Futre of Sportscar racing

[JAG]

http://www.sportscarpros.com/cottonb...am/default.htm


Personally I believe FIA GT will become a world Championship evetually, but the LMES will be the focus for the manufactuers due to the fact prototypes are allowed and the series is run to full ACO rules.

Any World Championship of 1000K races, IMO, would be based around the LMES.

In order to please the manufactuers currently involed in GTS, I beleive the GTS cars will be given more performance breaks to allow them to compete head to head with the new LMP1s.

[panoz.lmp1]

I agree with you, but i´m not happy about a FIA-GT WC because the costs will increase and a lot of privateer have no chance to compete in the FIA-GT.
For me it could be a chance when in North America, Europe and Asia are the same regulations. So we can start the FIA-GT, the USA GT and the JGTC and a WC with ACO 1000km races.

[PascaLM]

If GTS are able to follow the LMP and have the same chance to win, three things will happen :
- no great mass production factory will invest in a prototype development (such as Ford, Renault, Toyota, Nissan, Peugeot did before)
- there will be only traditional GT manufacturers,
- the prototypes will disappear because private teams will choose to enter GT instead of prototypes.

[JAG]

Personally I would think that the likes of Ferrari/Maserati would enter 'Super' GTS, but Audi, Peugeot etc. would enter LMP1s as they do not have a suitable road car to enter 'Super' GTS, and frankly do not need the hassle and expense of road car production/type approval etc. that would be required.

They just want to compete to win, no matter what.

Ferrari/Maserati, Lamborghini etc. want to win AND promote the specific road car that they are racing.

Plus of course there are specialist racing manufactuers such as Lola and Dallara that would enter LMP1.

[Fogelhund]

An equation similar to the early days of WSC and GT1 being equal is something that would bring greatness IMHO to Sportscar racing. Before the Arms race began, there was some very good racing.

If LMP and GTS were made to be equal, I think you would see some very positive things happen. Unfortunately, it is going to be a rare occurance when true privateers have real chances anywhere.

[Patrick B]

Originally posted by panoz.lmp1
For me it could be a chance when in North America, Europe and Asia are the same regulations. So we can start the FIA-GT, the USA GT and the JGTC and a WC with ACO 1000km races.

Agreed.

[SALEEN S7R]

Actually the FIA GT championship is already a "World Championship" in the FIA's eyes for a series to be a FIA sanctioned "World Championship" the series must visit 3 continents, the FIA GT series now does this. Europe, Dubai (United Emirates), Zhuhai (Bejing). That is 3 continents. And as Ive read here http://www.yukosgt.com/en/news/news_article.php3?id=138 the series will change its name this year.

[E46]

I am not the best in geography but Dubai and Zhuhai are Asia.

[Patrick B]

Thats what i was just thinking...

[SALEEN S7R]

Okay, theres Europe, thats 1, Theres United Arab Emirates (Dubai) thats 2 continents, and then theres China (Zhuhai) which is in Asia. That makes 3 continents.

[JAG]

Originally posted by SALEEN S7R
Okay, theres Europe, thats 1, Theres United Arab Emirates (Dubai) thats 2 continents, and then theres China (Zhuhai). That makes 3 continents.

China and Dubai are both in Asia

They need a race in Australazia, the US or South America to qualify as a World Championship.

http://www.ri.net/schools/Central_Fa...218/t7con.html

[JAG]

BTW does anyone have any inside info on the discussions at the sportscar meeting organised by Jean Todt.

Are they planning a FIA GT World Championship, Le Mans WC or simply banding around ideas to keeps cost down etc.

[BSchneiderFan]

Originally posted by JAG
China and Dubai are both in Asia

They need a race in Australazia, the US or South America to qualify as a World Championship.

Or Africa, which has one or two racing circuits. Kyalami would seem the obvious destination.

[Scrutineer78]

I agree with you, but i´m not happy about a FIA-GT WC because the costs will increase and a lot of privateer have no chance to compete in the FIA-GT.

Why in the hell is everyone so concerned about privateers? If they don't have the funds or resources to compete in a major championship, THEY SHOULDN'T BE RUNNING. This isn't kindergarten and the FIA, and ACO for that matter, shouldn't hold the privateers hands.

Personally I believe FIA GT will become a world Championship evetually, but the LMES will be the focus for the manufactuers due to the fact prototypes are allowed and the series is run to full ACO rules.

I like this idea. As long as FIA-GT comes back to Laguna Seca and Homestead.

In order to please the manufactuers currently involed in GTS, I beleive the GTS cars will be given more performance breaks to allow them to compete head to head with the new LMP1s.

I hate this idea. Why? Everyone else has said why.

[jhansen]

Pardon my saying, but I think the FIA's definition of a "world" championship is a bit limited. Especially when considering the GT classes. If a race is not included in either Japan or America, I'd say you're limiting the scope a bit. Both countries are large producers of road going cars and America is a slightly large market in terms of viewership and spending power. If you cover Europe, Asia (including Japan) and North America then you're real close. Throw in rounds in Australia, Africa and South America and now you're really talking World Championship. That's six of seven possible continents. Maybe a series should consider visiting Antarctica. Perhaps WRC?

[Cadete]

Originally posted by Scrutineer78
Why in the hell is everyone so concerned about privateers? If they don't have the funds or resources to compete in a major championship, THEY SHOULDN'T BE RUNNING. This isn't kindergarten and the FIA, and ACO for that matter, shouldn't hold the privateers hands.

Well, I for one am concerned about privateers because I think they are closer to the spirit of racing that we, spectators, also have than the big factories.

A privateer exists to race. What else does Creation Autosportif live off? This is not true for the factories, they race to sell their product, once they think it no longer suits their purpose, they will shelf their race program.

Not privateers, they will race because they can't live without racing and because they love racing. In my perfect world the factories and manufacturers would create cars and sell them to privateer teams, no need for those all-dominating factory teams...

But then I'm still hoping for some miracles, I still want to believe motorracing is a sport above everything else, but it is turning into a spetacle and a business...


By the way, I agree with the last part of your post, GTS should not be as strong as LMP1, in my view simply because in order to make a road-going car challenge a full-bred race car, the road-going one would have to be race-bred in the first place, thus would not have a road-going origin in the first place. (confusing, i know )

[Aysedasi]

I agree with the last part too (although I still think privateers are essential to any decent series/event). I'm actually quite fed up with these "equalise LMP and GTS" thoughts. The last thing I want to see is protos being aritifically slowed. If they can make the GTs go faster, thats fine, but don't slow down the real sportscars......




(IMO)

[Pilgrimage]

Originally posted by Aysedasi
I agree with the last part too (although I still think privateers are essential to any decent series/event). I'm actually quite fed up with these "equalise LMP and GTS" thoughts. The last thing I want to see is protos being aritifically slowed. If they can make the GTs go faster, thats fine, but don't slow down the real sportscars......

(IMO)

Agree completely.

[SALEEN S7R]

I agree to Ayse, although what I would like is 2 changes to the GTS class cars, which could be affected very very easily. Let the cars have 16 inch tyres, not the current 14 inch that they have now, all cars in GTS could run 16 inch tyres, if not im sure with minor modifcation they could. The 2nd change id make is to decrease the weight of the GTS class cars to 1000kg, I would say 900kg but some cars woudnt be able to make that weight, but anyway if the changes I suggest were implemented I think we would see the current lead GTS cars qualifying in the middle of the LMP 1 grids.

[Pilgrimage]

Originally posted by SALEEN S7R
I agree to Ayse, although what I would like is 2 changes to the GTS class cars, which could be affected very very easily. Let the cars have 16 inch tyres, not the current 14 inch that they have now, all cars in GTS could run 16 inch tyres, if not im sure with minor modifcation they could. The 2nd change id make is to decrease the weight of the GTS class cars to 1000kg, I would say 900kg but some cars woudnt be able to make that weight, but anyway if the changes I suggest were implemented I think we would see the current lead GTS cars qualifying in the middle of the LMP 1 grids.

That would be a good situation.
We're talking tyre width i presume. Therefore the increase would allow better traction/ grip & therefore faster lap times - right?

[jhansen]

Making the GTS cars lighter. I can go for that. Give them a bit more wing perhaps. But I don't agree with the tire deal. I think that goes more against what the GTS class is really about. In my opinion the great thing about the GTS cars is that they are wicked fast in a straight line and then the drivers have to make them work in the corners. Fun to watch.

[dretceterini]

The last thing I would want to see is making GTS the top class. Sportscar racing has always been about prototypes.

[jhansen]

That goes without saying. I forgot to mention my thoughts on speeding up the prototypes a bit as well. Silly me.

[Pilgrimage]

Originally posted by jhansen
That goes without saying. I forgot to mention my thoughts on speeding up the prototypes a bit as well. Silly me.

Actually i like where you're coming from on the tyre points.
Also agree prototypes should be top class.

[JAG]

I don't think there is any doubt whatsoever that in ACO sanctioned events full blooded prototypes will be the top class. Lets not forget the LMES was set up to promote prototype racing in Europe.

We should also be very encouraged that 'new' teams are entering prototype racing such as Creation, Lister, Rollcentre, Jota etc. Once the privateers are racing in prototypes, the factories, will inevitably return.

As for GTS, I belive there is scope to speed them up a little in order to challenge LMPS, over a 1000K+ race distance.

Give them 16in tires, reduce weight to 1000kg (900 is too much for genuine road based cars), allow more effective wings and give bigger fuel tanks.

This should mean LMP1s would still be the pace setters, but GTS cars could finish well in the top 5, as we had in 1995/1996.