The Street and Racing Technology (SRT) team from Chrysler Group arrived at Laguna Seca raceway yesterday day on a mission – to recapture the production car lap record at the world-renowned road course in Monterey, California. “It was definitely exciting but a somewhat uneventful lap overall from behind the steering wheel,” said SRT engineer Chris Winkler, who is still learning the intricate details of Laguna Seca raceway, having spent only one other session on the course. The 2010 Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR set a lap record of 1:33.915 as recorded by Motech in-vehicle data recorder (1:33.944 - as unofficially recorded by trackside clock) around the 2.238-mile, 11-turn course, shattering the previous lap record by more than 1.1 seconds.

The Street and Racing Technology (SRT) team from Chrysler Group arrived at Laguna Seca raceway yesterday day on a mission – to recapture the production car lap record at the world-renowned road course in Monterey, California.

And it was "mission accomplished" as Chris Winkler, an SRT vehicle dynamics engineer piloted a black and red 2010 Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR (American Club Racer) to a lap record of 1:33.915 as recorded by Motech in-vehicle data recorder (1:33.944 - as unofficially recorded by trackside clock) around the 2.238-mile, 11-turn course, shattering the previous lap record by more than 1.1 seconds.

“It was definitely exciting but a somewhat uneventful lap overall from behind the steering wheel,” said Winkler, who is still learning the intricate details of Laguna Seca raceway, having spent only one other session on the course. “The Dodge Viper ACR has amazing power and handles like a dream, so following my first practice here last month, I came away pretty confident that we’d be able to set a new record.”

In 2008, professional road racer Randy Pobst, drove a 2008 Dodge Viper ACR to a one-lap, production car record of 1:35.117 at Laguna Seca raceway while working with Motor Trend. That record stood until August 6, 2009 when the most recent record of 1:35.075 was established by a one-off exotic prototype.

Ralph Gilles, President and CEO, Dodge Brand and Senior Vice President, Product Design Office, Chrysler Group LLC, was impressed with the Viper’s performance. “I’ve been closely tied to this car my entire career and even after owning one myself for some time, I’m still amazed with what the Dodge Viper can do on and off the race track,” Gilles said. “After our record-setting lap at the Nürburgring circuit, we’re excited to set a second performance benchmark record at another world-famous road course.”

The Dodge Viper is going into the final year of production for the current-generation model. Approximately 500 Vipers will be produced in 2010 and the most interesting aspect of the day were the strong hints from Gilles that a next-generation version could be on the cards. “We’re going to keep Dodge’s performance icon alive and well by not only producing some of the most special Vipers ever built, but we’re also investigating what the next-generation Viper is going to be,” added Gilles in a written statement. “When we have partners across the ocean who are known as the best sports carmakers in the world, the future opportunities are huge.” Earlier this month during the high-profile unveiling of the five-year business plan for the future of the Chrysler Group, the Viper model was confirmed to cease production next year with only the vaguest "under consideration" being offered towards any replacement.

2010 Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR

The Dodge Viper ACR remains the ultimate purpose-built, street-legal track car since its introduction in 2008. New for the 2010 model year is a shorter fifth gear ratio (changing from 0.74 to 0.80) for improved high-speed acceleration and higher straightaway speeds. This improvement is a direct result of SRT’s experience at the 12.9-mile Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit in Germany where during the lap-record run in 2008, it was found that a revised gear ratio would have resulted in a higher speed capability and potentially a shorter elapsed time. The Dodge Viper ACR also receives a new short-throw shifter in 2010 for enhanced driver experience and better performance. The rear wing profile and end plates are redesigned to further optimize the vehicle aerodynamics and improve rear yaw downforce. These changes result in an increase in top speed of 4 mph (to 184 mph).

Powered by the venerable 8.4-litre, V-10 engine with 600 horsepower and 560 lb.-ft. of torque, the Dodge Viper ACR continues to offer extreme performance, including 0-60 mph acceleration in less than 4 seconds, quarter-mile time in the mid 11-second range and 0-100-0 mph in 11 seconds flat. The Dodge Viper ACR with optional Hard Core Package is more than 80 lbs. lighter than the production SRT10 and offers race-ready hardware and competition tuning for optimal on-track performance. The four-wheel independent suspension features high-performance aluminium control arms and knuckles, KW suspension with two-way adjustable competition coil-over shock absorbers with remote reservoirs. The aerodynamic package features a carbon fibre “fanged” splitter in front and adjustable carbon-fibre wing with seven-position stanchions that allow up to an amazing 1,000 lbs. of downforce at 150 mph. Lightweight wheels, two-piece slotted StopTech brake rotors and Michelin PS Cup tires round out the Dodge Viper ACR package. The 2010 Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR will make its worldwide auto show debut on Dec. 2, 2009 at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

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