When the 2013 SRT Viper made its debut at the New York International Auto Show, SRT president Ralph Gilles surprised us with a rad unveiling of the SRT Viper GTS-R. Best of all? It wasn't a styling exercise, it was the real deal. SRT confirmed that the new Viper will return to racing and enter the American Le Mans Series and the industry buzzed at the thought of seeing the Oreca Vipers battling the endurance circuits once again.
The SRT Viper American Le Mans Series program was still under development at the time of the unveiling, so details were limited. But now, the SRT Viper GTS-R's inaugural race has is finally confirmed.
According to racer.com, SRT Viper American Le Mans Series driver Ryan Hunter-Reay confirmed his factory SRT entry in the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta later this year. From his announcement on Wednesday, "The Petit Le Mans is where I'd be driving the car in Atlanta, and it's after the (IndyCar) season."
A talented driver, Hunter-Reay is the current IndyCar points leader and has also raced in the Grand-Am Rolex Series at the Rolex 24 at Daytona and has driven the 12 Hours of Sebring earlier this year, finishing first in the P2 category.
Regarding his racing schedule up to the race at Atlanta, Hunter-Reay added, "Yeah, it's after the [IndyCar] season, so I'm just going to keep focused on IndyCar during the season now, and there is really nothing else coming up that I know of."
