Murphy’s gotten an early look at proposed 2010 ALMS entry fees. If you plan to field a single-race (without paying the “full season entry fee”) LMP1, Sebring will cost you a cool $13,000, more than a 70% increase from 2009’s $7,500. On the other hand, if you commit (cash) to the whole shebang, the entry goes up just 300 bucks, to $6,500 from the discounted “member’s fee.” No word on the member dues for that full season club. It was $25,000.
The Tale of the Deutsche Daughter
The Deutsche daughter wants a driver of her own but the scion of the Land of the Long White Cloud won’t accommodate, so the young lady will abandon her long-time paramour and take up with the inheritor of the Land of the Rising Sun, who will employ for her a son of Suomi born in Deutschland. (It’s just happened, actually.-MHB-)
The Deutsche Daughter supercar will sport an engine by MTC, once the engine division of a cat racer.
The Finn returns from whence he made his fame. That same inheritor of Bruce, now needing to replace the Deutsche daughter, will embrace the iconic employer of Hans und Bernd und even Tazio ( in one season), taking the name under which it raced to 25 victories. In this fable, the famed icon does not return to the venues of its recent success.
Yet a source from Wald-Michelbach insists that the sixteen is underway, and the old Florida airbase is booked. The rest of North America? Thinking about it. From other sources persistent Porker Proto stories.
Can the Bear resolve these conflicts? Well, stuffed animals are not known to be the sharpest knife in the forest (or something like that), but with the Porker capitulation, what the rubes used to think was true now is. Same-o, same-o. If the people’s car group wants to rationalize its product lines, it will get Stuttgart out of the truck and saloon biz, and back into the sports car biz full time. Are they that smart? Donno, but if they are, the racing program should follow. That would mean putting VW on the “big stage” with its iconic logo and name, and handing the annual glory in France back to Weissach. If that should come to pass it will be in 2011. Since all this stuff is now “community property” so to speak, Ingolstadt can go ahead with the 2010 proto program, then hand it over to Weissach in 2011, when it’s ready to join Bruce’s company on the Big Stage.
Further F1 Follies
After the season, when no one is looking, the other Japanese team will exit F1 as quietly as possible. Will that send them into sports car racing? There have been lots of hints, but don’t book it just yet.
Warning?
A message from International Speedway Blvd this past Wednesday evening suggesting that those on Brian’s dole might want to stay away from that the Challenge proto seems to have been ignored. All 14 test slots were taken up. A former IMSA winner in a 333SP was denied a drive. Murphy’s uncertain why, but perhaps an out-of-date license? The man from Tavares was in the house, and so was the proprietor of Adobe Road. Of course they’re GT guys, so not on the DP gravy train.
Pierre at Laguna
Pierre Ehret will join Farnbacher Loles at Laguna Seca, replacing Dirk Werner, who’ll be busy with Grand Am at Homestead. End of season and end of partnership settling of the books is in the works, too.
Adoption
What must the prospects be if the Series proprietor bails? The Bear was told Tony, Vision and the stepson are off to do the guppies with a used Coyote and a German truck motor. Since the sisters pulled the plug, Tony’s been trying to get adopted into another racing family. Has he made it?
Rools are rools – except when they isn’t
Murphy thinks that reading and understanding rules is a much better use of a race director’s time than is worrying about the possible misuse of a hundred buck credential. But of course he’s just a stuffed bear, isn’t he?
Friends
Friday night, the Bear did dinner at a super secret hideaway on the Lake. Cats all over, including one that befriended Murphy.
Murphy wandered into Paddy’s not long before the stroke of midnight Friday, to be greeted with a loud, feminine, “MURPHY THE BEAR!!” Dead ahead, 12 O’clock high, right down in front was none other than ayrtonsgirl, lookin’ gooooood in her little black dress. (The Bear’s hip. That’s what they’re called, “the little black dress.”) Well, there was singin’, an’ dancin’ and jus’ a whole lot of merry makin’. The nickname is legit, that girl was raised up right by her daddy into a fan of the great Senna. Chat made it an all-cat night. The Hunting Dog was there, too.
Saturday it was Jack’s, a place with a real racing pedigree, Jack having run team Lotus in SCCA and IMSA. Doc was part of that cast of characters, wasn’t he? By Sunday morning, the poor bear was shot.
Pssst, Chip
If A.C.’s favorite driver plans to drive at Laguna Seca, don’t you think he’d better tell his boss (the one that expects him to show up at Homestead)?
Tags: Adobe Road, ALMS, Audi, Chip Ganassi, Deutschland, F1, Farnbacher Loles, Jack's, Paddy's, Petit Le Mans, Pierre Ehret, Porsche, Prototype Challenge, Scott Pruett, Suomi, Toyota, Vision Racing, Wald-Michelbach
Way over my head.
This took like 10 minutes to figure out but I did. Man, those are some predictions/rumors right there.
My questions:
-The dude denied a ride: Is he bringing along the Soda Scion dough?
-If what you say about the boys from Ingolstadt is true, then what about the chassis? I mean, they’re not gonna do any better than the customer chassis out there now, but, someone will want them. I’d rather have those than the Acura if I’m planning on Sebring.
Ok…Bear….if you should find yourself around the turn 6 camping circle some time after Thursday’s practice or any time at LS, I have plenty of bear treats in exchange for a lesson in The Bears native tongue.
I’ve consulted with my bears and they can’t explain it to me either!
I think the bear may have eaten the wrong kind of mushrooms in the forest
I think I got it – at least most of it. Just donno precisely ” . . . what the rubes used to think . . .(?)”
mg3904 said: I think I got it – at least most of it. Just donno precisely ” . . . what the rubes used to think . . .(?)”
That Porsche and Audi were the same company and could coordinate their racing strategy. Finally now they are and they can.
Did The Bear hear anything about the Fernandez Acura being sold?
It would be great to see that car in the ALMS next year (closer to the front under the new rules).
Eric Bachelard “had” interests in it for 2010 but did not finalized funding. As usual…