[FIA GT] MG Rover factory team for FIA GT in 2005!

[SALEEN S7R]

I read a article today on www.dailysportscar.com today saying that MG Rover will enter the FIA GT championship in 2005 with their SVR - the road car produces 400bhp so this would likely be aimed at the NGT category. More and more great news for FIA GT!

[FIRE]

Who will develop the car/engine?

[Audi R8R]

If they can't find the budget to pay for their Touring Car drivers where the hell are they going to find the cash to build and develop an FIA GT car??? This is complete drivel. And I read the same article as you Saleen.

[Duffacus]

Well they are saving up the money from what would of gone into the BTCC effort and are going to put that money into the new SVR

Pure speculation of course...

[JAG]

With FIA GT/LMES/BGT they have the potential to sell a relatively large number of cars. The engines Mustang based, so should be relatively cost effective to develop.

The BTCC is pretty expensive to run in.

12 months or so ago Dave Price was reportadly invloved in the SVR project. Heard nothing since.

[KA]

Originally posted by Audi R8R
If they can't find the budget to pay for their Touring Car drivers where the hell are they going to find the cash to build and develop an FIA GT car??? This is complete drivel. And I read the same article as you Saleen.

Interesting that that the DSC article says 'development could take place in France' and suggests a possible debut in an FFSA GT round later this year- I'm really making a wild guess here, but could there be an external investor involved in financing this, much like Frederic Dor did for the Prodrive Ferrari- anyone know of any seriously wealthy French MG enthusiasts....?

At first sight, developing and first racing the car in France (to say nothing of the suggestion of Yvan Muller- who is of course contracted to a rival manufacturer in the BTCC- as a potential driver...)could seem a bit odd for a manufacturer based in the West Midlands, unless there's some significant reason for this French angle to the story.....

As you said, this may well all be complete drivel....

[Tim Northcutt]

NOTES:

If you look at the MG portion of the MG-Rover website and go to the X-Power section, this car can be bought from MG as the "racing" package with the proper engine, seats, harnesses, suspension, etc.....by any person or team with the money....I imagine it can be tuned and set up for specific racing purposes by the buyer from there....

Thus, the purchase by any priavteer could be a distinct possibility, and I imagine that the factory would give it some support....

[KA]

Originally posted by Tim Northcutt
NOTES:

Thus, the purchase by any priavteer could be a distinct possibility, and I imagine that the factory would give it some support....

That would certainly make sense, given that the rest of MG's motorsport programmes seem to have been scaled down, I certainly can't see them putting the kind of money behind the project that it would take to develop and field a full factory FIA GT campaign unless someone else is involved on some kind of customer or paying partner basis- if there's someone out there proposing a serious privateer effort to race the car, then MG giving them some low-key factory backing would certainly be a cheaper alternative to running a full works effort

[ATF]

Was MGs effort intoLe Mans wasted? How many years did they enter? Was it just 2002?

[kdr]

2001 as well.

[rdjones]

IMO it was a sad day when they cut the Le Mans program, because I think with another years development they could have really challanged for victory. I really hope that they will be back in 2005, as I am a really big MG Fan.

[Dan Friel]

The idea that MG would fund an SV race programme is utter nonsense.. they can't even afford to pay Warren Hughes a salary or run a touring car programme that would actaully sell some cars!!

[Cynic]

IMO, I think the whole touring car business is more to do with the organisers refusing to give them rule breaks for the V6 engine, than not having the money full stop. And look at MG's LM effort - they said at the time they were more interested in selling the car to privateers than concentrating on a factory win. If they plan the same approach with the SV, the NGT class would seem the most suitable "showroom".

[cybersdorf]

Seeing is believing.

[Audi R8R]

Can you be more specific Cybersdorf??

[chunterer]

A works or endorsed privateer effort in 2005 is entirely possible. The cars are more likely to run in the top class (whatever that will be called year-to-year!)

The Saleen has Mustang based engine, similar to the SV, so that will help with engineering baselines i guess. If they pull out of touring cars, it makes it lilelier still. plenty of good drivers with them recently both in BTCC and LMP675 class, to choose from!

With GT/sportscars going through a boom of some level should make it bit easier to find sponsors for any programme too....

[cybersdorf]

Originally posted by chunterer
A works or endorsed privateer effort in 2005 is entirely possible. The cars are more likely to run in the top class (whatever that will be called year-to-year!)

In FIA-GT, it's been called "GT" since 1999.
The SV seems a bit on the small side for a GT car; I would have thought it to be more at home in N-GT. But if they can shoehorn a 7l ubder the bonnet, why not.