rockit1

Today the vettes qualified 7th and 9th, can anyone explain why, is it the added weight, balance of power/performance?

Blvdbrawler

Its the driver...

sam90lx

Needs "spats"

Paulchristian

Saaaaam...be nice.

Rumba

Yes, absolutely. After we won four races they added weight and restrictor plates to slow us down, which it did. Complete BS. Somebody better check the bank accounts of those making these calls. It reeks of politics to me.

MavsAK

Severe restrictor plates, and weight penalties because the Vette won too much.

As if being forced to run a 5.5 liter wasn't penalty enough.
Someone has yet to explain to me why the Viper is allowed it's full displacement, and BMW is allowed a V8 in a Z4 (when it doesn't offer that as an option) and yet the vette is forced to run 5.5 liters... other than frankly the other cars are too ***** slow to keep up.

We'll still ice this championship.

ChucksZ06

That series is a joke as they constantly penalize success in order to make the racing closer. Like small time stock car racing where the winner has to start in the back. I give corvette racing(gm) credit for sticking with it inspite of the politics. It has been this way for years. I am sure some of the other teams feel they get screwed also.

TARANTULA

They gave Corvette a little help with weight and power for this race

skank

It's Vipers year. They will BOP the teams till the desired manufacturer wins. The Corvette was just too dominate early on so they slowed them down. Still not as bad as the LeMans 24hr this year when they made Corvette come in to switch out their lightbulbs in the door panel. Complete BS!!!! They lost the race because of that. They wouldn't dare let Corvette dominate in their first year of the C7R. Porsche was squawking to high heaven before the start of the race. I was there at the race this year and was watching across the pits at 3 in the morning when they made them come in for the bulb change. Unreal !!!!

sunsalem

The BOP formula is just part of Sportscar racing....not a big deal.
Unless there is an unforeseen catastrophe, Corvette Racing should pick up the title in TUDOR.

As for the V10 in the Viper, it does run with restrictors on (like everyone else).
And it's probably at a bit of a disadvantage with the greater weight of the big lump.

MavsAK

Actually it keeping full displacement, allows it to turn a lot fewer RPMs. That increases it's reliability as well as it's fuel economy. The larger engine also gives it greater low and mid range torque which gives it yet another advantage in mid to low speed corners.

Jp23rockstar

Yeah ever since Corvette won like 3 races in row, they started losing after applying extra weight and restrictions. Sounds like socialism to me in the sense that everyone has to be equal. Corvette engineering is too good, I guess that's why had to put restrictions on them. Why does a BMW Z4 have a V8? I don't any where I can pick up a BMW Z4 with a V8 engine.

usroute66 MKW

thats how it has been for decades at many of the higher levels of racing ...it is all about the show, or else no butts in the seats, no sponsors ...race organizers are not doing it for charity ...in fact , open or closed sports car racing is almost a charity , esp in the US, vs say, Nascar, so I take all of these race outcomes and rankings with a grain of salt

NocarbutaVetteforme

Do you even read up or follow the series to understand stuff before you post anything?

GT Le Mans (GTLM)
The GT Le Mans (GTLM) cars are the most elite and fastest GT cars on the track. They are based on production models and are engineered to extract the maximum performance possible. The class serves as a true proving ground for leading manufacturers such as BMW, Corvette, Ferrari, Porsche, and SRT.

TOP SPEED: 180
HORSEPOWER: 500
WHEELBASE: Length varies; based on production vehicle design
WEIGHT: 2,745 minimum
HEIGHT: Height varies; basd on production vehicle design
WIDTH: 79 inches
CARS: Aston Martin Vantage V8, BMW Z4 GTE, Corvette C7.R, Ferarri F458 Italia, Porsche 911 RSR, SRT Viper GTS-R
ENGINES: Aston Martin V8, BMW 4-valve; 6-liter Chevrolet pushrod 2-valve; Ferrari V8; 5.0 liter Ford 4-valve; Porsche flat 6, Viper V10
FUEL: VP Racing Fuel E-85C
GEARBOX: 5-speed or 6-speed
TIRES: Open (Michelin and Falken currently participating)
CHASSIS: Steel tubing and integral roll cage or production tube with cage, based on production model available to the public
SUSPENSION: Front and rear - independent coil springs, upper and lower A arms
TRACTION CONTROL: Not permitted

http://sportscar365.com/imsa/tusc/im...ents-for-cota/

The Pratt & Miller-built car has been given a 15 kg minimum weight reduction in addition to a 0.3 mm larger air restrictor, while the BMW Z4 GTE has been handed a 0.4 mm larger air restrictor but with a 25 kg minimum weight increase.

http://motorsportstalk.nbcsports.com...ing-in-austin/

The C7.Rs have been the beneficiary of a pre-race Balance of Performance adjustment from IMSA, with a 15 kg weight break and a 0.3mm larger air restrictor coming.

JoesC5

What do you expect when they are running an "obsolete" GenIV LS engine that uses the LS7 7.0L block(resleeved for a smaller bore).

NocarbutaVetteforme

Once again you are talking about something you know nothing about. The Viper's bigger motor will require more air to breathe. And since it cannot operate efficiently, it will also be working harder and consuming more fuel as well as making less HP along the way to get to its goal of 500, which is what all of the cars are limited to. The bigger motor will be having to work harder to get there.

http://www.imsa.com/sites/default/fi...14%20FINAL.pdf

http://www.imsa.com/sites/default/fi...0%2314-125.pdf

The part in bold would be true if it was running without a restrictor plate. But since it is, it is having to work harder to get to it's goal. If it were allowed to run it's full stock V10, then it would be at 640 hp. So right there it is being restricted by 140 HP. Now do you want to argue that point as well? Hence why the Oreca Vipers were so dominating in the late 90's.

http://www.supercars.net/cars/2209.html

MavsAK

Do you think SRT is building the Viper to have power well beyond what the plate feeds it? If so there's a saying about bridges selling and all that.

The Highlander

Cars in this class should weigh exactly the same as their production counterpart.

Glenn Quagmire

Car manufacturers are actually fronting the dough for these races to be televised, because attendance, ratings, and team sponsorships aren't there. Thus, you can bet that plays a huge role in trying to keep the competition tight.

Despite this, I still enjoy watching the GTLM class.

Sadly, unless things change in the coming years, this series may not make it. Auto racing in general just doesn't appeal to enough fans under 40 years old.

Wicked Weasel

Sitting in a paddock suite yesterday surrounded by 50 viper exchange employees and then Ben Keating comes by after his time in the car to say hi, it does make you wonder if the home town favorite has a slight advantage.

Earlier in the day I was listening to Townsend Bell and he said the Ferrari was hoping for rain since that was the only chance they would get.

I talked to Whelen and was told all the struggles they have gone through this year (granted it is their first DP year). Amazing what it takes to get their car to the starting grid each race and have some hope of winning.

Seems every team complains about some restriction or another. Trying to make the game fair seems to hurt everyone but what is the alternative?