Hello Everyone Again

[Lee Roy]

Check out the rules. The cars use many of the same components and the engines are strictly regulated. Some parts are mandated by the series. Here is a good explanation of the restricted rules. Underneath the fiberglass and carbon, the cars are all very much alike.

Thanks.

[TURN3]

I for one am not that thrilled to have you back. I am definitely not looking forward to another long boring season of your strident predictions that Danica will win every pole, win every race, and then the constant whining about how its not Danica's fault when she doesn't.

You're not alone...but my post got bounced!!

[harvick#1]

I wouldn't really care if NASCAR didn't start at all this year , but I am too looking forward to the IndyCar and F1 seasons. Welcome back.

the ILMC, looking like 45+ car grids each race, I'm the same, dont really care when nascar starts. F1 should be awesome this year. the IRL I hope has improved.

and anthony, the racing season started with the DAKAR rally

[harvick#1]

IMHO, it all depends on what you consider entertaining about racing. A close friend and I were discussing the very topic recently. They like "high tech" series like F1 and ALMS, even if the on track competition is often pretty dull, while I prefer close competition even if the racing is spec racing or "low" tech. What may seem odd is that both of us were involved in pro racing - they were on track where wheel to wheel racing was the focus and I was a crew chief where the latest technology was at the forefront. Now, we tend to like to opposite, although we both follow the same series.

We both watch all kinds of racing, as all series have their attractions. Grand-Am and Indy Car may be "spec" series, but the on track competition is often very close.

how is ALMS dull and boring???? the GT2 category has been a fist fight brawl with Ferrari, Porsche, BMW, and Corvette the past year. the proto's are kinda hurt but the ILMC events will be stacked, one can only hope the Diesels have been cut for equal competition but I highly doubt it. there is not a more friendly atmosphere than being at a ALMS event

[harvick#1]

Just curious. With several different chasis manufacturers and several different engine manufacturers to choose from, what is it about Grand Am that makes you call it "spec".

because its basically the same as Nascar, the chassis' are really no different from each other appearance wise outside of some decal jobs.

[beachbum]

how is ALMS dull and boring???? the GT2 category has been a fist fight brawl with Ferrari, Porsche, BMW, and Corvette the past year. the proto's are kinda hurt but the ILMC events will be stacked, one can only hope the Diesels have been cut for equal competition but I highly doubt it. there is not a more friendly atmosphere than being at a ALMS event

You answered your own question. I like watching the prototypes on track as their performance is impressive, but the class is very weak and thin, especially when Audi and Peugeot aren't around.. The GT's do have some good battles, but after you move away from the factory teams, the fields are pretty weak. Looking only at GT, both series are fairly similar. Don't get me wrong, I follow both series as well as Indy Car, NASCAR, NHRA, etc. They all have their individual attractions, but I try not to be blind to the weaknesses of each. All of them have their own problems in the current environment.

The biggest issue in both series is the need for "gentlemen" (gender neutral term) drivers to fund many teams and fill out the fields. That has always been the case in endurance racing, but if fans on this forum want to blast away at "ride buyers" in Indy Car, where are the criticisms about ALMS and Grand-Am? Some of the drivers are well off the pace but are there because they a) own the team or b) fund the team.

[Flatsixrules]

Grand Am is Spec like NASCAR is spec. Most series have a set a rules and then tell the people to have at it. Grand Am tells builders how they have to build it. No bigger...no smaller. Also every part and manufacturer has to be approved before use. I can build the Baddest, sexiest, Daytona Prototype within the rules and if G/A says no I can't run it.

What I've never understood is just how they designed in ugly to the rules for the Protoslugs. Having said that, I'll still watch all I can this weekend. Kicks off the season for me nicely.

[FormerFF]

I agree with most of that, but a 12 or 24 hour race is about the cars and not as much about the wheel to wheel competition.

It's maybe more akin the kind of competition that a golf tournament is, in that it is the team and drivers against the course. The way to win at LeMans and Sebring is to go the entire distance putting down strong lap after strong lap without incident. Daytona is a little more forgiving of issues because of the number of safety car periods, but you still have to be both quick and mostly trouble free.

In days gone by saving the car was important, but as good as the cars are now they are all near flat out all the time.

[px400r]

how is ALMS dull and boring???? the GT2 category has been a fist fight brawl with Ferrari, Porsche, BMW, and Corvette the past year. the proto's are kinda hurt but the ILMC events will be stacked, one can only hope the Diesels have been cut for equal competition but I highly doubt it. there is not a more friendly atmosphere than being at a ALMS event

Most fans have an affinity for one form of motorsport or another. We all have our preferences.

I've been around long enough to know that when people really like one form of racing, the usual reason is it's "competitiveness."

When they don't like another, it's because it's "spec" or "boring."

[beachbum]

What I've never understood is just how they designed in ugly to the rules for the Protoslugs. Having said that, I'll still watch all I can this weekend. Kicks off the season for me nicely.

The basic dimensions are dictated by the rules. The one that makes the cars look a bit "unusual" today is the large and wide "greenhouse". But that exists for a purpose. It increases frontal area, and therefore drag. With the HP cap and the big drag from the big windshield, they effectively limit top speeds. Add in other aero limitations, such as the mandated rear wing, and the cars have lots of drag and not as much downforce as other prototypes like in ALMS.

They show one of the big issues with rules that mandate low downforce (a favorite "solution" thrown around by internet experts). No only do the cars look a bit odd compared to other modern race cars, but they are relatively slow in the corners. Early in Grand-Am, some of the GT's were almost as quick as the prototypes, especially in the turns. The prototypes were superior in braking and acceleration because of weight and tires, but corner speeds and top end were similar. So now the common knock on Grand-Am is that the cars are much slower than ALMS.

Move to low downforce in Indy Car, and the gap between them and F1 gets much larger. That comparison is often used by some disgruntled fans on this forum and others to "prove" why Indy Car isn't really a top series. Make the cars even slower, and let the gripes begin.

In the end, IMHO the only real consideration is the "show". Do the cars put on a good show and it the racing entertaining? If the answer is "yes", people watch. If the answer is "not so much", the series fade and often eventually fail.