Alms 2010

[Mark in Oshawa]

Prejudicial blinders.
I am not fond of what the France family did to the Daytona 24 hrs., but some IMSA fans speak of allowing the DP cars in and making them a special slow class.

Their tech. ignorance is only over whelmed by their prejudice .
The only thing keeping the DPs as slow as they are, are the silly GARRA rules; as if one would remove the GARRA spec. engine and put in a plain old non-restricted NASCAR V-8. what the DP so powered would do to the vaunted Audi or Peugot would be a very sad day for either of the euro car makers.

Bob...the Silly GARRA rules are the whole point. The wide greenhouse stops anyone from building too much downforce into the cars.

Takeaway the GARRA rules and you would have one of Dyson's closed body LMP cars with a stock block. I would hope it would rock along pretty good. Every race car is built to exploit and go right up to the edge of the rules. If you take a DP and let it run to LeMans Rules it wont be an DP no more. Since you want to knock the Euro's....remember they are being restricted in the amount of air the car can take in the motor. You think that NASCAR v-8 is a superior piece of technology because it can run 850hp with no air restrictor? Take the shackles off those diesels and they will run with like jack the bear.....

[Bob Riebe]

Bob...the Silly GARRA rules are the whole point. The wide greenhouse stops anyone from building too much downforce into the cars.

Takeaway the GARRA rules and you would have one of Dyson's closed body LMP cars with a stock block. I would hope it would rock along pretty good. Every race car is built to exploit and go right up to the edge of the rules. If you take a DP and let it run to LeMans Rules it wont be an DP no more. Since you want to knock the Euro's....remember they are being restricted in the amount of air the car can take in the motor. You think that NASCAR v-8 is a superior piece of technology because it can run 850hp with no air restrictor? Take the shackles off those diesels and they will run with like jack the bear.....

The ONLY-ONLY reason the diesels can win is because the gasoline engines are restricted; that is a matter of physics and chemistry.
Put both on track unrestricted and the diesels would be the first losers at the end of the race.

I am not going to argue that the GARRA car design rules are not obtuse, but the IMSA/ACO rules are just as silly and restrictive as are the GARRA rules.
Go back a couple of years and read up on the GT! rule flip-flopping when Aston Martin came in and complained- as is- the Aston Martin could not keep up with the Corvettes, so they changed the restorictors and....

[RalfsLastFan]

The new LMP2 that I heard described on the last race struck me as interesting from a political point of view. What will the running costs of one of those spec Oreca cars be vs. a DP? And AAC seems to be close to the Grand-Am GT3 (they're both using some sort of GT3 Cup car as a base, if I understand correctly). Could Panoz be making a bid to pull some teams away from France?

[Jag_Warrior]

Oh yeah, and what's this I've heard about a World Championship? Is this going to be a based on selected FIA, ALMS and LMS races?

Any word on this World Championship, anybody? I've searched around a bit, but I haven't found anything else about this. It's something I heard mentioned during the last ALMS race. Is it just for ACO series, or a combo of FIA and ACO series? Is it for 2010, 2011 or "20-keep wishing"???

[dj4monie]

There is no "actual" World Championship, yet. Don't hold your breath but the ACO is seriously considering this. But they have the fix the problems with the proposed Asian-Pacific Le Mans Series.

Lord Drayson has announced along with his LMP1 debut at Petit, they will also go to Japan to support the ACO.

We are at least 2-3 years away from some sort of World Championship For Makes.

That won't stop Ratel and the FIA from adding "World" to this GT Championship however, that's slated to start next season.

My feelings on the proposed rules changes in ALMS are documented elsewhere on the web, in short I give them a thumbs up, not too many changes actually and adding one additional class is a good idea. LMPC smacks of ALMS' version of DP's but they are where they belong somewhere behind the LMP1 class or should I say LMP class (2010).

What I wanted to talk about in this thread however is the schedule. For next year and TV. According to Murphy the St Petersberg round (Round 2) is off for next year and won't be missed by many of the teams since they were limited on track time. I think unless IRL is willing to open it up a bit (This would be AGR thing since they are the promoters) and allow for more on-track time, it won't be that big a loss (I think).

We still have Long Beach

So the early part of the schedule will look like this -

Sebring
Long Beach GP

In place of St Pete, Murphy hears Sears Point might be back on. This seams to be a working of shared weekends with IRL. Since the IRL is racing in NoCal this weekend, it would fit, since the ALMS has the week off before Mosport.

If this is the case, then that would mean shared weekends might be back on the table.

If we could get Detroit back, that would bring the total of shared weekends back to 3. Maybe they could add Watkins Glen since the IRL runs there ahead of Mid Ohio.

I still think the ALMS should be min 12 races more ideally 14 races.

As with many of you I still can't believe there's no push for a Mexico race, but if Fernandez doesn't return (they will not get engines as sponsorship from HPD, they will have to lease the engines next year) I guess its not important anymore, then again they did talk about it way before they were in the series and when CART was running down there.

I also know there's some talk of returning to Portland.

So here's ALMS 2010 as I see it -

Sebring
Long Beach
(If Utah is dropped), open date going into Le Mans break
Lime Rock
Mid Ohio (with IRL)
Road America
Sears Point (with IRL)
Mosport
Detroit (with IRL, if it returns)
Petit Le Mans
4hrs at Laguna Seca

That would be 10 races again, with only 2 before the Le Mans break and a month off plus between Sebring and Round 2.

I think the ALMS should work hard with the IRL on shared weekends. Both series have there own signature races and to be totally honest I question the validity of Sebring as most people there are around because of Spring Break and not so much because of the race, but it looks good when you wanna quote attendance.

I think the St Pete issues can be solved by having open testing on say Thurs for the ALMS and then have qualifying on Friday and the Race on Saturday instead of Practice and Qualifying on Friday, then the race on Saturday.

I like St Pete, if I lived closer I would go. The fans turnout looks pretty good every year we've been there, I don't see why we don't return. I don't think its a money issue, just a time issue. Also let the ALMS run its traditional 2:45 mins at both St Pete and Long Beach, it doesn't make much sense. There is no Trans Am series anymore. You don't have to invite Speed GT if you REALLY don't want too and if Altantics goes away after this season, you'll have more time at Long Beach by default. You can also do without the Drift Series as well if more serious motorsports get its time pushed back.

Finally, Murphy also says that there's no more broadcast TV for the ALMS. This is a good and bad thing. Some fans haven't made the switch to HD on their Cable system or Sat systems siting cost issues, which makes plenty of sense. For me personally, I have to funnel any HD signal from Direct TV through an S-Video plug. So I don't get full benefit from Direct TV's HD programing. The only races I get to see in Pure HD are the rounds hosted on Network TV. Moving away from ABC makes no sense especially if were going to be at St Pete and Long Beach, ABC is already carrying those races, unless Versus takes those over too.

Having it on Speed means no taped delayed races, maybe. I believe one or two races were same day coverage just not live this season.

So what do you all think of the proposed changes to the schedule and TV contract?

[dj4monie]

Bob...the Silly GARRA rules are the whole point. The wide greenhouse stops anyone from building too much downforce into the cars.

Takeaway the GARRA rules and you would have one of Dyson's closed body LMP cars with a stock block. I would hope it would rock along pretty good. Every race car is built to exploit and go right up to the edge of the rules. If you take a DP and let it run to LeMans Rules it wont be an DP no more. Since you want to knock the Euro's....remember they are being restricted in the amount of air the car can take in the motor. You think that NASCAR v-8 is a superior piece of technology because it can run 850hp with no air restrictor? Take the shackles off those diesels and they will run with like jack the bear.....

I agree with Bob most of the time actually but he's been off the reservation awhile with his anti-ACO rants.

While NASCAR engines make 850hp, rumored 900hp@9-10K rpm, I agree with Mark that unfettered Diesel power because of turbocharging would crush small block V8's, the aren't making the 1000+lbs of torque a Audi diesel would make. In fact Audi gave up some torque production to get more high speed horsepower. The Audi with traction control would rocket out of a slow speed turn like no car you have ever seen...

DP's as was explained a few times by drivers on Midweek Motorsports are easy to drive for gentlemen drivers, but hard to get the last few tenths from by Professional Drivers and if you have watched it like I have, that's basically taking more risk in traffic, carrying more speed into turns and braking later than the bravery of a gentlemen would allow.

This is why Mika Dudo had basically no impact on the outcome of the races in which she shared with Andy Wallace, as Andy did the bulk of the driving anyway. She is just marginally faster than most of the gentlemen drivers in GARRA.

In other news -

Porsche is rumored to be dropping support of the DP and GT programs in GARRA next year. Funny how ALMS is expanding which Porsche will be allowed in GTC next year, as I said before, I can mention at least two disgruntled Porsche teams in GARRA. Porsche might go out with a bang though winning both the DP and GT titles this season.

I do see Buckler and FBL both fielding GTC cars for Gentlemen drivers and then both having maybe one or two GT2/GT cars with Porsche factory drivers.

Alex Job is the rumored Fla team that might run a GT car next season.

[wedge]

Any word on this World Championship, anybody? I've searched around a bit, but I haven't found anything else about this. It's something I heard mentioned during the last ALMS race. Is it just for ACO series, or a combo of FIA and ACO series? Is it for 2010, 2011 or "20-keep wishing"???

Intercontinental Cup

Selected races eg. Sebring and PLM have been touted along with selected LMS and Asian LMS races where teams will be invited for mini world championship.

Would love to see Audi and Peugeots do battle at Suzuka 1000.

[UltimateDanGTR]

Intercontinental Cup

Selected races eg. Sebring and PLM have been touted along with selected LMS and Asian LMS races where teams will be invited for mini world championship.

Would love to see Audi and Peugeots do battle at Suzuka 1000.

forget audi and peugeot, we need a ferrari works team! (plus not forgetting the lola astons) but one can dream.....

[Bob Riebe]

I agree with Bob most of the time actually but he's been off the reservation awhile with his anti-ACO rants.

While NASCAR engines make 850hp, rumored 900hp@9-10K rpm, I agree with Mark that unfettered Diesel power because of turbocharging would crush small block V8's, the aren't making the 1000+lbs of torque a Audi diesel would make. In fact Audi gave up some torque production to get more high speed horsepower. The Audi with traction control would rocket out of a slow speed turn like no car you have ever seen...

You are ignoring the laws of physics and the laws that determine how greater production is extracted from a diesel verses gasoline engine.

Diesels, cannot rev. above 5,200 rpm or the laws of physics and dieseldom set in and the engines eventually go pfffft.
Fuel flow is how power is controlled in a diesel.

By putting restrictors on gasolilne engines, a de facto-rpm limiter and a absolute power delivery reducer.
A gasoline engine can only rev. as long as it can breath. By strangling the engines rpms are stricktly controlled, by controlling rpms, with already reduced hp due reduce fuel flow, gasoline engines cannot continue to produce power in the revolution range that will allow them to easliy pull away from diesels as at 2,200 rpm diesels have his a brick-wall.

The ACO knows this and it is why diesels are winning and no gasoline engine is more than a also (UNTIL the iMSA had the balls to ignore ACO rules and allow p2 Porsches changes that stopped the series from becoming in the p classes what the GT1 already were, a boring parade)

[Bob Riebe]

forget audi and peugeot, we need a ferrari works team! (plus not forgetting the lola astons) but one can dream.....

It will never happen, as Ferrari factory lives and dies for F-1.
Till the day, I die I will regret not going to Road America in 2003, when Ferrari loyalists put the fear of God, in the Chebby boys.
One of those coulda, shoulda, no reason to have not to, things you never stop regretting.