The Bear was told the Stud Farm will abandon (or significantly reduce) support and development for its Grand Am cars in 2010. That doesn’t mean they will all be gone, since some privateers will likely continue to field GT cars, but the two “big” DP teams – to which Porsche has provided significant assistance – will depart. The two cars belonging to the North Florida team will go into other hands, but will likely remain Porsche powered – Porsche truck, that is. The boxer six has reached the end of the line as a prototype race motor. If Penske can’t win with it….
That frees up a couple of Porsche factory pilots. For the coming season anyway, look for them to return to an ALMS GT2. Chalk it up to loyalty, or better yet, to the on-going general upgrade of that class, with another “serious” Porsche joining Corvette and BMW. Unfortunately, that “upgrade” could easily be stopped in its tracks by the addition of a new faster and cheaper class. Faster and cheaper is a hell of a combination for anyone nutty enough to go racing without any hope of covering the costs.
Meanwhile Pratt & Miller will build a pair of Grand Am GT BMW V8-powered M6 look-alikes financed by a partner in a multi-series race team. The other partner returns to the Prancing Horse in Europe.
The Bear does not believe that Martin and Melanie will move to GT2.
The exit of Porsche Motorsport from an “active” Grand Am GT participation – they’ll go out with a championship, anyway – will open opportunities for other marques in that series.
Murphy believes (without being told – so this is speculation, not rumor) there will be no Ferrari on an ALMS grid in 2010 until the new 458 is ready. Old, uncompetitive cars won’t be seen as a good idea, even while “marking time” for the new car.
There will be a new Florida-based team that will add to the Porsche presence in ALMS, supporting both GT Challenge Porsches and GT2. It could also field one of the new Prototype Challenge cars.
Cost savings and slumping ratings drive major television changes likely to be announced today – all Speed, all the time.
The Bear told you the R15 is likely on its way to Georgia a while back. It’s close to one of those “take to the bank” deals. Don’t look for the silver at Laguna Seca, though.
St. Petersburg will be missing from the 2010 schedule, but (surprising even to the Bear) it’s rumored that Infineon will be back. It was said at Road America that Mid-Ohio is “a question mark.” The Road America crowd looked surprisingly good to the Bear as long as he was in the camping areas. Elsewhere, parking space was pretty easy to find. The morning’s threat of rain likely discouraged a few prospective Milwaukee/Chicago day-trippers.
Murphy hears that Creation’s done for 2009. That’s no big deal to the Bear – he’s been saying that’s likely the case all-along, but to others, it might be “news.”
The Bear hopes you like the Patrón livery; you’ll likely see a lot more of it next season.
What “major new LMP effort” is to be announced on Midweek Motorsport in just a few hours? Toyota? BMW? Porsche P1? They did write “major,” right? Solo Al? The Soup Nazi?
Murphy’s money is on the the Lord – a Drayson Lola. Hardly a “world exclusive,” then, is it? Well, technically, since MWM is the first place for the “official” announcment. For the “news,” Some mangy old brown bear already broke that story – eight days ago, here.
As a “stand alone” race, Japan won’t fly, so look for (another) complete cancellation of the Asian Le Mans Series for 2009.
Follow Murphy at http://twitter.com/Murphythebear
Tags: ALMS, Asian Le Mans Series, BMW, Creation, Farve, Ferrari, Grand Am, Infineon, Japan, Laguna Seca, Patron, Petit Le Mans, Porsche, Pratt & Miller, Road America, Speedtv, St.Petersburg, the Lord
I sure am happy I live on the East coast and booked my room for Jaw-ja later next month……
So you think there will be employment in 3 classes next year?
Loles BMW M6 Pratt & Miller’s next year?
Alex Job as it stands now, can probably only put together a GTC effort – it won’t be his Porsche team in GT2 and potentially LMPC will it? Of course you did say “new” Porsche team. I wonder how the bear defines new, and I wonder if this team will use the #59. But then you say no hope of covering costs… not Solo Al? Or is this just a commentary on the hard time most teams have garnering a return on investment. T-Mobile Vici racing is not a new team, a second car is not new, per se…
Will Paul Lord Drayson be back in the ALMS with his prototype effort?
How could Mid-O possibly be a question mark? Great crowds, great racing… does this mean the Acura support is gone? What with St. Pete exiting stage left and all.
No shortage of unresolved questions, m.piedgros, is there?
No shortage indeed, Murph. But what else is new? Haha.
I was confident the Lord’s car was going to be a Lola Judd (your last poop, LolaRacer on twitter, Drayson claiming the announcement on twitter) and just as I had counted it as a Lola Judd for the ALMS I remembered your post about “does this change his plans” re: ALMS, and on top of that AMR Teams on twitter re-tweeted the major announcement of a Lola customer team (Lola ASTON customer team?) on Midweek Motorsports. (How happy is the Lord with Aston right now?) Fortunately by the end of the day, this problem will be solved.
… now I’ve lost my train of thought. I better go get some exercise… refocus myself!
That was a good one. I have noticed the bear hasn’t been so “bearish” lately on the ALMS grids. Again, I would love a car count estimate that you usually do.
It would be exciting news to see Drayson in ALMS LMP1 all next year. Could it happen?
Lady Drayson expressed how much she enjoyed here time in the United States. Somehow I believe they might contest LMP in the ALMS. Cocker and Bell might make a good sprint format lineup with the Lord driving at Sebring, Le Mans, Petit and Laguna.
As for dropping St Pete and Utah, I hope we can replace those with solid events. We need 12 races, not 10 and as many as 14. Sears Point may return, double weekend with IRL about this time next season?
Speaking of IRL, they do run at Watkins Glen you know…
Finally I have mixed feelings on TV next season. I can’t get Direct TV HD via my Media Center PC at the moment and not without a serious and maybe complicated investment, my only races in HD are from NBC and ABC.
ALMS in HD and Dolby Digital is the shhhhh. At least keep ABC for St Pete, Long Beach or Watkins Glen…
Rob, we’ll loose Corsa and VDS for Mosport, also no word on Vici or Primetime.
So Ferrari is on for 2010…..?
Murphy got correspondence from someone who should know saying (paraphrasing), “We’ll be there, likely with 2…”
Would that be from a Horse Whisperer?
A Roan Horse Whisperer?
Why would a car manufacturer enter their “race” car into one race to aid in the marketing of a new model that will be introduced all over the country? Seems like a smart marketing move to enter one race on one side of the country and one on the other side of the country.
centralvalley…what are you talking about? The bear didn’t understand a smidgen of your post.
Hmm, maybe the A3 2.0 TDi and Audi???
Sorry bout the sophomoric attempt at speaking the Bear’s language. Seems like Horndawg has the idea. The German Doctor states that part of the reasoning for entering Petit was to aid in the marketing efforts of the new TDi going to dealerships this fall. I am not new to either racing or business but, knowing that Audi is top in sales worldwide, why would they only enter an East coast race and not the West as well, ie Laguna Seca? I can remember reading numerous articles just a few months ago that F1 manufacturers wanted the same, ability to market their trademarks in two separate races? And…really cutting short their entire fanbase for the season.
Obviously, I am new to the site and I enjoy reading all the tidbits and insight…thanks for what you do!
murphy says:
August 25, 2009 at 1:04 pm
Murphy got correspondence from someone who should know saying (paraphrasing), “We’ll be there, likely with 2…”
With the new ones or the old ones?
hello murphy, are there any confirmations weather ferrari will use the 100kg more homologation in gt2, like porsche doeas, to get bigger tires and restrictors
centralvalley: Sorry, sometimes the Bear can be as dense as anyone else. He sees your point. Two races in North America this fall would make good sense, but when can you expect that from the auto industry, foriegn or domestic?
A few years ago (before T. Boone Pickens), Murphy reminded an Audi PR rep that their Shell racing diesel was GTL (Gas-To-Liquid) from natural gas, not crude oil. Given the relative reserves (and now price) of natural gas and crude it would make sense for Audi to tell us that in North America, wouldn’t it? All he got was a shrug.
The Ferrari correspondence Murphy refered to was in regard to Sebring, and though it wasn’t specific, the Bear understands from other sources that the new car will not yet be ready.
arakis, Murphy has heard that, but not yet from a “definitive” source.
Hey Murph, read 137 and enjoyed the commentaries on the state of Sports Car Racing in America. However, I’m fixated on the P&M BMW M6′s for GA. It certainly cannot be Greggory Loles, as I initially decoded. He is a Porsche tuner, isn’t he? What good would running tube framed BMW’s do? (Are those M6′s V10 powered? How modern for GA, I figured all GT cars were required to have 358ci V8′s, maybe that was some other series…) Anyways, I know you won’t give me a definitive answer, but I must ask, is it Mike Petersen? That would make more sense, as the Farnbacher bit of Farnbacherloles, is not at all involved in the operation in the USA, and runs and presumably will continue to run a different program, with a different manufacturer in Europe. So Petersen/White Lightning have split, White Lightning(right here is where I decided to look up and REREAD the bit I thought I’d decoded, and then I decided, after writing the following, I’d finish my thought.) (Dale White) running the Lola Judd for Drayson, as he did the Vantage, potentially in Europe…
I’m posting this anyways to show I’m a moron and this is an important lesson; we should all read things in their entirety. Don’t come back ages later having mulled over information one made up in their mind, days after reading the article. The other partner goes to run the Prancing Horses in Europe. Well… Eff me. I am going to continue to assume I was right the first time.
That was creative thinking though wasn’t it?
Stuff this, I’m going to bed.
m. piedgros: You had to talk yourself out of it, didn’t you? The prancing horse in Europe is an important clue indeed.
(Sorry for the delay in this…sometimes for reasons inexplicable to the Bear, comments end up in a que needing “approval.” He doesn’t always notice.)
Buy the way, a team relevant to this discussion came close to not crossing into Canada because of a dispute over support from their car manufacturer. Interesting, huh?
Germans switching to new Germans sounds odd…..
So What is the plan for the boys from VA. That car is getting tired.
Unless some magical funding comes along (read car manufacturer) the Virginia team will continue to field the long-in-the-tooth beast they’ve come close to getting the best out of. It would be the most cost-effective choice. The team wants to be in sports cars (read ALMS), and there aren’t a lot of options out there (read money).
The Virginia team is joined at he hip with the West Virginia coal town Italian boy who made good. That means to the Bear that whatever he does it will be something the Braselton Godfather wants to do. Prototype Challenge entry?
Murph, all costs inclusive, would running the same-old-same-old be more cost effective or less cost effective than buying a new LMPC car?
I suppose if, say, a pro-driver was to run a PTG badged and prepared entry owned by a gentleman driver, that would be far more cost-effective, I suppose.
The new LMPC car is still a substantial initial cash flow outlay. If you’re competing with a paid-for P1 (like Autocon, for instance), you’re probably better off staying where you are. For that reason, the Bear suspects there will be little movement from one to the other.
PTG? That’s a different story, since the Panoz is helpless, hapless, and hopeless.