Quote:
Originally Posted by Dyson Mazda
I would say the general racing population could care less when they look back on the record books what the quality of competition was like. I mean it is hard to argue the Audi R8 is not one of the most accomplished race cars ever built. It didn't really have any major competition for its 5 victories, but it still went out and crushed what was on the track.
I think the same is mostly true of the Porsche 956 & 962.
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I think in the long run you are correct that the record books will be what they are and many people won't look further. I think in the immediate aftermath, the lesser quality of the field may reduce the impact.
I do disagree with the comparison to the R8 and 956/962s, as in those situations, it was not a case of the cars starting to win after a successful competitor withdrew, which is what the situation should be if Porsche withdrew and then Toyota won against no factory competition. Which would be sad for Toyota, as I think they have a good chance to win next year against Porsche if Porsche stays in.
Also, the 956/962 did face some pretty good competition (Lancia, Jaguar...).
Agree with the notion that this is all about ROI. I did read the linked article (in auto-translated form) and although it mainly summarized points already known. The ROI comes in two major forms: The marketing benefit and the R&D, and these areas are what will challenge Porsche's decision.
For my part, I do hope that they find in favor of remaining in LMP1.