Jeff Mosing, Eric Foss and Damien Faulkner complete the driver lineup in the #93 ViperExchange.com Riley Motorsports Dodge Viper GT3-R in next month’s Rolex 24 At Daytona where the trio will join previously announced drivers Ben Keating and Gar Robinson and the team in defending this year’s GT Daytona (GTD) class victory.
“I am very excited about this lineup,” said Keating, who was part of the #93’s winning Rolex 24 driver lineup this past January. “The #93 Viper has incredible history at Daytona. I expect that both Vipers will be strong for this race but, having said that, I also believe that every car is a long shot in any 24 hour race. Anything can happen and you never know when you can be in the wrong place at the wrong time. The goal is to protect the car to try to be in the hunt within the last several hours. This group of Texans is experienced enough in traffic to protect the car.”
The #93 squad is truly “Team Texas” for the 54th running of twice-around-the-clock race at Daytona International Speedway. Keating, Mosing, Robinson and Foss are all from Texas while Faulkner, an Irishman, fits right in with some winning race history in the Lone Star State.
“I think it is awesome that we have four Texans teamed up with an Irishman,” Keating said. “I am from Houston, Jeff is from Austin, Gar is from San Antonio and Eric is from Dallas Fort Worth so we have the whole state covered. Damien brings a little Luck of the Irish to our Lone Star State lineup and has actually had some good luck racing in Texas in his career. We definitely plan on being the Texas team to cheer for race fans from all around the world.”
Mosing returns to the #93 Viper GT3-R after making his GTD debut this past May at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in the car when it raced in Mosing Motorcars colors.
Mosing and teammate Marc Miller, who went on to race with ViperExchange.com at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, were competitive all weekend in Monterey, finishing eighth. Mosing and Foss have been one of the top Street Tuner (ST) class driver pairings the last few seasons in the ultra-competitive IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge series. The duo has won several races and garnered the 2014 ST driver title for Foss. They were also among the co-drivers in a third-place GX-class effort in the 2013 Rolex 24 At Daytona.
Faulkner returning to co-drive with Keating reunites one of the top driver pairings from the 2013 all-Porsche IMSA GTC season. The teammates co-drove to back-to-back race wins near the end of the year, with the first victory coming at Circuit of The Americas (COTA), Keating’s home-state track. They backed up the breakout Texas victory with another win one race later (pictured) at Virginia International Raceway (VIR).
“Damien and I have a great history,” Keating said. “I am just excited to see Damien get comfortable in a car with the engine up front! I expect Damien to be lightning quick in very short order and I always appreciate a little luck of the Irish on the team.
After starting his career in formula race cars, including a 2001 Indy Lights victory at Texas Motor Speedway in his oval track debut, Faulkner has focused more on international sports car racing the last several years.
“Ben is extremely passionate about racing, has an innate desire for winning, but above all is a friend,” Faulkner said. “I’m extremely excited about renewing our partnership together with the Riley Team, which I consider one of the strongest in the paddock. I sincerely believe this represents my strongest yet chance of Daytona 24 honours, and would like to thank Ben and the Riley team for the opportunity. It’s very cool!”
