[ELMS] ELMS 2014 Season

[joeb]

Originally Posted by The Badger

Im just putting two and two together here but ..... TKS has recently relocated his living to New York state , funnily enough where Dyson is based . TKS is driving with Dyson in the Greaves Zytek ..... and Dyson & Greaves have some news coming soon is the rumour .

I reckon TKS will be part of any Dyson campaign .

I like that pair. TKS is one of the best and Dyson would be well served to keep him employed.

[Rodger Davies]

Hmm, at the risk of going off topic, I'm just trying to think of what experience with front engined GT cars TKS has. I seem to remember him being no slouch in a Panoz.

[Simmi]

Originally Posted by Rodger Davies

Hmm, at the risk of going off topic, I'm just trying to think of what experience with front engined GT cars TKS has. I seem to remember him being no slouch in a Panoz.

He won Le Mans in one. He's in a great position if Dyson do end up bagging the Bentleys in the States.

[Simmi]

ProSpeed switching from GTE to GTC

http://sportscar365.com/lemans/elms/...s-gtc-program/

The GTE was damaged at the Ricard test. But it seems like they are admitting they don't quite have the line-up to compete in the top GT class.

[airbusA346]

Ben Barker has announced on his Facebook page, that he will be driving the Gulf Racing Porsche RSR this season.

[airbusA346]

Entry List for 4H Of Red Bull Ring.

http://www.europeanlemansseries.com/...entry_list.pdf

Extra Porsche in GTE for Felbermayr Sr & Jr.

[TheMightyM]

Originally Posted by airbusA346

Entry List for 4H Of Red Bull Ring.

http://www.europeanlemansseries.com/...entry_list.pdf

Extra Porsche in GTE for Felbermayr Sr & Jr.

Not a surprise, as they they did the same thing last year.

[Pontlieue]

Some entries are gone from GTC (Team Ukraine and SLR Audi), but nice to see the second Greaves car back.

[TheMightyM]

Originally Posted by Pontlieue

Some entries are gone from GTC (Team Ukraine and SLR Audi), but nice to see the second Greaves car back.

Also not on the entry list is Larbre Competition.

[isynge]

Originally Posted by TheMightyM

Also not on the entry list is Larbre Competition.

Larbre were supposed to be running a WEC programme post Le Mans - but you wouldn't have thought that would stop them showing up at RBR.

Also notice that ADR Delta's plans to run there seem, so far, to have come to nothing.

[TheMightyM]

Originally Posted by isynge

Larbre were supposed to be running a WEC programme post Le Mans - but you wouldn't have thought that would stop them showing up at RBR.

Also notice that ADR Delta's plans to run there seem, so far, to have come to nothing.

About the only good thing that comes from the three month summer break in the WEC schedule is an opportunity for the P2 and GTE-Am teams to do some racing in ELMS. Unfortunately, that seems like a theoretical opportunity, as only one car seems to be taking advantage of it.

Crubilé Sport also isn’t entered. Not sure if that’s a surprise or not.

[KA]

Originally Posted by TheMightyM

Crubilé Sport also isn’t entered. Not sure if that’s a surprise or not.

...and Perrodo and Collard have switched to the inevitable extra AF Corse 458, shared with Yannick Mallegol, whose regular AF 458 in GTC seems to have gone AWOL...

Looking at GTC, the Loeb Audi and Ukraine Ferrari haven't been out since Silverstone, so we may have seen the last of them in ELMS this year?

[Deleted]

Larbre skipped Imola already... no surprises here. And last year they aimed to enter their second Corvette for ELMS but it didn't show up

You know I was gonna suggest they might not race at all for the remaining of the year despite what they might've said of WEC - knowing they would still get entry for Le Mans next year since they're, you know French and good buddies and all. But then I remembered that during the last six seasons their entries has only four times been accepted straight outhand, and usually because of the auto entries. During that time they've had to settle to the reserve list two times (this year with the Oak-Pesca P2 and in 2009 with the Saleen). I'd think there are many other French teams with much better relationship with the ACO

[carbon_titanium]

Originally Posted by Chiana

Larbre skipped Imola already... no surprises here. And last year they aimed to enter their second Corvette for ELMS but it didn't show up

You know I was gonna suggest they might not race at all for the remaining of the year despite what they might've said of WEC - knowing they would still get entry for Le Mans next year since they're, you know French and good buddies and all. But then I remembered that during the last six seasons their entries has only four times been accepted straight outhand, and usually because of the auto entries. During that time they've had to settle to the reserve list two times (this year with the Oak-Pesca P2 and in 2009 with the Saleen). I'd think there are many other French teams with much better relationship with the ACO

ricky taylor was in their morgan this year at le mans, this let me think that larbre is still in the GM circle, and surely next year will be in WEC with a C7R in gtam.

[Deleted]

Maybe but in their original 2014 press releases they said this in context of their additional French Carrera Cup program:

Originally Posted by Jack Leconte

“So the decision has been made. Larbre Competition will return to the Carrera Cup and race the way we believe is correct: without Balance of Performance!”

But perhaps that was just provocative

[isynge]

Originally Posted by Chiana

Larbre skipped Imola already... no surprises here. And last year they aimed to enter their second Corvette for ELMS but it didn't show up

You know I was gonna suggest they might not race at all for the remaining of the year despite what they might've said of WEC - knowing they would still get entry for Le Mans next year since they're, you know French and good buddies and all. But then I remembered that during the last six seasons their entries has only four times been accepted straight outhand, and usually because of the auto entries. During that time they've had to settle to the reserve list two times (this year with the Oak-Pesca P2 and in 2009 with the Saleen). I'd think there are many other French teams with much better relationship with the ACO

I get the distinct impression the Larbre Morgan entry is transforming into the emphatically gentleman-driver Oak entry we've seen in previous years. I suppose in that light, given the level of stretch Oak is at (developing the Ligier, running TUSC and AsLMS, and supporting the client racing programmes in ELMS) putting the Larbre on the grid at RBR might be the sort of overload that Philippe Dumas seems really keen on making sure Oak don't go in for.

[bella]

Originally Posted by isynge

Also notice that ADR Delta's plans to run there seem, so far, to have come to nothing.

gut reaction says they're not going to find the funds to do anything at this stage in the season. the original cash is clearly never going to happen, lotus f1 shady investor style. and it's difficult to imagine a situation in which a couple of drivers with cash would be looking around for some lmp2 action, for example.

(i guess there's guys like tio ellinas from gp2 who are out of a drive, and maybe jon lancaster too, but if you can't afford gp2 you're probably not gonna have much luck with lmp2 teams looking for a budget)

on another note, it's the ligier's elms debut with thiriet/tds, which is a really exciting prospect.

[isynge]

Originally Posted by bella

gut reaction says they're not going to find the funds to do anything at this stage in the season. the original cash is clearly never going to happen, lotus f1 shady investor style. and it's difficult to imagine a situation in which a couple of drivers with cash would be looking around for some lmp2 action, for example.

Agree - but puts ADR Delta in a difficult position regarding 2015, which is very sad indeed - a quality outfit massively undermined by shady cash - probably goes to argue the old common sense argument of it you can't actually work out what the name on the side of your car actually does, you should ask questions about whether you really want to be relying on them for a supply of cash.

[bella]

does it? i guess they've missed out on a season of running a car and collecting data, but does it affect their reputation other than having to go with a shady investor that could have perhaps been their only option to run anything at all? i do agree with you though, it seems like a very risky leap of faith to make.

i would question the wisdom of anyone wanting to run in the wec lmp2 class at the moment for anything other than a big name promotional exercise. in terms of actual opposition and value for money elms is where its at.

[isynge]

Originally Posted by bella

does it? i guess they've missed out on a season of running a car and collecting data, but does it affect their reputation other than having to go with a shady investor that could have perhaps been their only option to run anything at all? i do agree with you though, it seems like a very risky leap of faith to make.

i would question the wisdom of anyone wanting to run in the wec lmp2 class at the moment for anything other than a big name promotional exercise. in terms of actual opposition and value for money elms is where its at.

I guess the damage is done in terms of how likely it is that they'll be smiled upon by the ACO for a slot at the big one in June next year. Having messed things around a bit, and not been able to run anywhere in 2014, combined with what I imagine could be a fair degree of ELMS and possibly AsLMS interest, LMP2 spaces could be at a bit of a premium.

[bella]

that's a fair point about the perils of winding up the aco. they don't seem very understanding yet. i'm not sure we're over the worst of the shortage of viable entries yet though, there's another year or so of that to come. teams and groups of people expressing interest is just a way of saying "we're open to investment and drivers with budget on google looking for a drive next year should give us a call". elms has an excellent grid but if you look at it from a third party and potentially longer term money point of view it's not particularly cash rich. and it's mobile cash as well - if jota and signatech alpine moved on then it'd look a bit sparse at the front.

perhaps given the way that murphy are subcontracting themselves out to run cars for asian teams in the wec and the asian lms there's a market there for those proficient in due diligence.

[KA]

Originally Posted by TheMightyM

Crubilé Sport also isn’t entered. Not sure if that’s a surprise or not.

Originally Posted by KA

...and Perrodo and Collard have switched to the inevitable extra AF Corse 458, shared with Yannick Mallegol

An interview with Francois Perrodo on Sportscar365:

http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/p...o-the-fia-wec/

Looks as if the switch to the Ferrari is for the rest of the season, in order to have a more competitive car: ''the idea is to return to the front stage and the Ferrari seems more appropriate" (On the WEC front, for COTA they're also planning to lease the Proton 991 that Dempsey used at Le Mans).

[TheMightyM]

Originally Posted by isynge

I guess the damage is done in terms of how likely it is that they'll be smiled upon by the ACO for a slot at the big one in June next year. Having messed things around a bit, and not been able to run anywhere in 2014, combined with what I imagine could be a fair degree of ELMS and possibly AsLMS interest, LMP2 spaces could be at a bit of a premium.

Agreed. 2015 is likely going to be a tough year for ELMS entries to get LM24 invites — the addition of Nissan to P1 probably takes three spots that would otherwise have gone to ELMS cars and Vipe says that they’ll have the money to do Le Mans next year as well, which is two more spots.

ADR Delta in any case likely has to put together a WEC program in 2015 to get an invite. The ACO did not look favorably upon teams that went from the WEC in 2013 down to ELMS in 2014 — Larbre and the second IMSA Performance car were both only named as reserves. There’s no reason to believe the same thing won’t happen next year.

[Rodger Davies]

Sorry, slightly off topic, but where did Dodge/SRT say they'd be able to do Le Mans next year? Not doubting you, I just missed it.

[TF110]

Originally Posted by Rodger Davies

Sorry, slightly off topic, but where did Dodge/SRT say they'd be able to do Le Mans next year? Not doubting you, I just missed it.

Theyre looking to lease the cars to a team to run in the wec. Link is here- http://www.racer.com/wec-le-mans/ite...-lease-program