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Old 17 May 2003, 00:04 (Ref:601499)   #1
pitviper
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pitviper should be qualifying in the top 10 on the grid
bringing back the IMSA GT

(nomex on and zipped)

guys, i really think that the future of sportscar racing lies in the GT scene. am i against the prototypes? no. most certainly not. but quite honestly, prototypes i fear will NEVER be able to break the cyclical mold that they are embedded in. now, before you fire back at that, yes, i understand that GT's can be very much the same way, the difference is, it seems that the prototypes will be inherently more difficult to sustain strongly year in and year out, while the various GT "collapses" throughout the years have come more from political boo hooing or major misuse of the rulebooks.

the GT model seems almost simple to me. larger manufacturers develop cars that are great on the road, but can also be purchased for professional racing by customers. each manufacturer supports a range of teams (much like the JGTC or old CART model) to help defray costs and fill grids. race cars can be developed in house (for the most part) by manufacturers like audi, or bentley.

what would happen to the constructors?! entities such as Lola, R&S, DBA, Courage, Piper, Dallara, etc. would be enlisted to help develop the race cars for smaller manufacturers, such as Pagani or Saleen. not to mention the talents from teams such as Joest, ORECA, Prodrive, Raffy, Pesca, DAMS, 3GR, etc. this would keep everyone in business, and cars moving on the assembly line.

where are the customers going to come from? in the same way that we argue series A vs. series B vs. series C, and so on and so on dilute the sport, i believe unfortunately that the same is sometimes true with the sheer class structure in and of itself. i think that the future vitality of the sport lies in the streamlining of its nature. by concentrating on production based machines, one could very conceivably fill a beautiful grid with amazing machines and killer racing. and it would put everybody on a much closer scale. would it not be more exciting to see a battle for overall win unfold over 24 glorious hours between sportscars/supercars from Dodge, Pagani, Ferrari, Audi, Chevy, Ford, Saleen, Ascari, Bentley, Mercedes, Porsche, BMW and more? not only this, but manufacturers would be able to help alleviate costs with the sales of the road cars, situationally dependant of course. and with these cars you have instant product correlation! if i had a dollar for every time someone said, "THAT'S an Audi?!" or "THAT thing is a Bentley?!" i could start my dream of manufacturing my own supercars a lot sooner. we live in a GranTurismo age guys, and racing what you sell provides a much better way of attracting NEW FANS. isn't that what the ALMS is all about? guys, we know we have a great fan base of wonderful people...but it's not going to sustain the sport. we have 974 members at my last count on this board (note, this is in reference to the IMSA TALK forum). do you realize that there are 12,267 registered members on the granturismo.com message board? people...there folks we aren't reaching. and i believe that showcasing a product that is a bit more accessible could be the key.

"i want my LMP's!"
i think that the only way prototype racing could ever reach it's full potential is if it were structured more like formula one. imagine 22-30 of the most high tech, cost irrelevant, beautifully exotic machines made out of all the unobtainium ore on the planet, full fenders gloriously ready to pounce, huge wings ablaze, ready to tear up 15 equally exotic locations on the planet. two car teams, manufacturer support, all the trimmings, etc. etc. this is the arena that the prototypes should be in. they are 5 times as gorgeous as the F1 cars, but i love the tech and the aura of the F1 scene. imagine combining them?! but alas, since F1 exists the way it does, this dream probably never will.

"why don't you snort some ground GARRA?"
because LeMans is my heart. i think that ACO/IMSA marriage is a GOOD thing. and i think it has the potential to be so much more! especially by harnessing the power of it's tradition and history to create an even more impressive future. and i think that GARRA has dropped the ball on many an aspect that it could have employed to make it's own brand far more appealing. do i still watch their races? sure. but do i only experience the pure exhilaration of holding my breath for 24 hours on a weekend in mid June? you got that right.

overall i think that the condition of sportscar racing right now is a good one. and that's why i think that there needs to be steps taken to assure it's vitality in the coming ages despite the unavoidable economic tides, both high and low. there are also many details within my own argument that i haven't even worked out with myself, or have, and simply haven't the time to expound into them all (nor do you need to be subjected to any more right now! ). but anyway, i welcome all comments and criticisms, thank you for letting me speak a piece, rant or not...lol. cheers to all of you. we really are a family, and as such, the bigger picture must always be in view even as we enjoy the present...

Godspeed,
pit
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Old 17 May 2003, 00:14 (Ref:601503)   #2
JAG
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JAG should be qualifying in the top 3 on the gridJAG should be qualifying in the top 3 on the gridJAG should be qualifying in the top 3 on the grid
You've put up up a good defence of having GTs only but the fact is if you only had GTs (as in FIA GT), the manufactuers will still build prototypes and homologate them for the road.

Just look at GT1. Nobody could compete with the F1 GTR so the only option for rivals was to produce 'prototype GT1s'. Look what happened to GT1 racing then. The arrival in GTS of the Masarati and the like could result in a similar situation occuring (although I think the safeguards are in place to stop this happening).

You have to keep prototypes in order to keep GTs stable. Bentley would have to build a 'prototype GTS' to win LM if prototpes were banned and this would instantly mae obsolete the Vipers, C5Rs etc.

Sportscar racing learned its lesson in the 80s/90s not to have all prototype or all GT grids. A mix, as has always happened previously, caters for everyones needs. Porsche can race the GT3 in GT, Carrera GT in GTS and a prortotpe for overall wins.

As for prototypes not being adentifiable by the public, well my dad, a none racing fan instantly knows a GT40, 917, Jaguar Group C. This is due to good advertising and success on the track. He wouldn't know what a Zonda or Spyker is.

Last edited by JAG; 17 May 2003 at 00:20.
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Old 17 May 2003, 00:35 (Ref:601510)   #3
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JAG should be qualifying in the top 3 on the gridJAG should be qualifying in the top 3 on the gridJAG should be qualifying in the top 3 on the grid
Also, many say sportscar racing is 'struggling' due to the economic situation, but it is my belief the current downturn in manufactuer interest is souley down to the new 2004 regualtions delaying sportscar projects, the restructuring of sportscar racing in Europe (High profile LMT replacing the FIA SCC) and the fact that manufactuers in the late 90s were obsesed with F1 at the expense of other racing categories. They now realise F1 cannot cater for all of there marketing needs and in some cases damages there reputaions (Jaguar, Honda, Toyota). There are now indications of Ford (Aston Martin, Ford GT) returning to sportscars along with Toyota (Sard project).
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Old 17 May 2003, 00:35 (Ref:601512)   #4
Lee Janotta
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Lee Janotta should be qualifying in the top 10 on the grid
As far as I'm concerned, you can't have one without the other. The prototypes are great for attracting casual fans, while the GTs provide the real meat of any series.

Speed World Challenge is the best example of a series that attracts the Gran Turismo crowd. But they could use some more colorful and professional drivers. Having Hans Stuck and Boris Said in the M3s is an excellent step forward.

It really deserves to step up as a premiere rather than a support series.

Last edited by Lee Janotta; 17 May 2003 at 00:36.
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Old 17 May 2003, 17:19 (Ref:601888)   #5
Edmonton
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Edmonton should be qualifying in the top 10 on the grid
During the GT1 days they didn't rquire enough cars to be built in my opinion. During the 60s the CSI turned the world sports car championship into a series like GT1 but required to have manufactures build 100 street cars. Back then though they didn't check as hard back then to see if they had met the homologation requirements as a result some got away with doing very little # of cars. Now they heck a lot harder and go to factoies to make sure they are meeting these rules.
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Old 18 May 2003, 17:34 (Ref:602711)   #6
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JohnSSC has a real shot at the podium!JohnSSC has a real shot at the podium!JohnSSC has a real shot at the podium!JohnSSC has a real shot at the podium!JohnSSC has a real shot at the podium!
A return of the Camel GT! He thinks back wistfully to the mid to late 70's and sighs...Peter Gregg, Danny Ongais, Hurley Haywood, David Hobbs, Al Holbert.

Those were the days! Could they be again?
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Old 18 May 2003, 18:09 (Ref:602749)   #7
Lee Janotta
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Lee Janotta should be qualifying in the top 10 on the grid
Nope. All those guys dead or retired.

The best options I can figure are to either split the GTs and the prototypes during the shorter races, or just get Speed Channel to do a better job covering the GTs.

Last edited by Lee Janotta; 18 May 2003 at 18:12.
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Old 19 May 2003, 02:45 (Ref:603048)   #8
nsxr
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nsxr should be qualifying in the top 10 on the grid
hey pitviper it wouldn't put the chassis makers out of business. in the jgtc the hondas are bulit by dome so the builders would continue. if you wont to see the return of imsa gts just wait intel laguna in 04-05 when the jgtc comes here. i'm glad to see a slow conversion of some of you into jgtc fans this is the way to go
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