Looks like IMSA is trying to make actual racing cars out of the DPs. This wont go down well in the fake wood panel walled offices in Daytonner. We can't have any of dat dere 80's stuff on our "Man on the Street" cars... 2014 Tudor United SportsCar prototype regulations released - Racer.com BHW
supposedly the ACO laid down the law on how much they would allow the P2 cars to be changed. I think it's a good idea..still don't like tube framed prototypes in 2014, but this is a number of big steps in the right direction.
Flip side is, DP's were already silly expensive, they just got more so. we'll see what this does to the DP/P2 breakdown in class.
DP never made sense from the beginning. They wanted to create a dumbed down prototype built for this new "Man on the Street" fan base they thought they were creating. Lower tech, lower costs, okay fair enough. But then they'd go out and basically write a car off every other race due to either stupid driving or mixing it up with a back marker that shouldn't have been on the track to begin with. So, what is more expensive, having cars that are up to date technically or putting cars and drivers on the track that have no business being there that have to be completely rebuilt after every race? I asked this of Wayne Taylor a few years ago and he didn't have a good answer. My guess is, if a team has to rebuild or replace a DP from the ground up five or six times per year as some had to do in the first seasons of GrandAM, their money would have been better spent running in ALMS P-2. BHW
Holy Crap!!!!!!!! Real race cars!!!!!! Who the hell came up with this bright idea? What? Now we are going to have real competition? Somebody is going get **** canned on this one. Personally........thank god!!! Time for real racing again. I hope this puts and end to this "spec" crap worldwide!!!! Kudo's to IMSA.
If the DP owners fight the rule changes they will still look like a joke compared the P2 cars. That is unless somebody can get those bloody P2 cars slowed down more.....This is what could happen when you let the prisoners run the prison. Im scared that the DP guys will get the rules changed back to what they want. Only Continental tires???
first Domino to fall.... looks like the DP teams will either switch to P2 or take 2014 off. hmm, maybe sending the PC cars to the kid's table at thanksgiving was a bad idea after all. GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing considering hiatus - Racer.com
Can't hate someone for making a proper decision based on a budget. If the man isn't happy with what he sees.......I would consider waiting also. Smart move in my opinion.
agreed. I think the grid next year will look remarkably like the ALMS grid this year few DPs and from what I hear, not many GA GT teams are going to switch to GTD.
If Stallings has a relationship with Chevrolet, who is to say he couldn't join in the new series with a customer Corvette to run in GTE? That is going to be the category everyone will be following anyway. It is more than evident that the DP formula is one of the reasons GrandAM failed to capture an audience but no one may deny their GT category provided a lot of interest, Magnus Racing in particular really showed well this year. Where are the rest of the DP teams in this? Haven't read anything about Wayne Taylor or Action Express (sorry can't remember any others off the top of my head). Conversely, how many current P2 teams have committed to next year? For a while, even teams like Level 5 were saying the same things about holding out to see how things develop. BHW
Hold out? How do you get sponsors 3 mos from the start of the season.....or keep them happy if you have them? I'm puzzled.....
Ganassi will be there with whatever NASCAR tells him to show up with ESM will be there with a P2 car (they just announced hiring Ryan Dalziel); I assume Level 5 will be there too unless ST gets arrested or shot (he had armed, armored security with him all weekend at Petit). GA GT had some good racing, but they are now the lowest class. at least one GA Ferrari team is sitting out next year. all the Porsche teams (GTD or GTLM) have to spend $300k+ on a new 991. I agree that GTE/GTLM is what really matters, but as a result the manufacturer teams are the only ones with a consistent chance at winning. I don't see Stallings/Gainsco switching to GTLM to run in the back of the field.
very few sports car teams have true, third party sponsors looking for an ROI. for example, Bob Stallings is the CEO of Gainsco insurance. the sponsorship of his race team is written into his employment agreement.
But will Ganassi be able to count on having his team subsidized by the France family that has recently been revealed? Somehow, I doubt the other teams will be down with this. Divorce case exposes struggles of a NASCAR race series | CharlotteObserver.com BHW
that subsidy ended in 2007. but yes, I would be asking a lot of questions on GA/TUSC/NASCAR if I was one of his competitors.
Easy. If you are the owner or the principle in the companies that sponsor your cars....you simply hold your marketing funds. Even if they are not, no company will look at you badly if you're unsure of a marketplace. You simply state you do not wish to risk their money without the projected return already stated. Most will respect that and give some room.
Looks like we get to see how the classes will stack up soon as there are tests scheduled at Sebring and Daytona coming up... From the ALMS website... Preseason test sessions have been set for Nov. 16-17 at Sebring International Raceway and Nov. 19-20 at Daytona International Speedway. The test sessions will be open to all four classes of cars that will compete in the new championship: Prototype, Prototype Challenge, GT Le Mans and GT Daytona. BHW
how do they expect to keep teams from sandbagging at those tests? what they should do is make it a non-points, $1mm to the overall winner, $500k to each class winner prize match then we'll see who is fast and who isn't.
IMSA can put together composite fast laps using data from the loggers. I'm assuming TUSC P2's that will run the LM24 would be able to drop that extra 60kg's to make them weight equivalent to thier European counterparts?
true, I guess there will be a lot of timing loops at the tests yes, as I understand it the ACO is only allowing changes that can easily be reverted back to ACO specs for P2; so basically it will be aero kits and ballast.
Gonna be an interesting next few weeks. Stallings hemmed and hawed in his comments. Says he's reasonably sure they are competing... okay... then why the article on a possible hiatus? Ganassi (according to Sabates) has been looking to get out of DP since 2010? Without embarrassing themselves or NASCAR? Okay... a championship winning team and they say there is NO money to be made. Several DP owners were very vocal a few months back about how they would not spend their own money to upgrade. $600,000 to upgrade and stay in DP is an awful lot to come up with especially for the teams that are not getting a subsidy. In other news look for Flying Lizard to be driving Audis in 2014 and lots of other changes.
a lot if the Porsche teams are jumping ship...Lizards, TRG.... they have to switch over to a new car anyway and Porsche has shifted their factory support around, might as well go shopping.
Sounds like what they'll be needing to breathe life into DP may be a manufacturer to step up and commit to the championship that will get the attentions of other manufactures similar to what happened when GTP came to an end and the WSC category started. The first year of WSC, there was a rag-tag field of cars until Ferrari committed and brought the 333-SPs which gave WSC instant credibility and then Riley & Scott joined in with Oldsmobile and Ford engined cars. The same may happen in this case, it may take a while for DP to gain traction especially given the stigma associated with it from inception. BHW
they kinda already have that, if they get BoP right...America vs the world, ford and Chevy in DP and Honda and Nissan in P2. of course they have to get BoP right, and costs close too...
Ganassi sticks with DP, moves to Ford power: Exclusive: Ganassi Planning Switch to Ford for 2014 - Sportscar365
