Shared Events to Wane
Is this 2009 schedule stuff ALMS or IRL? Both, Murphy thinks. American Le Mans Series brass doesn’t see more than four shared events in 2009, and they aren’t bashful about identifying the races and the rationale. Long Beach and Detroit (Markets we have to be in.) Mid-Ohio (A spectacular racing show.) Tampa Bay (Some say it’s the same market, but we had a big attendance increase.). For those latter two, you can add H-O-N-D-A to the motivation.
Where does that leave Road America? With an event that looks like this year’s American Le Mans headliner. If you sports car fans want that Saturday enduro to continue in 2009, make sure you’re in the Kettle Moraine country in August.
Cold Day in Houston
It will be a cold day in Houston (ain’t many of those, are there?) before it hosts another big league race. ALMS isn’t planning on Edmonton, either.
That’s Twelfth Race, Shakespeare
If they do, where will the sports cars add a twelfth race? Murphy thinks New Jersey makes sense. May weather averages a couple degrees warmer than does Utah, though the chance of precipitation is about double. Four inches is typical for the month. (It’s not the desert, you see.) It’s a market argument the series can easily make, and early and mid-May races – both on natural terrain road courses – fit American Le Mans Series scheduling better than crowding Houston into April ever did.
Is Canuckistani Urban Festival History?
Interest in a certain monster deal was pretty much built around rights to a Canuckistani event. But that circus, like most urban festivals, was big time upside down – about $2 million worth – and in need of deep pockets, corporate or government. With no significant corporate cash in the offing – Tukeo Fukui’s company passed, and the monster deal is for 2009 – the would-be promoter turned to government. There they’ve gotten some Loonies (not nearly enough) and extended the decision deadline to the ides of May. It’s all complicated with a location 14 kilometers from downtown in play, and some pushing (without much notice) to get Mosport into the mix. What it means is the driver won’t sign and the race will fade into history.
Auf Wiedersehen R10
From the get-go, Audi told the IMSA guys the R10 was planned as a three year deal. So a decision now is no surprise in Braselton. One option might have been to extend, but there’s this Peugeot, and though the four rings bunch should be 2-1 rather than 1-2 (you see, there’s this radio thingie to talk to your driver…aw,fughedaboutit!) the R10 is still about a second and a half adrift of the Frog diesel. The Acura LMP1 is on the way, perhaps one from the horse farm, too. So, what to do? Murphy thinks Ingolstadt has two options (they know damn well what the rules will be – close enough, anyway) 1. stay in LMP1, probably with a coupe, but certainly with a new chassis, or 2. field the R8 in GT1, as a diesel. But they run the risk of being without competition in GT1, you say? That’s ever bothered the Ingolstadt boys, how?
The Bear’s also heard more, ah, devious reasoning. If the R8 diesel was developed from the R10 TDI diesel, but can be homologated as a road car motor, why not put it – unstressed – in that coupe (rules are you can “upgrade” it a bit), get the more generous restrictor, and… Glittering generalities will be revealed…soon.
Murphy’s Top Ten Reasons to be a Field Filler
Murphy has always known he can’t drive for spit, so it never occurred to him to go racin’. Then he looked at the entry for top-shelf sports car racing, and said “whoa! Drivin’ ain’t no requirement!” He’d be a back marker; a field filler. But he got to thinking that might not be so bad, since he quickly came up with the
Top Ten Reasons to be a Field Filler
10. You can’t take it with you, anyway.
9. The radio web guys will talk about how fast you are before you crash.
8. You don’t have to buy a race ticket.
7. You’re an optimist – you think you’ll get better.
6. You can get the notice of the crowd with a “Sunday drive” down pit lane.
5. You really, really love to sign autographs.
4. You like the cool-looking helmet. Is Chuck Barris still alive?
3. At Hooters, the answer to “What do you do?” is “I’m a race car driver.” (the response, unfortunately, will be, “NASCAR?”)
2. You’d be great on Dancing With the Stars.
1. You’re sure you’ll get a hug and a kiss from a Kumho Girl.
Tags: Detroit, Edmonton, Houston, Long Beach, Mid-Ohio, Millville, R10, Road America, St. Pete, Thunderbolt, Toronto
Silly me. I thought one of the reasons was you get to play in the sand and relive your childhood.
Hmmm. But that would be going back in time, which would require finding reverse.
How about an event at Indy? Sure, May is pretty full, but they have this road course no one is using anymore, a central location, and certainly buy-in from AGR, Penske, Rahal, and Honda.
… a boy can dream can’t he?
I can’t bear the thought of no ALMS @ Road America, what are they thinking? I’m presuming “they” is the track owners, who have never seemed to be too smart about their event bookings, and I hope it doesn’t refer to ALMS themselves.
the Toronto Star newspaper reports that 7 time
champion John Andretti’s company Andretti-Green
Racing has purchased the rights to the former
Cart race in Toronto. – And the race may be on the radar
for 2009. Perhaps they should have kept the name
“Molsons Indy” ! rather then calling it the Toronto
Grand Prix. Congratulations Andretti – Green.
ps – went to Mosport on Saturday – RAIN !!!!