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18 Jul 2011, 08:24 (Ref:2927980) | #1 | |
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Round 4: Mosport 22-24 July 2011
Unless I've missed it, no Mosport thread (?). Very sad that the current spectacle so comprehensively fails to whet the appetite!!!
I've cribbed the links from joeb's first post in his predictions thread........... Schedule Entry List Timing & Scoring Live Video ALMS Live Video ESPN3 World Times |
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18 Jul 2011, 14:06 (Ref:2928111) | #2 | |
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I for one am eagerly anticipating the GT race. Thanks for the links!
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18 Jul 2011, 14:30 (Ref:2928115) | #3 | ||
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I used to get so stoked for upcoming ALMS race but the whole coverage on the internet that barely works for me and the constant head in the sand mentality by ALMS leadership has really curbed my enthusiasm this year. I still look at the forums to see who wins and whats going on but apart from Sebring I haven't watched a single race. Talking with a few other people I know who dig sportscar racing makes me believe I'm not the only one who feels this way, I even toyed with the idea of going to see them at Laguna Seca this year but I don't know I might just spend the money going to see other race series instead.
Back on topic I hope the BOP that has happened reigns in the BMWs, and I hope the LMPC cars can avoid wreaking everyone unlike the last race. |
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18 Jul 2011, 15:22 (Ref:2928131) | #4 | |||
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18 Jul 2011, 15:29 (Ref:2928137) | #5 | |||
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Seriously though, Mosport is a great track and I love to watch multi-class racing there. At least for this round the LMPC's have been sped up a bit so maybe they can stay out of the way of the GTE race. |
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18 Jul 2011, 15:59 (Ref:2928146) | #6 | |
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I adore this circuit, but let's just hope GTCs won't cause as much hassle as last year!
Cytosport should be in much better form since it's a fast and flowing track and therefore really suits the Lola AM - unlike Long Beach and Lime Rock - but nevertheless you can hardly get excited about prototypes can you. That restrictor decrease may slow down the BMWs a little bit, but I'm still not sure whether the Vettes can fight for wins. Great place for that thou, first GT2 victory was scored here two years ago! |
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18 Jul 2011, 16:45 (Ref:2928166) | #7 | ||
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While there has been much to dampen spirits around the ALMS this year, and while excitement and pride for the series don't compare to 2008, I still look forward to each ALMS race knowing it will be (sadly?) one of the best races on American (and Canadian) soil this year.
This week the addition of the Autocon car does provide some intrigue in LMP1, while I don't think they have the driver roster to compete even with the Oryx-Dyson car it will be interesting to see how close that car is on pace, and what its relative performance is like. As we know, John Field will be watching the 12 car as well, and he may bring his(/yet another) Lola back to LMP1 if he likes what he sees from the 12 car. A busier LMP1 grid is a weapon that can be used in board rooms from Hyundai and Audi to Gamma88 when trying to raise funds to compete in the ALMS, so the addition of the 12... and if it happens the addition of the 37 LMP1... is good news for the type of racing we love. As far as the GT battle is concerned, you should be kicking yourself if you miss one of these races as the class is at an extremely high level of professionalism and competition and we don't know how many more seasons on this level we have upcoming. Putting politics aside, the Falken Tire Porsche, while having benefited from the 2x Corvette, BMW, ESM Ferrari, LMPC shamozzle at Lime Rock, appears to be closer to the pace of the leading GT cars than its ever been. With Derrick Walker on the pit stand the preparation and strategy of that team is in the same league as BMW, Corvette, Risi and the Lizards. Further, the 04 Ford GT seems to have the ability to hover around the top 6 in GT and could make itself a fly in somebody's ointment on any given weekend. At the very least LMPC and GTC provide the overtaking we love, and while (Jarrett Boone is it?) some entries seem to be club racers way out of their depths in the ALMS (dangerously so, tarnishing the image of the ALMS and yet welcomed by management) there are professional drivers and teams that manage to put on good shows in both classes. So yeah, we don't have Audi, Porsche or Acura like we did in 2008. And yes, management does seem to insulate itself from our complaints (many facets of reality,) and it is shocking what has happened to our beloved series; where once it was the darling of the racing world... but look at American racing, its all broken and the debt crisis and slow economic growth sure isn't helping. Of course, I'm just restating the obvious. Chris |
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18 Jul 2011, 16:54 (Ref:2928170) | #8 | |||
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I think the Vettes will have a really good shot at this race, especially if the Bavarians are indeed set back by their restrictor decrease. I also wonder how much longer the Risi guys will be off the top step of the podium. We have seen in Europe how good the 458 can be, but they just haven't been able to pull it off here - yet. |
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18 Jul 2011, 16:54 (Ref:2928172) | #9 | ||
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18 Jul 2011, 16:59 (Ref:2928177) | #10 | ||
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To be fair, the Autocon Lola AER was on the podium last year at Mosport, although it was with Burgess and Mowlem, and I dont think McMurry is anywhere near as fast as those two.
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18 Jul 2011, 17:11 (Ref:2928183) | #11 | ||
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Fair enough with the GTC, apart from Orbit's unfortunate race-ender there wasn't really anything to moan about (that I can think of) |
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18 Jul 2011, 17:46 (Ref:2928191) | #12 | |
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The old warhorse has shown flashes of speed every once in a while (more so with Intersport), but even you can't deny that they're far more likely to hit trouble than not with this notorious machine.
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18 Jul 2011, 17:58 (Ref:2928195) | #13 | ||
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Of course I have no data to back this up, but I think McMurry is decently fast. Not Mowlem fast, but at least Burgess quick. They should easily be the 3rd best pair in P1 at Mosport.
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18 Jul 2011, 21:06 (Ref:2928270) | #14 | |
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I don't know what all the moaning about the P1s is all about. The prototype battles were probably better than the GT battles at Sebring and Lime Rock. Ok, there aren't very many of them (all Lolas of various kinds) and none of them are groundbreaking models, but the racing has been pretty close between the Cytosport Aston and the #16 Dyson. The #20 car is fast with Kane behind the wheel. I think Cytosport will have an edge on Dyson at a fast track like Mosport, but we'll see what happens. The Autocon car could be strong, but it is hard to say what will happen with it given that it has a revised engine design with isobutanol now.
Ok, the lack of interesting battles in GT this year probably has a lot to do with Risi's struggles and Corvette's crashes. The BMW has been reigned in, we'll see how that impacts their game. I certainly did not have a problem with the GTC show last year at Mosport. The Miller car was quite fast until getting knocked off by Cocker (I think he got a penalty for that) and the Lawson Aschenbach/Shane Lewis car took the win. Lawson is money in a Porsche, I don't know why he does not have a GTE ride somewhere. He also has an engineering degree from one of the top US universities. I know he has a contract with GM, but they are letting him rot at the moment. At least put him back in the Cadillac WC car as he is a former champion of that series. |
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19 Jul 2011, 06:13 (Ref:2928396) | #15 | |
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Intersport always lost a lot of motors as they were always running them at the limit (although got a great finish at PLM last year when they turned it down). If I remember correctly, most of Autocon's woes were usually transmission related and not engine.
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19 Jul 2011, 06:23 (Ref:2928401) | #16 | |
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Did anyone read this IMSA bulletin from yesterday? It sounds like the adjustments to the BMWs and Porsches that were previously announced won't take place until Mid-Ohio.
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19 Jul 2011, 13:11 (Ref:2928559) | #17 | |||
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19 Jul 2011, 13:55 (Ref:2928577) | #18 | |
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19 Jul 2011, 13:58 (Ref:2928578) | #19 | |||
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IMSA got the update in too late and have also chosen not to enforce the Porsche weight addition, which they would have been entitled to do because it can be implemented with less notice. I guess penalising Porsche and not the BMW would have caused uproar. Having said that, the whole thing stinks. The Porsche had faster straightline speeds than the BMW at Lime Rock as Bergmeister pressed hard at the end of the race. Plus the Corvettes, Porsches and BMWs had similar straightline speeds at Le Mans. People don't seem to want to see that the BMW is being brilliantly setup by RLL and they haven't made a mistake all year. Tyres don't suck either to be fair :-) Ben |
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19 Jul 2011, 18:25 (Ref:2928671) | #20 | |
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*******no BMW flaming ZONE***********
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19 Jul 2011, 18:48 (Ref:2928681) | #21 | ||
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The isobutanol runs noticeably cooler, so engine reliability will be much improved, if Dyson is anything to go by.
I would guess that the Autocon car will be the fastest up the Mario Andretti Straightaway, as it has the larger displacement, and the turbos. I don't think Cytosport has much of a straight-line advantage over Dyson, and Dyson will have 2/3rds of a lap through the fast corners to pull some margin on the Lola-Aston before they even hit the straight. |
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19 Jul 2011, 21:12 (Ref:2928728) | #22 | |||
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Yes, but it appears that Cytosport is almost as good as the Mazda in the corners as well. If Dyson wants to win they have to allow Chris to run wild and have another great first stint, blocking and taking advantage of traffic at all costs. If Luhr pulls out to a massive lead like at Long Beach, then its game over as Graf and Smith seem to be about equal (Guy slightly better in traffic). Plus, Dyson is usually hopeless in the pitlane. As for Autocon, cant see how they will pull off a win without serious problems from Muscle Milk and Dyson, I think a lot of people are overestimating McMurry, but yes Burgess is fast. |
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19 Jul 2011, 21:29 (Ref:2928735) | #23 | ||
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The Dyson Lola is a hybrid 2011 LMP1/2010 LMP2--Dyson couldn't the the suspension kit for the wider wheels/tires soon enough, so IMSA ballasted up their cars and gave them a larger air restrictor to counter act the ballast. However, that setup is intermediate between a current LMP1 and the previous LMP2 setups, as they have stuck to the narrower LMP2 tires.
That's why there's seemingly little performance difference between the Lola AMR and the Dyson Lolas--the Dyson cars weight slightly less but the Lola Aston has wider tires. The Autocon Lola should be reliable since the engine has been heavily cranked down--should save the Lola/Hewland gearbox. And for Intersport, they shouldn't be hand grenading engines left and right either for the same reasons. |
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19 Jul 2011, 21:48 (Ref:2928740) | #24 | |||
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I also think the ACO Data Logger rule change is interesting. Does anyone want to try to make sense of it? I can take a guess, but I was wondering if anyone had anything concrete. Quote:
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19 Jul 2011, 22:35 (Ref:2928748) | #25 | |||
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lets see how RLL sets up the BMW with 450hp insted of 500. |
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