Friday at the Petit LeMans

[FormerFF]

Just a few impressions from Friday's activities:

The crowd today looked like a race day crowd from four or five years ago. I thought our gasoline shortage might reduce it, it didn't.

Today's card: Speed World Challenge Touring Car, IMSA Lights, Speed World Challenge GT, Formula Atlantic, Formula Mazda, and IMSA Challenge (Porsche Cup), plus qualifying sessions. You couldn't ask for a fuller plate of racing for a day.

Best race of the day: Formula Mazda, despite a lengthy caution. Second best was the World Challenge Touring Car. The IMSA Challenge race was great for the first half, unfortunately the second half was one long caution.

I hadn't seen the Atlantics run in the longest time. What a neat, elegant car, and wicked quick too. I'm glad it found a home with IMSA.

The Peugeot looks great. Most of it, rather than being painted, has a translucent clear coat that shows off the weave in the carbon fiber,

The B-K Motorsports Lola looked great as well, and is running much better than their open car. They were just a tick slower than the Dyson cars.

The new coupes look great. For those of you who favored the open cockpit car, I think you'll change your minds quickly once you start seeing the coupes.

Jeez, Allan McNish is really short.

Big lines for the autograph session at the Peugeot, Patron Highcroft, and DeFerran transporters. I didn't see the newly indicted Helio Castroneves, but I wasn't looking for him.

Nearly every car had a sticker honoring Paul Newman.

I will have to say this is the most depth I've ever seen in a sports car race. Traditionally, in the U. S. at least, much of sports car racing has been supported by the gentleman racer. Not any more, almost all the teams are professional, and most of the drivers are as well. Most of the remaining gentleman drivers are pretty good as well.

If you're reading this and you can get to Road Atlanta by noon or so tomorrow, I'd do it. This looks to be a classic.

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Thank you for your thoughts on PLM/RA. I hate it when read that kind of stuff because it makes me wish I could attend

If you thought McNish was short take a look at Ollie Gavin! I literally bumped into him in his garage at Silverstone last year as I tried not to make a nuisance of myself. Before wishing him good luck I was shocked into thinking 'Wow!that guy is tall!'