Autosport Plus

Viper adds new venom to GT battle

The original Dodge Viper became a Le Mans legend. Now the famous snake is back at the 24 Hours to add to the story. Gary Watkins gets the inside line

The rumours were out there this time two years ago: Chrysler was eyeing a return to sportscar racing with its forthcoming new-generation Viper.

The Detroit giant played its cards close to its chest, yet the latest version of the iconic American muscle car that achieved so much in GT circles in the late 1990s and early 2000s was always headed for the racetrack. And one in particular by the name of the Circuit de la Sarthe.

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Author Gary Watkins

Gary Watkins has, for reasons best known to himself, devoted all his working life to covering sportscar racing. This season is his 33rd as a motorsport journalist, during which time he has reported on major long-distance events on four continents and approaching 80 24-hour races. He reckons a degree in political philosophy makes him well qualified for covering the sometimes Machiavellian world of international sportscars.

Gary, who also writes for Motor Sport, Autocourse, RACER and others, lives in Surbiton close to the former workshops of the Cooper Formula 1 team but spends more time on the road than at home for most of the year.