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7 Aug 2017, 17:19 (Ref:3758018) | #251 | |
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WEC should ditch the 6 hour flat rate because it will give the races more personality. A 12 hour race, an 8 hour race, maybe even a 3-4 hour sprint races. The teams are too comfortable and confident with the 6 hour format - they all know how to run it in perfectly, and only a FCY in an awkward will place will disrupt this. If you vary the race lengths then it will lead to more varied results.
"Is 6 hours an endurance race" is really a completely separate question - and the answer is of course yes. I'd argue anything over 2 hours is an endurance race. Outside of NASCAR are there any regular series which race for more than 2 hours that we don't consider endurance? Not every race needs to be a full 24 hours for it to be an endurance event. I'd happily have Spa as a 12 hour race. WEC is never going to be at Sebring any time soon, so lets make a new classic (just like ALMS did with Petit). Maybe Fuji could be 8 hours. Maybe Nurburgring could be 4 hours. |
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7 Aug 2017, 17:31 (Ref:3758024) | #252 | ||
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Unless they change their regs, the ACO won't accept anything short of a 6 hour race. I'd rather see at least 1-2 longer races, like say 12 hours or 1000 miles/1500km.
And for these cars, anymore, 6 hours isn't an endurance race, it's a sprint race for these cars pretty much. But that's just my opinion. Not to mention as been mentioned, if you have a standard race length, everyone's strategy is pretty much standardized. Also, IMO, if you want to do shorter races, have them be a double header. I can't see most teams traveling to do one 3-4 hour race. If anything, the flyaways should be longer or double header races to get everyone's money's worth. Shorter races might work for regional series like IMSA or the LMS, but if you're going to ask teams to do flyaway races, either have those races be 8, 10, 12 hours long or 1500-2000km or 1000 miles. Or have two 4 hour races on the weekend. |
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7 Aug 2017, 22:41 (Ref:3758067) | #253 | ||
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Full reverse grid for the second race maybe? GT Am at the front of the grid! Ha! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk |
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7 Aug 2017, 23:10 (Ref:3758073) | #254 | ||
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No, that would be too gimmicky. I know that some would argue that the double header weekends would be a gimmick, too. But it could be a way to have shorter races without breaking the endurance race spirit. And it won't be a heat race, though the results of race 1 would determine the starting order for race 2 for prototypes and GTs (to save on practice and qualifying time).
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8 Aug 2017, 06:42 (Ref:3758122) | #255 | |
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6 hour race may not be much of a durability test now, but it still changes the mentality of the drivers. Drivers often talk about "flatout racing", but are they deceiving themselves? I just refuse to believe they'll take every corner starting from the 1st lap T1 as they would take them in a ~2 hour race. That's why I think this over-repeated "24 hour sprint race" saying is a joke. I've never liked the 6 hour length: too short for an endurance race, too long for a true sprint race.
. Last edited by deggis; 8 Aug 2017 at 06:50. |
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8 Aug 2017, 06:44 (Ref:3758123) | #256 | |
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8 hours of Spa and Fuji sound good to me.
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8 Aug 2017, 06:46 (Ref:3758124) | #257 | |
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scratch 8 at Fuji, I lose enough sleep that weekend as is.
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8 Aug 2017, 06:48 (Ref:3758126) | #258 | |
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8 Aug 2017, 13:27 (Ref:3758173) | #259 | |
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I'm not the biggest fan of the six hour races either. You sacrifice half a day for the race but don't really get that rewarding feeling you get from longer races.
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8 Aug 2017, 13:41 (Ref:3758176) | #260 | |
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WEC is never ever going to be getting viewing figures that can justify 6 hours of TV solid every single race. They should concentrate on internet exposure and be ahead of the curve for that one. This is something they're currently trying their best to fail on, as the service provided is poor. No RLM, different commentators each race, very very poor quality site, erratic video quality. It's just bad. They are upload races to YouTube afterwards, which is fantastic, but the live experience is still very poor and patchy.
This is purely my opinion and I'm sure many would disagree - 6 Hours of Silverstone 10 Hours of Spa 24 Hours of Le Mans 3 Hours of Nurburgring (make the sprint race European, less travel) 6 Hours of Mexico 12 Hours of....somewhere American 8 Hours of Fuji 6 hours of Shanghai Lets change it up. Lets create classics. If IMSA made Petit Le Mans 2h 40m then it'd be just another race, and that's what the ACO is doing to the WEC. But I'm sure they can create an awesome 12 Hour race in America (Indy? don't know) that'll catch on. Japanese fans are crazy, they deserve a good long one too. Let's have some variety and give each race it's own feeling, rather than a stamped out 6 hour event which is what we get now. There will be problems with my suggestion obviously, but just putting it out there that varying things would be good for everyone. |
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8 Aug 2017, 15:28 (Ref:3758203) | #261 | |
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I would think races being shortened from 6 hours to 5 hours is more likely than anything to account for the 1 hour GTE sprint race.
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8 Aug 2017, 16:09 (Ref:3758209) | #262 | ||
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9 Aug 2017, 01:28 (Ref:3758301) | #263 | |||
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Barber, March 17, 2020 — not on FIA list of September 28, 2016 Lime Rock, February 5, 2019 Long Beach, April 6, 2018 — not on FIA list of September 28, 2016 Nola, March 31, 2018 Road America, January 15, 2020 — not on FIA list of September 28, 2016 Road Atlanta, April 15, 2018 Sebring, February 27, 2018 St. Petersburg, March 9, 2020 — not on FIA list of September 28, 2016 VIR, January 10, 2019 — not on FIA list of September 28, 2016 Watkins Glen, June 8, 2019 (COTA and Indy are, of course, Grade 1. Mosport is list as Grade 2.) |
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9 Aug 2017, 02:53 (Ref:3758308) | #264 | |
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. . . but I'm not a traditionalist so maybe my opinion doesn't count! -TF110 |
9 Aug 2017, 03:12 (Ref:3758312) | #265 | ||
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If you ran it as a combo weekend at any of the non-street circuit tracks that IMSA races at next year it would draw solid attendance. The WEC went out and picked the worst sports car track in the country to draw a crowd at the hardest time of the year.
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9 Aug 2017, 03:23 (Ref:3758315) | #266 | ||
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Like, I don't know, let's say Road America? Those darn pit walls though.
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9 Aug 2017, 05:36 (Ref:3758330) | #267 | ||||
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The WEC brass won’t like it if the IMSA part of the show draws better or comes across better than the WEC race, which is quite possible. The news stories about DPi versus LMP1 that a combined date would invite aren’t something the WEC is looking for right now. |
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9 Aug 2017, 08:13 (Ref:3758342) | #268 | ||
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The WEC feel that they need a North American round. It could be argued that Mexico City counts. But we don't know the future of even that race beyond this year with the financial problems that the promoter's having.
Only viable NA tracks, unless the ACO decide to take a hit/swallow their pride and run at a Grade 2 track, are Indy GP and Montreal. |
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9 Aug 2017, 10:05 (Ref:3758361) | #269 | ||
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I think Silverstone needs to be a 12 hour event, or if not, then at least start the race at 17:00 local time so that it finishes in the dark.
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9 Aug 2017, 10:07 (Ref:3758362) | #270 | |||
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Also: 6h in April are already pretty miserable weatherwise - 12h in April is pretty much "Kill-me-now"-territory. |
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9 Aug 2017, 13:33 (Ref:3758393) | #271 | |
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I never understood why we hate rain at Silverstone but love it at Spa.
My logic for a Silverstone 6 hour was it has ELMS the day before so is already a bit of a festival. |
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9 Aug 2017, 16:30 (Ref:3758415) | #272 | ||
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Nola-Too expensive for track VIR, Road America-Too poor facilities Watkins, Road Atlanta, Sebring-Already major sportscar races, probably don't want another So Indy, Montreal, CotA or no NA |
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9 Aug 2017, 17:47 (Ref:3758426) | #273 | ||
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COTA's probably out due to poor promotion and poor track management. So it's probably Indy or Montreal. That's unless the ACO decide to swallow their pride and run a Grade 2 track.
However, given the ACO's hubris over the past decade or so, the existing management of the ACO would have to be forced out before that happens. They'd rather sink the WEC than do what makes sense it seems. |
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9 Aug 2017, 18:18 (Ref:3758431) | #274 | |||
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9 Aug 2017, 18:26 (Ref:3758432) | #275 | ||
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They can adjust if they want. It's more a case if they want to adapt to fit an American style circuit, or if it's worth it. WEC really hasn't taken off in America, so should they keep going at it? Or just move elsewhere? |
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