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And how's Toyota's budget not "insane" compared to what Nissan spent on their spectacular failure (that budget being a part of why their project failed)? Or what GM is rumored to be spending on their DPI program? Or what Ford, GM, Porsche and others are spending on GTE Pro/GTLM? I'd like to see WEC budgets go to being $10-25 million, which granted, that was too much for Group C and IMSA GTP, and even GT1 in the late '90s.
Even if Toyota is spending $75 million dollars a year, the gap to them and most privateer teams would be what it was back to Audi Sport in the ALMS days where they they spending that much a year on the R8/R10 and $10-15 million on the ALMS.
We have to call a spade a spade here. Difference was that until the R10 came on line was that Audi Sport didn't have technology whose performance potential couldn't be overcome. Whether or not anyone was able (or more likely, willing) to copy things that the R8 had back then like DFI, turbocharged engine, or quick change gearbox--all of which is now common technology even in road cars aside from the quick change rear end, which even that on a race car is almost stupid simple in reality--was down to people either not giving a crap about road racing (due to NASCAR in NA and F1 everywhere else at the time), or, IMO, laziness, such as GM with the Cadillac program.
The only reason why TMG aren't spending VAG money (which we know that Toyota are capable of it) was that they got bit by being the big spender in F1 with little to show for it, and they invested hundreds of millions of dollars into winning LM and so often came home second best. Toyota's obviously embarrassed about that, but IMO, I think they should be more embarrassed by their LM showing this year.
We gotta be fair here. If someone wants to invest money in the series, let them--they'll just spend it somewhere else. Besides, how much of the Audi Sport and Porsche Motorsports budget was actually spent on racing? They always had more advertising and a much bigger hospitality presence than Toyota had, and I think that some of their racing budget was funneled into those ventures.
Which, ironically, is why the ACO are upset, now that they have to foot more of the promotional bills and can't get OEMs to do as much of that for them. Which VAG did most of, anyways.
This will probably be kinda a moot point next season, especially if rumors of Toyota running a limited schedule (whatever pre-LM races there are, LM and Fuji) come about. And what if TMG pull the plug? Could that mean no WEC in Japan, or could they look at Suzuka? But that's a different topic I want to get more in depth with in another thread?
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