ALMS Rnd 1: 12 Hours of Sebring 14-17 Mar 2007

[Bentley03]

The DSC Night Practice report makes for grim reading..........

When the storm hit last night, one Intersport crew member ended up in the care center with cuts to his arm from his efforts to hold down the awning in the high wind. Another was thrown through the air landing between the concrete walls on the back straight when the awning did flip over. It would appear that the unfortunate guy was not too badly injured, but even so.....

The damage to the #1 Audi is extensive to all four corners and there are doubts that they have enough spares available to rebuild it. There is the suggestion that one of the 2006 cars which is currently being prepared for St Pete's could be transported to Sebring as a replacement. Dindo Capello was driving and, although shaken, would appear to be uninjured (thank goodness!).

No news as to whether or not the Intersport car will make the race. I, for one, have everything crossed that it will.....

[gwyllion]

According to DSC

Dindo came across the (#53 Robertson) Panoz, which was moving extremely slowly on the track. In order to avoid contact, he swerved, and got off line, into the wet, and as he was running on slicks at the time, he spun at high speed.

[Ryan_Briscoe1]

im shattered, its starting and I have no way of listening to it or watching it. Wheels on tvuplayer isnt showing it, the lemansradio doesnt connect and the live timing is still showing data from the last practise!

[sceptic]

The next session is 30 minutes away...

...and radio is working fine - go to www.0157.org and click on LISTEN LIVE on the right hand side.
Currently playing Phil Collins.

[Ryan_Briscoe1]

Originally Posted by sceptic

The next session is 30 minutes away...

yeh, just checked the schdule then, i was looking at the countdown on the alms website and thought that was the start. Cheers.

[SebringMG]

Off-topic alert

Originally Posted by Spyderman

If the lopped-sided pro-diesel rules are changed, then you will get major manufacturers competeing in P1.
If then the diesels are at a disadvantage, small rule adjustments can be made until a good (read fair) equavalency index can be found between petrol and diesels.
Now, this seems to me like a logical way forward... the real question is why there's no interest choosing this route.
Why is there no interest in attracting non diesel manufacturers into P1?
Could it have something to do with a well known French manufacturer and their diesel aspirations?

Yes to a certain extent that is probably true!! However, also worth considereing that Porsche et al do not want to race until they are certain to win that means they really want the diesels hit with a nerf bat so are quite happy for the privateers to be regularly easily beaten by Audi and the 08 regulations moved such that a works petrol will easily defeat the works diesels....call me cynical.....

LMS this season will show how the equivalency works until then best watch Sebring and enjoy the P2 battle (also GT2) P1 anf GT1 look predictable enough

[gwyllion]

According to the live timing the #1 Audi is running (it did 8 laps).

[cmk]

Thank heavens for that. The only battle in P1 will be intramural, so it would be a death knell to lose the #1 (not to mention Alan, Tom and Dindo).

[neiltbag]

WIll the #1 start at the back of the grid, seeing as it's a different car to the one that they qualified in?

[HORNDAWG]

Originally Posted by neiltbag

WIll the #1 start at the back of the grid, seeing as it's a different car to the one that they qualified in?

Ya! Replaced the tub my back side!! They just brought out another car from Champion's shop, I would imagine!

I would imagime they would have to start from the back. But we shall see?


L.P.

[Bentley03]

Very encouraging Intersport news on DSC. The Creation is being rebuilt and the final pieces needed to complete the job are on their way to Sebring. Jon Field has a sore back as a result of yesterday's qualifying crash, but the car should be finished in time to take it's place on the grid tomorrow. Well done to the Intersport/Creation guys, great job!

[cmk]

Originally Posted by HORNDAWG

Ya! Replaced the tub my back side!! They just brought out another car from Champion's shop, I would imagine!

I would imagime they would have to start from the back. But we shall see?


L.P.

While I appreciate your skepticism, I suspect they did come close to replacing the tub. Yes, the tub came from Champion, but it was in the process of being built up, so I suspect it was not really screwed together to begin with. Further to this, as long as they have 2007-spec engine and gearbox available, why would they not mate these to the "new" tub? Same thing with any new suspension bits to provide that better performance over the bumps...

I am sure they will have to start from the back, much like what happened to IMSA Performance at LM last year after Riccitelli's off.

[paul-collins]

Version 2 of the spotter's guide is now up here:

http://www.rennsport-beraten.com/spo...ng_2007_v2.pdf

[JAG]

Originally Posted by Spyderman

If the lopped-sided pro-diesel rules are changed, then you will get major manufacturers competeing in P1.
If then the diesels are at a disadvantage, small rule adjustments can be made until a good (read fair) equavalency index can be found between petrol and diesels.
Now, this seems to me like a logical way forward... the real question is why there's no interest choosing this route.
Why is there no interest in attracting non diesel manufacturers into P1?
Could it have something to do with a well known French manufacturer and their diesel aspirations?

Let's stop skirting arund the issue's and tell it like it is, the P1 opposition to Audi ahve done themselves no favours, problem after problem, throwing away race wins (against the R8) when they're put on a plate, you name it.

No ones been more outspoken about diesels than Pescarolo, but even by his figures a petrol car should only be no more than 1-1.5 seconds behind the Audi.

ALMS P1 is simply lacking in depth and quality.

[paul-collins]

Originally Posted by JAG

No ones been more outspoken about diesels than Pescarolo, but even by his figures a petrol car should only be no more than 1-1.5 seconds behind the Audi.

What?

He said that - at the beginning of the diesel development cycle - the race difference in fast laps at LM (4.4 seconds) was supportable by the evidence. He also expected that the gap would grow as the development of diesels advanced.

Given that a lap of Sebring is about half that of Le Mans in time (105 seconds versus 210 seconds) the minimum gap, assuming no development of the diesel from June 2006 is 2.2 seconds at Sebring.

Where are you getting this 1 to 1.5 seconds?

[JAG]

Originally Posted by SebringMG

Off-topic alert



Yes to a certain extent that is probably true!! However, also worth considereing that Porsche et al do not want to race until they are certain to win that means they really want the diesels hit with a nerf bat so are quite happy for the privateers to be regularly easily beaten by Audi and the 08 regulations moved such that a works petrol will easily defeat the works diesels....call me cynical.....

Call me cynical, but if I were Audi I would simply point to the pace of a P2 Porsche and ask why a car like the Creatin isn't, at the very least, on the pace of the leading P2's, which would put them in with a shout of victory.

[FIRE]

Originally Posted by paul-collins

Version 2 of the spotter's guide is now up here:

http://www.rennsport-beraten.com/spo...ng_2007_v2.pdf

Great work!

[chernaudi]

Appearently, they used parts from one unused car to fix the wrecked car.

[JAG]

Originally Posted by paul-collins

What?

He said that - at the beginning of the diesel development cycle - the race difference in fast laps at LM (4.4 seconds) was supportable by the evidence. He also expected that the gap would grow as the development of diesels advanced.

Given that a lap of Sebring is about half that of Le Mans in time (105 seconds versus 210 seconds) the minimum gap, assuming no development of the diesel from June 2006 is 2.2 seconds at Sebring.

Where are you getting this 1 to 1.5 seconds?

You don't think petrol cars are also coming on leaps and bounds?

Are you saying the all of Audis extra pace is from the engine?

The Porsche P2 has made just as large a gain as the Audi, with a petrol engined P2 car. There's no suggestion, or evidence, that a petrol P2 is quicker than a petrol P1, so it's not unreasonable to suggest a car like the Creation (or at least the latest 2007 spec car) should be dipping into the 1.45's.

Would Intersport be on the pace of the factory Audis wth a privateer R10, would they even be quicker than leading P2's?

1/ Audi P1 - 1.44.974

2/ Audi P1- 1.45.326

3/ Porsche P2- 1.46.046


Select other tmes:-

Fernandez Lola Acura P2 - 1.48.417

Mazda Lola P2 - 1.50.312

Intersport Creation - 1.50.704 (practice time)

[dj4monie]

Originally Posted by tux

hi, this just a general observation that in the alms there has been a lot of accidents for ferrari f430 gt2 cars. is this because the level of gt2 competition in america is so high and competetive that all the drivers are pushing 101% out of the cars and often finding the limits? or is it the nature of the tracks. i was just wondering because in europe there hasnt been many f430 accidents.

Back to the 12 hours of sebring, despite low numbers in gt1 it is looking like a close race and lmp2 is very very exciting indeed.

Thanks for your time

Im kinda suprised everybody glossed over this one, car livery more important eh?

Hmm, that's diffcult to answer as I only see what SPEED shows of FIA GT and LME events, so it hard to judge. But I would say, its lack of knowledge of American tracks more than anything.

[dj4monie]

Originally Posted by JAG

You don't think petrol cars are also coming on leaps and bounds?

Are you saying the all of Audis extra pace is from the engine?

The Porsche P2 has made just as large a gain as the Audi, with a petrol engined P2 car. There's no suggestion, or evidence, that a petrol P2 is quicker than a petrol P1, so it's not unreasonable to suggest a car like the Creation (or at least the latest 2007 spec car) should be dipping into the 1.45's.

Would Intersport be on the pace of the factory Audis wth a privateer R10, would they even be quicker than leading P2's?

1/ Audi P1 - 1.44.974

2/ Audi P1- 1.45.326

3/ Porsche P2- 1.46.046


Select other tmes:-

Fernandez Lola Acura P2 - 1.48.417

Mazda Lola P2 - 1.50.312

Intersport Creation - 1.50.704 (practice time)

I don't ever believe the crying will stop about Audi and oil-burners...

We'll see what its like to challenge the all mighty Germans June, when the factories will go head to head for the first time in AWHILE for Audi anyway.

With the budget it would take to develop a diesel racecar, nobody has has the funds to do it BUT a OEM. Afterall, this is the same company (VW AG) that funded and built the Veryon when everybody said it couldn't be done.

If Audi took their toys and went DTM racing only, would the QUALITY of teams improve for P1? I don't think so. You have middling teams that would try to step up, but as soon as another OEM needed a place to showcase there technology, those small private teams quickly become BACKMARKERS and the *****in and moaning begins.

There's no real way to fix this, so just enjoy what you got.

GT1 has a different issues than P1 and can't be grouped under the same heading.

[Graham Goodwin]

There are ways to fix it but it isn't going to happen in LMP1 in 2007

[JAG]

Originally Posted by Graham Goodwin

There are ways to fix it but it isn't going to happen in LMP1 in 2007

Can you 'fix' 6 seconds slower?

OK, Intersport are on a steep learning curve, but still, the Creation is a sorted car.

[Fogelhund]

Originally Posted by JAG

Can you 'fix' 6 seconds slower?

OK, Intersport are on a steep learning curve, but still, the Creation is a sorted car.

Sorted? A package on brand new tires, is practically a new package, and hardly sorted.

[skycafe]

Originally Posted by Bentley03

Well done to the Intersport/Creation guys, great job!

They flew into action!

Sorry, really bad on my part. The way it sounds one crew member went up and over transporter and ended up between concrete walls on concrete surface!

Glad to hear they all survived and glad to hear they may get the Creation buttoned back together again! I wish for them trouble free race blasting the crowd with V10 JUDD sounds!