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.

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.

11. What new LMP2 was announced at the 2003 Petit Le Mans?

The Shaw Chassis Engineering SCT 100. An entertaining event that gave the Bear and  others many laughs at Road Atlanta and later at other events where Shaw was a no-show. From the report of the news conference Murphy’s friend wrote for dailysportscar at the time: “Shaw Chassis Engineering, of Mazon, Illinois today announced a “chassis program” based on new technology that will allow competitive ALMS-rule-compliant prototype race cars for as little as $180,000, complete with a 3.4 liter V8 of Shaw Chassis’ own design. Manufacturing of thirty-six chassis is underway, allowing such attractive pricing. Corey Shaw said, “We have several contracts in hand, some from teams, or drivers currently competing in ALMS, for cars to be delivered to be raced at Sebring in 2005. The thirty-six chassis include “some” that are being built for SCCA’s A Sports Racer class (ASR).” In retrospect, the number of lies told by Mr. Shaw is astounding – or perhaps it’s not, considering Al Solaroli, Greg Loles, the Soup Kitchen Guy, and Henri Zogaib.

12. What factory team made its only ALMS start at Sebring in 2004?

Morgan.

13. Name the 6 diesels that have raced at Le Mans.

Delettrez, 1949; MAP, 1950 (also first mid-engine entry); Taurus/Caterpillar, 2004; Audi R10, 2006-2008; Peugeot 908, 2007-2010; Audi R15 2009-2010.

14. How many wins and series championships did James Weaver win for Dyson Racing?

33 race wins, 3 championships. Some of you came up with other numbers; Murphy’s using the Dyson Racing website as his authority.

15. What was the first racing event attended by Murphy H. Bear?

Laguna Seca, 2004. Murphy H. Bear was adopted at the Inn At Sonoma a few days before Audi Sports Car Championships at Laguna Seca in October 2004.  He took his name from Murphy’s Irish Pub,  in an alley just off the Sonoma plaza. This photo appeared in dailysportscar’s coverage of the event.

16. Harry and Oscar played a peripheral role in the 2006 American Le Mans P2 championship. Identify them.

Harry and Oscar were Liz Halliday’s Eventing Horses; a native Californian, Liz lives in England, where she pursues her dream of Olympic Gold. Eventing is an equestrian event which comprises dressage, cross-country and show jumping. Her racing and eventing schedules didn’t directly conflict, but they certainly required a great deal of planning and air travel.

17. Seven new LMP projects were announced during 2005. What were they?

Zytek 06S, Lola B06/10, Panhard, Riley Mk.XII/XIV, Titan, Porsche RS Spyder, Radical SR9 were the ones Murphy had in mind, but it turns out some others were also announced that year, including the Lavaggi LS1, Peugeot 908 (how could the Bear miss that one?), Zulltec CZ-01 and Project Raven/VIP. The Courage LC70 ran in 2006, so the Bear assumes it was announced in 2005 along with the LC75, though he can’t find an announcement for either; the same applies to the Creation 06/H. Though the Courage C65 was launched in 2003,a chassis modified to take the Mazda rotary for the ALMS was introduced in 2005, so Murphy will accept that answer if it specifies the Mazda version. The Pescarolo version of the Courage C60 went into production in 2004, but the “hybrid” version debuted for the 2005 season, so Murphy will count that one, too.

18. What notable sports car partnership was launched in Asheville, North Carolina, October 30, 2005?

Andy Wallace and Catherine Crawford were wed – became partners – at the world-famous Bilmore Estate of George Vanderbilt. They subsequently also collaborated as driver and race engineer in Grand Am events.

19. What was the modern era racing debut for Spyker Cars?

12 Hours of Sebring, 2002

20. What brand was the American Le Mans Series “Official Audio and Electronics” partner?

MB Quart

Creation or just more Wind (tunnel)?

Murphy was rather dismissive about a story that Atlas eFX would run a Panoz Abruzi in the LMS – or maybe the ILMC – and a Creation in LMP1 of the same series(s). But Kieron Salter was in Charlotte NC recently spending about $5,000 an hour testing an unidentified LMP in the WindShear wind tunnel. While in town he saw  Andrew Woolgar, recently Creation’s “man in North America.” So something is afoot. As far as Atlas is concerned it’s hard to take that team seriously, given its 2010 record of way more talk than action.

What’s afoot at Highcroft?

We’ve known for a long time that Highcroft would lose primary sponsor Patrón in 2011, and it’s never been clear how that funding would be replaced. Some have assumed General Electric would substantially increase its support, but now there are clues – “just in case” crew and driver resumés “on the street,” for example – that hasn’t yet happened, and according to some probably won’t. Since Duncan Dayton’s a resourceful fellow, it may all turn out well, but for now, rumor would indicated Highcroft isn’t quite yet a “slam dunk” for 2011.

Many now believe Highcroft’s test of the Honda V6 was for its own LMP2 program. In that case, Pagenaud might be paired with a gentleman driver who can bring the missing cash, with Brabs on the street – as has also lately been rumored.

Cactus Squeezings Retrenchment?

Thoughtful folks with some knowledge of such things say Patrón could well reduce its 2011 expenditures to just Scott Sharp’s Extreme Speed Motorsports (itself rumored to have been well over budget in 2010), leaving the Series also needing to replace lost cash.

Two for ALMS LMP1?

The idea of a quid pro quo – John McCutcheon/Davy Jones supporting a second Dyson Racing ALMS P1 after the joint DP entry in the Rolex 24 – was floated in the paddock, and reported in a Bear tweet last week. It was identified as speculation (not even rising to the level of rumor) in response to a John Dagys-tweeted rumor of a 5th ALMS LMP1, which of course engendered much head-scratching.

So, how does the ALMS get to 5 LMP1’s? Pulling together all the stories (or lack thereof) it looks like a stretch to the Bear. Here’s why: Lord Drayson hasn’t yet announced his return to the American Le Mans Series. He may, but a new shop, interest in becoming a constructor, and contesting the ILMC are priorities that could easily push the ALMS aside. It’s at least an even chance that Highcroft will contest LMP2 (as the Bear explains above). Mike Lewis says Autocon is part time – at least for now. Cytosport could field an Aston – there’s some speculation of that – but it is also rumored to move to a GT2 Porsche (or two). Only if three of those four come through with a full-season entry (a second Dyson entry seems even more remote) are there five LMP1 entries anywhere other than at Sebring and Road Atlanta. An field consisting of only Dyson Racing and Intersport Racing is as likely as any other assumption.

Signature Not Signing up for ALMS

Murphy hears Signature Motorsports’ schedule is likely to include just Petit Le Mans in 2011. In 2012 the stated focus is on the ILMC and le Sarthe in its “Road to Le Mans” reality television/marketing program. That likely means only Sebring and Petit Le Mans.

Loles Indicted

For those of you who missed Murphy’s tweet, a federal Grand Jury has finally indicted racing’s own mini-Madoff, Greg Loles. There are 32 counts of fraud and money laundering. Millions have been lost in the alleged Ponzi scheme. There have been at least five cases (that the Bear can name off the top oh his furry head) of fraud involving North American sports car racing programs in just the past five years. Perhaps it has something to do with sports car racing business model based on little beyond profligate spending by the very rich?
 
Milner moves up from BMW

Based on good sources, Murphy is convinced Tommy Milner will replace Johnny O’Connell at Corvette Racing for the 2011 season, as O’Connell moves to the new SCCA World Challenge Caddy program. It’s Murphy’s opinion this is a “step up” for the young American driver.

Merry Christmas

The Bear is putting the finishing touches on his 2nd Annual Christmas Quiz. Look for it later in the week.

Krohn rumor No. 5: Georgia shop working on independent ALMS Ferrari entry. One-off Rolex 24 in Lola then ALMS GT for 2011. One car or 2? Honestly, Murphy hears a new Krohn rumor just about every month, from McLarens to Mercedes, and now Ferrari. The Lola partnership has been in Delaware Chancery court, while the oilman continued to race the car in Daytona Prototypes. Beyond coming from a pretty good source, this one makes some sense. Krohn has paid Risi to run a Ferrari for him in selected races over a number of years, so why shouldn’t he strike out on his own?

Lola no more; Prodrive talking to ORECA for next Aston Martin proto chassis. Yes, “talking” is what the Bear heard, though you’d think they’d have to be further along than that. Perhaps they are, and the news that there’s a “donor” chassis is just now catching up with the reality. One’s thing seems to be widely believed in the industry: Lola and Aston Martin Racing/Prodrive don’t want anything to do with each other. It’s that intellectual property thing.

New (final?) ILMC schedule announced; Seven events. Petit back in, Japan out. China TBA, Imola added. Is this good news or bad? If you’re planning to go to Petit or Sebring, you’ll see it as good. If, on the other hand you live just up the road from, say, Road America, what then? You have to hope the GT field holds together, because the prototypes are going to suck. Console yourself that it will be even worse at some other stops, like Lime Rock and Mosport. The Bear can’t believe the Cannuckistanis are going to be very happy. No Japan. That tells Murphy that there may be a Toyota motor in an LMS team, but there’s not going to be any significant participation in the ILMC by Japanese manufacturers or teams. Why Imola? That can’t be more than a place-holder, can it? What’s left of the LMS schedule? Two races? Everything else is co-opted by the world thing.

Six for Grand Am. TRG, TRG/Steven Bertheau, TRG/Black Swan, Brumos, Magnus, and Muehlner take delivery of new-for-2011 Porsches. This in interesting for lots of reasons. First, it’s an indication that Porsche is “back” in Grand Am. Most of those new models can be expected to continue in the remainder of the Grand Am schedule. There’s only one for Brumos which was thought to be a two car team. Also there’s no new team there, so if there’s a new Porsche team on the horizon, it’s headed to the American Le Mans Series, not to Grand Am.

Rolex 24 Ferrari GT announcement imminent; quality of effort indicated by “modern alchemist” and drivers Bell, Simonsen, and Farnbacher. Murphy hopes this actually happens, especially after a good Sebring test the week before Thanksgiving, but he’s a smart enough Bear to know that it’s a long way from a press release to a grid. The news this week was not good, with promised financing seemingly going into hiding. The car in Regis Lefebure’s photos from Homestead was not “Tony’s Ferrari.” This is:

Pumpelly, Lally announced in TRG’s third Rolex 24 Porsche entry. According to Porsche’s release, this is not one of the new-for-2011 Porsche 911 Cup cars delivered for the Rolex 24.

Just got information on an “open top spec prototype series for gentlemen drivers.” Just what we need. HSR will host a “Race Your Radical” series with its other events. Now there’s word of a GT3 Cup series associated with HSR. Really, just what we need  – another place to race Porsches.

Another schedule change – the expected Road America 4 hours “sunset finish” and move to Saturday August 21 is finally announced by ALMS. At least all these revisions in the schedule since it was rushed out at Road America in August are keeping us entertained while we’re waiting to find our what television coverage we’ll get.

The Bear hears an ALMS prototype team is considering a jump to GT. No word on the racing series for the GT program. An ALMS prototype team principal is spending a little time in Europe in the Stuttgart area. Murphy doesn’t think it’s a vacation. The Cytosport rumors a team source bemoaning the lack of prototype options after Porsche’s retirement of its RS Spyder.  Then the Bear heard Greg was in Germany for something other than a vacation. The conclusion? Perhaps a GT team, but it’s been quiet of late, so who knows? Is this the rumored new GT team, or is that a move up by Alex Job Racing, or a second car at Falken? All of the above? None of the above?

A life member of the Peerage was poking about in Leafield, giving credence to rumors he’ll join the ranks of prototype constructors. Leafield is where the former TWR shops are located. Lord Drayson is rumored to want to build his own chassis. A source said he was touring the TWR facilities. Murphy’s heard nothing since.

Sour Milka

It’s not a rumor that the IRL has cut its cash-sharing program to 22 entries from 24. The collateral damage was Conquest, which ran its No. 36 as an arrive-and-drive with five different pilots. The real target was Milka Duno, for whom Dale Coyne will not be able to collect $1.2 million from the series.

The Under-Boss Says So

The Under-Boss tells John Dagys at speedtv.com the combined ACO-rule schedules will make contesting the ALMS and ILMC “very difficult.” What he calls “product” will have to be “on both sides of the Atlantic.” Murphy’s translation of “product”: cars, tools, tires, transporters, tables, chairs, timing stands, stopwatches, fire suits, shoes, spares,  gloves, fireproof underwear. Like that’s going to happen.

Dyson and Riley

It’s been rumored that Dyson is “looking at” a new Riley. Murphy has been skeptical, but he’s lately been told that Riley is actually building something, so unlike the company’s last LMP announcement, the project has moved beyond a drawing. The connection to Dyson – or anyone else – remains tenuous, but Bill Riley has some hope to be building. (Another source chimes in, “In spite of what you’ve heard, they are presently building nothing and still waiting for a “donor”. At this point it would be impossible to field a car by Sebring.” -MHB-)

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If you can’t find a Prototype you like….

The Bear hears an ALMS prototype team is considering a jump to GT. The racing series for the GT program hasn’t been definitively identified, but it’s assumed to be the American Le Mans Series, where at least one manufacturer can trace its 2010 failures to the fact it had just one entry capable of consistently challenging for a podium finish.

The principal of that team was in Europe, perhaps visiting acquaintances in Baden-Württemberg in the past week.

If you can’t find a  prototype you like, Part Deux…

The Bear Tweeted that a life member of the Peerage was poking about in Leafield, giving credence to rumors he’ll join the ranks of prototype constructors. It had been  rumored that Baron Paul Drayson of Kensington is interested in building his own prototype, not entirely surprising, given the dearth of such machines. So it wasn’t a surprise that he’d be visiting the mostly mothballed former site of the TWR Empire.

Global Leader Invisible Racing

That was the response of an important supporter of the ALMS when Murphy’s described the still-unannounced 2011 American Le Mans Series schedule today. We’re still talking rumor here, of course, but this is the most detailed and credible schedule the Bear’s heard to date.

Four races will be shown on a one-week delay on ABC in the truncated docudrama format introduced in the 2010 season. Those four were said to be  Laguna Seca, Road America, Long Beach, and Petit Le Mans. The remaining races will be shown on Versus, except for Sebring, which will be presented live on ESPN3 (yes, “3”). For those who like such things, most – perhaps all – will be streamed live on the web.

Petit gets “petiter”

If it falls out of the ILMC field, expect Petit Le Mans to lose it’s automatic invites to the 24 hueres du Mans.

Chip makes a decision

Gannasi will stay with GM in his NASCAR operation, and thus likely with BMW power in Grand Am. The Bear told you in his last Poop that Chip was considering a move to Ford.

All but the funding

The West Racing team that plans to field Lamborghini Gallardo’s in ALMS has not yet found the funding it needs to acquire the cars. Sebring is just 120 days hence. If they do make the grid, is this another Jaguar?

Speaking of which…

Jaguar will not be an ILMC entrant, or will not be an ALMS entrant. It’s simply one or the other, Murphy hears, and for now, anyway, ALMS is the more likely program.

Meanwhile, down the street…

At Grand Am, homologation of a GT3-based Lamborghini is ah…difficult, as will be the other GT3 homologations on which the series is working.  But, they are working, and Le Rat is on his way, too…so the “GT3 void” in North America is going to be filled – just not by the American Le Mans Series.

The GT grid

The Bear’s been listening at shop keyholes across the land to collect this early take on the ALMS GT grid.

Corvette Racing is “all in” with its ubiquitous pair of yellow Chevrolet Corvette C6.R’s.  (The Bear knows better than to call them ZR1’s). Corvette has a corporate ‘green light’ to run this program through 2013, preferably in the American Le Mans Series. Its long-standing history with the ALMS doesn’t make Corvette and its backers immune from disappointment shared by others in the GT paddock.

ACS Express Racing got a rude introduction to the top rank of GT racing at Petit Le Mans, not making the grid. The Doran Design Ford GT will need a lot of development to be competitive. Everything Murphy hears points to one, not two Fords until ACS gets a grip on the requirements. (Edit: Barely 12 hours after composing this entry, the Bear’s been told ACS Express has turned out the shop lights for the last time.)

Team Falken Tire is working hard to field a second Porsche 911 GT3 RSR.

Robertson Racing’s Ford GT has been a fixture for a number of seasons now. The fans were treated to a second entry at Petit, something the team hopes to continue in 2011.

Flying Lizard Motorsports has been the subject of rumors over its Grand Am DP dalliance, but with likely return  with one Porsche 911 RSR, a second entry remains in doubt. That has Porsche looking  to bolster its ranks – if losing the manufacturer’s title to BMW wasn’t enough motivation.

Panoz Team Abruzzi. Tom Milner is still a player in this “new”  Panoz Team Abruzzi. For all his efforts the Bear doesn’t have much hope here, though the Abruzzi built on Esperante running gear will be light years ahead of the Jag(s).

 Risi Competizione is determined to capture the championships that eluded it in 2010. The team will field two Ferrari 458 G’s if it can find the finances.

Jaguar RSR says it will field two Jaguar XKR’s. That’s with all good intentions, but if the performance isn’t there right away, look for the team to drop back to a single entry.

BMW Rahal Letterman Racing is certain to return with its pair of BMW M3’s in 2011. Unfortunately, anything beyond that is problematical.

Tequila Patrón Spirits Extreme Speed Motorsports  will field at least one Ferrari 458 GT, and likely return with two for the team’s second season.

West Racing plans on field a pair of Lamborghinis if they can find the funding. That’s behind schedule now’ the Bear makes it about 60-40 in favor of making the Sebring grid.

Cytosport Racing, done with the Porsche RS Spyder, and not (so far) having found a good prototype option, is exploring GT. For Porsche, needing to shore up its ALMS GT ranks after a disappointing one-horse 2010 campaign, would like nothing better than to add this team that very much impressed them. Let’s face it; GT racing has always been Porsche’s cause célèbre. The Bear guesses that this is the most likely outcome for Greg Pickett’s team.

Though there are many questions, particularly about second cars, and even about a some teams, GT2 looks like a minimum field of 9 and could go as high as 24 (now 22) – 17 (now 16) is the Bear’s “best guess.” Who the hell needs prototypes, anyway? This is where the action is. Besides, Murphy hears the best way to kill off this field is to keep hiding it behind an uninteresting fleet of prototypes.

Murphy’s Top Ten Favorite Liveries

Inspired by the thread and the list linked in at http://www.americanlemansfans.com forum, the Bear picked his personal top ten, only four of which were on the published list.(Numbers shown, “Nr.” denotes not rated.)  Murphy isn’t big on “iconic” unless the livery is also art, so an oversized Marlboro pack just doesn’t turn his crank. (Murphy has a personal attachment to five of these.)

45.  1998 Porsche 911 GT1 Evo Champion Motorsports
Nr.  1997 Mercedes CLK GTR “Sportswear”
15.  2007 Corvette C6.R “Bad Boy”
14.  1977 Lotus 77 John Player Special
Nr.  1986 Benetton B186
Nr.  1991 Jaguar XJR-14 “Silk Cut”
Nr.  1971 BMW M1 Andy Warhol
Nr.  1976 Porsche 935 Turbo “Martini”
  6.  1964 Cobra Daytona Coupe
  2.  1968 Ford GT MK1

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The Bear’s hearing precious few rumors – and that’s a worry. It’s a worry because this is usually the time of year when stuff is happening. Hearing good news (or not so good) from sponsors, putting together budgets, talking to drivers, suppliers, engine and car builders. But there’s little of that going on, and little has gone on over the summer. To borrow a rather overused term, there’s not much “buzz.”

Engines

Some asked why Murphy wasn’t “on the case” for the engine announcements. Remember the Cosworth sports car engine? Right. Engine announcements are just that; announcements. Judd announces they’ll be in the next sports car engine market. Surprise, right? Right. The real question is who starts “kicking the tires.” (Ok, not the right metaphor, but it will have to do.) And that’s exactly the problem with the crickets thing.

Civility

It seems certain Braselbergers who should know better (because it’s their job) have a problem with civil communication. That’s not escaped the notice of the paddock, where it’s “just one more thing.”

Disappointment

Disappointment with the Schedule? Of course. Whatever the spin, that huge gap in the middle is a disaster for sponsors (and for getting sponsors). All you have to know is “activation.” In simple terms (that’s all the Bear knows) that means a sponsor wants (no, needs) to supplement his “direct” racing exposure with other related marketing. Remember Office Depot’s full sized cut-outs of Tony Stewart? Or this classy little item? A big gap ruins that related marketing program.

Farewell, we hardly knew ya. (No Saleen)

Sadly, there will be no Saleen to see at Petit. Not a big surprise – though we started with the expectation of two Saleens – more a disappointment, a chance lost for North American fans to say farewell to one of their own. Come to think of it, this car was so rarely raced in North America, we’d forgotten it.

What’s the team? (No Abruzzi)

Late last week, “PTG” was dropped from the Abruzzi PLM entry; “Team Panoz PTG – as it was in past years and in the first two PLM entries – became just “Team Panoz.” Was it simply a change of language, or does it portend a (last minute) change in the program? One of Murphy’s forest creatures said he heard “a couple of weeks ago” that Krohn would run the Abruzzi, so perhaps Braselburg’s entry sheet is just catching up with “old news.” Another friend of the Bear’s thinks Krohn’s involvement is unlikely. Still another rumor has a prototype in that Krohn shop, while earlier Krohn was connected to the new McLaren sports car.

The entry name change may be just the tip of a Titanic-like iceberg.  “They are well behind in the car build; it’s the typical Panoz/EMT corner-cutting operation,” the Bear was told. In confirmation of that comes a report that even Braselbergers admitted at a South Carolina event that the rebodied Esperante wouldn’t make it to the grid. It’s now likely there will be a static display at Petit; might that be better than a moving chicane?

Body by Comprent, chassis by Multimatic, assembly by PTG, and raced by Krohn (or no one)? There’s not much Panoz in there. There’s about that much left of the Panoz automotive “empire.”

Murphy hears that David Price will be a guest of the Don at Petit; just renewing old acquantances, or something more?

Where’s the business case? (No Audi)

Marshall Pruett reported today that Audi wouldn’t be back in the American Le Mans Series in 2011. That can’t have come as a surprise to Paddock Poop readers, though, can it? As Murphy wrote on June 25th, “If it (the Audi board) does (say Jawohl), Murphy expects to see the new prototype in the Intercontinental Cup events and nowhere else.”

There were always two steps in Audi prototype programs: (1) approve and fund the car, a corporate decision at the highest level, and (2) fund the operation of racing programs. The first of those was done this summer, and the second has just failed after Dr.Ulrich’s public plea for funding from North America. Mr. Pruett puts it down to a “rift” between Ingolstadt and Audi North America, but Murphy’s sources don’t see it that way. Audi’s “national” divisions have always paid the bulk of the bill for racing the R8, R10, and R15.

After years of funding the American Le Mans prototype racing program – including significant payments for television sponsorships and other “promotional considerations” – the North American sales division concluded that the ALMS “platform,” though helpful, was not pulling its weight in the marketing program. In fact the quality of exposure was slipping. So it was an easy decision to follow Porsche out in 2009. Proof that it wasn’t a cost, but rather a decision on return has been seen in Audi’s expanded advertising in other sports since, including Super Bowl buys, about which Murphy wrote in February 2009.

When Audi didn’t return in 2010, it had nothing to do with rules, and everything to do with hard-nosed marketing decisions. Audi had the R15 pretty much ready to race at Sebring, but passed. The Bear wrote then that Audi had pretty much given up on getting value out of an ALMS campaign commensurate with its cost.

Hoping all that means an R8 will be on the GTC (or GT2) grid? The Bear’s take remains that a Grand Am GT R8 is far more likely than an ALMS entry of any kind.

State of the Series

In the absence of the announcement of next year’s schedule – the main reason we’ve sat through the talking heads in past years the Bear is wondering if there will be a “State of the Series” on Friday at Petit Le Mans. Wonder no more. Acting on a tip from the Braselburg mole, the Bear Brigade captured a clandestine courier en route to France, Murphy has come into possession of a document he believes to be the outline of the much-anticipated speech.

 S.O.S.

• Down is the new Up
• Television: Less is More
• Seven traditional tracks that still want us
• Why Baltimore is a fine place and Oklahoma City isn’t
• Audi who?
• Future entries (If you knew what I know)
• New Class: Legends (EFR)
• Don’s winter vacation plan

The Italiams are on the Case

According to the Wall Street Journal, in Triest, for a game against Padova, and “for the first time in four years, nearly every seat appeared to be taken. On television, the crowd looked impressive. But in person, the scene looked a bit strange. The fans were clad in scarves and winter coats—unusual for a balmy September afternoon. They failed to make a sound when the home team ran out on the field and didn’t budge when the match ended in a scoreless draw.” 

These “fans” were actually two-dimensional images of fans printed on a giant sheet of vinyl and stretched across the empty seats according to the  article. So Braselberg – and Daytona – take heart. The Italians are on the case.

American Open Wheel 

Murphy’s chief elf in Indy reports that the landlord for HVM Racing’s shops showed up last night to change the locks, and security personnel were stationed at the facility.  The gates were locked up this morning to their parking lot and the team apparently “got today off.” All less than a week before they would be loading up to go to the finale at Homestead on oct. 2.

What happens to Simona di Silvestro?  She is second behind Alex Lloyd for Rookie of the Year.  She also was very competitive on the road courses with an underfunded team. Will an ALMS team bring her aboard for 2011? She quickly became a fan favorite in IndyCar and she has more talent and potential than any of the other women in that series.”

 Another source hints that following the finale in Miami, Sarah Fisher will retire as a race driver to become a full-time team owner. Sarah has said in the past that at some point she would retire from driving to start a family. Will there be a “little Sarah” driving sometime in the future?

Politics

The Bear’s been told the Elkhart Lake Town Board voted to approve a 6 hour, into dusk, event at Road America. Now it remains to be seen if the promoter choses to use the permission.

Pratt & Miller is in pre-build engineering a Caddy for GM. What effect on other GM programs, if any? Seemingly nothing for ALMS fans, since Murphy’s been told that Corvette Racing (the Pratt & Miller American Le Mans Series program in its entirety, he believes) has been approved/funded by GM to race through the 2013 season.

Over at Grand Am it’s different, where GM is pressuring teams to ditch their Corvettes in favor of Camaros – or Camaro look-alikes. So where does the Caddy go? We’ve seen a CTS-V running around the Nurburgring lately…not sayin’…just sayin’…

Grand Am Help Wanted?

A well-known native New Yorker, laid off in recent major Daytona Prototype Grand Am team “reorganization” was  seen at lunch will ALMS team owner. Did he come away with a job offer to help with the new Grand Am program?

BMW  Turbulence

It’s rumored in Europe that BMW will radically cut racing programs in 2011, most pushed aside for 2012 DTM. Less affected (whatever that means) will be the American Le Mans Series program, which has separate, North American, funding. Murphy hopes that means the Rahal cars will be on the track for the entirety of the 2011 schedule – however many events that turns out to be.

Retirement – or Not

Long-time ALMS driver Chris McMurry retired after the 2009 season. Now – in the fine tradition of Michael Jordan and Brett Favre – he’s itching to go racing again and almost certainly will be back in ALMS next year. Sure enough, McMurry has shown up listed as a driver on the LNT Zytek at Silverstone. Does that mean Autocon will swap the Lola for the Zytek in 2011? Or is that driver independent of Autocon and of future plans?

Lizards Live, and Cats, too

Contrary to rumors reported earlier by Murphy, the demise of the Flying Lizards has been much exaggerated. He hears they’re committed to a 2011 return.

Rocket Sports Racing Jaguar will also be back for another go in 2011. That sound you hear is a sigh of relief from David, Ed, and Seth.

 Mosport

The facilities at Mosport are a long-running joke in the ALMS community, and nothing draws more ire than the media center. It’s run-down, cramped, and in a communications black hole. But don’t bother expressing your displeasure. You just might be told if you don’t like it, you don’t have to come back.

With the IT guy unavailable because he was moonlighting in track security, the Bear grudginly has to give credit to management for keeping close watch on the Don’s Loonies and Toonies.

Intercontinental Le Mans Cup and Petit Le Mans.

It appears that the new world championship won’t contribute much to Petit Le Mans this season. First, in some some classes, there’s no need for teams to travel between continents. For instance, in GT2 it’s a manufacturer’s championship, to which a combination of teams can contribute. So, for Ferrari there’s no point in sending a European team to Road Atlanta; Risi Competizione and Extreme Speed can carry Maranello’s banner. It’s the same for BMW (Schnitzer at Silverstone, RLR at Road Atlanta), and Porsche. Petit will get the Peugeot and Audi diesels, but it’s always gotten those anyway, and might have this year with or without the cup. There’s a chance we’ll see a couple of LMP2 entries, a pair of Saleens for the otherwise empty GT1, and maybe the Signature Aston Martin. That’s the maximum, according to Murphy’s sources – four diesels and five other entries.

Other additions include second cars for Robinson Racing and Rocket Sports, an Abruzzi (maybe), and an electric Porsche (the Bear likes to call it that), Libra Racing’s Radical. Will Add the 34 ALMS “regulars” to that, and total entries are 48. The ACO in its ILMC page also predicts there will be 48. Are Murphy and the Frogs missing someone?

Schedule Follies

After a decade of announcing its schedule at a multi-media Friday event at Petit Le Mans, the Braselburg Brain Trust tossed it out over a month ahead at a hastily-called Road America presser with the Big Boss sitting alone in front of a Road America banner with a hand-held mike. The Bear’s invite got lost in the mail, so he had to depend on his friends for the poop.

The thing turned out to be as fictional as many of the paddock rumors Murphy writes about. Miller’s “out,” as the paddock expected, and Baltimore is “in.” It was a bit ominous to some of the Bear’s woodland friends that the release tagged a race as TBD (determined), than the far more certain TBA (announced). That worry was well placed. Baltimore (the TBA) came through (Murphy had reported that Baltimore insiders were anxious for its announcement weeks ago) but Oklahoma City (the TBD) cratered. Neither outcome was a surprise.

Road America is back, after rumor (and speculation) to the contrary. That’s a mild surprise because the sports car event is now likely no better than 5th in drawing fans to the picturesque Kettle Moraine region track, after the Nationwide stockers, AMA Superbikes, Brian Redman’s little cook-out, and the SCCA National Championship run-offs. Did a sanction fee cut keep one of Murphy’s favorite race courses on the schedule?

But why the early announcement? It’s good Murphy’s Braselburg Mole is on the job. The sleeper agent’s bugs in a conference room on Broadway were able to catch this:

(background noise unintelligible)
Unidentified Voice: …that stupid bear thinks Road America will drop off the schedule. (laughter)
Media Honcho:  He got the Baltimore thing, though. (silence)
TV Guy:  Hasn’t everybody? (laughter)
Media Honcho:  But the Bear reported the Baltimore committee is waiting for us.
Big Boss:  I refuse to read that stupid stuffed animal. What does he say about Oklahoma City?
Media Honcho:  He doesn’t believe it will happen.
Big Boss:  Well, we’ve got him there, then, don’t we?
(Here there’s a long pause; has there been a bug failure?)
TV Guy: (quietly, breaking into the silence)  He says Miller will not be back.
Big Boss: (angry or frustrated)   I wish we could keep something secret around here. I thought we had that damned mole, but he’s still lurking around here somewhere. I want him found! (bangs table). (more quietly) Sorry, it just makes me so mad.
Chief Sycophant:   They still think we’re going to have a bigger schedule on the forums. One “best guess” was 12 races.
Big Boss:   So?
Chief Sycophant: (sputtering)   Well, I thought…ah…that, well…that would be good…that you’d like that, Big Boss…(trails off)
Big Boss: (with determination)  We’ll have ten, that’s more than this year. And that damnable Bear thinks it will be just eight. Let’s announce it and stop all this stuff. Besides, the stuffed one will be wrong, then, won’t he?
TV Guy:  But…but…it’s not final yet.
Big Boss: Close enough. Have you check arranged the TV stuff?
TV Guy:  Do we have to announce that?
Big Boss: I suppose we can do that later…
IMSA VP Guy: I’ve been working on the schedule this year.
Big Boss: (irritated)  You have?
IMSA VP Guy: (tentatively) You asked me to…
Big Boss: Ah, yes, I guess I did. So?
IMSA VP Guy:  There might be changes after the announcement.
Big Boss: It wouldn’t be the first time, would it?
IMSA VP Guy: I suppose not….
Big Boss: That’s it then. The announcement will be in Wisconsin, we’ll say we’re doing it early for the teams, sponsors, yadda, yadda, and act like it’s all set. If it has to change later, then so be it.
Sycophant Guy: (eagerly)  Yes, boss.
Media Hondo: Yes, boss.
IMSA VP Guy: Yes, boss.
TV Guy:  Yes, boss.
Big Boss: That’s what I like to hear.

The Bear has absolutely no idea who those guys on that audio are, nor whether it has anything to do with the American Le Mans Series. It’s probably fiction and likely just coincidental that at Road America the Big Boss announced a schedule of ten races later reduced to nine, with an 11 week gap in the middle which later changed to 12, with a date for PLM that later changed, and a date for Mosport that later changed, too. Of the ten race dates announced at Road America, six will actually happen as announced – so far.

It seems that Braselburg isn’t done adding to the 2011 schedule yet. Not all of you frequent the independent American Le Mans Series fan forum (Murphy recommends it), so the Bear got permission to post this item  about an expected 2011 ALMS event.

The Bear’s been told the Münchenbergers will be in DTM by 2012. Motorsport chief Mario Theissen will be gone by the end of the year.

Up the road at the Stud Garden, the prototype project has been canned. Something about refinancing €14 billion, and more billions of liability from allegations of market manipulation by boss Wiedeking and finance chief Härter.

Closer to home, Brumos has let go some well-known sports car racing names in a significant downsize.

The View from Belgium

 Not surprisingly, the American Le Mans Series was thought by many to be in dire straits. That’s become pretty routine, whether one is in on the Atlantic in Florida, or across the Atlantic in Europe. Does the fact that so many seem to believe it mean it’s close to the truth? Or perhaps, like the negative views of the stock market, it’s an indicator things are about to get better?

The series has cut costs, changed its television package and, as a result of that, it’s exposure, added to its fields with the Challenge classes, and seems to be moving toward two new street race venues. Are those the right moves? Are they enough? Should be expect more changes before the end of 2010?

Intercontinental Bust?

Others at Spa were bemoaning the status of the new Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, some even saying it’s near to being a non-starter. We heard a lot of that about the Asian Le Mans races last year, but at least some of that schedule finally happened. The clearest indicator we’ll have of at least short term viability, if not long term potential will be the number of teams that contest Petit Le Mans because it’s a required ILMC  round. Among possible GT entries, Team Felbermayr Proton and BMS Scuderia Italia, one the Le Mans winner, and the other the victor at Spa, are getting mention.

Yet another sage sports car racing observer wonders, “if the ACO is between a rock and hard place with the new InterContinental Challenge.” Whose rules will they use? What fuel at Sebring and PLM? What will happen to the local junior classes if the entry is over subscribed? “(Daniel) Poissenot could or would not give me an answer on these questions,” he tells the Bear.

The FIA, GT 1 through 4, and Grand Am

There’s widespread belief that GT1 won’t go into another year, but Le Rat is still clinging to the concept despite its precarious financial position. There are rumbles that Freddie Dor is going to build another car and an Alpina B6 is on the way, it seems. But all the teams are strapped. One observer reckoned, “It feels like the first season of A1 GP and we all know where that went.”

The North America division of an auto manufacturer believes FIA GT3 cars in Grand Am (reported recently by http://lastturnclub.com ) is close to a done deal. Murphy hears two about Grand Am’s FIA quasi-alliance: (1) putting butts in the seats, and (2) managing its competitive balance in GT.

A GT2, GT3, and GT4-based  series could do well with Spa 24 as the centerpiece, according to analysts. That’s important with the FIA’s push to create national series at least roughly compliant with those rules in North America and Asia. And as some one said, “It gives Le Rat a path to retreat to if the Gt1 thing goes tits.” Consider this, said our source, “GT3 makes a lot of sense (for Grand Am) as the cars can run at Spa and Nurburgring 24 Hours.  It will give GA a shot at the wine and cheese crowd without bringing in Peugeot and Audi LMP’s.”

Black Hole

Will the American Le Mans Series disappear into the same television black hole that has captured the IRL? Murphy tweeted on Friday that IMSA was considering a no-pit-stops-under-caution rule for Mid-Ohio. That obviously didn’t happen. Speculation at the time was the idea was triggered by concerns over pit congestion due to the larger-than-normal IndyCar entry and the smaller-than-normal pit lane; the headline series (that would be IndyCar, fans) leaves its equipment along the pits throughout the weekend, contributing to the problem. One rumor now says that wasn’t the reason – not the real one, anyway. It’s all connected to a plan that will end SpeedTV coverage of the American Le Mans Series next year, and move all its races to Versus, presented in the same truncated 1 hour programs by the same company that’s doing a trial run with CBS events this season. The editing of those packages gets a whole lot easier if pit stops are all under green, doesn’t it?

Grand Am had a team owner’s meeting and cocktail reception on the 8th floor of the new ISC/NASCAR digs on International Speedway Boulevard last Thursday afternoonand evening. It’s probably where A.C. saw FIA chief Jean Todt accompanied by fiancé Bond Girl (Wai Lin, Tomorrow Never Dies) Michelle Yeow (right, at Cannes, credit Georges Baird). Todt is heading an FIA delegation, including American Nick Craw, on a “good will” tour – shoring up support amongst racing series and motoring club after AAA’s recent resignation.

With Bernie’s payments for F1 rights about to end with 89 years of exclusivity left (what dumbo wrote that contract?) the Frogs are facing a big ($35 million) hole in the budget. If others follow AAA out the door, things will be dire indeed.

As if to illustrate how dire, Grand Am told the assembled dignitaries they are in negotiations with DTM for a tie-up that will bring DTM to the USA. Some think a NASCAR-DTM alliance could get along quite well without the FIA.

Will the tube-frame silhouettes replace the ungainly DP’s at the top Grand Am, just be added to the field, or run in joint weekends? We are getting to the end of the DP’s  “10 year guarantee,” aren’t we?

The good will tour is expected to continue to Georgia (or perhaps Miller) and Indianapolis, among other stops.

Peugeot’s Relief

Peugeot Sport took apart its three failed diesels and were relieved to find they had not been shot by an Audi ray gun, as was suggested by a regular contributor on americanlemansfans.com. The best news for the rest of us (including Murphy, who has his plane ticket) is that the French announced they’d contest the remaining races of the Intercontinental Le Mans Challenge, including a two-car entry at Petit Le Mans.

Ingolstadt on Hold 

After 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,” Ingolstadt won at Le Mans and continued to talk about the R18 as if there were such a thing. Though a few parts and pieces and some engine development can go forward on whatever “slush funds” Ulrich can tap, major advancement of the program depends on funding approval by Volkswagen’s Management Committee. Dr. Ulrich can’t even ask the board until he has a rule set to build to. The ACO hasn’t yet provided one, and that’s the problem, of course, just as it was in 2008 and 2009. 

Murphy hears the ACO’s in some disarray over the 2011 rules, with raging internal conflicts over details and the potential impact on the 2011 Le Mans entry. They’ve told teams one thing, then released drafts that did something quite different, and, ironically the on-going confusion is doing just what the Frogs fear – impacting the 2011 field. At least one project has been stopped dead in its tracks by the release of the most recent draft.

The GT comment was a bit offhand, a general kind of comment that didn’t necessarily represent a “program in being.” However, continuing rules prevarication from the ACO has caused a GT program to become a much more attractive option to Audi. One source says that the R18 – if it does go ahead – is now a “Le Mans only” car; not LMS, not ALMS, not LMIC – Le Mans ONLY.

Against that background, Murphy heard (and tweeted), “A familiar team is said to be currently setting up shop in Braselton from which it will soon begin preparing an Audi R8 for GT2 in 2011.” The rumor said the ‘familiar team” was Champion Racing, but the Bear decided to dig a little deeper, and discovered the ex-Farnbacher Loles shop is now occupied by Eric Barrett, formerly of Miller –Barrett Racing, and for now it’s all quiet in those digs. Barrett is in Europe; it’s believed he’s trying to lay his hands on one of Zak Brown’s GT3 Audi R8’s. What will he do with it is anyone’s guess. Mild it back to GTC? (Edit: A friend of the Bear’s passed on this note from Eric Barrett:”Please tell Murphy I was on vacation (not on an Audi R8 quest). I retired four months ago.” Consider it done, Eric. The same friend clarifies that Barrett is the owner of the building in which Farnbacher Loles was once a tenant. Murphy hopes that business relationship worked out better for Eric than many deals did for others.

No one in the business who Murphy talks to thinks Volkswagen will eagerly field a competitor in the middle of Porsche’s very profitable 911 GT3 Cup business at a time when Porsche is working to expand those sales. Especially one so expensive as to have to be subsidized by its Audi brand.

If Audi decides on an ALMS GT campaign, it won’t be with an “independent” design. Not that they need to, but Audi sees the Jaguar disaster (and the Chrysler disaster before it) just  as clearly as stuffed animals do.

Murphy doubts Zak Brown will ever end up in the ALMS, anyway. Ol’ Zak’s a NASCAR and Grand Am guy through and through. If you don’t believe him, just ask; John Dagys, of Speedtv.com did. In an interview, Brown said (about racing in FIA GT), that he enjoys being with “the big boys.” In racing, an admitted sycophant will always kiss up to a France and ignore a Panoz, and Zak pretty much laid it out that way. If he races GT cars in the US, it will be in Grand Am, “where there are commercial advantages.” Period.

Zak  would get along just fine with Kevin Buckler, who sidled over the table at which execs for Cort Wagner’s sponsor New Century Mortgage were sitting during the 2004 ALMS Banquet. “You want to play on the big tracks with the big boys next year?” he asked, pitching a Grand Am program with Wagner. They took him up on it. That was just two and a half years before the sub-prime mortgage mill, the subject of numerous Cease and Desist orders from states Attorneys General and a US Justice Department criminal investigation, went broke and was liquidated. The Bear remembers the ALMS New Century “FastQual Awards.” “Fast Qualifying” is pretty easy on liar loans, of course.

Kinetic Motorsports

Murphy was told the Russell Smith and Nic Jonsson racing shop laid off five employees last week. The Kinetic Kia Koup deal apparently isn’t enough to keep everyone gainfully employed

Speaking of Koups

The Bear hears it’s decided. The new Audi R18 will be a closed cockpit.

Nissan iie

Though it’s been quietly considered, no North American Nissan GT racing program for 2011.

Riley the Cat?

There was some sniffing around RSR’s shop by parties interested in fielding a Jag-powered DP, odd to say the least, since the direct injection motor will require significant modification to be Grand Am legal. It’s understood any Cat motor has come from Paul Gentilossi’s shop, so the Indians haven’t thrown Rocket Sports under the bus yet. No interest yet from anyone who would run it in ALMS. Folks following that series has probably seen enough.

The Jag’s electrical problems at Le Mans are being blamed by the team on the Zytek-built (edit: not Zytek, “Stack,” apologies) box the ACO installs on each entry as an engine monitor. According the rumor around Indianapolis, the Jag’s Motec system and the Zytek box couldn’t be made to work together.

The New Indy Car

The IRL’s ICONIC  committee responsible for recommending the new Indy Car have been more secret than an Elk’s Lodge, but Murphy’s heard there will be more than one chassis maker chosen, or perhaps a common tub/undertray chassis that other builders will be able to construct their cars onto. 

The Bear heard Robin Miller knows what has been decided but is keeping his mouth shut. (Since when has that ever happened?) Allegedly, one of the seven ICONIC members told him. Cottman? Long?

X Games

Murphy supposes it was just a matter of time with drifting and all, but Rallycross will be part of the Summer X Games in LA, with Subaru a participant.

Hoosiers Suck

No, not the UI (edit: ”IU” not UI, thanks to Privateer Motorsports) football team (on second thought…), or the whole state, but the tire soon to be rebranded Continental and become the Grand Am spec shoe.

Weekend tests after Daytona at Homestead for the Grand Am teams were a disaster. One prominent team went home early and very dissatisfied. A pro driver did a couple of laps and pronounced the rubber “a good way to kill myself.” Best times were 5 seconds off the March pole. In a long run test, a prominent Mazda pilot ran 1:22/1:23 for 16 laps – about a half stint – before the tires fell off by seven seconds and he finally spun.

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