[h=1]Spoiler Alert - Round 2 of 2012 SRT Viper Cup presented by Penzoil Ultra goes to Ben Keating.[/h]Braselton, Georgia (Sunday, April 15, 2012) – Ben Keating made it a weekend sweep at Road Atlanta Sunday, winning the SRT Viper Cup Series presented by Pennzoil Ultra race. Keating won Saturday’s timed 25-minute race in impressive fashion and repeated the feat Sunday, coming from the rear of the field to win a 40-minute challenge of the 1.54-mile, 12 turn track.
Sunday’s starting grid was set in reverse order of Saturday’s finish, a rule change this year in the series. Keating started 10th. By lap five, he had cut the deficit in half and was up to second behind leader Eric Galerne when the only caution of the race appeared on lap 13. He grabbed the lead on lap 16 as racing resumed and continued to extend his advantage to the checkered flag. A total of 23 laps were completed in the timed event.
“It was an awesome race, but you didn’t get to see everything that went on in the race,” said Keating. “You’ll see it in the TV broadcast. I tried to make a pass on David Pintaric, got in the marbles and dirt and couldn’t brake enough. The car went through the gravel trap. It went through without damaging the car which is pretty hard to do. I got lucky there. Early on, I had a little contact with another car and had nowhere to go. The inverted start was a lot harder than I anticipated. Without that yellow in the middle, I’m not sure I would have caught Eric (Galerne).”
The TV video revealed more than Keating had counted on. A protest was lodged by Trevor Nelson after the race for contact between the two on the track. After video review, the Chief Stewart ruled the contact to be avoidable. As a result, Keating lost 32 points in the season standings. That leaves him five behind current leader Dave Pintaric, the runner-up to Keating in both races.
Keating is already looking ahead to the next challenge for the series – Road America. “I raced at Road Atlanta last October and have more track time here than David,” said Keating. “David has won SCCA run-offs there multiple times. I expect him to be the hot shoe there. I just hope I can challenge him a little bit.”
Pintaric doesn’t relish the runner-up role. “I’m tired of being a bridesmaid,” he said. “I’m tired of seeing ViperExchange.com Viper in front of me. I just have to drive my car better. I really didn’t have any problems today. It’s a SRT Viper. They’re flawless. They’re unstoppable. They’re phenomenal cars.”
Finishing third was Louis-Philippe Montour who called it “a very competitive race.” Celebrity participants in both races during the weekend were author Burt Levy and pro football player/wrestler/actor Bill Goldberg in SRT Viper ACR-X cars. Their winnings are donated directly to the official charity of the series – the National ****** Cancer Coalition.
Levy, the more experienced driver, took honors both days over Goldberg. “For a big heavy car, these things are delightful to drive,” he said. “For a fast car, they do everything so progressively, so easily. I can’t tell you how impressed I am with the car and the group.”
Goldberg treasured the opportunity to spend two days racing. “I can’t express how appreciative I am to be a part of such a wonderful series/event with such wonderful people and unbelievable cars,” he said. “The Viper is the modern-day supercar. To be able to drive it at 160 mph at arguably the most beautiful road course in the world and come back home at the same time, man it brings me to tears. It’s an honor to be here.”
Race Results SRT Viper Cup Series Road Atlanta Sunday, April 15, 2012
| |
| 2 | David Pintaric |
| 3 | Louis-Philippe Montour |
| 4 | Jim Booth |
| 5 | Kurt Sollberger |
| 6 | Todd Nelson |
| 7 | David Mazyck |
| 8 | Marc Montour |
| 9 | Bert Levy (celebrity) |
| 10 | Trevor Nelson |
| 11 | Eric Galerne |
| 12 | Bill Goldberg(celebrity) |
| 13 | David Decker |
PositionDriver
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]Ben Keating[/TD]
Points Standing (After 2 of 10 events)
| | |
| 2 | Ben Keating | 102 |
| 3 | David Maczyk | 76 |
| 4 | Jim Booth | 73 |
| 5 | Todd Nelson | 62 |
| 6 | Kurt Sollbeger | 62 |
| 7 | Marc Montour | 54 |
| 8 | Trevor Nelson | 50 |
| 9 | Eric Galerne | 44 |
| 10 | Louis-Philippe Montour | 42 |
| 11 | David Decker | 24 |
PositionDriverPoints
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]David Pintaric[/TD]
[TD]107[/TD]
