Autoweek has learned that the pair of factory-backed SRT Vipers named on the entry list for the 2014 24 Hours of Le Mans will not make the trip across the Atlantic for the race in 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 (Street and Racing Technology) 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.”

“We are sorry to learn that SRT Motorsports has withdrawn from the 24 Hours of Le Mans,” said Vincent Beaumesnil, the ACO's sports director. “Viper had a lot of success in the GT class of our race back in the '90s and their return last year was very promising. There's no doubt that come 2015, SRT will certainly find [its way] once again [to] the Le Mans track and we will be happy to welcome back this highly valued competitor.”

SRT Motorsports will continue to run the No. 91 and 93 SRT Viper GTS-Rs throughout the 2014 Tudor United SportsCar Championship series season, with its next outing coming in the Tequila Patrón Sports Car Showcase in Long Beach, Calif., on April 12.

Details remain sketchy as to exactly why SRT Motorsports elected to cancel its Le Mans outing. One rumored reason is that the extra endurance races scheduled for this season because of the combination of the Grand-Am and American Le Mans Series -- which meant adding races such as the Rolex 24 at Daytona to the Vipers' schedule -- has caused the company to concentrate its spending on the American market, where sales of the new Viper road car have been disappointing. It is also possible that the company may be concentrating more on the sales of its privateer Viper GT3-R package eligible for the GT-Daytona class of the United SportsCar Championship through team principal Bill Riley and his company.

When asked Monday evening by Autoweek if skipping Le Mans is a result of low Viper road-car sales and the recent shutdown at Detroit's Conner Ave. Plant where the cars are built, an SRT source said, “No, motorsports and product strategy are two separate business functions.”

Despite being on-track and in-showroom rivals, Corvette Racing program manager Doug Fehan is disappointed by SRT Motorsports' withdrawal from Le Mans.

“As everyone knows, Viper played a key role in the initial days of the Corvette Racing program,” Fehan told Autoweek. “All those early battles created huge interest and enjoyment both stateside and at Le Mans. It is certainly disappointing to learn that our American countrymen won't be joining us this year at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. They will certainly be missed by road racing fans from around the world.”

The Viper debuted at Le Mans in 1996. It won its class in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1998, 1999 and 2000. The following year, the company ended its official backing of the race car. Vipers won the 24 hours of Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium in 2001 and 2002, and the 24-hour race at Germany's Nürburgring in 2005, 2006 and 2007.

With factory backing, the SRT Viper returned to ALMS competition, then to Le Mans in 2013, for the first time since 2001. The return to Le Mans came after seven races for the new Viper in the ALMS series.

“We sell SRT vehicles all over the world and racing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans reminds car enthusiasts who we are and how we appreciate world-class motorsports,” said Gilles after the Viper was invited to race at Le Mans in June 2013. “I still remember the excitement and euphoria and spill-off effect of having been successful at Le Mans in the past. We had a fantastic platform for the car and while our number one goal was to get back into ALMS racing, a return to compete at Le Mans again was also certainly on our radar too.” The two Vipers last year finished eighth and ninth in class at Le Mans.

Most recently, one of the two Vipers was second at this month's Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, and might have won its GT-Le Mans class had the sanctioning body, IMSA, levied the 80-second penalty on the Porsche that did win, instead of incorrectly charging the penalty to another car.

Le Mans is schedule for June 14 and 15, with official prerace inspections slated for June 8 and 9. The ACO has announced already that the two Vipers will be replaced with two of the multiple entries on the “reserve” list. As usual, there are 55 official entries, plus the experimental “Garage 56” car, which is essentially Nissan's version of the DeltaWing, the Zeod RC, which has pledged to do some laps on electrical power alone. Lucas Ordóñez is the designated driver.

The LMP1 class has been split into two segments: LMP1-H and LMP1-L. The “L” cars are conventionally powered, and include a Lotus and two Rebellion Toyotas. The “H” or hybrid class is where the money is being spent -- three Audi R-18 E-Tron Quattros, against a pair of Toyota TS 040 Hybrids. The newcomer is the pair of long-awaited Porsche 919 Hybrids; having seen these cars up close in Geneva, we can say that they appear quite large, ungainly but purposeful in person, due in part to the front and rear wheels being pushed way out. The attention to detail appears typically Porsche-like. This could be the most interesting battle for the overall victory in years.

In LMP2, there are 17 cars on the entry list. No U.S. entries are on the list. The field is made up mostly of Nissan-powered cars, with one interesting new entry: World Rally Championship legend Sébastien Loeb's Sébastien Loeb Racing is running a Nissan-Oreca as Loeb seeks to spread his wings. Rene Rast is the designated driver. There are five “reserve” LMP2 entries, including Caterham Racing, with designated driver Chris Dyson.

Drop down to GTE-Pro, and you'll find 12 entries, including the two factory Chevrolet Corvette C7.Rs. Besides the Corvettes, the entry list includes Porsche 911s, Ferrari 458s, and Aston Martin V8 Vantages.

There are 16 GTE-Am entries, including actor Patrick Dempsey in his Porsche 911 RSR, and Peter Ashley Mann in an AF Corse Ferrari.

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