Murphy was musing the other day about sports car racing. More particularly the ACO and its allied events and series. About stuff that screws things up. That got him thinking that perhaps there weren’t enough rules. Or perhaps just not the right ones, since the American Le Mans Series is governed by the IMSA Code, ACO Sporting Regulations, the Series’ Standing Supplementary Regulations, the ACO’s Technical Regulations, and thirteen Competitor Bulletins and three Competitor Memorandums issued during the 2006 season—over 300 pages.
What kinda stuff we talking ‘bout here? Well, this ain’t taxicab racin’, so the Bear don’t mean one good ole boy yankin’ anuder outa his’n race car and beaten’ the crap outa im’. Nope, sporty car racin’ is more civilized than that – or pansy-fied, if yer so inclined to like yer racin’ on a roundy track where y’all kin see it all at the same time. Nope, Murphy’s Rools deal with that dumb stuff that makes everybody crazy, but just won’t go away, won’t change. So here they are, the Bear’s Code. It’ll fix it all up. (more…)
After a bit of eerie quiet – sort of like a diesel that Murphy hasn’t heard (that’s a good one!) – it must be time for the Bear to catch ya’ll up on the news, ah, rumor. First, we’re reminded that this stuff keeps changing all the time. The hopes of a day become the plans of another. Better yet, the “beyond hope,” of fall can become the “good news” of winter. So it seems it is with the Porsche RS Spyder. Things weren’t looking all that good for an independent entry in the American Le Mans Series, particularly at any time before Le Mans. Well, this past week that might have changed. The Pres. of Porsche Motorsports, North America was described as “excited,” the Bear heard, over prospects for as many as four of RS 2.0 (that’s Murphy’s tag for the new, improved LMP2). Now that might be a bit much, given that others say there isn’t a “closed sale” yet, but at least there is talk about the possibility of full-season entries. Let’s put ‘em down for one at Sebring (plus the Penske bunch, of course) and see where it all goes from here.