There’s not much action out there, racing or otherwise, but there’s still much being decided behind the scenes. Here’s Murphy’s synthesis of rumor, fact, and speculation about North America’s two principal sports car road racing series.
Honda Takes a Powder
Honda’s North American sports car racing program has passed on, the agonizing seppuku of its dying finally ended with one final swift stroke of the kaishaku. The beginning of the end that was announced today was in 2009 when three Acura-supported teams were cut lose. In 2010, the Acura brand was replaced by the HPD non-brand, and reduced to a single LMP2 entry. A tentative 2011 plan with token support, limited to Highcroft field trips to Sebring and Le Mans, was ended today.
Will Honda continue to develop and support the LMP2 V6? Will it simply transfer the center of gravity of its sports car racing to Europe? It’s clear it’s done paying for chassis, and equally so any significant engine program – the V6 is a half-hearted effort, at best. And it is very, very clear – even before this announcement – that Honda is not interested in the American Le Mans Series.
Taken in isolation, Honda’s departure is bad enough, but a wider survey of manufacturer’s plans, some announced, some rumored, should worry sports car racing fans around the globe.
RIP Wankel
Mazda will make radical cuts to its racing budget for 2012, something Murphy reported via Twitter on May 5. Now he’s learned a bit more. With the Wankel finally headed into the dustbin of history, the Grand Am GT program is in its last season, but Murphy hears Mazda North America likes McDreamy’s marketing value, so much so that it has contracted the development of an entirely new turbo 4 cylinder for the TV doctor’s step up to LMP2 in the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup in 2012. So a McDreamy Mazda skips the ALMS’ minor events in favor of the big show with just two North American appearances. The Bear’s 64 dollar question: does Mazda continue its other turbo 4 program, the branded AER motor used by Dyson Racing? Or does Dyson have to move to the new engine to stay in ALMS prototypes with Mazda?
Datsun and Toyoda
Two engine programs burst onto the scene this year, exciting fans hungry for any good news, particularly since these companies fielded the R390 and GT One not so many years ago. Not to be a wet blanket, but the Bear thinks there is less here than meets the eye. Both appear to be doing little more than attempting to squeeze a little marginal revenue out of existing 3.4 liter V8 motors developed for the All-Japan Super GT series – Nissan’s from the Skyline GT-R, and Toyota by its Cologne, Germany-based group for the Lexus SC430. Neither appears to be headed into sports car racing as anything more than engine suppliers with limited budgets, and neither seems to have any plans to participate in the American Le Mans Series. For Nissan in particular, be some pressure in the past two years for racing in North America seems to have largely dissipated in the face of ambivalence from Japan and a “beleaf” the future of racing is electric.
The Four Rings
No, not J.R.R. Tolkien, but the Decade’s Lords of Le Mans. Audi NA decided three years ago a North American LMP racing program was not a good marketing investment. It subsequently proved that by the results it measured after diverting those millions to other advertising.
It’s rumored that Audi AG wants to take a controlling stake in an existing F1 team, something it could do easily at a cost not much more than its on-going prototype program. If it does, instead of old prototypes moldering in a museum, its investment would give it hundreds of millions in F1 concorde distributions, the continuing revenue of an engineering business, and in one rumored case, leadership in flywheel KERS systems. All-in-all not a bad exchange.
And F1 adventure would be the end of campaigning the R18, except for Le Mans; otherwise Audi will continue in the ILMC. There is no possibility of returning to a full ALMS schedule.
Porsche and Peugeot
Murphy doesn’t know if Porsche will step into the gap left if Audi leaves ACO’s prototype ranks, as has been rumored. On balance, what he hears leads him to conclude it will not; the lucrative GT business is just too good not to remain the core of Porsche Motorsport. In any case, if there is a Porsche prototype it seems certain – like Peugeot – to compete in the ILMC events, and not contest the ALMS. The French will continue in the ILMC and at Le Mans for the “service life” of the current 908. Neither Porsche nor Peugeot will contest a full ALMS schedule.
Grand Am
As the Bear noted above, Grand Am GT will be without Mazda next season. Unfortunately Murphy hears there are bigger problems than that. Things aren’t improving in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup. It should be a wake-up call that Clint Bowyer may be done for lack of sponsorship in weeks, maybe sooner.
Teams and others in the NASCAR family are again pressuring Jim France to focus on the company’s premier series, questioning the “diversion” of resources to the “house” road racing series. We’ve been down this road before, but then it was in a context in which Sprint Cup’s weakness was largely seen as recession-caused, and would recover quickly as soon as the economy improved. That’s simply not happening, as anyone looking at the grandstands at Dover Sunday could readily see. What the recession (yes, business and employment is recovering, albeit very slowly) did do was break the love affair between corporate America and racing sponsorships. It’s hitting NASCAR, and has hit road racing much harder.
What does that mean to Grand Am? In the near term, it means that if purse increases recently discussed on International Speedway Boulevard happen, it will require contractions elsewhere, likely to Jim’s support of DP teams, including those “captive” or nearly so, to the France largess. (It was a chuckle at VIR that the “Beat Chip Bounty” was paid from one France pocket to another.)
Further out, Murphy can see a loss of momentum in the transformation of the series and particularly of the Daytona Prototype. However, the Bear isn’t as convinced as some that the “new look” will fall short. After all, a few inches here and there can account for the difference between a Ford and a Ferrari. We won’t know how these cars look until we actually see a car, or at least a to-scale drawing. But lessening financial backing will increase the series’ fear of driving away current entries by forcing too large an investment in new hardware. Similarly, new entries – Ferrari and others – in GT will increase cost by raising the bar for current competitors, again reducing entries. All that will likely make Grand Am more timid in implementing the changes that sports car fans (the traditional kind) have wanted to see in the Grand Am product.
Proposed DP Revisions
We always knew that the (cash) impact on current participants of new DP rules would be minimized, didn’t we? It’s a consequence of having “cheap” as your principal product attribute.
With that in mind, the kinds of changes – mostly bodywork – floated last week weren’t a surprise. Those who are critical might consider that it really does take only an inch here and there to hugely impact appearance. Consider that this look was achieved largely by raising the sidepod profile without any greenhouse reduction at all.
Bounties
With Grand Am paying the $25 grand bonus to itself, the only out-of-pocket payment was the $25 put up by Magnus for beating Bill Auberlen and Turner Motorsports (who none-the-less again landed on the GT podium).
The “Best television coverage in racing”
(As odd as it may now seem, that’s quote from a “State of the Series” presentation at a previous Petit Le Mans.) In a press release announcing the promotion of an underling, the ALMS confirmed the departure of Senior Vice President of Television Production Services John Evenson. He’ll “remain as a consultant to the series.” Pretty soon the series will have more “consultants” than employees. Murphy told his Twitter readers Evenson was shown the door at close of business Friday. The Braselburgers get credit for hiring Miss 12 Hours of Sebring 2008 in the same week.
The most important fans – the ones that bother with such things as forums – had been telling the series almost from the beginning that its television package was terrible. It chose not to listen.
Media Mogul Moves
Don’t be surprised if News Corp. makes a move to acquire the F1 commercial rights.
GRT
Generic Racing Team launched a website last week, then quickly shut it down. The prime suspect called Kevin and pled “Not Guilty.” The NASCAR brass was publically peeved, but privately amused. The search for a disgruntled former employee with advanced website design skills continues…
ALMS Prototype Summary
Muscle Milk will complete the season, as will one Dyson Lola AER (Mazda).
A Dyson second car announcement remains possible.
Autocon is “in” beginning at Mosport, though the “new direction” stuff is a bit overblown – same car, same motor, same drivers, some reorganization of the “partnership,” car upkeep moved to a new shop. No, it did not get “significant upgrades” at Lola.
It seems Intersport will “Field” an LMPC – but no LMP1 or 2.
If they can get the AMR One to run, Aston Martin will make a single ALMS foray, at Laguna Seca, in addition to the Petit Le Mans ILMC round.
Tucker will campaign one LMP2 for the remainder of the ALMS schedule.
Murphy’s seen no evidence that Signature has a car, or an engine, or a crew. (When they do, perhaps they’ll be kind enough to post a photo? Even Solo Al was able to do that.) The team says it’s in the “re-evaluating” mode. It’s getting a little late for this season, isn’t it?
Most likely ALMS (non-ILMC) LMP1/2 entry: Lime Rock 3, Mosport 4, Mid-Ohio 4, Road America 4, Baltimore 3, Monterey 5.
Oklahoma!
Still a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, but not yet a racing event. The “announcement” did not announce an event, but a promoter’s intent to get an event approved. The mayor is for it, the state is for it, yadda, yadda…but no mention of the OKC council, which defeated it last year. With a hoops playoff underway, auto racing isn’t even close to the community’s consciousness.
South America for the ILMC?
They’re floating the idea, along with an assumed constraint of seven (and no more than eight) events, including Le Mans. Drop one of the three European events? Perhaps, but most of the entries are from that continent. It seems equally likely that North America will lose one of its two, doesn’t it?
Andy Lally Update
Andy failed to qualify at Darlington, but won $80,825 at Richmond, and $88,875 at Dover for GRT, er..TRG, which brings his season winnings to $1,020,811. The entire American Le Mans field has won $1,093,000, less $173,000 withheld, the total due to participants to date is $920,000. Teams that have been classified as “factory,” or “factory supported” are not paid purse money. The next privateer(s) does/do not “move up.” The Bear has already credited the privateer bonus fund that will actually be paid after the season. That may also not reach the $540,000 he has allowed, in which case the total will be adjusted downward as necessary.
Tags: Acura, ALMS Grand Am, AMR One, Aston Martin, Audi, Autocon, Bill Auberlen, Dyson, F1, Ferrari, Ford, Ganassi, Generic Racing Team, Highcroft, Honda, ILMC, Intersport, J R R Tolkien, Jim France, John Evenson, Le Mans, Mazda, McDreamy, Miss 12 Hours of Sebring, News Corp, Nissan, Oklahoma, Peugeot, Porsche, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Shinden Mooncraft, Toyota, Wankel
Murphy, perhaps you should have elaborated on the car you have provided a photo of. But no worries, I’ll take care of it for you, and also correct you on an error that simply looking for a few extra pics could have shown you.
The vehicle you have shown us is known as the “Mooncraft Shiden.” It is a Super GT racecar run in the series’ GT300 with a small amount of success(3 wins, 8 poles and 9 fastest laps in 48 races). The car IS built from an actual Riley Daytona Prototype, and as Murphy notes some very small tweaks add up to a big difference in the appearance – though I am still not a fan of the Shiden’s appearance.
Murphy’s note that there was no greenhouse reduction at all is inaccurate, however. Although the base of the greenhouse is the same, as it rises up it features a very dome-like shape and it IS about an inch lower at it’s highest point(not counting the air intake on top).
Please bear in mind, however, that the Mooncraft Shiden does not apply the type of chassis differences Grand-Am has proposed. While I for one am cautiously optimistic, this has the potential to be a make-or-break change. Either a stroke of genius, or a clusterf*** of epic proportions.
It is my hope that when Grand-Am say they want to eliminate the “sloped front end” of the current cars, they aren’t being absolute. Doing so would remove a great deal of ability to implement the production car stylings they want to encourage, as well as ruining creativity for “standard” prototype designs. I am hoping that a “generic” DP front end under this revamp would come out looking a lot like the front end of the 2006 Lister Storm LMP Hybrid: http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/pic/2770/Lister-Storm-LMP-Hybrid_1.html If that’s what they’re aiming, the revamp is looking good.
Murphy knows the car is the Shinden Mooncraft (it was included in his article “tags”), but thank you for filling in his readers. A source has said that the greenhouse was not modified, but Murphy acknowledges that you may be right, and there is a 1 inch reduction. As you say, however, the Bear’s point is made, that relatively small differences can make a very substantial visual difference.
so how much did andy make in a non-qualifying effort.
how about derrike cope also?
if only howard camping had not predicted the future so well then announcements for 2012 and 2013 could be taken seriously.
.As you say, however, the Bear’s point is made, that relatively small differences can make a very substantial visual difference…….that and a big honkin’ stipe of wind shield visor to reduce the amount of visible glass. -))
Recalling vaguely another somewhat DP-like Super GT racer, I did some extra digging and uncovered this little gem: http://octanereport.com/tuned-cars/2010/06/11/feature-jgtc-gt300-autobacs-asl-arta-garaiya.html
The car appears to meet the basic DP bodywork guidelines we’ve heard and is quite a stylish little creation. If the DP revamp comes out anything like that, I will be one happy sportscar fan.
Here we are watching series either die or damn near close to it in front of our very eyes and people concern themselves with aescetics. What’s it matter what the cars look like if they don’t race?
@Privateer Motorsports: You honestly think Grand-Am is on it’s way out? Even if NASCAR wants to cut some of the funding to it to send more money to Cup, which won’t do them any good if the problem is sponsors leaving, GA will never go away as long as there’s any chance of it helping to kill off another series and bring in wayward fans. NASCAR wants to be king, and they’ll keep GA running in order to get non-NASCAR fans if that’s what it takes.
[...] Une source américaine rapporte que Mazda va procéder à des réductions de budget importantes en sport automobile l’année prochaine. Le programme en championnat Grand Am pourrait ainsi être abandonné. Mais cette même source rapporte que le constructeur japonais pourrait néanmoins développer un moteur pour la catégorie « LM » P2 disponible pour des clients en ILMC. A l’image de ce que fait Nissan cette année. A suivre… A lire sur MurphyTheBear.com [...]
English translation from Endurance Series.com
“You honestly think Grand-Am is on it’s way out?”
Nothing would surprise me. You may see a 24 Hours of Daytona and that’s it for France family-financed sportscar events.
The nosepiece of the Shinden Mooncraft looks very similar to the nosepiece of a Spec Racer Ford…
@ Privateer Motorsports: Grand-Am is finally starting to gain some traction against ALMS thanks to the ALMS’ field size issues and the buzz that the DP revamp has generated. Even if they want to divert some extra cash flow to Sprint Cup, the France family is not stupid enough to completely pull the plug on Grand-Am anytime soon. They didn’t get to where they are by being idiots.
Now, if the ALMS actually manages to recover some of it’s lacking prototype numbers within the next couple of years, THEN I can see the Frances pulling the plug on Grand-Am. Particularly if the DP revamp doesn’t turn out to be all that great.
On that note, am I the only one who thinks that Grand-Am should just adopt the new LMP2 engine regs? The current DP engine regs are actually very close to the N/A parts of the new LMP2 regs. If GA wants to attract manufacturer(and team) interest, it’d be a perfect choice.
Grand Am generating “buzz”? Between the you and the two other people talking about it, I see no buzz and I don’t read the Funny Paper (Grand Am Forums).
I like how Murphy’s myopia forgets the continuing disaster that the nuclear power stations and flood was in Japan. Most companies are just now re-starting production and some consumer product has been delayed. Honda has bigger fish to fry than to give Highcroft money. This is a bit troubling though that the 2009-2010 Championships can’t seem to get sponsorship. Brown I’m sure is glad he didn’t spend money on Highcroft this season given how many times they have wrecked a 458 already in only two races. And you thought Felbermeyer Porsche was having a bad season…
Fox I wish some of the fan base this includes YOU would stop wishing for prototypes to return. Its unlikely they’ll be back in the LMS in 2011, so why should they be in the ALMS? It was very unclear what the fall out would be from the ILMC. The ACO clearly thinking about itself and European based OEM’s. Its time to embrace GT2(e) and GT3.
You had 30 cars at Navara last weekend with just GT3 and GT4 cars. You can watch the Blancpain Endurance series, the entire races (two thus far) online.
There is no reason you can’t have an ALMS based on GT2(e) and GT3 cars and have at least 30 cars. Just with GT2′s and Porsche Cup cars you have over 20 cars… There 11 brands in the Blancpain series, including Lotus and the new Mclaren mp4-12c was set to debut but it looks like Spa 24 for that car, maybe the last European GT3 Round before Spa. Mercedes has sold more than a few of its SLS GT3 car. The management of the ALMS is already sort of pig headed, don’t be that way yourself in your blind support for prototypes when the best class in racing and highly supported by manufacturers is, wait for it – GT CARS!
It won’t make it like “Nascar”, it won’t make it like “World Challenge” and it won’t make it like the Trans Am series of years gone by.
It will be 30-35 cars solid with battles up and down the grid.
Two series can exist in America. Its not ideal but I rather have this way than have the ALMS tank and Grand Am take over.
@Anthony: I want prototypes back for one reason: I LIKE prototypes. I like GT cars, too, but I’m a much bigger fan of purpose-built racecars. And where does this idea that the LMS will have no(or next to no) prototypes next year come from? I’ve seen nothing to indicate such. The European series has ALWAYS had better prototype numbers than the American series, and the bulk of the cars we’ve seen over in Europe are NOT entered in the ILMC.
“ALWAYS?”
Hardly; not much more than a decade ago, soon after the ALMS was launched, European prototype racing was all but dead – again – after the end of Group C in 1993 and before BPR. There was a reason BMW and Audi came to the ALMS in 2000 – there was nowhere else to go.
In the intervening years, after 1993, John Mangoletsi’s ISRS finally came along in 1997 and morphed into the FIA SCC in 2000 before dying for lack of interest. The cars tended to be warmed-over from the US-based IMSA/WSC ranks. The ELMS/LMS came along as an after-thought to the ALMS (which ran rounds in Europe in its early years).
Before that, GTP was at least as strong in the US as was Group C in Europe, and Can Am in its short run before the first gas crisis killed it was as strong a series as any European prototype racing.
@Murphy: I was referring to the respective LMS championships. NOT previous series.
Formula Fox, how is Grand Am “gaining traction” against ALMS when the size of their 2011 fields are NOT much different in terms of size? Check the LBGP grid vs. the Grand Am’s VIR or non Rolex 24 grids.
As for the hideous looks of the GA/DP’s… it’s a pretty big problem. I worked at DaimlerChrysler when some motorsport engineers & SRT brand managers reviewed a motor(s) that could be used in the DP’s. No one wanted to spend $$$ promoting the Grand Turtles. The cars appearances were literally a huge joke to the Design & Marketing arms of the company.
I think the financial support for prototypes is all but gone in the U.S. My prediction is G/A will drop the prototypes and replace them with the ALMS GT(2) class and revise the G/A GT rules to incorporate the ALMS GTC class. That along with the Continental Tires’ GS and ST classes as support races will pretty much make up the endurance racing scene in this country.
@ACKZ45: The field size doesn’t tell the whole story. The ALMS did not have better TV numbers than Grand-Am in 2010, something they regularly achieved in previous years, and the new media deal has the potential to drop them off the radar completely if it’s not marketed effectively(and thus far it hasn’t been). There’s a bigger spotlight on GA right now, which is allowing them to gain some ground. There’s an opportunity to lure in upset sportscar fans by way of the DP revamp if they play their cards right.
@JRH2112: I have to disagree. There’s always going to be enough of a market for prototypes to keep them around in this country, even if it remains a niche motorsports market. The conflicting philosophies and designs of our two sportscar series create a funding split which hurts both and creates an APPEARANCE of their not being enough money. Look at Champ Car vs IRL in the last few years of the split – in 2006 and 2007 the death of BOTH series was a very real possibility. Once unification occurred what little money was available got pooled into one series, which allowed them to focus on improving and marketing the one series with most of the previous confusion about the matter eliminated. Now IndyCar is on the rise and, with Comcast/NBC on their side, they have the potential to transform the series into a NASCAR-beater as long as they don’t drop the ball.
Let me repeat that: A form of racing that looked destined to be in the dustbin of history is now very strong, and getting stronger by the month. And they’re doing it despite having a HORRIBLE TV deal.
Prototypes are here to stay. In what form is the real question.
“There’s always going to be enough of a market for prototypes to keep them around in this country, even if it remains a niche motorsports market.”
Formula Fox,
I just don’t agree with the ‘Humpty Dumpty approach’ whereby if we just put it back together again all will be well. The 1997 Rolex 24 hours pulled a 0.2 national rating on ESPN2 and the 1997 Sebring 12 hours did better with a 0.6 on ESPN. In other words, sportscar racing in the U.S. has never been all that great to begin with (in terms of viewership), nor has it fallen to despicable lows in the interim, despite how it may have appeared to sportscar racing aficionados. I agree with you that it’s a niche but I don’t believe said niche is large enough to sustain and/or justify full manufacturer support, with any consistent degree, for vehicles they don’t sell to consumers, i.e. prototypes.
For a manufacturer to justify the expense of running a prototype in today’s bean-counter marketing analytics, they pretty much have to show that what they spend will be returned in the form of marquee brand equity. The ROI is simply not there for the manufacturers to do that based on the niche’s size.
On the other hand, some manufacturers do need to race in the U.S. to maintain a particular model’s position in the U.S. performance car market. The Chevrolet marquee, for example, needs to race the Corvette model somewhere in the U.S. market to maintain its position in the market along with Porsche racing the 911 model. Other marquees wanting to position a model in the performance market, likewise, will justify the expense, like Ford is doing with the Mustang. From there it’s just an issue of allocating a portion of a model’s designated R & D and marketing budget to racing, rather than justifying an out-and-out expense for the marquee.
IMO, the sportscar racing scene in the U.S. will always require some sort of manufacturer subsidy to be successful or maintain some level of ‘professional’ standards. And just based on the size of the fanbase (niche), I don’t see that monies spent by manufacturers won’t offer a better return with models they actually sell. Nor do I see much hope in increasing the size of that niche because I don’t believe it has really fallen off all that much. It may have seemed much larger in the past, but aside from attendance for some events, I doubt it really was.
@JRH2112: I’ll remind you, again, that the “humpty dumpty approach: is working quite well for IndyCar. So far, at least.
The thing is, though most of history the bulk of prototype manufacturers have actually been the specialty manufacturers like Riley, Lola, etc with manufacturers occasionally jumping in with special stuff that trounces them all. Manufacturer involvement in prototypes was always a rather spotty occurrence until Group C and IMSA GTP came along and created prototype racing that was appealing to them. Even the Can-Am didn’t get MAJOR factory involvement until Porsche decided to actually take the series seriously after they withdrew from endurance racing. And it certainly maintained the professional standards and popularity you speak of in the years prior to Porsche came along.
The specialty manufacturers WILL be able to keep prototype racing afloat on their own. They’ve been doing it for decades, after all.
And although you bring up a good point with the lack of viewership in the last pre-split Daytona and Sebring, you do make two significant mistakes. One is summed up in the following statement: “sportscar racing in the U.S. has never been all that great to begin with (in terms of viewership)”
The IMSA GTP series was one of the most popular forms of racing in the US history. During the 1980s it shared viewership ratings on par with both NASCAR AND IndyCar. Provide the right formula and PROMOTE it well, and sportscar racing can be plenty popular in the US.
The other thing you fail to consider is why Daytona and Sebring dropped to that point. The IMSA GTP series died for two reasons: The FIA killing off Group C via the 3.5-liter formula, and a late-80s management restructuring in IMSA. The new management lazed out on the performance balancing that helped keep IMSA exciting, which resulted in the ability for Nissan and later Toyota to utterly dominate the series to a level that drove fans away. This same management was running IMSA in 1997 and things simply had not improved. The WSC formula itself was not overly endearing to fans(though it did provide good racing), and it’s limitations were initially meant as a stopgap measure to save sportscar racing in the US from dying out completely. If it succeeded, it was meant to be opened up to make it more like the old GTP series, just with open-top cars. But IMSA actually became MORE restrictive which just made things worse.
US sportscar racing has lost A LOT since the 1980s. But as Randy Bernard noted when he talked about getting fans back to IndyCar, the old fans didn’t just disappear. They’re out there. They just need the right product, and they need to KNOW about it.
IMHO, the answer is quite simple and completely impossible to fix. The root of most major problems faced by sports cars is manufacturers. What privateer can compete with a $70m Acura/HPD program? What privateer can compete with a $30m Audi program?
The only logical resolution to the constant cycle of explosive growth followed by massive implosion is to keep direct manufacturer involvement out of sports car racing. Would anyone really object to the next generation of prototypes being strictly privateer? Would anyone have a problem watching 3 Lola’s, 3 Oreca’s, 3 Pescarolo’s and 3 Dome’s going head to head on the track each race?
You will obviously need manufacturer’s involved to supply engines and perhaps hybrid technology, but other than that keep them out. They will still promote their involvement because their engine will be winning races. The problem is that you have/had manufacturers spending money in a currently niche sport like it’s Formula 1. How does a privateer sell a sponsor on a program that is doomed to be an also ran at most of the major events?
As I said, this will never happen, but it’s what needs to happen.
@Smuff: Your idea is the exact type of concept Grand-Am follows. Their only major manufacturer involvement is in the engine department, and even then their rules are such that privateer tuners(like Dinan) can produce competitive engines without manufacturer backing. Expanding that involvement only up to some road car styling cues doesn’t change a whole lot from that.
Me, personally, I prefer the ACO’s INTENDED methodology behind LMP1 and LMP2: A class for factories and a class for privateers. But it only works if the rules expressly require the divide, otherwise you get the backdoor factory efforts like the LMP2 Porsche and HPD/Acura programs.
There are a lot of people who oppose the idea of making sportscar racing strictly privateer, and there are many good reasons to oppose such a plan. For one, sportscar racing has provided us with more road car technologies than F1 – when Ford built the GT40 they actually looked into putting in a rudimentary form of traction control, but it was too unreliable to keep. Working TC AND active suspension found it’s way into Group C well before F1.
This opposition is what makes the idea of dividing classes between manufacturers and privateers an appealing concept – if the manufacturer class dries up, you SHOULD still have a strong field of privateers running those Lolas, Orecas and such with their engines sourced from whomever feels like providing powerplants to the privateer specifications to keep things going until the factories start running major programs again. And the people who want factories to be allowed in get what they want whenever the factories are ready to provide it.
Additionally, smuff, consider the following…
“What privateer can compete with a $70m Acura/HPD program?”
In the combined-class formula of the 2010 ALMS season, although Acura won the title they were beaten at some races by Dyson(who’s Mazda engine program is a joke of manufacturer involvement), Drayson(entirely privateer), Cytosport(the only other semi-manufacturer team on the grid), and if the Intersport car hadn’t been so unreliable Highcroft would’ve only gotten about HALF the number of wins they were able to take!
Under the right circumstances, the privateers CAN beat the manufacturers. The challenge is finding a formula that allows it. And there’s no doubt the 2010 ALMS season had it.
Mosport Sold to Ron Fellows & Company !!!!!
http://www.mosport.com/
@Fox -
(1)
Philip Peter who runs the LMS series for the ACO has stated that due to low turnout of LMP1/2 cars at the opening round of the LMS in France and the impact of ILMC on his series that he is considering going without LMP1/2 cars next season.
(2) As Murphy stated Prototypes are hardly more popular in Europe. You just have better quality privateers see RML and Strakka. Henri won’t go anywhere without support from a manufacturer like those that support RML and Strakka (Honda) or Rebellion (Toyota). You can’t keep dumbing down the competition to the level of those that are hardly paupers to start with but just don’t have the cubic dollars/euro/yen of the larger teams.
(3) The quality of privateers in America are generally terrible. The only team worthy of praise over the years is Dyson. But even their roots are in GT cars, how come they can’t go back? Chris is a good enough driver to buy two cars, a brand new GT2(e) and a year old GT2(ProAm) car to run with at the ILMC rounds. He would still score points under that system if he’s a season competitor and its more affordable to take a GT car over to Europe than to bring a Prototype with massive odds against you doing well. A GT car will at least give you a chance to win, look at Tracy Krohn… Wouldn’t you say Chris Dyson is a better driver than Tracy Krohn?
(4) When the economy can support Prototypes they are fine. Clearly with world wide austerity, flat car sales and high unemployment you clearly see the rich did no suffer in the economic downturn but the FAN did. I don’t know how you can link what happen between the IRL and CART. IRL was ideal of a Rich Man with too much money to spend. But once the family took away his wallet there was no more IRL. For CART a series of bad moves and a jingoistic culture doomed CART from the split onwards. Its fortunes really went down after key teams like Ganassi and Penske left for the IRL just because they wanted to be at Indy.
Sports Car Racing in America doesn’t have that. Don’t bring up Sebring. Sebring just happens to be around the same time of Spring Break and unlike much of Florida who don’t like College Co-ed’s invading their town Sebring seemingly doesn’t mind and benefits from it several ways, especially in the coffers. A majority of those fans are not regular followers of the ALMS or ILMC. There just happens to be a convergence of heavy beer drinking, general party environment and a good race (not always a good race…).
That said Autocon and Intersport are TERRIBLE teams. They are not poor so don’t give m that tripe that they are some fellas running this out of their garage. Even if that were true, have you seen RJ Valentine’s Garage? Its featured on the Lista web page – http://www.listapersonalspace.com/personal-spaces/peers/case-studies/rj-valentine.aspx
That still doesn’t diminish the fact that they are reluctant to spend money. Compare this with Highcroft’s approach which has often been talked about – http://www.gordonkirby.com/categories/columns/theway/2010/the_way_it_is_no256.html and you’ll quickly understand why Robert Clark picked Highcroft and not one of the other teams in the paddock…
(5) Specialty manufacturers like Lola and Riley do keep Sports Car Racing afloat but I wouldn’t call that high quality racing. How many times has Lola been the Giant Killer? It seems to me only a quality outfit like Dyson was able to pull that off. How many of those types of teams exist? Not many, I’m still puzzled by Toyota’s decision to support Rebellion when they haven’t proven anything as Rebellion or as Speedy Sabah. They have won the occasional GT race and class victory (LMP2) but that’s it. Dyson has defeated Audi fair and square, only Panoz has been able to accomplish that. But these are teams run by people who aren’t concerned about what it cost to win, within reason.
The ALMS is designed to be a manufacturer friendly series and wants to stay that way. If that’s the case you go where the money is and for now and the foreseeable future the choice for national series will be to go with GT cars. Those ambition to take the fight to companies like Audi can battle it out on the world stage where its not cheap to start with and should be the least of your concerns if you want to beat them.
(6) I propose that the ALMS go with GT-e, GT3 and LMPC for 2012 to 2014 and reevaluate at the end of 2014.
LMPC cars are generally faster anyway, you can put them back to 2010 specs where they are equally as fast as current LMP2 cars. Its spec racing Fox but that didn’t seem to bother you watching Champ Car and IRL.. They are prototypes. Maybe in 2014 you can start considering other brands of engine say from Ford or Chrysler.
GT-e as Hindy is often fond of saying is PERFECT AND DON’T TOUCH IT. The only thing I might add in the future is ABS. Why not they already have Traction Control. It won’t make the racing any worst…
GT3 is where you’ll see the explosion and biggest expansion in the ALMS. There will still be some Porsche as there some loyalist already in the paddock such as Alex Job and TRG, they’ll just buy GT3R versions of the 911. But outside of that you’ll have mouth watering prospects from BMW, Benz, Ferrari and Audi. Not to mention Lotus and McLaren.
I like Prototypes too but not to the detriment of the series. Having uninteresting, poorly funded efforts that even Dyson can’t dominate because of a history of reliably problems does not and should not excite the fan base. Because of Muscle Milk AMR’s DNF at Sebring, Dyson only has to keep finishing races to win the Championship and even they are capable of screwing that up some how, but that’s no way to handicap a series…
How about a Le Mans odds post?
http://www.racecar-engineering.com/news/sportscar-racing-next-for-deltawing/
“DeltaWing is thought to be seriously considering a sportscar racing campaign with a revised version of its Indycar concept. Rumours are swirling around Le Mans of a significant announcement at tomorrow’s ACO press conference. Is it the long discussed far eastern car maker? More likely it is something like DeltaWing producing a sportscar racing version of its concept as the 56th entry.”
How about the ALMS success at Le Mans. What a shame there is such a disconnect between the quality avialable in the US (and w/o Highcroft) and the interest and entries in the series here in the US.
I am anxiously awaiting a blog post on the future of the ILMC. I feel this could be the end of the ALMS. I am sure teams like Highcroft could get more sponsorship for a world championship type of series that is managed by the FIA.
Anyone else notice Jean Todt was at Le Mans rather than Montreal last weekend?
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