The Bear’s sources once again cut through the BS, correctly reporting last week that the Ginetta-Zytek 09HS was not ACO homologated, and would not run as a hybrid in any official session at Utah. The attempt to present the entry as an “historic debut of a hybrid race car” strikes the Bear as a bit distasteful.
Big questions for the Le Mans break: Will Corsa or Primetime raise the funds needed to return? If Primetime returns, will it be with the Viper, or something else? If Corsa returns, will they ever run a real hybrid?
Murphy hears Audi will return to the ALMS much sooner than anyone has anticipated. If so, will it be in time to stop Acura’s rush to the door?
Audi’s return as an entrant would be less important than its return as a series sponsor. Those have become all but extinct, according to the Bear’s sources. Layoffs have been steady in Northwest Georgia; more are imminent.
Murphy enjoyed the americanlemansfans forum when one of the sport’s iconic personalities chimed in and – because he’s not a self-promoting bloke – stayed incognito and was ignored. Truth be known, he’s just a crotchety old Chapparal mechanic who doesn’t know how to spell “brats.”
The belief that Acura is taking steps to leave the series is widespread in the paddock, but certainly not unanimous. Others think that Acura will “stay the course” for at last one more season.
Further questions about Acura’s commitment to continued development of the ARX-02a were raised when Wirth Research was named in a French court as likely to field an F1 team in 2010. (Murphy told you that a couple of Poops back.)
It seems that F1 has the same attraction to racers in Europe that NASCAR does in North America. Give just about anyone a glimmer of a possibility and they’ll throw their current program overboard for the chance to “move up.” Having thrown their hats in the ring are RLM, Lola, Prodrive, and of course Wirth, just to name a few.
The Porsche shared by Patron’s CEO was excluded from the results in the Challenge class in the desert for a ride height infraction, as was another entrant. Two other Porsches failed to complete the required laps. So only one entrant – the winner – was officially classified and able to accrue points. Sanctity of the rules, the Bear surmises. Or sanctimonious.
De Ferran Motorsports is reported to be negotiating to acquire the cars, engines, tools, transporters, and pit equipment of a part time IRL team; the sticking point has been the inclusion in the deal of an Indianapolis area shop that de Ferran doesn’t need.
Murphy got a call a few minutes ago from a friend with a contact in Monaco. F1 teams left the meeting on Flavio’s yacht with “no comment,” and Bernie saying “More meetings” in answer to “what next?”
What we are hearing is there is no agreement and not likely to be one (an agreement the first of three possible scenarios).
Scenario 2 is a “breakaway F1,” and it’s easier than some might think, since A1GP, with a ready-made schedule, tracks, and infrastructure can be easily co-opted by Ferrari, Toyota, and Renault (BMW and Mercedes remain “on the fence” in the current dispute). Doing so would be no more expensive than just staying in F1 “as is.”
Scenario 3 is a Ferrari move to sports car prototypes – the so-called “nuclear option.” Those who know such things in fact do believe this is a viable course, and if it becomes one, it will be known by Le Mans…the A1GP option having been fully considered by then. They also say that Ferrari would have no problem producing a competitive – winning, even – sports car by then. Of course any such move would depend on the promise of a diesel-gasoline rule change. (If Audi thought that Ferrari and Toyota were about to join the fray, they’d not put up much fuss over further “adjustments” to diesel-gasoline equivalency.)
Toyota and Renault would follow, and at least Ferrari and Toyota would certainly contest the ALMS (as it does for Audi, it would take priority over LMS). If that were to happen, the boys in Braselton would have gone from the outhouse to the penthouse in one stroke just for sitting there with a silly grin.
As it was put to the Bear, “Can you imagine Sebring debuting Ferrari and Toyota against returning Acura, Peugeot and Audi?”
Tags: A1GP, Acura, Audi, BMW, Chapparal, de Ferran, Ferrari, Ginetta-Zytek, Le Mans, Lola, Mercedes, NASCAR, Patron, Peugeot, Porsche, Primetime, Prodrive, Renault, RLM, Toyota, Viper, Wirth Research
So Corsa can have the “Batteries Not Included” car until Duracell or Energizer show up and persuade the ACO they need a sponsor. Chicken? Egg?
“If Audi thought that Ferrari and Toyota were about to join the fray, they’d not put up much fuss over further “adjustments” to diesel-gasoline equivalency.”
Unless, of course, Renault decided to crash that party. With a diesel LMP.
“As it was put to the Bear, “Can you imagine Sebring debuting Ferrari and Toyota against returning Acura, Peugeot and Audi?”
OMGratedcheese! No. But I can dream it…..