Web site, www.viperheadquarters.com, to be the focal point for news and information for the Viper nation.
The Dodge Viper SRT10® ACR-X, introduced at the PRI show on December 11, is a turn-key, non-street-legal race car slated to make its on-track competition debut in the new Dodge Viper Cup in July 2010. The brand-new race series will be sanctioned by the NARRA Viper Racing League. The spec racing series is exclusively for the new Viper ACR-X. Two races per weekend for five weekends will make up the 10-race Viper Cup schedule which includes July 9–11 at Virginia International Raceway; August 14–15 at Hallett Raceway; September 11–12 at Pocono Raceway; October 1–3 at Miller Motorsports Park and October 22–24 at Daytona International Speedway.
“The Dodge Viper ACR-X takes the performance attributes of Viper to an even higher level for a wide range of drivers starting with the grassroots racer all the way up to the professional,” said Ralph Gilles, President and CEO, Dodge Brand. “This project is a result of many years of performance engineering expertise from our SRT® team, combined with the passion and dedication of the Viper Nation, to keep the Viper racing tradition going strong on tracks around the country and the world.”
Combining the best performance attributes of the record-setting, street-legal Dodge Viper ACR (American Club Racer) and the safety equipment of the championship-winning Viper Competition Coupe, the Viper ACR-X is powered by the SRT-developed 8.4-liter V-10, equipped with factory headers and a low-restriction exhaust system, that produces 640 horsepower (40 more than production model).
The suspension is tuned and upgraded specifically for on-track usage, while the X-car is lightened by a full 160 pounds (versus the standard production Viper) to take on even the most challenging road course. Additional aerodynamic upgrades improve downforce, while enhancing stability and significantly improving grip in high-speed cornering.
Similar to the Dodge Viper Competition Coupe, the Viper ACR-X contains factory-installed safety equipment such as a fuel cell, race seat and an SRT-designed 8-point roll cage. Additional racing components are added to meet the significant durability and reliability requirements for on-track competition.
Last month, the SRT team used a testing session at Laguna Seca raceway to shake down the Viper ACR-X for the first time. Behind the wheel was professional driver Kuno Wittmer from the SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge Touring Car Championship series, who was able to run consistent 1:31.00 lap times around the 2.238-mile, 11-turn course. Wittmer’s lap times were more than 2 seconds faster than the street-legal Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR that holds the production car track record at Laguna Seca raceway.
“The Dodge Viper ACR-X is incredible,” said Wittmer. “After a short warm up, I was running lap times as quick as exotic GT race cars. I was blown away by the power and acceleration, and even more surprised at how the ACR-X navigated the challenging Laguna Seca corners and how friendly it was to drive at the limit.
“All aspects of the car work together perfectly to plant all that horsepower and torque without issue,” Wittmer added. “This will be a great package for someone coming out of grassroots racing with a desire to step-up to GT level competition. Dodge nailed it with this one!”
The Viper SRT10 ACR-X is designed to compete in the Viper Cup, Viper Racing League, Sports Car Club of America and National Auto Sport Association events.
Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) for the Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR-X will be approximately $110,000 for a car finished in primer. Colors and custom paint schemes will be available at extra cost. Production is slated to begin in spring 2010.
For more information and to order your Dodge Viper ACR-X, call Viper Race Headquarters at (888) 960-3333 or visit www.viperheadquarters.com. Check out the Viper Racing League at http://www.viperdays.com/race_viper.php (the Viper Cup site was under construction as we went to press).
