July
With Le Mans behind us – an perhaps too much time on everyone’s hands – the rumors of a Grand Am-ALMS merger/acquisition came roaring back. A.C. surreptitiously met with Murphy at a Daytona watering hole, dutifully reported by the Bear in 130. Shocking news at a Clandestine Meeting.
Soon after, Grand Am sources added even more information, even as Miller abandoned the story. Finally, ALMS reacted, a source telling the Bear the whole thing was a disinformation campaign floated from Daytona, something the Braselburgers claimed was a regular tactic of their Florida antagonists.
All that blew over by mid-month (except for SA’s “We’re Not For Sale” button at Lime Rock), so Murphy turned to the soap opera in F1 with a story about Bernie’s ouster. That was, it seems, premature.
At Lime Rock a rumor surfaced of an “equivalency” formula for DP’s, reported in Murphy’s after-Lime Rock Paddock Poop 132. Ultimately that went nowhere, but the real story behind it was likely the addition to the ALMS field of the spec LMPC’s. Just about the same thing for many endurance sports car fans. They look better than DP’s but are just as much – no, more – outside the historical spirit of the sport.
There was also a great deal of “background noise” about ALMS finally dropping GT1 (which had already been “a dead man walking” for years) and re-combining LMP (they’d achieved that finally in a 2008 season that will likely go down as the high water mark of the series before (stupidly) abandoning it in 2009. The two-class thing turned out to be correct, of course, but Panoz, chasing revenue rather than racing, screwed it up by adding two spec classes back in.
The race wasn’t bad, but the highlight of Murphy’s Lime Rock trip was Red Molly at Bodle’s Opera House in Chester, New York.
At the end of the month in 133. PLM prospects. What next for BMW? the Bear considered the likelihood that Audi would finally join Peugeot at Petit Le Mans – he thought they would, but ominously also wrote that, “More important, Audi is by no means committed to the ALMS in 2010, but an improving economy and settling the “Mouse and Elephant thing” with Porsche clears the decks for a return. Unfortunately, some are saying that full ALMS seasons will come to an end if a seven race (with Le Mans) “world championship” of sorts happens. Manufacturers will get as much – or more - value from two appearances each in Europe, North America, and Asia, plus Le Mans. That’s the reasoning the Bear is hearing, anyway.”
Sadly, the Intercontinental Cup has since become reality, as has exactly what Murphy predicted based on what he was hearing. Audi has announced a PLM-only 2010 ALMS schedule, likely a permanent change for them and for any Porsche LMP that might come along, too. ALMS fans will need to resign themselves to a few “big” races, with the rest of them being decidedly “national” in character, their fields populated by mostly spec-racers.
Paddock Poop 133 brought the first news of a trash can for BMW’s F1 program, continuing delays for Rocketsport’s Jag, Farnbacher Loles hiring better mechanical talent (with other people’s money, of course), and a 1,000,000 visit milestone for Murphy and LTC.
August
On the 6th, in Paddock Poop 134. Murphy spilled the beans on Atherton’s upcoming confab at Road America:
“What he Knows (that you didn’t – until now)
“The American Le Mans Series will add a prototype class based on the ACO’s nascent Courage-Ford V-8 series. The prototypes, selling for $345,000 complete, will be built by EMT in Braselton. To control costs, engines will be sealed (and available only from EMT), only two sets of gears can be used (long and short circuit), and only a “small range” of springs can be used to modify set-up.”
Thus, in a stroke, and for PMG’s short term gain, the ALMS created the class that will kill it.
A few days later, the Bear told you Audi would be at Petit Le Mans (you had to think a little bit on that one…but just a little). Drayson’s purchase of a Judd-powered Lola coupe was in the same Poop, and Murphy told you the idea that de Ferran would field an ALMS team (along with an IRL team) was fanciful, to say the least.
Over two different columns the Bear (who’s not particularly technically inclined) garbled the Porsche weight “penalty.” In part, that was because he had a hard time believing that Porsche had the ACO so completely by the short hairs that it would do something so completely meaningless for a blatant and serious rule violation.
A.C. brought us up to date on the Evil Empire in “AntiTRUST Me,” reminding us that Henri Zogaib beat Greg Loles to the Ponzi Punch. Though the NASCAR crowd did pretty well keeping that one relatively quiet (so, too, is ALMS, Porsche and the ACO on Loles) it was likely a bigger cash take for the Daytona crook. Our erstwhile NASCAR correspondent backed off his earlier prediction that Grand Am would devour the ALMS in 2010 (but not much) when he wrote:
“I guess I ruffled a few feathers about NASCAR taking over Sebring and Road Atlanta next year (they don’t want Mosport because its too hard to learn to speak Canadian). As mentioned above, NASCAR believes in fair competition, so instead of taking over Sebring and Road Atlanta, NASCAR will just wait for Darwin to finish the job, if you know what I mean.” Not sure about the rest of it, but the reason not to include Mosport in the deal rings true to Murphy.
A.C. told us a bit about the topics he’d deal with on his radio show (2-4 am on WZQU Ormond Beach, 1850 AM): “I am happy to talk about how Scott Pruett freed those journalists held in North Korea, or why the Riley DP is the most technically advanced prototype in the world, or how the Rolex Series has record crowds everywhere it races, or whether Enzyte really works.”
August brought word that the ALMS would be exclusively on Speed in the coming year; that changed later with the announcement of two CBS dates. Inexplicably, one is the 6-hour Monterey endure, delayed a week, an event uniquely suited to Speed. Are you going to hope they’ll do some quality editing? Murphy rates that chance slim and none.
The Bear told you Greg Loles would have Pratt & Miller build a pair of BMW’s for Grand Am, but he got the model wrong. He told you Farnbacher would split to concentrate on Ferraris in Europe. Horst knew something the rest of us didn’t. He told you St. Pete would be missing from the 2010 schedule, but also reported that Infineon was rumored to be back: 50%, then. He told you that Audi would not go on to Laguna Seca after Petit Le Mans.
Midweek Motorsport called Lord Drayson’s Lola Judd “a major new LMP effort.” For the Bear, who reported it a week earlier, it was still just a one-eyed old guy, but in faster hardware. It couldn’t be worse than blowing an engine a day in an Aston Martin GT2,, but it wouldn’t be much better, either.
Murphy thought the remaining Japan round of the Asian Le Mans Series would be cancelled. That was wishful thinking. It survived, morphing into a stop on the upcoming (and ill-advised) Intercontinental Cup.
Following leaks, interviews, and rumors to the contrary, the Bear was finally able to tell you, that “the on-again, off-again Panoz LMP is finally dead…including a recent Frankenstein-like reincarnation of the original 01. Undeniably and reliably dead. Not only merely dead. Really, most sincerely dead! (Murphy’s thanks to his friends the Munchkins.)”
He plugged his friends over at sportscarpros.com in Paddock Poop 137, currently on another of its not-infrequent hiatuses. He’s told, however, that “Rumours of demise may be greatly exaggerated.” We all hope so.
September
On the 3rd of the month, Murphy took his first shot at the Petit Le Mans field, figuring the grid would fall between 29 and 33, with 31 likely starters.
He reported rumors that Grand Am’s DP fields would be depleted in 2010, including the departure of Brumos (though he included the contrarian rumor that Brumos would continue with a single Riley powered by the Cayenne V8). Also in Grand Am, he wrote that the Krohn-Lola dispute had hit a wall, and “…the big-time racing car builder and its oil magnate partner may be headed to court.”
The Bear got Camaros and Corvettes mixed up in a Grand Am GT story about a switch from Pontiac in 2010. Well, hell, it’s the same tuber chassis, anyway.
A.C. was off to Vegas, hoping to “recoup from the Zogaib debacle.” It didn’t help. He also wrote, “One day, fans will return to the Rolex 24. We don’t care about technology, or green racing, or Le Mans … Braselton will never defeat Daytona. That is a sure bet.” Though both are weak, could we see some trends in that direction in 2010? For the first time in a decade, Murphy thinks so.
The Don made one more “run,” trying to raise money for his “supercar,” the one we thought was “truly dead.” Mercifully, it went nowhere – again.
The Bear “took a shot” at the 2010 ALMS schedule; it was off the mark, with Monterey staying at the end, and Sonoma in May. Turns out of course that Sonoma was a no, and Monterey went to May. Perhaps the Don needs the party income at the Chateau?
NASCAR Vice President of Corporate Communications Jim Hunter was the designated attack dog on the American Le Mans Series for its proposed “Challenge Class” rules. In a lengthy blog, he called the ALMS’ new rules, “misguided,” and “counter-productive,” while accusing the Braselton-based race series of circulating “calculated misinformation and propaganda” to “undermine Grand Am’s success.” Pretty frantic stuff.
With the ACO floating new aero rules for 2010 that would make the R15 obsolete, and incur costs for others, Murphy opined that IMSA shouldn’t “commit hiri kuri with the French.” It did, of course. ACO/IMSA rules then exempted everyone else from the aero changes, making the net effect just the whacking of Audi from ALMS/LMS grids. A fine thank-you for decade of support – including millions of Ingolstadt cash into ALMS coffers.
At the end of the month, it was off to the North Georgia Mud Bowl (red mud at that). It not only rained Cats and Dogs, they were also seen celebrating in Paddy’s. 
Murphy was the first to tell you that Mercedes would dump McLaren in favor of Brawn, and reviewed the rumors that would “rationalize” the VW-Audi-Porsche product line and racing programs. Time will tell.
The Bear said “the other Japanese F1 team” (that would be Toyota) would soon exit F1, but for a sports car program to follow, “don’t hold your breath.”
October
The test of the new LMPC after Petit was a success, and clearly disturbing to the Empire on International Speedway Boulevard. The Lola-Krohn fight heated up. Murphy observed that the ALMS’ crack PR machine couldn’t even get Scott Sharp’s Sebring crash on Sports Center. NASCAR got a routine barrel roll on at the top of the show, though. Braselton was trying to dump most of the operating cost of Sebring on its biggest tenant, Central Florida SCCA, while keeping the lion’s share of the revenue. Another sign that things are dire in Georgia, the Bear thinks.
Murphy said Audi’s return to the ALMS was unlikely, and Acura was certainly gone. (Since then, privateer Duncan Dayton might have saved the series by deciding to field an old Acura P2 with leased engines.)
A.C. wrote about a little incident on the Florida coast in Daytona Vice.
Mid-month the Bear reported on his return to his favorite place (and former home) the Monterey Peninsula. He dropped in to see David (Mike was on vacation) at the Sardine Factory and Gannady over at Clint’s place. He partied below the hairpin with friends of Enzo (and of the Bear, of course).
After the race it was off to the Mucky Duck, band in the back and friends from Poughkeepsie, England, and a few other places in the front. The Bear agreed if Mazda were to “step up” in the coming season, the Lola AER just might turn into a nice little package. It seems clear that they have not, likely making that entry one more disappointment of 2010. If – as is rumored – two drivers do not return, it will be a disappointment to Murphy whatever else happens.
Murphy told you about a Ferrari being prepared to Grand Am Prep 1 rules for competition in the coming season. The cat was having some homologation troubles. Momentarily there was a rumor of two more BMW’s, but it turned out they are for Europe. The Bear noted a press release was issued by “Farnbacher Loles” about a pair of KONI M3’s (it seems KONI is no longer the sponsor of that Grand Am series, by the way), but pointed out, “Murphy has more than once reported rumors they would split.” Of course they had. We’re reminded once again that press releases are as often as fictional as paddock rumors.
The Bear went over 25,000 readers for the month.
November
November included rumors of Penske testing “something from Aichi in Spain.” No legs. Likewise, stories of a Duncan Dayton Peugeot; about those Murphy wrote, “If you take winning Le Mans out of the picture, the Peugeot rumor fades into oblivion, and you take Dayton at face value that another Acura season is in the cards – completely independent of Acura.” That’s pretty much how it’s turned out. The Acura “support” amounts to little more than keeping the engines running.
A Dinan-built Ferrari motor was slated to power a DP at Daytona and after, run by Scott Tucker. Murphy thought the F430 Prep 1 GT would make the Daytona grid, too, but it will not.
The Bear threw out a few ALMS and Sebring possibilities and dismissed a few, too. In the latter category was Creation, about which Murphy wrote (again), “Creation advertised (via another of those “interviews” in which nothing new is revealed) for a funded driver (déjà vu).” He reported three Ferraris were probable, one Risi and two Sharps.
Murphy planned a trip to see Michael in Las Vegas, but a deadline for his second recipe book and work on his inaugural Christmas quiz derailed that plan.
Comprent, tagged for an LMPC entry, was still looking for funded drivers. Mercedes dumped McLaren in favor of Brawn, just as the Bear said it would.
December
Murphy started the month “Sweeping out the Bear Cave,” a few odds and ends heard around the paddock. The Bear bade farewell to PTG and any Panoz race car. (They really hadn’t been any good since the Tony Dowe-engineered Reynard-based GT1/LMP01, had they?)
Risi Competizione was “in again, out again,” as a full season entry. Murphy stayed skeptical. In Grand Am DP, the Bear heard – and passed on – that Ganassi would switch from Lexus to BMW power.
One of those “odds and ends” was this little item entitled “No Farnbacher, No Loles, “The Bear’s repeatedly reported rumors that pointed to the termination of the Farnbacher and Loles partnership – that’s happened now, of course. Lately he’s questioned whether Greg Loles would continue in ALMS, or even be able to bring his ambitious Grand Am plans to fruition. This week the mill has been churning. That includes a medical event earlier in the week, chattels in the Georgia shop packed for shipping to Connecticut, missed payments, and an RSR of disputed ownership.” Little did the Bear know that just a few days later, one day after announcing his 1st Annual Christmas Quiz, the crap would hit the fan for Greg Loles…or Loles would be the crap…
Loles invented another way to finance his racing; steal from a church (and its members). Is that one better than Grand Am’s Henri Zogaib, who stole from his fellow racers? Two crooks. One in each sports car series. Talk about competing with each other!
The same day, Murphy reported that Dyson Racing would likely field just a single car and Audi would contest just one ALMS race – Petit Le Mans. As if that wasn’t enough, Lou was selling his ALMS Corvette and heading for Grand Am. It wasn’t a good day for anyone in sports car endurance racing.
Cytosport was rumored to be planning a bigger ALMS program and to have a “secret project” after Muscle Milk dumped its SCCA Trans Am sponsorship. Would they run a second Spyder for Porsche and for Bernhard and Dumas?
Murphy published, scored, and announced the winners of his Christmas Quiz.
Paddock Poop 148 fittingly closed out a lousy year, with stories of massive pay cuts in two of North America’s leading racing teams. Greg Loles was in the slammer with scant chance of getting out any time soon. Papers filed with a Michigan court concerning Loles’ Grand Am GT project revealed that GT costs in Grand Am aren’t substantially different than they are in ALMS. Of course we knew that already, didn’t we?
The Bear went over 30,000 readers for the month.
Happy New Year, every one of you.
Tags: A.C. Guillermo, Acura, ALMS, Audi, BMW, Comprent, Cytosport, Dinan, Dyson Racing, Grand Am, Greg Loles, Henri Zogaib, Panoz, Peugeot, Pratt & Miller