SRT Track Experience Fail.

[Vital velocity]

My solution: If you are a new Viper owner and register with a valid Viper VIN, than you can drive a Viper there. If they don't want to provide one, than you should be allowed to drive your own.

If someone cries about not getting to drive a Viper at the event then sack up and buy one.

That seems like the easiest solution. Have a Gen V there (hell it would bring people that just want to look at the car and watch it on the track), if you can provide proof of ownership of one, then you are handed the keys and told to get on out there.

I cant imagine your disappointment, especially after rushing to get the car specifically for this event.

Bring that bad boy out to one of the HPD cruises and hang out with the rest of us common folk viper guys!

[EdwardETraylorIII]

Yet another oversight on SRT's behalf.

When I bought my '14 GTS I was told how awesome the SRT Experience was because they provide the cars (including the Viper) with an experienced driver to teach you about the car on the track.

Imagine my surprise when I called to register when I was told "no Vipers."

This was my first AND my LAST SRT purchase.

[Murpowa]

*face palm*

Sorry to hear - I bet that made your day

[City]

"It wouldn't be fair to only let the viper owners drive the vipers".....Are they fckn serious!?!?! Who's running SRT (or this event), the obama administration...? "Liberal logic???" Im sorry and not trying to offend any1 but that some serious bullshit and sounds like liberal logic!!!

I've take no issue with a disagreeable opinion of SRT due to their SRT Experience limitations, but how you can possible infuse the political positions of the US Executive Office into THIS thread is ridiculous. It's good that you didn't have a fight with your postal service worker this morning or we'd be reading about how much influence your postman has on SRT's Viper deliveries. Sheesh...

I've done 2 Experiences and enjoyed them both. Certainly not as valuable as they might be for a Viper owner, but still extremely worthwhile. I've got my third one coming up next month. All free due to Dodge/SRT purchases. Not certain I would pay to participate, certainly not for a third time. But for free as part of a purchase, they're not only fun, but worthwhile as you can take OPC (other peoples cars) beyond their limit in a controlled environment. No doubt it's effective for SRT as I purchased my '14 SRT/JGC as a result of my last Experience.

I'd have to agree that SRT should find a means to include Vipers, but to trash the the entire event because SRT has made what I am certain is an extremely educated decision NOT to include Vipers is just silly. I'm surprised that a participant was unaware that you don't use your own car. It's pretty obvious from the the published info.

[FLATOUT]

It's listed on one single button on the FAQ section on the site. No mention on the very detailed confirmation email. All of the marketing info on the site has language centered around learning based on "your" new car and "your" new purchase. Still I take full responsibility for not seeing the one FAQ button staring I would have to autocross a 4,000lb pony car and an SUV.

I have run this road course in my ACR I thought the event was intended to be more of an HPDE with SRT Instructors working with new owners and their new cars.

Doesn't take anything away from the event, just not what I thought it was.

[PaulB]

I met Stephanie at the American LeMans event at COTA last fall and she told me pretty much the same thing about not bothering to bring the V. Still, had that event not been such a long drive I would have tried to make it. Like Tony says, seat time is seat time. I understand the disappointment and also wish there was a Viper only event but I guess the SRTTE is what it is.

[genVer]

Thanks for the the heads up FLATOUT... I too was told by my salesman that I would get to learn the new Viper at the SRTTE. I've already registered for the next available time in October and still intend to go, however i am extremely disappointed I won't get any seat time in a Viper.

[City]

I too was told by my salesman that I would get to learn the new Viper at the SRTTE.

If sales people are misinformed and/or misinforming, well THAT's a problem. That would tick me off too.

[MtnBiker]

But for free as part of a purchase, they're not only fun, but worthwhile as you can take OPC (other peoples cars) beyond their limit in a controlled environment.

Perhaps this is why they don't have Vipers out there. Someone wants to drive someone else's car "beyond their limit". Beyond the limit = crash!

[Bitten]

I was at MSR Houston this weekend too. The only new Dodge vehicles I have purchased in the last 8 years have been 2 new Viper Coupes, a Cummins Diesel and 2 new manual tyranny Wranglers. I loved the 06 track experience at VIR. At this one I felt like an idiot. I haven't ever driven a paddle shift vehicle and I had no clue how to even get the Jeep with the 8 speed into gear. The shifter stays in the same position after you move it. My husband had a great time ( he sells these cars) 1/2 the day was spent auto crossing, which I have no interest in. No one took the time to introduce me to vehicles I don't drive. I didn't have a good time and I guess I am not cut out for what they were doing. I wasn't interested in auto cross racing other drivers.

I did have a great time carting at the cart track at MSR. That was a blast.

Oh they did say my Viper could go on the track if I wanted to SHARE it and they would buy the fuel. NOT

Oh and the SRTTE is NOT FREE it is included in the purchase price of your car. It's on the window sticker.

[ViperSmith]

If sales people are misinformed and/or misinforming, well THAT's a problem. That would tick me off too.

As a matter of promotion, it makes no sense to not have a Viper there. Even hot laps with a pro would wow a few people. If you can swing a JGC SRT you might be able to afford a SRT Viper.

Heck, $500 for tommy kendall to do a few laps driving you would be "frightenlingly" awesome

[RedTanRT/10]

Flatout, sorry to hear about your experience. They've been watering the SRT Track events down for years. Unfortunatley now that most post here vs. the vca information gets lost See this thread from 5/09;

http://forums.viperclub.org/threads/...ight=SRT+Track

In the good old days you could run a viper on a road course or auto cross one. I'd had a chance to run a Viper Truck with a 5 speed on the road course at CA Speedway, drag race one with an auto trans, etc. etc.

Lot's of wrecks and broken cars have dialed everything back, plus, in the good old days there were no SRT challender, chargers or jeeps so once those guys came aboard they events got catered to them, not to the viper crowd.

[BlknBlu]

Perhaps this is why they don't have Vipers out there. Someone wants to drive someone else's car "beyond their limit". Beyond the limit = crash!

That is exactly why Vipers are not at the track experiences, but I agree that they should have ride alongs at least. I learned a lot at those events and had a great time.

Bruce

[EdwardETraylorIII]

^^This.

Very poorly thought out strategy on SRT's behalf.

[swexlin]

As I stated earlier, when I did mine in 07, we were only allowed to run the 06s on the infield course, and I barely got out of 2nd gear. But still fun. I think 07 might have been the last years they used the Vipers, and as others have mentioned, I was told it was because some were being wrecked. The Challengers of course weren't out yet, so we had the Charger/300/Jeep, and the Crossfire SRT6 (a great car, by the way). I really enjoyed doing mine, and of course got to see what my Charger could really do. Now that I'm also in a Viper (alas, only a lowely 03), I would LOVE to have and SRT TE with a Viper as well. Perhaps they will revive it in the future.

[FLATOUT]

What's the reasoning behind us not using our own cars on the track? We do it for HPDE's already, I am sure SRT has insurance riders to cover themselves in case of an accident. Also you would have a bunch of Viper owners pushing the car past it limits if it's their own vehicle and they have skin in the game. I would think there could be some sort of liability waiver that a Viper owner could sign if they so chose to take their own vehicle on track.

The other reason I didnt stay was because I had no interest in purchasing an SRT product that they had there, and I didn't want to beat up a beautiful SRT vehicle just for the sake of doing it. This event is perfect for a prospective challenger or jeep SRT8 buyer, or new owner of either of those platforms.

[slitherv10]

At least you guys in the states get the SRT TE...we don't get nothing like that up here. Chrysler just wants us to buy the cars but not offering us nothing in return as they do down there in the states. They don't offer us warranty on new US cars, although some parts are assembled here in Canada (heads and block) they don't warranty it...lol...too funny. I guess that goes along with stuff like this thread where Chrysler/SRT/ Fiat need to get their C##P together and look up and see that Canada is a country that supports them and maybe give something back to us as well along with Gen V owner experiences.

[Dusty1]

Sorry Andy, wondered why when I was picking my car up you were so excited to go to the SRT TE. While Beth and I went back when we bought our vipers, I didn't even get to ride in one. Its a marketing gimmik to sell you more of the other SRT products is all. They feed you well and its a fun day but I think I'll just pass on this one.

Richard

[FLATOUT]

Yeah no biggie I just thought it was something wholey different lol, now I know.

Sorry Andy, wondered why when I was picking my car up you were so excited to go to the SRT TE. While Beth and I went back when we bought our vipers, I didn't even get to ride in one. Its a marketing gimmik to sell you more of the other SRT products is all. They feed you well and its a fun day but I think I'll just pass on this one.

Richard

[JonB ~ PartsRack]

I liked the fact that I got to tear around PIR in SRT vehicles, burn their gas, their rubber, at zero risk-wear-tear to mine.

Ironic: SRT was setting up as our club ended a track-school day....where I am an instructor. My Viper was there.

Drive-SRT instructors asked if me and/or my Co-driver could give THEM a couple of orientation laps and help them set the cones! Which we did, gladly. Even that was in the SRT Jeep.

The next day, after hot-lapping Vipers the prior day on our own, we THOROUGHLY enjoyed, Mark, Hammer, etc, etc, and driving an assortment of SRT non-Vipers. And SRT did kindly "extend" the expired certificates due to rare NW dates. We DID read the rules, and DID understand what we were signing up for..... I have to admit that showing up in a VIPER when 90% are Non-Viper owners, is kind of like having Court-Side-Seats.

People look to ALL of us for our expanded product knowledge......and expand it we did. Fun Day. And have done two total.

Sorry that you were disappointed.........we were NOT.

[TrackAire]

When I signed up, I understood we would not be getting to drive a Viper on the track. Not happy about it, but since I already "bought" the SRT experience by purchasing a new Viper I went. I think I did the 2009 event at Laguna Seca. Here are my thoughts and what I liked and didn't like:

Crew and people running the event were great. (Richard Petty's people who are contracted by Chrysler)

Autocross in the SRT Caliber was stupid....tiny track, very narrow, no way you could really feel the car drift, etc. Only one or two laps per person. We also drove a lap on the autocross track in the Jeep SRT8.

Figure 8 type event in a Challenger, again was so tight and small, you could not get much feel for the car.....very low speeds.

Driving on the track following instructors in the Challenger, Charger and 300 was fun. Although I could not run at top speed, I did get in about 22 laps IIRC. My favorite car?...the 300 SRT8. It was a lot of fun throwing that boat around the track and although slower than the Challenger I felt hit had better balance.

Amazingly, we were not allowed to take the Jeep SRT8 around the track due to it being too high of center of gravity and possible liability issues....wtf, really? I personally thought that was a marketing fail.

Most amazing part of the day was a one lap run around the track in a Gen 4 convertible as a passenger. It started to rain, so I figured the driver would not go hard....boy was I wrong. It was raining hard enough for the windshield wipers to be on and this guy was going at it. I actually got a bit of an ass pucker, but he was an awesome driver and showed me what a Gen 4 was capable of in the rain. That was the best part of the whole day!!

Would love to see Chrysler off some sort of a driving school like GM does with Ron Fellows when they were selling the ZR1's. That would definitely help sell more Gen 5's.

Cheers,
George Carousos

[2010.Blue.White.ACR]

Iv gone twice. Once in 2006 and they let you drive a viper around the Autocross but you weren't aloud to take it out of second. Then I went in 2012 and they have rides around the race track in an ACR. Great time

[FLATOUT]

I agree had I noticed or better understood what the event was I would have driven up in another vehicle (only because of the long trip) and just enjoyed the day. I would have had a very different expectation of the event. This is the reason I wasn't dissapointed with the staff or anything else other than the big picture idea of how can we do this event better for new Viper owners.

Trust me after all of that work I really wished I would have noticed that FAQ on the website lol it would have saved me a lot of time and energy.

I liked the fact that I got to tear around PIR in SRT vehicles, burn their gas, their rubber, at zero risk-wear-tear to mine.

Ironic: SRT was setting up as our club ended a track-school day....where I am an instructor. My Viper was there.

Drive-SRT instructors asked if me and/or my Co-driver could give THEM a couple of orientation laps and help them set the cones! Which we did, gladly. Even that was in the SRT Jeep.

The next day, after hot-lapping Vipers the prior day on our own, we THOROUGHLY enjoyed, Mark, Hammer, etc, etc, and driving an assortment of SRT non-Vipers. And SRT did kindly "extend" the expired certificates due to rare NW dates. We DID read the rules, and DID understand what we were signing up for..... I have to admit that showing up in a VIPER when 90% are Non-Viper owners, is kind of like having Court-Side-Seats.

People look to ALL of us for our expanded product knowledge......and expand it we did. Fun Day. And have done two total.

Sorry that you were disappointed.........we were NOT.

[Taximan1]

I've been to this event at Raceway Park, NJ quite a few years ago (August 2007) and you could not participate with your personal cars. I used the "certificate" from my 2006 VOI9. And at the time, the GenIV's were the latest and greatest. They did have several GenIV vipers (both coupes and verts, no ACR's, about 4-5 at least) but would only allow us to participate in one event (full throttle challenge I think?). Basically, its like 2010B&W stated above. It was a very small track with some short bursts, . And they would allow you to juice the car pretty hard, but could not leave 1st gear. An instructor was with you at all times, with hand on ebrake.

As much as we all want to drive the vipers at these events. Lets face it, these cars are dangerous. Just the day before I went, one of the attendees had lost control of a 08 SSG vert, and put it through a chain link fence at raceway park. (wonder who owns that car now, LOL. The entire front was ripped off, and laying next to the car)

I think they are trying to phase out the vipers from this event, because they are just too dangerous, for most to control.

From what I understand. This is simply an "SRT sponsored" event... Its actually owned and operated by Richard Petty schools. They do a carbon copy type event for Ford "SVT".

[Herrsss]

Sorry Andy, wondered why when I was picking my car up you were so excited to go to the SRT TE. While Beth and I went back when we bought our vipers, I didn't even get to ride in one. Its a marketing gimmik to sell you more of the other SRT products is all. They feed you well and its a fun day but I think I'll just pass on this one.

Richard

Conversely I did get to ride in one because it was the luck of the draw - everyone got to draw numbers and I got the right one but Richard didn't! It was fun but I won't do it again.

Beth