Quote:
Originally Posted by MaskedRacer
Its funny that the DPI vs Gibson LMP2 debate has become more intense than Daytona Prototype vs old LMP2.
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I might be out of touch, but I'd say my perception is just the opposite.
The first P vs. P2 debate was sort of ALMS vs. Rolex, dinosaur versus bird, blunt object vs. scalpel ... Sports car vs. NASCAR. People really wanted the more modern, more refined P2s to have a chance against the overweight, antiquated, holdover, tacked-on add-on, tube-framed DPs.
The DP upgrade helped a little but I recall people being very upset that even when they could set a similar lap time, a P2 simply couldn't win a race.
A lot of it was the majority ALMS fans feeling that Rolex had won, and was artificially keeping alive these primitive cars which no other series would allow on simple safety issues.
DPs seemed (in my recollection and my understanding, both of which are exceedingly unreliable) to represent the antithesis of sports-car racing, while P2s were the best representative allowed in the U.S. series--where they weren't allowed to win.
It seems to me that DPis don't excite a huge amount of hatred ... they are proper P2 chassis with bigger horsepower and torque.
While the Fairness issue is the same as ever, it seems as though the fight for the soul of American sportscar racing has been resolved, ultimately in favor of the Eurocentric modernists.
On the other hand, I only get to one race a year nowadays, so maybe all the fans are really riled up about pro-Am teams continuing to lose.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MaskedRacer
I miss those days actually. I loved the Corvette DP especially. Can't say I really have liked the DPI's very much.
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In their final iteration, Corvette DPs were pretty good cars, and didn't look bad at all. And who doesn't like a roaring V8 sound echoing around the track?
Still, the Gen3 (or was it Gen4?) DPs were an aero nightmare ... as I recall the Corvette DP body had more drag than the ugly Gen2 body, such that any teams running Gen2s in the Gen3 era were forced to put a gigantic wicker on the rear wing supports---those "styling cues" were aero-expensive.
DPs ended up being decent-looking cars, BoP'd to be able to beat P2s ... I cannot say I "miss" those days, but the last couple DP years were enjoyable to be sure.
One final thought---can you imagine what a good DPi could do if it were allowed to grow into its strengths? Take one of the Action Express Caddys, with 5.5 liters .... modern tub and aero .... put on some real tires, and the the engineers tweak the motor, suspension, and aero trim .... That would get some fans excited, I'd bet.
(Not looking for a fight here---just one person's take on the topic, not saying anyone is right or wrong.)