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Old 28 Jul 2017, 16:21 (Ref:3755124)   #226
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Or just get rid of LMP1-H vs LMP1 privateer and have one combined LMP1 class.
And make it a "LMP1 Teams' Championship" like often in the past and for example in ALMS. That's what I would have preferred all the time.
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Old 28 Jul 2017, 19:36 (Ref:3755202)   #227
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I feel it foreshadowing that as I read through this, my phone alerted me to the beginning of the FE shakedown in Montreal.
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Old 28 Jul 2017, 20:22 (Ref:3755213)   #228
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Now that we know that IMSA won't be at COTA and this is the last year of their contract, could we also see the WEC bail on COTA?
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Old 28 Jul 2017, 21:18 (Ref:3755226)   #229
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Maybe, but it wouldn't be missed.
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Old 29 Jul 2017, 00:12 (Ref:3755252)   #230
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Where would they go for a US round or just stick with Mexico as a single NA round? Is Mexico stable enough to sustain the solo fly away round? I feel like there will be other circuit cut backs coming soon without replacements.
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Old 29 Jul 2017, 00:19 (Ref:3755253)   #231
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Indy or Montreal are the only realistic choices for as long as Neveu and Fillon want their VIP hospitality areas.

A reduction of rounds was speculated already before today's news.

I guess no US round shouldn't be a huge sticking point for GTE manufacturers since they all get US well covered in IMSA.

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Old 29 Jul 2017, 00:37 (Ref:3755256)   #232
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Where would they go for a US round or just stick with Mexico as a single NA round? Is Mexico stable enough to sustain the solo fly away round? I feel like there will be other circuit cut backs coming soon without replacements.
The only other Grade 1 circuit in the US besides COTA is Indianapolis. So the WEC’s options aren’t that great:

a. Stick with COTA in September, with the race almost certain to draw even fewer fans in 2018.
b. Go to Indy.
c. Go to some Grade 2 circuit (Road America?*) despite the WEC’s business model being built on Grade 1 circuits.
d. Don’t race in the US.

The WEC has very little negotiating leverage at the moment, so any deal it cuts won’t be on very favorable terms.

* Yes, I know that Road America's FIA license expired a couple of years ago, but I'm presuming it could fairly easily get a new license as a Grade 2 facility.
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Old 29 Jul 2017, 03:21 (Ref:3755271)   #233
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Road America is by default a Grade 2 since LMP cars are allowed to race there. IMSA, as well as everyone and their brother in North American racing, are pretty much part of the ACCUS, which is the main North American body representing motorsport in the FIA.

There's also Montreal if the WEC's deals with COTA and maybe Mexico City fall through.
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Old 29 Jul 2017, 14:16 (Ref:3755455)   #234
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This "Grade 1" and "VIP hospitality areas" stuff raises another issue ... or the same old issue from another angle.

WEC (I think) wanted to compete with F1 as being the biggest, bestest, fastest, highest-tech ... and most prestigious.

I am not saying some incredibly swollen egos are in control there .... why bother saying it?

Not saying there was head-to-head competition ... but I think FIA wants its top series to attract as many jet-setters, as much wealth, as many VIPs ... and wanted to be able to show them that same platinum-plated, diamond-studded, kiss-every-inch-of-your-backside pandering experience.

They can't do that at Sebring or Road America. The tracks might be exceptional, but the restrooms? No ultra-VIP suites?

Add to that, the FIA is reacting with the "We are right and always have been right, and we are insulted that Porsche could not appreciate the gracious offer we extended to let them be part of our greatness ... and of Course we will not consider changing our ridiculous rules which have killed our series ... because that would raise some intimation of the vague possibility that We were not 100 percent correct in every way."

FIA needs some hard-headed businessmen in the mix, the tell the power-hungry self-important toads that they are great at sucking up and acting imperious in turn, and terrible at everything else.

To me it is obvious that unless Peugeot pulls a Toyota and rushes a couple cars to the grid, next year will be a total joke. Toyota will be the new ByKolles---will one or both cars blow up and throw away the win? and the P2s will fight it out for overall wins.

I have no faith inthe FIA will realize that hybrid, as it pertains to race cars, has nothing to do with road car and has no sensible application in racing--it is just another marketing strategy which costs way more than in returns. Fans don't care and most of the car-buying populace is entirely unaware. It was another attempt to grab "prestige"--and probably another attempt to be on par with F1.

P1-L, P2, and the GT classes ... easy, and almost guaranteed to work, seeing as it has worked well for so long.

Pretty unlikely FIA will choose that, then.
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Old 29 Jul 2017, 14:35 (Ref:3755468)   #235
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I think COTA is a great circuit and hope the WEC sticks with it, but if not I'd prefer Road America to anywhere else.
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Old 29 Jul 2017, 16:36 (Ref:3755517)   #236
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FIA

FIA

FIA
Are you just simplifying here and meaning the whole management side generally or what? It is pretty obvious writing the regs is mostly up to ACO and their subsidiary? LMEM is the WEC promoter.

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Old 29 Jul 2017, 17:49 (Ref:3755571)   #237
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I've tried pointing out in the past that the FIA actually have very little to do with the day to day operations of the WEC. Everyone who has a hand in running it and goes on record are people who are ACO big wigs. Even Lindsey Owen Jones might have FIA in his title, but he's actually employed by the ACO.

And in the DSC article about the future of the WEC, he's the only one who's gone on record suggesting that what the ACO did with LMP1 rules was probably a mistake.

The FIA only have their name on it because it's required that they endorse a World Championship and because Jean Todt saw the original WSC's demise and wanted to stick it to Mosley, Balestre and Eccostone.
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Old 29 Jul 2017, 18:25 (Ref:3755597)   #238
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I think COTA is a great circuit and hope the WEC sticks with it, but if not I'd prefer Road America to anywhere else.
The primary issue with COTA is that it just doesn't draw well. There are several elements to that:

1. It's still really hot in September in Texas.

2. September is also college football season, which is a particular problem as the University of Texas is located in Austin.

3. Too many other races at the track for an area that's still new to non-NASCAR motorsports.

4. PWC having a race there a couple of weeks before the WEC date doesn't help things either.

5. Poor promotion.

The attendance issue is likely to be worse — maybe even much worse — with Porsche pulling out from LMP-1H and Toyota perhaps following suit. It's just a lot less compelling of an event, and less people will come from afar, especially when there's a series that a rather good substitute to LMP-1H-less that offers 12 races a year at tracks in the US and Canada.

Of course, if there's no LMP-1H next year, the WEC is going to have attendance issues at several other races as well.

There are rumors awhile back that the WEC was close to cutting a deal with Road America. I'm presuming that WEC would want some facility upgrades. I doubt that the WEC could get that out of Road America now.

I have to agree with what somebody said above, that it's easy to imagine the WEC just not having a race in the US. The market is already well served in GTE/GTLM by IMSA. P2 is a Pro-Am class. If any of the drivers/teams had a strong desire to do a race or two in the States, there's always Daytona and Sebring.
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Old 29 Jul 2017, 18:48 (Ref:3755603)   #239
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There was talks about RA replacing COTA but nothing lately.

I put my money on Indy(Indy owners would love to make some more money in Sept)
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Old 29 Jul 2017, 20:06 (Ref:3755635)   #240
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Road America is by default a Grade 2 since LMP cars are allowed to race there. IMSA, as well as everyone and their brother in North American racing, are pretty much part of the ACCUS, which is the main North American body representing motorsport in the FIA.

There's also Montreal if the WEC's deals with COTA and maybe Mexico City fall through.
Since the Houston fence deal the FIA has really distanced themselves from any responsibility for the iffy state of American race tracks. Neither NASCAR and by extension IMSA nor IndyCar really follow FIA track grading.
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Old 29 Jul 2017, 20:10 (Ref:3755637)   #241
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IMSA, NASCAR and Indy Car are part of the ACCUS, and hence are beholden to the FIA.

Whether or not the FIA want to get involved is up to them. And when one considers the hubris within the FIA and ACO, they probably don't want to mess with anyone as bull-headed.
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Old 29 Jul 2017, 20:32 (Ref:3755644)   #242
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My understanding is what happened is that the FIA couldn't practically send personnel to inspect every IndyCar track so the responsibility had been delegated first to ACCUS and then to IndyCar. When the fence failed in Franchitti's career ending crash the FIA decided they didn't need their reputation attached to IndyCar's mess so they just sort of let IndyCar and NASCAR pick what tracks to race on without officially tying it to the grading system. (basically it used to be anything IndyCar approved was grade 2 by default but now it's just IndyCar approved)
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Old 1 Aug 2017, 06:02 (Ref:3756593)   #243
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Some thoughts from BMW and Lambo on GTE and DPi (or maybe LMPi? ).

http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/m...ertain-future/
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Old 5 Aug 2017, 04:12 (Ref:3757527)   #244
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Isn't the WEC schedule supposed to be announced at Mexico City?
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Old 5 Aug 2017, 14:47 (Ref:3757575)   #245
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It's still really hot in September in Texas.

The attendance issue is likely to be worse — maybe even much worse — with Porsche pulling out from LMP-1H and Toyota perhaps following suit.
The FIA WEC could agree with IndyCar to visit Mexico and Austin in March / April.
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Old 5 Aug 2017, 18:13 (Ref:3757597)   #246
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Only problem with that is are the teams and the WEC itself willing to commit to flyaways early in the season?
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Old 6 Aug 2017, 21:15 (Ref:3757861)   #247
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Isn't the WEC schedule supposed to be announced at Mexico City?
It may be known at Mexico City, but it will be officially announced after the autumn meeting of the FIA World Motorsport Council.
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Old 6 Aug 2017, 21:24 (Ref:3757869)   #248
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It may be known at Mexico City, but it will be officially announced after the autumn meeting of the FIA World Motorsport Council.
More like announced at Mexico but later officially confirmed by WMSC.
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Old 6 Aug 2017, 23:26 (Ref:3757884)   #249
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All the WMSC does is be the FIA arm that rubber stamps what the ACO propose. As I've pointed out with the WEC, it's for the most part the ACO running the show, and what they want is usually what they get, for better or worse.
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Old 7 Aug 2017, 16:18 (Ref:3758004)   #250
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I was just thinking about how the European Le Mans Series was called the Le Mans Endurance Series, when all their races were 1000km/6 hours.

Looking at things now, is 6 hours really an endurance race? If we ignore LM this year, only one LMP1 car had a major reliability issue, and even that got fixed in about 5-8 minutes. Most of the LMP2 issues have been glitchy electronics (which is why ESM in IMSA switched to Motec from Cosworth at Road America, and maybe part of the reason why Cadillac still run a Bosch ECU). And I don't know of many major mechanical issues for GTE/GTLM what wasn't related to a tire failure or accident/collision damage.

So should the WEC ditch the exclusivity for 6 hour races outside of the LM24, or keep that format? We also have to remember the rumors of the GTE classes getting qualifying sprint races next season, too.

But should the WEC place more emphasis on endurance? I know that they probably don't want to make any race seem artificially more important than another just because one or two get longer races. Also, 6 hours seems to work for European (and to a lesser extent, North American) TV.

But what races should be made longer if any are, and where should maybe the WEC move to if they shuffle the schedule as far as venues?
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