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Dodge Viper returning to Le Mans this year?

If you were among the fans disappointed by Chrysler's recent decision to end the Dodge Viper's racing program, we may have some good news for you, as the racing outfit behind the campaign is reportedly working to bring the American supercars back to Le Mans this year. That racing outfit is Riley Technologies, a constructor perhaps best known for its Daytona Prototypes, but it has also prepared its share of GT racers, too. Chrysler charged Riley with leading its racing program for the new Viper GTS-R, campaigned it in the United SportsCar Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Auburn Hills made the unfortunate decision back in March to pull its Vipers out of Le Mans, and then in October to withdraw from the US series, as well, thereby effectively ending the program altogether. Disappointed though it surely was, Riley remains defiant. The North Carolina-based company is planning on taking the existing Vipers back to Le Mans on its own, with or without factory support. The Viper has, after all, proven a capable machine, having taken both the drivers' and teams' titles in the United SportsCar Championship this past season. "With Le Mans, every driver and every manufacturer needs to have their first trip there, and it isn't always what you want it to be, but we did show reliability and did have some pace," Bill Riley told Racer.com. "Since then, we've worked hard on the cars, they're now strong, front-running cars in the US, and we're working with the ACO on the BoP to make sure the cars are strong at Le Mans. They're super-reliable and fast, and we'd expect to be right in the mix with the other cars." Riley has kept the existing support staff in place, and once it secures its driver lineup and sponsors, chances look good that it could represent America well at Le Mans this year in either the GTE Pro or GTE Am class. Its predecessor did, after all, complete a three-year winning streak that saw it dominate the GTS class right up until its withdrawal in 2000. News Source: Racer.comImage Credit: FCA Motorsports Dodge Coupe Racing Vehicles

How to update and secure a vulnerable Chrysler Uconnect system

If you own one of the 1.4 million vehicles affected by the recent Chrysler software recall, you may want to watch this video. In it, we explain how to get the latest infotainment software loaded onto the 8.4-inch Uconnect system. The recall was a response to the findings of researchers who were able to hack into and remotely control a 2014 Jeep Cherokee through its cellular connection. Although Fiat Chrysler has worked with Sprint to plug most of the holes on the carrier side, there are still some vulnerabilities that only this latest software version can patch. Owners have three options to get the update: download it now, wait for a USB stick in the mail, or take the vehicle to an FCA dealer. Chrysler will be sending USB sticks loaded with the software update to customers. Anyone with an internet connection and a USB stick of their own with at least 4 GB capacity can speed things up by downloading the patch from the Uconnect website. We cover that process from start to finish in the video, with the final portion still applicable to those using the FCA-supplied USB stick. If after watching this you still don't want to tackle the patch yourself, you can take your vehicle to the dealer to have it done. Also note that this process is the same for all Uconnect updates, not just the one patching the exploits. Our demonstrator vehicle is a 2015 Ram 1500 pickup. The procedure should be very similar on other products with the 8.4-inch Uconnect system, with only the location of the USB port varying. Once you have the USB stick with the software on it – either after having downloaded it yourself or receiving it in the mail from Chrysler – the installation process is relatively simple. It takes about 15 minutes to perform the update; we edited out the wait in the video. To check whether or not your car's 8.4-inch Uconnect system is running the latest software, go to System Information on the touch screen's Settings page and look at Software Version. The update related to the recall is version 15.17.5. Related Video: Recalls Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM Safety Technology Infotainment Videos Original Video hacking

Dodge shows can-do attitude with grand Can'avan sculpture

There are lots of ways to celebrate an important birthday, and all of them are well deserved. You can throw a big party, buy yourself something nice, or - if you're the altruistic type - do something for others in need. The latter is how Chrysler has opted to mark the 30th anniversary of its Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country.
Together with hunger-advocacy organization Canstruction, the Chrysler Foundation has built a full-scale replica of the Grand Caravan out of 30,000 food cans in the square at the corner of Yonge and Dundas in Toronto, a ways down the highway from where the real vans are built in Windsor. The sculpture was built over the course of 10 hours by 30 volunteers and was displayed earlier this week.
Now the installation is being taken down, and the cans of food are being donated to the Daily Bread Food Bank, which will assemble them into 2,000 food baskets to be distributed to those in need through its network of 200 food banks across the Canadian metropolis. Check out a neat time-lapse video of the build and the press release below.