View Full Version : The Roar...
...is HERE! Friday morning 10:15 EST...follow on IMSA.com. Too many new things to keep track of...All good, I hope. 54 cars...only 13 DP/P2s, (Spencer Pigot in one of the New Mazdas, EXCELLENT choice...headed to the I500 with Rahal, too)...11 GTLMs (new turbo Ferrari 488s, turbo M6 BMWs, turbo Ford GTs, enhanced aero gifts to Corvette (they'll need 'em!) ...22 GTD (THE class to watch!...new cars, great drivers, TEN manufacturers!?) Go WeatherTech! ...and 8 PCs...hard for me to care there, except to say they need about 10 more! Sure, it ain't LeMans but so what! It IS important or the factories wouldn't be stepping up in such a big way...and what a nice "vacation" for Shane VanGisbergen!:)
opinionated ow
01-08-16, 06:04 AM
...is HERE! Friday morning 10:15 EST...follow on IMSA.com. Too many new things to keep track of...All good, I hope. 54 cars...only 13 DP/P2s, (Spencer Pigot in one of the New Mazdas, EXCELLENT choice...headed to the I500 with Rahal, too)...11 GTLMs (new turbo Ferrari 488s, turbo M6 BMWs, turbo Ford GTs, enhanced aero gifts to Corvette (they'll need 'em!) ...22 GTD (THE class to watch!...new cars, great drivers, TEN manufacturers!?) Go WeatherTech! ...and 8 PCs...hard for me to care there, except to say they need about 10 more! Sure, it ain't LeMans but so what! It IS important or the factories wouldn't be stepping up in such a big way...and what a nice "vacation" for Shane VanGisbergen!:)
If the World Challenge and IMSA could get friendly there would be enough cars to compete in GTD alone to set a new entry record...
Right you are...too many comparisons to the WAR in open wheel...we all SEEM to have survived?:)...And they are OFF...Fittipaldi leads the way with a 2:05 lap!
What a great entry list... and drivers! Bourdais in one of the GTLM Ford GTs (think they aren't SERIOUS!?) Keven Estre (hired away from K-Pax/Flying Lizzard in PWC) by Porsche for the #911 car. That guy is GOOD! Oh, look...Good ol' Augusto Farfus in one of the new GTLM BMW M6s...(scared the liver out of his wife while lapping the Nordschlief, YouTube, remember? Hilarious vid.:thumbup:) ) JIM PACE...my favorite old guy/ vintage racer! SO many great videos at Jim Pace Motorsports. Van Gisbergen, glad he's here! G'DAY, Mate! Ahhh, Andrew Davis in an Audi R8 LMS GT3. All the best to him! BMWs Bruno Spengler! Pulling out all stops, aren't they!? (is he REALLY a Canadian??)...Fun watching the lap times, now...getting serious. Milner/Corvette fastest in GTLM, 1:47s...I'll Be Back!:)
30 min. left in first session...Os Negri fastest in the Shank Racing Honda/Ligier P2, 1:39...NICE! Milner/Corvette fastest in GTLM in 1:45s, Pappas in a Porsche GT3R @ 1:48 in GTD...GTD, GREAT bang for the buck!
Checker...Negri still fastest in DP/P2...1:39.....Plowman fastest in PC @ 1:42...Lucas Luhr M6 BMW leads GTLM with a 1:45 and Pappas/Porsche in at 1:48 in GTD. Pretty tight grouping for a 54 car, 24 hr event?
Interesting stuff...Olivier Pla in the Honda/Ligier P2 fastest on the day...Luis Felipe Durani next in another Honda, and...drumroll...Sean Rahall in the DeltaWing!! Good for them! "Half the power, half the weight, and better mpg!" GTLM...M6turbo BMWs 1-2 with Farfus and GRAHAM Rahall, Jan 3rd in the C7 Vette. Porsche 8th and 9th!? Hmmmm. LOVE the look of GTD!...Ferrari, Viper, Lamborghini and Audi 1-4...WeatherTech Porsche 14th!?...WT*!?
Thanks for the updates, NizmoZ. I appreciate them.
:thumbup:
nissan gtp
01-09-16, 10:24 AM
is there a BOP adjustment before the race?
Yes...my understanding is the Nov. test session was used to determine BOP changes...these will determine how/if they are working. Corvette, for example, is using very different and visible aero changes...esp. to sideskirts, diffuser and wing. How they prevent the "sandbagging" is hard to understand but we just CAN'T have only 2-4 car class grids anymore. More to do with the racing than the newest technology? Sure. If you are still all "WEC, baby!" then you have LeMans, Spa etc. and all the "racing" zillions of factory $$ can bring you...The best? The fastest? Maybe, but I sure won't be jetting off to Europe or the Mid-East to see it. Ferrari even brought a few of their top new talents to the Pirelli WC final race last season in an ($$$) effort to snag the GT title from Cadillac...and ALMOST succeeded. Pretty big job to regulate in such a way that the series can keep FULL fields of cars, teams, MANUFACTURERS ($)AND fans happy. The BIGGEST plus as far as THIS fan is concerned is the arrival of DRIVERS who can or HAVE TO make the difference for teams when money can't just BUY the difference. I can't SEE a wing angle, design or placement work but watching drivers in (nearly) equal cars of various designs and shapes is just plain FUN! Turbo BMW M6s...look at the DRIVERS they have! Turbo Ferrari 488s? Can't even pronounce some of the names of those drivers but look at the INTEREST they bring here! I love it. Gotta go!...I'm missing Practice 3!...
Well, I got a glimpse of timing and scoring JUST before it switched to the little cars...BUT, I think the DeltaWing was on top! Now THAT I find interesting and only hope "balance of performance" doesn't screw with it! Let it get a WIN, first! Magnussen fastest in GTLM and a LAMBO on top in GTD (one of those Italian drivers I can't spell or pronounce!:D)...the new video up at the IMSA site covering yesterday's session is GREAT...lots of paddock stuff and up-close shots on new cars...Stevenson Motorsports' Audi R8 LMS GT3s look AWESOME...and look at the diffuser on the Corvette...HUGE! Maybe the best part of my RA weekends is wandering the paddock and watching the same scenes this little video captures. Sights and SOUNDS! and a lot of fun!:thumbup:
Yep, Katherine Legge 1st quick in protoytpes, SWEET!...It was Mike Rockenfeller on top in the GTLM Corvette and FABIO BABINI;) I got it!... in the Lambo Huracan in GTD. They have to be careful...IMSA wants a 4% difference between GTLM and GTD or a manufacturer has to sign off on a wing, weight or air change. (SOME have NOT, I hear...but that was older news) My guess is a lot of the stuff that is good for GTs at Daytona may not work as well on the smaller/slower tracks anyway. Porsche was LAST in GTLM in session 3... So, sandbagging, looking for sympathy?...or just waiting for quals? Session 4 at noon! Oh, and the little P2 Mazdas were 3rd and 4th OA...which has pleased THIS old Speed3 guy! Look at that video!
Ooops:gomer:...that video I referenced is up at www.nasportscar.com, Roar Testing Friday Video.
Final Saturday session results were a little eye-opening...Olivier Pla keeps the Shank Racing Honda/Ligier P2 on top. I like that. Headed to Europe to do some WEC stuff, too? KATE! Legge puts the DeltaWing 2nd! THAT is a result I like seeing! Bomarito gets the #55 Mazda (only) to 8th, which worries me a little. Jack Hawksworth was 1st in PC...my guess is drivers make the biggest difference in that class? GTLM...1st was Spengler/ BMW, followed by the 2 Ford GTs of Steffan Muecke and Bourdais (I think) with Marcel Fassler in the 1st Corvette next. (great driver catch there) Porsches were 6th and 9th. Hmmmm...waiting to POUNCE later? Today will be interesting to follow. GTD? Oh, boy...Its an Italian invasion! Bartolotti's Lambo Hurucan leads the way ...and my fav WeatherTech guys in the #22 Porsche...are... 17th! Yikes! Notice I didn't mention any of the ol' DPs...because I'm afraid to! They are UP there and...well... formidable. I don't know how ANY of these cars last 24hrs!
Practice 6?...7?...NOW things are shaping up! (more to MY liking, anyway;)) Os Negri fastest in the Shank Honda/Ligier P2. Tom Long puts the #70 Mazda 2nd and Bomarito 4th in the sister car! NICE! Better than I could have imagined! Minassian (?) 3rd in the Nissan BR1 and the DeltaWing 7th this time. Corvette was 1st (Gavin) and 2nd in GTLM and that GTD WeatherTech Porsche GT3R I was so worried about? FIRST! (from 17th in the last session.) Wish I knew who was driving...VanGisbergen?? No it was Leh Keen. GOOD team!... (Dad David MacNeil, son Cooper and Keen) Andrew Davis 3rd in the Stevenson Audi R8 LMS GT3...THEY will be fun to watch this year! Colin Braun fastest in PC.
Practice 7...Mazda skipped out. Sharp's team Honda/Ligier P2 on top, Luis Felipe Durani. The DeltaWing 2nd. Pagenaud in the #31 DP 'vette 3rd. Hawksworth again in PC. Corvette P-1 in GTLM, Garcia. Ford GT, Westbrook 2nd, Pilet Porsche 3rd...finally!. Faulkner in the #93 Viper GT-3R on top in GTD. At least in this session, lap times indicate pretty tight racing...Only 2 P cars in the 1:39s, 7 in the 1:40s. All PC cars in 1:42s-1:45s. ALL GTLMs in the 1:45s! All the GTDs between 1;47s & 1:50. So, a potential 54 cars within 10 seconds? Crikey! The fastest GTDs only 2 secs slower than GTLMs...Fast traffic!
Oh...and Porsche Caymans, Clubsports, made short work of both the GS and ST classes in the Conti Challenge. Duhhhh. Time for a "Cayman Challenge"...the CC class?
Leaving town a week from Saturday, a couple days down in Knoxville, but the final destination is Daytona for the Rolex 24.
Leaving town a week from Saturday, a couple days down in Knoxville, but the final destination is Daytona for the Rolex 24.
NICE!
Enjoy!
Have the COMPLETE answer to Nissan GTP's question about Balance of Performance changes..."IMSA Makes Significant Changes for Rolex 24"...even tables of ALL the changes. Yikes looks like all get SOME changes, except Corvette DP...Hmmmm. Up at www.sportscar365.com
opinionated ow
01-23-16, 11:21 PM
poor field for the continental series :(
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