World Record Rear-Wheel Drive Viper

June 27th, 2018

Sal and the Viper could be the title of a best-selling children’s book but today it’s a story about a car enthusiast, his car enthusiast son, and the beast of a Dodge Viper that they have been developing for about a decade. Suddenly and unexpectedly, the commitment of this father and son will pay off at the Pikes Peak Airstrip Attack.

You see, Sal Patel has never thought of himself as much of a half-mile racer. Furthermore, he feels like his car is much better suited for the quarter-mile and eighth-mile. Sal and crew have had a degree of success in the quarter-mile where they have dipped down into the sixes on occasion. On this day, they will take a run at this half-mile course after changing only the final drive gear ratio.

Initially, Sal does not seem optimistic but after a good initial pass of 223.65 mph, he begins to think this might be a successful weekend after all. A 229 mph pass in the afternoon session lets the crew know that they are on the right track.

Day 2 and the tuners have softened the leave for the initial pass. The car comes off the line a bit mushy but posts a top speed of 237.21 mph. They are progressing in the right direction and have just broken the top speed rear-wheel drive world record in the standing half-mile in a car with a stock (sleeved) engine block. The day ain’t over yet.

In consecutive passes, Sal and the guys posted top speeds of 244.43 mph and 244.29 mph; absolutely annihilating the World Record in the process.

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