WEC: Viper squad still eyeing Le Mans start

The Riley Motorsports Dodge Viper squad is pushing ahead with its plans to race in the Le Mans 24 Hours, even though it remains on the reserve list of the prestigious endurance race.

The team, which is first reserve with its GTE Am class Dodge SRT Viper GTS-R, has filed an entry for the test day two weeks before the 24 Hours and is confident that it will make the grid for the big race on June 13-14.

Riley boss Bill Riley told AUTOSPORT: "We are going ahead with our plans to be there, we will be shipping the car over to Europe and have entered the test day. We are hopeful that we will be able to race because historically over the past five years at least two cars have pulled out."

The team, whose Le Mans entry is under the Riley Motorsports-TI Auto banner, plans to undertake a shakedown at Road Atlanta before heading to France.

The car will be driven by Jeroen Bleekemolen and Ben Keating, who are racing a GT Daytona class SRT Viper GT3-R for Riley in this year's TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. A third driver has already been selected after a try-out test in the GTD car, but Riley has yet to reveal his identity.

Riley, which masterminded the factory Viper campaigns in the U.S. in 2012-'14 and at Le Mans in 2013, is entering the ex-works car on a privateer basis.

Originally on Autosport.com