LM24: Keating, Bleekemolen to race different Viper for Le Mans

Pair Exchange GT3-R for GTS-R for French Classic

Ben Keating and Jeroen Bleekemolen will drive a different type of Dodge Viper in Saturday’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. The two share the No. 33 ViperExchange.com/Riley Motorsports Viper GT3-R in the IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, but will race the No. 53 ViperExchange.com/Riley Motorsports Dodge Viper GTS-R in the GTE-Am division in the 83rd running of the French endurance classic, joined by Continental Tire SportsCar  Challenge regular Marc Miller.

All three drivers will be racing a Viper GTS-R for the first time, but Keating and Bleekemolen have years of winning experience in other top-tier Viper race cars.  The teammates earned a pair of victories in the TUDOR Championship GT Daytona (GTD) class last year. Keating was also a co-driver in this year’s season-opening GTD-winning Viper at the Rolex 24 At Daytona.Returning to Le Mans less than a week after participating in the annual Le Mans Pre-Test, Keating, Bleekemolen and Miller are reuniting with a roster of Riley Motorsports teammates and support personnel. The test was held on the Sunday following the TUDOR Championship event at Detroit’s Raceway at Belle Isle Park. The Le Mans debut for both Keating and Miller was productive but a bit challenging due to mixed weather conditions.“The weather was tough, I did not get any dry laps, so I still have a lot to learn during race week,” Keating said. “I expect to see big gains from additional track time, but I got valuable time in wet conditions at the test and that could be great for the race.

“I still have a ton to learn in the Viper GTS-R,” Keating added. “It is very different than our GTD car. I think it will come during race week, and I also think I will continue to get better and better during the race.”Bleekemolen is preparing for his 10th Le Mans start but first in a Viper. He co-drove to a P2-class victory in the 2008 running of the 24 hour classic.“It was a very positive test,” Bleekemolen said. “It was hard because of all the changing weather conditions, but we could do many laps and learned a lot. The main goal of the day was to get the 10 mandatory laps for Ben and Marc in, which we did. After that, we could work on the car and try things both in the wet and dry.”The Riley team and Dodge SRT Motorsports won the 2014 IMSA TUDOR Championship GTLM team and driver titles with Viper GTS-Rs.“I like the car,” Bleekemolen said. “It's very different to the GTD car, as the regulations and tires are different, but as the team proved last year winning the championship, it is a great car.”Bringing Viper back to Le Mans after a one-year absence has created quite a following and worldwide support for the ViperExchange.com effort. The enthusiasm seems at its strongest right at Circuit de la Sarthe where the No. 53 team’s professional presentation complements the support.The No. 53 ViperExchange.com/Riley Motorsports participated in the traditional downtown Le Mans scrutineering on Monday. The official on-track schedule for the 83rd 24 Hours of Le Mans begins Wednesday and Thursday with a pair of late-afternoon into-evening practice and qualifying sessions.Next weekend's 24 Hours of Le Mans race, June 13 - 14, can be seen live in the U.S. with 25 hours of total programming on the FOX Sports Networks.