How healthy can a series be? - Page 9

richmini99 · 30 Dec 2004, 19:36 (Ref:1190055)

Quote:

would appear Grand Am is also getting suprising tv ratings as well as some interesting driver combinations.

I think it is also telling that the only news coming out of that series is a pointed press release about TV ratings. I'm sure most fans would rather here news about new teams; not market shares.

SALEEN S7R · 30 Dec 2004, 19:49 (Ref:1190064)

Only news? Yeah, at the moment thats true. But how many other series apart from GA are having big news items at the moment? Very few, not even F1 or Moto GP, the main reason for GA being in the news a lot at the moment is the Daytona 24hrs, no other real reasons.

richmini99 · 30 Dec 2004, 20:06 (Ref:1190074)

I wouldn't say that. The Rolex 24 has been run in the first week of Feb. for as long as I can remember, and I can't think of a year when this much driver/team news came out leading up to the race. There are still some major announcements to be made early next week as well. I wouldn't catigorize the Grand Am off-season buisness as useual.

As far as that "news" item goes; if it was indeed just that, why was it pulled from the series's website? In fact; I can't seem to find that bit of "news" anywhere on the site. Seems sort odd, doesn't it? I know for a fact some exciting news is coming down the pipe for Sebring. Why cheapen it with something like that?

paul-collins · 30 Dec 2004, 20:42 (Ref:1190096)

I believe it was because the news had been covered previously, although I'm having a hard time finding the old news. There was an oblique reference to it in the Atherton Q+A of September 10 this year...

The data in the news release was the same as what I've seen previously. For what it's worth.

richmini99 · 30 Dec 2004, 20:59 (Ref:1190103)

I remember the interview you're refering to. It defenitly wasn't worded in the manner of the piece in question. I'll just leave it at that. Water under the bridge.

Bob Riebe · 30 Dec 2004, 21:22 (Ref:1190125)

As a side note:
The first sports car race was run at Daytona in 1959 and ran in the clock-wise direction that one year, after that they ran counter-clockwise.
It was Paul Whitman who made sport car racing grow at Daytona and got international status with the Continental Three hour in 1962.

In 1964-65 the race was for 2,000 kilometer and then France convinced the French to let it run for 24 hours in 1966.

Oddly, in the Daytona book I have none of the winners of of the races pre-Whitman Trophy races is given; even thought the book has a picture of a Ferrari chasing a Lister-Chevy on the banks in clock-wise direction.

August races from 1961-1972 were called Whitman Trophy races after his death in 1967, as he is the one really responsible for road racing at the track.
Among the winner of the Whitman Trophy were Dave Heinz and Peter Gregg, two well know IMSA racer in later years.

The Nascar Pavement Modifieds used to also use the road course back in the seventies, with Bobby Allison giving an AMC Hornet AMC's only win at Daytona.

In 1963 Lee Roy Yarbrough, driving in the sportsman class, what has now evolved into the Bush series, gave Studebaker a win at Daytona the year before they quit making cars.

Daytona has a lot of history, most made before the eighties.
This is one reason I despise what the France boys have done to Daytona speed weeks and the track.

Bob

cybersdorf · 31 Dec 2004, 00:15 (Ref:1190237)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Riebe

As a side note:
The first sports car race was run at Daytona in 1959 and ran in the clock-wise direction that one year, after that they ran counter-clockwise.

And they went to great lengths to inform the competitors of this significant change in a timely manner, to avoid unsavoury incidents.

Bob Riebe · 31 Dec 2004, 00:49 (Ref:1190258)

Quote:

Originally Posted by cybersdorf

And they went to great lengths to inform the competitors of this significant change in a timely manner, to avoid unsavoury incidents.

But why?
Can you imagine the safety first film they would get by filming two 30 car fields rushing headlong together on the back-straight?

**FIRE** · 31 Dec 2004, 17:36 (Ref:1190653)

Entries GrandAm 2005

Fogelhund · 31 Dec 2004, 18:40 (Ref:1190696)

Quote:

Originally Posted by FIRE

Entries GrandAm 2005

Reserved car numbers, not entries, though an impressive number either way.

**Adam43** · 1 Jan 2005, 16:53 (Ref:1191089)

Off topic and not that important, but it is interesting that they mix the numbers up through the classes.

Danske · 1 Jan 2005, 18:44 (Ref:1191155)

There are also some expected entries not on that list yet, but also not everybody with a number is expected to show for the whole season or even the Daytona 24.

vs346 · 1 Jan 2005, 18:44 (Ref:1191156)

Quote:

Originally Posted by AdamAshmore

Off topic and not that important, but it is interesting that they mix the numbers up through the classes.

i'm still not sure if I like that idea.

and it's a very Nascar/American? thing to count "01" as an actual number even when there is another car with "1"

I know in college basketball in the US there are many teams that have players with the number "0" and that counts as a number. At the end of the day, its simply a way to identify the players.

it bothered me a little bit that the Audi UK R8s were allowed to keep the 8, 88 numbers. 88 on a proto? just different, not bad.

just my 2 cents

billnchristy · 1 Jan 2005, 18:58 (Ref:1191167)

Well, without the 0 numbers, they would almost run out...last year there were 94 cars with reserved numbers...

This year with 74 so far, these actually look more or less legit, not like last year that had at least 20 one offs in the list.

By this time next year we might need triple digits!!

Danske · 1 Jan 2005, 19:31 (Ref:1191186)

Apropos for today in the States, the college football numbering seems strange, myself being used to the NFL assignment of numbers based on position, but mixing the numbers between classes in Grand-Am bothers me not at all. The only objection I have to leading zeros is that spreadsheets tend to drop them.

Bob Riebe · 1 Jan 2005, 19:39 (Ref:1191192)

Quote:

Originally Posted by vs346

i'm still not sure if I like that idea.

and it's a very Nascar/American? thing to count "01" as an actual number even when there is another car with "1"

I know in college basketball in the US there are many teams that have players with the number "0" and that counts as a number. At the end of the day, its simply a way to identify the players.

it bothered me a little bit that the Audi UK R8s were allowed to keep the 8, 88 numbers. 88 on a proto? just different, not bad.

just my 2 cents

Interscope used to use the numbers 0 and 00.

I do believe the number 027 would be easier to recognize quickly than say 271.
Bob

vs346 · 1 Jan 2005, 21:06 (Ref:1191248)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Riebe

I do believe the number 027 would be easier to recognize quickly than say 271.
Bob

I absolutely agree. But if there were three cars numbered 1, 01, 001, the likely hood of fans getting them confused would be higher I would think.

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