10/04/2025
Last Saturday was our annual IRL Car Control School Intro to Performance Driving Program.
In many ways it was the same as any track day; introducing and sharing this deeply imbedded love for High-Performance Driving through education & coaching. Meeting new track drivers and fellow car enthusiasts. Experiencing unique and characterful cars in a purpose-built environment designed for their drivers to experience their capabilities.
In other ways, this track day was different. First, it was an opportunity to share my Love for High Performance Driving with my good friend, fabricator and all around amazing person Kenn. A “thank you” to Kenn, who has helped me over the years rebuild, refurbish and improve my vehicles. The Viper RT/10 ACR would never have been possible without him. (among the other small businesses and friends who’ve helped along the way!)
This was a great way to introduce him into the world of performance driving in an education and safety-first environment. The best school to be introduced to what I hear time and time again as “a lot to focus on out there.”
My confidence in he and project Gen 1 ACR was high enough to use the car as its first proper track “shakedown” and as Kenn’s first track car. I was eager to see how he enjoyed it, along with the rumours that, especially the Gen 1 cars, are the notorious American “Widow Maker”.
Going in I knew there were some little modifications/ refinements that will be needed for future use, such as a tad more “refined” exhaust set-up, but was confident the car would drive there, do the day and be driven back home without any mechanical & safety concerns.
Boy, it wasn’t what I expected. It was better! Partly due to Kenn being highly respectful, analytical and having a calm, relaxed demeanour.
Then, I had the chance to drive it for the first time on track, and fairly hard 8-10 tenths -Except for the top of the carousel -I did an 11/10ths, braking too late, too aggressively on turn-in causing too much rear rotation, yet, was still able to correct fairly quickly, without much fuss.
In a couple previous charity autocross events, I noticed the car felt like a scaled-up Miata with more weight and much more torque -I’d always expected the Viper to be similar to the Miata in terms of chassis balance and handling characteristics -both dead near 50/50 weight distribution (the Viper being 49% front bias actually), low centre of gravity, fairly lightweight, simple, no fuss, rearward cabin machines.
This session completely confirmed my suspicions. This car IS a scaled-up Miata with more weight, more power and more tire (and some downforce!). What this means is it’s a dance partner, you can “car dance” as Ross Bentley would say-It will do what you tell it, even if you don’t know what you’re telling it to do! And that leads us back to that question, is it the “American Widow Maker” so famously recognized?
The real question should be, “What do you want it to be?”. The better question would be, “how are my inputs affecting the outputs of the car?”
During the course of my time working at a track in western Canada, we had 3 “write off” car situations due to driver error. 2 of the 3 were Miata’s (Yes, seems even here, Miata Is Always The Answer!). Why? Because they are some of the few street cars that will do exactly what you tell them to, and there’s no hiding errors through mass, unbalanced chassis’, and a number of traction & stability control systems.
They are some of the few and best “car dancing” partners stock for stock. These merits are also its demerits -If you understand the physics and how your inputs impact the outputs, these are some of the funnest, most rewarding street cars. They are also what can, if abused and used with a lack of education, will consequently “bite you”. This is very similar to the Dodge Viper. Just with a lot more torque that one has to be aware of with throttle inputs, and the added mass mixed with much more mechanical grip from massively wide tires means that you’ll be going quicker when it does “let go”, and those tires will “let go” a little quicker due to their lateral grip capability.
Even bigger differences than the torque and tires, is the ability to induce lift-off throttle oversteer, due to those wide tires, more mass, and in particular the deceleration from the massive displacement V10 engine. Lifting off the throttle abruptly, especially after heavy throttle input, and you’ll feel that sudden decelerative load-transfer to the front. This I believe to be the unrecognized, yet, most impactful vehicle reaction, and leads as to why so many of these cars are needlessly crashed -next to owners using original tires.. (Anything over 6 years old the rubber compound is going to start to deteriorate, especially in a non-climate controlled environment)
Now, we are talking about a fairly modified track-oriented build with some sticky R-competition tires, which are known to drop off in grip pretty steeply once past their limits. Racing tires, even more so..
Now, if this “ACR ified” car reacts to driver inputs like a bigger Miata, what does an original, unmodified Gen 1 Viper feel like. Is this the real “widow maker”. Surprisingly, it didnt feel as different from the Gen 1 ACR, in terms of chassis balance. It was very similar -They are the same cars after all. Both, you have to be aware of throttle, braking and steering inputs. To keep it simple, the original just doesn’t have nearly as high limits that the ACR-ified car does. In this way, even the original Gen 1 Viper I believe to be a fantastic driver education tool -paired with the education and a methodical, analytical approach to high-performance driving. It was surprisingly a highly rewarding driving experience and not once feared that my Life was in danger. Part of this is attributed to my student Dan, who as Kenn did, took the day with the right mindset.
In short, these cars aren’t “window-makers”. It is the driver’s education & knowledge, or the lack thereof, that misidentifies these track-tools as axe murderers. Just behind this is old tires, old brake components, old everything in a 90’s car.
This leads me to the last thing I really learnt that day. Countless hours have been put into building the RT/10 ACR, putting in new and improved parts, especially when it came to performance and safety. Yet, one of the few things not changed on the car, the upper rad hose, decided to let go. In consequence, I also discovered coolant on hot headers leads to evaporation of the water, leaving glycol alcohol on said hot bits, which on occasion, can spontaneously combust. The moral of the story, again, 30 year old car, replace any potential 30 year old part that could impact drivability and safety. Especially if you are going to drive it how it could when new.
Also, when things happen, they tend to when least expected and very quickly. It is very difficult to be calm and collected, especially when you can’t see where you’re going through a fast corner, or other emergency situations. The key is always try to think methodically and level headed as possible. An emotionally rushed reaction, especially in emergency situations, tend to lead to not the best decisions. Maybe not the worst, but not the best neither..
Also, always carry an extinguisher, especially on track. Something such as the compact, lightweight Element fire extinguisher is worth every penny. Just ensure that the Velcro strap is undone.. In fact, get the rollbar holder for your track car and always leave the Velcro strap off! Then you will always be ready, especially when feeling rushed.
I would like to thank those who quickly arrived to the car with extinguishers at the ready. I never realized that coolant is a fire hazard. The entire situation changed my perspective and how I run my cars and my own mental programming both on track and in the paddock. Always trying to be best prepared, with the desire to know how to be even more so, including staying calm and methodical in times of chaos.
Safe to say the closest thing to a “Widow Maker” was an old hose, at least somewhat looks like a snake though! Glad that’s the only thing that bit that day!🐍
Thanks again to everyone who helped in the unexpected “learning take”. Have taken many notes to carry into the future and hope you will too.
Now, Viper owners, go get out to an Intro to track driving school and coaching to really understand and appreciate what is one of the funnest dance partners a driver could have! These cars were meant to be driven and experienced on track. Please consider taking that leap. I promise, it will open up a completely new and rewarding world of the Viper!
Photos contributed generously by Laframboise
