murphythebear.com

Ever since Murphy was told in the pits at Miller that Gabriele Rafanelli could return to the American Le Mans Series as early as Lime Rock, he’s been thinking about the possibilities for the field we might see after Le Mans. So, an e-mail here, an IM there, here a call, there a call, everywhere a call, call…

Runaways will not be Appreciated

First, the “temporary entries.” The Bear’s been told that European – Le Mans Series – entries at Petit Le Mans – and perhaps Laguna Seca – this year depend in part on the state of the championships. Where they are still contested after Silverstone LMS teams will commit to Interlagos, and along with that, some will take advantage of the LMS travel/shipping option that will fund the trip via Georgia. As long as the bus doesn’t leave there for Brazil too quickly, perhaps a few of those will do a “what the heck,” and go try this “cork screw” thing. The problem for Murphy (and for everyone else) is that here, before Le Mans, he doesn’t know what fate might befall our entries at the Nürburgring, at Spa, and at Silverstone. Nor do they. It would be too bad if that bit on speculation about nothing – or about the obvious – was all that the Bear was hearing. It’s not.

For Pugs it’s Georgia on my mind

There are some teams that have already been talking about Petit Le Mans – that are showing interest not necessarily tied to championship points. For Peugeot, ”Just an old sweet song keeps Georgia on my mind.” Murphy told you Sebring was a possibility for the Gallic oil burners. That didn’t happen, but the Bear thinks consideration then makes PLM all the more likely now. If the 908s lose at Le Mans, but are generally “on pace” with the R10s won’t they want a shorter re-match? Or if they should win, won’t they want to win again in North America, a not insignificant market for primary sponsor Total? As if that possibility isn’t enough, Murphy’s been told the Czechs and Swiss are considering joining the French on that Georgia grid in October. There’s Creation, of course, always a possibility, and while there’s no talk of it yet, if Henri’s team can keep the Pugs close, he’ll want to head for Brazil, and that scenic side trip thing could happen.

It’s not likely that the gang in LM-P2 will have settled anything before Brazil, so there are lots of possibilities there. Since the Christmas team has a new American connection, don’t be surprised if they show up in October in any case. Likewise LM-GT1 looks to remain unsettled. Will Porsche keep the Ferrari’s close enough in LM-GT2? That’s anybody’s guess.

The French in Motown

There are sources that say that Oreca is “likely” to contest the last three rounds of the American Le Mans Series, but the Bear has his doubts about that Detroit date, which falls before Silverstone. He’ll count on the last two, though. Aston Martin Racing is likely at Detroit and after, however. The “factory” team is not contesting the LMS, and the paddock is pretty certain we’ll see the green former Fords at Detroit. Murphy talked to Franz at his favorite Sebring watering hole; there were discussions, but no funding. There are some who say that funding is now there for Lime Rock and beyond, but the Bear’s learned to be cautious about such things. Still, they’re saying it, so Murphy’s passing it on. And will Fredy show with his Maserati? Some say so. Of those, Gabriele seems the most likely, though.

The Miracle and the Spyder

So what about the home-grown possibilities? Suddenly, there’s a pretty damn competitive LM-P2 for sale. Only a Miracle could put that on an ALMS grid; Murphy can only say that the car is the first that would seem to fit the entry criteria the Bear was given at Sebring. What’s not so speculative is the seventh Spyder. Meetings have been held – happy ones. More to come. The check isn’t in the mail yet, but it might soon be. I hear Braselton thinks Sebring ’08. The Bear thinks before that, by two races.

Taking a Flyer, Race-by-race

So what’s likely? Combine all the scurrilous rumor and irresponsible speculation, Murphy’s best guess, race by race, looks like this:

Lime Rock Park. If there is to be a fourth Acura, this would be a good place to field it. Someone who lives nearby said he’d add a second car if funding became available. Nothing yet, so the Bear will pass on this one. Both Solaroli Porsches could make it to Lime Rock. There’s no problem with the hardware – they arrived together April 21. So there’s no problem with preparation time – twelve weeks should be adequate. We’ve heard three drivers’ names bandied about – a Finn, an American, and an Englishman, and an English gardener visited Jacksonville near the ides of May for some undisclosed reason. An indicator that the second entry will be delayed until Petit? That American is busy elsewhere – with two head-to-head conflicts until mid-September.

So prospects for Lime Rock boil down to the four LM-P1 regulars with the eight in LM-P2 supplemented by a single Solaroli Spyder and the return of van der Steur Racing’s Radical AER. Murphy thinks that Rafanelli is the most likely GT entry, offset by the loss – permanently – of Corsa Motorsports’ Ferrari. For now, I’m going to throw a monkey wrench into the works of the German Saleens. Autosport says so, but that’s little above rumor status, isn’t it? Another Acura? Had funding jumped out of the woodwork two months ago, it might well have happened. I think all involved now believe it’s not such a hot idea. Better to concentrate on the task at hand. The one place a Miracle can’t happen is Lime Rock Park – trust Murphy on that one. So, it will be another race with a grid count short of the “magic” thirty. The Bear will have to hope for better at…

Mid-Ohio. With a race under the team’s belt, perhaps Solaroli will field a second car, but it might well be the 997 GT3 RSR for the club-racer owner and someone else (probably not the mysterious French hottie). Cytosport says they’ll be back with the Lola B06/10 AER, and Murphy believes them. (Though he’s not entirely sure why.) There are those beyond the casual Autosport reader who think there’s something to the Konrad story – including some who should know about such things, so the Bear’s going to pencil in one (not two) Saleen S7Rs in for Franz here. Three weeks later, it’s

Road America, the driver’s favorite North American venue. Same thirty-one, I think. On to…

Mosport. Once again, rain or shine, your friendly Canuckistanis will turn out the best crowd this side of Sebring, and until October in Georgia. It would be nice to see a better field, but Murphy suspects that van der Steur will be lost to disinterest or repair, offsetting – in numbers anyway – the addition of that third Corvette Racing C6R for Canadian hero Ron Fellows and long-time fan favorite Andy Pilgrim. Solaroli’s a Canuckistani himself, so will he want to have a big time in Ontario? Of course he will, but that American driver will be at Sonoma in a turtle. What to do? Murphy suspects after long hard thought, the team will decide to forget the second Spyder for one more week. That won’t stop the team from entering the second car, testing, then withdrawing it, though. Meanwhile, Al will take the 997 for a race-day spin on a track familiar to him. So plus one, minus one. Thirty-one, until…

Detroit, and finally the ranks will get some important augmentation. There is the possibility that the Oreca Saleens will head that increase, but Murphy can’t see the expense of duty on two continents. If these cars make Detroit, count it as a bonus. Robertson Racing will add a Panoz to the grid. Van der Steur Racing will still be waiting for parts, but the Bear expects that hole to be filled by the second Solaroli Spyder, while Al decides he’s had enough on-track excitement – a fair trade. Cytosport carries on – Murphy’s nothing if not hopeful. The third Corvette, having done its Canadian one-off-farewell-Ron duty will be gone, but two Aston Martins and a Maserati will fill out a seven-car GT1 field…problems, what problems? Thirty-three, just two more, net, but the GT1 field will make it look and feel much better than that. A month later, at…

Petit Le Mans, you can count on the Oreca Saleens, the van der Steur Radical will be back and that seventh Spyder will finally be on the grid. Robertson will stick around for the big classic in the foothills of the Great Smokies. That makes thirty-seven without the more highly speculative LMS entries. LM-P2 will be at “full song” for the season with seven Spyders, three Acuras, a Mazda, and a Radical AER. Don’t be surprised if that field is joined by the four best Le Mans Series LM-P1s, plus no less than three LM-P2s, to put a total of twenty-four prototypes on the grid. I think Oreca will be joined by at least two Euro GT1’s, including a Corvette. It’s not hard to imagine at least a couple of GT2s might join the fray. Forty-eight entries will make for a not-so-petit Le Mans. Figure a few of those will be lost to the trek westward to…

Laguna Seca, thirty-five of the ALMS contingent will be there (van der Steur and Robertson being the dropouts) will be there to take on the corkscrew, as will more than half the rest. Make it just a tick more than forty on the Monterey Peninsula.

Gentler Topics

That’s the scurrilous rumor and irresponsible speculation for this day. Among kinder and gentler topics is that of matrimony. Some make more of this Le Mans break than others. Randall and Julie’s big day is June 1, followed by a honeymoon in the Greek Isles. Butch is advising the couple on that last – the sightseeing part, that is. In the meantime, Piers and Lisa sealed the deal. Heidi was mourning the loss of that hunk way back in July 2005. He’s was off the market since then – just as well make it official, what?
 

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