Comments on: 97. A Spyder Farewell? More Coupes. The 2009 grid is…

By: sal

sal — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 15:59:51 +0000

Latest update: Mazda will not be in P2 next season as they have pulled the plug on the wisconsin team.
Too bad for the rotary heads.

By: murphy

murphy — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 15:16:49 +0000

LeMansChamp, it’s a good question, and Murphy apologizes for getting to it late.

The Bear thinks that (like the stock market) we’ll bottom over the winter, before Sebring Test days in 2009.

Grand Am, which ended its season about a month before the ALMS, has already seen a number of teams/key individuals put their operations up for sale (Riley), announce a hiatus (Jim Mathews), or have their operations taken over by others (Cheever).

Does that mean that Grand Am is/will be worse off than ALMS? Not necessarily. It only means that series’ off season (and therefore those “after-season evaluations”) are well underway there, while they are just getting started for ALMS teams, sponsors, and manufacturers.

In short, watch Grand Am for a leading indicator of what will be happening in ALMS. They may not be the same “in degree,” but they will be similar “in kind.”

By: LeMansChamp

LeMansChamp — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 23:38:07 +0000

For God’s sake Murphy I hope your wrong… but I have a feeling you aren’t.

Do you think all the bad news will happen in the offseason, followed by only serious entries for the year with a slightly thinned starting grid? Or do you think that the new season will get underway and people will have to pull their cars here and there because of misjudging their finances?

Maybe that’s a little confusing, but basically I’m asking is this: Is this going to hit bottom over the winter or sometime during the next season?

By: murphy

murphy — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 15:29:46 +0000

Thanks, Canada. I’m sure you are right. In fact, that kind of thing is happening all over, and is why the Bear says “the risk is to the downside…” Just like the economy. Even on the tv (which I am propped up in front of in the den when I am home) they concentrate so much on the financial crisis that they are missing just how bad the “real economy” is getting – particularly in automotive. (The paddock is full of auto dealers and others in that industry, of course, so Murphy heard quite a lot on the topic in Monterey.) Does the General need the protection of the court to shed dealers and brands? Murphy thinks so.

More to the point, whenever the Bear puts up a Poop friends from around the globe send him notes. One this morning says that “regardless of what Autosport says” WTCC is toast for BMW. Look for Andy, Dirk, and Dirk, plus one “local” in the cars here; and the LMS may now get a team, too. So, Dominik gets a new partner? (That’s consistant with comments in the Laguna Seca paddock.)

The impact on racing of the global economy will be far beyond what can be seen now.

By: Canada ALMS fan

Canada ALMS fan — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 17:07:19 +0000

Primetime was looking at a Zytek but for P2 I was told at Petit. Chris Hall has since said a sponsor had recently backed away? It would be great to see another Zytek in P1 or P2.