Sportscar/GT (and Le Mans) Rumours and Repetition

[Rodger Davies]

The Emil Frey one is a different build to the Apex ones I believe. In fact, I'm not sure (like the Viper) that it's officially FIA homologated. If it is I'm not sure which number its using as 012 and 021 are the old Apex Jags and both of them are listed as being expired on the Wikipedia entry.

[TRspitfirefan]

Originally Posted by MitchZ06

Jag F-Type.

That would be incredible!
I saw a Jag F-type road car at the ALMS Road America race last year, (British Racing Green of course) It really is a beautiful machine!

[Deleted]

http://www.dailysportscar.com/2014/0...world-cup.html

Alongside SRO’s plans for Blancpain GT and British GT, Stéphane Ratel has expressed his intentions at his annual press conference at Spa for a new project for the organisation, an Ultracar Sports Club.

This would be a two event series operating as part of two of the biggest Blancpain GT events for owners of ‘hypercars’ which will not be homologated as race cars, including cars such as the McLaren P1 and Ferrari LaFerrari with the possibility of accepting older cars like the Maserati MC12 on request. The event within an event would include two free practice sessions and a pair of regularity trials with entrants split by potential pace of the drivers.

“It would be a 24 hour long event, starting from midday on Saturday and finishing before the main race on Sunday so owners can turn up after working and leave before the end of the weekend.

“I get asked all the time, where’s the Paganis? When can we see the La Ferrari?,” Ratel told DSC. “We all know it’s impossible financially for the teams to make them race cars and to afford to run them but if we can get the owners to come along to create a grid and have something more to get involved in than just a parade or a village parking spot it would be spectacular for the fans.”

You know what I'm hearing loud and clear with this one is Ratel's desire to have big firebreathing GT1 series on his hands again (as he kinda said on RLM interview a year ago), so this thing has been proposed as a compromise. I'd say it's quite interesting concept actually but the format sounds rather weird, and surely there won't be TV coverage... I don't think the prospects are particarly higher than they were with the (two) dead SRO Revival Series

But it's good at least someone still wants to showcase the more exotic cars, rather than just the usual low to mid budget mediocre performance Ferraris and stuff

Such non-racecar format should also mean BoP-free environment which would be great. But pure street models would also mean potential safety hazards, and when the owners bin their expensive kits what then...

Anyway as always with SRO, just "proposal"

[MitchZ06]

What they need to do is create an SRO GT1 class, allow in such things as the P1 GTR and 918 RSR (LaugherrariXX if it gets some more race car aero maybe) and whatever else they can get in that's a low run high dollar hypermobile and just race that. Plenty of people want a return of GT1, there's plenty of hypercars out there that could supply the class so why not?

[Speed-King]

so why not?

$. Or rather $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

That's why not.

[Deleted]

Of course I would love for that to happen as GT1 -both 90's and 00's iterations- were my favorite classes but atm it's as unrealistic as having LMP1s at Daytona. So we are stuck with the average performance BoP GTs.

[rich07]

Originally Posted by MitchZ06

What they need to do is create an SRO GT1 class, allow in such things as the P1 GTR and 918 RSR (LaugherrariXX if it gets some more race car aero maybe) and whatever else they can get in that's a low run high dollar hypermobile and just race that. Plenty of people want a return of GT1, there's plenty of hypercars out there that could supply the class so why not?

You paying?

If I could I would but the money just isn't there atm

The world economy is a bit different from 2005 or so unfortunately.

[MitchZ06]

It's also better than 2008-2010.

[MagVanisher]

A single event for hypercars and GT1 racers of decade's past? Sure, I'm okay with that!

[Deleted]

There was a model list for this suggested format on EI

Bugatti Super Sport
Koenigsegg Agera
LaFerrari
Lamborghini Veneno
McLaren P1
Porsche 918 Spyder
Pagani Huayra

Plus others (I guess that list was just explanatory)

And maybe older models such as MC12 as Ratel suggested

[I Rosputnik]

I'm happy the GT3 World Cup idea is still going around. Guess it might be like World Touring Car Cup of the early 90's just with sportscars. Where would they race?

As for the Hypercar class, screw the price because I'm happy these cars might get the chance to do what they should be doing. (Now we just need a Megacar class for the Koenigsegg One-1.)

[Deleted]

It still hurts me to think that the CCGT was never allowed to run in GT1 because of the stupid rule change.

[carbon_titanium]

Seriously how can this happen? a lot of private teams struggle to field just one GT3 car (price around 400.000€) without paying drivers money, who could enter that kind of racing cars if only the street model price is sometimes over 1mln of €?
The only realistic option is a direct manufacturers involvment, but very unlikely as well.

[Deleted]

I take that you meant "how could this happen" rather than "how can this happen". Unless you're talking about the ultracar thingie -> they're not racing models nor would that concept really be anything serious.

[Dimension]

if they've not bankrupted themselves on their recent ventures, I could see teams such as MVDS and All-Inkl to be able to stomach the costs without too much issue. But they're an exception, question is if you would get more than 10-14 cars out there.

[Deleted]

They'd probably be delighted with 10-14 TBH

[carbon_titanium]

MVDS main program is moto2 as far am I aware, this year they run at spa and nurburgring because financed and supported directly by BMW

[rich07]

And look at Vitaphone, during the Maserati era they had unmatched resources and now they're not doing anything now that the Vitaphone money is gone.

[carbon_titanium]

vitaphone racing was a sort of ferrari/maserati official team! this is the reason behind their unlimited budget.
In the actual GT3 teams scenario I think that simply it doesn't exist a private team able to field just one of that car

[JoestForEver]

I think the hypercar racing idea Ratel want is no more than a track day galla. People with these cars and money to burn come and have fun at" two biggest events of Blancpain GT series", i.e. Spa and Baku

[Deleted]

Even though it's obviously SRO's flagship weekend I'm not sure if Spa would be part of it seeing as he mentioned the Saturday-Sunday timeslot before the "main race" (=BSS Champ I guess), and as for Baku he's been saying elsewhere that he is hopeful to continue there but that the circuit has the right to cut the deal anytime they want - particularly now that the big mommy is allegedly coming there.

I'd say the aim is for something more substantial than track day mimicking but still something that couldn't be officially slated anywhere near racing

[broadrun96]

Originally Posted by Chiana

http://www.dailysportscar.com/2014/0...world-cup.html



Anyway as always with SRO, just "proposal"

Am I the only one that read that as a way to get the big money guys to bring out their playtoys for basically parade laps on race weekends? At no point in reading the articles about it did I see anything that resembled racing, it sounded like practice sessions and showing off the cars in the paddock. And one look at the car list shows racing would not be at the top of their list.

[Deleted]

In modern day it's sorta impossible to let them race with unadulterated street models in the first place so I think what they're looking for is time trials.

[Deleted]

You know if F1 adopts success ballast on top of their cheese tires and Super Mario flaps and near spec components and invention-bannings and insane double points and possible fake exhaust sounds and other stuff, LMP1 with it's once-a-year EoT and few fuel restrictor mods might just become the purest form of multi manufacturer big budget motor racing. I mean I already think that it is vastly superior to F1 and the rest (obviously especially in technological side) but if we strictly talk about performance purity this might just give P1 justified edge. (ACO) LMP2 is already there if you wish to count it

(btw I've often said I prefer success ballast over BoP generally if I had to choose between the two - and that would be my ideal way in GTs - but that's different in this case where it's adapted in more logical way)

[Maelochs]

Small issue wioth success ballast: a car does well because a track suits it (say a BMW Z4 at a twisty track with short straights) and then it has to carry ballast at the next track, which might not suit it at all so it has a double handicap.