The departed...

BSchneiderFan · 24 Mar 2003, 18:17 (Ref:546630)

Teams and drivers that should be in sportscar racing but aren't - where are they?

DAMS
ORECA
Kremer Racing
Robinson Racing
Roock Racing
All-American Racers
Zakspeed Racing

Christophe Tinseau
Eric Bernard
Jean-Marc Gounon
Hubert Haupt
Andre Ahrle
Juan Fangio II
Yannick Dalmas
Pedro Lamy
Sandy Grau

Burd · 24 Mar 2003, 18:38 (Ref:546656)

$$$

**FIRE** · 24 Mar 2003, 19:06 (Ref:546687)

Quote:

Originally posted by BSchneiderFan
Zakspeed Racing

They racing in German V8STars series and German Endurance championship.

**Aysedasi** · 24 Mar 2003, 19:19 (Ref:546710)

I must admit I'm not sure about most of those teams, but its certainly interesting to see that list of drivers.

Anyone know what they're up to? I know Dalmas was a bit sore at losing the Goh Audi drive, but I would have thought another team would have snapped him up by now for Le Mans in particular. I guess (perhaps to a lesser extent) the same goes for Tinseau, Lamy, Bernard and (perhaps to a lesser, lesser extent

), Gounon.

Any other apparently unemployed drivers out there with sportscar pedigrees?

BSchneiderFan · 24 Mar 2003, 21:03 (Ref:546823)

Pierre-Henri Raphanel was an omission from my earlier list, I realise. And I have a sinking feeling that the answer "$$$" was spot-on. But I disagree with the "lesser, lesser extent" about Gounon; he flew in the Persson Mercedes in '98 and is, I believe, a damned quick driver.

BSchneiderFan · 24 Mar 2003, 22:10 (Ref:546884)

I forgot also:

Werner Lupberger
Bruno Eichmann
Gary Formato
Grant Orbell

Haberthur Racing

Lee Janotta · 25 Mar 2003, 03:40 (Ref:547038)

Quote:

Originally posted by BSchneiderFan
Teams and drivers that should be in sportscar racing but aren't - where are they?

ORECA
All-American Racers
Juan Fangio II

Busy
Broke
Talentless

Dunno about any of the others...

A.D.K. · 25 Mar 2003, 05:09 (Ref:547087)

Quote:

Originally posted by Lee Janotta
Busy
Broke Actually after getting burned the CART program by Toyota. Dan has been working on this.
Alligator Motorcycle
Address:http://www.allamericanracers.com/all...ator_home.html and helping his son get his racing career going.
Talentless

Dunno about any of the others...

Fab · 25 Mar 2003, 06:01 (Ref:547100)

Quote:

Originally posted by BSchneiderFan
Teams and drivers that should be in sportscar racing but aren't - where are they?

DAMS : short fuel - huh, short $
ORECA : no rich pilot to rent the cars $

Yannick Dalmas : no top team to propose a wheel

Cynic · 25 Mar 2003, 08:03 (Ref:547153)

Didn't Roock go Bankrupt? I'm sure they had a "clearing out" sale of all their cars.

**Aysedasi** · 25 Mar 2003, 08:12 (Ref:547157)

Quote:

Originally posted by BSchneiderFan
I disagree with the "lesser, lesser extent" about Gounon; he flew in the Persson Mercedes in '98 and is, I believe, a damned quick driver.

Quick, perhaps, but shall we say, prone to the occasional mistake.....

krt917 · 25 Mar 2003, 08:38 (Ref:547188)

Yes, occassional, but he could bring it home. I remember him at Nogaro in 1995 (or '96!?) when he was involved in a startline shunt (not his fault) and dropped over a lap down. He charged back through, sliding his F40 all round the track, and NEARLY caught the lead McLaren before the end of the race. One of the best Sportscar/GT drives in recent times.

I'd very much like to know what Gounon is doing these days too!

Graham Goodwin · 25 Mar 2003, 10:37 (Ref:547273)

He hasn't had a permanent race seat since the Merc drive - I spoke to him at donington last season - he was racing in one of the BMS 550s - and he was not a little unhappy about the situation.

He didn't however do his case a power of good by nerfing JCW in the Lister at the same race!

KA · 25 Mar 2003, 11:19 (Ref:547305)

Quote:

Originally posted by BSchneiderFan
I forgot also:

Haberthur Racing

Aren't Haberthur still around but under a different name- think they turned up at Spa last year under the 'Swiss GT Racing' name or something like that?

BSchneiderFan · 25 Mar 2003, 11:42 (Ref:547332)

I'm sceptical about Juan Fangio II being "talentless"; he did, after all, win the IMSA title twice and Sebring too, if memory serves. Reasonably handy behind the wheel, surely...

And I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks Gounon is underrated. I've often wondered who would have been the regular pilots if Mercedes had run the ALMS in 1999 as well as Le Mans. At Le Mans, they ran:

Schneider (yay!)
Lamy
Lagorce
Bouchut
Heidfeld
Dumbreck
Gounon
Tiemann
Webber

But which four would have been the regulars? I would have thought Schneider, Tiemnann, Gounon and Bouchut, but I could be wrong.

Anyway, don't let me sidetrack people. (I have a habit of doing that.)

Graham Goodwin · 25 Mar 2003, 12:08 (Ref:547361)

You're correct about Haberthur KA.

**Aysedasi** · 25 Mar 2003, 13:16 (Ref:547448)

Quote:

Originally posted by BSchneiderFan
I'm sceptical about Juan Fangio II being "talentless"; he did, after all, win the IMSA title twice and Sebring too, if memory serves. Reasonably handy behind the wheel, surely...

And don't forget that he could well have won Le Mans in 1993 if it hadn't been for a certain Mr. Terada.

Fan · 25 Mar 2003, 14:17 (Ref:547534)

[QUOTE]Originally posted by BSchneiderFan
[B]I forgot also:

Werner Lupberger
Gary Formato
Grant Orbell

They're all back home in South Africa. Formato is racing Wesbank Modifieds, not sure about Orbell or Lupberger though.

BSchneiderFan · 25 Mar 2003, 16:34 (Ref:547678)

Seems a waste; Gary Formato was very fast for Kremer (?) in the SRWC, Orbell was a steady Le Mans performer, and didn't Lupberger drive for Ascari for a while?

Lee Janotta · 25 Mar 2003, 16:41 (Ref:547682)

Well, he was hopeless in CART. Then again, so was the Toyota engine at that point, so, maybe I am being a bit hard on him...

lowieracing · 25 Mar 2003, 17:41 (Ref:547722)

Gounon was also racing and won the Lamborghini GTR Supertrophy last year yet it was also evident then that he was amiazingly fast yet a bit of a "car-breaker" shall we say! im not sure where he will be this year, yet i think/hope he'll pop up in the world of sportscar or GT racing somewhere?!

SALEEN S7R · 25 Mar 2003, 18:17 (Ref:547747)

Quote:

Originally posted by Graham Goodwin
He hasn't had a permanent race seat since the Merc drive - I spoke to him at donington last season - he was racing in one of the BMS 550s - and he was not a little unhappy about the situation.

He didn't however do his case a power of good by nerfing JCW in the Lister at the same race!

Actually I think the incident involving JCW and Picini (not gunon) was more JCW's fault, JCW dived down the inside of Piccini at the final hairpin, Piccini took the normal line and JCW spun him around. Therefore JCW had damage to the front end of his car and eventually retired, and Piccini was able to continue.

JCW got a little bit over excited im afraid, he'd been used to being at the front for most of the time in FIA GT (even though he missed the title in 2001) and made a clumbsy overtaking manouvure to try and get back in front after just being overtaken. Just a racing incident but caused by JCW.

Tim Northcutt · 25 Mar 2003, 18:25 (Ref:547754)

In addition to Dan Gurney building the Motorcycle and helping his son (Alex) get established into racing, didn't he and Phil Hill make an announcement at the F-1 US Grand Prix last fall about some partnership they had started with Red Bull to pick some hot young American drivers and get them a start in the different levels of European "Formula" racing to help them ultimately become Formula One Drivers????

I remember reading something about 16 drivers being picked from all forms of American racing, follwed by tests with all 16 and four being selected...

The announcement also dealt with the two of them working to get a U.S. rooted Formula One team going, but apparently the $$$ or additional interest/partners were not there....

Did I dream all of this????

**Aysedasi** · 25 Mar 2003, 18:29 (Ref:547759)

No, I read about that too, Tim. It was reported in Schumacher Weekly at the time. I've heard nothing about it since.....

Lee Janotta · 25 Mar 2003, 19:47 (Ref:547872)

Tim: Dan Gurney made some pretty loud announcements to that general effect... They collapsed a few days later when Phil Hill told the press he hadn't even spoken to Dan recently.

Perhaps a bit of senility sinking in for one or the other?