Rolex 24 At Daytona - 2009

[Oli_M]

Since I couldn't see a thread here already, thought I'd start this one!

What's everyone's views on the upcoming race?

The official entry list on grand-am.com hasn't bee updated, but most teams have now announced their driver lineups.

I'll be interested to see how the Penske team get on (#16 car, Dumas, Bernhard, Briscoe) having switched from the ALMS series to Grand-Am for 2009. Obviously the Ganassi teams (#01, Montoya, Pruett, Rojas and #02, Dixon, Franchitti, Lloyd) and the Brumos Porches have looked good in the testing this week. The race is the weekend 22-25th January with Practise and Qualifying on 22nd and 23rd and the Race starting at 3:30pm ET on 24th. The race is broadcast in the States on Fox (for the first hour) and then SPEED, and there is usually plenty of online coverage.

[Mark in Oshawa]

It is a race worth watching...because every 24 hour race is compelling in its own way. That said...more people would watch if the Grand AM cars were not so damned goofy looking.....

[F1boat]

I hope that Montoya will win again :)
About Penske, interesting decision. I wonder whether they will do well in Grand Am. I hope so!

[wmcot]

It is a race worth watching...because every 24 hour race is compelling in its own way. That said...more people would watch if the Grand AM cars were not so damned goofy looking.....

Agreed! A little variety would be nice! Right now it's kind of like watching "NASCAR for Sportscars"

[Oli_M]

It is a race worth watching...because every 24 hour race is compelling in its own way. That said...more people would watch if the Grand AM cars were not so damned goofy looking.....

I completely agree that the 'interesting' looking cars are a bit of a turn-off. But, I can almost forgive that as usually the racing is great and as you say there's something about the 24hr races (Daytona, LeMans in particular) that compels you to watch!

[wedge]

Daytona 24hrs is the first major road/oval racing event of the year so its the few occasions that I do get some real excitement from Grand-Am.

[DanicaFan]

I will be watching this race this year. Danica is racing in it!!!!

She is racing for Childress-Howard Motorsports in the #2 black/orange car. Her teammates are Andy Wallace, Casey Mears, and Rob Finlay. She is going to kick some tail there. ;)

She last raced in this back in 2006.

[trumperZ06]

:dozey: GrandSham Prototypes... too much like spec racing.

I'll take a peek... watching Speed tv between comercials,

but the current Daytona-Rolex 24 hr. race

doesn't compare to what it once was.

[Oli_M]

too much like spec racing.

doesn't compare to what it once was.

Err.... that's EXACTLY what it is....

But no, it isn't what it once was. (and I'm not convinced that's all bad) You have to watch LeMans for outright Prototype racing for 24hrs!

Although bit confused... Penske are still currently showing 2 entries on the official website, both with the same drivers :S

Trying to work out how much of it myself I can watch.... start time will be 8:30pm here in the UK...... so I should be able to watch much of it!

[wedge]

:dozey: GrandSham Prototypes... too much like spec racing.

I'll take a peek... watching Speed tv between comercials,

but the current Daytona-Rolex 24 hr. race

doesn't compare to what it once was.

True but racing is racing and its that time of year where I need my fix of hi-octane of top level motorsport :D

[FormerFF]

The 24 Hours of Daytona and I go a long way back. I first attended in 1973, and it was the second motor race that I'd been to. Back then, there wasn't much racing on TV, so the whole experience was new to me. In the early 80's, I was working for a Mazda dealership, and Mazda always had a tie in with the race, so we went most years. In those days, I was racing in SCCA events, so that was the only spectator race I'd go to.

The last time I went was in 1993. The day before the race we had scattered my father's ashes in the Gulf of Mexico. Since I was still racing at that point, I didn't go to see many spectator races, but would watch some on TV.

I wasn't too happy to see the rule change. I don't like the DP format, because I think it allows mediocre drivers to be more competitive than they should be. It was a fun race for a couple of years there with all the NASCAR, IRL, and CART drivers. but that seems to have diminished some lately, especially from the NASCAR side, and of course with the demise of CART. Still, it's a neat event and I'll catch what I can of it when I'm home. It's not something I'd record and watch later, which I would for any LeMans series race.

As for the rest of the Grand Am season, I have a hard time remembering that it even exists. I think I've seen one of those races on TV in the last few years, and that was because I was sick and had to stay on the couch.

[call_me_andrew]

I wasn't too happy to see the rule change. I don't like the DP format, because I think it allows mediocre drivers to be more competitive than they should be. It was a fun race for a couple of years there with all the NASCAR, IRL, and CART drivers. but that seems to have diminished some lately, especially from the NASCAR side, and of course with the demise of CART. Still, it's a neat event and I'll catch what I can of it when I'm home. It's not something I'd record and watch later, which I would for any LeMans series race.

Would you mind explaining to me how the near equal cars in the DP class allow mediocre drivers to be more competitive than they should be? Typically in a spec race, the opposite happens.

[FormerFF]

Would you mind explaining to me how the near equal cars in the DP class allow mediocre drivers to be more competitive than they should be? Typically in a spec race, the opposite happens.

The near-equality of the cars isn't the issue. The last years of ChampCar and the current specification of IndyCar had/have near equal cars, and both of those series were/are very demanding of driver skill.

From the beginning, Grand-Am has been very mindful of the gentleman driver's place in American sports car racing, and they have drawn up the series rules accordingly. Grand-Am's rule set defines a relatively heavy car on not too sticky of a wheel & tire, with a moderate amount of horsepower, and a lot of frontal area. All this adds up to a car that a moderately talented driver can drive effectively.

I'm not the only one who thinks this way. A few years ago, there was an article in "Excellence" magazine written by Peter Brock (the American racing engineer, not the Australian driver) that stated the same opinion.

[Mark in Oshawa]

I think because of the cars being so similar, it does neuter the great drivers somewhat because the car is relatively easy to drive compared to say some of the full blown prototypes. That said...it allows for close racing and that is fun.

I have only been to the race once, when the USRRC was more or less a stillborn idea while IMSA was undergoing turmoil and before Panoz took over and created the ALMS. The year I went I believe was 97 ( my memory is hazy on which year it was ) and it was the year Moretti won finally with the Ferrari 333sp. The Panoz "Batmobile" was there for the first time and I also remember a couple Porsche 911 EVO's from Klaus and Harry Bytzek out of Toronto with all Canadian drivers and I was down there helping out and learning in the timing and scoring. It was sort of a SCCA/IMSA all star team in the timing and scoring that year and us CTA (Canadian Timing Association) guys were down there just helping out.

I love any 24 hour race and there is a lot of drama and some great duels but it didn't have quite the NASCAR star power the Rolex has now. That said, the media pays more attention because of a few NASCAR people in the race and it says volumes about how dumb the American media is when it comes to sportscar racing. It was a great event when they ignored it...how did it get better with a few NASCAR guys who by the way...haven't won it?

[call_me_andrew]

From the beginning, Grand-Am has been very mindful of the gentleman driver's place in American sports car racing, and they have drawn up the series rules accordingly. Grand-Am's rule set defines a relatively heavy car on not too sticky of a wheel & tire, with a moderate amount of horsepower, and a lot of frontal area. All this adds up to a car that a moderately talented driver can drive effectively.

Well if you had to design a car that was slow enough to race at Daytona safely and fast enough to not embarass itself when racing against a production car, how would you go about it?

[Almeidafoto]

There are two portuguese drivers in the entry list, so I will try to link live time to my site, and as possible provide information about the race (if they answer my calls, roaming is still exoensive)... :D

[FormerFF]

Well if you had to design a car that was slow enough to race at Daytona safely and fast enough to not embarass itself when racing against a production car, how would you go about it?

With the chicane in place, I don't think that top speed is a problem any longer. The cars come out of the infield, immediately negotiate the west banking, and are still accelerating down the back straight, then have to brake for the chicane. Once they're out of the chicane, they're immediately into the east banking, and aren't going anywhere near a speed that would cause a disorienting level of G force when they exit the banking onto the front straight, and the dogleg isn't enough of a turn to cause an issue. I believe that any car from any series currently running could run Daytona's road course. The oval would be a different story altogether.

To answer your question on on what I'd do to the rules, Roger Edmonson has expressed a preference for coupes, so let's keep that in place. I'd put the cars on a diet and get them below 2000 lbs, and get the power up to 650 hp or so. I'd definitely get rid of whatever rule it is that causes the cab to be the full width of the car, and remove the rule that specifies the use of the spec rear wing. I would allow a limited diffuser and give the car more tire. I would also limit the size of the rear wing. I'd prefer a race car generate most of its grip mechanically, I think it is both safer and produces better racing.

[trumperZ06]

With the chicane in place, I don't think that top speed is a problem any longer. The cars come out of the infield, immediately negotiate the west banking, and are still accelerating down the back straight, then have to brake for the chicane. Once they're out of the chicane, they're immediately into the east banking, and aren't going anywhere near a speed that would cause a disorienting level of G force when they exit the banking onto the front straight, and the dogleg isn't enough of a turn to cause an issue. I believe that any car from any series currently running could run Daytona's road course. The oval would be a different story altogether.

To answer your question on on what I'd do to the rules, Roger Edmonson has expressed a preference for coupes, so let's keep that in place. I'd put the cars on a diet and get them below 2000 lbs, and get the power up to 650 hp or so. I'd definitely get rid of whatever rule it is that causes the cab to be the full width of the car, and remove the rule that specifies the use of the spec rear wing. I would allow a limited diffuser and give the car more tire. I would also limit the size of the rear wing. I'd prefer a race car generate most of its grip mechanically, I think it is both safer and produces better racing.

+1 :D

[carracing]

As for the rest of the Grand Am season, I have a hard time remembering that it even exists. I think I've seen one of those races on TV in the last few years, and that was because I was sick and had to stay on the couch.

And I think that's a big problem - it's hard to find anything on Grand Am the rest of the season on television, in the news, etc. They need to hire a kick-a** PR person and really get the sport out there for people to see. I see their website has really improved - much more information - so maybe they are headed that way. The average race fan only knows about the Rolex 24 because of the way Daytona hypes it, multi-series drivers participating and the fact that it's on television. They need to chat with the folks at SPEED, ESPN or the other networks that are really making an effort to broadcast something more than just NASCAR.

[DanicaFan]

The top-five in qualifying today were the following teams:

1. Brumos Porsche (No. 58 Porsche Riley) with David Donohue, Darren Law, Buddy Rice and Antonio Garcia (1:40.540 at 127.472 mph)

2. Penske Racing (No. 16 Porsche Riley) with Timo Bernhard, Ryan Briscoe and Romain Dumas (1:40.541 at 127.470 mph)

3. Michael Shank Racing (No. 6 Ford Riley) with Michael Valiante, John Pew, A.J. Allmendinger and Ian James (1:40.651 at 127.331 mph)

4. Krohn Racing (No. 76 Ford Lola) with Ricardo Zonta, Nic Jonsson and Darren Turner (1:40.892 at 127.027 mph)

5. Alegra Motorsports (No. 22 BMW Riley) with Ryan Dalziel, Carlos de Quesada, Chapman Ducote, Jean-Francois Dumoulin and Tomas Enge (1:40.915 at 126.998 mph)


** Unfortunately Danica's team Childress-Howard Motorsports in the #2 Pontiac Crawford lost an engine during qualifications and will have to start 18th which is the back of the Daytona Prototype grid. :(

[FormerFF]

The top-five in qualifying today were the following teams:

1. Brumos Porsche (No. 58 Porsche Riley) with David Donohue, Darren Law, Buddy Rice and Antonio Garcia (1:40.540 at 127.472 mph)

2. Penske Racing (No. 16 Porsche Riley) with Timo Bernhard, Ryan Briscoe and Romain Dumas (1:40.541 at 127.470 mph)

3. Michael Shank Racing (No. 6 Ford Riley) with Michael Valiante, John Pew, A.J. Allmendinger and Ian James (1:40.651 at 127.331 mph)

4. Krohn Racing (No. 76 Ford Lola) with Ricardo Zonta, Nic Jonsson and Darren Turner (1:40.892 at 127.027 mph)

5. Alegra Motorsports (No. 22 BMW Riley) with Ryan Dalziel, Carlos de Quesada, Chapman Ducote, Jean-Francois Dumoulin and Tomas Enge (1:40.915 at 126.998 mph)


** Unfortunately Danica's team Childress-Howard Motorsports in the #2 Pontiac Crawford lost an engine during qualifications and will have to start 18th which is the back of the Daytona Prototype grid. :(

Hey, if ya gotta start at the back, nothing like having 24 hours to work your way back up, eh?

[FormerFF]

And I think that's a big problem - it's hard to find anything on Grand Am the rest of the season on television, in the news, etc. They need to hire a kick-a** PR person and really get the sport out there for people to see. I see their website has really improved - much more information - so maybe they are headed that way. The average race fan only knows about the Rolex 24 because of the way Daytona hypes it, multi-series drivers participating and the fact that it's on television. They need to chat with the folks at SPEED, ESPN or the other networks that are really making an effort to broadcast something more than just NASCAR.

I don't think that's the answer. I'm about as big of a sportscar racing fan as there is, and I can't even keep my interest level up.

I've read a number of people's posts on different series's situations, where they think more PR is the answer. I don't think that's all it will take. The sports and entertainment calendar is busy these days, and each of us has only so much time and so much money, and for the most part it is already committed to other things.

[Oli_M]

I don't think that's the answer. I'm about as big of a sportscar racing fan as there is, and I can't even keep my interest level up.

I've read a number of people's posts on different series's situations, where they think more PR is the answer. I don't think that's all it will take. The sports and entertainment calendar is busy these days, and each of us has only so much time and so much money, and for the most part it is already committed to other things.

I completely agree. As well as money, I think time is possibly a bigger factor. Personally, my first priority will be an F1 race. So (for me), any other race on that weekend won't get a look in. After that probably european Le Mans would be my next choice... then possibly Indycar/Nascar/Grand Am if I feel I want to watch more racing....

I think SpeedTV does a good job of covering most of the grand am races but it just will never be as popular inside the US as Nascar and Indycar, and outside the US as F1, MotoGP, GP2, Le Mans. Personally, I think they would do better to run the series as three big 24 hour races and maybe one or two more shorter 6 hour races, really focussing on the Endurance side. But equally, I understand that plain won't happen due to costs.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to it this weekend! Looking at practise times, think its a fight between the Ganassi, Brumos and Shank cars. 9 and a half hours to green flag!

[PuroMotor09]

Pics

http://www.revistapuromotor.com/foro/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1451&p=10409#p10409

http://www.revistapuromotor.com/descargas109/daytonasabado0918.jpg

[wbcobrar]

This is still one of the great American races . Wow lola can even make a Datona Proto. look good . Go Ford , friends, raceing is back.!!!!!!!

[Jag_Warrior]

I don't think that's the answer. I'm about as big of a sportscar racing fan as there is, and I can't even keep my interest level up.

I've read a number of people's posts on different series's situations, where they think more PR is the answer. I don't think that's all it will take. The sports and entertainment calendar is busy these days, and each of us has only so much time and so much money, and for the most part it is already committed to other things.

I'm not sure what it will take. I'm also a fan of the 24 at Daytona. In past years, I would have been watching Speed(vision) Channel and I would have remembered that this weekend was THE weekend. But I pretty much stopped watching Speed after the last race of the '08 season, because there's very little that's offered these days that interests me. Endless episodes of the Pinks franchise, and the various low budget/low quality reality shows, has made Speed one of the channels that I only check out when I know (remember) that there's a race on that I want to watch. And since there is very little cross promotion, and I've had a lot of other things on my mind lately (Is my company going to curl up & die? Would I have been better off if Bernie Madoff had been managing my 401K?)... I didn't think about this being the weekend for the Daytona 24 until last night. As far as I know, there was nothing in the way of advertising or promotion to remind me. I almost never watch the Fox network, so maybe there were ads there.

Was the start shown on Fox or just on Speed this year?

[Jag_Warrior]

Oh yeah, I have to menton that the CHM Pontiac-Crawford's Gentleman Jack livery is perhaps the sharpest on the grid this year. It's not easy to make these cars look good, but (IMO) that livery makes that car look great.

But still... go Juan Pablo!!! :bounce:

[call_me_andrew]

The start was on Fox again. They did promote it pretty heavily during the Barrett-Jackson auction.

I don't think I've ever seen so many cars finish a 24 hour race on the lead lap.

[F1boat]

Fantastic race. Is this the first victory for Brumos ever? I remember that they lost in Montreal last year in an absurd way. Now they didn't - good for them :)

[Danske]

Brumos last won in DP back in 2003.

[F1boat]

Thanks for the info. I guess that they can be happy now :)

[DanicaFan]

Well, Danica's team didnt do to bad. They started out in the back and were out early in the race, came back in and placed 8th. Not bad.

I liked how Danica said her door came open out on the track. Thats not good.

[Mark in Oshawa]

Close finish for a 24 hour. The whole problem with this race is that the cars are just plain funny looking and race fans from other disciplines look at a DP and think they are watching toys...

ALMS cars have pedigree and are seriously wild machines pushing a technological boundry often. DP's are kit cars with stock restricted motors....

The only thing is...they have a lot of stars for the 24...and NASCAR now OWNS Grand AM. Anyone want to bet this form of racing is going away? Don't think you want to, they will make it work somehow and the racing is pretty good once you get watching....

[F1boat]

Yes, the DP cars are not as cool looking as the LMP cars, but the racing is closer and besides I think that a Grand am owner has stated that if he gains a small percent of the NASCAR popularity it can still be bigger than the sports car popularity in the US...

[FormerFF]

Yeah, that was a neat finish. I was surprised that the #58 car was able to get its three laps back, but I suppose that was mostly due to the vast number of cautions.

I'm a little surprised that Montoya wasn't able to get away from Donohue. Once the two of them got in traffic, it's not surprising that Donohue wound up getting the lead, since the Brumos cars had a little better top end speed, while Ganassi's were better on the infield and in the midrange. Especially on a track like Daytona, the car with the top speed advantage usually wins when traffic figures in.

How many sessions did Danica do? I saw on timing & scoring she got in last night around 11 PM Eastern time, but I saw most of the race today and didn't see her in the car at all.

It also seemed to me that the crowd was smaller than it had been. Usually there is a decent smattering of people in the grandstands at the beginning and end of the race, and it seemed like there was hardly anyone there at all. I saw a blimp shot of the infield today a couple of hours from the finish, and was surprised at the amount of empty space.

[wbcobrar]

Great race!!!!! 4 cars with a real shot at victory . Fords trouble, though devistating for the race ,seems correctable . Crank position sensor ? Congrats to Bromos , the son of Donahue becomes 24 hrs. of Datona winning Donahue . Winning this event still is one of those resume wins that transends to all motor sports .

[beachgirl]

Danica was in the car from about 10:30 P to 12:30 A, and then for 45 minutes early this morning (7:30-8:15), and that was all.

[Easy Drifter]

Any idea how much time each of her co drivers were in the car?
I know it was behind the wall for a time.

[beachgirl]

The team lost a total of about 20 laps in the garage.

[beachgirl]

Any idea how much time each of her co drivers were in the car?
I know it was behind the wall for a time.

The car was behind the wall in the garage for approximately 20 laps. At a conservative 1 min/50per lap, they lost 40 minutes or so there. There were times they had really long pit stops. The problem was that since they were never competitive, they didn't get the coverage. The other three teammates, Finley, Mears, and Wallace, drove all the rest of the hours (right around 20) between the 3 of them. I was watching the coverage while also watching timing and scoring while it was on TV, and timing and scoring while it was off TV. I couldn't find any lap charts available for us rabid fans, either.

[Easy Drifter]

So between 6 and 7 hours each. Just guessing but she must have been off the pace, especially in her second stint.

[Damon]

So between 6 and 7 hours each. Just guessing but she must have been off the pace, especially in her second stint.


Not really, she was doing fine out there and had just gotten up to 15th in the second stint before she to pit under green because the door flew open while she was driving, so the team just decided to put Wallace in the car at that point.

[rob01]

great result for joao barbosa! third for brumos porsche

[beachbum]

Not really, she was doing fine out there and had just gotten up to 15th in the second stint before she to pit under green because the door flew open while she was driving, so the team just decided to put Wallace in the car at that point.
Interesting analysis. Every other driver double stinted every time. I think there was one session where Findley single stinted, but why pull out a driver after 45 minutes if they are doing the job, even if they had to pit to fix the door? Danica was, by her own admission, fresh after hours out of the car.

All of the cars they "passed" were GT cars that were 10 seconds a lap slower or cars that fell out or had problems. With the exception of the AMA car, they were often the slowest DP car in the field. The only fair judge is how each of the 4 drivers on the team ran relative to each other.

I watched all of the TV coverage with timing and scoring up on a computer, as well as watching timing and scoring late into the night after the TV coverage was over until I couldn't stay awake (hey, it the first major race of the year and I love endurance racing). Almost all of the teams were turning their best average times early at night as the track was cool and the cars and drivers were still somewhat fresh. I was curious about how she would do, so I watched the team's progress on timing and scoring.

Mears ran some of the team's best lap times, including the team's fastest lap at night. When Danica got in around 10:30, she did run a couple laps only about a second off Mears, who she replaced. But the times quickly fell off and were very erratic. In traffic, Mears would sometimes lose a second to a second an a half. She would lose 2 to 3 seconds a lap and never put together any consistent times. On average, she was a couple seconds slower. She was about the same overall pace as Findley, but not as consistent. She might have one fairly quick lap, but the next would be seconds slower.

The morning stint was a surprise to me as it was so short. She was running about the same pace as during the night, with an equal lack of consistency. When Wallace got in, he was immediately up to 2 seconds faster and much more consistent. Justin Bell got it politically correct in an interview with her in the morning after she got out. Her times were "respectable". Unfortunately, the same could be said about Findley, and he is definitely a "gentleman" driver, not a pro.

At the end, Mears appeared to triple stint and he was turning lap after lap within a few tenths of each other in the heat of the day with traffic at a pace that was as quick as her best. She was "respectable", but not up to the pace one might expect from an open wheel pro. All of the other open wheel drivers and open wheel alumni were the fastest drivers on their teams. She was the slowest on hers.

I was a crew chief in motorcycle endurance racing, and the very best at it were very consistent, even in traffic - like Mears. Since they were normally running a second or so off qualifying pace, they could make up time in a lap if they got balked. The key in endurance racing is rhythm and consistency. You could see it in Mears and the other top drivers as they could run off a string of laps all fairly close together (unless someone really blocked them). l learned very early that a fast racer who is erratic in their times is often slower in average speed that one a little slower in ultimate speed, but very consistent. The winners, like Donahue, are both fast and consistent. Danica was basically neither. "Respectable", but not what an endurance team needs to run well.

[FormerFF]

I watched all of the TV coverage with timing and scoring up on a computer, as well as watching timing and scoring late into the night after the TV coverage was over until I couldn't stay awake (hey, it the first major race of the year and I love endurance racing).

Not to worry, you're among friends here.

[Danske]

Why can no one spell Donohue? :)

A bit cruel for SPEED to replay the 59 breaking while in the lead last year and the 58 running out of gas at Montreal. Some of us were well aware that Brumos has been oh-so-close to a win in the series for a while now, and didn't need the reminder. It was just excruciating that David couldn't pull more of a gap once he had the lead, and when he switched to reserve fuel on the last laps...arrrgh.

[beachbum]

Why can no one spell Donohue? :)

A bit cruel for SPEED to replay the 59 breaking while in the lead last year and the 58 running out of gas at Montreal. Some of us were well aware that Brumos has been oh-so-close to a win in the series for a while now, and didn't need the reminder. It was just excruciating that David couldn't pull more of a gap once he had the lead, and when he switched to reserve fuel on the last laps...arrrgh.Simple typo. I had the pleasure to meet Mark Donohue the year before he was taken from us. If David is half as nice as his father, he is a very nice person and deserves any accolades given to him for the victory.

It was an impressive win. Not many drivers could hold up the pressure provided by Montoya without making a mistake.

[anthonyvop]

25 Cautions.
Over 6 hours under yellow.
Mysteria Debris Cautions.
1/4 of the race was at parade lap speed.

Yep.....NASCAR owns the Grand-Am.

[beachbum]

25 Cautions.
Over 6 hours under yellow.
Mysteria Debris Cautions.
1/4 of the race was at parade lap speed.

Yep.....NASCAR owns the Grand-Am.I take it you didn't like the race, or don't like Grand-Am. Fair enough - don't watch.

Rather reminds me of the statement I read somewhere about how to reduce the number of cautions. Easy, just stop blown tires, don't allow people to crash or spin, equipment failures aren't allowed, and if parts are laying all over the track, just tell the drivers to go around them. With that many cars of different speeds and drivers of wildly diverse skills, the fact there weren't more says a lot.

The only questionable one I saw was the one with an hour to go. No reason was ever given. But it really didn't change anything, other than give the fans a change to go to the bathroom.

[Shifter]

I don't understand the feeling of some in this thread that it isn't worth watching because they didn't bother to find out when it was on, and then, having admitted that they don't watch, go ahead and call the racing lame.

Also, it's been dubbed a 'spec' series, even though the different chassis and engines clearly have different advantages and weaknesses.

Yes, I'd probably like it more if the cars were a bit faster, but you must understand, in the US we never get LMS coverage, and the races are too long to pilfer off the net. Instead we get ALMS, which due to the economy has been deemed too expensive vs its current competition portfolio. We lost Audi, and Peugeot only bothered to bring its sexy prototype stateside once. If there were Audi and Peugeot alongside Acura and BMW, yes, P1 would be FAR superior to DP.

Until then, these kinds of finishes are entertaining enough: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugGMPPj8fyA

[rob01]

We lost Audi, and Peugeot only bothered to bring its sexy prototype stateside once.

Until then, these kinds of finishes are entertaining enough: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugGMPPj8fyA

Your right it is sexy but to be fair why would Peugeot bother spending millions on racing in ALMS when they dont sell cars in the U.S?

good vid :up:

[Shifter]

Your right it is sexy but to be fair why would Peugeot bother spending millions on racing in ALMS when they dont sell cars in the U.S?

good vid :up:

oh yeah I know, kind of goes without saying. I just worded it a bit wrong. Thanks

[Almeidafoto]

These Americans are crazy! The winner Brumos was underweighted, instead of disqualifying it, it had a 5 point scoring penalty for the series!

[F1boat]

These Americans are crazy! The winner Brumos was underweighted, instead of disqualifying it, it had a 5 point scoring penalty for the series!

It is so much better when FIA decides the punishment two hours after the race, then we wait months to see what will happen after the appeal and it the end it is deemed to be inadmissible.
Oh, yeah, we Europeans rock!