2015 TUDOR United Sportscar Championship

  • Thread starter MonGnoM
  • 3,449 comments
  • 131,844 views
Well damn. Guess we won't be getting any wins for a P2 car with those teams.
 
Wilbur
Seems so weird they won't run next year even for a few races to work on the car.
Click to expand...
It all goes back to them not competing against their customers. It's a shame, but oh well.

These developments pretty much are what most people thought would happen. LMP2 cars don't race well compared to the DP making it next to impossible to win with. That coupled with there being literally 2 LMP2 teams in the 2012 ALMS season in America while only drawing 1 overseas team this past year makes the merger really just a way to water down the P class grid further because now a DP is more expensive than a LMP2. That's a total mismanagement trying to appease everyone. Whether you like the Grand am model or ALMS model better, it's very obvious to see that IMSA has not done what it needs to in order to keep grids up in the P class. Had the DP been kept as is, there would have been at least 14 full season entries just carrying over from Grand am. Had they gone LMP2 straight away, there would have been in the neighborhood of 8-10 full season probably. Keeping one series's equipment is about the only thing that was done right in the IndyCar and ChampCar merger. Had IMSA done that, we could've seen 18-20 full season P class cars assuming the ALMS teams weren't too cool for a DP.
 
P1010252.JPG P1010251.JPG
These guys should make comebacks in 2015.
 
I miss the sound of that RX-8, along with all the other ones from various teams a few years ago; but that particular one just sounded a little different. Hearing them scream around Belle Isle got the hairs rising. Oh well.
 
Almost forgot, Mike Shank is expected to switch engine Manufacterers

Looks like we won't be seeing a Shank racing DP at all should this happen. Still think LMP2 cars are screwed with the likes of the Gus Bus and Daziel gone. Not saying Shank's drivers are bad but they just aren't...well, Yacaman or Dazial. The DP field is stacked with the likes of Pruett, Barbosa & Fittipaldi as well as the Taylor Brothers.
 
RACECAR
That second Action Express Corvette is more or less that same team. As for Team Sahlens, its looking more and more likely that they aren't coming back.
Click to expand...
They still race Conti ST :) Look for Marsh to possibly have a GTD program...pure speculation on my part, but I think it could happen

RACECAR
Almost forgot, Mike Shank is expected to switch engine Manufacterers

Looks like we won't be seeing a Shank racing DP at all should this happen. Still think LMP2 cars are screwed with the likes of the Gus Bus and Daziel gone. Not saying Shank's drivers are bad but they just aren't...well, Yacaman or Dazial. The DP field is stacked with the likes of Pruett, Barbosa & Fittipaldi as well as the Taylor Brothers.
Click to expand...
That Ligier Honda had a pretty favorable BoP. It was a second+ clear at COTA and Road Atlanta. That being said, Pew will hold them back a little bit. Negri is very quick though

Just a pre-season P championship pick here: SoD/VisitFlorida Racing
 
cnd01
They still race Conti ST :)
Click to expand...

Yes but that's Conti, not TUSC so..



cnd01
That Ligier Honda had a pretty favorable BoP. It was a second+ clear at COTA and Road Atlanta. That being said, Pew will hold them back a little bit. Negri is very quick though
Click to expand...

Oh yeah, it was the only P2 car that could actually challenge (and dominate) the DPs convincingly but I kinda feel it helped that the Gus Bus was just in beast mode 100% of the race.
 
RACECAR
Oh yeah, it was the only P2 car that could actually challenge (and dominate) the DPs convincingly but I kinda feel it helped that the Gus Bus was just in beast mode 100% of the race.
Click to expand...

I'm not a huge Gus fan, but I think Shank crew can actually do well with it if they get their hand around things. They have struggled most of the time in DP outside of the few races where they did well, or won.
 
Wilbur
I'm not a huge Gus fan, but I think Shank crew can actually do well with it if they get their hand around things. They have struggled most of the time in DP outside of the few races where they did well, or won.
Click to expand...
When Mike Shank has had a pro-pro DP lineup, he was pretty successful. Not championship successful, but they were pretty good. Their pro-am lineup has kept them on the grid, but limited their success as a team for the most part.
 
cnd01
When Mike Shank has had a pro-pro DP lineup, he was pretty successful. Not championship successful, but they were pretty good. Their pro-am lineup has kept them on the grid, but limited their success as a team for the most part.
Click to expand...

Very true. The one thing that makes me laugh the most is MSR was the biggest one against spending money on upgrades, now he completely changes cars/engines and everything after basically what 2 years.
 
Wilbur
Very true. The one thing that makes me laugh the most is MSR was the biggest one against spending money on upgrades, now he completely changes cars/engines and everything after basically what 2 years.
Click to expand...
Listen to this week's Sports Car Unleashed podcast. They have him for an interview. He made it clear where his roots lie, but he does give a very good analysis of the switch. No engine talks though.

Here's the link to it: http://scunleashed.com/?p=6174


In GTD news: WeatherTech is coming back! Article: http://sportscar365.com/imsa/tusc/weathertech-alex-job-entry-to-return-to-tudor-in-2015/

The latest stupid driver rankings by the numbskulled FIA: http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/fia-releases-final-list-of-global-driver-ratings-for-2015/

Boris Said is a Silver. Andrew Davis is also Silver. Come on man
 
Looks like we'll have another year of joke driving in the am categories.
 
How about Andrew Davis, Kenny Wilden, Boris Said, and Oz Negri Jr PC Rolex 24 lineup? We don't need stinking gold drivers!!! :dopey:
 
cnd01
How about Andrew Davis, Kenny Wilden, Boris Said, and Oz Negri Jr PC Rolex 24 lineup? We don't need stinking gold drivers!!! :dopey:
Click to expand...
Age factors into the decisions, if I remember correctly once you hit 50 you automatically drop to silver. (From a few years ago it was 55, not sure on this year) Same reason Fittipaldi was a bronze for the Brazil WEC race despite being an F1 Champion.

Other than Davis (silver, seriously?), I don't see any problem with the rankings list. Negri and Said were both off the pace this year, constantly running at the back of the pack. (Although the cars they were in had something to do with that.) I've never even heard of Wilden. And looking at his stats, he's never won a race in a major category, which will count against him.
 
This whole system wasn't necessary before, why is it so important now as of late?
 
aarror
Age factors into the decisions, if I remember correctly once you hit 50 you automatically drop to silver. (From a few years ago it was 55, not sure on this year) Same reason Fittipaldi was a bronze for the Brazil WEC race despite being an F1 Champion.

Other than Davis (silver, seriously?), I don't see any problem with the rankings list. Negri and Said were both off the pace this year, constantly running at the back of the pack. (Although the cars they were in had something to do with that.) I've never even heard of Wilden. And looking at his stats, he's never won a race in a major category, which will count against him.
Click to expand...
Considering all of those drivers make their respective livings off of driving a race car, that constitutes pro. Age shouldn't matter at all. What's not mentioned is that guys like Justin Wilson, A.J. Allmendinger, and Scott Dixon aren't even rated.

There's no reason to have a ranking system. It's pro racing
 
cnd01
Considering all of those drivers make their respective livings off of driving a race car, that constitutes pro. Age shouldn't matter at all. What's not mentioned is that guys like Justin Wilson, A.J. Allmendinger, and Scott Dixon aren't even rated.

There's no reason to have a ranking system. It's pro racing
Click to expand...
I'm not defending the system, just clarifying it for you. The system is flawed on so many levels it isn't fixable, getting moved up to gold can ruin a driver's career. How wrong is that?

Why is the system used? In short, money. Pro racing is all about the cash, many teams are only operating due to the finances they bring in from drivers. The big teams would be able to employ 2 pro drivers, and would therefore dominate the races, while the small teams who rely on the gentleman drivers to survive would be left in the dust because they couldn't afford an all-pro lineup.

There has to be a better solution out there, but I'm not sure what it is.

Edit: Damn, was supposed to be a multi quote. Just read the second paragraph as a response to @RACECAR s post above.
 
aarror
The system is flawed on so many levels it isn't fixable, getting moved up to gold can ruin a driver's career. How wrong is that?
Click to expand...
When a driver races cars for a living, that's called pro. It's not like Andrew Davis or Boris Said's careers were in jeopardy remaining gold.
 
cnd01
When a driver races cars for a living, that's called pro. It's not like Andrew Davis or Boris Said's careers were in jeopardy remaining gold.
Click to expand...
I think you missed my point. It's not the drivers like Davis or Said that are affected (Although if either wanted to race internationally it's a lot easier to get a seat as a Silver than a Gold) but the drivers who are fast for a silver, but slow for a gold. If they get moved up, it can cost them a seat for the next year. See Markus Paltalla, Ranked as a silver, so got a seat alongside Cameron at Turner. If he's a gold he doesn't get the seat.
Getting moved down a rank has absolutely no affect on a driver's career. We all know Davis is fast, a team isn't going to drop him just because he was ranked silver instead of gold.


From the FIA Rankings list:
The driver categorisation of any driver over 50 years old will be reduced by one grade for the
season following his/her 50th birthday
Click to expand...

Explains Said and Negri
 
aarror
I think you missed my point. It's not the drivers like Davis or Said that are affected (Although if either wanted to race internationally it's a lot easier to get a seat as a Silver than a Gold) but the drivers who are fast for a silver, but slow for a gold. If they get moved up, it can cost them a seat for the next year. See Markus Paltalla, Ranked as a silver, so got a seat alongside Cameron at Turner. If he's a gold he doesn't get the seat.
Getting moved down a rank has absolutely no affect on a driver's career. We all know Davis is fast, a team isn't going to drop him just because he was ranked silver instead of gold.


From the FIA Rankings list:


Explains Said and Negri
Click to expand...
Having those fast silvers simply poops on the actual amateur drivers who are gentlemen who don't have experience or pace. Currently, it's a contest to see who can the fastest Silver of the teams who don't need a gentleman to fund the operation. That's why I'm a fan of getting rid of the system entirely.

To the age point: Does Boris and Ozz turning 50 automatically make them slower than the pros under 50?

Not saying you're wrong, but I am showing how stupid the system is in general
 
cnd01
Having those fast silvers simply poops on the actual amateur drivers who are gentlemen who don't have experience or pace. Currently, it's a contest to see who can the fastest Silver of the teams who don't need a gentleman to fund the operation. That's why I'm a fan of getting rid of the system entirely.

To the age point: Does Boris and Ozz turning 50 automatically make them slower than the pros under 50?

Not saying you're wrong, but I am showing how stupid the system is in general
Click to expand...

You started this in another thread too and failed to answer questions about those drivers' appeals.

The rules are quite clear, if a driver doesn't apply for a rating, they don't get one. If they appeal, they're heard. If they're superlicence they don't need one.

I'm not sure why you continue to thrash about over this issues.

Rules.
 
TenEightyOne
You started this in another thread too and failed to answer questions about those drivers' appeals.

The rules are quite clear, if a driver doesn't apply for a rating, they don't get one. If they appeal, they're heard. If they're superlicence they don't need one.

I'm not sure why you continue to thrash about over this issues.

Rules.
Click to expand...
The rules are totally counterproductive towards what they're trying to protect with the appeals that are going through. That's the point. It's not that the rules are being broken; it's a case of a sanctioning body making rules that are stupid. It poops on the true ams because lesser known pros ranked Silver/Bronze are getting the seats in pro-am classes with the better teams who can afford a pro-pro lineup, and when those guys get ranked as a pro, it eliminates a lot of them from getting rides in the first place. Lose-lose for everyone.

Solution: drop the driver rankings and stop having mandatory amateur classes. After all, IMSA is the only professional endurance sports car series. Same for the WEC. It's a world championship for cripes sake, and they're having to put a label on drivers when it's really unnecessary.
 
cnd01
The rules are totally counterproductive towards what they're trying to protect with the appeals that are going through. That's the point. It's not that the rules are being broken; it's a case of a sanctioning body making rules that are stupid. It poops on the true ams because lesser known pros ranked Silver/Bronze are getting the seats in pro-am classes with the better teams who can afford a pro-pro lineup, and when those guys get ranked as a pro, it eliminates a lot of them from getting rides in the first place. Lose-lose for everyone.

Solution: drop the driver rankings and stop having mandatory amateur classes. After all, IMSA is the only professional endurance sports car series. Same for the WEC. It's a world championship for cripes sake, and they're having to put a label on drivers when it's really unnecessary.
Click to expand...

But the rules aren't new, simply an amalgam of existing tables, right?
 
cnd01
They still race Conti ST :) Look for Marsh to possibly have a GTD program...pure speculation on my part, but I think it could happen


That Ligier Honda had a pretty favorable BoP. It was a second+ clear at COTA and Road Atlanta. That being said, Pew will hold them back a little bit. Negri is very quick though

Just a pre-season P championship pick here: SoD/VisitFlorida Racing
Click to expand...

Will be a shame to see a team even I associated so much with being a DP car switching to be an LMP car team. I hope this does not signal some kind of gradual end to the Daytona Prototype class. Presumably Chip Ganassi and AER is the only remaining DP team. I can't think of many other Prototype class teams that run DP's.
 

Latest Posts

Back