Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter Mallett
Going back to the point about a paucity of cars, back in 1984 we had a number of 956s all run by different teams, plus marques such as Rondeau; Group 44 Jaguar etc. Then there were the remains of the Group 5 cars such as the Kremer 935 etc.
So there was little varaiety in those days yet the racing was pretty good. I think the only thing "spoiling" the current format is the difference between technology v Old fashioned engines. This is why the loss of the Fords and BMWs is important, since the GT classes appear to be where the best racing is to be had at the moment.
Granted there are a fair number of LMP2 cars but I get the feeling they are there to bolster numbers even though it appears to be a competitive class.
|
GTE-Am is filler if anything, but the LMP2 cars are for the most part closer to the overall leader than most of the C1 cars in the 80s. It's just the best performance:dollar in the championship.
The structure of the championship is also much different so it's not a straight comparison. The 1984 WSC had 7 European rounds, 1 North American, 2 far eastern, and 1 African, and literally nobody did the full season (only 3 Group C cars even entered Kyalami, but disregarding that you're looking at single digits for international teams that bothered with Australia and barely more for Fuji and Mosport). 2019-20 is 3 European, 2 East Asian, 1 Middle East, 1 North American, and 1 South American and about 30 teams will do all of the races.