Yes, some automaker may want to run a GT1 in America someday
Keep it as an invitational class for the European squads at the enduros
Just get it over with and rename GT2 to GT
Corvette racing is waiting on a decision from Aston Martin to determine whether to race in the ALMS or LMS
http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/alms/34761/
If this happens, should the GT1 class be kept in case anyone enters in the future, or should GT2 be renamed the GT class?
Some fans claim one series or another runs "real race cars." What's everybody else running, fake race cars? :confused:
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If Chevy and Aston Martin leave, they won't have a choice.Originally Posted by thehairpin
I meant should they completely eliminate the class permanently or keep it around as an inactive class which could be revived if interest returns?
If Chevy and Aston-Martin pull out there will be one year with no GT1 followed by a resurgence in the class.
Me no worry.
Just like the resurgence in P1 last year?If Chevy and Aston-Martin pull out there will be one year with no GT1 followed by a resurgence in the class.
Me no worry.
Or the resurgence in GT1 last year? Or the year before that?
Keep it. If ALMS eliminated every class with car count problems, they wouldn't have any classes.
NOTE: Yes, I realize that the withdrawal of two manufacturers entering four cars would leave the class completely empty, so I was being a bit facetious.
Perhaps ALMS might try to come up with some rules attractive to racers...
"It was actually fun, because you're back fully driving again in these trucks. Ninety percent of the tracks we go to in the IRL, you're flat-out. I was having to lift off the corners some here." - Buddy Rice
P2 count is growing, it didn't used to be that way.
GT2 used to be a Porsche parade, last year a Ferrari took the championship and the Panoz Esperante made a good showing.
Car and manufacturer counts ebb and flow between the four classes, its been that way for some time.
Maybe you should stick to what you know "racewriter", or at least make an attempt to learn before taking pot shots.
Although that Speed article quotes Gavin as saying its still up in the air, I see that Corvette Racing has a Schedule and an article about Beretta posted on its Web site that says they will be in ALMS next season. http://www.corvetteracing.com/ Looks like a decision has been made, but I suppose they could change their minds.
Pot. Meet kettle.
NJDMONEY meets the "ignore" button.
Truth wins again.NJDMONEY meets the "ignore" button.
Except for the fact that the series' two "marquee" classes (and not coincidentally, the two which are most expensive and have the biggest barriers to entry) are devoid of anything resembling real competition and have essentially nonexistent grids.
Meanwhile, the cheaper, lower-tech P2 and GT2 classes, which have competitive off-the-shelf customer cars, chassis and engines widely available, are growing by leaps and bounds.
Perhaps there's a lesson there?
Money grows on trees in the ALMS.
The ALMS is all about "quality not quantity", that's why they love their 20 car grids. But let there be nothing said about the "quality" of about half those cars.
If Brucey ignored everyone that knows more than he does, he'd just talk to himself all day.
Brucey - I know more about the REALITY of sportscar racing than you know about your fantasy vision of sportscar racing. REALITY is pretty much as Travis stated. GT2 is the only class with any real competition, and that's the class that's least interesting to the fans.
Mazda just upped their ALMS involvement
http://www.trackbytes.com/news.php?id=2584TEAM NEWS: MAZDASPEED AND B-K MOTORSPORTS ANNOUNCES 2007 AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES PLANS (10.01.2007)
IRVINE, Calif., January 11, 2007 – Faced with increased competition in the American LeMans Series LMP2 category, MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development and B-K Motorsports today announced they will partner with Advanced Engine Research Ltd (AER) and Lola Cars to develop an all-new Mazda-derived engine and purpose-built chassis for their 2007 championship effort. The goal is to improve on the 2006 result of third place in the American LeMans Series (ALMS) Championship for P2 cars, with an eye on the top step of the podium.
that makes five manufacturer supported teams in P2 (Porsche, 3 Acura, Mazda). Porsche is debuting a brand new chassis, that makes two designs in two years! Porsche won a race last year against Audi. Acura is supporting two chassis makes among three top notch teams.
What other series is experiencing such a surge of participation?
Why not take a trip down to Sebring and check it out?
Last edited by SportscarBruce; 01-14-2007 at 12:58 PM.
Travis:
Point well taken! Everybody loves the big GT cars, but those bad boys have gotten incredibly expensive. A million bucks for a GT car, is just a little rich for my blood. But nothin' makes me smile, like watchin' 'em run!
P.S. If you've never been to Sebring, spend everything but the kids college money to see it once! Hell, ditto for the Rolex!
Proud to be a Gomer, since 1963:nod::nod::nod::nod:
Indianapolis Colts, Super Bowl Champions!:cool_shad
FCYTravis is a Grand Am DP team PR guy, I think he's been to the Rolex before...
BTW I've corrected the P2 factory team count to five since Acura is supporting three.
Even if Chevy and Aston bolt, there are plenty of cars for people to buy and run. you could always loosen rules and get older Vipers and others back in.
"If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed. If you do read the newspaper you are misinformed." - Mark Twain
I guess when the previous car count of P2 was three and your top class also has a car count of three, a gain of 5 cars is a surge of participation.Mazda just upped their ALMS involvement
http://www.trackbytes.com/news.php?id=2584
that makes five manufacturer supported teams in P2 (Porsche, 3 Acura, Mazda). Porsche is debuting a brand new chassis, that makes two designs in two years! Porsche won a race last year against Audi. Acura is supporting two chassis makes among three top notch teams.
What other series is experiencing such a surge of participation?
Why not take a trip down to Sebring and check it out?
Of course, the surge in DP participation went from about 8 to 30 in a year and a half.
Truth: The Anti-SCB
Last edited by Racewriter; 01-14-2007 at 04:36 PM.
The P.S. isn't for Travis!FCYTravis is a Grand Am DP team PR guy, I think he's been to the Rolex before...
BTW I've corrected the P2 factory team count to five since Acura is supporting three.
Wasn't P2 supposed to be the class for privateer teams to compete, while manufacturers filled up P1? How well is that working out?
Furthermore, what does it say about P1 when even other manufacturers are unwilling to spend the cubic dollars necessary to take on Audi on their turf?
Yes. Which only lasted until the first manufacturer decided to sidestep Audi by building a P2. IIRC, that was actually MG about four years ago.
That, as a competitive category, it's dead as a doornail. As an Audi exhibition, it lasts only as long as Audi's interest.Furthermore, what does it say about P1 when even other manufacturers are unwilling to spend the cubic dollars necessary to take on Audi on their turf?
GT1 is an outdated concept. Manufacturers have too many better and less expensive choices but it was a great class while it lasted.
ALMS: Corvette Returns to Defend GT1 Title in '07
http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/alms/34863/
thehairpin posted this in the ALMS silly season thread, but I thought it belonged here too. Poll moot.
on that note, is there any way I can close participation in this poll? I set it at open ended since I didn't know when word would come about Chevrolet's decision.
This may comes as a surprise and difficult to understand at first glance but unless
1) GM announces 2007 as the final year for the factory backed Corvettes because they're moving up to P1 or P2
and/or
2) In the next few months ACO reins in the class rules for 2008 (not going to happen)
this is actually bad news.
At the very least GM should fuel the cars with E85. Why not, no competition in the class to worry about...it'll be good PR.
The eternal optimist.
Or eternal fantasizer
If Corvette were to pull out of their GT1 program, wouldn't it make more sense to put factory backing behind Lou Giglotti's GT2 Corvette effort, especially considering the big three's tendency toward only partcipating in racing series whose cars look enough like production cars to have a direct impact on sales?
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