IMSA Race TUSC Round 10: Road America

[joeb]

My favorite stop of the year is up next. We have another 2:45 race with all for classes. The race is on a more traditional Sunday this round as well. Road America has plenty of track space, but with the long straights it will make for some interesting racing between the P cars (The GTD's should be fast too).

Schedule

Entry List

Weather

Spotters Guide

[Mike Hedlund]

Would just like to be the first to mention-- I'm a little nervous about the speed differential between classes at this circuit. The GTD cars are faster than GTC and I'm afraid it's going to increase the chance of some big crashes into the faster corners. Hopefully I'm wrong...

-mike

[Salamus]

51 cars will be the largest field at Road America by a large margin.

Mike is absolutely right. The drivers are going to be very busy and traffic will be an issue. If IMSA is doing one thing correct, it's their minimal use of yellows. Hopefully there won't be many at Road America.

[nezy37]

Looking forward to watching a race without commercials.

[Deleted]

Originally Posted by Salamus

Mike is absolutely right. The drivers are going to be very busy and traffic will be an issue..

It's the longest circuit on the calendar so the density will be automatically lower... shouldn't be too bad

[rich07]

Ah Road America what a beautiful track. Looking forward to it

[BudLightJaguar]

Originally Posted by rich07

Ah Road America what a beautiful track. Looking forward to it

Agreed. One those tracks I'd like to visit.

[Ephaeton]

tracks... biggest asset $properAcronym has remaining IMHO, and road america being one of them.
Wayne Taylor saying this would be the track he'd cut first ... blasphemy!
Wayne: You should treasure the grace of being allowed to run there (with your **bias / opinion intentionally not expressed** car!)

I hope this race will leave me with a positive outlook on watching 100% of PLM and remain calmly optimistic about seeing a good race on a great track.
Bring it on, $properAcronym!

[Deleted]

Sort of positively miraculous that they decided to stick with the ALMS date rather than ram it together with Nationwide.

You know if one's hate towards FOX commercials is overwhelming, it's probably better to ignore live and wait for the delayed broadcast to appear on IMSA's youtube channel instead so that they can be bypassed.

[brico]

Interrupted by an auto race every so when with poor commentators and no innovation.....

At least it's not a Nascar support race on Friday afternoon.

Can US sports car racing get any lower?

At this point not having a series is preferable.

[Salamus]

Originally Posted by Chiana

It's the longest circuit on the calendar so the density will be automatically lower... shouldn't be too bad

Maybe length-wise. But Road America is much narrower than Indy.

[joeb]

Originally Posted by Mike Hedlund

Would just like to be the first to mention-- I'm a little nervous about the speed differential between classes at this circuit. The GTD cars are faster than GTC and I'm afraid it's going to increase the chance of some big crashes into the faster corners. Hopefully I'm wrong...

-mike

Do you think the GTLM and Protos dive-bombing the GTD cars will be worse at turn 1 or turn 5? Personally, I think turn 5 will be an issue because the downhill leading into the corner, although I think they may be pulling a car or two out of the gravel at Canada Corner as well.

[Deleted]

Good for them that large portion of the Canada Corner runoff is asphaltized then...

Originally Posted by Salamus

Maybe length-wise. But Road America is much narrower than Indy.

I don't think it's narrower than Sebring though, where the density and car count is also higher

[Gulf]

Originally Posted by brico

Can US sports car racing get any lower?

At this point not having a series is preferable.

I don't think it can but I don't want to underestimate the series ability to mess things up. Honestly no series is fine with me as long as the give Sebring to the WEC where it belongs.

[brico]

Originally Posted by Gulf

I don't think it can but I don't want to underestimate the series ability to mess things up. Honestly no series is fine with me as long as the give Sebring to the WEC where it belongs.

I agree with your statement. Talk of DP's at Le Mans is unnerving.

[Mike Hedlund]

Originally Posted by joeb

Do you think the GTLM and Protos dive-bombing the GTD cars will be worse at turn 1 or turn 5? Personally, I think turn 5 will be an issue because the downhill leading into the corner, although I think they may be pulling a car or two out of the gravel at Canada Corner as well.

I don't think T5 will be an issue, it's so slow there's plenty of time to make it work and when there is contact (assuming both drivers are still in control) it'll just be rubbing/bumping. I think the biggest issues are going to be at T1, T3 (leads onto a long straight, NOBODY is going to want to get parked at the apex by a GTD or slow PC car), T7 (GTD going to be much slower through here then every other class), the Kink (again, GTD going to be much slower than every other class), and 13A.. it's pretty fast in a GTD cause but faster in everything else and nobody is going to want to be held up through 13-14.

I hope the race is caution free, I just think this particular track layout exacerbates the straight line and minimum corner speed differences between the classes. Since the GTD cars are so fast on the straights (and so slow in the middle of the corner, compared to the other classes), everyone else is going to be THROWING it down into these fast corners. The track length reducing density doesn't really matter. The cars are still going to be lapping each other all the time and again because of the straight line speed potential of the GTD cars, all the passing is going to be done under braking and before the apex, which is the most likely to cause problems.

-mike

[Articus]

Originally Posted by Mike Hedlund

I hope the race is caution free, I just think this particular track layout exacerbates the straight line and minimum corner speed differences between the classes...
-mike

[Deleted]

Don't worry, you likely won't even notice there was a caution (even if it takes 20mins from IMSA) between the ad breaks, Michelin Tire Tips and Tech Transfers. While following "Word from Audi" you keep wondering if maybe the reason they were going slowly was because it was a replay? Did bored Varsha mention something about it? Who knows, who even cares.

[wdave0]

Originally Posted by Gulf

I don't think it can but I don't want to underestimate the series ability to mess things up. Honestly no series is fine with me as long as the give Sebring to the WEC where it belongs.

That would get me back in a flash!

[Rcz]

LOL that's silly, why would the WEC ever go to some non-grade 1 airport track.

They have COTA! The greatest track in the Americas!

[Lagunaseca_4life]

For some reason I thought this was going to be one of the races to be broadcast on fs2,but looks now to be on fs1.funny I had prepared my self to wait and watch it on YouTube because I don't get fs2, but at this point I feel like I should just wait anyways so I won't get frustrated with the broadcast.

[jasonjessica09]

Originally Posted by Chiana

Don't worry, you likely won't even notice there was a caution (even if it takes 20mins from IMSA) between the ad breaks, Michelin Tire Tips and Tech Transfers. While following "Word from Audi" you keep wondering if maybe the reason they were going slowly was because it was a replay? Did bored Varsha mention something about it? Who knows, who even cares.

Lots of suspense in what tire tip will be discussed at Road America during the broacast! Sarcasm of course.

Seriously does ANYBODY watch or care about these fluff segments? I certianly don't. Why even have them.

[jasonjessica09]

Originally Posted by Articus

LMPC is in the race. So not much of a chance of a full course yellow free race. Plus expect the GTLM race to have to deal with them throughout just like Watkins Glen and Indy. I'm scared that the Porsches could just dominate the field this race. One good thing is that Falken should do better. They are always good for one or two VERY GOOD races a year. Even though their overall consistancy is not there.

[TF110]

Originally Posted by Rcz

LOL that's silly, why would the WEC ever go to some non-grade 1 airport track.

They have COTA! The greatest track in the Americas!

Wait, I thought Nascar owns the other tracks. You know they cant have lmp1's spoiling their (d)p-arty

[Deleted]

Originally Posted by Rcz

LOL that's silly, why would the WEC ever go to some non-grade 1 airport track.

They have COTA! The greatest track in the Americas!

That's right, surely LMP1 would never, ever survive the fierce, totally unacceptable demands of Grade 2 American tracks, or as they should be called, club circuits for track days! For example, just because P1s were able to run at that filthy disgrace of a plane runaway circuit for 15 years doesn't mean it's safe OR appropriate now. If there's a chance that any car at any points gets damaged by the ludicrous bumps that circuit has - or for heavens sake someone accidently hits the dangerous GRASS outside the white line - we simply just cannot take the risk. And, and, on top of the absolutely huge issues in safety department, the VIP hospitality areas are also smaller and there are NO GARAGES. What is this, stone ages? How are the teams supposed to work if there are no garages, tents? Sounds like witchcraft. No self respecting team owner settles for such amateurish solution. And it's the same issue everywhere. It's a WORLD class series now, meaning WORLD class venues are required. People will come to Austin - and in future possibly to other Grade 1 North American tracks - just as they came to those other place somewhere, wherever they were, in same numbers full of excitment.