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

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

Phallus

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

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

Tracks

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

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

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

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

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

Cheese

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

Rats?

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

Grand Am at the Brickyard

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

Le Mans

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

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

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

Arabian Antelope

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

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

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

Decline and Fall

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Honda Takes a Powder

Honda’s North American sports car racing program has passed on, the agonizing seppuku of its dying finally ended with one final swift stroke of the kaishaku. The beginning of the end that was announced today was in 2009 when three Acura-supported teams were cut lose. In 2010, the Acura brand was replaced by the HPD non-brand, and reduced to a single LMP2 entry. A tentative 2011 plan with token support, limited to Highcroft field trips to Sebring and Le Mans, was ended today.

Will Honda continue to develop and support the LMP2 V6? Will it simply transfer the center of gravity of its sports car racing to Europe? It’s clear it’s done paying for chassis, and equally so any significant engine program – the V6 is a half-hearted effort, at best. And it is very, very clear – even before this announcement – that Honda is not interested in the American Le Mans Series.

Taken in isolation, Honda’s departure is bad enough, but a wider survey of manufacturer’s plans, some announced, some rumored, should worry sports car racing fans around the globe.

RIP Wankel

Mazda will make radical cuts to its racing budget for 2012, something Murphy reported via Twitter on May 5. Now he’s learned a bit more. With the Wankel finally headed into the dustbin of history, the Grand Am GT program is in its last season, but Murphy hears Mazda North America likes McDreamy’s marketing value, so much so that it has contracted the development of an entirely new turbo 4 cylinder for the TV doctor’s step up to LMP2 in the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup in 2012. So a McDreamy Mazda skips the ALMS’ minor events in favor of the big show with just two North American appearances. The Bear’s 64 dollar question: does Mazda continue its other turbo 4 program, the branded AER motor used by Dyson Racing? Or does Dyson have to move to the new engine to stay in ALMS prototypes with Mazda?

Datsun and Toyoda

Two engine programs burst onto the scene this year, exciting fans hungry for any good news, particularly since these companies fielded the R390 and GT One not so many years ago. Not to be a wet blanket, but the Bear thinks there is less here than meets the eye. Both appear to be doing little more than attempting to squeeze a little marginal revenue out of existing 3.4 liter V8 motors developed for the All-Japan Super GT series – Nissan’s from the Skyline GT-R, and Toyota by its Cologne, Germany-based group for the Lexus SC430. Neither appears to be headed into sports car racing as anything more than engine suppliers with limited budgets, and neither seems to have any plans to participate in the American Le Mans Series. For Nissan in particular, be some pressure in the past two years for racing in North America seems to have largely dissipated in the face of ambivalence from Japan and a “beleaf” the future of racing is electric.

The Four Rings

No, not J.R.R. Tolkien, but the Decade’s Lords of Le Mans. Audi NA decided three years ago a North American LMP racing program was not a good marketing investment. It subsequently proved that by the results it measured after diverting those millions to other advertising.

It’s rumored that Audi AG wants to take a controlling stake in an existing F1 team, something it could do easily at a cost not much more than its on-going prototype program. If it does, instead of old prototypes moldering in a museum, its investment would give it hundreds of millions in F1 concorde distributions, the continuing revenue of an engineering business, and in one rumored case, leadership in flywheel KERS systems. All-in-all not a bad exchange.

And F1 adventure would be the end of campaigning the R18, except for Le Mans; otherwise Audi will continue in the ILMC. There is no possibility of returning to a full ALMS schedule.

Porsche and Peugeot

Murphy doesn’t know if Porsche will step into the gap left if Audi leaves ACO’s prototype ranks, as has been rumored. On balance, what he hears leads him to conclude it will not; the lucrative GT business is just too good not to remain the core of Porsche Motorsport. In any case, if there is a Porsche prototype it seems certain – like Peugeot – to compete in the ILMC events, and not contest the ALMS. The French will continue in the ILMC and at Le Mans for the “service life” of the current 908. Neither Porsche nor Peugeot will contest a full ALMS schedule.

Grand Am

As the Bear noted above, Grand Am GT will be without Mazda next season. Unfortunately Murphy hears there are bigger problems than that. Things aren’t improving in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup. It should be a wake-up call that Clint Bowyer may be done for lack of sponsorship in weeks, maybe sooner.

Teams and others in the NASCAR family are again pressuring Jim France to focus on the company’s premier series, questioning the “diversion” of resources to the “house” road racing series. We’ve been down this road before, but then it was in a context in which Sprint Cup’s weakness was largely seen as recession-caused, and would recover quickly as soon as the economy improved. That’s simply not happening, as anyone looking at the grandstands at Dover Sunday could readily see. What the recession (yes, business and employment is recovering, albeit very slowly) did do was break the love affair between corporate America and racing sponsorships. It’s hitting NASCAR, and has hit road racing much harder.

What does that mean to Grand Am? In the near term, it means that if purse increases recently discussed on International Speedway Boulevard happen, it will require contractions elsewhere, likely to Jim’s support of DP teams, including those “captive” or nearly so, to the France largess. (It was a chuckle at VIR that the “Beat Chip Bounty” was paid from one France pocket to another.)

Further out, Murphy can see a loss of momentum in the transformation of the series and particularly of the Daytona Prototype. However, the Bear isn’t as convinced as some that the “new look” will fall short. After all, a few inches here and there can account for the difference between a Ford and a Ferrari. We won’t know how these cars look until we actually see a car, or at least a to-scale drawing. But lessening financial backing will increase the series’ fear of driving away current entries by forcing too large an investment in new hardware. Similarly, new entries – Ferrari and others – in GT will increase cost by raising the bar for current competitors, again reducing entries. All that will likely make Grand Am more timid in implementing the changes that sports car fans (the traditional kind) have wanted to see in the Grand Am product.

Proposed DP Revisions

We always knew that the (cash) impact on current participants of new DP rules would be minimized, didn’t we? It’s a consequence of having “cheap” as your principal product attribute.

With that in mind, the kinds of changes – mostly bodywork – floated last week weren’t a surprise. Those who are critical might consider that it really does take only an inch here and there to hugely impact appearance. Consider that this look was achieved largely by raising the sidepod profile without any greenhouse reduction at all.

Bounties

With Grand Am paying the $25 grand bonus to itself, the only out-of-pocket payment was the $25 put up by Magnus for beating Bill Auberlen and Turner Motorsports (who none-the-less again landed on the GT podium).

The “Best television coverage in racing”

(As odd as it may now seem, that’s quote from a “State of the Series” presentation at a previous Petit Le Mans.) In a press release announcing the promotion of an underling, the ALMS confirmed the departure of Senior Vice President of Television Production Services John Evenson. He’ll “remain as a consultant to the series.” Pretty soon the series will have more “consultants” than employees. Murphy told his Twitter readers Evenson was shown the door at close of business Friday. The Braselburgers get credit for hiring Miss 12 Hours of Sebring 2008 in the same week.

The most important fans – the ones that bother with such things as forums – had been telling the series almost from the beginning that its television package was terrible. It chose not to listen.

Media Mogul Moves

Don’t be surprised if News Corp. makes a move to acquire the F1 commercial rights.

GRT

Generic Racing Team launched a website last week, then quickly shut it down. The prime suspect called Kevin and pled “Not Guilty.” The NASCAR brass was publically peeved, but privately amused. The search for a disgruntled former employee with advanced website design skills continues…

ALMS Prototype Summary

Muscle Milk will complete the season, as will one Dyson Lola AER (Mazda).

A Dyson second car announcement remains possible.

Autocon is “in” beginning at Mosport, though the “new direction” stuff is a bit overblown – same car, same motor, same drivers, some reorganization of the “partnership,” car upkeep moved to a new shop. No, it did not get “significant upgrades” at Lola.

It seems Intersport will “Field” an LMPC – but no LMP1 or 2.

If they can get the AMR One to run, Aston Martin will make a single ALMS foray, at Laguna Seca, in addition to the Petit Le Mans ILMC round.

Tucker will campaign one LMP2 for the remainder of the ALMS schedule.

Murphy’s seen no evidence that Signature has a car, or an engine, or a crew. (When they do, perhaps they’ll be kind enough to post a photo? Even Solo Al was able to do that.) The team says it’s in the “re-evaluating” mode. It’s getting a little late for this season, isn’t it?

Most likely ALMS (non-ILMC) LMP1/2 entry: Lime Rock 3, Mosport 4, Mid-Ohio 4, Road America 4, Baltimore 3, Monterey 5.

Oklahoma!

Still a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, but not yet a racing event. The “announcement” did not announce an event, but a promoter’s intent to get an event approved. The mayor is for it, the state is for it, yadda, yadda…but no mention of the OKC council, which defeated it last year. With a hoops playoff underway, auto racing isn’t even close to the community’s consciousness.

South America for the ILMC?

They’re floating the idea, along with an assumed constraint of seven (and no more than eight) events, including Le Mans. Drop one of the three European events? Perhaps, but most of the entries are from that continent. It seems equally likely that North America will lose one of its two, doesn’t it?

Andy Lally Update

Andy failed to qualify at Darlington, but won $80,825 at Richmond, and $88,875 at Dover for GRT, er..TRG, which brings his season winnings to $1,020,811. The entire American Le Mans field has won $1,093,000, less $173,000 withheld, the total due to participants to date is $920,000. Teams that have been classified as “factory,” or “factory supported” are not paid purse money. The next privateer(s) does/do not “move up.”  The Bear has already credited the privateer bonus fund that will actually be paid after the season. That may also not reach the $540,000 he has allowed, in which case the total will be adjusted downward as necessary.

Flying Lizards to Daytona

Before Seth Neiman and Flying Lizard Motorsports leased a Daytona Prototype from Brumos, he talked to Penske about one of the Captain’s cars. Near term, it was decided a lease was more attractive than an outright purchase. Seth will be one of at least two ALMS stalwarts we’ll see at the Rolex 24; what happens after that is still unknown.

Chip to Ford

It’s possible that Chip Ganassi will go with Ford in NASCAR. If he does, it’s likely his DP’s will also be powered by Ford. (Edit: Murphy tweeted an update on November 2: At a team celebration this week, it was announced Ganassi will stay with GM motors. Presumably, that will mean the BMW power in Grand Am continues also.)

Peugeot Power

The test of Peugeot’s new prototype exclusively reported by Autosport was sans engine – the new one, that is. Bruno Famin, Peugeot Sport’s Technical Director, claims it hasn’t even made that decision yet. A hybrid power unit has been rumored, and one of the Bear’s correspondents was convinced of it by the new roof air intake. “A new-rules 2 liter turbo, with KERS,” he wrote. One of Murphy’s technical wizards acknowledged the air intake but pointed out the 90X also has the fender intakes used with the turbo diesel. “They’ll stick with the diesel,” he said. “It still makes better technical and marketing sense.” The Bear has decided it will be one or the other. (Edit: One of the Bear’s favorite tech gurus points out that a diesel/KERS combination remains in the mix, and might even be likely. Whoops! Murphy now believes it will be one of those three. Any other ideas?)

Television and Alternative Media

The American Le Mans Series still doesn’t have a “broadcast” (obsolete word, isn’t it?) package it can announce. What gives? The Bear heard at Petit that the “traditional broadcast” (and its on-air talent) would be history, that 2011 would be docudramas on Versus with live coverage via web streaming. Murphy knows some will cheer that, but he’s not one of them.

So do we get Hindy and crew? Probably, but the Bear hears sponsorship and contract issues remain. (If that is “unhelpful,” Radio Show Limited can issue a statement – again. Murphy’s not in the “helpful” business; plenty in the media have accepted that charter.) A SpeedTV deal is crippled – in terms of value, at least – by the ACO’s grab of the rights to Sebring and Petit. A professional sport needs the revenue that’s possible only with “big league” television coverage. It’s not certain that’s going to happen. Among teams and drivers in the paddock who race for a living, this is a topic of great concern.

Japan to Join GT Ranks?

That’s what the world’s leading sports car racing blog wrote, admitting it was a “rumour.”  (What’s with all the poaching on the Bear’s territory lately?) Two manufacturers mentioned – Toyota and Honda – have had on-again-off-again programs over the past couple of years; nothing new there.

Honda told the ALMS two years ago it would like to field an NSX-based GT1/2, but only after the then-planned new model was introduced – soon after, they cancelled the new car. That would seem to have ended the idea, except that Honda got special permission to race the not-to-be-produced design as the HSV-010 GT and promptly won the Super GT championship in the GT500 class. Since the ACO is similarly perfectly willing to wink at its rules when it suits (see, for reference, the magic homologation of the Abuzzi), don’t be surprised to see an “NSX-something” somewhere in ACO racing.

Toyota might be working on something with the LFA – then again they might not. Old story again.

There is nothing ACO-oriented going on at Nissan that either NISMO or NA knows anything about.

The 2011 ALMS Prototype GridMurphy summarizes what he is hearing around the paddock about the likely 2011 entry for races not part of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup.

LMP1
Highcroft – Expect Duncan to continue with HPD for another season, but don’t take his dalliance with IRL too lightly.
Dyson – Not happy being let down by Mazda just weeks before the 2010 Sebring Winter Test, Dyson will start 2011 with “a foot in each camp.” Though they repeatedly say they want to be in the American Le Mans Series, where the team goes from here is largely funding-dependent.
Cytosport – If no good hardware option is found (Porsche is out of the picture), Cytosport could stay on the sidelines. For now, at least, they aren’t happy with the options.
Intersport – We don’t know why, but someone will come up with just enough cash for Intersport to run about half the season’s miles. In a tough 2010, they had to finish Petit to get near that magic “halfway.”
Drayson –  If the announced ILMC full schedule becomes certain in 2011, this team is much more likely to contest that than a full ALMS schedule.
Autocon – Zytek is likely not an option. If the only thing on the table is a return to the Lola AER, will Autocon race, take some time off, or drop to P2?
ARES (nee Corsa) – No activity on facebook, nor in a race shop, since April.

LMP2
CORE – More likely to be an LMPC entry.
HVM – Broke and looking for funded drivers.
Level 5 – ILMC is likely, ALMS less so.
Libra (nee Taurus, nee ECO) – Libra, Ian Dawson’s act 3, is on track to be as successful as acts 1 and 2.
Signature – The team’s own hope is only for the second half of 2011. This reality show won’t make prime time.

LMPC
Dick Barbour – Katherine Legge? Not likely.  Terri O’Connell (nee J.T. Hayes)? The Bear likes real girls. Too much hype, too little substance (or cash). Reminds Murphy of DBM in 2001: Elford, Panoz, Mugen, Holt, Duno, Graham, de Radigues. Sounded good, didn’t it?
Green Earth Team Gunnar – The real 2010 LMPC champs say they’ll be back.
Intersport – The Ohio team’s cash cow.
Performance Tech, Genoa, and Mathiasen – All possible
CORE – They’ll be here if anywhere.

Once again, the series will struggle to field a dozen prototypes in three classes outside of the two ILMC events.

USF1 closed the doors without paying its employees at noon today. Ken Anderson slunk out the back door without a word to those headed for North Carolina’s unemployment office…but that could be problematical.

The staff was told this was a “furlough while a reorganization” could take place. So, don’t pay the staff? Strikes the Bear as the same kind of manure Anderson and company’s been shoveling all along. Windsor was also nowhere to be found around the Charlotte facility when the staff was given the bad news. Perhaps we’ve seen the end of both of them?

Consider this: Murphy believes that by putting its employees on “unpaid leave,” while claiming they are “technically employed” USF1 makes them unable to collect unemployment compensation from North Carolina. It also saves USF1 from being responsible for those payments. The Bear’s waiting to hear how those applications for compensation are treated.

Murphy was quiet after his comments February 23, mostly because this train was on the tracks. The short version is that Charlie would report complete disarray in Charlotte (hell, he might just have read the Bear and saved the airfare), and the FIA would pull the entry, with only a glimmer of hope that a bond might secure the team’s grid spot for 2010. Now that latter seems to be the “official story” – that the staff is only being furloughed, and will be called back. Murphy really believes that’s true – he’s got friends in Charlotte – but doesn’t believe it will work out that way.

During the Bear’s holiday from this story, he was entertained by F1 bloggers who claimed all kinds of nonsense, the best of which was that “Hurley was being blocked by Anderson.” Murphy’s just a stuffed animal, but he knows enough math to know that 1 vote doesn’t beat 4. The same bloggers cooked up a long list of “agreements” to  merge with Campos, or Stefan F1. It’s always been hard to make sense of those things. Possible? Maybe, since Campos is still looking for a way to cure its default on the Dallara. But none of it likely. Deck chairs on the Titanic.

 There’s an assumption, it seems,  that dreaming up an idea to put video on the web makes one a competent businessman. It clearly doesn’t. The principal dithered, sending his friend hither and yon when action to fix the core problem was long overdue. The time to fix this was in October, and was long since past by December. Sending poor Parris to Italy and Spain in February didn’t even have the advantage of nice Mediterranean weather – the time for that was October.

Murphy made the case for the major management change public in February, but it was already a forlorn hope. There was no Obi-Wan waiting in the wings.

 Complicating whatever comes next is that Frank Williams and his friends in the middle of the grid are as likely to invite the left-over Toyota program join them as chickens are to invite the cat into the henhouse. A little understanding of the concorde – short version again, money is distributed on the basis of the season’s total points scored – is all that’s needed to know that Stefan F1 might cost Frank tens of millions of dollars.

Fiction: Where is T-Mobile?

So far no VICI for Sebring. The so-called “T-Mobile deal,” never made much sense to stuffed animals, even if it was popular in forums as an excuse for VICI “no-shows.”  Whether or not VISI shows up, with or without T-Mobile, corporations budget for the immediately following fiscal year, normally in a cycle that begins will submissions no later than September and decisions early in the fourth quarter.

Irrelevance: Audi disses ‘the platform’

Since we’re on the subject of Sebring, Audi will test for four days immediately following the 12 Hours. Not with a ‘transition’ car, but with an R15 version that’s fully compliant with 2010 ACO rules. So the ‘blame’ (Murphy did his share) on Peugeot for blocking a transition car at Sebring seems to have been overtaken by events. The fact is that during the week when the American Le Mans Series in on the track at Sebring, a pair of fully functional, shaken-down, brand new, ready-to-race R15’s will be sitting inside a transporter nearby. Now Braselburg looks stupid, or irrelevant, or both. In any case, Audi doesn’t give a flying eff to show up for the biggest race on the ALMS schedule. Some ‘platform.’ Explain that, Braselburgers.

‘Whatever’ Department

In response to a forum assertion that a friend of the Bear’s was a “good friend” of the Braselburg boss, the Bear’s been told that “Through the 2006 season, perhaps it was ‘friendly acquaintances.’ If memory serves, the last thing Mr. Atherton said to me, at the 2006 awards banquet, was ‘Are those real, or are they just for looks, like a doorman?’ (About United States military medal miniatures properly worn on a tux lapel.) It’s been pretty much downhill since then.”

Grand Larceny: Loles

United States Bankruptcy Court, District of Delaware has published the list of creditors of now-defunct Farnbacher Loles Partners, LLC, including dollar amounts for the ‘20 largest.’ Here are the ‘highlights’ of the 88 total unsecured creditors:

As reported here before, Pratt & Miller, $930,000. Others of note, Christian Zugel, $390,000; Dick (sic) Werner $120,500; Jon (sic) Tancredi $350,000; PMNA (whoops, they’ve done it again, does Solo Al ring a bell, guys?) $190,000; Christopher Lux $500,000, Michael Marsal, $175,000. Good grief, when would-be drivers want to go racing they park all their business sense at the door, don’t they?

Citibank is out a quarter million on a line of credit, and $120,000 on a credit card, of all things! Even the Porsche Club of America gave this turkey credit. He owes poor Marion for his meals, and Murphy’s friend Sylvia for his 2008 PR work (he could use a bit of that, now, couldn’t he? Even Sylvia, the best in the business, couldn’t do much with this crook).  The top twenty creditors sum to the far side of $4 million.

Hype: Patrón

Nineteen days to Sebring. Any sign of life from that ‘presenting sponsorship?’ The Bear’s just askin’.

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.

Follow the Bear on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Murphythebear

It appears that all the P2 Acuras except one of Duncan’s will campaign in Europe in 2010. If Duncan doesn’t run his, the Bear hasn’t heard that anyone else will, either. There are multiple rumors around Mr. Dayton’s plans, and they certainly weren’t all settled by a recent DSC interview. The Danbury, Connecticutt, team’s been rumored to be running an Acura LMP1, an LMP2, and a Peugeot. All that might depend on what the time frame is for Duncan’s Le Mans dream – in which he wins. If he plans to use that auto entry, it has to be in the same class; that lets out P2, right? If the ARX-01b doesn’t have particularly good high end aero (it doesn’t), the ARX-02a is nothing short of hopeless – say nothing of trying to win overall with a naturally aspirated 4 liter engine. Absent a really good Wirth Le Mans aero package (one was rumored) and a whole boatload of testing, if Duncan goes to Le Mans with Acura, it won’t be to win. On the other hand, if he does a deal with Peugeot…

If you take winning Le Mans out of the picture, the Peugeot rumor fades into oblivion, and you take Dayton at face value that another Acura season is in the cards – completely independent of Acura. We get that HPD is going to lease engines – but what about chassis and body spares?

The Bear would put an Acura engine in a Lola and be done with it.

The Reign in Spain?

Murphy hears Penske is testing something from Aichi in Spain.

Brumos

Regardless of previous rumors (and the arrest of a driver/principal source of cash), it seems Brumos is intent on continuing its Grand Am DP adventures. The team recently held a “gong show” at VIR for three different car combinations. The first, a Coyote with a V-8 Porsche motor, had a part failure and crash. A Riley with a V-8 Porsche was also crashed by driver David Donohue, and another Riley blew up it’s flat six motor. ‘Inconclusive” was the conclusion (The Bear prefers “disastrous.”) “I guess it gives the Brumos guys something to do over the winter. Unfortunately all the contestants got the gong.” chuckled the Bear’s source.

Ferrari

Scott Tucker was out testing Dinan-built Ferrari motors options, the largest of which is a 4.3 liter V8. All will be on the short end of the torque curve against the bigger American V8s in the series. Regardless, a Ferrari-powered DP will be on the Daytona grid. It will be joined at Daytona by an F430, with an expectation of more GT entries later in the season – five cars will be built.

Murphy was reminded that “it’s private property” when he saw a lavender Lambo being wheeled around an iconic Florida track by someone whose body type is more suited to NFL linebacker than race car driver. (Then again, football isn’t the family business, is it?) In an on-site boutique of Ferrari stuff, our linebacker wiped out about half the inventory. No wonder Porsche’s cooled a bit on the World Center’s-very-own-sports-car-racing-series. It also makes the point that there’s no “iconic” like “Ferrari iconic,” and that you might waste a lot of cachet by taking the motor out of the piece of sculpture it came in. Which would be the argument not to do what Scott Tucker is working on.

F1 Follies (a semi-regular Poop feature)

Look for Renault to make it nearly unanimous by leaving F1; then we’ll be back to the “traditional two” – Ferrari and Mercedes. Remember when (September 30) the Bear told you the Germans would dump McLaren in favor of Brawn? Now it’s happened, with the three-pointed star “doing a Bimmer” and buying out the independent team inherited from Honda’s pull-out a year ago. A little “bear math” says Ross Brawn made £29,999,000 on the deal – how’s that for a one year return on £1?

New FIA boss Jean Todt is looking for a place for an old friend, but first he wants to get some administrative experience for him. All of which is related to the Bear’s upcoming field trip.

Too quiet? What about 2010?

Spec LMP’s are in the ACO’s plans for the LMS. Murphy’s heard concerns about shrinking fields – that the ACO’s convinced there will be no – minimal – manufacturer participation next season.

The bear isn’t yet ready to speculate on the 2010 ALMS field. Thus far, the rumor mill has been way too quiet, as if nothing is going on. For instance, following rumors of three or four likely sales, only Intersport confirmed an LMPC purchase and named one of two drivers.

Creation advertised (via another of those “interviews” in which nothing new is revealed) for a funded driver (déjà vu). Peugeot said they’ll be at Sebring. It’s Mazola times two – again – for Dyson. No indication whether the Muscle Milk king will expand his schedule – just the assumption he’ll be back in some capacity. Aston Martin? There was a Charouz interview in which the big news was “I can’t say anything about Sebring or Petit Le Mans.” (You just did, Antonin, but good try taking a page from Janko.)

We know about a pair of Patrón-Sharp GT2 Ferraris, and a likely Risi reprise (with no North American place to race it, they’ve canned any idea of an MC12). One more Flying Lizard season seems likely; if Pat Long has the inside story, there might be two teams running four BMW’s – Schnitzer being the punter’s favorite for the second. The Ford-help-for-Robertson story had no legs. Nothing new from Audi – technicians say they’ve been working on a Sebring entry, while management is mum.

There are Toyota and Nissan rumors – as always. Murphy’s not sayin’ they’re without substance, but, jus’ sayin’… The best informed pundits believe that Toyota will take at least a single season without making any new racing move. Nissan might be interested in something in North America based on its FIA GT1 car, but the 2010 budget has no line item. Maybe 2011?

Coming up

Murphy’s off on a road trip later in the week; all about that in his next Poop.

Look for the Bear’s Christmas quiz. Details (including a very special Grand Prize) in this space soon.

That pilot hogged so many laps the Jedi were fuming. Even more ominous, a Sith apprentice well known within the Empire had stationed himself outside Turn one to dutifully record upon tablets who piloteth the new land speeders, and how fast. Like his driver compatriot, he would report to the Dark Lord on the Peninsula.

The Dark Lord is angry. With one purchase order already in hand, the challenge to the Empire is clear and present.

Rolling

The oil magnate wrote off one of his two guppies testing at Daytona last week. The TWR design acquired by a builder of ubiquitous prototypes and “sold” (or something – all that’s a matter of legal dispute) to the Houston gentleman driver is pretty much a lame duck, or a ruptured duck, or a dead duck.

The Bear’s gotten the story behind the Lola-Krohn fracas. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Martin expected his “partnership” with the oil gazillionaire to be about selling cars (since that’s the business he’s in). So it came as a big shock when Roger mentioned (rather off-handedly) that the oil magnate’s chief henchman had (rather rudely, Murphy hears) turned the Captain down when he wanted to buy two of the Lolas (better engineered, was the observation) instead of the Rileys he ended up with. Is it any surprise that news was doomsday for the partnership? That’s what the Bear heard anyway.

A reported Italian tire failure sent the Dee Pee barrel rolling down the front “straight” (beginning past the tri-oval, Murphy’s told, past the turn-in to the infield course and nearly to NASCAR 1)  The car is toast. With the legal dustup between the oil gazillionaire and the car’s Brit builder it certainly won’t be replaced. So where does the 1970’s psychedelic green go? To a Challenge LMP?

Rolling II

After the weekend the sports stations were gushing over the same mundane kind of “roll-down-the-track” routinely seen in NASCAR. That media machine was doing its usual good work keeping the Empire at the top of “Sports Center.” The much more spectacular Scott Sharp ALMS incident was unnoticed. Is that becaue the “good guys” in Braselton think it should be about “the racing,” or perhaps because it didn’t fit their “green message?” Or has the our favorite road race series dropped so far below the radar that even a spectacular crash goes unnoticed?

Talks

There are not-entirely-cordial talks in progress about the Braselton racing conglomerate  and its biggest tenant at its most iconic property. Neither is happy it seems. The Georgia gang seems to want to offload operating costs while retaining the cash flow. The tenant wants some of the latter in return for picking up more of the former. The Bear overheard the phrase  “sanctioning authority for international events.” Wonder what that means?

Thanks

The Bear sent his friend his “visit” tracking results, now over 25,000 a month, only to have one of them claim to be responsible for most of them. Murphy’s west coast friend says he’s “obsessed with rumor, innuendo, and conspiracy…especially when they’re based in fact…” Some in high places would like to silence the Bear. The furry one will persevere.

Auto Union and Acura

IF Audi has any interest in an ’10 car, it has to be well underway by now, even if it’s a revision of the R15. Reports (ok, “rumors,” but there are rumors and there are rumors, right?) are that indeed “a new car” is “in build.” Whether that’s to ’10 rules, or to ’11 rules (though those rules aren’t published yet, Audi and others have met with the ACO and have likely gotten enough information to proceed with initial design), or both, isn’t known.

New car or not, Audi’s unlikely to return to an ALMS in which there is no competition, and it’s all but certain now that Acura will not return under any circumstances. (Though the Bear still thinks that some smart competitor will grab an HPD engine lease.) Even if Toyoter (cute, huh?) is thinking about a return to sports car racing it won’t be soon enough to make 2010 look anything but bleak for our favorite road racing series.

The Circus 

They were catching up with Murphy at Suzuka. The “big rumor” was the split between the team descended from the Land of the Long Cloud and the Deutsche daughter. The motor that will power the team’s new supercar was also mentioned as evidence they’re able to jilt the daughter.

The board was meeting in Aichi prefecture, and the Bear hears the plug will be pulled soon. Whether that’s good for sports cars is a matter of dispute around the sport.

Murphy’s Mailbag

Dear Bear: “Any word on how the Don’s Friday dinner went? Didn’t he find $25,000,000 for his LMP?” Jim Bob, Daytona Beach, Florida
Dear Jim Bob: No go. Not enough crazy people in the room. (Besides, only the gubment has that kind of dough, and you know who’s got the peninsula gubment wrapped up, don’t ya? (wink) But the Bear hears the Don is off to Monza for Superleague with Haas’ right hand man. The Haas – Panoz deal is still in works, perhaps imminent.

Dear Bear: BMW and Dunlop have made their partnership official. Does this mean the M3 program will be around for a while? – Bobby, Hilliard, Ohio
Dear Bobby: Yes. But it doesn’t mean they’ll pick up more of the tab.

Dear Bear: Do you think we can get the Captain back in the American Le Mans Series? Scott, Braselton, Georgia
Dear Scott: You saw the headline, ”GM to Wind Down Saturn Brand After Penske Halts Talks,” and you used to work for him, so Murphy shouldn’t have to remind you that whatever the Captain does is fully paid for, and that doesn’t mean out of Rogers pocket, either. The Empire is paying him for another season. Can you find someone to foot the bill for Green Racing? The Bear thought so.

The Bear’s Society Page

Before he landed in the annual get-together in Road Atlanta’s Turn 10 woods, Murphy visited Don, Barbara and the Sebring Turn 13 gang at Turn 10. (That’s a lot of Turns, a lot of friends, and a lot of beer. All of which is the beauty of road racing. The Bear can’t even imagine keeping his furry little butt in the same bleacher seat for a whole race!)

The Bear’s off to Laguna Seca, his most favorite place. He’ll be partying down (and across) the track from the corkscrew on Friday night (photo above from last year’s event), and otherwise can be found at the Sardine Factory, Knuckles, Mission Ranch, the Mucky Duck, and other favorite hangouts.

The Tale of the Deutsche Daughter

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

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

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

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

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

Further F1 Follies

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

Warning?

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

Pierre at Laguna

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

Adoption

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

Rools are rools – except when they isn’t

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

Friends

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

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

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

Pssst, Chip

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

Big questions for the Le Mans break: Will Corsa or Primetime raise the funds needed to return? If Primetime returns, will it be with the Viper, or something else? If Corsa returns, will they ever run a real hybrid?

Murphy hears Audi will return to the ALMS much sooner than anyone has anticipated. If so, will it be in time to stop Acura’s rush to the door?

Audi’s return as an entrant would be less important than its return as a series sponsor. Those have become all but extinct, according to the Bear’s sources. Layoffs have been steady in Northwest Georgia; more are imminent.

Murphy enjoyed the americanlemansfans forum when one of the sport’s iconic personalities chimed in and – because he’s not a self-promoting bloke – stayed incognito and was ignored. Truth be known, he’s just a crotchety old Chapparal mechanic who doesn’t know how to spell “brats.”

The belief that Acura is taking steps to leave the series is widespread in the paddock, but certainly not unanimous. Others think that Acura will “stay the course” for at last one more season.

Further questions about Acura’s commitment to continued development of the ARX-02a were raised when Wirth Research was named in a French court as likely to field an F1 team in 2010. (Murphy told you that a couple of Poops back.)

It seems that F1 has the same attraction to racers in Europe that NASCAR does in North America. Give just about anyone a glimmer of a possibility and they’ll throw their current program overboard for the chance to “move up.” Having thrown their hats in the ring are RLM, Lola, Prodrive, and of course Wirth, just to name a few.

The Porsche shared by Patron’s CEO was excluded from the results in the Challenge class in the desert for a ride height infraction, as was another entrant. Two other Porsches failed to complete the required laps. So only one entrant – the winner – was officially classified and able to accrue points. Sanctity of the rules, the Bear surmises. Or sanctimonious.

De Ferran Motorsports is reported to be negotiating to acquire the cars, engines, tools, transporters, and pit equipment of a part time IRL team; the sticking point has been the inclusion in the deal of an Indianapolis area shop that de Ferran doesn’t need.

Murphy got a call a few minutes ago from a friend with a contact in Monaco. F1 teams left the meeting on Flavio’s yacht with “no comment,” and Bernie saying  “More meetings”  in answer to “what next?” 

What we are hearing is there is no agreement and not likely to be one (an agreement the first of three possible scenarios).

Scenario 2 is a “breakaway F1,” and it’s easier than some might think, since A1GP, with a ready-made schedule, tracks, and infrastructure can be easily co-opted by Ferrari, Toyota, and Renault (BMW and Mercedes remain “on the fence” in the current dispute). Doing so would be no more expensive than just staying in F1 “as is.”

Scenario 3 is a Ferrari move to sports car prototypes – the so-called “nuclear option.” Those who know such things in fact do believe this is a viable course, and if it becomes one, it will be known by Le Mans…the A1GP option having been fully considered by then. They also say that Ferrari would have no problem producing a competitive – winning, even – sports car by then. Of course any such move would depend on the promise of a diesel-gasoline rule change. (If Audi thought that Ferrari and Toyota were about to join the fray, they’d not put up much fuss over further “adjustments” to diesel-gasoline equivalency.)

Toyota and Renault would follow, and at least Ferrari and Toyota would certainly contest the ALMS (as it does for Audi, it would take priority over LMS). If that were to happen, the boys in Braselton would have gone from the outhouse to the penthouse in one stroke just for sitting there with a silly grin.

As it was put to the Bear, “Can you imagine Sebring debuting Ferrari and Toyota against returning Acura, Peugeot and Audi?”

Deja vu

In November 2007, Murphy was reporting bad news from the Champ Car paddock. A year later – this time more the economy than the bumbling three Amigos – the IndyCar paddock is no happy place, either. Bobby lost his corn farmer sponsors, and told Ryan’s looking for other opportunities. Justin Wilson and Oriol Servia are likewise on the market.

Surfer’s is gone, and Team Australia will go with it. That costs Will Power his KV Racing seat, and may put KV out the door, too.

Marco hasn’t signed with dad. Moving on could be a good career move. Roger is quietly looking for Helio’s replacement. Marco’s grandpa drove for Roger. Can singer-dancer-yeahbaby Julianne drive?

Where are Walker, Forsythe, and Conquest?  When “…if funding can be found…” is in the story, it doesn’t mean much. For Eric Bachelart and Conquest it’s been a struggle since the short-lived ‘partnership’ with Opus Prime, Ltd, which collapsed of it’s own megalomania  – and dumb real estate deals. Bachelart provided support for LNT’s Ginetta Zytek at Petit, and said nice things about the series. Of course he did. But, he still needs to wrap up a sponsorship deal for IRL, then maybe one for ALMS? Hello!  Forsythe? The former Amigo threw away a big fortune in Champ Car, and only has the stomach for losing a small one now, so he opted to race Eddie Cheever’s  left-over DP stuff at Daytona. After that, everything is still in “sponsor search mode,” Walker has been the leading purveyor big plans, but all with that funding sentence that makes them meaningless.

Racing Toppers

Across the board in motorsports it looks like tough times. Title sponsor opportunities for IRL are deader than a mackerel. The on-life-support truck racing series got Camping World more for face-saving than real cash. Murphy may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but how much can a motor home dealer fork over in this market? Maybe it makes sense. If we can’t afford a motor home, perhaps a camper top for the pick-em-up truck?

Toyota and GM

Want to know why Toyota didn’t announce a Le Mans program on the weekend? Because for now, at least, all racing programs – F1 included – are under review at the automaker.

It’s actually better for the GT2 program at GM. The Bear’s been told that it’s full speed ahead with design, build, and test at Pratt & Miller. The quote (in contrast to Toyota), “the Corvette Racing program will not be reviewed.”

The Fantom Program

Recurring rumors of a new entrant have taken on many versions since the boss’ comment and a Hindy mention earlier this year. Was it one or two? GT or prototype? A new manufacturer or new team? A new GT2 entrant, probably a new brand or model, if not a new manufacturer, was the story that the Bear heard most often around the paddock. Just about every possibility was trotted out by someone. At one time or another, Mustang, Nissan, Audi’s R8, Lexus, Hyundai, Kia, Lamborghini and Jaguar have all made the list. Later, each in turn has dropped out of favor in the glare of reality.

The Mustang program, which included Multimatic development and testing in Europe has settled into a GT3-only effort. Likewise, Audi will announce that its R8 will land in the GT3 ranks. Lexus may have considered a revival of its aborted GT2S, but no longer, the Bear’s been told. Nissan is dumping its trade shows, and its on-again, off-again interest in racing the GT-R is off-again. There’s been some noise from and about Lamborghini from Europe, but it’s FIA, not ACO. As Murphy has observed before, Hyundai and Kia have been an equal mix of hope and outright fantasy. Jaguar? PG has been haunting paddocks. At Laguna Seca he had on a bright, crisp new-looking Jaguar shirt, but that could just as easily have come from the back of his closet. There’s been some hope – and some consternation – for this one in Braselton. All-in-all, the cat remains the odds-on favorite to be the new entrant…if there is one.

Tar Heel Trouble

Meanwhile, in North Carolina Ganassi and DEI merged, then laid off 100. Cat went to Childress (which lost AT&T) from Bill Davis, who laid off 45. As of this week less than 43 Sprint Cup teams – the number recently needed for a full grid – have full season funding for 2009. That explains why NASCAR cut the max grid size to 36, of course. Tricky, aren’t they?

Lime Green

A popular color for Porsches in the Seventies, not so much since. A rumor of green Spyders? Not in the paddock, it wasn’t. Spyders testing lately? Nope.

Back to School

The shift of center-of-gravity to a  community college in the colonies continues for an Oxford team with a Yankee owner. Some have doubts, but even if it isn’t on a North American grid the prototype builder will be in a course catalogue.

A turbo coupe – for sure

The tenacity with which some fans hold on to what they wish for is amazing. A few rumors and the forum frenzy takes over. Pretty soon the new car is a turbo coupe for sure, and even with photos of the car on the track won’t change minds.

More Might be Less, even in Paradise

There is what you can see, and what you cannot. The visible commitment of some companies’ racing programs can increase or appear stable, while funding not readily visible to fans is cut. Braselton’s going to take a pretty big hit from a couple of big names and a bunch of little ones.

A Christmas Tradition

Unfortunately layoffs have been one of them, and this Holiday Season is no exception. They started in earnest among NASCAR teams as soon as the last checkered flag flew, and they’re spreading through the larger racing community like a silent tsunami. No team, series, constructor, or supplier is immune. Races will be dropped. For Grand Am, Mexico City is already history. How can the trucks race 25 times? Or even once?

The Grid

A prominent team manager says, “I expect the 2009 grid to be 18-19 entries.” Murphy’s not entirely sure of that. Connor the Beaver observed, “pretty optimistic…” The way things are, sports fans, declarations of intent won’t clear the bank, and to get on our grid, you can’t be “looking for a sponsor,” or in the “if funding is available” category. So, let’s try to figure it out:

In P1, you’ve got two Audis and two Acuras. Autocon looks good – Ol’ Mike says so, and that’s good enough for this Bear. Rumor has it that Intersport “ordered a Lola tub,” but with Richard taking one car (and spares), the other wrecked (and owned by someone else anyway), and it’s hard to put the Dublin, Ohio team down as a firm entry. PrimeTime is looking for funding…enough said. (Correction: PrimeTime is hoping to put the Zytek in P2, so Murphy can use the Latin for ”six.” If you read this before, you know that the Bear is very much math-challenged.) We’ll count on Steve Pruitt to put Corsa on the grid. That’s sex. Latin, right? Finis.

P2, Dyson will be there with two Mazda coupes, but they (and others) won’t be overjoyed if IMSA follows the ACO down the road of new aero rules that will require design, new  parts, wind tunnel work and testing, all costs at the worst possible time. Is the ACO really that stupid? Any rule changes that require any increased expense are so bone-headed in this environment as to leave a little bear speechless. Oh, sorry…back to the topic. Add Fernandez with an Acura ARX-01c. Three.

Is GT1 worth even writing about? No.

GT2 is expected to save the day, but will it? If that’s the case, Murphy hopes there will be no GT1 “car show” entries noodling around, stealing some of the spotlight.

We’ll have two Flying Lizard Porsches and two Farnbacher Loles porkers. The Bear’s not convinced that VICI will be around. Nickie and Frankie haven’t said so, and VICI runs on OPM…other people’s money – like every good pro race team. The Robertson’s are going to bring back a Ford, and the Bear’s  hoping that Andrea’s hubby Dave finds the pace she’s got. Rahal will field two BMWs. Guiseppi will field one Ferrari, not one and a half. Count Krohn for a part time entry. Tafel will grid one Ferrari. Lord Drayson is gone. Black Swan? There’s that funding thing. Panoz and PTG? Perhaps. At Laguna Seca, “proposals were out.” If Primetime can’t get the prototype funded, Murphy suspects they won’t fall back to the Viper. What about the Riley-built Corvette? Funding is much harder to find now than it was in during the 2008 season, so…

Before Mid-Ohio, when Corvette joins the fray, that’s nine entries.

Is it surprising that we’ve accounted for eighteen, just as predicted by our team manager?

Michael Delaney was an idiot

“When you’re racing, it’s life. Anything that happens before or after is just waiting.” That’s the much over-used line from the iconic film Le Mans. It really is a stupid thought, though. Just about everything is more important than racing. This is a hard time for Murphy. His friend Jeannie passed away a year ago, on November 29. He said farewell, here, and over the past year this remembrance, with two galleries, has remained on the front page of Last Turn Clubhouse.

This Thanksgiving, hug the ones close to you, They are truly all that matters, and may not always be there.