IMSA Race 2015 Rolex 24 at Daytona

[DeezPutz]

Originally Posted by BullMan

How's SC Unleashed?

Pretty good. Thanks for asking.

How's ALMSFANS.com?

[Dyson Mazda]

Originally Posted by DeezPutz

Pretty good. Thanks for asking.

How's ALMSFANS.com?

This is getting annoying. It is not even constructive criticism any more.

[DeezPutz]

The Mazdas stunk the joint up, but I except Shank to win multiple races this year. ESM is embarrassing. P2 doing work.

[Speed-King]

but personally I think that Oak, or Signatech would be clear favourites at Daytona with the line up's that they race with in the WEC/Le Mans

On BoP: Maybe, seeing how close Shank was under the current BoP even with a new car.

On raw talent: No way...Ganassi is probably one of the best dozen or so racing teams in the world and the DP teams that can beat them have been forced to drastically elevate their game over the years. There's no team anywhere near that in WEC/ELMS P2...

[DeezPutz]

Originally Posted by Dyson Mazda

This is getting annoying. It is not even constructive criticism any more.

He started it!

[jasonjessica09]

Originally Posted by Dyson Mazda

I will start out by saying I really do not like the DP's but I will say that they are about the most reliable Sports Cars running. They just go and go and go and never break. That in itself does drain some of the excitement aspects out of endurance racing. I think that the P2's and the DW took 6 of the last 7 places in the P class because they all dropped out.

I will say congrats to Ganassi on their impressive win. This one they earned. I just kept thinking of their car as a Fort GTLM - 1 year and that helped.

I was cheering for the Corvettes but they ended up finishing 2nd through 5th overall. But yeah, the sting is a little less considering that they are going GTLM next year. Also the driver lineup that won is very impressive. You knew Dixon and Kanaan would be world class but Larson and McMurray were just as good. Gives us a couple of drivers to cheer for at the 500 perhaps. The best driver line up in the prototype class won.

Both the Ford Ecoboost and Corvette DP's are fast and reliable cars. I knew they would be. I hope some people gained more respect for these DP based teams and cars today.

GTLM was awesome to watch and I loved how the RLM (along with Rooftop Ray) gave them so much attention. My favorite part of the race to watch was between 8 pm and 12 am last night. Things went downhill after that starting with the 62 Ferrari's issues. The 25 BMW and the Porsches had their shunts shortly after that. I am gutted for Falken. But it was awesome that the GTLM winner finished 5th overall. They beat all of the LMP2 and LMPC cars.

Who did RLM give the "Spirit of the Race" too?

[Dyson Mazda]

Originally Posted by DeezPutz

The Mazdas stunk the joint up, but I except Shank to win multiple races this year. ESM is embarrassing. P2 doing work.

The Mazda did not even improve on their run from last year. I cannot figure that project out. They are on their 3rd year with that motor and are not even close.

[skycafe]

Originally Posted by Speed-King

Ganassi is probably one of the best dozen or so racing teams in the world and the DP teams that can beat them have been forced to drastically elevate their game over the years. There's no team anywhere near that in WEC/ELMS P2...

I would agree with this. They are at a very high level.

[Matt]

Originally Posted by Dyson Mazda

The Mazda did not even improve on their run from last year. I cannot figure that project out. They are on their 3rd year with that motor and are not even close.

The Mazda improved. It led.

[Intimidator]

Originally Posted by SALEEN S7R

My original point though was that it is a shame not to have any really competitive LMP2 entries from the WEC making the trip across for Daytona, if the financial incentives were enough im sure this would change. I don't know what everyone else here thinks, but personally I think that Oak, or Signatech would be clear favourites at Daytona with the line up's that they race with in the WEC/Le Mans, then I would sit up and take more notice of what the DP's are doing, would be interesting to see how the top teams compare to a top front running LMP2 squad, rather than newbie LMP2 teams.

USCC doesn't necessarily need WEC teams making the trip. WEC is already an high cost championship. To make the trip to the U.S. for another 24 hours race maybe it would be too much for an LMP2 team. I would like to see more American teams running P2's, like Penske, Andretti, Dyson plus someone making the step from LMPC. RSR and Core Autosport for example

[SALEEN S7R]

Originally Posted by Dyson Mazda

I am not really sure that would have helped. Until a well funded team is willing to field a P2 car full of professional drivers, it is not going to be a fair fight. Right now there is not a P2 team on earth that fits that need. AJ and Ozz proved the cars a right where they need to be to have a chance to win on pace.

Really? I think Oak would be in with a good chance of winning the race with their list of drivers in the Shape of Pla, Rusinov, and Canal. Pla was a competitive driver in GP2 and has finished 2nd in class at Le Mans in 2013 and won the 2009 LMP2 class in the LMS. Rusinov has been competive in both F3000 and sportscar racing. Canal I don't know much about, other than he was in the winning car at Le Mans in the GTE AM class at Le Mans in 2010/2011/2012. Somehow, with that driving line up I think they could well win Daytona.

[jasonjessica09]

Originally Posted by DeezPutz

The Mazdas stunk the joint up, but I except Shank to win multiple races this year. ESM is embarrassing. P2 doing work.

Uh sir, both the Mazda and Honda had brief stints leading the race. But yeah lets see what an all pro LMP2 car can do. But I don't think there is any all pro LMP2 team in the world right now. But yeah the Shank Ligier I think can win a race if they pull off a driver strategy like ESM at Laguna Seca because Pew is not that great (not has bad as Ed Brown so its very possible actually). I think the Shank Ligier has a good shot at Long Beach and Laguna Seca. Sebring will be another Corvette/Ford battle.

[jasonjessica09]

Originally Posted by Intimidator

USCC doesn't necessarily need WEC teams making the trip. WEC is already an high cost championship. To make the trip to the U.S. for another 24 hours race maybe it would be too much for an LMP2 team. I would like to see more American teams running P2's, like Penske, Andretti, Dyson plus someone making the step from LMPC. RSR and Core Autosport for example

I think all of the teams you mentioned has or should be looking at GT3 actually.

[divxx]

One has to remember that Grand-Am did outlast/had more money than ALMS in the US sports car survival wars.

From a sporting perspective, had DP's and P2's been allowed to run at their natural pace in separate classes following the buyout, approximately 80% of TUSC's problems would never have materialized. But again, you don't buy out a rival to have 'your' teams run around the back of a combined series.

[jasonjessica09]

What cars in the P and GTLM classes at Daytona won't be at Sebring you think? I bet the #02 won't be there. So the Action Express Corvette is the effective NAEC leader I guess. Hopefully the #66 won't be there either as they were just a moving chicane. What about the #51 and #98 in GT. I'm not sure about them?

[skycafe]

Originally Posted by Dyson Mazda

The Mazda did not even improve on their run from last year. I cannot figure that project out. They are on their 3rd year with that motor and are not even close.

I thought they had gone to a different cylinder head. Bespoke. But that said, if that is the case, they have deeper problems.

The team is competent, the chassis competent (I still say the Lola is the best looking car of this era). Their problem seems to be the engine, which may well be a great road engine, but is being tasked with performing well beyond its design parameters. I do not know and should hesitate to comment, but hey, it is the internet..., it seems that turing a diesel engine into a road racing engine is far above, or at least massively different, then the demands of race prepping a gasoline engine, which often times seems to be a process of choosing a good basis out of the parts bin.

[SALEEN S7R]

Originally Posted by Intimidator

USCC doesn't necessarily need WEC teams making the trip. WEC is already an high cost championship. To make the trip to the U.S. for another 24 hours race maybe it would be too much for an LMP2 team. I would like to see more American teams running P2's, like Penske, Andretti, Dyson plus someone making the step from LMPC. RSR and Core Autosport for example

If the race want's to be in the same category as Le Mans then it really does need the best teams and drivers that are available in that class to be considered top level, in my opinion. Otherwise it isn't a top level international race anymore. I agree at the moment that the cost would be too much for most LMP'2 teams in Europe to make the trip across the pond, as I said earlier. It's a shame that the financial incentives aren't enough to make financial sense. Remember when the Daytona 24 hours used to be at the pinnacle of sportscar racing and attracted top entries from around the world? I do, just about. http://www.racingsportscars.com/phot...000-02-06.html For example.

[skycafe]

Originally Posted by Dyson Mazda

This is getting annoying. It is not even constructive criticism any more.

WHEN WAS IT EVER CONSTRUCTIVE?

[Accident]

Originally Posted by skycafe

WHEN WAS IT EVER CONSTRUCTIVE?

I was wondering the same thing...

[Dyson Mazda]

Originally Posted by skycafe

WHEN WAS IT EVER CONSTRUCTIVE?

Valid Point

I do like what Scott Atherton said a lot on the internet streaming around 10:30 where the series is doing everything they can to get to FIA spec P2, GTE, GT3 by 2017 and I think that is when this series is really going to hit its stride. I think this race's management went about as well as it possibly could have. I do really wish they would look into the Code-60 caution periods when they just have to run out on the track to retrieve cars. They can go FCY when accidents occur.

[divxx]

Originally Posted by Dyson Mazda

The Mazda did not even improve on their run from last year. I cannot figure that project out. They are on their 3rd year with that motor and are not even close.

I'm surprised they continue to plaster 'skyactiv' all over those cars. I get what they're trying to do, and it would be impressive if it were either fast or reliable (don't even need it to be both), but 95% of casual fans will not know or care, they're just going to associate the highest level Mazda racing program with back-of-field results. Why put your name all over a car that gets mentioned a couple times per race. When it never factors into the race, the purpose of the project remains a mystery to most people.

[Dyson Mazda]

Originally Posted by divxx

I'm surprised they continue to plaster 'skyactiv' all over those cars. I get what they're trying to do, and it would be impressive if it were either fast or reliable (don't even need it to be both), but 95% of casual fans will not know or care, they're just going to associate the highest level Mazda racing program with back-of-field results. Why put your name all over a car that gets mentioned a couple times per race. When it never factors into the race, the purpose of the project remains a mystery to most people.

They could probably just restrict the Mazda/AER P1 engine that Dyson developed, get a wavier from IMSA, and be competitive. I think that would probably a much better use of their funds, but what do I know.

[Dyson Mazda]

Originally Posted by SALEEN S7R

Really? I think Oak would be in with a good chance of winning the race with their list of drivers in the Shape of Pla, Rusinov, and Canal. Pla was a competitive driver in GP2 and has finished 2nd in class at Le Mans in 2013 and won the 2009 LMP2 class in the LMS. Rusinov has been competive in both F3000 and sportscar racing. Canal I don't know much about, other than he was in the winning car at Le Mans in the GTE AM class at Le Mans in 2010/2011/2012. Somehow, with that driving line up I think they could well win Daytona.

Is Rusinov even allowed in the United States at the moment?

[divxx]

I know Speedsource don't expect to compete for wins with their road car engine, but that is ultimately the point, they're not going to put in a re-badged racing engine now. My surprise comes from the marketing department's continuing support for such a weird program.

[Lagunaseca_4life]

Sorry but I think the mazda has nothin but excuses.its a great concept and a new idea,I'll give them that.but execution wise it's a failure,at this point it's just as bad as jaguar,just wonder how long mazda is going to wait before pulling the plug.and the whole stock engine components is just an excuse.why? because the ford Eco boost in the DPs uses stock components,as in engine block and cylinder heads.i work at a ford dealer and know the Eco boost like the back my hand,last years at laguna and long beach I got really good look at the engine, and I recognised most of the engine,the fuel supply,turbos,intake plenumn,and valve cover were really the only difference.

And ford had problems initially last year,but they were able to fix them and win a few races in the mean time.i don't know about mazda speed source some times,they are a great group of guys and their paddock set up is very fan friendly.but at this rate they are heading the same route the GTE Jaguars did.