ORECA Vipers aim to go out on a high

With ORECA concentrating on the sports-prototype it is building for Chrysler next season, the team's ultra-successful programme with the works Chrysler/Dodge Viper GT/GTS will come to an end in Australia. The Vipers will still compete in the hands of other teams next season, but this race will mark the end of factory involvement in the project.

"It will be a sad day in Adelaide when the drivers park the cars and switch them off for the final time," said ORECA boss Hugues de Chaunac. "We have had a lot of success with this car. Now it will go into the history book as one of the most successful racing cars of its era, and I am quite honoured to have been part of this history.

"Now we simply want to record one more win with the Viper."

The ORECA Vipers made a low-key debut in the old BPR GT series in 1996. A switch to GT2-spec saw the team dominate the class, with Justin Bell and Olivier Beretta winning the drivers' title in 1997 and 1998 respectively.

The team then won all bar one race when the GT2s took centre stage in 1999, with Beretta adding the ALMS GTS drivers' crown despite only completing a partial programme.

A full-time switch to America for 2000 has seen Beretta clinch another ALMS championship despite stern opposition from the Corvettes. The ORECA Vipers also took 1-2 finishes in class at Le Mans for each of the past three years but the highlight of the partnership surely came in January 2000, when Beretta, Karl Wendlinger and Dominique Dupuy took their Viper to a shock overall victory in the Daytona 24 Hours.

"The (Dodge) brand couldn't ask for a better ambassador," said Jim Julow, Vice President of Dodge Global Brand Centre. "In the not too distant future we will unveil a new generation Viper and we hope to make it every bit as competitive as the current Viper GTS."

"The Viper GTS has become the most successful production based racing car in history and set the standard for Chrysler's motorsport activities in the prototype category," added Lou Patane, DaimlerChrysler Vice President, Motorsport Operations and Mopar Performance Parts. "I want to thank Hugues and the ORECA team for everything they have achieved on behalf of Daimler Chrysler with the Viper."