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Murphy had an very, very good time in the Laguna Seca paddock, even given a fair amount of bad news about prospects for 2009.

In this automotive near-depression, the bear generally heard that all the risk is “to the downside.”

There will be three teams at the front of the top class in American Le Mans Series next season. Two teams will be Acura, accounting, likely, for four cars, and one will be Audi, accounting for two (that deal looks good for two years). Murphy was told that the ALMS successor to the Mormon Meteor will continue. A similar car will likely join it, courtesy of a team that will toss in the towel on the dog guarding the gates of Hades.. Will there be others? The bear doesn’t know, but nothing he’s heard gives him much hope.

The real action is in LMP2 (now there’s a surprise).

The Poughkeepsie boys will track a pair of Lola coupes (one wonders whether an Englishman would have retired had they thought of that sooner). Let’s say that’s nearly 100 percent. What is more sure (according to the poop in the paddock) is that the New York team wouldn’t do another stint with the Stuttgart cars for (as they say) “love nor money.”

The boss from Wisconsin was said to have told the Wankel guys they had to “step up, or it’s tenth place – or worse – forever.” On the record, the bear can’t argue with that. There’s an outside shot that the Milwaukee team runs two, making it four on the grid. For the New York team, Guy will be back, and Murphy thinks the rest of the pilots will, too.

The Mexicans will contest LMP2, and could win it, of course, but the Bear isn’t sure anyone else will for the HPD gang. Michael’s team is likely gone. The Dog Star goes to Gil in LMP1.

The newest member of Laguna Seca’s Hall of Fame will celebrate by heading out the door. Though there are some rumblings of more, the certainty was only around entries at Daytona. Thus no team that raced Spyders in 2008 will do so in 2009. Does that mean there will be none of the Stuttgart Spyders? No, there was an indication of one or two entered “by others, from elsewhere.” Porsche persons of importance refused to make any commitment to the Spyders – or to any future prototype. In fact, great emphasis was placed on a corporate imperative to race the 911, and on nothing else – for now.

In GT1, Corvette will contest two of four before Le Mans, then gone to GT2 beginning at Mid-Ohio. Big Doug says about the team, “the faces will be familiar.” Murphy thinks that includes the drivers. Can IMSA please put GT1 out of its misery as soon a possible?

BMW has not yet made official a rumored withdrawal from the WTCC. If that happens, the bimmer’s effort will look quite similar to that of 2001. The Laguna winners (and Series runners-up) will return in 2009. The champs will be back with two RSRs. The Houston Ferrari dealer will return, and his relationship with the oilman remains good; that should mean a pair of 430’s once again. The Fords may be back – and they may not. Undecided. The team from Winchester has proposals out. Farnbacher Loles is sticking to its plan to field two Porsches, and word is that its Grand Am business remains strong. Take that as an indication that the much discussed tube frame rule will remain on the shelf.

We’ve already sent Roger off to the field prototurtles, at least at Daytona. The restaurateur will spend its money replacing its tiffany-style lighting rather than racing, so the Tavares team has proposals out for both ALMS and Grand Am. A long term prototype racing privateer from Boca Raton will go on a year’s “hiatus.” The insurance magnate will not continue, sending the scion of a great racing name off to test elsewhere. Murphy’s going to stick with his dozen number – after Daytona – for the guppies, though it could fall to ten.

Underlying everything Murphy heard in the Laguna Seca paddock was the specter of an economy much worse than is yet widely recognized. The Bear heard some pretty scary stuff that could well directly impact the sport. Looking at the field, the P1 minimum is about five entries; maximum nine, probability favoring the low side. In P2 seven are possible; four more likely.

Without Corvette, GT1 is nothing more than a figment of a stuffed animal’s imagination. The GT2 baseline will ten. When Corvette comes along from Mid-Ohio on, it will be 12. Five others are possible, but not certain. Once again, the low number has the highest probability. Typical “sprint” grid? Between twenty and twenty-five.

Next, Murphy will write about his social doings at Laguna Seca. Look for it.

This entry was posted on Monday, October 20th, 2008 at 11:15 am and is filed under Paddock Poop. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.