Viper Days at Hallett Motor Racing Circuit

Posted on August 14, 2010 by RLD

With the inaugural season of the Viper Cup series in full force, Viper fanatics descended upon Hallett Raceway outside of Tulsa, Oklahoma for the third race of the year. Not only a Viper Cup race, the Viper Days event provided both Driver’s Education and race opportunities for Viper owners of all stripes. No fewer than 35 ten-cylinder snakes made their way to Hallett on a sweltering 107 degree day. From first time track visitors to retired professionals like Richie Hearn, the day was filled with unspeakably cool race action from various versions of Dodge’s most venomous sports car.

And while the entire weekend was focused on the two Viper Cup Series races, which feature the imitable ACR-X, some of the most interesting highlights came from the gentlemen and gentle-ladies that were running in the “Red Races.” At least six full blown Viper Competition Coupes came out to put on a show for the Viper Cup Series faithful by beating up on two of Bowling Green’s finest. However, despite the phenomenal show put on by the Comp Coupes, David Fiorelli of Arlington, Texas blew away the entire field in a highly-modified 1996 Viper GTS. In what can only be attributed to an absolute love affair with the automobile, David modeled his sinister snake after the Team Oreca Vipers that won the 24 Hour of Le Mans three times. His list of modifications is too numerous to list, here are some of the highlights: 800hp N/A motor with a custom gold-plated airbox, weight reduced to 2,900lbs, flat paneled under car aero with a rear diffuser, and an EMCO no-lift sequential transmission fully integrated into a Motec ECU. Take all that and wrap it in flat black Viper GTS body and you have one of the most intimidating Dodge’s on the planet. “It is a really cool piece of equipment,” Fiorelli says. We cannot agree more.

Check out Facebook for all the awesome pics, and be sure to check back tomorrow when we will cover all the Viper Cup race action, including Ryan Schimsk’s dominating win in Saturday’s race and a pair of his and her Plum Crazy Viper race cars.