ALMS will seize to exist in this format.

[Hugewally]

Originally Posted by rsr

Acura will pull the plug for sure

Don't be so sure.

[awegrzyn]

Wow, I did not know the feedback is going to be so good.

First thing first, I live in US, so this was not a thread against US. Even though I'm not blind to see where things are going and how we (Europe and US) are becoming the most socialistic freedom haters in the world (Just look who we voted in and who took the 23trillions).

Now, back to ALMS, the fact that you guys started seeing problems and have been more open to ideas is a better sign for racing. 3 years ago my thread would be closed. I love ALMS cars and would love to see "racing" come back to the series and it seems to me there is only one way to bring it back now. We would have to lock in good rules for the next 10 years and consolidate all sports car racing series in US into one super strong championship.

One more thing. The GT3 Porsches in ALMS is some kind of a mistake. That has to be removed. Adds nothing but danger. One of the GT3 guys at Lime Rock was just cruising around never hitting an apex in the last 2 turns. He was not taking turns, he was going "around" them as if he was in the parking lot. He eventually spun in the last turn while cruising . How can you cruse and lose your car? This thing right now is like a train going into the wall. I speculate it's going to end bad.

[cthib10]

Originally Posted by awegrzyn

Now, back to ALMS, the fact that you guys started seeing problems and have been more open to ideas is a better sign for racing. 3 years ago my thread would be closed. I love ALMS cars and would love to see "racing" come back to the series and it seems to me there is only one way to bring it back now. We would have to lock in good rules for the next 10 years and consolidate all sports car racing series in US into one super strong championship.

And call it what the 4th Reich?

[cthib10]

Or better yet we can call it the Indy Racing League because it will turn out the same way that is turning out..

[TWK]

Originally Posted by Speed-King

I am not even sure about that one... It's mostly the one Flying Lizard car vs the one Risi Ferrari. Farnbacher-Loles only become a factor when they have Dirk Werner in the car and despite some waivers from IMSA, BMW has so far been pretty underwhelming.
ALMS has a great variety in GT2 and the top teams are (among?) the best in the world, but even GT2 lacks depth. The addition of Corvette will - of course - help...

Generally agreed that Farnbacher Loles, has been a disappointment over most of the past two seasons. Except that it's only in a single race (Lime Rock, where Bryce Miller kept the seat warm for an uncompetitive stint) that Dirk Werner hasn't been partnered by Wolf Henzler. The "drop off" in on-track pace you imply has simply not happened. What has plagued Farnbacher Loles is reliability, often errors in prep and pit work. New hires (Murphy just added an item this morning on the topic) are meant to improve mechanical performance.

[awegrzyn]

Look at the entry list for Nürburgring http://www.planetlemans.com/lms-2009...ng-entry-list/ and tell me we have no problem here in the states. Out of all the racing here we do not have one race series where you have competition. Sports car racing here is so mismanaged.

[cmk]

The ALMS/LMS comparison has been done a million times here and 2 themes always emerge (because they are true): Europe and NA have distinctly different entrant and spectator markets, and that trying to compare the two series directly is apples to pomegranates. Furthermore, if series here do not have 'competition', then what do you think the LMS has? The battles in class are no better with any consistency in the LMS than the ALMS, and with Oreca out for that race the P1 field is not even as strong as the rest of 09. So?

[Adam43]

After the litigation threats and threads that would have been closed awegrzyn you are still putting the world to rights. Good on you.

BTW here is the previous thread awegrzyn started on this topic: http://tentenths.com/forum/showthread.php?t=56317
Shall leave it open, or close it now?

Did you ever get proof that the TV figures were lies? http://tentenths.com/forum/showthread.php?t=56317

[Speed-King]

Well, Gordon Kirby for one seems to agree with the thread starter:

My point in all this is [...]the struggles the country's top road racing circuits are facing to find strong contemporary race weekends [is] indicative of the weakened state of professional road racing as a whole in America. The indubitable fact is it ain't very healthy and needs some serious reworking. Anyone out there up for the job?

Full article, mostly focused on the state of the American racing press, though...

[mountainstar]

Originally Posted by Speed-King

Well, Gordon Kirby for one seems to agree with the thread starter:



Full article, mostly focused on the state of the American racing press, though...

Actually I think road racing had a rebirth over the past decade with huge fields and several different series available. Mostly what is happening now is pure capitalism with the great recession going on and everything being scrubbed clean and rebooted. I don't see it as a bad thing in the long term despite the short term pain so many of us are going through.

I think the ALMS represents the last in anything in pro american motorsports that has interesting cars, technology and tracks. The rest of what is going on like nascar and the irl has all the interest to me as a mcdonalds hamburger or a trip to walmart.

[Bob Riebe]

Originally Posted by Speed-King

Well, Gordon Kirby for one seems to agree with the thread starter:



Full article, mostly focused on the state of the American racing press, though...

Spec. and quasi-spec. restricted racers, inspire none, and prove nothing.

The IMSA should get on its knees and thank Chevy for keeping-on, keeping-on when Dodge turned tail and ran-away, plus another groveling thanks when Ferrari die-hards kept the ball rolling for awhile or U.S. sports car racing would have beaten the economic cluster-f--- by quite a few years.(I guess a third groveling thanks should be given to Roger Penske also, for being a hemorrhoid to the Audi slot-cars, and keeping the show interesting when Chevy lost any comp.)