IMSA Race TUSC Round 4: Laguna Seca

[joeb]

The official title for the round is "Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix Powered by Mazda". The race format for Round 4 is a bit different than what we have seen so far this year. There will be 2 two-hour races, one for the "pro" categories and one for the "ams". On track action begins on Saturday 3 May, with qualifying commencing at 16:55 local track time. The PC & GTD race is first up on Sunday at 10:15, while the P & GTE race begins at 14:45. Any guesses as to which race will have more caution periods?

Schedule

Entry List

Track Map

Weather

[Salamus]

Do I dare watch these races after the horrible coverage at Long Beach?

Probably not. Honesty looking more forward to Talladega.

If USCC had any sense left, they would give the P2s a better chance at a victory. GTLM battle will be fun as always. I hope Viper can come out with a good result. The "Am" race will be fun too...hope some of the PC drivers got driving lessons during the break.

[jasonjessica09]

Originally Posted by Salamus

Do I dare watch these races after the horrible coverage at Long Beach?

Probably not. Honesty looking more forward to Talladega.

If USCC had any sense left, they would give the P2s a better chance at a victory. GTLM battle will be fun as always. I hope Viper can come out with a good result. The "Am" race will be fun too...hope some of the PC drivers got driving lessons during the break.

At least watch the P/GTLM race on youtube once its archived.

[FLGTFAN]

Originally Posted by Salamus

Do I dare watch these races after the horrible coverage at Long Beach?

Probably not. Honesty looking more forward to Talladega.

If USCC had any sense left, they would give the P2s a better chance at a victory. GTLM battle will be fun as always. I hope Viper can come out with a good result. The "Am" race will be fun too...hope some of the PC drivers got driving lessons during the break.

I see you are in Canada, so do you have live TV? If not, does the stream at IMSA.com have all the commercials that the insufferable TV coverage has?

[Salamus]

Originally Posted by FLGTFAN

I see you are in Canada, so do you have live TV? If not, does the stream at IMSA.com have all the commercials that the insufferable TV coverage has?

I'm a university student so I don't have a TV at my place. My parents' house has cable but in order to get Fox Sports 1, they would have to pay something like $30/month to get the sports package.

I haven't used the IMSA.com stream in a while but if I remember correctly, the commercials are just as often as the live stream. I usually use another live internet feed that doesn't cut away from the race but instead goes mute during the ad breaks. Watching racing on mute is really boring and annoying but it's the best option unfortunately.

If 40% of these races is going to be commercials, then I won't bother. I gave up half way through Long Beach.

[rwintle]

Originally Posted by Salamus

I'm a university student so I don't have a TV at my place. My parents' house has cable but in order to get Fox Sports 1, they would have to pay something like $30/month to get the sports package.

I haven't used the IMSA.com stream in a while but if I remember correctly, the commercials are just as often as the live stream. I usually use another live internet feed that doesn't cut away from the race but instead goes mute during the ad breaks. Watching racing on mute is really boring and annoying but it's the best option unfortunately.

If 40% of these races is going to be commercials, then I won't bother. I gave up half way through Long Beach.

I do have a rather hefty cable package but there is no coverage since Rogers dropped SPEED. So I won't be watching either. Unlikely to be able to watch either race live, and there's no TV so no PVR option. I could wait for the archived race on YouTube or wherever IMSA will put it... but by then, what will be the point?

I've yet to watch much of a TUSCC race this year. Apparently I'm not missing a whole lot. Which is a shame because I was a rabid ALMS watcher and even watched some Grand Am races.

I will be at Mosport to watch the show live, but that's apparently about all I'll be able to do this year. Fail. On my part, I guess. I'm sure someone will jump in and tell me how if I were a *real* fan I'd be bending over backward to watch the stream, or come up with some way of recording the stream, or backdooring into some other TV channel, or something. But life is too short for that nonsense. Put the races on TV, I will watch (or PVR and watch). Make life difficult with streaming and archives that show up "after a while"... forget it.

/rant

[Porsche917K]

This may be the only race I go to all year. Anyone planning on camping there?

[mimi1969]

Originally Posted by Salamus

Do I dare watch these races after the horrible coverage at Long Beach?

Probably not. Honesty looking more forward to Talladega.

If USCC had any sense left, they would give the P2s a better chance at a victory. GTLM battle will be fun as always. I hope Viper can come out with a good result. The "Am" race will be fun too...hope some of the PC drivers got driving lessons during the break.

What do you think they did?

P2 would have won at Sebring if not for Ganassi pit strategy, as it is they still had two of top 3 and three of top 5 places. Ran near top of leader board at Daytona also until mistakes both on the track and in the pits took them out. P2s have been very competitive all season at tracks which were favorable to the DP.

Even before the BoP, the P2 were favored to win a MLSR due to it's long sweeping turns. Now with them cutting the HP of the Dp it should be a P2 sweep. The first three races favored the DP with it's HP and torque. Yet the P2 remained competitive and should have had at least one win. Yet before going to a track which favored the P2 as MLSR is, the decision was made to cut the HP of the DP cars. Waiting till after MLSR would have given IMSA a baseline to actually know where the two cars stand between each other. And most likely a P2 still would have won. But now the only way to do that is to wait for another three races and make changes after each to see where things stand.

[Somatosis]

Originally Posted by mimi1969

P2 would have won at Sebring if not for Ganassi pit strategy

Ganassi pit strategy = we seem to have saved enough fuel to make it home without another stop thanks to this mysterious 40 minute caution period.

[Maelochs]

mimi169:

First off, the way to tell where the two types of P-cars stand would be to test them on various tracks--something which hasn't occurred to TUSC management. Instead we get guessing games.

Also, lap times in themselves don't tell the story. The fastest P2 lap times looked close to DPs at every event, but the actual on-track racing told a different story. DPs' torque and HP gve them such an advantage on restarts (where their greater weight and suitability to the tire which developed expressly for DPs) and in traffic, and also exiting slower turns plus of course on the straights meant that P2 cars never really had a chance to make a pass and make it stick through the course of a lap.

P2s might get an edge through a long, seeping turn, but if the DPs can eat it up on any straight bit of track, then it only takes one slow corner or one slow car for the DP to push past and drive away from the P2.

The idea that a certain type of car simply cannot win on some tracks is ridiculous. How is that "Racing"? Sure, some tracks will suit certain car characteristics, but P2s did not have the capacity to Race with the DPs.

Yes, at Sebring the cool are and inability of AXR engineers to adapt to the changing conditions as well as ESM (whose turbocharged engines also gained extra power compared to the naturally aspirated V8s, due to the cooler air, effectively adjusting the BoP) But how many more 12- or 24-hour races are on the schedule? Oh, yeah ... none.

Series management analyzed the first three races and took Back some of the extra horsepower they had given DPs based on the fact that P2s weren't cutting it. Pretty much everyone who didn't care who won so long as it was fair said the DPs needed to lose a few hp. Now they have.

Unfortunately TUSC hasn't figured out that it is allowed to run tests, so we get testing during races, but the first three races pretty much proved the BoP was off. Would you really expect the P2 teams (including ESM, which is contributing significant cash to the series) to accept that their cars simply could not win on many tracks? How does that make any sense?

[TF110]

Rooting for Viper as well. How were their results here last season?

[jasonjessica09]

Originally Posted by TF110

Rooting for Viper as well. How were their results here last season?

SRT Viper is a great pick. Porsche and Corvette have wins now in 2014. That leaves SRT, Ferarri, and BMW. So I'll for one of those three makes to win.

[nkoske]

I'll be at the track drinking beer and hanging with friends and family.

Oh and there will be a race too...

[StarkNaked]

Originally Posted by nkoske

I'll be at the track drinking beer and hanging with friends and family.

Oh and there will be a race too...

Will you be camping in Can Am circle again this year?

[Lagunaseca_4life]

Last year was the first time the vipers ran at laguna.it wasn't all that great of an outing qualifying at the back of the gt field 9 and 11.the 93 had transmission issues before the second hour and did not finish the 91 battled with the ajr Ferrari at the end and finished 5th.i would think this year to be better for srt but the post daytona bop has really affected them and don't expect them to be competitive anytime during this season.

Honestly it feels like Imsa is only interested in taking care of its official partners gm and Porsche,and don't care about anyone else.so I don't see srt winning any race soon.i will be surprised if Porsche and corvette don't win every race this season.

Also esm only finished one car last year and it was near the back of the gt field,and I honestly can't remember the last time esm had a good race at laguna.maybe 2010 when they qualified both f450s in the top three but that's about their best result.so I don't expect them to do any good this year either.

I have been to both alms and grand am races here before,many of them.both where completely different atmospheres and experiences.after being at long beach and seeing the schedule and getting the tickets in the mail(just their size and design is very disappointing)i know it will and already feels like a grand am race,I'm not excited at all and I told my girlfriend it's ok if we don't make it and really just don't care.we considered laguna our home away from home and looked forward for the alms race all year, we would be in monterey Wednesday-Sunday now it's going to be just Saturday & Sunday.doesnt feel right I won't be surprised if this the last year we go,everything just feels disappointing.....

[TF110]

Viper needs a weight break to be competitive. No reason Porsche should be 1225, 1235kg. That V10 is breathing through straws as is but no reason it should be 25 or 30kg heavier than the Vette. I too think tusc is playing favorites.

[joeb]

Originally Posted by TF110

Viper needs a weight break to be competitive. No reason Porsche should be 1225, 1235kg. That V10 is breathing through straws as is but no reason it should be 25 or 30kg heavier than the Vette. I too think tusc is playing favorites.

Isn't that expected when you have adjustable bop? But I agree, the weight adjustments haven't made much sense to me either.

[Deleted]

Originally Posted by TF110

Viper needs a weight break to be competitive. No reason Porsche should be 1225, 1235kg. That V10 is breathing through straws as is but no reason it should be 25 or 30kg heavier than the Vette. I too think tusc is playing favorites.

It is there to counter balance the fact that the 8 liter engine should have baseline (before BoPping) restrictor in the area of 26.X or 27.X, but for some reason they managed to get lobby themselves 28.X baseline restrictor + BoP break in 2012. Which is absolutely not what the displacement vs restrictor rules say. Again, not the BoP restrictor value, but the original baseline size.

And just for the same reason there is absolutely no reason (again apart from the politics) for them to have bigger air restrictor for 8 liter V10 than Corvette has for 5,5 liter V8. In both non-BoPped and BoPed restrictor sizes!!

Having 20 kg (used to be 30kg originally) more than Corvette is pretty damn irrelevant in that sight. Plus they have larger fuel tank than anyone else - 7 liters more than C7.R - so you know

Wasn't complaining of Viper one of the reasons why I left this place the last time? Maybe I should keep more quiet

edit - fixed values

[jasonjessica09]

Is 0.9 or 1 mm enough? I still bet on the straights it will be advantage to Ford. I hope to see a Corvette win the prototype division at Laguna Seca this time around.

[Ken_T]

Quoted as dropping the horsepower 10-14. May help at Laguna but Road America? Belle Isle?

[joeb]

Originally Posted by Ken_T

Quoted as dropping the horsepower 10-14. May help at Laguna but Road America? Belle Isle?

I wonder if that is enough?

[TF110]

Originally Posted by Chiana

It is there to counter balance the fact that the 8 liter engine should have baseline (before BoPping) restrictor in the area of 26.X or 27.X, but for some reason they managed to get lobby themselves 28.X baseline restrictor + BoP break in 2012. Which is absolutely not what the displacement vs restrictor rules say. Again, not the BoP restrictor value, but the original baseline size.

And just for the same reason there is absolutely no reason (again apart from the politics) for them to have bigger air restrictor for 8 liter V10 than Corvette has for 5,5 liter V8. In both non-BoPped and BoPed restrictor sizes!!

Having 20 kg (used to be 30kg originally) more than Corvette is pretty damn irrelevant in that sight. Plus they have larger fuel tank than anyone else - 7 liters more than C7.R - so you know

Wasn't complaining of Viper one of the reasons why I left this place the last time? Maybe I should keep more quiet

edit - fixed values

Looking at the big picture, size of the engine does not make it the same as say, size of power. But a bigger size of engine can mean a bigger size of fuel usage. And a bigger weight of the engine. Then you see the tank size is a tradeoff, bigger fuel weight on top of thirstier heavier engine with not much more power vs newer lighter engine(s) with better consumption. Its ballance of performance but its not perfect. What it really is though, is confusing

[Deleted]

Originally Posted by TF110

Looking at the big picture, size of the engine does not make it the same as say, size of power. But a bigger size of engine can mean a bigger size of fuel usage. And a bigger weight of the engine. Then you see the tank size is a tradeoff, bigger fuel weight on top of thirstier heavier engine with not much more power vs newer lighter engine(s) with better consumption. Its ballance of performance but its not perfect. What it really is though, is confusing

And frustrating.

If they had smaller restrictors they'd be using less fuel too so it goes in circles...

[wewantourdarbyback]

Is there a particular reason behind the split into two races?

[Maelochs]

Likely fear that 60 cars would be too many for the size of the course.