A storied name and style returns to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park for the first time in over a decade as the SRT Viper Racing GTS-Rs complete a cycle of first visits to ALMS tracks.

Sporting a rich history that includes three class wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Vipers made four starts in 2012 and are gaining momentum and confidence with each stop in the 2013 season.

The SRT Vipers led the formidable GT class at the 2012 season ender at Road Atlanta’s Petit Le Mans and picked right back up, leading the 2013 season opener at Sebring.

From there, it was on to Long Beach where Dominik Farnbacher claimed the team’s first pole position and joined with Marc Goossens to score the new team’s first podium.

The high-speed, high-risk/reward nature of Canadian Tire Motorsport Park seems a proper match for the SRT Viper team whose cars are powerful and increasingly quick and whose drivers possess a potent blend of talent, youth and experience.

Montreal, Canada’s Kuno Wittmer is paired with young Californian Jonathan Bomarito aboard the #93 car, while Germany’s Dominik Farnbacher is teamed with veteran Marc Goossens of Belgium in the #91 car.

With veterans Goossens and Tommy Kendall showing the way, the SRT Viper team is developing a distinct culture and personality. “I try to be a calming effect,” said Goossens, who is obviously succeeding with the aggressive Farnbacher and series newcomers Wittmer and Bomarito.

While drivers on many teams often head their separate ways as they leave the track each day, the SRT Viper drivers actually seek each other out and typically share rides from the airports, hotels, tracks and often dine together.

The team’s momentum is now extending to the younger pairing as evidenced by Wittmer who stormed from ninth to third in the opening stint at the most recent ALMS event at Lime Rock.

“You can see Kuno gaining confidence and becoming more comfortable every race,” said SRT Viper technical leader Matt Bejnarowicz.

Building a team from scratch, SRT Motorsports leader Gary Johnson and the Riley Technologies squad took a big step last month as the team returned to the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Finishing the race with both cars was a major milestone on the road to reestablishing the Viper legend, as the SRT Viper team proved that they have the reliability and consistency needed to succeed on racing’s biggest stage.

It took a combination of passion, dedication and skills for Ralph Gilles and a small team of true believers to create the new SRT Viper concept as a secret project in the depths of Chrysler’s darkest days.

Diving headfirst into the GT class wars against Corvette, BMW, Porsche, Ferrari and Aston Martin takes confidence, commitment and technology and makes a bold statement. It is the kind of bold move that Viper made when the original Viper first appeared and captured the imagination of performance enthusiasts everywhere as it dominated international GT competition.

Now as the flagship for the entire SRT brand, the Vipers are poised to strike victory again.