Bad luck? Hardly. According to the Bear’s sources, the Keystone Kops routine was on display all week, from an embarrassing rented transporter that ultimately had to be covered up, to an empty hospitality suite for Jaguar executives and their guests  – no furniture, not even a cup of coffee.

Even the mainstream press had serious doubts about the program continuing once they saw it at Le Mans. The Daily Telegraph, UK’s largest circulation broadsheet newspaper, noted Jaguar’s “approval (of RSR’s official support) became rather strained” at Le Mans. Twenty years after the Tony Dowe-managed XJR-12 win, the Gentilozzi Jag went just 18 minutes 30 seconds into the 24-hour race before expiring. Murphy hears now that Jaguar will likely end its support for the RSR program before the American Le Mans Series gets to Miller. Will Jaguar continue with some other arrangement? Perhaps, but not immediately. Meanwhile, some suggest that since it’s been largely a privateer effort anyway, Gentilozzi may try to continue.

Bavarians aren’t thrilled, either

Jaguar wasn’t the only famous make that had a troubled Le Mans. insiders admit Schnitzer was an embarrassment to BMW, too. The betting is that the Bavarians will – or have – express their unhappiness, but won’t “changing horses.” For now Schnitzer will continue as BMW’s most important racing partner.

Porsche wins Le Mans GT2 – maybe

Le Mans GT2 winners – or not? What could possibly be in doubt about the winning Porsche’s motor that would take until “early next month” to sort out. Some wag wondered if the timing was dependent on “the check clearing.” Meanwhile, any marketing value in having won Le Mans is frittering away – except, of course, Porsche has been happy to claim its 98th class win anyway. Since the runner up Ferrari is also under review, perhaps Porsche feels secure because the third place car is another Porker?

A Dane Sprints – and Likes it

Jan Magnussen had his Sprint Cup series debut and loved it. He called it “fantastic; unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.”
“They go two wide and three wide. That’ll never happen in ALMS…here (in NASCAR), they allow you to race and to be two and three wide. Fantastic.”  Yuppers, Jan, the ALMS will pull you into the pits for “avoidable contact.”

Kevin to “Start and Park”

Given the instruction by cash-strapped Kevin Buckler’s TRG to “start and park,” 2000 Cup champion Bobby Labonte decided to walk. Andy Lally will get the opportunity to try to make the field, then park for the cash. That’s good for Andy, who gets a chance to show his skills to the Cup paddock.

Murphy told you about Buckler’s plans for new digs at New Jersey – and his sponsorship troubles – last August. Any chance Buckler’s fancy new shop will progress beyond this photo appears to be fading fast.

Mid-Ohio still “on” for IRL

Murphy’s been sorting through the comments on the 2011 schedule by IndyCar VP Terry Angstadt. Of most import to ALMS fans is his confirmation that Mid-Ohio will remain on the IRL schedule, albeit on a different date, the current one having now been committed to the new-in-2011 Baltimore street race.

With Baltimore and Loudon added, two current events will necessarily be dumped to achieve the series’ preferred 17 events. There could be more, but two seem certain according to Angstadt’s latest comments. Also implied in his remarks to the Elmira (NY) Star Gazette is that any “drops” will be within the events that occur before August on this year’s schedule. Since Long Beach is sacrosanct, it seems certain the only impact on the American Le Mans Series is the changed date for Mid-Ohio. Still to be answered, of course, is whether the ALMS will “follow” the IRL to the new date.

Prototypes Prospects

Expect Highcroft to return as Honda’s “Semi-Official Foot-in-the-Door” entry in Le Mans-style sports car racing. Although there have been statements of interest in an LMP1 engine under the new rules (since that would be a 3.4 liter NA designed-for-racing V8 they actually already have one, don’t they?) what they do will be determined by analysis of the final 2011 IMSA rules (if it and the ACO ever actually get around to publishing those). There’s no way there will be enough prototype entries for the series to restore its LMP1/LMP2 structure, so that class distinction is irrelevant and whichever engine appears to have the best chance to win will be the way this goes.

Murphy similarly thinks you can count on Dyson Racing to return, even though both Mazda money (cut this season) and BP petrodollars (other obligations to worry about) are “problematic” at best. Will Dyson stick to the so-called “little four-banger?” Yes, if the redesigned-for-2010 engine proves to be good over the remainder of this season, and the feeling on the team is it’s off to a pretty good start. As with HPD and Highcroft, the idea of a Dyson “class change” is moot as long as IMSA stays with a single LMP class – which it will do if it isn’t planning seppuku (though it does seem to be working on that).

Autocon’s LMP1 entry depends on Bryan Willman’s largess. He loves to race, but sooner or later will “hit the wall” (see Tom Weickardt). How does the Le Mans disappointment figure in that? Will the team be able to replace Shrek if it needs to? The Bear will score a 2011 return as “probably not.”

Intersport likewise needs one or more Sugar Daddies. Futility got old for Richard Berry, and the new Beverly Hills mark (er, driver) has hardly turned a wheel with a third of the season already gone. It’s a crap shoot to predict a top-class LMP entry for this team the rest of this year, say nothing of next, though the Bear expects continuation of its LMPC and IMSA Lites programs.

There’s some speculation that rule changes could end Cytosport’s Porsche run. Some of that appears to be rooted in an idea that a Porsche LMP1 (not just a modification of the RS Spyder) is imminent. Murphy doesn’t believe it is. So, will Cytosport continue? The team is not (like Highcroft or Dyson) an  ALMS competitor of many years. Greg Pickett is “getting on in years” (his lap times show it). Porsche doesn’t seem eager to support the Spyder (though they will continue to do so if adequately paid). Murphy thinks there’s no more than an “even chance” Pickett and his team will return.

Will Audi return? Yes and no. The “no” first. The R18 is about as substantial as any other video game, meaning it hasn’t made it off the hard drive of the design computer, and won’t until Audi’s board says “jawohl.” 

If it does, Murphy expects to see the new prototype in the Intercontinental Cup events and nowhere else. Herr Doktor Ulrich told a respected radio personality earlier in the spring  that a GT program in the American Le Mans Series is probably the way to go. Murphy would be disappointed if an Audi GT effort was wasted on a GTC entry, but it’s not clear which of those directions (GTC or GT), if any, Audi will finally take.

Everything the Bear hears about Corsa/ARES screams “dead on arrival.” Even the most recent team Facebook update couldn’t find anything more positive to say than “we are in a bit of a holding pattern,” and though they “want to race this year,” the “main concern” is 2011. Murphy puts the odds of even that happening about equal to those he gives to full seasons from Creation and ECO Racing. Both of those are slim and none, hoping in vain for one (or more) of those “sugar daddies,” so much in short supply. It’s a measure of the dearth of interest in racing in the American Le Mans Series that beyond ARES and ECO, Murphy can’t even find a good rumor about 2011 prototype entrants.

Drayson Racing is the one entrant for whom prospects for next season (and this one) have actually improved, due to Labour’s UK election loss. That left Lord Drayson “unemployed,” but now free to take on partners and sponsors. His current Judd V10 will be obsolete by the rules in 2011, and his enthusiasm for losing will be tested at some point (See Bryan Willman), but for now the Bear expect’s the Lord to return.

Unless there’s something out there completely under the radar, the American Le Mans Series top class will include no more than the six entries on this year’s grids with “bumps” in the two Intercontinental Cup races at Sebring and Road Atlanta.

LMP2 Kit Car

Kit car builder Bailey Edwards Cars claims it has six people working on a new-rules LMP2 to be built entirely in South Africa. Nearly two years into the project, there’s nothing to show but Greg Bailey’s chatter about testing in October and some artists drawings. To the Bear it looks like a small-scale US F1. Speaking of whom, they auctioned off US F1’s assets the other day, getting about a million dollars for tools, desks, parts and pieces, the largest of which, one tub, brought a mere $8,000. The You Tube guy, who’s turned out to be more big mouth than big money, seems perfectly happy to let his employees get stiffed on the pay due them. Class.

Peugeot’s Plan

Peugeot’s plan to participate in Petit – or in any of the remaining Intercontinental Cup and Le Mans Series races remains in some doubt. At the start of the season, it was Sebring oui, and PLM non. Then they said PLM ( and China) ouah! (Murphy dutifully booked his trip.) Following the Le Mans debacle, though, reports spread that it was now ah non Petit! (At least.) “Directly from the boss,” wrote one of the Bear’s trusted sources. Whatever. Girls and Frogs reserve the right to change their minds – often. As long as Paddy’s is open, Murphy will be happy.

Where’s T-Mobile?

 An article appearing in “Wall Street 24/7” lists the “10 Brands Most Likely to Disappear” T-Mobile, Kia, BP, Blockbuster, RadioShack, Moody’s, Merrill Lynch. Murphy had to laugh when he saw T-Mobile on that list. The chuckleheads ripping the poor Bear lately are the same ones who were touting VICI Racing’s Porsche T-Mobile sponsorship as “all set for 2010.” Murphy’s still looking for it…maybe later? Hey, corporate budget cycles don’t work like that – approving 2010 money in early 2009. What you saw in 2009 was all that was committed. 2010 was just hope – or hooey. The Bear told you as much.

Abruzzi

Le Mans was something short of a complete success for Don, Danny and the rest of the Braselburg gang. The Abruzzi made it across the Atlantic, but worries it might not make it around cancelled its scheduled demo laps. After a run up and down a nearby airport runway revealed a little problem or two (including wrong-length pushrods – “hey, we were in a hurry”), the Italian-inspired automotive sculpture became a static display at Le Mans, and remains in Europe. Parts packages are headed to Winchester, Virginia, so it’s now up to Tom Milner to see if he can build a racer. According to an observer, “It’s 75-1 on making PLM…against.”

The Tale of the Deutsche Daughter

The Deutsche daughter wants a driver of her own but the scion of the Land of the Long White Cloud won’t accommodate, so the young lady will abandon her long-time paramour and take up with the inheritor of the Land of the Rising Sun, who will employ for her a son of Suomi born in Deutschland. (It’s just happened, actually.-MHB-)

The Deutsche Daughter supercar will sport an engine by MTC, once the engine division of a cat racer.

The Finn returns from whence he made his fame. That same inheritor of Bruce, now needing to replace the Deutsche daughter, will embrace the iconic employer of Hans und Bernd und even Tazio ( in one season), taking the name under which it raced to 25 victories. In this fable, the famed icon does not return to the venues of its recent success.

Yet a source from Wald-Michelbach insists that the sixteen is underway, and the old Florida airbase is booked. The rest of North America? Thinking about it. From other sources persistent Porker Proto stories.

Can the Bear resolve these conflicts? Well, stuffed animals are not known to be the sharpest knife in the forest (or something like that), but with the Porker capitulation, what the rubes used to think was true now is. Same-o, same-o. If the people’s car group wants to rationalize its product lines, it will get Stuttgart out of the truck and saloon biz, and back into the sports car biz full time. Are they that smart? Donno, but if they are, the racing program should follow. That would mean putting VW on the “big stage” with its iconic logo and name, and handing the annual glory in France back to Weissach. If that should come to pass it will be in 2011. Since all this stuff is now “community property” so to speak, Ingolstadt can go ahead with the 2010 proto program, then hand it over to Weissach in 2011, when it’s ready to join Bruce’s company on the Big Stage.

Further F1 Follies

After the season, when no one is looking, the other Japanese team will exit F1 as quietly as possible. Will that send them into sports car racing? There have been lots of hints, but don’t book it just yet.

Warning?

A message from International Speedway Blvd this past Wednesday evening suggesting that those on Brian’s dole might want to stay away from that the Challenge proto seems to have been ignored. All 14 test slots were taken  up. A former IMSA winner in a 333SP was denied a drive. Murphy’s uncertain why, but perhaps an out-of-date license? The man from Tavares was in the house, and so was the proprietor of Adobe Road. Of course they’re GT guys, so not on the DP gravy train.

Pierre at Laguna

Pierre Ehret will join Farnbacher Loles at Laguna Seca, replacing Dirk Werner, who’ll be busy with Grand Am at Homestead. End of season and end of partnership settling of the books is in the works, too.

Adoption

What must the prospects be if the Series proprietor bails? The Bear was told Tony, Vision and the stepson are off to do the guppies with a used Coyote and a German truck motor. Since the sisters pulled the plug, Tony’s been trying to get adopted into another racing family. Has he made it?

Rools are rools – except when they isn’t

Murphy thinks that reading and understanding rules is a much better use of a race director’s time than is worrying about the possible misuse of a hundred buck credential. But of course he’s just a stuffed bear, isn’t he?

Friends

Friday night, the Bear did dinner at a super secret  hideaway on the Lake. Cats all over, including one that befriended Murphy.

Murphy wandered into Paddy’s not long before the stroke of midnight Friday, to be greeted with a loud, feminine, “MURPHY THE BEAR!!” Dead ahead, 12 O’clock high, right down in front was none other than ayrtonsgirl, lookin’ gooooood in her little black dress. (The Bear’s hip. That’s what they’re called, “the little black dress.”) Well, there was singin’, an’ dancin’ and jus’ a whole lot of merry makin’. The nickname is legit, that girl was raised up right by her daddy into a fan of the great Senna. Chat made it an all-cat night. The Hunting Dog was there, too.

Saturday it was Jack’s, a place with a real racing pedigree, Jack having run team Lotus in SCCA and IMSA. Doc was part of that cast of characters, wasn’t he?   By Sunday morning, the poor bear was shot.

Pssst, Chip

If A.C.’s favorite driver plans to drive at Laguna Seca, don’t you think he’d better tell his boss (the one that expects him to show up at Homestead)?