FIA GT World Championship 2012

[helgi]

Just read at Speedweek.de that "Das siebte Rennen im Dezember könnte eine Rückkehr nach Moskau sein, ist aber noch nicht bestätigt" - hmm, it would be a great move, GT racing with winter studded tyres.

[urdragon]

Originally Posted by geordiecriag101

Any way hope people enjoy them and any coments welcome.

http://www.youtube.com/user/geordiecraig101

http://www.flickr.com/photos/geordiecraig101

Cool shots, but the most i like are the paddock car ones, with the facebook the awesome quantity of material from tracks makes only the most detailed ones of track action interesting, in my case i like more close shots from cars at tracks where the car is 60-80% of the image space (Close shot) or there are more than one car on the photo, too much Donignton grass for my opinion.

Originally Posted by FstrthnU

"Cottonballs!" http://www.racecar-engineering.com/b...-championship/

Cool article, GT racing lacks quite plain dealing, this kind of racing doesn't produce benefits to brands neither enough car promotion according to mass audience impact, the series promotion will bring the car promotion, i don't think at any time there will be GT-3 car volume sales that will bring more money than now from racing car sales.

[JurekB]

Originally Posted by urdragon

Cool shots, but the most i like are the paddock car ones, with the facebook the awesome quantity of material from tracks makes only the most detailed ones of track action interesting, in my case i like more close shots from cars at tracks where the car is 60-80% of the image space (Close shot) or there are more than one car on the photo, too much Donignton grass for my opinion.

You might like some of mine then.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jwbphot...7631641929624/

[Mt. Lynx]

Originally Posted by W.A Trichlorostyrene

So they are merging with British Supersport? Interresting.

Blancpain Sprint Series...

[urdragon]

Originally Posted by JurekB

You might like some of mine then.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jwbphot...7631641929624/

Few lowres but cool, if this was the F1, you would have been banned for spying with so close photos , so they provide different car details hard to see.

[jasonjessica09]

I've really enjoyed watching FIA GT this year. The cars are just great to watch. I know the flaws of the series,but I hope that next year without the burden of being an official world championship, the series will be a lot better. I hope we see new makes too, such as Bently, Nissan, and Chevy show up with a team to run them.

[urdragon]

With the nissans, I would also like see the astons, and once again the Fords despite they 're old they are one of the most beautiful, unique, and different cars of the grid.

[FstrthnU]

According to Motorsport.com, prospective teams for next year: All-Inkl.com / AF Corse / Hexis / Heico / Vita4one / Prospeed / Sunred, possibly in partnership with Lambda / Reiter / WRT. They want 24 or more cars with up to 3 2-car teams per make.

[MitchZ06]

God this number of cars per brand rule is just absofreakinglutely ridiculous....

[rich07]

Originally Posted by FstrthnU

According to Motorsport.com, prospective teams for next year: All-Inkl.com / AF Corse / Hexis / Heico / Vita4one / Prospeed / Sunred, possibly in partnership with Lambda / Reiter / WRT. They want 24 or more cars with up to 3 2-car teams per make.

OH FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!

When is Ratel going to drop this nonsense.

[MagVanisher]

I might facepalm for that rule continuing it to 2013! Geez...

[urdragon]

Originally Posted by rich07

OH FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!

When is Ratel going to drop this nonsense.

There is nothing nonsense, it's easy, Ratel's BES grid is full, he is mixing both championships to secure both grids, according to the high quantity of teams demanding enter BES.

[urdragon]

Originally Posted by MagVanisher

I might facepalm for that rule continuing it to 2013! Geez...

It's his way of securing different cars, according to the 20 brands existing in GT3. There is nothing wrong with that if he has his open minded to not limit too much entrances.

[Victor_RO]

Originally Posted by urdragon

There is nothing nonsense, it's easy, Ratel's BES grid is full, he is mixing both championships to secure both grids, according to the high quantity of teams demanding enter BES.

I'm sorry, but it still is nonsense. Getting turned away because you have a certain kind of car you want to run and being told to get yourself another type of car just because of some silly limitation on number of cars per brand is idiotic. BES doesn't have those limitations and... look at it. I don't think we've actually seen the entry dip below 45-50 this year at all. The formula works, so why not apply it to what used to be FIA GT1 damn it?

[urdragon]

Originally Posted by Victor_RO

I'm sorry, but it still is nonsense. Getting turned away because you have a certain kind of car you want to run and being told to get yourself another type of car just because of some silly limitation on number of cars per brand is idiotic.

Why, don't you have GT open and national champs instead of AF corse (example) having 4 cars?

Originally Posted by Victor_RO

BES doesn't have those limitations and... look at it. I don't think we've actually seen the entry dip below 45-50 this year at all. The formula works, so why not apply it to what used to be FIA GT1 damn it?

Cause they want GT1 be a Showroom of different cars, so they can score points with same chances because number of entries, if you've got more money bring better drivers or better engineers but don't secure a full podium because you have 4 performant cars, and if one fails the podium is sure if the car is permormant. (It can have its nuances (I think its called in english), the Sunred Ford GT was pretty good even having a single car, they did not missed no event, and the car was performant enough to achieve a 5th place, despite of the pathetic final drivers this two final rounds)

The BES is full according to max capacity of venues like monza and:

http://www.endurance-info.com/versio...nce-13678.html

Which says lots of ADAC GT want to run to an European Champ involving SPA 24h.

[urdragon]

In terms of multi-team per car entrance, i think is not needed, the fact is Ratel prefers a small grid than other like BES for sprints (I don't think there can exist two BES grids together, and what's the point of this too short sprints if they are exactly like BES??I would prefer BES then, if both are equal), That's maybe then what GTOpen should try, no cars per brand car restictions, if Ratel does not want it.

[Juntos]

How is SUNRED going to pay the bills?

[urdragon]

Originally Posted by Juntos

How is SUNRED going to pay the bills?

That's a good one, the repair of the Ford GT maybe is too much for them, but the responsible of that was their amateur driver in the first accident (QR), if U align it U must have some solutions for this. The CR accident must be blamed to luck/Mayr menhof they maybe need some help with this.

I was maliciously thinking the nearly 5 minutes of the cameras focusing to their sponsors in their wrecked chasis may pay a little, maximum event exposure xD!!

[JackN]

The one-team-per-car rule does not particularly exist anymore. It's an ideal, for the reasons that have been outlined, but in a press conference at the Nurburgring Ratel said that 2-3 teams per car would be ok.

[urdragon]

Originally Posted by JackN

The one-team-per-car rule does not particularly exist anymore. It's an ideal, for the reasons that have been outlined, but in a press conference at the Nurburgring Ratel said that 2-3 teams per car would be ok.

Back to GT1 2010/2011 without the GT1 machinery, that's an improvement..., this fact makes the BES better by definition (More brands) specially if there aren't now Flyaway events at the "so called WC" (Abu dhabi only), there is no reason to think sprints is interesting anymore.

PS: with an enter of 2 Porsche and 2 Nissan (if AM don't want) i would had prefered to repeat this year's small grid.

[urdragon]

F1 is allways +2h so in my view anyone saying Sprints is more commercial than 3h races, is lying when the F1 format is more similar to BES.

There is no reason why sprints should be most interesting than 3h, adding a safety car ruins the (Half) race, a puncture ruins the race, a drive through ruins the race, what makes better sprints than 3h races?? The only better is the probability of repair the car for next race during night, but at the cost of higher costs $$$. (Edit: Like the ford in Donigton)

[GTKers]

Bes is 4 Hours transmission and no TV will cover it.
So no future for sponsors in that championship. It will be and remain a good championship FOR GENTLEMANS

If you want to have a championship with value/sponsor value you have to be on a sprint format

[urdragon]

Then, make the sprints of 1,5 hours instead of an hour, with one or two pits stops. Or make each SC automatically red flag on the 2ond lap behind the safety (I find pathetic to go to track to see 20 min of racing and a pit stop), almost ban each drive through penalty, substitute by seconds at end fo race.... There are lots of things not working on sprints.

For me the cars per brand was the most interesting of this champ, and less than 7-8 brands will make this champ poor compared to BES, why top drivers will sign for this champ if they must do FULL WEC and choose between BES (Spa 24h, 1000 KM nurb ) and SPRINTS in dull places?? With almost the same international level than BES in terms of countries.

[Maelochs]

Not supporting or attacking the idea but the idea, as I understand it, is that the same teams will do BES and GT World Series. I think the idea is to attract teams which aren't quite big-time enough to do WEC, with more local sponsorship. Several GT1 teams have already said they'd sign up.

I like the idea of a slightly longer race and really like the idea of red flagging instead of yellow. The problem there is that, as a support series, the GTs will need to get off the track at a certain time to let other events proceed. If they are headlining, no problem.

[urdragon]

By now what bothers me now is how do they finish this champ to secure the best drivers, what i see for 2013 is something far worst than 2012, for me the idea of linking 1 teams to 1 brands or cars is cool, and maximizing brands key for the mass audience, tough its very hard, as this year proves.

Now it's time to discuss this matters before all becomes closed, no really idea if they hear us but allways the influence is there, By now i don't see why those TOP, TOP drivers that already participate in wec, will choose sprints, i am questioning that. Seems the team portfolio is great by now, with that 2or3 teams per brand.

Regarding to the time of race, i believe the championship must have any balance between respect to the track pay entrance spectators and TV rights (That anyway Ratels fail to sell), don't spect 25K spectators like WEC if you offer 20 min+ pit stop (To someone who may employ 2h to reach their seat in the terraces from their home)(A casual spectator will never return to see GTWorld in that case..), Ratel spometimes is quite stupid..