murphythebear.com

Back again with another Paddock Poop, and way too soon.  This is all an awful lot of work for a little bear, but Murphy’s furry friends have been busy, and they’ve uncovered a whole bunch of not-so-useful, but-perhaps-entertaining stuff.  As always, don’t get carried away and confuse this drivel with news.  If it were news, it would be in the newspaper, right?

This time of the year the following season starts taking shape.  In fact, the American Le Mans Series schedule could be announced at Road America rather than at the traditional “State of the Series” press conference at Petit Le Mans.  The Bear has been told the schedule has been “in the can” since Portland or before.  There are more “partnerships” with Champ Car, which will release its own schedule in “late August.”  The guy in charge of such things over at IMSA said the schedule would be released before Petit Le Mans.

There are a few certainties.  Sebring will be on the St. Paddy’s Day weekend.  The Houston organizers have already announced a return – with Champ Car – on April 21, the American Le Mans Series getting a much better Saturday evening start.  Of course we’ll have Mosport, Petit Le Mans, and Laguna Seca.  Murphy’s been told the 2007 schedule has eleven races.

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Monterey Bay, California, USA – Well, Murphy’s back on the coast again, and not a moment too soon. Much cooler here – the Bear likes that.  He was off at Miller Motorsport Park last weekend.  Great facility for teams and drivers, but it wasn’t much for a spectator like the Bear.  Too hot, too much asphalt, too little grass, no trees, no camping, no infield viewing. Aluminum grandstands.

I know, I know, you were expecting Paddock Poop 17 on Wednesday last.  Well, after the rush job on the Honda announcement “Special” – stuff that was already planned for this issue – Murphy decided that Wednesday was too soon.  I listened to the news conference from Portland Thursday.  Yup, like lots of others, I’d heard there were to be a pair of entries for two of the teams.  Had no idea what chassis would go to Highcroft, and speculated – wrongly – it would be a Lola.  Here’s what the Bear thinks now.  Andy Wallace’s addition was the first clue to Acura’s plan to designate the young Connecticut team to take the lead in messing around with the Courage.  That and word around the paddock that Duncan himself has a talented butt – meaning he has a intuitive “feel” for what the car is doing.  The pair of them will make a first class “rolling laboratory” of the Courage for Acura.  So although the Bear still thinks Duncan’s buddy Danny is involved, don’t look for him to be a driver other than as the team’s Sebring supernumerary. (more…)

The rumor mill marches on and sometimes the roar gets so loud that even a little Bear starts to look like a responsible journalist.  That’s a fine kettle of fish (yum), isn’t it?  (And a pretty good string of mixed metaphors, too).

This bit was to be included in Murphy’s Paddock Poop 17 on Wednesday, but Honda seems to have crossed up the media guys at the American Le Mans Series and gone public at Nashville while the good little boys in Georgia were keeping their mouths shut as promised.  Remember, no good deed goes unpunished.

The Acura Division of Honda, and Honda Performance Development, will announce at a press conference from Portland on Thursday that three teams will field their LMP2 prototypes in the American Le Mans Series next season.  They will be powered by a new engine currently under development at HPD in California.

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Murphy’s had a hectic time since Mid-Ohio. He’s moved out on his own. You’ll get his columns this way for a time. Even his internet connection has been courtesy of a “hot spot” in the London Bridge Pub at Monterey’s Wharf #2. He got help from a friend up in Canuckistan to finally get this page up. The Bear has lots of cousins up there of course. (more…)