John Dagys has been the topic of an almsfanforum thread of late. Some of it runs along the lines of “lucky guy.” Luck? Murphy’s furry backside! Young as he his, John Dagys worked his tail off to get the gig the forum numpties (that rather descriptive word coined by an anonymous “industry observer” who the Bear claims as a friend) dream of. Anyway, John was haunting media rooms writing – on his own nickel – for an independent website (The-Paddock.net, in which he was a partner and the chief editor) while still a journalism student at Columbia College, Chicago.

John started covering the American Le Mans Series in 2005, as a freshman, and started at Speed.com in 2009, the same year he graduated with his journalism degree. In between he slaved over PR releases to keep himself fed while getting paid next to nothing at web publications  in the “mainstream” of sports car racing coverage (“mainstream” in the sports car media world means little noticed, and rarely read, of course).

You wienies want to get a gig like John’s? It’s easy, just learn to write (Ha!), spend a half decade mostly paying your own way , and plan to keep having to supplement your income trying to make the owner of Level 5 look good. (If there’s any measure of genius, that might be it. Of course, it didn’t hurt he practiced with Intersport, another tough nut.) [Edit: Murphy 's told that John does not do PR work for Level 5 or its owner.] After yesterday, stick a fork in the Scott Tucker thing – it’s done.

Murphy’s been there, done that (including the PR articles tagged as “team reports” that once included Intersport, but that’s another story). It got really, really old. As for John, the Bear thinks he’s doing a great job under the circumstances. And Murphy believes what Mr. Dagys writes, too…except for when it’s about Mr. Tucker, of course.

On Lotus AJR

Alex’s racing BFF once told the Bear. “The best sponsor you can have is the manufacturer.” Alex Job Racing is a much better team than Rocketsports Racing. All you would have had to do is walk the paddock and look – really look – at the cars and the work area to see that. Want to know the secret to racing? Given a reasonably competitive car – admittedly that’s in doubt for the Evora – it’s attention to detail. Alex will do just fine.

And if he doesn’t? Some of the forum numpties will write “he should have stayed with Porsche,” proving once again they have no understanding of this sport at all. As Murphy’s friend “Reality Slap” wrote, Alex is in business. Drivers, sponsors (including the manufacturer) paid Alex to race the Evora. What are he and Holly supposed to do?” Starve? Of course not. They’ll take on the challenge, and (you read it here) do much better than Rocketsports did with the Jaguar. Why? Have you ever looked at an Alex Job prepared car? Then at a Rocketsports prepared car? Case closed.

News Flash

You want the definition of really, really big news? Even bigger than “FTC Accuses Scott Tucker of being a Rip-Off Artist?”  This headline might make it in our sport: “Jim France Fields ALMS Team.” That’s what you’d have if Action Express were to run in the ALMS, so yes, that would “rate a laugh or two” as a regular posted in the almsfanforum.

On Dope

Back in January 2007 a driver named Luca Moro was given a two-year FIA suspension for a positive drug test. Two months later, at Sebring, a driver named Luciano da Silva led three laps in GT2. Wink, wink.  An entry is an entry, isn’t it? Do you really need to know anything else about this sport?

No Soup for You

Who remembers the guy who pulled the scam on Cosworth, ordering their engines for an LMP1, then ordering a pair of prototypes from Lola (all a big mistake, to hear him tell it)? Well, lately, he’s sort of back. “Sort of” because the scam isn’t on builders, it’s on fans – the few of you who you read Murphy, anyway.

A while back, Mr. Malooley started posting in the Bear’s comments as “Clay.” Not long after, Murphy began a correspondence with the estimable Mr. Malooley, who (nothing new here) was perfectly happy to talk about his plans for a two-car prototype team. It didn’t work out for 2011, of course, but there was to be a “rented car” (Enterprise will pick you up!) for “a very limited ALMS and LMS program in 2012.” That bit followed teases about meetings and conference calls, hiring crew, and locating shops. None of which can be verified, of course. Most recently, Clay writes in comments to the Bear’s 198 that “the program (will use) an America car, engine, and driver package.” Yadda, yadda, this has been going on for too long.

Murphy never bought Clay’s BS. Really, who would? (Don’t answer that!) And really, would the Bear, very closely associated with the exposure of the Solaroli-CET scam? Who was right there reporting Greg Loles’ demise in the sports’ press? Daily SportsCar was the first to name Clay (good for them, makes up a bit for hanging on so long lapping up Solo Al’s crooked bullshit), way back when he was placing faux orders with engine builders and chassis constructors. But Murphy figured he’d see where this was going. Well, it’s been going nowhere except to more tall tales, it seems. All wrapped in sworn to secrecy by the wealthy big-name sponsors, and always meetings and delays, meetings and delays – and market studies and surveys. Finally it’s time for the Bear to say, “Move along, there’s nothing here to see.” After posting that his yet-unseen  racing operation was working with NASA, Clay followed up with this post:

“We believe the amount of technology available and the fact we are based on the Space Coast will be invaluable. Several companies have offered their assistance in a number of ways. Some of the technology and materials that we have seen is beyond anything currently being used in motorsports. It may help us down the road.”

Geez, what crap.

Murphy will give this little episode a wrap by simply saying, the Bear doesn’t believe it. Not one word. You can read the whole story by reading through the “Comments” at the end of each Paddock Poop over the past six months or so.

On Pretenders

Continuing with our theme, the list of pretenders is pretty long, isn’t it? There was Reg and the gang over at Signature (not much of a gang, of course, since there’s no one there we know of beyond Reg and Matt). That one’s kind of like Clay’s latest, just an April Fool’s trick (carried on for months) on the fan community, both the gullible kind and the sycophant kind (for some of you forum followers, that word means ass-kissers – ok, to be a bit more kind, we’ll call it hero worship). The Bear figures that other than time wasted writing gushingly hopeful posts in forums, there’s no big harm in scamming the fans. Hell, the series has been doing it for years, hasn’t it? ACO leading the way struggling year-after-year to “balance performance” between gasoline and diesel power. Wink, wink. ALMS inadvertently let that cat out of the bag in 2007, didn’t it?

On Real Crooks

Remember the Rands? Murphy wrote this last September.

“Gregory Keith Rand, aka “Greg Rand,” 46, and William Nicholas Rand, aka “Bill Rand,” 41, both of Dallas, were sentenced on July 27th to federal prison terms of 18 years and 14 years, respectively, for fraud. Their father, William Anthony Rand, aka “Tony Rand,” 69, of Plano, was sentenced to five and one-half years in federal prison. In addition, the defendants were ordered to pay $99,707,758 in restitution and forfeit numerous pieces of personal property to the government, including real estate, boats and other personal water craft, luxury vehicles, artwork, including an original Picasso, furniture, antiques, musical instruments, jade, expensive jewelry and wine. Greg Rand was remanded into custody; the others will be allowed to report to the Bureau of Prisons at a later date. The forfeited property will be sold by the U.S. Marshals Service.

Rand Racing contested Grand Am in 2001 and 2002 in SRP II. And yes, some who worked for them were screwed, even after winning judgments against the crooks, when the Rands stripped the assets out of Rand Racing. Among many who worked for this criminal family were Thomas Blam, Risi Competizione, Jeff Braun, Anthony Lazzaro, Nic Johnson, Marino Franchitti, and Ralf Kelleners. How many were stiffed? One for sure, who told Murphy “ I sued and won, but Bill mothballed the team until the statute of limitations ran out, so no restitution here.”
This little note from Murphy is for the superfans who want their heroes to be left alone. The moral of this story is, “sooner or later the Feds will get you,” and, the crooks in our sport hurt real people. Ever since John Dillinger, we can believe if the IRS is in the hunt, something is not right. And what if the next felony will be the third?”

Is there a Theme Here?

Dah! Wink, wink. Today’s theme is crooks, and the Crook de Jour is Ferrari Test Driver Scott Tucker, the Boss’ BFF (or so Murphy’s been told). If you really want to know what Tucker thinks of you rubes out there, just figure he thinks you’ll believe that test driver crap. Ole Scott has the FTC on his ass, and Murphy was on the wire last night with his friends, including the Hunting Dawg, parsing the long-expected news. You didn’t really believe ole Scotty boy would get away with that scam forever, did you? The Bear didn’t, and he said so, many times.

It’s just another in a long line of crooks who think sports car racing will be a fun place to launder their ill-gotten gains.

Another example is the felon who’s son owns the Ohio sports car racing team. Wink, wink. The IRS has finally put that build-and-close, dump-and-run-in-the-middle-of-the-night operation out of its misery. But back to Tucker and his Rent-a-Tribe operation. He seems really to have believed that would keep his consumer loan scam out of the reach of the law.

Someone over in the ALMS fan forum actually thought he was being funny when he asked the Hunting Dawg if he was taking legal advice from the Bear…only to eat his words a few posts later. You want a clue? A case with which Murphy is quite, ah, intimately acquainted is actually cited in the FTC-Tucker Federal Court filing. And the Bear knows that case chapter, verse and seizure. So padlocks it is for Level 5…and its assets, and that might extend beyond Level 5 into the ALMS grid. Don’t give Murphy any of that “innocent until proven..” crap, either. This is the FTC, the SEC, the IRS. They seize it and ask questions later.

It almost extended even further, because Tucker’s BFF (the bald one aka “The Boss”) had been wandering around the paddock for a long time looking for a buyer for the series, almost pleading with those he thought might be well-heeled enough to bail him out from under “The Don,” who of course had long since lost interest in the whole shebang. (Abruzzi, tracks for sale, DeltaWang, what else do you need to know?)

He thought he had that done with Tucker when the deal had to be set aside in last year’s spike in bad publicity for the Kansas City scammer. (Murphy says you’re welcome.) But the Bear’s sources say that wasn’t the end of it. The rumored “investment” by Tucker and his Level 5 team in other operations and entrants has been a holding pattern to find the right time to take over the rest. (And it’s a little more cash laundered, isn’t it?) Murphy can’t prove that, it’s rumor only, but now it’s irrelevant, isn’t it?

BTW. Someone said the Tucker’s Level 5 had made some big commitment/contribution to ALMS. Really? Got pissed off and ran off to the WEC? Parked its car in the middle of a race, as soon as the points were in hand? Murphy’s bent over in laughter.

Where’s the Bear Been?

After more than a decade, he’s really quite tired of the Braselburger crap. He’s got something far more fun and far more important to work on. Check out some background material at http://gourl.gr/owz or http://min.us/msLVTYQei . Go ahead, download. Perhaps you know someone who knows someone who can help.

The Bear will check in occasionally, and he’ll still tweet. But if it’s the same ole mostly-spec-racing crap, well, he’s got better things to do.

He’s been thinkin, how much can you rip the gang that can’t shoot straight before it’s just same ol’ same ol’? Which it has been for a long time. When The Bear launched this thing – way back in 2005 – he was documenting exciting and fun stuff. That started fading about three years later, and the whole damn thing’s turned pretty dark. Which Murphy doesn’t really like. At all.

Good News

Anyway, here’ some good news. Ah…ah…geez…The Bear’s thinkin’…ahah! That’s it! Dyson will be back racing against Greg! Like last year. And there will be some P2 guys – no one really knows how many – but it might include the Payday Lender King. Well, perhaps not King, but Chief, since he’s “gone native (American).”

GT will be cool, though there are way too many indications that’s headed for a slip, too. But all the more reason to enjoy it when you can. The Bear still isn’t sure whether the Texas car dealer will be back with his Ferrari(s) (that “s” is pretty unlikely, for sure). That will leave the Mexican cactus squeezers in charge of Ferrari’s prospects – and they haven’t had a lot of luck cracking the top 5 – ever. Not likely to change.

Where were we? Oh, yeah. Good News. There will be a handful of spec. LMP’s and another handful of spec. Porsches on the ALMS grids. If that turns your crank, then by all means go for it. Brewskis  and brats (with an “a,” you know who you are way over there “down under,”) – and stronger stuff – with friends at the track hasn’t changed, regardless of the rest of it, right? That part of sports car endurance racing is a big part of its uniqueness, something that the stocker guys and OW guys (and girls) really have trouble understanding while sitting on their tushes in grandstands, heads on swivels like a rotating perversion of the crowd at Wimbledon.

Watchin’ the Rolex

Anyway, back to racin’ Like it or not, the Rolex is racin’ and the Bear’s going to settle in to watch  in a couple of hours. Last year he was in Daytona Beach and even spent some time at the track. A disaster, though he met some really cool people. This time it’s his comfy rocker and his telebision. Ain’t it great not to have to screw this the streaming crap? (And crap it is.) Hey, ‘burgers, where the hell is Roku? Too busy? You have to be fricken kidding.

Good Ole Georgia Boys, New York Lawyers, and a Formerly FIA Frog in Volusia County Court

And Don, ol boy, suing a poor graphic artist known for poster of ocean liners? (and a girl at that)? The Bear ain’t much of a speller, but he sure kin’ git a person’s name spelt right, specially on a lawsuit. Will it get tossed for the mis-spell do ya think? Jus more paperwork keepin’ the New York lawyer busy, I spose. Anyway, does the new Grand Am tech guru Gabriel Cadringher know too many secrets? Did you have a contract wit him? More busy-work. No wonder there’s no time to open a Roku channel of  yer racin’.

The 50th and the 60th

The 50th Rolex at Daytona. The whole world knows it’s the 50th, what with the gnomes of International Speedway Boulevard telling a story-a-day for a couple of months it seems, making sure everybody knows that great history. While who knows that Sebring is the 60th? (The Bear’s got a Sebring 50th commemorative bottle of The Don’s red – he and J. had some back 10 years ago at your Chateau at the safety pin, pretty good stuff, but this one is staying firmly corked and in the Bear’s cellar, where it’s been for the past decade.) What’s your PR department doin’ to tell the folks about the big race in March? Other than the new book (cool) by Sebring’s PR boss Ken Breslauer, all we’ve heard so far is the Frogs ain’t showin’ up wit their diesel. That should make it a one-marque race up front – again. (Murphy still thinks that Audi truck looks like a platypus.) Still, Sebring is the best party on the planet, and for Le Mans-style racin’, bein’ the only WEC round, the only ALMS race worth going to – except for the hard-core partiers, of course, who can have a good time at all but the dumb-ass street courses.  (Have ya’ll figured  out The Bear really does not like street courses?)

Where Were We?

Ok, the Rolex. Here are Murphy’s famous “Top 5” picks of the classes. He’s been pretty good at this. You can look it up.

Daytona Prototypes (new or old), the Top 5 finishers, in no particular order:

10 Angelelli/Briscoe/Taylor SunTrust Racing Corvette DP
02 Dixon/Franchitti/McMurray/Montoya Chip Ganassi Racing BMW Riley
90 Garcia/Gavin/Magnussen/Westbrook Spirit of Daytona Corvette DP
5 Donohue/Fittipaldi/Law Action Express Racing Corvette DP
01 Hand/Pruett/Rahal/Rojas Chip Ganassi Racing BMW Riley

The Bear’s not enamored of the pole-sitter. DP’s become a pro driver’s class. Peter’s got some nice drivers goin’, -check out the two Scots and the German guy, but he’s had to sell too many seats, so the three that could win it all are carrying a pair of weak sisters. Is this the year that Bob can break through and bring GAINSCO the big win? Daytona’s not been kind to the insurance maggot. So Murphy can’t make them a favorite, either. Spirit of Daytona has a really nice driver line-up, but has France cash converted this team from a couple of guys in a Daytona garage to a real race team? Sun Trust always has a shot, and while the World’s Greatest Race Car Driver (hello to the family at home) will start at the rear, Chip’s Grand Am regulars will be back in the hunt soon enough.

In GT, Porsche’s got the numbers. (24 Porsches in the field of 60 sort of overwhelms the whole damn event, doesn’t it? Pretty soon we’ll not be able to tell the difference from ALMS until we read out ticket.) Ferrar’s got a new car. Murphy’s not a Mazda fan, but they won in 2010, and McDreamy and company climbed the podium last year. The Camaros have struggled in practice and qualifying. Will they find the pace in the race?

Again, the Bear doesn’t like the pole winner to come through on top, for pretty much the same reason as above for Daytona Prototypes. He likes the Lizards a lot, even with the owner aboard – that doesn’t hurt nearly as much in this field as it does in the ALMS GTE field – and Seth is experience even if not fast. That should help a lot on a tough, crowded track. The Ferrari’s may be new, but they look good, and the Grand Am configuration isn’t a “high stress” kind of thing subject to the teething issues the GTE cars are.

45 Bergmeister/Long/Neiman/Rockenfeller Flying Lizard Motorsports Porsche GT3
63 Beretta/Bertolini/Vilander Risi Competizione Ferrari 458
93 Auberlen/Dalla Lana/Marsa/Muller/Werner Turner Motorsport BMW M3
67 Bertheau/Bleekemolen/Goossens/Henzler/Pumpelly TRG Porsche GT3
23 Collard/Holzer/Leitzinger/MacNeil  Alex Job Racing Porsche GT3

Rumors

What? No rumors? Maybe next time.

Audi  was running at Sebring this week. According to the best minds that analyze such things (Mulsanne Mike, for instance), the 2012 R18 really quite a different car than last year’s R18. Hopefully, the changes will improve the outward vision. A pal of a friend of the Bear drove the R18 a couple of months ago, and reported an “absolute blind spot out of the right hand side.” “It explains the McNish crash at Le Mans,” he said.

In other news from the Bear’s Chief European Correspondent, Romain Dumas is headed back to Porsche soon, there’s a big tug of war over Timo Bernhard, and Oliver Pla was quick at a secret Peugeot test.

Insiders in Europe believe ALMS will have Audi, Mercedes, and perhaps others not fully homologated by the ACO in some form of local GT class – but it’s unclear when that gets done.

The ALMS Field

The American Le Mans Series LMP1 and LMP2 fields, are slowly getting sorted out. In the premier class, it looks like Dyson will field two cars, though we don’t know yet who provides the second. It could be Humaid al Masaood again, or it could be someone else. A third entry seems a stretch, but remains possible. Cytosport is committed, but it now appears likely Mike Lewis’ Autocon partners won’t be able to save the entry and are looking for rides with others. The likely outcome for the class appears to be about what we had last season: two Dyson and one Muscle Milk prototypes.

LMP2 will be a bit stronger (that’s an ursine joke) than it was in 2011. Level 5 is reported to be a two-car entrant. Readers don’t have to be reminded that was last season’s expectation, too. Murphy’s is thus restrained in his excitement for Level 5 in 2012. Rumor has Newman Haas in the field, but if anyone’s seen any firm evidence, give a “holler.” The firmest entries appear to be Conquest and Black Swan. The Bear expects to see at least two LMP2 entries at every event, and as many as five at a few.

LMPC has six confirmed entries. None of those include Intersport, whose drivers and team employees seem to have fled to new team BAR 1 Motorsports, which the Bear believes is a probable entry. For those concerned with this and other LMPC teams obtaining funding, Murphy reminds you that in this class the drivers are the funding. With one more possible, the prototype Challenge class will be s-8 in 2012.

GT will struggle to reach 10 entries this season. The Lizards will return to try to recapture the hardware they believe they deserve – with some justification – every year. Extreme Speed is likely, but has one foot in Grand Am, and that might extend past Daytona. Falken is back and expecting to improve on  its 2011 – which will make it a contender for some of that end-of-season bling. BMW wants a splash for its M3 ahead of its motorsports reorganization that will put that venerable racecar into DTM and hand the keys to GT/sports car racing to the Z4. Corvette has had a disappointing start to its GT(2) program, but is always in the mix (if not mixing it up). Driver changes are in the offing, primarily driven by a desire to provide more stable factory driver support to privateer Corvette teams in Grand Am and around the world. As the Bear tweeted, Antonio will take a full-time seat. Expect Olivier Beretta to be full time with Jack Laconte’s Larbre Racing. Other Corvette Racing drivers will moonlight at Grand Am’s “major” events (Daytona, the Glen, Indy), but will not routinely partner in Grand Am DP and GT entries as they did last year. Grand Am teams are demanding “dedicated” drivers, and to the extent it can, the KGeneral is obliging. The Bear believes the other three Corvette “regulars” – Gavin, Magnussen, and Milner – are set, though there’s been a bit of rumble around a Magnussen move.

The winter’s most popular parlor game has been “Where’s Risi?” in which players try to come up with the most convoluted 2012 racing solutions for America’s premier Ferrari team. A kind of “Where’s Waldo?” for Ferrari fans. 2011 wasn’t a good season for the Houston team, and they’ve responded with some big changes, including substantial personnel turnover. Included in that is driver Jaime Melo, who won’t be back. The early season is pretty well fixed. Risi will field two new 458’s at the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona in January, replacing one previously entered under the Ferrari of Ft. Lauderdale name (you didn’t fall for that little ruse, did you?), then one at Sebring in March. It’s not so certain after that, but some Waldo players are putting their chips on Grand Am. In the end, the only player who counts is Guiseppe, and he hasn’t shown his hand – yet.  There was momentary excitement, a kind of ripple in the force, when Canadian Scott Maxwell a journeyman driver at best, tweeted that he’d landed a drive with Aston Martin. ALMS was the assumption, the hope being it portended another GT entry; Grand Am’s Continental series with Multimatic’s Aston Martin Vantage is the reality.

Grand Am

Grand Am unveiled the Corvette-bodied Daytona Prototype, the first of its new “DP3’s”. Its initial pace at Daytona wasn’t very impressive, lagging behind the DP2’s. Was it just new car teething? Sandbagging? At the time the Bear dismissed its importance, but then heard differently. The Corvette is seriously slow, unable to crack 190 anywhere on the DIS layout. There might be some other “good news,” though, in that a rumored an insurer is weighing in with a desire for slower top ends. That will give the series “cover” to slow everyone else down without it looking like a blatant move to put the Corvette in the game. Murphy guesses that no “balancing” will be quite enough, however, so he’s putting his money on Ganassi Racing to dominate in 2012, just as it did in 2011, 2010…

Scheduling Struggles

While Grand Am announced a 2012 schedule with not much fuss (though it did add its Lime Rock date later), the American Le Mans Series has struggled to pin its calendar down. Not all of that has been the fault of the Braselburgers, the comedies at Baltimore and Texas being the principal culprits, with the ACO’s June big black hole blowing out any chance to get Detroit. It does demonstrate the lack of options the series has been left with, however.

Bernie and Red finally settled their differences, confirming Austin for November, but not before a self-imposed construction delay. The result of that is the ALMS date remains unannounced, its early October date in limbo – for now, at least – pending some assurance the track will actually be complete enough to host a “trial” date ahead of the F1 circus.  Meanwhile, as if the current Baltimore (9/1) to PLM (10/20) gap isn’t enough, the Keystone Kops routine in Charm City has left that event with empty coffers and a $12 million debt. It has just two weeks to remedy that situation. Someone is going to have to come up with some serious cash or it’s buh-by to Baltimore. Necessarily, another Braseburg Two-Step – or perhaps a Cotton Eyed Joe – is underway, the dance partner this time being Virginia International Raceway, Murphy tweeting on December 7 that talks were underway, and AutoWeek chiming at about the same time. No announcement has been forthcoming, though, so as it stands now, the ALMS calendar could well have two gaps, eight weeks from May 12 to July 7, and nine weeks from August 18 (Road America), to October 20 (Road Atlanta).

There are real concerns about Bahrain’s appearance on both the F1 and WEC calendars. Regardless of the insistence by the FIA, ACO, and Bernie that everything is just hunky-dory, a bomb outside the British Embassy and rioting on the Pearl Roundabout doesn’t exactly contribute to any confidence amongst observers that either event will – or should – take place. More than 35 people have died in clashes and protest-related violence since February. Bahrain’s protests are the largest and most sustained to have hit the Arab monarchies and sheikdoms that line the Persian Gulf. There hasn’t been much progress on reforms promised after the February-March protests, contributing continued protests and clashes with security forces as recently as Thursday this week.  Murphy is among many who think that both Bahrain race dates are questionable at best. The status of its putative replacement makes the dropping of Petit Le Mans as a round of the World Endurance Championship a real head scratcher, doesn’t it? There’s good new in this for the civilized world (lately that doesn’t seem to include much ground between the Mediterranean Sea and Delhi). If Bahrain’s WEC round is cancelled, where does that series go? If the FIA and ACO get their act together before March’s Sebring opener, perhaps Petit Le Mans is back. Otherwise, probably just a hole in the schedule between Japan and China.

The Andy Lally Challenge

At Murphy’s last report, the American  Le Mans Series field had already closed out its 2011 with a total of $1,795,000 paid to all competitors.

When we last left Andy Lally, he had six races remaining on the Sprint Cup schedule, and he unfortunately struggled to the finish. For Sprint Cup’s Rookie of the Year, leading a lap at Talladega might have been a highlight, but his race ended in an accident after 162 laps in 39th place, with a purse of $81,300. In the previous race, at Charlotte, a brake problem ended his race after just 20 laps, but the 42nd spot still paid $64,825. At Martinsville, Hermie Sadler filled in, as he had earlier in the season, but then Andy bounced back for a finish in 29th and a $101,475 purse at Texas Motor Speedway. That was it for the season; Andy failed to qualify at Phoenix, and Mike Bliss drove at Homestead in the season’s final race. The $246,800 earned in three races in which Andy drove brought his season total winnings to $2,865,656. That final total almost doubled the earnings of the entire American Le Mans Series field for 2011, and brings the Bear’s Andy Lally Challenge to a close.

Kevin Buckler’s No. 71 entry gave up the 35th spot in owner’s points at Talladega to Bob Jenkins and was unable to gain it back. Buckler’s driver, whether Andy or someone else, will start next season having to qualify to make the grid.

The Bear wishes you all a Happy Christmas and a Wonderful 2012.

Murphy H. Bear

Just minutes before it was announced, Murphy was told the two TBA’s were Detroit and Texas. Subsequently, other candidates have made the routine rounds of the rumor mill. Boss Scott confirmed the Detroit TBA in a rather odd and self-serving  press release after Grand Am confirmed it would have that June 2 Detroit Race. Now it seems likely nothing will fill that ALMS April/May TBA.

Nor does the September/October event seem very likely. Though Sears Point, Montreal, Oklahoma City (the only thing going on there appears to be the all-too-routine legal wrangling amongst the promoter group – Oklahoma City Grand Prix LLC et al v. Mattioli), and Thunderbolt (New Jersey) have been thrown out there by fans, the only one that makes sense – the only one that might motivate Braselburg to move PLM to late October date  – is Texas.

Unfortunately, that’s ground being plowed by others. The gang from International Speedway Boulevard was in Austin not long before PLM, just the latest in a series of such visits. Australia’s V8 Supercar – a NASCAR ally, an FIA darling, and a growth product for Speedtv – is already scheduled for the new Texas track. The FIA’s ally in North America is Grand Am, not the ALMS, the partnership with the ACO in the WEC notwithstanding.

The Circuit of the Americas needs an event ahead of the its first F1, if for no other reason than to sort out its traffic and parking plans. As of now, Murphy will bet on Grand Am being that event, even though he can’t think of a weaker way to test traffic (little will be expected) and parking (little will be needed). Perhaps they want to make sure their dry run isn’t too challenging?

All that assumes the Texas track will get built in time for any 2012 race, even the November F1 date. Construction’s been halted while the principals fight for control (see also Oklahoma City and Baltimore). The only “money guy” in the promoter group is Billy Joe “Red” McCombs, who in owning the San Antonio Spurs, Denver Nuggets, and Minnesota Vikings, pretty much defined “cheap” and “ruthless”  for sports ownership and promotion.

The continued “temporary” absence from the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Boss Scott told us this was just a temporary scheduling conflict, and that ALMS would be back in the streets of St. Pete. Temporary is now 3 years; the promoters don’t seem to be very interested in getting the Braselburgers back, do they? The Bear’s said from the beginning the combination of geography and calendar made this a “cannibal event,” one that would do little more than leech from the series’ premier event in Sebring. But why dissimulate?

Laguna Seca moves back to the spring. Make up your fricken mind! Are they really trying to kill sports car racing on the Monterey Peninsula? Braselburg’s spin is “requested by the venue.” Of course Boss Scott has given us nothing but reasons to believe him, hasn’t he?
The likely outcome of all this is another 9-event ALMS schedule, with two breaks, eight weeks in May-July, and seven weeks in September-October.

Sebring Confusion

Who to believe? Here’s Scott Atherton’s description of Sebring rule from his State of the Series at PLM:

“Next year’s 60th running of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring will be round one of the 2012 ALMS. It will also be round one of the FIA WEC… The ALMS cars will be competing with technical specifications consistent with what will be in place for the balance of the ALMS season. …
Our class configurations will remain unchanged for 2012:
LMP1 – utilize the current 2011 regulations that include permitting grandfathered cars.
LMP2 – as current
LMPC – as current
GT – as current
GTC – as current”

Autosport, in its October 6, 2011, issue paraphrased Boss Scott this way:

“Atherton said that the latest contract would give the ALMS new freedom when implementing ACO rules. He stated that cars from his series would be able to run in ALMS specification when they compete at Sebring next March.”

and continued:

“That comment has been contradicted by the ACO.
ACO president Jean-Claude Plassart said: ‘Sebring will be 100 percent WEC rules. There will be no GTC cars, for example. They are not in the rules.’”

Nor, Murphy reminds his readers, are 12 cylinder LMP1’s. “100%” is pretty unequivocal, isn’t it? The Bear emailed Messr. Plassart for clarification. Valérie Girard, (v.girard@lemans.org) actually, to whom Jean-Claude’s mail is routed. Murphy will pass on what he hears – if anything.

Corvette

Corvette, under pressure from GM to deliver in the remaining years of its contract with Pratt & Miller – or sooner – met at Road Atlanta with the ACO. Their point? Others have been given an “unfair advantage,” not in the way Mark Donohue meant it, through engineering and team performance, but off the track in the way “performance balancing” is conducted in the sport.

Does this have to do with the design waivers granted in the homologation of entrants? It doesn’t seem likely, does it? Ferrari got none in 2011, and Corvette (and BMW) got a bazillion. Perhaps the devil is in the (engineering) details? Murphy’s been told Corvette would rather have the rules and homologation done at the beginning of each season (as it once was), then leave it alone. Without (as they see it) getting “on par with BMW, Porsche, and Ferrari,” the American team might easily be gone before the end of 2013. Pratt & Miller’s contract extends through the 2013 season, but the company’s work can easily be directed into pursuits other than the American Le Mans Series if GM believes that would be advantageous.

So why go to the ACO, since the ALMS has announced a separation of rule-setting from the ACO the ‘Vettes are an ALMS program? At least one source says the ALMS so-called “declaration of independence” from ACO rules is largely window-dressing, mostly concerned with the Sporting Regulations, not so much the Technical Regulations. Then there’s the fact that Chebby has always said that the most important part of the Corvette Racing program is Le Mans, not the ALMS.

Far more ominous to the American Le Mans Series is the obvious budding romance between Chebby and Grand Am. That shouldn’t come as a surprise.  The General moved last season to make the NASCAR sports car series the place it would establish a performance resume for its new Camaro, while it discouraged Corvette GT entries, preparing to move ”the American Sports Car” into a prominent place in Daytona Prototypes, where it was designing and funding a Corvette body for the new “DP 3.”

At the end of the season the Bear was told Chevrolet would substantially strengthen its Grand Am factory driver program, abandoning the use of part-time ALMS drivers in favor of an expanded full-time Grand Am group. In fact look for considerable “restructuring” across the board, with drivers being assigned and re-assigned to different series, with movement in all directions between ALMS, Grand Am, and Pirelli World Challenge.

A new IndyCar engine program, a continued strong relationship with NASCAR (despite the rants of a Detroit pundit), and now the title sponsorship of Grand Am’s first race in the Motor City means at least a relative reduction of the prominence in the Division of Corvette’s American Le Mans Series program.

Ferrari

The Bear won’t be surprised if you’re at least a little confused at Corvette’s ACO complaints, since he’s written that a Ferrari team is unhappy about the same tinkering, and “the straw” was an advantage given mid season to (wait for it) – Corvette. So much so that the “pause and review button” was punched for the ALMS racing program.

A move to Grand Am seemed  a slam-dunk just a few weeks ago (the toe is already in the water via a little noticed partnership) until Maranello signaled it was getting cold feet. Backtracking a bit, when Ferrari committed its 458, it was generally supposed that Mazda would not return in 2012. Now it appears the RX8 is back.

Why would Ferrari expose its 458, (MSRP $247,000) to regular losses to Mazda’s RX8 (MSRP $26,795)? The simple answer is they don’t want to, and Grand Am’s reversal of its early decision to let the RX8’s homologation lapse has caused Maranello to review its commitment to support full-season Grand Am entries. It’s bad enough they’ve had to suffer through a season of losses to the BMW M3 (MSRP $58,900), but that car at least has some racing history and a performance cachet, as does the Porsche 911  (MSRP GT3 $103,100). Murphy’s certain zoom-zoom doesn’t count Maranello among its fans.

For manufacturers the attraction of racing is the establish your performance creds – or in Ferrari’s case, reinforce them. If you are Ferrari – or more recently, Audi  – the last thing you want to do is damage a hard-won performance reputation.

So what are the 2012 choices for Murphy’s favorite Ferrari team in the whole wide world? (1) Take the year off (2) Race in the WEC – including Le Mans (3) a Grand Am campaign (4) an ALMS campaign, with or without Le Mans. The Bear’s betting that’s pretty much the order of probability, too.

Jaguar

In its second full season, RSR’s Jaguars completed just 44% of ALMS GT laps. In 18 entries, had one top-ten finish.  The kitty cats averaged a 13th place finish in a field that averaged 15 entries. Is there any doubt this is the worst GT team ever? It certainly is among those that raced for so long. Others in history this bad had the sense to be embarrassed – and quit. When will Tata realize what a great advertisement this is for its competitors in America, providing reasons at every event not to purchase a Jaguar?

Fun with Numbers

The Braselburgers – led by “Two-T” Scott – continue to have a problem with numbers. During the Silverstone round of the LMS, on-line viewing reportedly peaked at 2,500. We’re told that ESPN3 routinely draws 100 times that for ALMS races.

Or try this from the 2011 State of the Series: “Attendance is up 12%,” reflecting in large part the substitution of Baltimore for Salt Lake City. To which Murphy says, “duh!” In 2009, Miller was reported to have attracted 35,000 fans willing to drive around the Oquirrh Mountains from Salt Lake City. That number – already “ambitious” – fell further in 2010 before the northern Rockies were abandoned in 2011. Given that Baltimore was claimed to be on the far side of 100K, it’s not just a “large part” of a 12% increase, but rather likely all of it, and perhaps more.

The funniest numbers faux pas was by Boss Scott, again in the State of the Series. “In addition to our already extensive international distribution through Motors TV in Europe (50 internationally-recognized nation-states), Fox Sports Latin America (33), Fox Sports Middle East (19) and Rogers Sports Net in Canada (1), we are now fully distributed through ESPN International which represents an additional 149 countries…” The ALMS is seen in 252 countries? Better tell Hillary, her Department only recognizes 195 (Taiwan not included).

ALMS Twitter followers nearly doubled from 3900 to 7500. Meanwhile, Murphy attracted over 800 followers (Twits?), even after winnowing out the pole dancers not already close friends.

The Other Jaguar

As soon as Ian Dawson (Taurus, ECO, etc.) was identified as the boss of an oddly ambitious out-of-nowhere Lotus racing program, the Bear knew something was up (or down). Now that shoe has dropped, with the thud we’ve come to know and love from Dawson’s racing adventures. The thud this time was the sound of the Lotus LMP2 program’s hitting the trash bin. After watching the Evoras at PLM, it wasn’t hard to imagine another Jaguar Racing program in the making.

Abruzzi: a cousin to the Norwegian Blue?

Dissembling again, Boss Scott said the Abruzzi was “on hiatus.” Unless “hiatus” no longer means “a pause, or break in continuity,” that was wrong when he said it. The Abruzzi was dead, gone, is no more, a former Abruzzi, very much like a Norwegian Blue.

Losing Count

…of the departures. This time, Lynda Polk, long time timer/scoring chief for IMSA will not be returning next year. Murphy expects her position to be filled by a needy Champ Car refugee.

Bathurst

Murphy sent Crocodile McFly  – the Down Under Mole – from Hendry’s Beach to Australia to report on the Bathurst 1000. The Croc called with his impressions on Monday. “Wow! A great event. Good, close racing. The fly-over was so low, I had to duck. Great crowd at a track “you aught to see.” Crocodile thinks this would be a better show than DTM. They have the right idea on so-called “gentleman drivers,” he says. They simply refer to them as “Co-drivers.” Simple, and without the negative (to some) connotation. Now that the FIA has approved the Supercars as an international sanctioning body, we’ll undoubtedly see more of them, including at Texas in 2013. Supercars, F1, and DTM – can USA racing get any more crowded?

The Bear understands there are new Supercar rules coming. That’s good, since the current technical regulations are compromised by as many adjustments as the infamous ACO homologations, and for just two cars. Perhaps they’ll provide little more exhaust noise, the only thing our mole thought should be tweaked.

Crocodile is going to stay over for the Gold Coast race this weekend. Check back with Murphy for that report.

Andy Lally Challenge

Andy’s had four races since Murphy last updated the Challenge, Chicagoland (28th, $95,100), New Hampshire (34th, $80,300), Dover (33rd, $78,925), and Kansas (37th, 85,250). That added $339,575 to his season earnings, bringing the total to $2,618,856. He’s also captured and maintained the 35th place in owner’s points for Kevin Buckler, so is ensured a spot on the starting grid.

The American Le Mans Series field closed out its season with races at Laguna Seca, where the field earned $148,000, and Petit Le Mans, which paid them $135,000. With that $283,000, the entire ALMS field was happy to claim total season winnings and bonuses of $1,795,000 including estimated privateer bonuses that Murphy added at the beginning of the Challenge.

Six races remain on Andy’s 2011 schedule.

Murphy wrote in May’s Paddock Poop 190 that McDreamy would go LMP2 racing with Mazda, probably in the newly announced World Endurance Championship. A month later, Speedtv.com told you pretty much the same thing in an “exclusive.”

Since then, Patrick Dempsey has announced his Mazda GT team will continue with whatever Grand Am races it can manage given the resources that will be required to launch the LMP2 program, with two cars to go at Daytona and no promises after that. The full WEC was considered and rejected, and the Mazda LMP-power is in doubt due to delays by the Japanese company. When considering a program at this level, it seems badging an AER valve-cover will no longer do.

Ferrari in Grand Am

Slam-dunk? Perhaps for Daytona, but not for the remainder of the season. When Ferrari decided to build a Grand Am 458, Mazda was headed out of GT. Now it appears the gang on International Speedway Boulevard can’t bring themselves to give up an old friend. Mazda will be back in 2012. For Ferrari, who will accept losses to Porsche (tradition, there), but has a hard time getting beaten by BMW, is absolutely apoplectic about a Mazda RX8 winning a race in which anything from Maranello participates. Given the way Daytona has manipulated the rules to keep McDreamy’s cars competitive, no one trusts them not to allow an underweight Mazda to make a Ferrari look bad. If Mazda is back, then Ferrari is probably out as a full-season entrant – unless there’s a privateer who will defy Maranello to run a Prancing Horse without its blessing, or help.

The Houston Ferraris

The best Ferrari team in North America (you could argue in the world) is Guiseppe Risi’s Houston Wild Bunch. (Murphy thinks Houston is the wild west, so he just couldn’t help himself). What will they do next season?

As arrogant as they are in Braselburg, they probably don’t know how much they’ve pissed off their premier Ferrari team. Trust the Bear, there’s no love lost there. So Risi Competizione is considering its 2012 options. Here they are, ranked in order of probability: (1) WEC, (2) Grand Am, (3) American Le Mans. What keeps Grand Am out of first place? Mazda.

Lotsa Protos?

That was the rumor this week that the ALMS would have more prototypes in 2012 than the WEC. Excuse the Bear, he’s choking with laughter. Autocon is probably gone, with long-time leader Mike Lewis leader  certainly gone. The IRS is chasing Intersport around – that’s never good. Tucker? Over 20 state’s Attorney’s General have set their sights on the payday loan, rent-a-tribe king. Cytosport? Greg’s as pissed off as Guiseppe. Dyson and Oryx? Alone? Get real. One thing Chris and Rob don’t relish is to look foolish racing against themselves. Maybe they mean to count a pack of LMP Challenge cars. Or counting on Signature. Now the Bear is really gagging.

What about Grand Touring

Jaguar shouldn’t be back, but against all reason, they might. Is that the most incompetent GT program in the history of the sport? Murphy thinks so. If they’re back, does anyone really care? Robertson’s – and the Doran Ford – are gone for sure, and probably Risi Competizione. If Extreme/Patron is back – and that’s doubtful, too – it will not be with a Ferrari. BMW has been mentioned. Corvette will likely return, but the fuse is burning down there. Keep losing and all that executive support will evaporate overnight. That’s the way big, impersonal corporations work.

Grand Am

Chip Ganassi has to choose between Corvette and BMW power for 2012. BMW wants him, so much they are willing to promise him one of the North American DTM teams in 2013. Chip and others think that Chebby power will have the upper hand next year, though. It does already this season, Chip’s BMW wins having all come in the first half of the season, with the “Worlds Greatest Sports Car Driver” keeping him in front the rest of the way. Starworks is the other BMW team, but as much as the Bear likes Peter, BMW isn’t as high on him.

Robin Liddell may be headed to Autohaus. Jordon Taylor to Stevenson to partner Paul Edwards (Chebby doesn’t plan on losing another championship if they can help it).

The Grand Am schedule won’t be announced until SEMA in November. There are 15 possible venues  to be winnowed down to 12. ALMS will have to go first, and that will answer some key questions: Will ALMS retain Long Beach? Will they keep Road America? According to rumors, both are “in play.”

Out of the Kitchen

Clay Malooley is working on another American Le Mans Series program. Just sayin’.

State of the Series

The Boss and The Don will again preside on the Friday before PLM. If they don’t move away from the ACO’s shackles, the paddock will be very disappointed, Murphy hears. Some say that “status quo” will be the death of the series, or at least the trigger to team departures. However, the Bear thinks they are delusional enough in Braselburg to believe they’re doing “just fine.”

The WEC and the ALMS

In 2012, North America may retain Petit as a WEC round…that’s about 50-50. After that, it’s doubtful. Will there be much worth watching in the American Le Mans Series next year and beyond. Just the Bear’s opinion – and remember, Murphy’s attended over 100 ALMS races. Anybody else out there been more loyal? (That wasn’t paid to be there.)

Your Bookie Lays the Odds.

Murphy’s first job was Society Editor for a British sports car racing publication. He noticed the Limeys bet on everything…and the Bear means anything. So Murphy’s laying odds here at the Jellystone Casino on the things sports car fans worry about.

Robertson Racing returns to the American Le Mans Series  100-1
Risi Competizione returns to the American Le Mans Series in 2012  2-1
Petit Le Mans is a World Endurance Championship round in 2012  Even money
Sebring is a World Endurance Championship round in 2012  1-5
Ian Dawson brings a race team to a North American event  3-1
An Ian  Dawson entry takes the green flag in a North American event  10-1
Audi races a prototype in the American Le Mans Series  50-1
Peugeot races a prototype in the American Le Mans Series  200-1
Jon Field dodges the IRS  50-1
Level 5 races in the American Le Mans Series in 2012  50-1
Cytosport/Muscle Milk contests a full 2012 ALMS schedule  150-1
Dyson Racing contests a full 2012 ALMS schedule  2-1
Ferrari contests a full 2012 Grand Am schedule  5-1

Murphy knows many of his readers aren’t buying it, but that New Jersey F1 proposal is very, very real. Those who have seen the details say this is a “street course that works,” meaning, as the Bear understands it, that it’s not a typical “point-and-shoot, see-the-tops-of –the-cars” race track, but rather a good driver’s and spectator’s track. Baltimore has turned out much better than anticipated – so far, anyway – and that will certain add some impetus to the New Jersey street course idea.

Chris Pook and Leo Hindery, Jr. are among those involved in this deal. It also has the support of key local politicians, and with the skyline of Midtown Manhattan as a backdrop (the south end of the course that runs along JFK Boulevard and Port Imperial Boulevard is across the river from the north end of Times Square, with the north extremity of the circuit at about the mid-point of Central Park), it has Big Apple cachet without directly impacting NYC streets.

The two things required for any F1 seem to be present: cash and political clout.

Busting at the National Press Club

You read the announcement of the big press event at the National Press Club on August 30. This was to be a big deal – continental breakfast, panel discussion, Q&A, photo op – but in the end it wasn’t.

Though there were a few reprints of the ALMS post-conference press release, you read more about the event before than after. There’s a simple reason; the room was nearly empty. The Bear hears some automotive industry participants were not amused by the tepid response.

In France

The Don and The Boss flew off to France on Labor Day for meetings with the gnomes of the ACO. On the table? The way the Bear sees it, nothing less than the future of the American Le Mans Series. With the FIA/ACO-sponsored WEC on the verge of putting the last nail in the fast-declining American sports car racing series, the contract between the ALMS and the ACO lapses at the end of this season, is less than a month.

Weak marketing and poor media exposure began taking their toll on the American Le Mans Series after its 2007/2008 peak, and the inability of the series to appropriately respond to external challenges has left its teams bereft of sponsors, without external funding. To put it simply, if you can’t fund your team on your own, you’ll have to move on to another pastime, a state of affairs of which the Robertsons and Duncan Dayton are now painfully aware.

The problem is, Murphy can’t think of an outcome of the visit with the Frogs that will provide any relief. Not only has the ACO refused to consider supporting its regional series by encouraging participation by its WEC entrants, while Don and Scott were in the hallowed club house ACO officials were leaking the word they’ll take away the Petit Le Mans round of the WEC in favor of Bahrain (or, less likely, Montreal), and if Sebring is retained, no ALMS-only entrants will be allowed from 2013 forward.

Then the ACO goes on the record at Silverstone blathering about how they “need” the “feeder series” (ALMS, LMS, and Asian Le Mans – never mind that there is no Asian Le Mans Series), and that the LMS is “on the block.” The Bear’s told you the ALMS has been for sale for a long time, and he was told just this morning there was a serious discussion recently with the Evil Empire. Those fell apart when The Don threw properties unrelated to racing into the deal.  Does the WEC really need “feeders?” What’s the historical precedent for that? Do drivers move up a “ladder?”  Hardly; most drivers in the “real” classes get there after success in equal or higher level racing, and after climbing other ladders (F1, IndyCar, etc.). Teams? No. For example, if you want to hire a Challenge team, hire AJR. WEC pro GT team? Schnitzer. A world-class prototype team? Joest. No “development ladder” there.

Will The Don and The Boss come back with an extension? We’ll only know at Petit Le Mans, but Murphy is guessing yes. Why? First, The Don is a Francophile of the first order; whatever the Frogs want is ok with The Don. Second, the Braselburgers don’t seem to have the imagination to create a series appropriate to its own American sports car racing constituency or heritage. Unable to think of anything else, they’ll go along for another ride with the ACO.

Unlimited What?

The Unlimited Racing Championship. What the hell is this about? The Bear and a few of his forest creature friends have been digging. The law firm (but not the attorney) that filed the trademark for the title is also the firm employed by Patrick Dempsey. The PR person for the new “championship” is the same one employed by Tracy Krohn. Southwest Performance Technology, the company that holds the rights to the “Unlimited Racing Championship” is in Santa Ana, California. AAR, building the DeltaWing, is in Santa Ana. Mazda USA is almost in Santa Ana (ok, next door in Irvine, California). So we can conclude that the URC is a series to be launched by Tracy Krohn and Patrick Dempsey to accommodate new technology entries like a DeltaWing powered by the new Mazda Skyactiv-G 1.3 engine? Fun, huh?

Of more substance, the owner of Southwest Performance is listed as Richard S. Neuart, who Murphy’s been told has dabbled in various kinds of racing endeavors, often in the background. A good source stated categorically that this is a new racing series. Another rumor has Tracy Krohn behind a Can Am revival. This afternoon, the Bear got a call from a trusted source who – considering the players and other rumblings – believes the most likely announcement is a spec support series for the McLaren MP4-12c similar to the Ferrari Challenge.

If, as indicated in the media alert, Scott Atherton will preside over this announcement, you can bet there’s nothing here that will change the character of the American Le Mans Series. This will be a separate endeavor of IMSA.  Otherwise, you’d see The Don up front with a microphone, and the presser would be at Petit Le Mans, not in California.

Going Public

In his August 25th Paddock Poop, Murphy published this description of a meeting between the ALMS’ two top prototype teams and  IMSA COO Scot Elkins:

“Rob Dyson and Greg Pickett – among the last surviving racers of their era – requested and got a meeting with Scott Elkins before Mid-Ohio. The Bear hears the message was two part: we’re going to enter the 50th Anniversary Rolex and January, and also Sebring. We expect to be capable of competitive times – with all the LMP1 entries – in March. Then we will decide what to do for the remainder of the 2012 season. “

Today the story – in detail – made it into speedtv.com under John Dagys byline here: http://gourl.gr/k84 John points to the upcoming 14th Petit Le Mans in his first paragraph, perhaps implying Pickett and Dyson expect to be competitive with the diesels not just at Sebring in 2012, but at Petit this year (even though they are “most concerned going into next year”). Unfortunately, Elkins wiggles off the hook by hiding behind the ACO again, referring to next season’s as-yet unreleased and unknown rules. If they had any guts in Braselburg, they’d cut weight and increase breathing on the ALMS prototypes immediately. The Bear is not holding his breath.

Remember Rand

Gregory Keith Rand, aka “Greg Rand,” 46, and William Nicholas Rand, aka “Bill Rand,” 41, both of Dallas, were sentenced on July 27th to federal prison terms of 18 years and 14 years, respectively, for fraud. Their father, William Anthony Rand, aka “Tony Rand,” 69, of Plano, was sentenced to five and one-half years in federal prison. In addition, the defendants were ordered to pay $99,707,758 in restitution and forfeit numerous pieces of personal property to the government, including real estate, boats and other personal water craft, luxury vehicles, artwork, including an original Picasso, furniture, antiques, musical instruments, jade, expensive jewelry and wine. Greg Rand was remanded into custody; the others will be allowed to report to the Bureau of Prisons at a later date. The forfeited property will be sold by the U.S. Marshals Service.

Rand Racing contested Grand Am in 2001 and 2002 in SRP II. And yes, some who worked for them were screwed, even after winning judgments against the crooks, when the Rands stripped the assets out of Rand Racing. Among many who worked for this criminal family were Thomas Blam, Risi Competizione, Jeff Braun, Anthony Lazzaro, Nic Johnson, Marino Franchitti, and Ralf Kelleners. How many were stiffed? One for sure, who told Murphy “ I sued and won, but Bill mothballed the team until the statute of limitations ran out, so no restitution here.”

This little note from Murphy is for the superfans who want their heroes to be left alone. The moral of this story is, “sooner or later the Feds will get you,” and, the crooks in our sport hurt real people. Ever since John Dillinger, we can believe if the IRS is in the hunt, something is not right. And what if the next felony will be the third?

Updating Signature

When the Bear last checked on the Tarletons, he wrote this in Paddock Poop 190 on May 19th.

Murphy’s sees 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.

In response (just a guess that he was referring to the Bear), on May 23rd, Matt wrote on the team’s facebook page, “Someone asked for a picture of A car so I figured I would oblige,”  posting a rendering of a Norma prototype. One of his fans asked, “are you actively talking to Norma? or just messing with the bear?”

Matt didn’t answer that, but of course the Bear knows the Tarletons have been talking to Norma since soon after the Riley came to naught. In August, Matt cranked up the excitement by writing, “All I have to say is “Wow”…If we spilled the beans on everything we are doing and leave no secrets, would we be more respected for our work?” (If you knew what I know

He didn’t “spill the beans,” but the Bear suspects the “talks” with Norma have been going like this: “When will you have the money?” “Soon.” “Do you have the money yet?” “Not yet.” “Now?” “There will be a little delay.”

Of course Murphy just speculating irresponsibly, but since there’s no evidence of a car, an engine, or a team, he concludes there’s been a “temporary setback.” Maybe there will be a big announcement in October. Or maybe not.

The Andy Lally Challenge

Since Murphy’s last report, Andy Lally has driven to  25th at Bristol, 30th at Atlanta, and 32nd at Richmond, earning $279,400. Andy and team owner Kevin Buckler have now won $2,279,281 in the 2011 Sprint Cup season.

Meanwhile, the American Le Mans Series field was competing at Baltimore, the bunch of them winning a total of $147,000. Added to the season’s previous haul, all the entries of the ALMS have earned $1,512,000. It’s a rout, but the Bear’s going to play it out.

The Flying [redacted in the interest of good taste]

Murphy doesn’t like the whole idea – he can’t believe anyone can call this thing a sports car or grand touring car with a straight face – but neither does he revel in the failure of important participants in his favorite sport. The Bear can’t think of anything The Don has done right in quite a while – really, Mr.  Panunzio has no feel for this sport at all – but if you’re going to get into something like this you need to do it with both feet. (That’s been the problem for a long time, hasn’t it? Tepid support for the race team, the series, and most recently, the Abruzzi.)

So Murphy was hoping that the participants in this project would demonstrate some commitment. The news of massive layoffs (11 people) at Highcroft Racing this week says otherwise. There’s really no way the DeltaWing can be prepared for the track, tested and developed with two mechanics and a truck driver – not coincidentally the staff needed to maintain Duncan’s extensive collection of historic F1 cars.

Unfortunately, the Bear hears other disquieting things: the car is not expected to start testing until December, problematical for a Le Mans start in June.  But worse than that, no engine choice yet, and for a car that needs highly specialized tires, no manufacturer has stepped up to supply them. None of the partners in the venture have shown the inclination to provide the funding needed to bring it to fruition, and the appearance at this late date of an outside sponsor seems unlikely.

The latest story may give the clearest idea of where this project is headed. In addition to cranking up the PR machine (there’s a release today from Santa Ana from Highcroft’s PR chief), Murphy’s been told the first chassis will not go to the test track, but rather be sent on the show circuit. The hope seems to be that by trucking it around to car shows – and what else, county fairs? – someone sill step up with the cash the principals can’t – or won’t – provide.

Since New Hampshire, after which his season’s winnings totaled $1,608,881, Andy has since raced four times (the Brickyard, Pocono, the Glen, and Michigan) and won $391,000 for himself and Kevin Buckler.

The American Le Mans field through Lime Rock totaled $1,046,000. Since Lime Rock, the thirty-odd ALMS entries have raced three times (Mosport, Mid-Ohio, and Road America) winning between them $319,000, and bringing their total earnings in the 2011 season to $1,365,000. With Andy’s total now $1,999,881, the American Le Mans Series field now trails Sprint Cup’s Street Luger by over $600 thousand dollars. Time is not on the ALMS’ side, since Andy has 13 races remaining; North America’s premier sports car road racing series has just three.

The Market

Forget real estate. The market for racing series/sanctioning bodies has really taken it in the shorts. A few years ago, The Don turned down an offer rumored to be on the far side of sixty grand. A year later, he would have made the deal for a mere thirty, but those same folks had lost interest.

Nobody’s put up a “For Sale” sign on the lawn at 1394 Broadway Avenue, Braselburg yet, but they’ve been “willing to listen to offers,” since some time in 2007. And there have been “extended discussions” with one or more “interested parties.” What happened? Well, the auto business went south – that slammed now-moribund Panoz Auto Development. At about the same time, the real estate market went in the dumper. Most of the value Panoz assigned to his racing empire derived from the real estate valuation of Road Atlanta, that having nothing at all to do with its current use as a race track.

Despairing of selling the whole, The Don spun off Mosport first. What will follow is hard to say. Sebring is a lease, and the leasehold is saddled with debt for a hotel and other (relative to debt) cash-flow-poor property. The series itself? “Circling the drain,” is how Murphy’s friend Miles Geauxbye put it. (The Bear won’t go quite that far, but he does believe that a string of lousy decisions have put IMSA at risk once again.)

The hot rumor at Road America was a story that Duncan Dayton was leading a group of buyers that was (is?) close to an agreement for IMSA and the series. One source indicated that intense talks continue. Only Duncan has been named in this rumor, but it’s nothing he’d do on his own, and insiders agreed others are involved. The belief in Wisconsin was that it was IMSA/ALMS “in play.”

However, since Murphy returned home, he’s heard the discussion now (perhaps always) revolves around the Sebring lease, not the series. That scenario would have The Don retaining Road Atlanta and the American Le Mans Series, the latter as a place to race what? The Abruzzi is dead. If Road Atlanta’s Petit Le Mans loses it’s WEC date (see below), is The Don hanging on for its underlying residential real estate value?  And unless there’s something after the Abruzzi, will The Don keep his sandbox after he’s no longer got a toy with which to play in it?

We’ve been here a number of times before and it all came to nothing. But stay tuned.

Corvette

Chevrolet isn’t happy with the performance of its American Le Mans Series road racing adventures. It’s believed that Corvette Racing is on a two-year “watch.” That may seem like an oddly long period of time – it certainly does to the Bear – but if true it indicates “official” concern for the first time since the auto industry melt-down. Is another driver turnover likely? A Dane and a Monegasque have been mentioned. Though locked in close contests for manufacturer and team titles in both classes over in Grand Am, the Bowtie is concerned about its program there, particularly since the competition – particularly in GT – is expected to stiffen considerably in 2012. One change widely expected is the assignment of factory drivers to more Chebby Grand Am teams full time rather than this season’s part time loans on ALMS open weeks.

It’s even rumored that a Corvette Racing regular will be subbed for at Laguna Seca so he can join Autohaus at Grand Am’s final event. The Bear thought that was a non-starter for a whole raft of reasons, including the fact that the Autohouse drivers lead the GT championship. But since it’s possible to use three drivers in a Grand Am sprint race because each needs only a minimum of 30 minutes, a driver could be added to “save” the GT championships, now down to a scant three-point lead. In any case, It seems there will be a significant reshuffling of Chevrolet’s road racing “assets” before the 2012 season.

Will Corvette move to the WEC? Some say that’s unlikely, since the racing program is supported solely by the North American sales division. But what happens if the competition goes away? Will Corvette be willing to go down that road again?

The Last Petit

Is it already “The Last Harrah” for Petit Le Mans? Murphy’s hearing that although the 2012 WEC schedule will “be based on” (a meaningful choice of words) the 2011 ILMC schedule, only Sebring will be retained. A Japan round at the Tilke-redesigned Fuji Speedway will replace Road Atlanta.

If Sebring is spun off by the Braselburgers, that leaves the series with no “hard” connection to the ACO. Might that be part of the plan? Does that reinforce the rumor that the IMSA of the future will diverge substantially from ACO rules, including even an “open” class?

Robertson on the Ropes?

Robertson Racing is said to be missing from the Baltimore entry. In a Facebook entry, the team says it’s because they skipped Long Beach and don’t have a “baseline” setup for a street course. The rumor mill suggests there’s also a “cash shortage.”

Intersport on the Edge?

They’ve been down this road before, avoiding a significant hit on their racing, but will Intersport be able to shrug off this latest legal trouble for its principal? Yes, Clint is the “owner,” but the IRS has a history of piercing that shield with little trouble.

Jersey Shore

Another F1 race for the United States took a big step forward last week at a meeting in Trenton, New Jersey. The venue will be a street course across form Manhattan (no, not the Meadowlands).

Charm City

Will the Baltimore Grand Prix be “charmed?” An August 13 feeature in the Baltimore Sun was largely positive, but raises the familiar questions about cost/benefit, and doubts about St. Pete’s event.

Is that a Threat?

Rob Dyson and Greg Pickett – among the last surviving racers of their era – requested and got a meeting with Scott Elkins before Mid-Ohio. The Bear hears the message was two part: we’re going to enter the 50th Anniversary Rolex and January, and also Sebring. We expect to be capable of competitive times – with all the LMP1 entries – in March. Then we will decide what to do for the remainder of the 2012 season.  (Murphy suspects lap times the Acura posted in 2009, and those by Lola-Aston Martin in 2010 might be sufficient – but he doesn’t know.)

50th Anniversary GT Entries

Daytona’s 50th will see a much-expanded GT field.  Look for Mercedes, Ferrari, Porsche, McLaren, and Audi to join.

More Series On the Block

Trans Am will soon be sold to  an investor group headed by Jim Derhaag of Shakopee, Minnesota.   Simon Gregg is said to be the financial power behind the acquisition.

A revitalized Trans Am owned by a group of amateur racers, poses the same threat “from the bottom” (skimming off the wealthy amateur racers) that the WEC presents from the top (skimming off the factory teams).

Porsche announced a prototype to race at Le Mans in 2014. That took even the Bear by surprise. Oh, there had been rumblings, but Murphy – and just about everyone else – filed them away for future reference; what debt-burdened Porsche does with a few hundred million Euros is not (regardless of protestations) independent of Volkswagen Group in general and – if in racing – of Audi in particular. Nor is it this time.

Since when has Porsche announced a program three years before its launch? How about never. Since when has Porsche fielded a car without knowing it would be capable of winning? Not in Murphy’s memory. How likely is Porsche – a company that insists on continuing to race the rear-engine layout 911 because that fits its marketing objectives – to field a diesel-powered prototype? Not in this lifetime.

How likely is Audi to continue to field a diesel prototype that might be beaten by Porsche? When that happened in the ALMS, the Porsche threat wasn’t serious in the first year of three, Porsche grabbed the brass ring, winning overall in 2007, and Audi took back the season overall championship in 2008. Then Audi left. Don’t forget they were independent companies then. Murphy’s friends at Last Turn Clubhouse awarded the one really important prototype championship in 2007 and 2008. Here are the results: 2007, 2008

What the Porsche announcement really does is begin to validate what we’ve been hearing from multiple sources: that Audi is headed out of sports car prototype racing. Only a few that follow this sport noticed that Colin Kolles is headed out of F1’s Hispania Racing (HRT). (Plus the team’s owner convicted of fraud, only to be replaced less than two weeks later by the third owner in its short history.)

Some in F1 say that Kolles is acting as Audi cat’s paw, and when he soon takes a position in Williams F1 along with his buddy (another Audi ally), Dorothy’s-Dog Red-Riding-Hood’s-Nemesis (a classic Murphy-ism, but an easy one), that presages a move by Audi on Williams.

Big Bad, who now has an equity position in the publically-traded Williams, quickly denied Williams needs “a great fireman to rescue it from collapse,” just the sort of narrow, slightly-off-topic reply that leaves Murphy still wondering what’s afoot.

How does the recent Renault/Williams engine deal fit this? When we checked after that announcement, no one was backing off the story. The engine deal is for just two years – 2012 and 2013 – with an option for a third. That clears the way for a “new rules” Audi F1 engine, and for the introduction by Porsche of a new Le Mans, coincidentally (or not) scheduled for 2014.

The recent FIA tie-up with the ACO for the World Endurance Championship doesn’t end with a championship sanction; it will soon include common – or close enough – engine rules.

The Cat

Though Nick Wirth’s involvement remains uncertain, the rest of the Jaguar LMP story is pretty solid, including the involvement of John Piper, (XJR 14 and Reynard) along with Rod Benoist and Jerry Pyman, both former TWR Jaguar hands. This is a project headed for the WEC – likely not before 2013. The back story here is that this project exists in substantial part because Coventry is fed up with the failed ALMS GT program, which is on “contract life-support,” headed for the dustbin as soon as that deal expires, reportedly after the 2012 season.

Whither the American Le Mans Series?

There’s never been more paddock buzz about the future of the series. The key word is “change,” and like its use in politics, the key question (sometimes overlooked in the excitement) is “What change?”

A week or so ago, Gary Horrocks, who’s covered the American Le Mans Series over the past decade for dailysportscar.com, penned a commentary at DSC titled “What’s Next for ALMS?”

In part, he writes, “Some things never change, but change is coming…Change for the ALMS is a complete unknown at this point. Some say it won’t be around at all. I’m not sure if I’d go that far, but it is apparent that changes are coming. They almost have to.  Will the changes mean a complete step away from the ACO dictated regulations? Time will tell, but if they do, all I can say is that it’s about time.  Since the series essentially kept ACO type events afloat through the 2000’s, the French management have done nothing but dump on their American “partners”.

He concludes: “If the ALMS is to thrive or even survive, maybe it is time to seriously look at their past and towards their future and re-examine their relationship with the ACO. Any future directions and changes must be done with consideration towards the presence of the Grand Am. It’s not an easy situation to be in, but it looks as it is indeed time for change. The next few months will likely prove to be interesting, beyond whatever happens on track.”

Some of you may say that reads like little more than idle speculation, but Murphy being a bit of an expert on both idle speculation and on DSC (he was more or less in charge of Idle Speculation at that publication from July 2005 to April 2006), the Bear takes such ruminations quite seriously. In short, Gary’s commentary doesn’t make it into print unless there’s some serious angst behind it, and Murphy’s hearing many of the same rumbling.

The tone of that paddock noise is not whether there will be significant change, but when and what that change will be. The lid on this stuff in Braselburg is as tight as it has ever been (that’s not a really high bar, actually), but here are some of the possibilities being knocked around this the paddock:

ACO “Trial Separation?”

The Series will modify its rules to move further away from an ACO clone than it ever has. A single LMP class is possible, as is an “open” GT class. The ACO divorce rumor is so pervasive that it’s also thought in some quarters that Braselburg is considering  bringing the Professional Sports Car Racing moniker back. A significant split from the ACO might actually require such a move. Murphy’s been digging in the closet for his old IMSA hat. He’s got a Camel GT hat, too, but that’s probably against the law.

(More) Open GT?

That Open GT class is interesting because that’s the only way (except “unclassified” as will be the case this season) The Don’s beloved Abruzzi will be able to race. It’s suggested that the Abruzzi could be homologated, including the required 25 road cars (though building and selling are different propositions), but there are now no plans to do so. The previously-rumored homologation project is now on hold. An open – or “more” open – GT would also allow the series access to many more race cars than the current rather restrictive – and expensive – ACO GTE rules. And really, The Don got into all this because he wanted to race a car; the Series was little more than an afterthought to make that happen.

One Prototype Class?

This makes some sense, given that there aren’t enough cars out there to make up two classes, say nothing of three. Of course, that’s been true for about a half decade, and the Series actually did it for a single season (2010). How it gets done this time, with LMPC in the mix, the Bear has no idea, but that’s one of the rumors.

More “Spec” Classes?

A rumor directly in conflict with the single prototype/open GT stories is an expansion of spec racing in an effort to continue down the path of “affordable racing.” Perhaps the LMP1 and 2 classes are combined, and LMPC is left intact? Or LMP1 and 2 go away, leaving LMPC – or something similar – as the premier class? Grand Am, anyone?

Shorter Schedule?

The schedule will be shortened and compressed. This year’s huge Le Mans break will be shortened, though it’s hard for Murphy to see how that happens, especially since the loss-of-Long Beach rumor persists. (The fact there’s a long term contract in place for that race is irrelevant; if the parties want out, they’ll get out.)

WEC in North America

There will be two WEC races in North America, Sebring and Petit Le Mans. There will be one WEC race in North America, Sebring. There will be one WEC race in North America, Petit Le Mans. There will be one WEC  race in North America, Austin. You get the idea, don’t you? However, there is some rationale that attaches to the Austin idea. The FIA has a vested interest in making the Austin track financially viable to ensure its F1 date. That became tougher with the compromise the promoters had to make with the Austin City Council – effectively increasing their financial burden.

Management?

Further senior management departures are rumored. There’s even a bet in the paddock that there will be big moves before September 1. Murphy sources who might previously have defended the decisions of the Braselburgers have recently turned negative. Will “The Boss” be amongst the casualties? There are rumors. Perhaps Murphy will apply for the job.

The Wilting Core

So why all the turbulence now? Certainly the advent of the WEC is a big factor. It provides a “big stage” for the ALMS’ traditional core constituents – the manufacturers. It’s often said the “privateers are the backbone of sportscar endurance racing,” but there is no doubt the American Le Mans Series was built on the back of Audi, Porsche, BMW, Ferrari, Corvette – and of course Michelin.

Prototype WEC Programs

It was the only game in town for the big boys that needed some place to go with their expensive machinery beyond that “one-off” race in France. No longer. Even ten-cent players like Scott Tucker are taking their racing – and cash – to the ILMC-soon-to-be WEC. Audi’s long since gone there. Porsche’s future LMP1 is not identified in any way with the ALMS, and even if Penske gets the deal (as it is widely believed in the paddock he will), it will be another WEC program. As Murphy explains in this Poop, Jaguar’s prototype will be a WEC entry, and will correspond with the end of Jaguar in the ALMS. The only sign of a new ALMS prototype program is the Tarleton’s Signature Motorsports, which recently announced another change of plans: to P1. Murphy’s not aware of anything beyond talk with any manufacturers (like maybe a contract), though. It’s way beyond late to build a new car for any part of the 2011 season, and nothing the Bear has heard suggests buying something used, so this entertainment is “to be continued” in 2012.

GT: BMW

BMW has a lot invested in the future of DTM, both worldwide and in this country in association with Grand Am. Look for an increase in BMW’s Grand Am presence. Murphy heard second hand from within RLR that, “No one at ALMS has given the slightest indication that they are either concerned about our (RLR) going or interested in our staying.” That’s against persistent rumors that BMW is on the way out after this season or next.

GT: Ferrari

Ferrari officially announced a Grand Am GT racer. They’re going to make sure they’ve got competitive teams over there. Look for entries before the end of the current season. Will Risi Competizione move? What if Maranello asked Giuseppe to field a team? He’s been there before. Michael Waltrip Racing is reluctantly headed to Grand Am, convinced the ALMS offers too much risk and too little upside for the investment. It’s no secret that Scott Sharp would like to take his Extreme Speed Motorsports to IndyCar.

GT: Porsche

Porsche will be in ALMS as long as the series – or its successor – exists. That’s the Porsche way. They have race cars – and plenty of racers – to fit whatever format is there. The question is whether Flying Lizard or some other team with significant factory support remains. The Lizards have run at Daytona, most recently with a Daytona Prototype. As with Risi, they’ll go where the racing is, something to keep in mind with just about any team; there’s really not much loyalty. Racers like to race.

GT: Corvette

There’s potential for trouble ahead at Corvette, or at least a big decision. There is very strong support for the factory program within GM’s highest management ranks but does it make sense to continue racing in the USA if there’s nobody to race against? They’ve been in that position and nobody wants to do it again. If the ALMS moves solidly toward a privateer, open GT field, as is rumored, that is exactly the position in which Corvette is likely to find itself; race nearly alone in a depleted “pro” category or beat up on an amateur field.

But the WEC isn’t certain, either. North America funds the racing program and it’ll be a tough sell for them to fund a program that spends 80 or 90-percent of its time outside of North America. It isn’t likely that Chevrolet Europe has the resources to fund the factory team alone, so perhaps it becomes a joint effort?  A Murphy source says, “There are various good outcomes – ALMS somehow gets a second wind, GM finds ways to fund a WEC factory program, etc. but there are also obviously various bad outcomes – ALMS goes away, ALMS goes in a direction that GM won’t participate in, etc. I think that at this point there are too many unknowns and it’s too early in the complex process for Chevy to know what it’s doing next year.”

Murphy’s Favorite Topic

The one bright spot within GT is – oddly enough – the Abruzzi. Homologation aside, The Don is determined to race the car, and Prototype Technology Group has been working hard to make that happen. Those who dismissed 32-year-old Swede Edward Sandström as a “rent-a-ride” badly missed the mark. Sandström has been a regular in the FIA GT3 championship in Europe, and partnered Tommy Milner to a win at the 24 Hours of Dubai this year, giving PTG good insight on his driving skills. There have been some problems with this program (and Murphy’s no fan of the styling, to put it mildly), but he doesn’t think The Don’s entry will be the GT backmarker at Mosport. This time it’s possible as many as four entries could finish in its wake. For more on Edward, go to Speedhunters

The Television Sucks

The Series mismanaged its television coverage for years – it was the product that sucked all along, losing viewers nearly every season – leading to the inability to make a deal for 2011. The spin was “new media,” but that’s nonsense, of course. Murphy sources tell him that the Series went shopping for a renewal of the kind of coverage it had in previous years, and couldn’t find a taker. So it got jobbed by ESPN and had to swallow and spin.

The current media package is even worse than it looks, according to those who know the details. It’s badly underfunded, with a single producer to cover a workload that has normally required multiple staff. The Bear was told t-race staffing is kindly described as lean, a shoe-string operation. The production company has not changed, but observers could see the lack of resources in the product that came out of Lime Rock. Today, the ALMS posted this on its house website:

“Thanks to a groundbreaking and comprehensive digital and television broadcast package with ABC and ESPN, the Series boasts a 71 percent increase in the number of U.S. households that have watched ALMS events than at the same point in 2010.”

They’re still a bit math challenged over there in Braselburg, apparently confusing web hits with households. But whatever they’re doing it’s apples and oranges, chalk and cheese. It’s just plain not credible that the cobbled-together 5-inch picture on my computer is a more popular way to watch racing than live, full-length, full-screen on my television. Chuck Farrell covered the topic nicely in”Chuck Checks the Maths.” More importantly, amongst Murphy’s sources not a single individual responsible for funding or fielding a racing team believes it.

In its early years, the American Le Mans Series media coverage was a contributor to its value. When it started down hill, it became a liability. Without marketing value to manufacturers, the series has to change. The premise on which it was built is gone.

The Andy Lally Challenge

With so little going on in the American Le Mans Series, Murphy has had limited opportunity to bring his readers up to date on the Andy Lally Challenge.

First, the Bear announces that Andy has won NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Rookie of the Year. No contest, wrapped it up. Way to go, Andy!
Murphy last updated the Challenge after Dover, where Andy’s purse brought his season’s total winnings to  $1,020,811. Murphy figures the American Le Mans field won $126,000 at Lime Rock, bringing the season total to   $1,046,000, including his estimate of the privateer bonuses to be calculated and paid at the end of the season. (Teams that have been classified as “factory,” or “factory supported” are not paid purse money. The next privateer(s) does/do not “move up.)

Andy’s first big set-back was at Charlotte, where he failed to qualify for the Coca Cola 600. Since then, however, he collected finishes of 31st at Kansas, 32nd at Pocono, 36th at Michigan, 35th at Infineon, 27th at the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona, 32nd at Kentucky and 28th at New Hampshire. Andy’s winnings over those seven events were $588,070, bringing his season’s total to $1,608,881.

“American Le Mans is the global benchmark of professional sports car racing.” –Scott Atherton to the Austin Statesman, June 9, 2011–

Professional Sports Car Racing (PSCR), Andy Evans’ renaming of IMSA, was – according to management – more descriptive of the content of the product. When Don Panoz bought PCSR, his American Le Mans Series adopted as its motto “For the Fans,” arguably an improvement in that it directly addressed the constituency that would sustain it – or not. Later, that was not good enough (and perhaps not so descriptive anymore, either) to describe its “aspirational” content, (and after spending a few hundred thousand on a consultant) the American Le Mans Series decided it was “World Class.” After a run of a few years, in which “World Class” attracted nothing but a parade of watch makers and a few pearls (and another consultant for another few hundred grand), and yielded more stagnating fields and fading visibility, Scott unveiled a new motto, Global Leader Green Racing. Fields dropped further, Ethanol sponsorship came and went, fans tuned out. If Global Benchmark Professional Sports Car Racing is indeed upon us, we’re nearly back to where we started, aren’t we?

Phallus

Reception of the Dayton/Panoz/Gurney (with the ACO as facilitator) “Delta Wing” has been as bad as the Bear has ever seen for any racing-related endeavor (puttering around as a demonstration is an “endeavor,” not a race). Much of the opinion of racing fans is unprintable in the Bear’s blog. Of course the principals (and their advisor) in this adventure have paid little attention to fans before, so why should they now?

The derision in this case is well deserved. Not only does it look bad, it’s not by any definition a sports car, even  if one stretches the definition of prototype to a breaking point. It’s an IndyCar (or a copy of one), and a rejected one at that. The excuse for this nonsense is to demonstrate “new (green) technology. And what technology is that? Here’s Murphy’s summary: 1. Lighter cars use less fuel. 2. Lighter cars require less horsepower to move. 3. Ground effects tunnels are an effective aerodynamic device. Aren’t you glad we’ll have a chance to see those things demonstrated at Le Mans next year? That will be a fair trade for a well-funded ALMS, won’t it?

Tracks

Murphy got a press release today from Lux Performance telling him Black Rock Coffee Bar is sponsoring Cindy in the 51st Annual Rose Cup Race. The Bear had to look up the Cup and found the forty-five minute event is “one of motorsports’ last run what you brung events.” That’s great, but it did remind Murphy that Portland International Raceway has dropped entirely off the national racing radar. Kind of sad for a track remembered fondly for the great GI Joe events of past years. Most recently there was that epic JJ Lehto – Chris Dyson ALMS battle…sigh.

You all know Mosport has been sold. According to a trusted source, whatever was gotten from its sale, its loss to annual Panoz cash flow will be substantial. Mosport is said to have paid IMSA a $400,000 sanction fee for the ALMS event plus a $150,000 contribution to PMSG overhead. Still not enough, the Bear’s source says. “Excess cash” – as much as $200,000 in some years – was annually repatriated to Braselburg to fund The Founder’s whim du jour.

So now two tracks remain, and if the rumor of just a single North American World Endurance Cup round is true, Braselburg may face another decision – should it be Sebring or Petit Le Mans. (The Bear is assuming – without knowing for sure – The Don still draws enough water in Le Sarthe to influence such things.)

When the tracks have been for sale – pretty much all the time over the past three years – the bulk of the value was assigned by the seller to Road Atlanta, because of its value for residential development. Though tumbling real estate prices have decimated that value, there’s the hope of some recovery. Besides, whatever cash flow the track throws off all goes to the Empire. Not so for the Sebring lease. According to the Sebring Airport Authority Financial Statements and Auditor’s Report For the Fiscal Years Ending September 30, 2010 and 2009, Sebring International Raceway paid a (computed) annual rent of $335,000 in 2010 and $306,000 in 2009 (Pages 6 and 22). Since the Airport Authority directly collects and separately accounts for “Test track rentals” as “Operating Income” not as part of “Rentals,” (page 22), they do not accrue to the benefit of the Panoz-leased SIR.

If financial considerations are important, retention of Road Atlanta is more likely than Sebring.

Cheese

Regular readers know that the Bear got a much-appreciated Christmas gift from Scott – Patrón and a bit of very good cheese. That was after Murphy had poked fun at the Series’ “official cheese,” New York’s Yancy’s Fancy, then was bowled over by a tasting at Petit Le Mans. The cheddar and  “Peppadew” in Scott’s package were thoroughly enjoyed. Setting out to find a Phoenix-area source, the Bear found Yancy’s Fancy at “Sprouts,” a local food emporium. Unfortunately, the selection was all “flavored,” from the Peppadew (which was good) to Wasabi Horseradish. That’s fine for cheap cheese, but good cheese should be, well, cheese. So you can imagine Murphy’s pleasure when he finally found Raw Milk Double Cream New York Cheddar!  The Bear’s been trying to lose a few pounds, so there was some internal conflict, but the Double Cream won. The Wasabi would not have.

Rats?

Bob Dickinson, VP of Public Relations/Media Services, is departing ALMS for Kevin Buckler at end of business Friday. Given that Buckler is believed not to pay particularly well, the move looks lateral at best. The Bear can’t help but think of that old sailor’s line about rats…

Grand Am at the Brickyard

Speed and Racer have now joined Murphy (June 6 tweet) in predicting Grand Am at Indy for the 400 next season. The two rumored street course to be added aren’t yet certain, but those named by sources include Houston, Long Beach, and Baltimore. (A trusted source has thrown St. Pete into the Grand Am hopper. It certainly would be an upgrade over Homestead, and a geographical and competitive “natural” in proximity to Daytona Beach and Sebring. Also of note, some ask “Why would ALMS give up Long Beach?” Some sources say the deal is “cash flow negative” for the series, that they bought their way in. If so, it’s possible Braselburg may no longer be able to afford Long Beach. MHB)

Le Mans

A real classic. Murphy, who’s sensitive to archaic animal sports (bear baiting gives him shivers), was happy to see the Hare prevail in a re-run of the Hare and the Hounds. Audi’s 2011 win is the brightest gem in its decade-long collection. Until Peugeot came along, BMW’s defeat of Toyota in 1999 was the last  against a truly formidable opponent. Unfortunately, the intervening years were Audi walkovers, and even more unfortunately the Peugeot-Audi years will properly be remembered for the gerrymandered rules that kept the diesels safely in the ascendency over all others. In the sixth race since the 2006 debut of the R10, the slowest diesel  race lap was over five seconds faster than the fastest petrol-powered lap. Given that IMSA was able to balance not only the petrol and diesel entries, but even the two LMP classes into one championship at one stroke, Murphy doesn’t believe the French were incapable of doing the same. They’ve simply been unwilling, much to the detriment of a great race.

Robertsons showed the world the resolve they’ve shown in the ALMS over the past half decade. Agree it has been a good idea or not, racing the Ford GT – even with rules help – has taken dedication bordering on stubborn and lots of cash.

Corvette lost its dominant race leader, then won anyway, and the Bear’s friend Turbo Tom had a lot to do with it, too. Ah, remember those halcyon days of our youth in the first IMSA forum, Bethany trying to keep order?

Arabian Antelope

The No. 20 Dyson Lola Mazda LMP1 will debut at Lime Rock.  Humaid al Masaood’s Team HMR, with aspirations of a Le Mans entry perhaps as early as 2013, will race under the name Oryx Dyson Racing. The oryx is an antelope once close to extinction in the Arabian Peninsula.

Dyson and al Masaood were reported to have “hit it off” at a recent Lime Rock test, and (have) “much in common”; no surprise, since both families control conglomerates that in turn hold multiple divisions and companies.

Oryx will get significant technical and racetrack resource support from Dyson. The market has moved on from “seat buying” to “car/crew/truck buying.” (Not that that’s a bad thing.)

Decline and Fall

What’s left of Panoz Auto Development and Panoz Motorsports Group?  Last Week Murphy reported a layoff at Panoz Auto Development, the Panoz road car company, which according to some, will effectively end any further in-house production of either the Esperante or the Abruzzi. Few have been built over the past five years, anyway. Following on the disposal of Mosport, the Bear took a look at what’s become of the once-mighty Panoz automotive empire.

PMSG, in addition to the IMSA and the American Le Mans Series, included Elan Technologies, Elan Composites, Elan Precision Products, Elan Power Products, and Elan Van Diemen, together intended to comprise a complete and powerful race car design and build empire.
We know distribution of cars and parts was spun off to Haas in 2010. Many believe that deal had more to do with the settlement of a large personal note rather than the “synergy” represented in the press release.

Elan Van Diemen has been licensed to new principals in the UK. At the time, every Van Diemen employee in the UK, save two, was laid off by Elan.

Elan Technologies, the design company, (Indy 500 winning chassis in 2003 and 2004, IRL Championship 2003, Le Mans 24 GT2 winner in 2006, full Champcar grid in 2007) now has no aerodynamicists, no designers and but a single draftsman, plus two young entry level engineers, and one engineering manager whose qualifications is in dispute amongst the Bear’s sources. (Some say he’s one and the same with the draftsman.)

Elan Precision Products possess a handful of decade-old machines and two employees. Elan Power Products loss its last zero engineers with the departure of Chip Lewis. Relative to the rest, Elan Composites is the most successful element, but  is half its 2008 size.

So all that remains are these rump companies, two tracks and IMSA/ALMS struggling to survive with one healthy class plus a few entries in a pair of spec/club classes. If there is only a single world championship round in North America in 2012, one of those tracks is in danger, as is the viability of the series and its sanctioning body if its grids remain weak.

It’s not as if there’s a lot to prop up the automotive and racing properties. After sinking $120 million into Diablo Grande, The Don and his partners saw it sold out of bankruptcy for $20 million in 2008. St. Andrews is long gone, the Georgia Chateau’s ownership is diluted, and the Sebring resort is burdened with debt. The Don’s holdings in Elan Corporation PLC, where it all started, were reduced to 57 percent in 1984 and to less than 10 percent in the mid-1990’s, and in any case has since gone under its own reorganization.

Regardless of all that, The Don is apparently off on his next great adventure: The Racing Dildo.

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.