Everett Ogilvie

The P2 Penske Porsches just can't quite get the P1 Audi with that diesel power. The last 2 races were unbelievable with the P2 car driving the wheels off trying to get the P1 car. The long straights just give the edge to the Audi. Awesome effort Penske guys!

John Wiz

Have to admit it is an incredible piece of machinery that Audi... doesn't sound like a diesel, doesn't smoke like a diesel.. and so quiet.. couldn't believe it the first time we saw it run at Sebring..

Also quite an effort on the Porsche spyder.. really improved the reliability on the cars... and Acura has really been an interesting addition..

Just wish the Vette's had some competition in GT1....

63Corvette

Nevertheless, It was a very "watchable" race!!! I watch racing for entertainment, and on a scale of 1-10, this was the best sportscar race since .....Oh say Petit Lemans at Road Atlanta! VG

xsiveone

Why is Penske crying about the rules? When they interviewed him, he said that he might not be back next year depending on the rules for next season. Isn't it enough that with the exception of Sebring, he destroyed Acura in P2? Is the P2 supposed to be that dominant over P1 for the overall race win? I've never seen a P2 car dominate over a P1 car for an overall win.

Heck.. If Penske is going to cry about this, let them run the Corvette's unrestricted, so they can go for the overall win as well.

AU N EGL

Penske is a factory Porsche team. All factory teams should be in P1, not P2. But the rules are NOT SPECIFICLY written that way. French like to write things "in the spirit of"

Plus P2 next year will be 825 kg, so the Porsche Spyders will need to add close to 50 kgs to the car. The Accura's are already at 825 kgs or a bit more.

The rules need to say What is a "factory or Works" team, and what is a "privateer" team. It is not who runs the team, but how the team is supported.

Almost all of the big teams are not run by the manufacture, but a sub contractor engineering / race management company. However, they are still factory teams.

Mr Penske is also a master at tactics, both on and off the track.

Everett Ogilvie

No. That is the point. The fact that those P2 cars gave the Audi P1 everything it could handle is the point. The Audi is up by 200 HP and the Porsche still almost beat it. They beat Audi in the pits and they beat Audi in the tight sections of the track. They just can't quite hang with them on the long straights. I wanted the Porsche to beat the Audi soooo bad!

xsiveone

My point is that Audi got a rules change in their favor recently (larger fuel tank and some other things) and Penske is crabbing about it. I can understand that the Penske Porsche would have an advantage on the tighter stuff, but the Audi should've won on the bigger tracks and it didn't until the recent rules change.

In the ALMS, it seems as though all the racing is done off the track. If you can get the rules in your favor, you'll win. If you don't, you'll lose. Audi dominates and then they make a rule change and the Porsche is winning everything. Now, it seems reversed again in Audi's favor. Same with the Corvette's. They were winning everything until AM got a rules change and then the AM was winning. Then, they changed the rules again to give the advantage back to the Corvette. That's when AM left the series.

I guess what confuses me is that Penske is crabbing about being competitive for the overall win with the P1 class, not other P2 classes. The P2 isn't supposed to be competitive with the P1 class, is it? Just like the GT2 class isn't supposed to be competitive with the GT1 class. I don't ever see someone in the GT2 class crying about not being able to beat the Corvette's.

Also, I know that Penske is a factory team, but isn't Acura a factory backed team as well?

Anyway.. Just my thoughts..

TeddyFreddy

If Penske is so smart and knows how to win, why does not compete in P1?

Falcon

...

xsiveone

I don't think that it's solely Penske's decision. I think that Porsche is testing the waters with P2 and if it's successful, I think that you will see Porsche in P1 eventually.

I hope that Penske Porsche is back next season in the ALMS and I hope that they compete at LeMans next season. They have no excuse not to compete at LeMans next season other than fear of not winning.

TeddyFreddy

That's correct, it is Porsche's decision.
Yes, we will see Porsche in P1 after Audi takes a leave

Penske was bitching about the HP advantage of Audi's P1 cars. I find that kind of ridiculous. By the rules Penske has registered their P2 cars that was a given. If he wants the extra HP, he should convince Porsche to provide a P1 prototype and register in P1 class.

Anyway, I have to congratulate Penske and Porsche for the outstanding performance of their P2 cars and drivers, they did very well not only winning their class, but challenging Audi for overall win!

micro

Le Mans winner says Porsche and Acura (HPD...Courage, Lola) should be in LMP1

http://www.planetlemans.co.uk/cmsv2/...=3216&Itemid=2

TeddyFreddy

"LMP2 was designed by the ACO for privateers and that's the right place for us. Look at Porsche and Acura in the ALMS, they need to get out of LMP2, that's not where they should be."

The LMP2 Porsche and Acura teams are factory financed and they compete with the low budget privateers instead of facing Audi in LMP1.
I guess they are afraid of those diesels

BQuicksilver

Just like the GT1 teams are afraid of the Corvettes. I guess I can understand not wanting to invest big $$ to a losing cause.

For some reason F1 doesn't have this same issue with teams avoiding the series due to fear of losing. Is it the international draw? Is it the (decreasingly) open rules?

I'd love it if the Japanese and European touring car championships could team up with ALMS and make a true world championship series. LeMans is nice, but a regular series would be great.

micro

HPD plan LMP1 for 2009

http://www.gordonkirby.com/categorie..._is_no101.html

http://www.gordonkirby.com/categorie..._is_no102.html

The FIA has approved the 2010 World Championship for GT1 cars.

Heavier GT1 cars by over 220 pounds on the way.

http://www.fiagt.com/newsitem.php?key=1436

MistressMotorsports

From the link above' "In order to make each category unique, one and the same model cannot be homologated in both GT1 and GT2."

I think this means there couldn't be Corvettes in both GT1 and GT2. It will be interesting to see how this works out with Lou joining GT2. I guess if the factory cars leave GT1, there is no issue, but what if they don't?