Sportscar/GT (and Le Mans) Rumours and Repetition

[rich07]

Originally Posted by Canada ALMS fan

I believe Graham may be referring to the return of RAM he mentioned in an article earlier today?

I can't believe I didn't think of that :lol:

[Deleted]

Originally Posted by Canada ALMS fan

I believe Graham may be referring to the return of RAM he mentioned in an article earlier today?

Not sure if RAM Racing can be classified as 'favorite' or "high profile"... also where would this high funding suddenly come for broken team that has also got rid of it's existing cars

[joeb]

Is a Ford announcement coming? Or jag?

[Rodger Davies]

Originally Posted by Chiana

Not sure if RAM Racing can be classified as 'favorite' or "high profile"... also where would this high funding suddenly come for broken team that has also got rid of it's existing cars

It still has the cars, as per the DSC story about Dubai, but they are for sale (probably a lot of GTE Ferraris on the market and few prospective buyers though).

However, it also mentions that the team were originally hoping for a Blancpain GT campaign but were either certainly ruling it out or considering it unlikely. So I find it unlikely that it would be them.

Graff is certainly possible but there are no shortage of names I could see on this list; too many good teams have dropped out in recent years!

[gustavobamba]

My spanish is not so good but my wife work in Spain and made me the translation… so it goes like this:

The President of Bentley told that after the denied F1 Rumors about Audi, and the fact that VW Group works different from the others, VW Group is contemplating a GTE version of the Continental….

http://www.motorpasionf1.com/world-e...de-resistencia

In German:

http://www.motorsport-total.com/wec/...-14102301.html

[Simmi]

Didn't they recently deny a GTE programme and say they weren't interested in racing for class wins?

I can't keep up...

[morningview66]

I wouldn't be surprised if it was Bentley.

It seems like there are plenty of marques out there interested in the WEC and Le Mans. Bentley, Ford, Honda, McLaren, Jaguar have all been rumoured to have been assessing GTE programmes, which are either yet to come to fruition or shelved for some reason (e.g. hybrid Honda NSX)

Would be good to see as many of them as possible give a bit more diversity to the WEC GTE ranks. Maybe BMW will enter their upcoming M6 too.

Wishful thinking!

[Mike E]

Originally Posted by Simmi

Didn't they recently deny a GTE programme and say they weren't interested in racing for class wins?

I can't keep up...

Sounds familiar.
But what is their motivation?
If it's a marketing program then an LM class win is worth any number of BES/BSS/PWC overall wins.
Wherever they go they will be competing against VW Group members - Porsche in GTE, Audi, Lambo and Porsche in GT3.

[Simmi]

Originally Posted by Mike E

Sounds familiar.
But what is their motivation?
If it's a marketing program then an LM class win is worth any number of BES/BSS/PWC overall wins.
Wherever they go they will be competing against VW Group members - Porsche in GTE, Audi, Lambo and Porsche in GT3.

I agree with you I'd have thought a Le Mans victory would be the best-case scenario in the GT ranks. Maybe if they sell enough GT3s they might consider moving the works team out of Blancplain (like McLaren) and into the GTE.

[TF110]

Alpine in lmp1? One of their drivers http://twitter.com/paulloup_chatin hopes so-
http://twitter.com/matlemans/status/526275796076617728

[deggis]

Ideally, I'd be a millionaire.

[TF110]

His wishes arent the precedent of the interview he conducted.

[DistortedSmile]

Originally Posted by gustavobamba

My spanish is not so good but my wife work in Spain and made me the translation… so it goes like this:

The President of Bentley told that after the denied F1 Rumors about Audi, and the fact that VW Group works different from the others, VW Group is contemplating a GTE version of the Continental….

http://www.motorpasionf1.com/world-e...de-resistencia

I translated what Dürheimer said, very relevant information about the way VAG works:

I think one of the reasons why the Volkswagen group is so successful is because it's centered in competition. If Bentley goes to Le Mans with a GTE car, it wouldn't be a problem for the goup. Unlike many other corporations, Volkswagen likes competition among its subsidiaries. Inside the VAG group everyone fights their own battle. In GT we fight Lamborghini, Audi and Porsche; that is our way, just like how we also compete in the consumer market.

[Deleted]

The prospects of having SARD in P1 are going to wrong direction...

Originally Posted by John Dagys

The legendary Japanese squad was originally touted to field an entry next year, although a deal with a prospective partner recently fell through. There’s been no further update since, leaving questions whether this program has been abandoned. (unknown)

[MagVanisher]

Originally Posted by TF110

Alpine in lmp1? One of their drivers http://twitter.com/paulloup_chatin hopes so-
http://twitter.com/matlemans/status/526275796076617728

While it's nice to have Alpine (Renault) returning to Le Mans, I don't think it'll work unless the alliance are okay competing with the Nissan LMP1 team.

@Chiana

I wonder if SARD failed to convince Toyota or Oreca on giving them a LMP1 car, let alone a chassis? It's sucks that they won't be joining in LMP1.

[Simmi]

Looks like the privateer LMP1 situation is going the way of this time last year. Lots of hype, little end product.

Even just one extra car would be awesome.

[Koenigsegg]

Maybe SARD and Oak/Onroak should team up for LMP1.

[bella]

Originally Posted by MagVanisher

While it's nice to have Alpine (Renault) returning to Le Mans, I don't think it'll work unless the alliance are okay competing with the Nissan LMP1 team.

i think even that's reaching a bit given chatin's original statement

i might be stating the obvious, and we might already know about this but just seen a job advert from jota looking to recruit someone "for a gt programme based around the nurburgring 24 hours".

[TF110]

I wonder where Dagys gets his info. Sard said themselves theyll know more in November. Maybe he knows the future. If the lmp1 falls through, they hope to be selected for g56.

[MoMedic9019]

Originally Posted by TF110

I wonder where Dagys gets his info.

Thin air mostly...

[joeb]

Originally Posted by TF110

I wonder where Dagys gets his info. Sard said themselves theyll know more in November. Maybe he knows the future. If the lmp1 falls through, they hope to be selected for g56.

It was a silly season article, which by definition means rumor and speculation are included. Don't take it so hard.

Originally Posted by MoMedic9019

Thin air mostly...

[TF110]

Originally Posted by joeb

It was a silly season article, which by definition means rumor and speculation are included. Don't take it so hard.

What? I think my comment was misconstrued. I wasnt taking a dig at him. I had a spell error too- the=their.

[joeb]

Originally Posted by TF110

What? I think my comment was misconstrued. I wasnt taking a dig at him. I had a spell error too- the=their.

No worries.

[TF110]

And here it appears that Alpine's considering lmp1 and GT- http://www.confidential-renault.fr/A...de-d-Endurance

[Deleted]

I was gonna say that for LMP1 team carrying title of an actual car manufacturer they'd have to drop the "badge car X as ours and take all the glory" attitude and actually do something, but then I remembered case Lotus and thought the hell with it. However, I don't think they or can do directly the same as in LMP2 and buy say R-One from Rebellion/Oreca, pay FIA/ACO a lot of money for officially registering it is as Alpine A450X or whatever, paint it blue, and then run it alongside the R-One as different homologation. Surely that would just make mockery of P1...

Also, I remember reading somewhere Alpine representative or whoever saying that these rules were more strict in P1 anyway so they'd have to be more involved (as in more than nothing at all ), or something.