Sportscar/GT (and Le Mans) Rumours and Repetition

[seanyb505]

That's usually what happens for the top GT class. late 90's GT1 goes away, replaced by non homologation special road cars as the top GT class. Early-mid 2000's GT1 goes away, replaced by GT2(GTE) as the top class.

It feels like Le Mans will move to GT3 type vehicles (though not quite GT3 rules), Ferrari will move there, the current 991 RSR will run its GTE course and end up there, people will look up and realize it's only Corvette racing a legitimate GTE, and everyone moves to GT3, and it becomes the top class. Manufacturers will run works GT3 teams, and privateers will move to GT4/Cup type cars. But wait, they'll actually want to run a car with down force, so GT4 cars will start to see aero develop. Some super rich guys will see that they're GT4 cars aren't that far off the GT3 pace, and will want to race on the same track. Meanwhile GT3 has been getting crazy expensive, so some teams and manufacturers will scale back their efforts to "take a break from the big show." Soon, enough teams will find that GT4 is a bargain compared to GT3 and move there. We'll be left with Corvette and maybe a Ferrari running around in GT3. Queue the march to GT4 as the manufacturer playground...Granted this will likely take 10-15 years and is complete speculation...though it's been the trend for a while now.

[Deleted]

Originally Posted by Simmi

http://www.dailysportscar.com/2014/1...rogrammes.html

"The WEC/ LM24 campaigns have proved very successful for Maranello and AF Corse but irritation has been growing with the ever-shifting sands of regulatory waivers and Balance of Performance. Insiders have made it clear that there is dissatisfaction with moves to equalise stint lengths across the marques via fuel flow and fuel load, despite major steps forward from Ferrari in fuel efficiency."

For a car that would win every single race it entered and make other models look like fools if there was no BoP in LMGTE, is anybody surprised by this? No

Recent change of starting to fiddle with fuel flow restrictors as well (as per IMSA) just makes them more angry, rightly

[lms]

Originally Posted by seanyb505

That's usually what happens for the top GT class. late 90's GT1 goes away, replaced by non homologation special road cars as the top GT class. Early-mid 2000's GT1 goes away, replaced by GT2(GTE) as the top class.

It feels like Le Mans will move to GT3 type vehicles (though not quite GT3 rules), Ferrari will move there, the current 991 RSR will run its GTE course and end up there, people will look up and realize it's only Corvette racing a legitimate GTE, and everyone moves to GT3, and it becomes the top class. Manufacturers will run works GT3 teams, and privateers will move to GT4/Cup type cars. But wait, they'll actually want to run a car with down force, so GT4 cars will start to see aero develop. Some super rich guys will see that they're GT4 cars aren't that far off the GT3 pace, and will want to race on the same track. Meanwhile GT3 has been getting crazy expensive, so some teams and manufacturers will scale back their efforts to "take a break from the big show." Soon, enough teams will find that GT4 is a bargain compared to GT3 and move there. We'll be left with Corvette and maybe a Ferrari running around in GT3. Queue the march to GT4 as the manufacturer playground...Granted this will likely take 10-15 years and is complete speculation...though it's been the trend for a while now.

easy solution: stop aero development. very tightly regulated.

this could be a toyota gt car

http://wall.alphacoders.com/big.php?i=282084
#thefuture

[Deleted]

I would love to see that Frankenstein having a go at Mulsanne during the night with it's fake sticker headlights. Halloween in June.

[rdjones]

Here is an interesting one Jenson Button to Porsche in 2015...

http://mobile.f1today.nl/en/news/ham...aren-for-2015/

[Deleted]

The same Button who said this in January?

Originally Posted by Jenson Button on Autosport

"Le Mans never really ticked the boxes for me, You are racing with cars that are so much slower, in different categories, and dodging cars throughout the whole race is not something that I have ever got that excited about. -- Maybe I will when I drive one of them and drive at Le Mans, because I'd love to drive around the Le Mans circuit in a sportscar, but it's just having different categories racing together that I am not keen on".

[Koenigsegg]

Originally Posted by lms

Why cant gte simply be gt3 with pro drivers? except only gt cars would be allowed, none of that alpina-bently-whatever bs is needed. Gte is too expensive, it shouldnt continue. There are only relatively few cars globally vs gt3. The Z4 would be going away soon too. Its replacement model is only for gt3. The Mclaren gte is unknown. Dodge went away. Why the hell does this class still exist? Just replace it with gt3 and give it a new name so it sounds new and fresh.

how much more expensive is a regional (EU or USA) gte program than a regional gt3 program?

FThis makes no sense at all. First of all, who defines which car is a GT car and which car isn't? And you do know GT stand for Grand Tourer? And the real Grand Tourer cars are actually the Bentley, Aston Martin Vantage Alpina B6, BMW M6 etc. The 'fake' GT's are Ferrari's, McLaren's, Porsche's etc.

The M6 will also replace the Z4 in GTE.

This class still exists because it's created by ACO, you know, the guys who run Le Mans, ELMS, AsLMS and partially FIA WEC. GT3 cars are created by SRO.

[Maelochs]

I would dearly love to see a real "GT" class in ACO-FIA racign: a cl;ass with set rules which everyone has to adhere to. Not a BoP class, which is fine for entertainment but doesn't belong in top-tier racing.

Problem is, GTE is as much a BoP class as GT3 now. The rulesmakers decide who gets to win.

GTE rules were Supposed to allow enough freedom that manufacturers af radically different cars could all build to a ruleset and be competitive. Politics trumped rules, and now we have two blatant BoP classes.

If BoP is the future, why not have teams do rock-paper-scisssors before each round to determine which gets the most breaks? It makes as much sense as the current "rules."

One thing about F1--if a team builds a bad car, they have a bad year--even Ferrari. THAT is racing for adults.

[Deleted]

Originally Posted by Maelochs

If BoP is the future, why not have teams do rock-paper-scisssors before each round to determine which gets the most breaks? It makes as much sense as the current "rules."

How about this?
http://tentenths.com/forum/showpost....postcount=1655

Anyway just as GT3, LMGTE is utter crap for me now, and the only way for real non-BoPped ACO GT racing to return is by reverting to (real) multi class format.

[Maelochs]

The BoP drawing would outdraw the race in TV ratings. Drivers could have their wives on hand, or maybe in a back room, for those wife-reaction shots---the wives could fight amongst each other over whose husband was treated most unfairly.

Over the course of the season, mini-profiles of the drivers and wives/girlfriends could reveal their "most salacious secrets" and build fan attachment to the couples. Who cares about the racing--the pre-race BoP drama has everything a good reality show needs. Cha-ching!

[deggis]

Originally Posted by Chiana

The same Button who said this in January?

Opinions seem to change quickly sometimes when you're suddenly out of [top] F1 seats.

[Deleted]

Originally Posted by Maelochs

The BoP drawing would outdraw the race in TV ratings. Drivers could have their wives on hand, or maybe in a back room, for those wife-reaction shots---the wives could fight amongst each other over whose husband was treated most unfairly.

Over the course of the season, mini-profiles of the drivers and wives/girlfriends could reveal their "most salacious secrets" and build fan attachment to the couples. Who cares about the racing--the pre-race BoP drama has everything a good reality show needs. Cha-ching!

Brilliant! And ACO TV production staff already has plenty of experience of constantly going for needless reaction shots anyway, so it's all good.

[hondafan37]

Audi launches new car the next Friday
Oct. 17
https://twitter.com/Audi__Sport/stat...41259470802944

[Victor_RO]

Originally Posted by hondafan37

Audi launches new car the next Friday
Oct. 17
https://twitter.com/Audi__Sport/stat...41259470802944

Glimpse in that status seems to look to me like a road car-based project. New R8 GT3?

[chernaudi]

Car in pic looks more like a TT, and there's rumors of Audi lauching a one-make series for the new TT next week from a German automotive magazine. The link is in the Audi R18 thread.

[Victor_RO]

Originally Posted by chernaudi

Car in pic looks more like a TT, and there's rumors of Audi lauching a one-make series for the new TT next week from a German automotive magazine. The link is in the Audi R18 thread.

Either that, or for VLN.

[chernaudi]

This is probably a hold over until the next generation TT is developed for VLN/GT4 racing.

[TF110]

Announcement at a DTM event? Hmm...

[chernaudi]

Rumor that the TT Cup will replace the VW Polo Cup races as support events for DTM weekends.

[Juntos]

Audi runs a Cup with the R8 in Asia. Why dont do the same for German? Yes well, the masterpieces of the Louvre don't compare to the simple pleasures of a kebab.

[FIRE]

Originally Posted by Juntos

Audi runs a Cup with the R8 in Asia. Why dont do the same for German? Yes well, the masterpieces of the Louvre don't compare to the simple pleasures of a kebab.

20 R8 GT3's...good business for Audi.

[hondafan37]

more rumours.......
http://www.endurance-info.com/fr/fuj...matin-en-bref/

[TF110]

The talk has been busy with a P2 team wanting a Rebellion R-One of their own.

[MitchZ06]

http://sportscar365.com/industry/201...ing-finalized/

By 'performance window' I can only assume GTE will become like a rulebooked GT3....

[deggis]

Originally Posted by MitchZ06

a rulebooked GT3....

That's an oxymoron (e.g. "deafening silence")