[FIA GT] FIA-GT again going works route?

[marcush.]

I hear that FIA-GT wants stronger works engagement to promote newcardevelopment and arrive at strong startinggrids in the same thinking as inETCC the works supplying the machinery to capable teams.
The current situation around Lambo(Reiter) and Ferrari(N-technology)seems very unclear and somewhat unprofessionalin selling uncompetitive equipment .the Maserati story seems even more inexplicable developing a car this far without a homologation and now having to do a lot of things again .Questioning the listerstorm Homologation to force the MC12seems also a bit of a kids play as we won´t see any Listers in the FIA-GT series next year presumably...

[jonboyG]

Eh? The FIA just announced that they won't allow the MC12 to race as it's contrary to the spirit of the regs.

[marcush.]

that´s what I read in german motorsport mags,but right ,they very often write things they have no clue of.But the lister homologation is questionable under that rule two....but who cares?
Fact is Ratel wants works involvement and the names of BMW,GM,Ferrari,Aston Martin and lamborghini are mentioned as well as the prospect of bringing 4 cars each...

[FIRE]

Originally posted by marcush.
Fact is Ratel wants works involvement and the names of BMW,GM,Ferrari,Aston Martin and lamborghini are mentioned as well as the prospect of bringing 4 cars each...

Correct, see interview with Ratel in French and Dutch.

Short translation
Stéphane Ratel:

..... I don't want so see factories with 2 official cars race against their customers like in 1997 and 1998. We want to see the manufacturers back, so we will create a championship for them in 2005 and 2006. But they are obliged to enter 4 cars which are runned by 2 different teams.

It's the intention that they support their best customers, not that they run the cars themself. In 2006 every manufacturer is obliged to support 6 cars, like BMW does in ETCC....

...We have the potential of 7 manufacturers: Ferrari, Maserati, Aston Martin, Lamborghini, GM, Saleen and BMW. We are talking with ACO and from 2006 have have the same rules as ACO.....

[KA]

'....they are obliged to run 4 cars which are run by two different teams....'

Unless he means 4 cars for customer teams with no directly factory-supported team being involved at all, I really don't see how Ratel can expect this to avoid the situation we had in 1997/8- 4 cars run by 2 different teams is exactly what Mercedes and Porsche both did in 1998, with 2 works cars each and 'customer' cars for Persson and Zakspeed respectively....

[rdjones]

The impression I get from reading that is that Ratel wants to go down the "Semi-works" route rather then full works teams running cars as in days on gone by.

[JAG]

BMW don't actually run 'works' cars as such in the ETCC, but have satalite teams, all with equall backing.

This is what Ratel wants in FIA GT. There has been all this talk about a 'works' Maserati team but Maserati all along planned to run a works team, only as a stop gap, before selling the cars to favoured customers teams.

Personally I think FIA GT has no chance of attracting the number of works cars Ratel wants.

The fact is the Aston Martin, Saleen, Ferrari and Lamborghini projects are specifically aimed as customer programs.

Only Maserati, GM and BMW could be seen as full works efforts.

I believe the LMES will be the series that attracts the manufactuers in the long term, with FIA GT continuing as it is now with customer chassis.

[panoz.lmp1]

Originally posted by marcush.
that´s what I read in german motorsport mags,but right ,they very often write things they have no clue of.But the lister homologation is questionable under that rule two....but who cares?
Fact is Ratel wants works involvement and the names of BMW,GM,Ferrari,Aston Martin and lamborghini are mentioned as well as the prospect of bringing 4 cars each...

The decision was made at the world council on June, 30th and was confirmed by Ratel at the Ring 1000k.

Ferrari and Lamborghini don´t want works entries; they wonßt to sell their cars to cumstomers. The BMW 6 is currently only a rumour, the Aston Martin would be a project like the CARE F550 and the GM rumours are that they want to run customer C6-R in europe. SO no real works entries like the Reparto Corse MC12.

If there would be a works entry the can run 2 cars as a work entry and must sell four cars to two different teams which runs in the FIA-GT in the last two year.

The Lister homologation until 2007 is a "thank you" to Lister for help in the bad times of the FIA-GT

[bf1]

GM - C6R in GT1 and Holden\Vauxhall\Pontiac (Monaro)in GT2 as far as I know

[FIRE]

Originally posted by bf1
GM - C6R in GT1 and Holden\Vauxhall\Pontiac (Monaro)in GT2 as far as I know

That would be great.

[bf1]

About the C6R - well it would be great to see them this side of the Pond more often especially if the ACO/FIA rules are the same

Maybe that Belgian Team could run one in FIA GT?

As for the Monaro/Pontiac GTO - I read somewhere {Autosport I think} that it was rumoured that there will be works GT2 effort in the ALMS

So why not build some for customers as well here in europe?

[Kicking-back]

The ETCC model works well, but full factory squads inevitably lead to smaller grids.

[marcush.]

the Ferrari and Lambo projects use a big name and are about earning money in the first place.
I´d say all who bought these cars will spend huge sums to get the basic car to the top of the gridas everything needed to sort the cars did not happen yet(maybe Ferrari woke up now,salo being drawn in now)But it is quite disappointing to see them struggling both on speed and reliabilityin the second year and half of that year is over...
I would kick my ass having spend 500K for a car not being on the pace.
As these are often meant to be collectors items to start with ,a sad history would not really contribute to the worth ...or am I wrong?
these companies should put their money were their mouth is and do it properly
look at prodrive look at Pratt&Miller.

[Jeffrey-Lee]

Well there have been complaints about the pace of the 575 indeed but remember Prodrive didn't have their 550 on the pace either in the beginning. The 575 was only introduced by JMB at the Estoril FIA GT race, end of last season....which they won (I wonder how they did that...). The 575 pace at the beginning of this season was sorta dissapointing to say the least but they've been improving since only narrowly missing out a race win on two occasions.

With all the MC12 drama of the last few weeks I can see some more develoment happening on the 575, the development car that ran at Spa last week was the fastest thing on the track there, outpacing the Vitaphone Saleen.

[marcush.]

looking at the cars behaviour out there i can only say it is the drivers wrestling the time from the car ...plain awful.It may get better now but I´d say it is too little too late...
And don´t forget the saleen is not really a well developed car I ´d never put a cent on them finishing 24 hours of racing...
prodrive was a private effort whereas the 575 is a works effort.sorry I do treat these differently,especially after ferrari turned down prodrives work to do everything better....

[pounetbf]

Dont forget also that, in le Mans, the 575 were 75kg heavyer than the 550.

And me must remind also Prodrive has a HUGE experience in "modified road cars". i think this is probably the best in the world.
So the reference is very high.

[class4v]

Concerning teh C6-R, word is out that 2 customer teams might run them in Europe. One of them might be Hezemans.

[gwyllion]

Three Aston Martin Racing Works teams will then be appointed to compete in major international sports cars series. These will be independent teams each racing two DBR9s with the full factory support of Aston Martin Racing.

source: http://www.lmsr.net/dbr9.html

Exactly the requirements for a works entry that Ratel stated in the interview: 3 independent teams, each with 2 cars.

[FIRE]

Originally posted by class4v
Concerning teh C6-R, word is out that 2 customer teams might run them in Europe. One of them might be Hezemans.

What's your source?

[JAG]

'Exactly the requirements for a works entry that Ratel stated in the interview: 3 independent teams, each with 2 cars.'

Yes but the teams are going to be spread across FIA GT, LMES and ALMS.

[Cadete]

But Aston Martin has also stated that they would be selling some costumer cars, with the same specification as the works cars.

[FIRE]

Originally posted by bf1

Maybe that Belgian Team could run one in FIA GT?

You mean SRT?

SRT competes in Belcar with a Corvette. At the begin of this season they had plans to enter a Corvette in LMES.

[bf1]

Yes I think thats them - they ran with sivler,black and Red but I can't remember the sponsor.