Ben Keating

From WikiProjectMed
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Ben Keating
Born (1971-08-18) August 18, 1971 (age 53)
Alma materTexas A&M University
Employer(s)Owner, Keating Auto Group
World Endurance Championship career
Debut season2006
Racing licence FIA Bronze
TeamsTeam Project 1
The Racers Group
Riley Motorsports
TI Automotive Racing
PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports
TF Motorsports
Wins2023 Road America

2023 Sebring 1000 Miles
2023 6 Hours of Portimão
2023 24 Hours of Le Mans
2022 Sebring 12 Hours
2022 Glen
2022 24 Hours of Le Mans
2021 Sebring 12 hours
2021 Watkins Glen 240
2021 Laguna Seca
2021 Bahrain 6 Hours
2020 Spa-Franchorchamps
2021 IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup
2019 IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup
2018 IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup
2017 IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup
2015 24 Hours of Daytona

2014 Grand Prix of Mosport
2014 Circuit of the Americas
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
2021 IMSA SportsCar Championship
LMP2 Champion

Benjamin Edward Keating[1] (born August 18, 1971) is an American racing driver and business owner operating out of Victoria, Texas. Keating is the owner of 30 car auto dealerships across Texas, The Keating Auto Group. Since starting auto racing in 2007, he has competed in many auto races worldwide, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, 24 Hours of Daytona, Twelve hours of Sebring, and most recently the World Endurance Championship. He is the only American driver to have won multiple World Championships. Keating began racing in 2007 after receiving a weekend track driving course as a Christmas present from his wife.

Business life

Ben Keating has been surrounded by the car industry his entire life. Growing up, he washed cars and parked them on the front line at the Ford dealership owned by his father, which provided Keating an inside look into the dynamics of auto dealerships. Keating eventually found himself in an internship at Service Group during his junior and senior years at Texas A&M University.

During his internship in Service Group, Keating trained staff and managers at multiple dealerships. In 1995 when he graduated from A&M with a degree in Engineering, Keating sold cars at Covert Ford in Austin, Texas. Soon after he became the Used Car Sales Manager at Tomball Ford which was owned by his father and later became a minority owner himself.[2]

Keating purchased Port Lavaca Ford in 2002.[3] That was followed by Port Lavaca Dodge (2002) then Port Lavaca Chevrolet (2004). As of 2024 Keating owned 30 dealerships, generating about $3 billion in annual revenue and selling over 50,000 cars annually. In 2023, the Keating Auto Group was ranked 1st as the Largest Privately Held Auto Group in Texas as well as the 9th Top Privately Held Dealership Group in the United States.[1] Automotive News ranked the Keating Auto Group as the 15th Largest Auto Group in the Nation.[4] In 2024, Keating was nominated for Time Magazine Dealer of the Year Award.[5]

At each of his stores the general manager is also a minority partner of the business.[6]

Racing

Viper Racing League and NARRA

Keating began racing in 2007 after receiving a weekend track driving course as a Christmas present from his wife. In 2007, 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.[7] After the 2008 season, the VRL reorganized into the North American Road Racing Association.[8]

In 2009, Keating participated in the NARRA US GT Championship, a 13-round series at 7 venues across the Continental United States.[9] 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 Dodge SRT-sponsored event, the 5-city, 10-race Dodge Viper Cup.[10] 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.[11] 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,[12] Virginia International Raceway,[13] Texas World Speedway[14] 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.[15][16] In 2012 Keating would dominate the series and repeat as national champion, recording 6 wins (Road Atlanta (both races),[17] Road America (both races), Monticello Motor Club,[18] and Watkins Glen) as well as three other top 5 finishes.[19]

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.[20]

The following year, Keating participated in a full season of the North American Endurance Championship, a subset of the Grand-AM Rolex Sports Car Series consisting of three races: the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, the Six Hours of The Glen,[21] and the Brickyard Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.[22] 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.[23]

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.[24]

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.[25] 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.[26][27] Keating and Faulkner followed their first victory up with another winning effort at Virginia International Raceway.[28] 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).[29]

WeatherTech SportsCar Championship

2023

2022

2021

The LMP2 is in the classic WYNN’S livery. The team for LMP2 consists of Ben Keating, Mikkel Jensen, and Scott Huffaker. The LMP2 results as of Nov 14, 2021:

Ben and his team won the IMSA Championship and the Michelin North American Endurance Cup for LMP2.

2019

Keating won his third consecutive IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup. He finished seventh in the GTD season and had a victory at Virginia International Raceway. Also 2019, Keating became the first person to enter a Ford GT in Le Mans privately. The team placed 3rd but was later disqualified due to a capacity issue with the car's fuel cell.

2018

Keating won his second consecutive IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup GTD title. He finished third in the GTD championship by winning a victory at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park and two third-place runs at Laguna Seca and Sebring.

2017

Keating competed in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in a Mercedes AMG. He partnered with the Riley Motorsports Team. The car is a naturally-aspirated, 6.3-liter V8 Mercedes-AMG GT3 based on the Mercedes-AMG GT road cars. They competed in the IMSA GT Daytona (GTD) class. 2016 In December 2015, Viper Exchange announced they would again be sponsoring two Vipers in the 2016 running of the 24 Hours of Daytona.[30] Keating will once again take shifts in both the No. 93 and No. 33 Vipers as he seeks to defend his 2015 victory. Keating will be joined in the No. 33 by Dominik Farnbacher, who helped drive the No. 93 to Daytona victory in 2015, and Le Mans co-drivers Marc Miller and Jeroen Bleekemolen.[30] Keating was joined in the No. 93 car by Trans-Am Series TA2 Champion Gar Robinson.[30]

2016

Keating followed up on 2015's winning success with his most successful IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season yet in 2016. Racing the full season with Bleekemolen for the third-straight year, Keating once again kicked off the schedule with double duty in the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona. He and co-drivers Jeff Mosing, Eric Foss, Gar Robinson, and Damien Faulkner put the No. 93 Viper on the GTD-class podium for the second-straight year after the 2015 Daytona victory. The No. 93 gained three positions in the race's final hour for a third-place finish. Keating and the No. 33 team in turn recovered from a Saturday night accident to finish 10th, which made ViperExchange.com the only two-car GTD team in the Rolex 24 to place both of its entries in the top 10.

Keating scored his first win of the year in Detroit. A popular victory in the hometown of the Viper, Keating stayed in touch with the lead pack throughout his race-opening stint after qualifying sixth, racing his way into the lead as the GTD field cycled through pit stops. Bleekemolen took over and kept the No. 33 upfront to the finish.

The year's second victory followed one race after Lime Rock at Road America, where Keating and Bleekemolen co-drove to the second-year-in-a-row victory. The win moved Keating, Bleekemolen, and ViperExchange.com to third in the GTD class point standings, putting them in contention for a solid championship finish for the first time.

The No. 33 team arrived at Road Atlanta second in points for the season-ending Petit Le Mans. Again co-driving with Miller, Keating and Bleekemolen did everything they could to gain a great result, starting from the pole and winning what would be the final race for a Viper in the IMSA GTD competition. Although the championship-winning Ferrari team build a big enough cushion to win the championship despite the No. 33 team's strong finish at Road Atlanta, Keating and company finished second in the team and driver GTD standings.

The 2016 season also saw Keating compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the second-straight year. After debuting in a GTE-Am class Viper GTS-R in 2015 with Bleekemolen and Miller, Keating switched to the LMP2 division in 2016, co-driving an open-top Nissan Oreca 03 with Bleekemolen and Marc Goossens. Despite a race-long string of issues, Keating finished Le Mans for the first time, driving the Oreca across the finish line for a 15th-place result in class.

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.[31] 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 Belgian Marc Goossens) to a Top Five finish. The No. 33 Viper (with Jeroen and Sebastiaan Bleekemolen) would again come in 9th after a radiator issue late in the race knocked the car out of the lead.[32][33] Keating and Bleekemolen followed up with another strong performance and snagged their first class win of the year in the Continental Tire Road Race Showcase at Road America.[34][35] As a result of their win at Road America, the No. 33 car was placed under some competitive restrictions limiting the performance of the car during the next race, the Oak Tree Grand Prix at VIR. These restrictions limited the No. 33 Viper to a 7th-place finish, preventing Keating from taking a third consecutive podium.[36][37] Keating and Bleekemolen would come back strong though, and charged back into the winner's circle with a come-from-behind victory at Circuit of the Americas. Keating was hit with a penalty early, but strong driving from him and Jeroen allowed them to overcome that setback and take the victory.[38][39]

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).[40] They would go on to record Top Five finishes in the next two races, placing third in the Brickyard Grand Prix (Indianapolis Motor Speedway[41]) and fourth in the Road America 500.[42] Keating would record his second win of the season with a win at his home-state event at the Circuit of the Americas.[43] The two wins, combined with his two top 5 finishes, propelled Keating into 14th place in the final driver points standings.[44]

WEC

2023

2022

Selected by WEC as the Gentleman of the Year

2021

Keating competed in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) in a Corvette C8.R with Corvette Racing. The Corvette ran in the GT-Am class of the WEC. It was a GTE spec car.

The WEC results as of Nov 07, 2021:

Ben and his team finished P2 in the WEC Championship for GT-Am.

2019-20

Keating joined the FIA World Endurance Championship for the 2019–2020 season. He also entered several IMSA races. After speaking with many teams, he decided to join Team Project 1, having confirmed a full-season program alongside longtime partner Jeroen Bleekemolen and Felipe Fraga in the team's No. 57 Porsche 911 RSR. He had beat this team in Le Mans but was disqualified due to an issue with the car's fuel cell.

Additional Races

In addition to these races, Keating participated in a Viper Days Reunion event at Road America during the August 26- 29th weekend and plans to race in the Intercontinental GT 8 Hour race at Indy in mid-October. Keating's team looks to repeat their win last year at the Indy 8hr in the Pro-Am class.

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 Bleekemolen as co-driver. The team will drive the No. 53 Dodge Viper GTS-R in the GTE 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 would be the first 24 Hours of Le Mans for both Keating and Miller, while Jeroen earned his 10th consecutive start in the event.[45] Jeroen finished fourth in class in qualifying, and so the team had good position for the start of the race. Bleekemolen continued the strong start with his opening shift in the car, leading for most of the third hour, and Keating continued to maintain a top-four position during the second shift. Miller took the third shift through much of the night, and the team entered the final shift, again driven by Bleekemolen, in fifth place. However, Bleekemolen began to notice issues with the gearbox. After replacing the gearbox failed to resolve the problems, the No. 53 car was forced to retire from the race at 13:45, having completed 304 laps.[46][47] Keating continued to race at Le Mans in 2016, 2017, 2019, and 2020.

Partnership with VLF Automotive

Origins

VLF Automotive is a joint venture between designer Henrik Fisker, former GM Vice Chair Bob Lutz and manufacturer Gilbert Villarreal. Lutz and Villarreal began VL automotive in 2012, and in 2013 unveiled the VL Destino, a luxury automobile based on Fisker's Karma electric car.[48] However, VL did away with the Karma's fully electric powertrain and replaced it with the 6.2L V8 GM engine used in the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1.[49][50] Eventually Fisker joined the team, which then became VLF automotive.[48] VLF then began work on a new automobile built around the 8.4L V10 of the Dodge Viper, which would become the Force 1 V10.

Keating and the Force 1

Fisker and Keating met in 2015 and quickly developed a partnership, combining Fisker's legendary designs with Keating's extensive expertise with performance vehicles, particularly his intimate knowledge of the Dodge Viper.[51] In particular, Keating helped design the active suspension used in the Force 1 V10 using his decade of experience racing Vipers to tune the suspension for both on-the-road and on-the-track needs.[51][52] As part of the partnership, the first run of the Force 1 V10, totaling 50 cars, were sold entirely through Keating's Viper Exchange dealership.[53]

Racing record

Racing career summary

Season Series Team Races Wins Poles F/Laps Podiums Points Position
2010 Dodge Viper Cup N/A 10 2 ? ? 4 501 2nd
2011 Dodge Viper Cup N/A 5 ? ? ? ? 538 1st
American Le Mans Series - GTC TRG 1 0 0 0 0 20 21st
Grand-Am Rolex Series - GT 1 0 0 0 0 18 55th
2012 Grand-Am Rolex Series - GT TRG 3 0 0 0 0 56 36th
2013 American Le Mans Series - GTC TRG 10 2 0 0 3 84 8th
Grand-Am Rolex Series - GT 1 0 0 0 0 16 62nd
Pirelli World Challenge - GTS TRG-AMR 2 0 0 0 0 132 37th
IMSA GT3 Challenge by Yokohama - Platinum Cup TPC Racing 4 0 0 0 0 21 21st
2014 United SportsCar Championship - GTD Riley Motorsports 11 2 0 0 3 235 14th
2015 United SportsCar Championship - GTD Riley Motorsports 10 3 0 0 4 265 6th
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Am Riley MotorsportsTI Auto 1 0 0 0 0 N/A DNF
US GT Championship Series - GTU N/A 2 0 1 1 0 18 9th
Aston Martin Le Mans Festival - GT4 TRG-AMR 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 7th
2016 IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD Riley Motorsports 11 3 0 0 5 303 2nd
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP2 Murphy Prototypes 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 15th
2017 IMSA Sportscar Championship - GTD Riley Motorsports - Team AMG 10 2 0 0 4 290 5th
IMSA Sportscar Championship - Prototype Challenge Starworks Motorsport 1 0 0 0 0 26 23rd
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP2 Keating Motorsport 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 20th
24H Series - A6 Black Falcon 1 0 0 0 1 0 NC†
2018 IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD Mercedes-AMG Team Riley Motorsports 11 1 0 0 3 299 3rd
24H GT Series - Continents' - A6 Black Falcon 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC†
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Am Keating Motorsport 1 0 0 0 1 N/A 3rd
2019 IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD Mercedes-AMG Team Riley Motorsports 10 1 1 0 1 236 7th
24H GT Series - Continents' - A6 Abu Dhabi Racing Black Falcon 3 2 0 0 2 0 NC†
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Am Keating Motorsport 1 0 0 0 0 N/A DSQ
2019–20 FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE Am Team Project 1 8 1 1 0 3 101.5 6th
2020 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Am Team Project 1 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 14th
IMSA SportsCar Championship - LMP2 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports 1 0 1 0 1 0 NC†
IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD Riley Motorsports 3 0 0 0 0 67 32nd
Intercontinental GT Challenge DXDT Racing 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC
2021 FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE Am TF Sport 6 1 2 0 3 90.5 2nd
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Am 1 0 0 0 1 N/A 2nd
Le Mans Cup - GT3 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC†
IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD 1 0 0 0 0 259 52nd
IMSA SportsCar Championship - LMP2 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports 8 4 5 0 7 2162 1st
Intercontinental GT Challenge DXDT Racing 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC
2022 FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE Am TF Sport 6 2 3 0 4 141 1st
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Am 1 1 0 0 1 N/A 1st
IMSA SportsCar Championship - DPi JDC-Miller MotorSports 1 0 0 0 1 332 21st
IMSA SportsCar Championship - LMP2 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports 5 3 3 0 3 1050 11th
GT World Challenge America - Pro/Am CrowdStrike Racing by Riley Motorsports 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC
Intercontinental GT Challenge Crowdstrike with Riley Motorsports 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC
2023 FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE Am Corvette Racing 7 3 3 0 5 173 1st
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Am 1 1 1 0 1 N/A 1st
IMSA SportsCar Championship - LMP2 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports 7 1 4 0 4 1995 1st
2024 IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTP JDC-Miller MotorSports 1 0 0 0 0 272 28th
IMSA SportsCar Championship - LMP2 United Autosports USA 7 1 2 0 1 1962 5th
FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGT3 Proton Competition

As Keating was a guest driver, he was ineligible to score points.
* Season still in progress.

Complete American Le Mans Series results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team Class Make Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Pos. Points Ref
2011 TRG GTC Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Porsche 3.8 L Flat-6 SEB LBH LRP MOS MDO ELK BAL LAG PET
4
21st 20 [54]
2013 TRG GTC Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 SEB
5
LBH
7
LAG
4
LRP
3
MOS
8
ELK
DNF
BAL
DNF
COA
1
VIR
1
PET
6
8th 94 [55]

Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant No. Class Make Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Rank Points Ref
2014 Riley Motorsports 33 GTD SRT Viper GT3-R SRT 8.0 V10 DAY
19
SEB
24
LGA
16
DET
11
WGL
17
MOS
1
IMS
3
ELK
4
VIR
13
COA
1
PET
17
14th 235 [56]
2015 Riley Motorsports 33 GTD Dodge Viper GT3-R Dodge 8.3 L V10 DAY
9
SEB
9
LGA
11
DET
10
WGL
6
LIM
2
ELK
1
VIR
7
COA
1
PET
12
6th 265 [57]
2016 Riley Motorsports 33 GTD Dodge Viper GT3-R Dodge 8.3 L V10 DAY
9
SEB
12
LGA
6
DET
1
WGL
4
MOS
11
LIM
3
ELK
1
VIR
6
COA
13
PET
1
2nd 303 [58]
2017 Riley Motorsports - Team AMG 33 GTD Mercedes-AMG GT3 Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 DAY
3
SEB
1
LBH
2
COA
1
DET
14
WGL
10
MOS
7
LIM
15
ELK
4
VIR LGA
8
PET
4
5th 290 [59]
2018 Mercedes-AMG Team Riley Motorsports 33 GTD Mercedes-AMG GT3 Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 DAY
4
SEB
3
MDO
9
DET
4
WGL
5
MOS
1
LIM
6
ELK
5
VIR
5
LGA
3
PET
8
3rd 299 [60]
2019 Mercedes-AMG Team Riley Motorsports 33 GTD Mercedes-AMG GT3 Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 DAY
6
SEB
5
MDO
14
DET WGL
15
MOS
7
LIM
9
ELK
14
VIR
1
LGA
5
PET
4
7th 236 [61]
2020 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports 52 LMP2 Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 DAY

2†

SEB ELK ATL PET LGA SEB 0 NC [62]
Riley Motorsports 74 GTD Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 DAY
11
DAY SEB ELK VIR ATL
4
MDO CLT PET
12
LGA SEB 32nd 67
2021 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports 52 LMP2 Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 DAY
7†
SEB
1
WGL
2
WGL
1
ELK
3
LGA
1
PET
2
1st 2162 [63]
TF Sport 97 GTD Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Aston Martin 4.0 L Turbo V8 DAY
7
SEB MDO DET WGL WGL LIM ELK LGA LBH VIR PET 52nd 259
2022 JDC-Miller MotorSports 5 DPi Cadillac DPi-V.R Cadillac 5.5 L V8 DAY
3
SEB LBH LGA MDO DET WGL CTM
ELK
PET
20th 332 [64]
PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports 52 LMP2 Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 DAY
4†
SEB
1
LGA
MDO
WGL
1
ELK
PET
6
11th 1050
2023 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports 52 LMP2 Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 DAY
7†
SEB
4
LGA
2
WGL
3
ELK
1
IMS
4
PET
2
1st 1995 [65]
2024 JDC-Miller MotorSports 85 GTP Porsche 963 Porsche 9RD 4.6 L Turbo V8 DAY
6
SEB LBH LGA DET WGL ELK IMS PET 28th 272 [66]
United Autosports USA 2 LMP2 Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 DAY
6
SEB
10
WGL
8
MOS
4
ELK
1
IMS
9
PET
10
5th 1962
Source:[67]

Points only counted towards the Michelin Endurance Cup, and not the overall LMP2 Championship

24 Hours of Le Mans results

Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
2015 United States Riley MotorsportsTI Auto Netherlands Jeroen Bleekemolen
United States Marc Miller
SRT Viper GTS-R GTE
Am
304 DNF DNF
2016 Republic of Ireland Murphy Prototypes Netherlands Jeroen Bleekemolen
Belgium Marc Goossens
Oreca 03R-Nissan LMP2 323 34th 15th
2017 United States Keating Motorsport United States Ricky Taylor
Netherlands Jeroen Bleekemolen
Riley Mk. 30-Gibson LMP2 312 47th 20th
2018 United States Keating Motorsport Netherlands Jeroen Bleekemolen
Germany Luca Stolz
Ferrari 488 GTE GTE
Am
334 28th 3rd
2019 United States Keating Motorsports Netherlands Jeroen Bleekemolen
Brazil Felipe Fraga
Ford GT GTE
Am
334 DSQ DSQ
2020 Germany Team Project 1 Netherlands Jeroen Bleekemolen
Brazil Felipe Fraga
Porsche 911 RSR GTE
Am
326 40th 14th
2021 United Kingdom TF Sport Luxembourg Dylan Pereira
Brazil Felipe Fraga
Aston Martin Vantage AMR GTE
Am
339 26th 2nd
2022 United Kingdom TF Sport Portugal Henrique Chaves
Denmark Marco Sørensen
Aston Martin Vantage AMR GTE
Am
343 34th 1st
2023 United States Corvette Racing Netherlands Nicky Catsburg
Argentina Nicolás Varrone
Chevrolet Corvette C8.R GTE
Am
313 26th 1st
2024 United States United Autosports USA Portugal Filipe Albuquerque
United Kingdom Ben Hanley
Oreca 07-Gibson LMP2 272 42nd 13th
LMP2 Pro-Am 6th
Sources:[67][68]

Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Class Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Rank Pts
2019–20 Team Project 1 LMGTE Am Porsche 911 RSR Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 SIL
10
FUJ
3
SHA
2
BHR
1
COA
11
SPA
6
LMS
8
BHR
6
6th 101.5
2021 TF Sport LMGTE Am Aston Martin Vantage AMR Aston Martin 4.0 L Turbo V8 SPA
2
ALG
7
MNZ
12
LMS
2
BHR
1
BHR
Ret
2nd 90.5
2022 TF Sport LMGTE Am Aston Martin Vantage AMR Aston Martin 4.0 L Turbo V8 SEB
2
SPA
2
LMS
1
MNZ
Ret
FUJ
1
BHR
4
1st 141
2023 Corvette Racing LMGTE Am Chevrolet Corvette C8.R Chevrolet 5.5 L V8 SEB
1
PRT
1
SPA
2
LMS
1
MNZ
4
FUJ
2
BHR
7
1st 173
Sources:[67][69]

References

  1. ^ a b "Benjamin E Keating from Victoria, TX". Automotive News. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  2. ^ https://www.chron.com/neighborhood/article/Auto-group-takes-on-third-dealership-in-Tomball-9384490.php
  3. ^ "Interview With Ben Keating of Keating Auto Group". www.northamericanautomotive.com. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
  4. ^ https://www.autonews.com/data-center/automotive-news-top-150-dealership-groups-2024 [bare URL]
  5. ^ "Ben Keating - Nominee for 2024 | Ally TIME Dealer of the Year Award".
  6. ^ Webb, Alysha (6 January 2016). "Investing in auto dealerships instead of the stock market, a group grows in Texas". Automotive Buy Sell Report. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
  7. ^ "Viper Days/NARRA". 29 October 2009. Retrieved 2015-04-27.
  8. ^ "NORTH AMERICAN ROAD RACING ASSOCIATION". Retrieved 2015-04-27.
  9. ^ "US GT Championship". Retrieved 2015-04-27.[permanent dead link]
  10. ^ "Dodge Viper Cup Series Kicks Off". 10 July 2010. Retrieved 2015-04-27.[permanent dead link]
  11. ^ "Dodge Viper Cup Series Crowns 2010 Season Champion" (Press release). Retrieved 2015-04-27.
  12. ^ "2011 Dodge Viper Cup round 4 – New Jersey Motorsports Park". Retrieved 2015-04-27.
  13. ^ "2011 Dodge Viper Cup round 5 – Virginia International Raceway". Retrieved 2015-04-27.
  14. ^ "2011 Dodge Viper Cup round 8 – Texas World Speedway". Retrieved 2015-04-27.
  15. ^ "2011 Dodge Viper Cup round 10 – Daytona". Retrieved 2015-04-27.
  16. ^ "Dodge Viper Cup 2011 standings". Retrieved 2015-04-27.
  17. ^ "Spoiler Alert – [Video] SRT® Viper Cup presented by Pennzoil Ultra season opener results are in". Retrieved 2015-04-27.
  18. ^ "Keating collects fifth Viper Cup win at Monticello". Retrieved 2015-04-27.
  19. ^ "Back-to-Back: Ben Keating claims second straight SRT® Viper Cup title". Retrieved 2015-04-27.
  20. ^ "Rolex Sports Car Series Official Race Results" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-09-18. Retrieved 2015-04-27.
  21. ^ "Rolex Sports Car Series Official Race Results" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-09-17. Retrieved 2015-04-27.
  22. ^ "Rolex Sports Car Series Official Race Results" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-09-17. Retrieved 2015-04-27.
  23. ^ "Rolex Sports Car Series Official Race Results" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-09-17. Retrieved 2015-04-27.
  24. ^ "Rolex Sports Car Series Official Race Results" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-09-17. Retrieved 2015-04-27.
  25. ^ "1st Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2015-04-27.
  26. ^ "International Sports Car Weekend Presented by Continental Tire" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2015-04-27.
  27. ^ "Booming Ben Keating savors first American Le Mans Series win". 21 September 2013. Retrieved 2015-04-27.
  28. ^ "American Le Mans Series Presented by Tequila Patrón VIR 240" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-08-08. Retrieved 2015-04-27.
  29. ^ "2013 AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES PRESENTED BY TEQUILA PATRÓN CHAMPIONSHIP POINT STANDINGS" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2015-04-27.
  30. ^ a b c "ViperExchange.com and Riley Motorsports to Defend Their Rolex 24 At Daytona GTD Victory in No. 93 Dodge Viper GT3-R". Archived from the original on 2016-01-26. Retrieved 2016-01-17.
  31. ^ "Rolex 24 At Daytona" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-04-21. Retrieved 2015-04-27.
  32. ^ "Last-To-First Victory for No. 93 TI Automotive/ViperExchange.com Dodge Viper GT3-R in the Rolex 24 At Daytona". Archived from the original on 2016-03-09. Retrieved 2015-07-26.
  33. ^ "63rd Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-05-18. Retrieved 2015-04-27.
  34. ^ "Continental Tire Road Race Showcase: Official Race Results" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-06. Retrieved 2015-10-26.
  35. ^ "Road America Press Release". Archived from the original on 2016-04-18. Retrieved 2015-10-26.
  36. ^ "Oak Tree Grand Prix: Official Race Results" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-11-23. Retrieved 2015-10-26.
  37. ^ "Keating, Bleekemolen and No. 33 ViperExchange.com/Riley Motorsports Viper GT3-R Finish Seventh in Oak Tree Grand Prix". Archived from the original on 2015-09-07. Retrieved 2015-10-26.
  38. ^ "Keating, Bleekemolen and ViperExchange.com Score Repeat Win Saturday at Circuit of The Americas". Archived from the original on 2015-10-26. Retrieved 2015-10-26.
  39. ^ "Lone Star Le Mans: Official Race Report" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2015-10-26.
  40. ^ "52nd Annual Rolex 24 at Daytona" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-02-13. Retrieved 2015-04-27.
  41. ^ "Brickyard Grand Prix" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-09-12. Retrieved 2015-04-27.
  42. ^ "Continental Tire Road Race Showcase" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-10-30. Retrieved 2015-04-27.
  43. ^ "Lone Star Le Mans at Circuit of the Americas" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-05-18. Retrieved 2015-04-27.
  44. ^ "2014 TUDOR UNITED SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-05-18. Retrieved 2015-04-27.
  45. ^ "ViperExchange.com Granted an Entry to 83rd Running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, June 13–14". Archived from the original on 2015-05-12. Retrieved 2015-04-27.
  46. ^ "Viper Exchange Leads in Competitive 24 Hours of Le Mans Debut Only to End up Just Short of Finish". Archived from the original on 2015-07-12. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  47. ^ "24 Hours Le Mans – Race Results". 14 June 2015. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  48. ^ a b "Our Story". Archived from the original on 2016-01-14. Retrieved 2016-01-15.
  49. ^ Lavrinc, Damon. "Fisker Karma Gets a 638-HP Corvette Heart Transplant". Wired. Retrieved 2016-01-15.
  50. ^ "Destino: Bob Lutz's Corvette-powered Fisker Karma". Retrieved 2016-01-15.
  51. ^ a b "745-HP Force 1 V10 Debuts at 2016 North American International Auto Show as the New American Supercar" (Press release). Retrieved 2016-01-15.
  52. ^ "The VLF Force 1 is a Viper-powered supercar with a Lamborghini price tag". 13 January 2016. Retrieved 2016-01-15.
  53. ^ "VLF Force 1 V10 is a rebodied Viper priced like a Lamborghini". Retrieved 2016-01-15.
  54. ^ "Ben Keating – 2011 American Le Mans Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  55. ^ "Ben Keating – 2013 American Le Mans Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  56. ^ "Ben Keating – 2014 Tudor United SportsCar Championship Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  57. ^ "Ben Keating – 2015 Tudor United SportsCar Championship Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  58. ^ "Ben Keating - 2016 Weathertech SportsCar Championship Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  59. ^ "Ben Keating - 2017 Weathertech SportsCar Championship Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  60. ^ "Ben Keating - 2018 Weathertech SportsCar Championship Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  61. ^ "Ben Keating - 2019 Weathertech SportsCar Championship Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  62. ^ "Ben Keating - 2020 Weathertech SportsCar Championship Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  63. ^ "Ben Keating - 2021 Weathertech SportsCar Championship Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  64. ^ "Ben Keating - 2022 Weathertech SportsCar Championship Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  65. ^ "Ben Keating - 2023 Weathertech SportsCar Championship Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  66. ^ "Ben Keating - 2024 Weathertech SportsCar Championship Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
  67. ^ a b c "Ben Keating Results". Motorsport Stats. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  68. ^ "Ben Keating". Automobile Club de l'Ouest. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  69. ^ "Ben Keating". FIA World Endurance Championship. Retrieved 8 May 2024.