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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Rumors of acquisition and merger – many conflicting – are rampant around IMSA, ALMS, Grand AM, ISC, and PMSG. The Bear summarizes them today, along with new cars, teams, and sponsorships and rules.
The Don Makes his Move?

Murphy’s been told by a well-placed source the Don’s been wheeling and dealing. While his Braselburg minions kept the gnomes of the Beach busy with putative and furtive talks about dumping tracks, the Don was shorting International Speedway Corporation (ticker symbol: ISCA), making a bundle on the $4.50 plunge at the end of January. Investment advisor Professor Pullen Legg of Universität Leipzig – fresh from his work for Porsche AG – has positioned the Don to take control of the Florida Racing giant.

The Panoz Abruzzi will join the Sprint Cup ranks as soon as the decals are done. Grand Am and ALMS will be merged. DP will henceforth mean “Don’s Prototypes.” Elan Technologies will produce a conversion kit allowing owners to add the required DP “greenhouse” to their Oreca LMPC’s.

The Alchemist, too?

A Florida source tells Murphy racing impresario Tony Dowe is leading a consortium that will take control of IMSA. One rumored change is the addition of an all-Ferrari spec class made up of Grand Am-legal cars soon to be available from Ferrari and prepared for racing at a secret location in Georgia.

Sebring Closed!

The Florida Department of Agriculture has closed Sebring International Raceway until further notice after discovering a tree planted in the paddock as part of the American Le Mans Series Green Initiative was infected with Citrus Gonorrhea (aka Orange Clap), a highly contagious disease that destroys orange groves. The quarantine of the historic raceway will continue until further notice, or until the track is sold to International Speedway Corp., owners of Daytona International Speedway. The disease was discovered following an anonymous tip from a “concerned citizen” at 1801 Speedway Blvd. in Daytona Beach.

Iconic Names to Return to the Sport

With new prototype rules coming into effect next season, there’s a lot of design and development activity, including some famous names. Jim Hall is consulting with Pratt & Miller and the General on a new Chaparral for LMP1. Carol Shelby is working with Ford on a new LMP2 to be called the Ford Probe.

Octogenarian Sir Stirling Moss figures if “Schumi” can come out retirement, he can too. Brian Redman will join him in an LMPC sponsored by Geritol and Viagra. Continuing what might be a trend, Murphy hears Augie Pabst will enter the only rear-engine Scarab in the world in LMP1.

Oklahoma City Announces History-making Street Race
 
Promoters in Oklahoma City are planning to host the 50th street race in North American to go out of business. The planned 2011 street race will mark a milestone in motorsports history, as it hopes to become the 50th such motor racing event to go bankrupt.
 
Oklahoma City hopes to follow the ill-fated red ink tidal waves of Des Moines, Niagara Falls, Columbus, San Antonio, Minneapolis, Savannah, New Orleans, New Orleans again, Dallas, Dallas again, Dallas yet again, Denver, Denver again, Tacoma, Sacramento (who can forget those railroad tracks), Detroit, Belle Isle, Tamiami Park, St Petersburg one, St Petersburg two, St Petersburg three (soon to be announced), Tampa, Miami one, Miami two, Caesar’s Palace, Houston, Phoenix, Reno, Cleveland (yeah, Murphy knows  it was an airport), Long Beach (yes, it did go bankrupt once), a small town in Michigan the Bear can’t remember, Halifax, Honolulu (never quite happened), West Palm Beach, Meadowlands, San Diego… you get the idea.
 
“We know we can make this another failure if we really try,” stated Oklahoma City GP promoter Larry Enron. “Although every single street race in North America eventually folded, we think being the 50th would be something special.”

Jon Field named Official Crash Tester
 
The FIA announced today in Paris that American Le Mans Series veteran Jon Field and his Intersport team have been named official crash-testers. Field will be tasked with crashing new cars to prove their structural integrity. Jaguar is currently exempt from this requirement since the cars are not yet capable of the minimum speed necessary to crash them.

J.C. France and Jeremy Mayfield to drive “Spirit of Colombia” Riley
 
The Colombian government’s Minister of Exports, Pablo Escobar III, has announced sponsorship of a BMW-powered Riley for drivers J.C. France and Jeremy Mayfield for the Watkins Glen six-hour Rolex sports car series race. Escobar stated the new team is “an ideal marketing tool for two drivers who have long supported Colombian exports.” The team will be based in Florida at a new race shop located on the Miami River.

Milka Too

Demonstrating the importance of the Latin market, the ALMS quickly followed the Grand Am announcement by confirming Milka Duno will return – she was LMP2 season runner-up in 2001, scoring four wins. “I drive world class in World Class ALMS, no?  I was dominatrix in series before, I be again, maybe?” said Duno.

Milka will bring her familiar Citgo sponsorship to Long Beach, where the team’s debut will correspond with an official state visit to the Govenator by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

Riley Introduces 40-year Shelf Life
 
Riley Technologies and the Rolex Grand-Am Series have announced a new generation Daytona Prototype with a competition-life of 40 years. The new DP will allow teams to campaign the same car in the series for at least four decades. The new “DP40″ features NASCAR “Car of Tomorrow” technology. Updates kits will be available on a regular basis at Walmart.

Zogaib to the ALMS
 
Henri “Big Nuts” Zogaib has acquired a Porsche Spyder to run in ALMS beginning at Laguna Seca. J.L. “Cheese Balls” Kraft will join Zogaib as co-driver. Kraft was also expected to bring sponsorship from a consumer food product. However, protests from Braselburg that the rumored sponsor will be in conflict with its Official Cheese Curd have put that part of the deal in doubt.

Engineering support will come from Combustion Engine Technologies (CET), a company said to be one step ahead of NASA in understanding the physics of thermal kinetics. CET has reportedly extracted a 400% gain in the Porsche engine’s fuel utilization (patent pending), so the Spyder will produce 800 horsepower while not requiring refueling during a 2 hour 45.

Zogaib, an Lebanese iron ore magnate but now living in an exclusive Florida community nicknamed “Skinner Joint”, will handling team finances with help from Joey “Walnuts” Corsa. Alberto “Chestnuts” Solaroli will be in charge of engineering, and Greg “Pecan Sack” Till will manage day-to-day logistics and provide spiritual guidance. “We like to say that we’re ‘Four Nuts and a Cheese Ball,’” said Zogaib.

Drissi, Willman to Make Movie Magic at Long Beach

Bryan Willman, affectionately known in the ALMS paddock as ‘Shrek,’ and sometime driving partner and Hollywood producer Tomy Drissi have signed a deal with Dreamworks for the Long Beach Grand Prix.

Tomy often has movie sponsors for his car and this year will be no different with a new ‘SHREK’ installment getting on board. The deal with the studio was formalized when Bryan Willman showed up at the studio to pitch the deal with green dyed skin. Since the dye turned out to be permanent, Willman will appear in green the entire race weekend. Cameron Diaz will join Willman and Drissi at the driver’s autograph session.  After Autocon boss Mike Lewis will appear as the Donkey.

Grand Am expands Midwestern Presence

Murphy hears that Grand Am, will race in the parking lot of the Walmart SuperCenter in Rapid City, South Dakota next season. 

“With our success at the Iowa Speedway”, said series President Roger Edmondson,  “we figured Rapid City would be a natural.  People drive for miles, just to come and shop at Walmart, so now we’ll bring the racing to the people.” Adding interest, the course design will vary, based upon where shoppers park their motorhomes.

Waste Disposal joins list of Grand Am Sponsors

Mark Raffauf, Grand-Am’s rules mogul, has developed a system of speeding up those lengthy full-course cautions. When a DP goes off course and stalls it will have 30 seconds to restart and continue. If not, a trash compactor truck standing by at each corner will collect the inert machine.
 
NASCAR domo Jim Bob France VI announced that a sponsorship deal has been inked with Waste Management, Inc. to provide the crushers.

IMSA Addresses Pit Lane Safety Concerns
 
 IMSA has required all photographers to wear helmets in the pits. Now a directive has been issued that requires photographers to wear diapers.
 
“It’s for their own protection,” explained an ALMS official. “We’ve had several near-misses in which a photographer has been nearly run over when dashing for a Porta-Pottie.” The Bear hears that the quiet diesels have contributed to the problem.
 
Scott Atherton announced Depends has been named the  Official Adult Diaper of ALMS.

Murphy thanks the elves and his little woodland friends for their contributions to this Poop.

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The top two at the Rolex once again came from Murphy’s top 5. After putting both Ganassi cars on the list (a bit of a no-brainer, even if your head is stuffed like a mattress), plus Brumos and two-time Grand Am Champion GAINSCO, the Bear mused in Paddock Poop 152 about the fifth, finally settling on the No. 9 Action Express because it fit all three Bear rools. Including the one about established teams, since in crew, staff, and owner, it was largely the “other” Brumos entry, the one vacated by the accused Daytona Beach druggie.

One Ganassi car blew an engine, a rarity in recent years; it had 8 hours on it at race’s start. Is it a measure of the economy that Ganassi’s ran a well-used motor? Even if his race engine was replaced because of an oil leak, no fresh engine was available?

Readers wondered about the Bear’s bullishness on the BMW M6 entries, but they’re thinking like ALMS fans, where ‘new cars’ are new cars. In Grand Am, tubers shed their skins like snakes, yesterday’s Pontiac becoming today’s Chebby, and tomorrow’s Bimmer. Finishing 8th and 11th, they didn’t have any more trouble than any other make in the field – less, in fact.

Two of Murphy’s five favorites finished in the top five, one on the podium; among the 30 GT entries, the Bear’s Five were 2nd, 5th, 8th, 9th, and 12th.

Saab-Spyker Saga

So Spyker’s ‘buying Saab?’ Everyone knows that the one-time Dutch F1 team masquerading as an automaker doesn’t have a guilder to its name, so how does this happen? The devil’s in the details. The Dutch want their pet car company, as do the Swedes, so the Dutch arrange a $562 million loan for Spyker and get the Swedes to guarantee it. GM will ‘sell’ Saab to Spyker for $74 million in cash and $326 million in Spyker-Saab preferred stock (what’s that worth, given neither has made a guilder or krona in living memory?).  Spyker pockets $488 million in cash (perhaps some of that will buy out the 30% Spyker holdings of Vladimir Antonov, suspected (by Swedish Intelligence) of money laundering and links to organized crime.

Rolex Rumor

Northeastern Florida isn’t exactly populated by ALMS well-wishers at this time of the year, so Murphy has learned to anticipate one or more pretty nasty rumors. Some have a kernel of truth, some are just off-the-wall. The 2010 annual ‘Daytona ALMS Rumor?’ Widely circulated in the paddock on International Speedway Boulevard was the story that ALMS has not yet paid 2009 prize money, so teams, in a kind of “strike,” are sending in their 2010 entries with no money. Of course the Bear is more than a little suspicious of the whole thing, but the “fact of the rumor” is surprise – just a measure of the ‘bad blood’ between these two competing sports car racing series.

Murphy’s sources indicated that at least the ‘strike’ part of that is untrue. If any team was withholding entry funds it wasn’t in concert with any other teams, and likely wasn’t in any ‘retaliation’ for nonpayment. Prize payments have dragged in a bit late – sometimes in installments – in recent seasons, and apparently this one is no different. The Series has suggested that prize money be credited against the new season’s entry fee, which seems perfectly reasonable to the Bear.

Defecting

Expect more than one Grand-Am team to “defect to LMPC” after Daytona. Alex Job is said to be one of them (interest by AJR was expressed early) along with Level 5, and at least one other. The LMPC count for Sebring will be 4 or 5, with 2 or 3 to join the series after that – consistent with ALMS Supremo Scott Atherton’s recent pronouncements.

From one quarter Murphy is told, “the Grand-Am fields will be horrific after Daytona,” and that “NASCAR upper management is fed up with Grand-Am.” If that’s true it didn’t keep Jim-Bob from winning the Rolex with his own entry. Close connections to Action Express’ owner Bob Johnson – along with other information – would suggest so. Mr. Johnson is Jim-Bob’s personal CPA; the company funding Action Express is something called High Rev Racing. Entering your own race series isn’t exactly revolutionary (Don Panoz being another example); the Bear takes it as a vote of confidence rather than something nefarious.

GAINSCO Gone?

The Bear’s been told that the Rolex was GAINSCO’s last race. Miami hotel reservations have been cancelled.

Audi In, Peugeot Overboard?

The Bear hears that Braselburg is considering allowing Audi to enter Sebring, pending the outcome of the new car’s testing, now underway. If the entry accepted is the “transitional” car, and not the “new rules” R15, then there’s little doubt the effect will be to toss Peugeot overboard. Peugeot may jump anyway, of course. The new Audi just might be ready for Sebring, anyway, since Audi Sport Joest has turned up as a “full season” LMS entry. That would mean the car is now believed to be ready by April…March 20th isn’t all that much earlier, is it?

There’s Cars and…

…then there’s cars. Ferrari can’t be happy about the two street-car based (barely more than that) Ferrari 430 Challenge cars entered at Daytona. One was turned away (‘not ready to race’ is a kind description) the Bear hears. The other muddled around, thoroughly uncompetitive. Look for entries from Tony Dowe later in the Grand Am season to be much more representative of the iconic marque.

Inlimbo Racing League

Izod is the IRL’s new title sponsor; you’ve probably seen the ads. Other noises from the surviving – for now – North American open wheel series aren’t so good. Ganassi is just the latest to join the ‘new car’ discussion, having produced a mock-up – a sign, according to one source, that the series is “just blundering around.”

The addition of Lanigan to Newman Haas was the work of the late Paul Newman; Carl’s family’s not on speaking terms with the new partner. Are we seeing the unraveling of Newman-Haas-Lanigan? That’s one opinion Murphy’s heard.

Unemployment Line

Here’s a measure of the weakness of the racing industry world-wide: Butch Leitzinger, Lucas Luhr, Mike Rockenfeller, Sascha Maassen, Emanuele Collard, Alex Gurney, Jon Fogarty, all ‘available and looking.’ And that’s just a few.

USF1

What the Bear is hearing is pretty grim. The chassis hasn’t been ‘crunch tested’ yet. There’s no motor on hand, payments to Cosworth reportedly now in arrears. The team has applied to the World Motorsports Council for dispensation to miss the first three races without penalty – more a courtesy than a rule, since guaranteed participation is not a part of the new concorde, as it was in the old.

It’s  not over yet. USF1 owner Chad Hurley (one of Youtube’s three original founders) could rescue the operation – with new management – if he so chooses. Meanwhile, Bernie is in his element, the eminance gris trying to arrange an interim chassis, but that’s wrapped up in a ride for Bruno Senna. If Bernie can’t get USF1 onto the grid, he might be stuck with the Russians, who’ve grabbed the rights to the ex-Toyota chassis (someone will have to check the accelerator pedal).

Lou News

Murphy’s friend Lou Gigliotti is running for Congress – here’s his web site. Meanwhile, he’s charging ahead with his Grand Am Corvette entries. 

Unlike others in Grand Am GT, Lou tells the Bear that, “Our Corvettes are ‘Prep 1’ using stock frames like ALMS cars. We learned a lot from that car and we are moving the technology over to Grand Am.” It makes particular sense for Lou to stick with ‘the real thing’ because Lou’s business is selling Corvette performance parts. Lou says a result of the new program will be   ‘really nice Corvette parts’ that will one day make their way into LG Motorsports’ catalog.
 
Eric Lux and Kelly Collins are set for the season in the first Corvette, with a hoped-for second car possible as early as Birmingham, depending on finding a good driving partner for the Boss.

Pssssssst…anyone interested in a nice ALMS Corvette? Murphy knows where to find one.

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