Ben Keating

Ben Keating
Born	(1971-08-18) August 18, 1971 Tomball, Texas
Nationality	American
Alma mater	Texas A&M University
Employer	Owner/Driver, Viper Exchange Racing Owner, Port Lavaca Auto Group
Home town	Tomball, Texas
Tudor United SportsCar Championship career
Teams	ViperExchange.com The Racers Group Riley Motorsports TI Automotive Racing
Wins	2014 Grand Prix of Mosport 2014 Circuit of the Americas 2015 24 Hours of Daytona
Previous series
Viper Racing League (2007-2008) North American Road Racing Association (2009-2010) Dodge Viper Cup (2010-2012) North American Endurance Championship (2012) American LeMans Series (2013)
Championship titles
2008 Viper Racing League National Champion 2009 & 2010 NARRA National Champion 2011 & 2012 Dodge Viper Cup National Champion

Ben Keating (Born August 18, 1971) is an American racing driver and business owner operating out of Tomball, Texas. Keating is the owner of Viper Exchange Racing, and since starting in 2006 he has competed in a number of North American endurance racing, road racing and Dodge Viper specific series, winning multiple championships. In addition to his racing endeavors, Keating is also the owner of 10 car dealerships across Texas, including the Port Lavaca Auto Group, and The Viper Exchange, a Viper specialty dealership.

Personal life

Ben Keating was born on August 18, 1971 in Tomball, Texas, a suburb of Houston. Keating attended Texas A&M University where in he would graduate in 1994 with a Degree of Engineering, with Honors. While at A&M, Keating served as the president of the Industrial Engineering Society. After graduating, Keating went to work selling, eventually buying into his father's dealership in 1996. After rising to the position of general sales manager, Keating bought his first car dealership in 2002, and has gone on to purchase one dealership every year since.^[1] Keating now owns 10 dealerships throughout Texas, in addition to The Viper Exchange, a Dodge Viper specialty dealer boasting the largest volume of Dodge Viper sales in the world.^[2]

Racing

Viper Racing League and NARRA

Keating began racing in 2006 after receiving a weekend track driving course as a Christmas present from his wife. In 2006, he began racing a 2000 Dodge Viper GTS in the Viper Racing League (VRL), a league that began as track days for Viper enthusiasts. Keating received a DNF in his first race, an event at Sebring International Raceway. In 2007 Keating participated in the full VRL series and in 2008, his second full year in the league, Keating won the VRL National Championship.^[3] After the 2008 season, the VRL reorganized into the North American Road Racing Association (NARRA).^[4]

In 2009, Keating participated in the NARRA US GT Championship, a 13-round series at 7 venues across the Continental United States.^[5] Driving a Viper Competition Coupe, Keating claimed the national championship. He would repeat this feat in 2010.

In 2010 Keating also began racing in a new NARRA-sponsored event, the 5-city, 10-race Dodge Viper Cup.^[6] Driving the specially designed Viper ACR-X, Keating finished 2nd in the inaugural Viper Cup with race wins at Virginia International Raceway and Pocono Raceway.^[7] Keating finished the series with 501 points, 106 points behind first place. During the 2011 Viper Cup, Keating would record 4 race wins (New Jersey Motorsports Park,^[8] Virginia International Raceway,^[9] Texas World Speedway ^[10] and Daytona). Going into the final race of the season Keating held a 58 point advantage in the Viper Cup standings (a win being worth 60), and claimed the national championship by 20 points despite being forced into 15th place by a late-race collision.^[11][12] In 2012 Keating would dominate the series and repeat as national champion, recording 6 wins (Road Atlanta (both races),^[13] Road America (both races), Monticello Motor Club,^[14] and Watkins Glen) as well as three other top 5 finishes.^[15]

Rolex Sports Car Series

Keating made his Rolex Sports Car Series debut at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona in 2011, racing in the Viper Exchange.com No. 66 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. Racing for The Racer's Group (TRG), Keating and co-drivers Dominik Farnbacher, Tim George Jr. and Lucas Luhr placed 13th in their class (27th Overall), completing 612 laps with a total time of 21:40:37.038.^[16]

The following year, Keating participated in a full season of the North American Endurance Championship, a subset of the Rolex Sports Car Series consisting of three races: the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, the Six Hours of The Glen,^[17] and the Brickyard Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.^[18] Keating drove the No. 66 Porsche in all three races. Keating pulled double-duty during the 2012 24 Hours of Daytona, also taking a shift in The Racer's Group's No. 68 Porsche GT3 Cup.^[19]

Keating would participate in the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona again in 2013, driving the No. 66 car along with co-drivers Farnbacher, Kuno Wittmer, and Jorg Bergmeister. They would go on to place 20th in class (31st overall), completing 622 laps with a time of 23:57:15.712.^[20]

Rolex Sports Car Series results
Year	Event	Class	No	Team	Car	Co-drivers	Laps	Total Time	Position	Class Pos.
2011	24 Hours of Daytona	GT	66	The Racer's Group (TRG)	Porsche 997 GT3 Cup	Dominik Farnbacher Tim George Jr. Lucas Luhr	612	21:40:37.038	27	13
2012	24 Hours of Daytona	GT	66	TRG	Porsche 997 GT3 Cup	Dominik Farnbacher Patrick Pilet Allan Simonsen	721	24:01:42.169	17	7
2012	24 Hours of Daytona	GT	68	TRG	Porsche 997 GT3 Cup	Carlos Gomez Chris Cumming Damien Faulkner Kévin Estre	640	24:01:45.739	37	24
2012	Six Hours of The Glen	GT	66	TRG	Porsche 997 GT3 Cup	Damien Faulkner	137	4:37:25.155	29	19
2012	Brickyard Grand Prix	GT	66	TRG	Porsche 997 GT3 Cup	Jorg Bergmeister	90	3:01:18.879	18	11
2013	24 Hours of Daytona	GT	66	TRG	Porsche 997 GT3 Cup	Dominik Farnbacher Jorg Bergmeister Kuno Wittmer	622	23:57:15.712	31	20

American Le Mans Series

In 2013, Keating made the jump into the American Le Mans Series, competing in the series' final season. Keating, with co-drivers Damien Faulkner and Craig Stanton in the No. 66 Porsche, would finish 5th in the GT-challenge (GTC) class in the series' opening event, the 12 Hours of Sebring.^[21] Keating would continue to race with Faulkner for most of the series. On September 21 Keating and Faulkner would score their first victory of the season at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. In front of his friends and family from around Texas, Keating drove the first 70 minutes of the race, then handed off to Faulkner who completed the victory with a winning margin of 12.94 seconds.^[22][23] Keating and Faulkner followed their first victory up with another winning effort at Virginia International Raceway.^[24] The two late-season victories would prove a boon to Keating's final position in the standings, providing him with 40 of his 84 total points and earning him an 8th place finish in the GTC class (out of 46 drivers).^[25]

2013 American Le Mans Series results
Event	Class	No	Team	Car	Co-drivers	Laps	Position	Class Position
Sebring	GTC	66	The Racer's Group (TRG)	Porsche 997 GT3 Cup	Craig Stanton Damien Faulkner	313	28	5
Long Beach	GTC	66	TRG	Porsche 997 GT3 Cup	Damien Faulkner	73	27	7
Monterey	GTC	66	TRG	Porsche 997 GT3 Cup	Damien Faulkner	137	23	4
Lime Rock	GTC	66	TRG	Porsche 997 GT3 Cup	Damien Faulkner	161	26	3
Mosport	GTC	66	TRG	Porsche 997 GT3 Cup	Damien Faulkner	96	30	8
Road America	GTC	66	TRG	Porsche 997 GT3 Cup	Damien Faulkner	4	33	8
Baltimore	GTC	66	TRG	Porsche 997 GT3 Cup	Damien Faulkner	14	25	9
COTA	GTC	66	TRG	Porsche 997 GT3 Cup	Damien Faulkner	72	21	1
VIR	GTC	66	TRG	Porsche 997 GT3 Cup	Damien Faulkner	75	18	1
Road Atlanta	GTC	66	TRG	Porsche 997 GT3 Cup	Craig Stanton Damien Faulkner	339	27	6

Tudor United SportsCar Championship

2014

After the American Le Mans Series merged into the Rolex Sports Car Series after the 2013 season, Keating participated in the 2014 Tudor United SportsCar Championship season. Keating joined with Dutch siblings Jeroen and Sebastiaan Bleekemolen in the No. 33 Dodge Viper GT3-R for Riley Motorsports. Joined by French driver Emmanuel Collard, Keating and the Bleekemolen brothers competed in the opening event, the 24 Hours of Daytona, completing 615 laps over the day long event, finishing 19th (40th overall).^[26] During the subsequent event, the Twelve Hours of Sebring, Keating was driving the No. 33 Viper on the 13th lap when the Viper's driveshaft disconnect from the rear axle, severing a fuel line and starting a fire. After noticing the fire, Keating was able to stop and exit the vehicle without injury, although the team was forced to retire from the race.^[27][28] The No. 33 car was up and running again under 2 months later for the event at Laguna Seca, as Keating and Jeroen Bleekemolen completed the 2 hour race.^[29] Keating and Jeroen recorded their first win of the series three races later at the SportsCar Grand Prix.^[30] They would go on to record Top Five finishes in the next two races, placing third in the Brickyard Grand Prix (Indianapolis Motor Speedway ^[31]) and fourth in the Road America 500.^[32] Keating would record his second win of the season with a win at his home-state event at the Circuit of the Americas.^[33] The two wins, combined with his two top 5 finishes, propelled Keating into 14th place in the final driver points standings, despite his misfortune at Sebring.^[34]

2014 Tudor United SportsCar Championship results
Event	Class	No	Team	Car	Co-drivers	Laps	Position	Class Pos.
Daytona	GTD	33	Riley Motorsports	SRT Viper GT3-R	Jeroen Bleekemolen Sebastiaan Bleekemolen Emmanuel Collard	615	40	19
Sebring	GTD	33	Riley Motorsports	SRT Viper GT3-R	Jeroen Bleekemolen Sebastiaan Bleekemolen	13	62	24
Monterey	GTD	33	Riley Motorsports	SRT Viper GT3-R	Jeroen Bleekemolen	76	23	16
Belle Isle	GTD	33	Riley Motorsports	SRT Viper GT3-R	Jeroen Bleekemolen	55	17	10
Watkins Glen	GTD	33	Riley Motorsports	SRT Viper GT3-R	Jeroen Bleekemolen	91	49	17
Mosport	GTD	33	Riley Motorsports	SRT Viper GT3-R	Jeroen Bleekemolen	121	17	1
Indy	GTD	33	Riley Motorsports	SRT Viper GT3-R	Jeroen Bleekemolen	101	27	3
Road America	GTD	33	Riley Motorsports	SRT Viper GT3-R	Jeroen Bleekemolen	59	29	4
VIR	GTD	33	Riley Motorsports	SRT Viper GT3-R	Tony Ave	80	21	13
COTA	GTD	33	Riley Motorsports	SRT Viper GT3-R	Jeroen Bleekemolen	73	28	1
Road Atlanta	GTD	33	Riley Motorsports	SRT Viper GT3-R	Jeroen Bleekemolen Sebastiaan Bleekemolen	166	45	17

2015

Keating started off the 2015 season pulling double-duty at the 2015 24 Hours of Daytona, taking turns in both the No. 93 and No. 33 Vipers. Keating would score his first win of the young season in the No, 93 Viper with previous Daytona co-drivers Dominik Farnbacher (2011-2013) and Kuno Wittmer (2013), along with American Al Carter. The No. 33 Viper would come in 9th in the event.^[35] Keating would drive in both cars again in the subsequent race, the 2015 12 Hours of Sebring, guiding the No. 93 car (with Carter and German Marc Goosens) to a Top Five finish. The No. 33 Viper (with Jeroen and Sebastiaan Bleekemolen) would again come in 9th, giving Keating a Top Ten finish for each car driven so far in the season.^[36]

2015 Tudor United SportsCar Championship results
Event	Class	No	Team	Car	Co-drivers	Laps	Position	Class Pos.
Daytona	GTD	93	Riley Motorsports	SRT Viper GT3-R	Dominik Farnbacher Al Carter Kuno Wittmer	704	11	1
Daytona	GTD	33	Riley Motorsports	SRT Viper GT3-R	Jeroen Bleekemolen Al Carter Marc Goossens	674	21	9
Sebring	GTD	93	Riley Motorsports	SRT Viper GT3-R	Al Carter Marc Goossens	317	19	4
Sebring	GTD	33	Riley Motorsports	SRT Viper GT3-R	Jeroen Bleekemolen Sebastiaan Bleekemolen	314	26	9

2015 24 Hours of Le Mans

On April 16, 2015, the Automobile Club de l'Ouest announced that the Viper Exchange.com/Riley Motorsports entry into the 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans had been approved, with American Marc Miller joining Keating and Jeroen as co-driver. The team will drive the No. 53 Dodge Viper GTS-R in the GT-am class. The team was first among the reserves for the event, and the entry gives Keating the opportunity to accomplish the feat of winning both the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 24 Hours of Le Mans events in the same year. This will be the first 24 Hours of Le Mans for both Keating and Miller, while Jeroen will be earning his 10th consecutive start in the event.^[37]

External links

Port Lavaca Auto Group:
The Viper Exchange:
North America Road Racing Association (NARRA):

References