The Vipers are back in racing !  They performed well in their first race - the 12 hours of Sebring

and came in 5th.  The second race brought them to the short tight track in Long Beach.  They

qualified 1st and 3rd and looked really strong.  At the very last minute, Ben convinced me that

I should go face the crowds with him.  It was my first time ever to the races in Long Beach.

No better reason than to go support the Viper.

Over 175,000 people attended the races and it was shoulder to shoulder in many areas.

We made our way through the sea of people

and found our way back to where the ALMS cars were staged

I knew we were getting close when I spotted SRT engine guru Dick Winkle amongst all the people.

The 93 qualified 3rd

It was great to say hi to Tome (on the right) who designed the Gen 5 Viper interior

Kuno and his wife Sabrina

Dominik and Amanda

Dominik set the pole for the GT class

Kuno

Ben was making sure tire pressures were correct

Getting ready to roll

Yeah, I know.....this was my first peek at this car in real life and I gotta say it is really cool

We walked around the World Challenge cars and the SLS looked really sleek

Found Fast Eddie

We couldn't figure out how to sneak into the pit lane, but we were able to get to the backside

where we spotted Beth Paretta

91 ran a great race and was in first for the majority of the race.

The pit crew executed  great pit strategy and kept the 91 Viper up front

The 93 Viper started 3rd but got roughed up being back just a few spots from the front.

Wolf Henzler in a Porsche GT dive bombed the 93 in the left hand turn 6 and couldn't hold

the line.  He slid into the 93 and the Viper hit the wall and lost a lot of positions. 

The 93 was also hit and spun in the hairpin turn 11....... It was a rough day for Kuno and Jonathon

and they finished 8th

Dominik and Marc stayed clean all race, but with only 10 minutes left, and tires loosing grip with each

lap, the 91 "bobbled" the entrance into turn 1 and Bill Auberlen in a BMW Z4 was able to slip by to take

away the first place position.  Another bobble with only a few laps left allowed Dirk Muller to slip by and

take second in their BMW Z4.

The 91 Viper still made the podium with a strong 3rd place finish and more importantly ahead of the

4th and 5th place Corvettes.

Ben, Bill, Bruce and John.

With over 175,000 people walking around 2 mile track, we still managed to run into a whole bunch of

Viper Club Members which was really cool.   I'm glad I was able to go and experience the Vipers

in Long Beach.   Thank you Ben !