TVR's not on Petite Lemans entry list anymore

[slicktsax]

hey i just gone done checking the IMSA website to see the latest entries for the Petite Lemans and i don't see the TVR's on the list anymore. i saw two of them there last week and now they are gone. i also read on the motorsport.com website that prodrive will enter a 3rd car for Fredrick Dor and two unnamed drivers. but i was shocked too see both TVR's gone, those are neat looking cars. too bad they aren't sold in the USA

[rdjones]

If that is ture then I think it is to do with the Le Mans 1000Km because I understand they have entered both cars into that race.

[SALEEN S7R]

I agree, although its a shame not to have the cars at PLM.

[Graham Goodwin]

The team originally planned to enter both - it appears that their driver plans for PLM have fallen through

[slicktsax]

yeah go look at the american lemans official website and u won't see either of them on the list anymore. this sucks

[rdjones]

Its a real shame IMO, to be honest and I am sorry to say this I am not suprised at all. Hopefully they will be back next year.

[SALEEN S7R]

On a slightly differnt note, I wonder what the chances are of seeing the Racesport Sailsbury TVR's contesting the full LMES next year? Id imagine this is highly likely, as its cheaper to do than a full season of either FIA GT or the ALMS and is still going to be ultra competitive and will be higher profile than British GT. I think a lot of teams will come out of the wood work alongisde them, people like PK sport, RML with their Saleen, and perhaps Rollcentre from the British teams and other teams like Labre and Paul Belmondo from abroad.

Will be intresting to see how the TVR's develop.

[slicktsax]

only time will tell i guess, too bad though they are real competative cars when they don't have weight and air restrictor penalities, in the BGTC they have shown they have tons of speed

[PaulSands]

on a more general front ACO and other organisers of the LMES should take care to make their schedule such that some of the more established US events entry lists dont suffer...far better to have what looks like a potential endurance revival in Europe that is complemented by an equally strong American series than one that is at the cost of the US series

[KA]

Definitely- in fact, both the ALMS, ACO and the FIA need to co-operate over the calendar- doesn't PLM clash with the Monza FIA GT round this year?- that's probably cost the PLM entry list at least a couple of cars as well....

Given that some competitors in all three series may on occasion want to cross over to take in one of the major races elsewhere, then at the very least Panoz needs to make sure that the Petit is on a date that's clear of any FIA or LMES clashes- the ACO and FIA need to do the same to avoid losing potential entries to each other- trying to avoid clashing with ALMS dates in genneral wouldn't do any harm either

[Graham Goodwin]

RML don't have a Saleen - They sold the car to GNM and then rented it back for their last shot at LM in 2002.

They have however announced plans to contest the Bugatti race with Mike Newton (who owns their old Saleen) with his MG Lola EX257

[slicktsax]

oh and another car i forgot about. i wish they entered it in the Petit is the morgon aero 8 GT. it is a funky looking car but another type of car is always welcomed for more diversity. i know they initially entered at sebring but then withdrew it, i never found out the reason, was it lack of funds or not being able to find drivers

[hgb]

Originally posted by SALEEN S7R
...and perhaps Rollcentre from the British teams...

Will be intresting to see how the TVR's develop.

Some ACO officials will take a look at the MT900R next monday. I hope they like it.

[slicktsax]

yeah me too, the MT900R is a nice race car, it would be great to see it in the GT class, i'm sure it will be very competative

[SALEEN S7R]

The Mosler has a lot of potential, especially if taken on by a big team. No disrespect to Rollcentre, but they dont have the drivers or the recources people like Freisinger, TMC, JMB, Prodrive etc have, or the drivers. If a big team got hold of the cars and stuck in good International level drivers (ie Pescatori and Ortelli) I think the car could be a Porsche beater. Still lets hope we see the Rollcentre boys out for the LMES. 2 Moslers on the grid are better than none at all - even if they could do better if run by a big team

[E46]

One question, isn´t Mosler a GTS car now?? I think last year it was a GT car but not this........ am I wrong?

[SALEEN S7R]

Well in British GT it runs in the GTO class, and in the Spa 24hrs I think if the car was a regular runner would have been entered in the NGT class. The Mosler is also eligable for the Bathurst 24hrs, and that race only allows GTO class cars and touring cars not GTS level machinery. So in short Im thinking that the car is eligable for the GT/NGT class in ALMS and FIA GT, particulary as the engine is not too big too be eligable and there are enough road versions.

[KA]

Originally posted by SALEEN S7R
Well in British GT it runs in the GTO class, and in the Spa 24hrs I think if the car was a regular runner would have been entered in the NGT class. The Mosler is also eligable for the Bathurst 24hrs, and that race only allows GTO class cars and touring cars not GTS level machinery. So in short Im thinking that the car is eligable for the GT/NGT class in ALMS and FIA GT, particulary as the engine is not too big too be eligable and there are enough road versions.

Currently it isn't eligible for either the FIA NGT class or ACO/ALMS GT class- they're working on homologation for next year (as hgb said, ACO officials are inspecting it soon, if they haven't already) I beleive they're aiming at the FIA GT class or GTS next year (where the confusion over the Mosler already being in GTS comes from is that it has run in Grand-Am's GTS class this year)

[SALEEN S7R]

Well we will have to wait and see, but the Grand Am GTS rules are differnt from the FIA GT GT and ALMS GTS rules. Lets remember that the British GT runs to almost identically the same rules as the FIA and ALMS series, at least the GTO class is the same as the NGT/GT class in FIA GT and ALMS. I dont think the cars would be competitive in the GTS class in the ALMS or GT in FIA GT. Just look at how far off the pace the Moslers were to the Viper in the Invitation class of the Spa 24hrs. It was way off the pace of even the Freisinger Porsche and JMB Ferrari 360.

Still u might be right, personally though I think its a NGT/GT class car.

[KA]

According to Dailysportscar a few weeks ago, Mosler's plans for next year are GTS -and FIA GT when enough cars are built to meet the regs.

Direct quotes from Martin Short in the article:

'Charlie Cook the ALMS Technical Scrutineer has been to the Mosler factory and has asked Mosler Automotive to present a GTS spec car after the Miami ALMS race. The car is in build at Riviera Beach Florida to ACO GTS specification.....we have to take the Mosler from GT (GTO specification) to GTS (GT) which means suspension, fuel tank and aero modifications and a Corvette C5R-type engine producing in excess of 600bhp'

They expect to have to run with ballast/restrictor penalties initially, like Saleen have done.

Sounds promising....

[SALEEN S7R]

My apoligies KA it seems u are correct. And yes it does sound very promising, I had no doubt the cars chasis was good enough to mix it with the Saleen S7R and Porsche Carerra GT etc, I just doubted whether or not they could get the horsepower out of it, but with the engine size being increased I think they might do it. I forgot that they were increasing the engine size, but I think I read a couple of weeks back that the Mosler would be a 7.0ltr for next year rather than the current 6.0ltr but Im not 100% certain if I have the engine sizes right.

[KA]

Originally posted by SALEEN S7R
I forgot that they were increasing the engine size, but I think I read a couple of weeks back that the Mosler would be a 7.0ltr for next year rather than the current 6.0ltr but Im not 100% certain if I have the engine sizes right.

If they're talking about the C5R engine, then my guess is it will be the full 7-litres- hopefully, as you said that should give them the horsepower to be on the pace

[slicktsax]

yeah if the mosler is entered inm the N/GT and Gt class in the FIA GT and ALMS then it would run the 5.7 LS6 but if it is entered in the GT and GTS classes in the FIA GT and ALMS then it would use a version of the 7 liter LS1 V8 in the C5-R

[SALEEN S7R]

As far as I know the engine regulations are the same for NGT/GT GTS/GT but the restrictor sizes were differnt, so Im assuming that the 7.0ltr could also run in NGT/GT. Of course the restrictor size would be differnt to the GT/GTS class.