The 2007 12 Hours of Sebring

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The greatest of all races for world-renowned auto makes is Le Mans. To get to race there, you have to be invited. This is one of those races where Le Mans invites are on the line. Welcome to another hosted thread about this year's Sebring classic. We're about a month away from this thread. Consider this your before, during, and after thread for this race. So let's look ahead to Sebring.

I began typing up this thread on February 17th. All the buzz that's transpired in Florida were the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona and the Daytona 500. Some would argue that while both of these races are great in their respective series, there's only one true classic that's run in Florida- the 12 Hours of Sebring. To my knowledge, Daytona has never hosted an F1 Grand Prix before. Sebring has (and probably should hold another American GP on a true road course). The FIA GT series had some runs in America at Sebring in its history. Winning this race isn't easy. You have over 3+ miles of race track on mostly flat and bumpy roads. Winning here puts you in the in some great company. Look at makes like Porsche, Audi, and even Nissan to name a great few. It's normally held as Spring Break comes to an end. Speaking of breaks, the punishing nature of this track doesn't give ANYONE any breaks. This Central Florida course can have some exciting starts as you'll see half a dozen get wide on the front straights. You have to be extremely alert at all times around here. As mentioned, you can get yourself a Le Mans invite if you win in class or have an overall great showing.

To experience Sebring virtually, play Sports Car GT and unlock the Sebring race track. That is the older version, though. There's a track download for SCGT's predecesor, rFactor. I have it on my computer and is great fun. So how do you win on a track like this? I would have to imagine that racing these cars at speed on a track like this is pretty punishing. You will need to exercise patience when racing here. You definitely need speed around these parts. These cars swear they can take off on this course since it used to be a military airport. It's best to go with some moderate springs and suspensions as there are very little elevation changes (if any). Braking around Sebring shouldn't be like doing the Monaco Grand Prix, but you do need to have great judgment and awareness around the track at speed. So it's probably best to put the braking balance anywhere between 50-50 and 60-40. The most important aspect of the course is to remain attentive and not perform anything foolish. The last place you want to be is off track when going around this famed Florida race track.

You're free to offer your comments on this year's race. I'll key in later if I find anything interesting to talk about or comment on. I will even offer my "FACT OR FICTION?" segment whereas you tell me if the noted statements are likely to happen or too good to be true. This is your before, during, and after thread for this race. I'll lovingly carry the offer of hosting threads on some of the big races this year. I'll do some of the later races including Le Mans, Petit Le Mans, and for the first time on GTPlanet- the 24 Hours at the Nürburgring. I may even do some other notable endurances like the Monza 1000 or even the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps (am I the only one not to call it "Spa" all the time?).

Anyhow, Sebring is only a month way. Fire away with replies.
 
One thing that concerns me about this race is the lack of competition in LMP1 and GT1

http://www.sebringraceway.com/pdfs/07-Sebring-Entries.pdf

32 total cars

Only 3 cars in LMP1 and GT1. We already know Audi R10 is going to win overall and the Corvettes will win GT1 if all they have is one competitor

LMP2 is stacked deep and so is GT2 but I'd rather have decent battles in all the classes.

ALMS has, IMO, the best road racing in North America, much better quality then Champ Car's or the IRL's road races.

I just dont understand why it doesnt get more support and TV ratings
 
Don't even give P1 to Audi yet. As I understand it Intersport will be running P1 in a Creation. They were pretty competitive last year in the Lola against the Porsche - and quite frankly I think that the Creation vs. Audi will produce much closer battles than Lola vs. Porsche.

I too am disappointed in P1 and GT1. I hate to drum up this old debate again, but here is your answer. With Corvette and Audi being factory teams entries are scared away. Aston Martin should have stayed because they aren't going to find competition anywhere near as good as those Corvettes elsewhere. If Audi and Corvette were pure customer teams, P1 and GT1 would be as stacked as P2 and GT2. Cost effective racing seems to be the key.

m.piedgros
 
Earth
One thing that concerns me about this race is the lack of competition in LMP1 and GT1
Click to expand...
I agree.

I just dont understand why it doesnt get more support and TV ratings
Click to expand...
Aside from being relatively new and unknown? My mom knows what Indy racing and NASCAR are even though she doesn't care about them. She even has heard of Champ Car. When I flip on LeMans she refers to it as "that car race you like." When I went down to the Petit LeMans and people at work were asking why I was going to be off they had no clue what I was talking about. If I had said the Indy 500 they would have all perked up.

The general public in America has no concept of much road racing outside of Champ Car, if they know about that, and the few races done in NASCAR and Indy.

Now, at the Petit there was talk of Champ Car and ALMS trying to schedule Saturday ALMS races and Sunday Champ Car races at the same track to help both series, but if Champ and Indy rejoin then that may be in question.

You also have to consider that the American television market doesn't really have room for more than a few hours of racing at a time. None of the endurance races would work well.
 
Here's something I've learned about most people. You have to give people something stupid to look at just to get their attention. Take for example the 2007 swing for Speed Channel show "Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain." The opening intro only showed some crashes including the #17(?) on his roof after that last-lap crash fest. Crashes should never be marketed as a way to get you into a certain race series. Then again, Speedvision's evolution into Speed Channel (or devolution perhaps?) has shown more NASCAR bias than anything else.

But having said this, there's still great racing to be had in the ALMS. And I too share your sediments about an apparent lack of competition in the Prototype 1 and GT1 ranks. These are the two premier classes in open-top and closed-top racing. I don't know if it has anything to do with not being able to stand up to Audi and Corvette (respectively) or not. This would almost be like saying that Audi and the Corvettes are scaring off the competition. I just think more teams have to step up, even if they don't stand a remote chance against the power teams. Let me give you a recent example of "just get out there and race." Last year in the Speed GT series, Nissan fans were proud to see the R34 Skyline GT-R from Super Taikyu compete in America. The beloved Skyline didn't win a race last year (not any that I know of), but at least it competed while taking into account that the Cadillacs and Vipers were going to tear it apart. So where am I getting at? Well, it's simple. If you have the funding to go compete in the ALMS, then GO FOR IT! Doesn't matter if you're an underdog only as long as you compete. Then imagine if you do impressively at Sebring- you are likely to get a Le Mans invite. I just think more people have to prepare P1 and GT1 cars to compete. Bring back the Saleen S7. Bump up the awesome Mosler MT900R. Let the Maserati MC12 return. Then in the P1 ranks, you have a little more leverage. Look to chasses like Lola, Riley, and even the beautiful Courage prototypes. Look for a good engine maker. A number of teams looked for the Judd engines. Just get out there and compete.

Even with this deficiency, the ALMS remains competitive. I just think that if the series can't find a lot of American teams, then maybe they can invite some European (and even Japanese) teams to compete. Only problem is... will a non-American team really focus on going overseas to run a handful of ALMS races? The competition in P1 and GT1 has to have greater diversity and more teams. No doubt GT2 and P2 will be competitive all season long. But there has to be some more competition to make an already sweetened pot even sweeter.
 
Acura held a one-make 12 Hour race Tuesday at Sebring. Apparently Andretti-Green and Lowes battled tooth and nail for the most part of the first six hours, until the XM-Satellite Radio car had to go behind the wall with a problem. Thirty-three minutes later and 18 laps down they returned to the circuit only to park it for good about three hours later. The Lowes-Fernandez car won the event with consistency being the key, and the fact that the gremlins didn't seem make it to their pit. The threesome of Dario Franchitti, Bryan Herta and Tony Kanaan proved fastest over one lap and pretty consistently where the young Lowes team proved to be most consistent. The Highcroft group of veterans showed their prowess battling through gremlins that bothered the car to finish the race despite a cornucopia of problems.

m.piedgros
 
Sounds like the one-make race was useful. It would have sucked for the teams to have had to deal with all the issues at Sebring. Even if they can't get the cars working at 100% reliability they have an idea of what to expect.
 
What are your impressions of this Acura LMP project? Do you think they could get an invite to Le Mans later this year? And how much of a fight do you think Acura will put up with Porsche and company in Prototype 2?
 
If meeting the criteria at this year's Sebring allows them an invite to Le Mans, than they should go. LM P2 in ALMS is quite possibly the toughest class to race in this year, in the world. Success here isn't something to laugh at. However, if they do not meet ACO criteria, or the invite earned is for 2008, I'm not sure who, if any of the Acura teams 1) wants to go, or 2) have submitted their request for a spot on the grid. In fact, if memory serves me all of the 2007 invites have been finalized therefore making the remaining slots ACO approved requests. As we all know, Penske turned down their invite earned at 2005 Monterrey Sports Car Championships for last year's Le Mans and I believe they won't be going over again this year. Not any word on a European Porsche effort even existing at this time and no word on Dyson's status for Le Mans, which I believe would also have to be a request. Back on the Acura front, I believe the brunt of their program is aimed at ALMS, and no word on any Europeans using the 3.4 L Acura/Honda motor, so here we sit. As far as the Acura program goes HMD (Honda Motorsports Development - I believe that is the company in charge) and the Honda big wigs here in America and Japan are going about their program in the right way, dissimilar to Porsche but altogether still a viable and interesting program. I think they will have the same sort of bugs that Porsche had last year, but Porsche were still competitive, so do I see a championship for Acura this year - no. Do I see a race win or two? Yes.

m.piedgros
 
Entry list is up at the ALMS site:

http://www.americanlemans.com/Events/Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring/2007/Sebring Entries.pdf

Only 36 cars, which is really disappointing. I think the ACO are doing us a HUGE disservice by revealing the Le Mans entry list this early and not making Sebring a "must-do" event if a team wants that LM invite. Isn't Sebring supposed to be the second-biggest sports car race of the year?

And as someone shelling out $200 for a pit box seat, not to mention a program, poster and as many souvenirs as my credit card will allow, I'm really disappointed (angry) that a deal cannot be reached where the ALMS and the LMS have Sebring as a joint race. European fans get to see the best of the American cars every year at Le Mans. However, we're lucky if we get a one-off entry from Creation or Zytek. Certainly between the two series, the money could be found to ship the LMS cars over the pond (they're doing it for their Brazil race in November). I know a lot of the LMS cars are still being built right now, but if they knew well in advance that Sebring was their first race of the season, they would be on the grid. And pounding around Sebring, a notorious car-breaker, for 12 hours under race conditions would be much better preparation for Le Mans than a test session at Paul Ricard. I don't think it's a coincidence that since 1999, all but one car that has won Le Mans had raced at Sebring prior to that.

Having said all that, P2 and GT2 look set to be terrific battles. Three Acuras against four Porsches, with B-K, van der Steur and Horag thrown in. Apparently, Fernandez got through the 12 hr. test with few difficulties, so I wonder if Porsche finally has their reliability issues under control. And this year's GT2 race may even be better than last year's, when the race was decided by 5 seconds after 12 hours.

P1: Audi (But GO INTERSPORT!)
P2: Who knows? (Personally, I'm rooting for Dyson, but I'll be watching the Acuras with great interest.)
GT1: #4 Corvette (I'm a Corvette guy, but I hope the Team Modena Aston puts up a fight. Too bad the factory boys wimped out.)
GT2: Not a clue. And hell, I don't even know who to root for. I like Flying Lizard, I like the Risi Ferrari, and I want to see White Lightning and PTG do well.
 
So there will be 36 entries? It may be disappointing to some, but it's actually not a bad number. Not seriously bad, anyways. I'm looking at the list now. It's nice to see Mazda come up against Acura and the Radical SR9. The GT1 battle should fall RIGHT into Corvette's hands. One Aston Martin up against two Corvettes. This may literally be a no contest in GT1. Being a Houston native, I proudly pull for Ferrari of Houston- Risi Competizione. I also call them "Ferrari of Texas" since it's a Houston-Dallas joint deal. Spyker will join the GT2 fight as well. So perhaps the best racing will be in GT2 in terms of available competition. P1 will be Audi vs. Autocon vs. Intersport. When I learn a little more about how the race will be set up, I'll come off with "FACT OR FICTION?"

Something new I want to try this season is sort of inspired by awards shows like the Grammys and the Academy Awards. E! had a one-hour show called "Fashion Police" talking about who looked best and who looked worst at these award shows. I couldn't stop laughing when one person said the worst-dressed male at the Oscars was Ellen DeGeneres! But anyhow, I want to perhaps talk about which cars look great and which don't. Not that it affects the race, but makes for good discussion. That's something I'll introduce this ALMS season. So feel free to take part in it.
 
Mulsanne, I agree with you. 36 cars is a sick joke in FOUR CLASSES. That's an average of nine cars per class!

Quite honestly, as far as I'm concerned the LMP1's and GT1's can stay at home. 29 cars in two distinct classes would better represent the series than 36 cars in four increasingly blurry classes.

Hmm.... kind of sounds like something Roger Penske said.....
 
You'll want to check out Speed Channel tonight because Speed Channel tonight at 8PM Eastern Standard Time. There's going to be a special on the Acura LMP tonight. It should be wonderful to see what has went into the production of the Acura LMP and its chances of putting up a big fight in the Prototype 2 ranks.

You may continue Sebring discussion. This year's race takes place on St. Patrick's Day.
 
Very interesting program about the Acuras. Did you see the fiery exit of the AGR Courage? :eek:

36 cars for what's supposed to be the second most-important sports car race on the planet is really sad. It's just too bad can't have a reversal of fortunes in P1/P2 and GT1/GT2. Would be great to see the quality of the P2 field going for overall honors.

As much as I disagree with the ACO's policies, I don't think axing P1 and GT1 is the answer. As I've said before, I just don't understand why the ALMS and LMS, through the ACO, can't get together and bring the LMS cars over. Make an exception for the Intersport Creation and the AutoCon Lola and I'm sure the ALMS P2 teams would accept the ACO restrictor specs for this one race (since they would have much more competition than the two Audis). They're shipping them over for Brazil, so why not share the costs for a trip in March?

John, the Acura ARX-01a (Courage LC75) looks to be one of the early contenders for "best dressed." :)
 
Mulsanne, look at it from a business perspective.

What knowledgable team owner is going to spend extra money to go to an overseas event on a track he's never competed upon to run against cars already dialed into the course under a modified rules format in a region in which his sponsors are generally not attempting promotions?

The ACO gains nothing from supporting IMSA and the ALMS, either. Their teams, their races, their organization do not reap the benefits of higher ratings, higher attendance, and good publicity that supplying their cars would induce.

The ALMS regulars also gain nothing because then the already small television time/prize money pie gets split into even smaller pieces. Intersport and Autocon would have the bread yanked from their mouths if cars like the Peugeot 908, Swiss Spirit Audi Lola, and Rollcentre Pescarolo were at Sebring. The tiny privateer teams that are struggling to stay alive in the ALMS can't afford more competition as it is.

It's all well and good to talk about European support for an American race, but it gains the Europeans nothing and it harms the people in the ALMS that need the most help.

What needs to be done is that IMSA needs to do exactly like Big Bill France did in the 70's and say to HELL with the ACO, we're running our own series. Revive Camel GT, scratch the floundering divisions from the card, pull some of the restrictors off the LMP2's, put the GT1 prize money into the GT2 kitty, and you'll have a viable racing series.

The ACO gains nothing from the ALMS (the Le Mans entry list more than confirms that) and the ALMS gains nothing from the ACO. The two should part ways, and IMSA, not the ALMS, should be the premiere sportscar series in America again.
 
Okay! Perhaps you watched the Speed Channel special on the Acura LMP. Acura's 12-hour simulation race is an amazing concept. Most of you who know of American team sports know that sports teams have to train hard for the upcoming season. This deal by Acura is more like a football scrimmage, only this scrimmage was for real.

JOHN'S NOTES: ACURA
* Acura/Lola - Fernandez Racing
* 3.4 liter aluminum alloy V8
* Prototype 2 class
* Momo steering wheel
* louvers suck air out of the car to improve downforce
* some stuck throttle, wiring (AGR), and gearshift issues in Homestead test
* Highcroft Racing reported chassis trouble in first Sebring test
* nine engines made at HPD (not Houston Police Department, my fellow Houstonians!) including three engines for the race track six spares.
* engine development room simulates a lap of Sebring

I like where Acura is going with this thing including how dedicated this group is at this ALMS project. You can hate Acura, you can hate the ALMS, but you can't hate their determination to challenge Porsche and Intersport for the P2 crown. I'm going to make a bold prediction- Acura will win at least one race this season in class. Not necessarily saying that Acura is going to flat out win the 12 Hours of Sebring in class, but they will win at least one race this season. Now Acura is no stranger to sportscar racing. Just ask Parker Johnstone in 1992 with the Acura GTP race car in the early 1990s. The Acura sounds pretty nice going throuwh the gears. It kind of sounds like a motorcycle engine through the paces. I really think this team is going to have a great season. This is only granted that it doesn't fall apart. I'm telling you, I dig Acura's efforts. I can only hope everything turns out well for Acura. Prototype 2 has grown into a very competitive racing series with a variety of cars competiting. Acura knows that this isn't going to be easy. They know they aren't a P2 version of Audi, so they want to go into central Florida with a mindset that they can truly succeed in the ALMS. Who knows? If they get invited to Le Mans somewhere down the road, I'm sure the will to succeed on a global stage will be even more intense. They have to be on top of their game. Add the fact that the Andretti Green and Penske rivalry will go to the ALMS apart from their IndyCar Series rivalry. I can't stress this enough- they have to really show their strength and step their game up if they want to win in this series. And I think they will. Do you?


Layla's Keeper, you mentioned the deal of "screw the Europeans. We're making our own series." What are the chances...

(1) ...the ALMS actually does this?
(2) ...your thoughts actually makes the series better?
 
To answer your questions John.

#1 - Zero Chance so long as it's Don Panoz's series. He's actually content with things as they are, and his lapdog Scott Atherton believes that the "prestige" of the ALMS will keep it ahead of GARRA, even though GARRA's tv numbers from Daytona this year prove the business model is working.

#2 - What I'm suggesting HAS worked. It worked perfectly in the 70's and 80's when the international sanctioning body that governed both Daytona and Sebring went all haywire and within 6 years class rules changed 3 times (We went from 7.0L max "prototype" cars like the GT40 and 330P4, to 5.0L "sportscars" with a 25 example minimum production run - the 917 and 512M - to the 3.0L open cockpit prototypes like the 312PB and Matras).

Naturally, it drained the budget of American teams in sports car racing at Sebring and Daytona, especially since the big road racing money was tied up in Can-Am, so Big Bill France (yes, the NASCAR founder) put together IMSA to regulate American road racing competition in a manner that mirrored European racing, but operated independent and provided for rules that emphasized car counts, privateer machines, and close racing.

This led to the prosperous and glamorous IMSA Camel GT Series, and ultimately the infamous GTP cars. It was Big Bill's vision, coupled with his financial wrangling that kept everyone paid well enough to keep coming back, that made Daytona AND Sebring what they are now.
 
I'd personally love to see a revival of the GTP machinery. Do you think a deal like this is really possible in today's ALMS? Could your suggestions actually work for the ALMS both financially and in terms of making the series better as a whole?
 
The great irony for me personally is that, politically, I couldn't care less what the rest of the world, especially the Europeans, think about us. However, when it comes to sport, I wish we were more like the Europeans (a focus on road racing, in stick-and-ball sports: promotion and relegation, no salary caps, no drafts, etc.).

What would the European teams gain by coming to Sebring? First, as I said before, it's much better practice for Le Mans than testing at Paul Ricard, whose only advantage is the Le Mans-like long straightaway. Sebring tests nearly every aspect of the team, the car's speed and durability, the drivers' stamina, and the team's ability to deal with the inevitable problems in race conditions. Not something that can be easily replicated in a test. Had Pescarolo come to Sebring in 2005, they certainly would have discovered those gearbox issues that caused them to lose Le Mans.

As far as money, the LMS and ACO are covering the costs for shipping the cars to Brazil. So, between the ALMS and LMS/ACO, they could come up with the money to ship the cars over for Sebring. Yes, I know that the teams would still have to pay for the other things: hotel, food, etc., but those costs could be offset by the prize money.

And since IMSA/ALMS doesn't award prize money to factory efforts, they would also have a better chance of earning prize money. No prize money for Audi, Peugeot, Corvette and factory-supported efforts means more for Pescarolo, RML, Team Modena, Autorlando, etc. And that's more money than they make testing at Paul Ricard. (Of course, now that they're selling cars, I wonder if that makes Pescarolo a "factory" team.) :)

They would also gain publicity. It's funny how the LMS has full fields but no fans, while most ALMS races with only 25-30 cars are on network TV in front of huge crowds. They could learn from the ALMS how to draw a crowd. It might be the kickstart the LMS needs to become more popular on their side of the pond. Who knows, they might even catch the eye of an American company who wants to sponsor something in Europe, but doesn't want to pay a million dollars for a one-inch sticker on an F1 car.

Now I don't think we could match the inordinate amount of coverage this year's Rolex race got*, but if the best ACO cars from around the world were to come over for a race with over 50 years of history and a great party atmosphere, in front of a huge crowd, I think the focus of the motorsports world (and press) would be on Sebring. Making that a tradition means more eyes, more fans, more coverage, more money and more popularity.

* LK, using Daytona's TV numbers to demostrate the popularity of GARRA is misleading. That's like using the World Series' TV numbers and saying that the same number of people watch a mid-June game between Tampa Bay and Kansas City. We both know most of that audience tuned in to see Speed's over-hyped coverage of their NASCAR heros. If today's Mexico City race equaled Daytona in terms of TV ratings, then I'll agree about the popularity of GARRA vs. IMSA. :)

Also, I'll give Big Bill credit for making Daytona what it is today (and his grandchildren credit for destroying what was once great), but I've got to give credit to Alec Ulmann for what Sebring is today. He founded the race as a way to have the best from all over the world compete in America. The ALMS is the decendent of this idea.
 
Two days and no replies. Either I hit a home run or you think I'm full of it, or delusional, or both. :)

Yes, I know the return on investment in sports car racing is perhaps the lowest in all of motorsports. Yes, I know the teams don't have a lot of spare cash sitting around to make the trip (that's why the ALMS, along with the LMS and ACO should foot the bill for shipping, like they're doing for the Brazil race).

Maybe it's just selfish reasons, that I'm spending a lot (for me) to watch just 36 cars go round for 12 hours and want to see more and better cars over here, but it's more than that. Sebring used to be one of the most important sports car races in the world. One where teams around the world came to test themselves. Now it seems it's just another ALMS race in terms of importance.

I truly believe that if the ACO and LMS and ALMS were to work together, it would be to the benefit of all parties. I think teams on this side of the pond who are looking to get involved in sports car racing would see such a Sebring race and think "I've got to get into that." It's like the old Bernard Shaw quote: "Some people see things as they are and say why. I see things that never were and say why not."

Of course, it will never happen as common sense is something missing from the ACO and LMS, what with scheduling races within a week of PLM, and a test session just a week after Sebring, and releasing the Le Mans entry list this early, so teams aren't given any incentive to come over.

EDIT: And as far as being concerned the European teams would take prize money away from American teams, I don't think the Yanks would have much to worry about. Look at the results for the past few years at Le Mans. ALMS teams have dominated in nearly all classes. Plus, they would be on home turf. Besides, it's not like teams such as AutoCon and van der Steur are going to set the world on fire at Sebring anyway. (But I'll be rooting for them anyway.)

Also, if the LMS were to award points in their championship for Sebring, many of their teams would be over here in a heartbeat.
 
The reason I was waiting on this thread was to see if I could get Nielsens on Mexico City, so don't go thinking you've got me licked yet. ;)

Sebring's importance hasn't been compromised, it's just in bad shape this year because the European teams have spent themselves silly producing cars that fit the current regulations.

And, hysterically enough, cars that will for the most part be thrown out the window when the coupe rules come into play in 2010.

My suggestions are all long-term solutions, intended to restore IMSA and American Road Racing to its previous status as the leader in world motorsport. I don't want co-operation with the ACO, since the ACO doesn't want to co-operate with IMSA.

You've pointed out the evidence yourself. Le Mans entry lists released before Sebring entry lists. LMS schedule conflicts with ALMS races that guarantee Le Mans invites. And let's not forget the ACO's consistent rules meddling that sends entire fields of cars campaigned by already broke teams into instant obsolescence.

The ACO has been snubbing the ALMS for years, and it's time to throw some tea into the harbor, damnit. It worked once before in the 70's, and it can work again.
 
Have you licked, LK? Never. :)

I'm going to sound like I'm doing a 180 on this, but I really am not. I totally agree with you about the ACO. To me, the current ACO chiefs have completely lost the plot. From the disgraceful way they're constantly changing the historic Le Sarthe circuit to the asinine rules they come up with, such as the absurd advantage the diesel cars still have and, as you pointed out, forcing new rules on the teams every few years. This is the first year all LMP1 cars conform to the new rules and they're already talking about major changes for 2010. Absolutely ridiculous.

However, they do make the rules and call the shots for the biggest sports car race on the planet (despite what Rusty Wallace said on the Mexico Busch race), so I think we kinda have to play along.

There's already a group that has thrown off the ACO yoke and gone their own way. It's just that I have zero interest in their cars or their series. And besides, if we go our own way, it will be more difficult to attract manufacturers. As we know, manufacturers have a limited budget to spend on racing, especially with something non-NASCAR or F1. At least having that tie to Le Mans, they can run the same cars here and there, like BMW, Audi, Cadillac, etc. have done. (With GTP, most of them simply modified their Group C cars and ran them here. Nissan and Toyota, who developed their own GTP cars, already had LM projects going. Chevrolet is the only one I can think of that had a GTP-only program, and how long did that last?)

P.S.: If you guys haven't already read (I just haven't seen it mentioned here yet), the van der Steur Radical had a heavy shunt in testing and probably won't make the race. A real bummer.
 
Just for accuracy's sake, Mulsanne, the Toyota and Nissan GTP's had nothing to do with their Group C counterparts. The Toyota's were one-offs built buy Dan Gurney's AAR and used turbo-fours (while by that time Toyota Group C cars were all twin-turbo V8's) while the Nissan ZX-T GTP car was a Chapman construction designed by Nissan Racing, while their Group C cars were Lolas.

The only company whose IMSA cars mirrored their Group C cars was Jaguar, because TWR campaigned their Castrol colors in IMSA and their Silk Cut colors in Europe.

And, if you go back to the early days of GTP, then the Jags are completely different because the factory Jag team stateside was Group 44 whose XJR-5's and XJR-7's were Fabcar chassis.

Chevrolet's IMSA GTP program lasted from 1985 (Lee Racing) to 1992 (MTI). I'd say that seven years is a good long program, especially with two different chassis.

On the other topic at hand, have a link to the Van der Steur news? The Radical's a personal favorite of mine and it'd bite the big one if it wasn't at Sebring.
 
About Chevy, I was thinking only of their Intrepid program (one of my favorite GTP cars growing up). I had forgotten about the Hendrick Corvette GTP, as well as the Lee Racing efforts. I stand corrected. :dunce:

I know the Nissan and Toyota GTP cars had little to do with their Group C cousins (other than AAR campaigning the 88C before their Eagles and NPTI using the R90 and R91 at Daytona in '90 or '91).

My point was that nearly all the manufacturers participating in GTP also had Group C/Le Mans programs. If we go our own way, it becomes even more difficult to attract manufacturers to American sports car racing. They have a very limited budget and if they do not have the ability to use the same car at Le Mans and the rest of the world, racing in America looks even less popular. Imagine if BMW hadn't participated in the early years of the ALMS. Or Cadillac (one could say they didn't really participate...). Or Audi.


As for news on the van der Steur Radical, here's the news on their site: http://www.vandersteurracing.com/ The part that worries me is the "...and possibly other 2007 ALMS events." Does not sound good. I was really looking forward to seeing this car at Sebring.
 
Back by popular demand, it's time for FACT OR FICTION. For all you cats I got to school on this, it's simply my creative way to discuss racing action based on certain statements. I'm going to present you a statement. Your job is to tell me whether you think it's very likely to happen (Fact) or if it's too good to be true (Fiction). There's no giving away of prizes or anything... unless you want to brag on GTPlanet on being a sportscar racing know-it-all :lol:. Okay, let's open 'er up!


MOBIL 1 12 HOURS OF SEBRING: FACT OR FICTION?

1. All three Acuras in P2 will finish (regardless of final classifications).

2. Porsche will finish no higher than second in GT2.

3. Corvette will finish 1-2 in GT1.

4. The #2 Audi R10 TDI will win the 12 Hours of Sebring outright.

5. Regardless of finiahing position, both Risi Competizione Ferraris will finish.

6. Panoz will not make a podium finish.

7. At least one Flying Lizard entry will DNF.

8. The lone Aston Martin by Team Modena will upset the two Corvettes. David vs. two Goliaths!

9. At least one Penske Porsche RS Spyder will not finish.

10. Intersport will win the P2 crown at Sebring.


After the race, I will offer my usual commentary. I'll do that for every race between Sebring this weekend and Laguna Seca on October 20th. Don't forget about my best looking/worst looking discussion. That is where you can talk about which cars look best. What car has the hottest paint scheme and which looked horrid? What car models looked best on the track and which are God-ugly? I'm trying to introduce the element of style as an off-topic discussion point. Trying to add some fun to watching these exotic race machines go at it. Hope you take part in this and make this discussion fun.


Give me your FACT OR FICTION answers! What do you think about the 10 statements I posted?
 
MOBIL 1 12 HOURS OF SEBRING: FACT OR FICTION?

1. All three Acuras in P2 will finish (regardless of final classifications).
Fiction. At least one will be DNF. Bound to happen!

2. Porsche will finish no higher than second in GT2.
Fact. A Ferrari will win.

3. Corvette will finish 1-2 in GT1.
Fiction. That DBR9 looks fast!

4. The #2 Audi R10 TDI will win the 12 Hours of Sebring outright.
Hard to say, really. But OK, fact!

5. Regardless of finishing position, both Risi Competizione Ferraris will finish.
Fact. That´s it.

6. Panoz will not make a podium finish.
Fiction. I think the Panoz boys will have a podium. If not from luck, they will from out of pure tenacity.

7. At least one Flying Lizard entry will DNF.
Fact. No motivation, just a wild guess!

8. The lone Aston Martin by Team Modena will upset the two Corvettes. David vs. two Goliaths!
Fact! Like I said, that DBR9 looks fast! I really hope they will divide the ´Vettes on the podium, or even win. That would actually be good for GT1 in ALMS!

9. At least one Penske Porsche RS Spyder will not finish.
Why the Penskes? But again, why not? Fact.

10. Intersport will win the P2 crown at Sebring.
I won´t comment on this! :sly:
 
Judging by their practice times all week, Intersport's only prayer for a class win would be to be reclassified as an LMP2. Even then, they've hung in only the 1:51 range all week, while the Porsches have been around 1:47.
 

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