IMSA: Lone Star Viper set for COTA GTD debut

Texan Dan Knox and the Lone Star Racing (LSR) team will make their IMSA debut at Circuit of The Americas this weekend, Sept. 18-19, where the team's No. 80 ACS Manufacturing Dodge Viper GT3-R will be co-driven by international sports car stalwart Marc Goossens.

Knox and the Lone Star Racing team, which is based at Motorsport Ranch in Cresson, Texas in the greater Dallas-Fort Worth area, will be making their first IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship race start in familiar Texas territory, after previously competing in the Pirelli World Challenge in the GTA class.

"Texas has a large race fan following and LSR is working on becoming a premier race team in Texas," Knox (LEFT). "We have only been together as a team at LSR for two years and we are continuing to grow our fan base. We are very excited to be opening our IMSA debut in our home state, allowing our fans to come out and see us at one of the nicest track facilities in the country, and it's local."

One of Belgium's top racers for more than two decades, Goossens has raced Vipers in the U.S. the last few years. He most recently co-drove the No. 93 TI Automotive/ViperExchange.com Dodge Viper GT3-R to a GT Daytona (GTD) victory in June's Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen with Al Carter and Cameron Lawrence. He also co-drove to a second place GT Le Mans (GTLM) finish at COTA last year in a Dodge Viper GTS-R.

"The Viper GT3-R is maybe not the utmost best for straight line speed, nor for downforce, but it has a very good average of everything that's needed at COTA," Goossens said. "We finished one-two here last year in GTLM so hopefully we can aim for a podium finish in GTD this year too."

The No. 80's preparation for this weekend's race included a trip from Texas to the headquarters of Riley Technologies in Mooresville, North Carolina, just before Labor Day weekend. There Lone Star Racing Team Manager and Engineer AJ Petersen worked with the Riley organization in converting the LSR Viper GT3-R to IMSA GTD specifications.

"This has all come together only in the last three weeks," Petersen said. "Riley Technologies has been very helpful and has offered support with pit lane equipment, various electronic systems and general race support. IMSA has a different way of doing things than our previous series and Riley has been helping us navigate these ways to help us be prepared for the event. They have a good program for IMSA and we are fortunate to be able to learn from them."

Lone Star Racing is supported by ACS Manufacturing, a state-of-the-art design build manufacturer of acoustical equipment enclosures, fuel tanks, turbine systems and skids that is based in Denison, Texas.

"Without the help of ACS Manufacturing, Riley Technologies, AJ Petersen and our Car Chief Mike Lopilato, we would not have been able to put all this together in such a short time frame," Knox said. "I raced the GT3-R at COTA earlier this year, we did very well and expect to do better this time around."

The No. 80 is Viper chassis No. 003, the same car Knox and LSR raced in PWC this season and last year, scoring a GTA-class win in Detroit. The Motown victory was the first in a North American racing series for the Riley-built Viper GT3-R that debuted in 2014.

Knox is looking forward to getting more laps on the ultra-modern COTA track but admits to liking the challenge of some of America's older and more legendary road courses.

"Circuit of The Americas has the best facilities of any track in North America," Knox said. "The track is so new that it is still very smooth and very wide, which will be helpful with the multi-class racing. I like the high speeds and wide and smooth track of COTA but like racing the layouts of some of the older tracks like Road America and Watkins Glen," Knox said. "They are more challenging to drive."

Goossens also likes his racetracks old school but does have a great deal of appreciation for the ultra-modern COTA course.

"Circuit of The Americas is a great facility and the layout is a very interesting combination of high and low speed sections," Goossens said. "It is, of course, one of the new type of "F1 safety-standard" tracks. I personally prefer the old-school tracks like Watkins Glen, Road America or Road Atlanta but we all know things are changing for a reason. Spa back home used to be way more challenging in the past too but that track has lost some of its flair because of all the safety that was built. Don't get me wrong, I'm not looking for big wrecks or disasters, but the challenge should remain."