In a blow to sports car racing aficionados everywhere, the factory SRT Viper team declined the ACO's invitation to run at this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans. The pair of Viper GTS-Rs—No. 92 and No. 93—were slated to run in the the top GT class, GTE-Pro, at the legendary event this June.

"We regretfully and respectfully decline to participate in this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans," said Ralph Gilles, President and CEO of SRT Brand and Motorsports. "We are honored to once again be invited by the [race organizer, the Automobile Club de l'Ouest] to compete in this historic event, and they were the first to be informed of our decision. We will remain focused on our North American racing program in 2014."

The whole thing is strange, considering that SRT's V10-powered monster returned to Le Mans in a full works capacity just last year after an 11-year hiatus. The Vipers' absence robs us of (the potential for) a star-spangled showdown with Corvette Racing's epic C7.R.

It's also worth noting that the announcement comes less than a week after Chrysler temporarily shuttered its Viper road car plant in Detroit due to lackluster sales, though SRT insists the two issues are unrelated.

The Viper first debuted at Le Mans 24 under the Dodge banner back in 1996, and enjoyed three consecutive class wins at Circuit de la Sarthe between 1998 and 2000. Currently, the two-car SRT Viper team sits third in the Tudor USCC manufacturer point standings after finishing third at Daytona and second at Sebring.

What's got to be maddening for SRT is that had the Sebring-winning No. 912 Porsche served the penalty it should have for its starring role in IMSA's officiating debacle at the 12-hour race, the No. 93 Viper may well have won Sebring. Would that have made this week's decision any different? Who knows. SRT says it's committed to running the full Tudor United SportsCar Championship schedule, but no matter how you frame it, the Vipers opting out of Le Mans is bad for the sport and a real drag for American motorsports aficionados.

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