Viper wins 24 Hours of Nurburgring...Again.

[Guibo]

Peter Zakowski's Viper won the annual event this past weekend. 2nd year in a row, 3rd victory overall (won in '99 as well). Last year's victory was with 500-hp state of tune, not sure about this year.

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http://www.24h-rennen.de

 

[Guibo]

CRAP! Didn't see Markus' post below. Sorry!

 

[ViperGTS]

Thank you for the pics!

 

[ViperGTS]

I like the "sheer driving pleasure" picture.

 

[Guibo]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by MarkusReinhardt:
I like the "sheer driving pleasure" picture.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Yeah, that's actually the BMW banner with their old slogan (before they adopted the Ultimate Driving Machine one): "Freude am Fahren" roughly translates to "sheer driving pleasure". Certainly applicable to the Viper, particularly one that crosses the finish line in 1st place.

Some more pics:

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[Guibo]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by TOM & SARAH:
Cool to see Vipers still winning in Europe,only wish they could do the same in the British GT Championship.(By the way,Thanks Gubio for giving the TVR Guys on PistonHeads.Com something to think about last month!I post as VENOM 500 on that site).

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Aha! Thanks for the support over there. It's funny how all I was asking was for one measly test of that Cerbie hitting 60 in the claimed time, and they get all hot and bothered and assume that I'm somehow raggin' on their car. I could have easily brought up the issue of multiple engine rebuilds (and other quality control issues) but...maybe for another time. I do hope we get some TVR's over here, though. Particularly that Tuscan S. Quite a looker!

 

[CAP]

Originally posted by Guibo: <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>
Ultimate Driving Machine <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


Whenever I see that slogan, I always think: Compared to what?

I mean, I get their point, but it's kinda like the Corvette:

"The only sportscar that matters."

(ya think??)

 

[Guibo]

Most likely, limited to their direct competitors (MB, Audi, etc.). Having driven quite a few Bimmers (and owned a couple of older ones), I can say their original slogan is spot-on; the current one is admittedly a bit far-fetched.

Curiously, if you look at the Nurburgring 24 Hour race history, the winningest brand (before the current Viper dominance) with 16 overall wins is...BMW. Not Porsche as one might expect (6 wins). Ford has 5. Chrysler has 3, but that is 3 out of only 4 starts. A stellar record which I'm sure will continue.

[LINK]http://www.24h-rennen.de/index.php4?language=de&content=historie1&menu=24hinfos.historie[/LINK]

 

[CAP]

Regarding the "Ultimate Driving Machine" slogan I questioned, you replied:

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Guibo:
Most likely, limited to their direct competitors (MB, Audi, etc.). Having driven quite a few Bimmers (and owned a couple of older ones), I can say their original slogan is spot-on; the current one is admittedly a bit far-fetched.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


Now, that's an answer I can live with.

P.S. - Thanks for the pics.

 

[Toronto_ACR]

Guibo

can you tell me what modifications the cars are allowed for this race. Is the Viper completely stock. Do the other cars get weight reductions because of the big block in the Vipers. Did the Vipers race any Porsche GT2 competition or were they 911 Turbos

Thanks

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Guibo:
Peter Zakowski's Viper won the annual event this past weekend. 2nd year in a row, 3rd victory overall (won in '99 as well). Last year's victory was with 500-hp state of tune, not sure about this year.

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<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

 

[Guibo]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Toronto_ACR:
Guibo

can you tell me what modifications the cars are allowed for this race. Is the Viper completely stock. Do the other cars get weight reductions because of the big block in the Vipers. Did the Vipers race any Porsche GT2 competition or were they 911 Turbos

Thanks
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
No, none of these cars are completely stock. No 996 GT2's this year (they're a bit new), but the 993 GT2 has competed in years past, placing 10th overall last year. Mostly 996 GT3's this year. There were a few 993 GT3 Cup race cars, which are very much prepared for track work from the get go. The GT3 Cup is the overall record holder for a factory, non-tuned car at the Hockenheimring.
The overall standings for this year's race can be viewed here: http://www.24h-rennen.de/binaries/2002-1400.pdf

I'm not sure the 996 Turbo's AWD system is up to ***** for 24-hr endurance use. Most Porsche teams prefer the simplicity and weight savings of the RWD models, though the AWD Skylines did put up a good showing this year (last year, they finished pitifully far down the charts).
I'm not sure of how the hp/weight classes work out. The Falken Motorsports Skyline which finished 5th was rated at "over 500 hp", same as last year. The Zakspeed Viper was also rated at "over 500" last year, but I've heard that in previous years (in '99 when it won and in '00 when it didn't) power was around the 700 hp mark.
This year, however, the Zakspeed was rated at 450 DIN ps, which is about 443 hp going by SAE net standards. So, less than even a standard, US-spec Viper. Weight is down to 2,976 lbs.

You can read more about its specs at the Zakspeed website here: http://www.24h-rennen.de/binaries/2002-1400.pdf

And some of the technical specs for the Falken Motorsports Skyline can be found about 2/3rds of the way down on this page: http://www.falken.co.jp/new/2001/010316.html