2019 Roar Before the Rolex 24 - Jan. 4-6

[Nick Woodbury]

Happy new year! It is that time again! The 2019 IMSA season is almost upon us, and that means a new ROAR thread!

Below are some necessary resource links for the 2019 Roar test. Please feel free to add any other links to this thread that I may have missed or that you feel are necessary additions.


The weather looks good for this weekend, hopefully the rain won't affect Friday to much.
Thanks to Racecast weather for the forcast.
https://www.facebook.com/RacecastWx/
http://www.racecastweather.com/?fbcl...7fxI58VMqCLhTw




Live Timing
https://livetiming.alkamelsystems.com/imsa/

IMSA TV Broadcast Link for Saturday's Prototype Challenge Race
The race will start at 12:15pm EST.

https://imsatv.imsa.com/

News
http://www.racer.com/imsa

http://sportscar365.com/category/imsa/


Twitter
@IMSA
https://twitter.com/IMSA

@IMSA Radio
https://twitter.com/IMSARadio?lang=en

@Rolex24Hours
https://twitter.com/Rolex24Hours

@DISupdates
https://twitter.com/DISupdates

IMSA Competitors Portal
https://competitors.imsa.com/

Official ROAR Schedule
https://competitors.imsa.com/sites/d...oar_010219.pdf

ENTRY Lists

Weathertech - https://competitors.imsa.com/sites/d...trylist_v2.pdf

Michelin Pilot Challenge - https://competitors.imsa.com/sites/d...entry_list.pdf

Prototype Challenge - https://competitors.imsa.com/sites/d...entry_list.pdf

Pre Event Notes
https://competitors.imsa.com/sites/d...ytona_2019.pdf

ROAR Garage Assignments
https://competitors.imsa.com/sites/d..._lane_2018.pdf


Daytona International Speedway Ad for the Rolex 24
https://www.facebook.com/DaytonaInte...1457049081805/

[Nick Woodbury]

Mazda announce some big administrative changes, as well as a new endurance driver line-up!

https://racer.com/2019/01/02/major-c...da-team-joest/

https://racer.com/2019/01/02/bernhar...t-for-enduros/

[MaskedRacer]

Some teams will come with their intended liveries, but there might be others where that won't be the case still I feel. Watch out for some trickery like what Porsche did at the Le Mans test. They showed up with 4 cars in full traditional factory livery (which I like a lot), and then we know what happened the next day. Pink Pig and Rothmans gets revealed.

[TF110]

Originally Posted by MaskedRacer

Some teams will come with their intended liveries, but there might be others where that won't be the case still I feel. Watch out for some trickery like what Porsche did at the Le Mans test. They showed up with 4 cars in full traditional factory livery (which I like a lot), and then we know what happened the next day. Pink Pig and Rothmans gets revealed.

Maybe a white Ford GT. That looked nice.

[skycafe]

Originally Posted by MaskedRacer

Some teams will come with their intended liveries, but there might be others where that won't be the case still I feel. Watch out for some trickery like what Porsche did at the Le Mans test. They showed up with 4 cars in full traditional factory livery (which I like a lot), and then we know what happened the next day. Pink Pig and Rothmans gets revealed.

There is probably a lot of angling for sponsors still going on, so the real estate of spaces on the cars is still on offer.

Given this is IMSA's 50th anniversary, which Porsche has been a huge part of, I sort of expect something special from Porsche. But my ability to be wrong is profound :-)

[Ramius]

Thinking about going to the Roar for the first time. Will be bringing my 3 year old. Can only make it Sunday - is there anything I should Be considering? How close can you get to the pits/paddock? Never been to DIS. I’ve been to Sebring and Road Atlanta years ago during the Audi years, for a starting point.

Any suggestions would be appreciated!

[Maelochs]

Mazda has a killer driver line-up ... but they have Always had really quick drivers. The crew and the car have always been the week spots. And the car ... is the same car except they are planning to push it even harder.

Look at home many endurance races there were leading are almost leading int he final hour ... where the car didn't finish.

Fan, but a realistic fan.

[Coach Ep]

Originally Posted by Ramius

Thinking about going to the Roar for the first time. Will be bringing my 3 year old. Can only make it Sunday - is there anything I should Be considering? How close can you get to the pits/paddock? Never been to DIS. I’ve been to Sebring and Road Atlanta years ago during the Audi years, for a starting point.

Any suggestions would be appreciated!

No tips on the accommodation (sorry) but bring some good ear protection for the little one, their hearing is much more sensitive than ours!

[Speed-King]

Originally Posted by skycafe

Given this is IMSA's 50th anniversary, which Porsche has been a huge part of, I sort of expect something special from Porsche. But my ability to be wrong is profound :-)

Hmm, I guess Brumos would always be an option and I would really like a Löwenbräu-car, but I don't know if they could get away with that in terms of trademarks and all of that.

[HighParker]

Originally Posted by Speed-King

Hmm, I guess Brumos would always be an option and I would really like a Löwenbräu-car, but I don't know if they could get away with that in terms of trademarks and all of that.

As with Porsche (Rothmans) at Le Mans, I assume they could probably just avoid putting the actual brand name on the car while using the rest of it?

[Coach Ep]

Originally Posted by Nick Woodbury

Mazda announce some big administrative changes, as well as a new endurance driver line-up!

https://racer.com/2019/01/02/major-c...da-team-joest/

https://racer.com/2019/01/02/bernhar...t-for-enduros/

I'm gonna say they're at least getting a podium in the Rolex - maybe even a win!

(Just a wild gamble of course)

[skycafe]

Wow, Leena Gade back!

Thanks for the Roar intro Nick.

[canaglia]

thanks sir, BTW why red flag?




faster than last year pole already

[gsmith2424]

Originally Posted by canaglia

thanks sir, BTW why red flag?




faster than last year pole already

I can already see IMSA returning the P2's back to full WEC/ACO spec as the current P2 leader is already 6 seconds slower than the DPi pace setter and only 3 seconds ahead of the GTLM leader. Still early but think they went too far with the P2 restrictions.

[canaglia]

Expect GTE pole high 1.41 - low 1.42


LMP2 should be at least 1.38 to be comfortably ahead gte

[MaskedRacer]

Originally Posted by canaglia

Expect GTE pole high 1.41 - low 1.42


LMP2 should be at least 1.38 to be comfortably ahead gte

Would be neat if that was the case. I figured one of these days the GTLM class would get fast enough to match the Grand Am era Daytona Prototype lap times.

[canaglia]

Originally Posted by MaskedRacer

Would be neat if that was the case. I figured one of these days the GTLM class would get fast enough to match the Grand Am era Daytona Prototype lap times.

Actually I did the same, and was a bit concerned by gte potential/latent performances.

2013 was grand-am and 2012-2013 DP3 final season.
Riley ford/bmw and corvette DP used 5L V8 with a power about 510-520hp, were 1030-1050kg heavy and had a really poor aero, a crap aero also for that time. Had crap continental as well.
Despite a not so big power, dp3 were able to reach >190mph, at the end recall 2013 pole was 1.40.5

2016-2018 gte have basically the same power, all but porsche have more torque too + a much more advanced aero and confidential state of art michelin tires. Unfortunately are also 200kg heavier.
Surely this year gte pole will be in 1.42 range

Quite disappointed considering that nowadays gte are faster than 2006-2008 GT1 that were 100kg lighter and had about 80hp more. At the end guess that huge extra weight and huge drag simply kills acceleration and top speed making gte slower than old dp3 at daytona because of that.

(dP3, even if named prototypes were just a carbon bodywork mounted on a caveman steel frametube chassis...)

[Damian Baldi]

Straight line speed seems still low. Last year I think it was 196mph and over 200mph in 2016 before the restrictions and with 6.2 engine on the Cadillac.

It's too early, Juncos was doing 1.36.0 on the Michelin test.

[canaglia]

Thought 1.34 dpi pole was too optimistic, maybe could be even faster

[Damian Baldi]

The #55 is 3mph faster than the #77, I have read that the #55 have the last updates and the 77 not.

EDIT: now the #77 is the fastest with 193.4

[canaglia]

where are you checking top speeds?

[Damian Baldi]

Originally Posted by canaglia

where are you checking top speeds?

You have to click on "PITS" on the top right and it change to "TS". It works with "Team/Cars", "Lap/Time", "Gap/Int" too.

[seanyb505]

Originally Posted by Damian Baldi

You have to click on "PITS" on the top right and it change to "TS". It works with "Team/Cars", "Lap/Time", "Gap/Int" too.

The timing screen feels more interactive, but is there an option to display all these things at once rather than have to cycle through? I feel like that was the case previously.

[canaglia]

thanks sir again.
As usual mazda's have always had great top speed during test; anyway even if dpi got some extra hp, very likely TS will remain the same of last year. Guess lmp2 style bodywork generates too much drag however, even if in semi-LD setting.



Recall old days when Riley and Corvette dp in 2012-2013 had a <190-195mph comparable top speed despite being heavier and powered by only 510-520hp; guess dp old bodywork generated close to 0 downforce but close to 0 drag as well.

[Maelochs]

IMSA T&S working for me too.

Tomorrow there is supposed to be live video.