@fastestlaps: you're right, the article states "At the track, editor-in-chief Larry Webster will set lap times on a configuration that joins NCM West and East circuits into a loop of just under three miles." Chris winkler was just there to adjust the car and also gave one of the journalists a ride along. That was my bad.
Dodge Viper ACR lap time at NCM Motorsports Park
Track | NCM Motorsports Park |
Type | flying start |
Vehicle | Dodge Viper ACR (Mk V) |
Power / weight | 654 ps / 1539 kg |
Driver | Larry Webster |
Time | 1:58.140 |
Average speed | 142 kph (88 mph) |
Submitted | 9 years ago by aaaa |
Views | 1.8k |
Reference: Road and Track November 9 2015 "Performance Car of the Year 2016" http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a27194/road-track-2016-performance-car-of-the-year/
FastestLaps 9y ago
Judging from the laptimes, I think it was Road & Track guy who drove the Viper, like all the other cars.
If it was Chris Winkler (Viper test driver), Viper would almost certainly win by a bigger margin, and it would be unfair, because none of the other cars were driven by factory test driver.
But I will ask Viper people to be sure.
aaaa 9y ago
In hindsight I believe that the driver should be changed to Larry Webster. The magazine states "At the track, editor-in-chief Larry Webster will set lap times on a configuration that joins NCM West and East circuits into a loop of just under three miles." it also states regarding Chris Winkler "Nominally speaking, the man is here to put on the front splitter and air the tires, but it seemed churlish to not let him show off his new toy for us." the only time they mention winkler driving the viper is with a passenger stating "I'M NOT A NERVOUS PASSENGER, but when SRT's Chris Winkler shifts into fifth at the same place I normally hit the brakes and turns what I consider a 110-mph right-hander into a 135-mph no-brake right-hander by hucking the steering wheel of the Viper ACR as hard as he can and letting the massive rear wing sort out the stability, I have to work very hard not to vomit." Finally the article states "Yet I'm still faster in the Viper than I am in anything else, and so is the boss man, who turns a 1:58.14 in his sessions without too much hassle." "The boss man" I believe is referring to Larry Webster and not Chris Winkler as I originally thought, that would explain why the viper and the vette were so close since they clearly couldn't get the viper's full potential.