Michelin Le Mans Cup

[Akrapovic]

I'll get slated for this - I'd rather see proper support races than the classic. The classic was just old rich guys driving around in the wrong gear slowly. I always looked forward to it and I was always disappointed.

[ATLFalconsFAN]

Originally Posted by Akrapovic

I'll get slated for this - I'd rather see proper support races than the classic. The classic was just old rich guys driving around in the wrong gear slowly. I always looked forward to it and I was always disappointed.

There is some truth to this statement. While it is cool to see museum quality cars on track, parade laps do get tedious. Much better to see cars driven in anger.

[Rodger Davies]

That's fair comment, but the strange thing is that there are plenty of cars at the LM Classic event being driven at full chat, but you're right that fewer of them are at the Legends race usually.

If the GT3 race gets fully subscribed it will be interesting, but it's still going to be predominantly gentlemen drivers.

[Deleted]

Admittedly the Legends race tends to be a glorified higher speed parade. But it was the only historic race I watched all year. And I didn't follow it for the "racing", who comes to see historic racing to see racing? I watched it because of the cars and the direct link to the main feature approaching minute by minute. It's bumping up. It's atmosphere.

Anyhow, I think most people will still prefer this new "Road to Le Mans" over paired up Ferrari Challenge.

[Bcarr6]

I love historics and they totally have their place but I agree with Akrapovic, the support slot should be a race, and hopefully this GT3 and LMP3 combo will give us that!


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[Speed-King]

Well, that's a bit embarrassing:

http://www.endurance-info.com/fr/imo...rir-la-saison/

[Deleted]

Lol

I bet they will still brag about having six different brands though.

[Bcarr6]

Anyone else thinking the Blancpain Sports Club series that is Gentlemen only now with a 25+ car grid might have damaged the prospect of this grid, being based around the pro-am concept


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[Bcarr6]

I also think you can't argue variety when you barely have double figures


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[tux]

Is the Le Mans support race open to one off entries or will it just be the 11 at Imola?

[Mike E]

Originally Posted by tux

Is the Le Mans support race open to one off entries or will it just be the 11 at Imola?

The LMP3 element of the race is officially open to teams running in LMP3 in the ELMS and AsLMS but extra entries can be accepted at the ACO's discretion. I expect the same will apply here, but maybe only if they are short of LMP3 entries.

There were 19 LMP3s at Silverstone. The 11 GT3s takes that up to 30, and I think the original intention was a field of about 45 cars for the race.

[Bcarr6]

Originally Posted by Mike E

The LMP3 element of the race is officially open to teams running in LMP3 in the ELMS and AsLMS but extra entries can be accepted at the ACO's discretion. I expect the same will apply here, but maybe only if they are short of LMP3 entries.



There were 19 LMP3s at Silverstone. The 11 GT3s takes that up to 30, and I think the original intention was a field of about 45 cars for the race.

I imagine if the first race meeting goes well, teams like Villorba Corse might commit the extra car they are debating, and teams tempted to join might go for it.

I'd imagine the GT3 community will jump at the chance to race at Le Mans, depending on the LMP3 BOP.

[Mike E]

Originally Posted by Bcarr6

I imagine if the first race meeting goes well, teams like Villorba Corse might commit the extra car they are debating, and teams tempted to join might go for it.

I'd imagine the GT3 community will jump at the chance to race at Le Mans, depending on the LMP3 BOP.

The BoP sounds like it might be nasty:

“The key here though, as elsewhere in GT3, is going to be Balance of Performance. Here for instance we are around 12 km/h down on straight line speed compared to the same car in SRO BoP trim (265 km/h to 277)."

http://www.dailysportscar.com/2016/0...ife-hobbs.html

[Speed-King]

Mirco Schultis (of Starworks 'fame') commented on the series' issues over at GT-eins.de:

Originally, we had wanted to field our SLS GT3 in that series...

But being confronted with new and totally inacceptable demands all the time, we decided against it.
Being forced to cooperate with an ELMS team of the ACO's choice for refuelling (while using their equipment and paying lots of €€€€€ for it) wasn't even one of the bigger issues.
The really funny part was the BoP. The SLS would be run with a 34mm restrictor (in other series it's at 38mm in 2016)

The really surprising thing is that they even found 11 [cars]

http://www.gt-eins.at/cgi-bin/GT1-Fo...45343006/66#66 (my translation)

[Deleted]

Since they aren't running against other classes anymore, couldn't they just have run crap-bop for LM only to keep LMP3 in distance, and then just applied FIA/SRO standards for the other races.

[Bcarr6]

Originally Posted by Chiana

Since they aren't running against other classes anymore, couldn't they just have run crap-bop for LM only to keep LMP3 in distance, and then just applied FIA/SRO standards for the other races.

I think the ACO are just too scared to admit anything by the SRO is good. Even though the SRO are the GT3 pros

[Bcarr6]

Originally Posted by Speed-King

Mirco Schultis (of Starworks 'fame') commented on the series' issues over at GT-eins.de:



http://www.gt-eins.at/cgi-bin/GT1-Fo...45343006/66#66 (my translation)

Interesting to hear, seems the series has been a little too cocky and unwelcoming of new teams

I honestly think between SRO's gentlemen cup, and the Gt Open, as well as national series, there is plenty pro am gt3 options

[Deleted]

Originally Posted by Bcarr6

I think the ACO are just too scared to admit anything by the SRO is good. Even though the SRO are the GT3 pros

It's a miracle they even allowed GT3s in the first place. I still remember that day, in April 2012, basically as last resort for depleting ELMS grids (funny thing is, no-one still showed up for Donington)

[Mike E]

Surely this series was also created to give ELMS GTC teams somewhere to go when they were booted out in favour of LMP3?

[Deleted]

Well they could've kept them in the main series (bar the LM support race) if they went to circuits capable of physically hosting 50-60 car grids (some can even now), and if no artificial grid caps were imposed. Then they also could've got rid of the LMP3 limits.

[Bcarr6]

Originally Posted by Mike E

Surely this series was also created to give ELMS GTC teams somewhere to go when they were booted out in favour of LMP3?

By the end of the 2015 series there was 7 cars:

- Gulf Racing UK - Moved up to GTE in WEC

- TF Sport - Stayed with ACO - 1 car in GT3LMC

- MassiveMotorsport - Moved to 24h series

- AF Corse - stayed with ACO - 3 cars in GT3LMC

- TDS Racing - not sure what they are doing this year but not GT3LMC


So basically two of the ELMS teams went to GT3LMC, and they gained a total of 7 new cars from teams new to the series.

I don't know, I see the use of removing GT3 from ELMS, if there was demand for the category.

GT3 wasn't particular big in ELMS for a while, hard to see it enough to justify a whole new series unless they had indications the grid would likely be way larger.

I think they need another 9 - 11 cars to make the racing worth while.

Perhaps they ought to buy the GT Open and solve both series' problems

[Speedblood]

Always thought this series would be a good place for older/ex GTE cars to be put out to pasture. Such as the C6 and 458 running in the Blancpain gentlemen series. Wonder if they would be included to entice entries?

[Bcarr6]

Originally Posted by Speedblood

Always thought this series would be a good place for older/ex GTE cars to be put out to pasture. Such as the C6 and 458 running in the Blancpain gentlemen series. Wonder if they would be included to entice entries?

GT Open did it for a while, wasn't a huge draw

[Speedblood]

Originally Posted by Bcarr6

GT Open did it for a while, wasn't a huge draw

It was a shame they didn't get more, just thinking this would have more chance as it follows ELMS with knowledge of running GTE cars (Such as AF Corse) in the same paddock etc.

[Speed-King]

Originally Posted by Speedblood

It was a shame they didn't get more, just thinking this would have more chance as it follows ELMS with knowledge of running GTE cars (Such as AF Corse) in the same paddock etc.

Personally, I'd like to see them moving GTE over from ELMS to the Michelin Cup and making ELMS a prototype-only series. That way they could also get rid of the grid limits for the P3s and ELMS' GTE + the 11 GT3s from the Michelin Cup would actually make for a decent field.

Don't really see it happening, though.