2017 IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship - General Season Discussion ThreadSports Cars 

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They'll either still be the fastest and IMSA will slow them again or they'll sandbag and act like they're too slow and get the bop back in their favor.
 
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i have found the design inspiration for the first and second generation of DP's yall.
 
http://www.racer.com/imsa/item/138825-fox-sports-gears-up-for-sebring-s-challenges

Next Saturday's 65th running of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, the second round of the 2017 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, features 46 entries representing 13 different manufacturers across four divisions – and that may not even be the most challenging part of the iconic once-around-the-clock endurance event.

Contested March 18 on parts of a former World War II U.S. Army Air Forces training facility landing field, Sebring International Raceway's 17-turn, 3.74-mile road course provides a unique test of skill and concentration for some of the most accomplished racers in the world.

"Typically when drivers prepare for an event, they are thinking about how to beat the competition, but at Sebring, the racetrack may just be your biggest opponent," said former racer Calvin Fish, who will provide analysis for FOX Sports, joining Greg Creamer and Brian Till in the broadcast booth. "(The surface) is notoriously bumpy ... some drivers have said it's like riding a mechanical bull for your stint and trying to hang on, or being put in a paint shaker for a couple of hours and trying to maintain focus. But that's why they love it; it is the ultimate challenge."

For Fish and the rest of the FOX Sports team, which includes pit reporters Justin Bell, Jamie Howe and Andrew Marriott, the challenges are equally daunting.

"You get up in the morning and you're straight into race mode, unlike the 24-hour races that start later in the day," Fish said. "Observing teams dealing with conditions which typically transition from milder temps in the early stages, to tough, hot, slick conditions in the afternoon and the cool nighttime sprint to the finish is fun, and gives us plenty to discuss.

"The visuals of the cars dealing with the bumps are incredible during the day and the glowing brake rotors at night are superb," added Fish, a class winner at Sebring and Daytona in 1990. "Sebring is the perfect combination of flat-out racing and an endurance event all at the same time. Obviously, over the years, the cars have become so much more reliable, but this track will test a car's endurance to the max ... it's why teams from around the world, not just the U.S., test here during the off-season; to prove their machinery."

FOX Sports coordinating producer Greg Oldham, who first worked Sebring in 1986, embraces the challenging production conditions.

"It's basically an airport, so it's flat," Oldham said. "And with no elevation changes, it's more of a challenge to see, find and pick up cars; especially ones that are closely following one another. At night, it's dark – real dark. Much more so than at Le Mans or Daytona, making it even tougher to find cars.

"The bumpy, old concrete is not only tough on drivers and cars, but, especially when you're hot and tired, tough on pit reporters as well," adds Oldham, whose team will be working for 12.5 consecutive hours – 4.5 hours longer than any consecutive shift at the Rolex 24 earlier this year. "Regardless of all that, we love this grand old place, and we absolutely love covering this very unique race."
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Fond memories of "Sports Car GT" seeing that Cra-Z Soap Mosler Raptor. Anyhow... are you GTPlaneteers ready for Sebring? One part of Florida got some endurance racing loving. Now, it's time for another part of Florida to get some sportscar racing loving. Who'll tame the old school cool of Sebring this year?

Good luck to all drivers and teams this coming weekend.
 
TBH I don't think Troy would have gone with the Cadillac even if he could.

He wants to race at Le Mans, and he couldn't do that with the Cadillac.
 
Well he could have used a Dallara at Le Mans but they have a better deal now with Riley. It would be interesting to hear if this is what he was told last year when he was trying to figure out which way his program was heading in 2017.
 
With a Penske Honda next year and potential customer Cadillac's as well, P is looking quite strong already for 2018.

So FIA/ACO, how's spec Oreca LMP2 going for you? :sly:
 
Doesn't Mercedes have a DPi just sitting around that they've been trying to sell to teams? Could Penske pick one of those up to bring another manufacturer to the competition?

EDIT: Sorry realized Penske already has the Honda. Still, someone else could pick up the merc. I dunno if Joest would make that kind of move..
 
catamount39
With a Penske Honda next year and potential customer Cadillac's as well, P is looking quite strong already for 2018.

So FIA/ACO, how's spec Oreca LMP2 going for you? :sly:
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I'm thinking there are fine with it.💡


LMP2 (25 Entries)
13 – Vaillante Rebellion – Oreca 07 – Nelson Piquet Jr.*
24 – CEFC Manor TRS Racing – Oreca 07 – Tor Graves*
25 – CEFC Manor TRS Racing – Oreca 07 – Roberto Gonzalez*
26 – G-Drive Racing – Oreca 07 – Roman Rusinov*
28 – TDS Racing – Oreca 07 – Francois Perrodo*
31 – Vaillante Rebellion – Oreca 07 – Nicolas Prost*
35 – Signatech Alpine Matmut – Alpine A470 – Stephane Richelmi*
36 – Signatech Alpine Matmut – Alpine A470 – Nicolas Lapierre*
37 – Jackie Chan DC Racing – Oreca 07 – David Cheng*
38 – Jackie Chan DC Racing – Oreca 07 – Ho-Pin Tung*
17 – IDEC Sport Racing – Ligier JS P217 – Patrice Lafargue
21 – DragonSpeed 10 Star – Oreca 07 – Henrik Hedman
22 – G-Drive Racing – Oreca 07 – Memo Rojas
23 – Panis Barthez Competition – Ligier JS P217 – Fabien Barthez
27 – SMP Racing – Dallara P217 – Mikhail Aleshin
29 – Racing Team Nederland – Dallara P217 – Jan Lammers
32 – United Autosports – Ligier JS P217 – Will Owen
33 – Eurasia Motorsport – Ligier JS P217 – Chris Hoy
34 – Tockwith Motorsport – Ligier JS P217 – Nigel Moore
39 – Graff Racing – Oreca 07 – James Allen
40 – Graff Racing – Oreca 07 – Enzo Guibbert
43 – Keating Motorsports – Riley Mk. 30 – Ben Keating
45 – Algarve Pro Racing – Ligier JS P217 – Mark Patterson
47 – Cetilar Villobra Corse – Dallara P217 – Roberto Lacorte
49 – ARC Bratislava – Oreca 07 – Miro Konopka
 
FutureF1
Doesn't Mercedes have a DPi just sitting around that they've been trying to sell to teams? Could Penske pick one of those up to bring another manufacturer to the competition?

EDIT: Sorry realized Penske already has the Honda. Still, someone else could pick up the merc. I dunno if Joest would make that kind of move..
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No.
 
I think it is strange that this Penske Honda rumor is around because those two groups have done so little business together. Ilmor (75% owned by Penske) made the Honda V8 for the IRL thru 2006 then went in-house. They all ran spec Honda engines until 2012 when Penske switched to Chevrolet when the DW12 was introduced.

It just seems odd to me that HPD would hire Shank to run their program for only 1yr and then switch all of their factory backing to Penske, a team they havent worked with since 2006.

Sebring resource guide. http://www.racer.com/imsa/item/138883-racer-s-12-hours-of-sebring-resource-guide-138883
 

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