Fourteen years after the Viper tasted overall success at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the road course at Daytona International Raceway has been “snake bit” again with SRT Viper’s Marc Goosens taking the pole in the GT LM class for the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

Goosens stopped the clocks at 1:44.506 – just .076 of a second head of the Porsche North America entry of Nick Tandy. The pace from the Viper was certainly no fluke – the team’s second car was third fastest with Jonathan Bomarito behind the wheel.

Then known as the Dodge Viper – the American muscle car won the race overall in 2000 (pictured right).

“We knew we had a good car, but it’s how hard to figure out what the other cars have,” Goosens said.

“We’ve had a good run at the end of last year, and we’re carrying it over. It’s awesome to be on the pole for the first race of the year.

“It’s a great way to start the season. It’s very close in GTLM. The pole might not be very important for a 24-hour race, but it’s a great boost of confidence for the whole team. It’s a great way to start the season.”

The No.4 Corvette Racing entry of Oliver Gavin was fourth fastest while teammate Jan Magnussen suffered an electric issue and was unable to set a time.