John Shiels

Cars from different classes are announced as racing each other, one Team races it's self as usual and hardly any coverage of GT2. Series is a bomb! One LMP class and then GT2, end of story.

davidfarmer

I enjoy watching the LMP1 and LMP2 cars battle for supremecy, based on their strengths at various types of tracks. GT1 is a total dud, that's for sure, and GT2 surely demands more coverage, but I still enjoy watching.

Hopefully Kumho can put some betters tires together and help get Lou to the front.

0RAAMaudio

Lou is not a back of the pack type racer, I am sure something will work out before to long

I actually enjoyed the race though should of been in the shop working on my own race car(which I did until 11PM). Coverage certainly could be better in some ways but I thought this one was more fun than others so far this year.

Rick

John Shiels

We know Lou can run in the front so that leaves equipment in question. Car, tires or both.

RX7 KLR

Sure blame the tires... The other Kumho car was well ahead of LG.

micro

The Bell Motorsports DBR9 was absent due to a crash at St. Pete with the Viper. It caused over $85,000.

the series or the tv coverage is a bomb? Speed does a better job.

6 people 12 hrs per day for 7 days that is 504 man hours average 40.00 per hr: $20,160.00
Entire light weight body minus the roof: $15,795.00
Paint and graphics: $3,000
1 set of BBS wheels: $4850.00
Brake components destroyed: $8500.00
Both rear axles: $1450.00
Suspension components destroyed: $6250.00
Chassis Repair: $7150.00
U-Haul for chassis to Dodge repair facility: $1700
1 set of tires: $2300.00
Both headlight assembly: $2250.00
Radiator: $850.00
Exhaust 1 side: $1800.00
Rear toe links: $441.00
2 shocks: $7100.00
Steering rack: $852.00
Front sway bar: $1150.00

Total: $85,598

http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/artic...ng-beach-blog/

John Shiels

not understanding what your saying except that racing is huge dollars!


Series is still a bomb. Teams should have deep pockets or sponsors which we know is verty hard in todays economic conditions.

joemoia

I think the car, tires and the team all need further development/improvement. Louis Jr. told me at LB that the team is still learning how to compete at this level. Its like going from Minor Leagues to the Majors in baseball. Mis-communication at St. Pete cost the team at least 1 finishing position. The car is still 100lbs over its target weight and they've had limited testing opportunities at this stage of the season.

As far as comparing the LGM C6 performance to the VICI Porsche, that car is a well proven design and I assume there is lots of race/test data available to build on its performance. VICI was running about 1.5 sec/lap off the race pace of the Michelin P-Car runners

heavychevy

I agree, LMP front runners and GT2 should be split in half in terms of coverage. Since LMP2 is competitive with LMP1 and the only ones that matter in LMP2 really are Acura and Porsche, who are always battling with Audi, it should be them and GT2 split coverage.

John Shiels

i would think with all the design computers Riely could nail the finished weight of a car a lot closer than 100 lb over weight? Yes, no?

Moval49er

GT2 would be a logical place for Corvette Racing to spend a lot of money - supporting Lou and others, or doing factory teams, or better yet, both. It would be a much better testing ground for real world Corvette design, and it would relate well to the Corvettes on the street.

GT1 is only sensible if contested - as it will be at Lemans, I hope.

C6400hp

Thats shocking if true.

John Shiels

Help Lou? Help privateers? Do you think they have any brains? They seem to be so stupid by not releasing C5 & 6R's to qualified race teams around the world. More expose more chances of winning in many venues with factory support. Chrysler does a way better job with supporting the Viper Competition coupe and WC. They are happy to race 3 against 4 most of the year. Everyone in a LMP and / or a GT class. More cars more competition sipler for the public to understand. Would NASCAR have Cup cars running the lesser Bush cars or what ever they call them now?

John Shiels

Lou can drive so that component is out. That leaves car and / or tires that needs help. Yes it takes time but I hope it is sorted by the mid season which comes fast. How much power do the front runners make or how is HP balanced by ALMS? How is straight line speed of the Vette?

1stZ

As I mentioned before, I'd be happy if they could stay ahead of the other first year teams [aston, viper (2nd yr.), ford, etc...]. It'll be a while before they get really competetive with the front runners. At the moment, they're about 5 seconds from the front. That's too much to make up from a first year team. They could probably make up 1.5 seconds by going to Michelin, but the other 3.5 seconds???

I just hope they hang aroung for at least a minimum of 2-3 years. That would be realistic terms to get to know ALMS. As far as I'm concern, they're doing really well considering it is their first year in ALMS and also first year with a car that's not been develop. I wish them good luck & continue on their progress.

Mc5er#16

Kinda makes Speed Gt look alittle better now don't it?

John Shiels

not with there weekly changes and bias! but money spent it does look like a bargin in WC!


Long time no here Phil

LG Motorsports

No Phil. It doesn't.

Rome was'nt built in a day. and from the guys I talk to they would leave the Speed GT in a minute if there was ANY other sprint venue available for them to race in.

The tires appear to be a about 3 seconds down right now until they release the new version for Utah. The car/driver combination accounts for almost 2 seconds. But who really knows until we get the package complete in every respect.

If it was really that easy to develop a brand new car and we hit the podium in our first 3 races, then it would not be worth much.

Remember in 2004 on my return to the World Challenge Series, we brought the new Corvette C5 out on the maiden voyage to Sebring and qualified it on the out side pole. Now that WAS easy.

And in Grand Am in 2002 in our FIRST race we brought our Corvette to Daytona for the Paul Revere 250 and Won the race! So there you have it. Some times it is easy and some times it is not.

Keep the faith.

LG

micro

Mopar does support Cindi Lux's # 2 Viper in SWC.

http://www.world-challenge.com/news/story.php?ID=881

http://www.cindilux.com/

Something seems to be going on in the FIA GT Championship

Official car supplier

http://www.corvette-europe.com/

http://fiagt.com/gallerypic.php?coun...n=2008&event=1

but what about Doug Peterson?

Long Beach was only the second race with the new Cobalt brakes.

He didn't start racing until 1998. The only adjustment in GT2 last year was with the Panoz Esperante GTLM with more power and ten liters more fuel.

Michelins costs $$$$. A good short-term switch would be Dunlop. They took the GT2 tire crown in the 2007 Le Mans Series.

joemoia

Article in Autoweek on the future of ALMS. Note, the article states the the new proposed LMP evo regs are dead, but Steve Wesoloski, head of GM Road Racing said at LB that this is not true (but then all you ever get is GM propanganda at the Hospitality Q & A's)

http://autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar...OTORSPORTSNEWS