The UCP 12 Hours of Sebring thread

[Zytek_Fan]

Aston Martin Racing is going to hound Corvette Racing the whole race

[RacingManiac]

I don't understand why they switch to Pirelli....

[Zytek_Fan]

Originally Posted by RacingManiac

I don't understand why they switch to Pirelli....

Pirelli + DBR9 = kick Corvette Racing's ass
Pirelli's seem to go really well with V12 engined cars

[RacingManiac]

I don't think they can triple stint the Pirelli's.......the whole reason why Corvette went with the Michelin was because of the ability of Prodrive Ferrari can triple stint their Michelins back in 2003. While Goodyear at the time does not lack ultimate pace, they certainly are not as durable as Michelin(the laptime between beginning and the end of the tire life is within like 3%....).

IMSA is giving Aston a lot of help though...bigger restrictor and 110lb lighter weight vs the C6.Rs....

[Zytek_Fan]

Originally Posted by RacingManiac

I don't think they can triple stint the Pirelli's.......the whole reason why Corvette went with the Michelin was because of the ability of Prodrive Ferrari can triple stint their Michelins back in 2003. While Goodyear at the time does not lack ultimate pace, they certainly are not as durable as Michelin(the laptime between beginning and the end of the tire life is within like 3%....).

IMSA is giving Aston a lot of help though...bigger restrictor and 110lb lighter weight vs the C6.Rs....

Little coverage on the Maserati MC12 occured so I am not sure if they triple stinted the Pirelli's, but I am pretty sure that they could. I am sure the reason they decided to go with Pirelli's is that the very similar Ferrari 550 GTS fielded by BMS Scuderia Italia had such great success with Pirelli's, so they decided to go with Pirelli's on the DBR9. I doubt we'll see triple stinting until the late hours of the race because triple stinting on GT cars has proven to be a terrible decision in the past.

[F1_Master]

I should hopefully be going this year, but right now, need to warm up on GTR with Sebring and my DBR9.

[RacingManiac]

Tuesday Test Times At Sebring

1 1 LMP1 Biela/ Pirro/Werner 1:48.374
2 2 LMP1 Capello/ Kristensen/McNish 1:49.555
3 7 LMP2 Bernhard/ Dumas/Long 1:49.831
4 6 LMP2 Maassen/ Luhr/Collard 1:49.877
5 20 LMP1 Dyson/ G.Smith 1:52.066
6 37 LMP2 C.Field/ Halliday/J.Field 1:52.172
7 16 LMP1 Weaver/ Leitzinger/Wallace 1:52.989
8 10 LMP2 Lally/ Gue 1:54.922
9 9 LMP1 Dayton/ Knoop/Fisken 1:55.997
10 009 LMGT1 Bright/ Lamy/Sarrazin 1:57.221
11 3 LMGT1 Fellows/ O'Connell/Papis 1:57.555
12 4 LMGT1 Gavin/ Beretta/Magnussen 1:57.980
13 8 LMP2 Bach/ Cosmo/Matos 1:58.786
14 007 LMGT1 Enge/ Kiesa/Turner 1:58.811
15 41 LMP2 Binnie/ Timpany/Sutherland 2:00.271
16 50 LMGT2 Maxwell/ Brabham/Bourdais 2:04.191
17 51 LMGT2 Jeannette/ Milner/Janqueira 2:04.290
18 23 LMGT2 Rockenfeller/ Graf/Rahal 2:04.798
19 80 LMGT2 Tomlinson/ Dean/Kimber-Smith 2:04.851
20 31 LMGT2 J.Bergmeister/ T.Bergmeister/Jonsson 2:04.872
21 79 LMGT2 Sugden/ Matthews/Henzler 2:05.847
22 21 LMGT2 Auberlen/ Hand/James 2:05.891
23 44 LMGT2 Law/ Neiman/Pechnik 2:06.425
24 45 LMGT2 van Overbeek/ Fogarty/Lieb 2:07.815
25 86 LMGT2 Bleekemolen/ Hezemans 2:08.729
26 55 LMGT2 Ehret/ Nielsen/Farnbacher 2:09.712
27 78 LMGT2 Pumpelly/ Thornton/Patterson 2:09.895
28 85 LMGT2 Kox/ Crevels 2:11.146

[RacingManiac]

Originally Posted by Zytek_Fan

Little coverage on the Maserati MC12 occured so I am not sure if they triple stinted the Pirelli's, but I am pretty sure that they could. I am sure the reason they decided to go with Pirelli's is that the very similar Ferrari 550 GTS fielded by BMS Scuderia Italia had such great success with Pirelli's, so they decided to go with Pirelli's on the DBR9. I doubt we'll see triple stinting until the late hours of the race because triple stinting on GT cars has proven to be a terrible decision in the past.

Triple Stinting tires won Prodrive 2003 Le Mans......whilst I am sure that FIA GT's involvement probably vastly improved the Pirelli, how big of a difference between that and the ALMS/ACO spec Michelin is still yet to be seen....consider several European teams that contests both the LMS and FIA GT op for running Pirelli in FIA and Michelin in the other...

[Matra et Alpine]

Originally Posted by RacingManiac

IMSA is giving Aston a lot of help though...bigger restrictor and 110lb lighter weight vs the C6.Rs....

Any link to the rules IMSA use to determine restrictor size and weigth limits ?

[RacingManiac]

http://www.americanlemans.com/news/Article.aspx?ID=1771

They basically look at last year's results, which is C6.R winning all races other than Sebring then gave Corvette the competition adjustment....

[RacingManiac]

You can see what he thinks about the adjustment and where Corvette stands...from dailysportscar.com

“It’s important that we provide fans with good racing. If some teams are unable to compete, either due to lack of proper funding or technical capability, then it is necessary to give them some adjustments to allow them to compete.” These are the words of Doug Fehan, Corvette Racing Program Manager for GM.

Does this mean he is happy with the way the GT1 regulations are in the ALMS? I would have to say not, but Corvette Racing has never been one to whine. It may be a cliché, but Corvette Racing is the ultimate example of when the going gets tough, the tough get going.

But the reality of the above statement by Doug Fehan is that the American Le Mans Series has come up with regulations for the 2006 season that give further weight and restrictor concessions to the Corvette adversaries. And when compared to its chief rival, Aston Martin, now running on Pirelli tires, the Corvette will be at a significant disadvantage.

“It may not sound like much, but 110 pounds and 20-25 additional horsepower are significant,” says Fehan.

“At no place that we raced the Aston last year were we able to out accelerate them or have an advantage over them in top speed. And if you look at the last two to three races of last season, this class was a fight. If all you did was look at the results on paper, I guess you could say we dominated, but the reality is that we had our hands full with the Maserati, Saleen and later the Astons. At the finale at Laguna, our detailed analysis indicated that the ACEMCO Saleen was by far the fastest car on track. It was in the pits and in strategy that we beat them. But then again, as a privateer, they don’t have the means to collect that data, and because of that, they could never see how well they actually did.”



So while the final results indicate that 2005 was yet another Corvette dominated season, the results do not show the full story.



“We as a team worked our asses off to stay on top. We did not mail it in at all. But it has been that way through the entire existence of Corvette Racing. When we started in 1999, the Viper, with its V10 that produced a gang of torque and would live forever, was our nemesis. It was our mountain to climb. When I discussed this with the ACO, the comment from Alain Bertaut was ‘I can give you what you need. And what you need is to go home and work harder’. And that we did. For two years, until we got to the point where we could compete.”

Things in racing are different now. Call it a new generation, or what, but it appears that regulation changes have replaced hard work. Think back to the days in racing when restrictors were unheard of. Back when the only way a team fought back for success was through hard work.

“I guess it’s instant gratification now. We’re here for the long term and because of that, it puts our competitors in a good bargaining position. I would suggest we are the victims of our own success.”

Trying to strike a balance between competition and technology can be a difficult thing, but it is something that the American Le Mans Series appeared to achieve last year. But working with the series to try to help them achieve that balance is something that is extremely difficult for Doug Fehan. While he realizes that it is not healthy for the series to see his team dominate, he is also a driven competitor who truly wants to win every race. He might not admit it easily, but you get the impression that having either the ACEMCO Saleen or the Maserati break through for a win might not have been that bad a thing to occur.

“I would have to say that they (the ALMS) have done a good job balancing the class. I know what they want and I know it is something that we gotta do. But the fans are smart. They don’t want to see contrived competition. If you go overboard on regulation changes, the fans will figure it out. Relying on regulations to make teams competitive is a slippery slope to be on. It’s like a tube of toothpaste. Once you’ve squeezed the paste out, it’s tough to get it back into the tube. Decisions like this can affect much more than appears on the surface.”

Part of the difficulty of striking a balance in the class is the factory vs. privateer situation. There are not many privateers who feel they can take on the might of a well run factory program such as Corvette Racing without assistance. On paper, a car of the design and configuration of the Saleen S7 should be a world beater, but so far, it really hasn’t been developed to its full potential, something that is not lost on Doug Fehan or his team.

In comparing the cars that are running in the GT1 class, he makes the interesting observation that from below the green house, all of the cars are similar, at least as far as dimensions go.

“As they are all based upon similar dimensions and tire sizes, the lower body and front profile are all just about the same. It is in the greenhouse area that the cars differ, and that is where the rules dictating the rear wing width come into play. It is a way of leveling the aero effects of a sleeker greenhouse.”

What could prove to be the most interesting observation concerning the class is “while the focus is on the breaks that the Aston got, the Konrad Saleen, also on Pirelli tires could very well be the sleeper of the field. They’ve got a bigger wing, a weight break and a larger diameter fueling pipe.” The potential is there, still there… and we'll see this battle re-joined at Le Mans (on strictly ACO terms).



So, what about the C6.R, the dailysportscar Car of the Year in North America? How will it be with the added weight this year and specifically at Sebring?

“First of all, I was absolutely blown away by that award. I’m surprised that the Brits would let it happen! (Patriotism doesn't come into it, Doug. Our contributors just looked at what the C6.Rs achieved during 2005. Ed.) As far as this year, I’m not sure. We built new cars for this season as we sold last year’s cars to teams in Europe. The cars are not really any different than last year’s, just new. We did test them, but we haven’t really run them at the 1180kg weight as of yet. Over the length of a sprint race, the added weight shouldn’t be a big deal, but over the course of a longer race it could be significant. The added weight consumes more fuel and eats up the brakes and tires faster. I would have to say that multiplied over 12 hours, it will have an effect.



“But, in the end, it all comes down to durability, reliability and driver consistency. Those are areas where I believe we are very strong. As I have said before, we don’t give up. Look at last year at Sebring. O’Connell had that crash when the brake disc exploded. The team got the car back into the race when many expected the car to be retired. I’m not saying we are going to be beat, but when someone does beat us, it won’t be because we let up. It will be because they were incredibly lucky or they did an outstanding job. Competition? Bring it on. I hope we see even more as the year goes on.”

OK, Doug. Bottom line. Should I change my prediction of a Corvette 1-2 in GT1 at Sebring? “I don’t quite think I would do that.” While truly not a villain in real life, you get the impression that Doug would relish the opportunity to play the villain, to the cars that are the choice of James Bond. In reality though, he is the man who won the 2004 ALMS "From the Fans Award" for his contributions to sportscar racing - definitely a good guy.



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[Matra et Alpine]

Sad day.
Nie to see Corvette taking it so well, but you gotta think

it was "equivalency" rules for the BTCC when FWD, RWD and AWD existed that (IMHO) ultimately destroyed one of the planets most interesting race series attracting drivers from everywhere to compete in tin tops

I suspect I can see where this is coming from as it's an American race series and they need NASCAR-like races with everyone close to attract that majority viewing audience. That by necessity punishes innovation and great teamwork It annoyed everyone at Le Mans last year when it was clear both the Aston's and the 'vettes were running slow laps to keep average speed down and avoid punishment in this years racing.

I register my vote AGAINST this and let the Corvettes dominate if they're that good and make the other teams work to win, bot get equivalency handed on a plate ( which if they're smart they'll have worked the system to their advantage ). If F1 went this far everyone would complain .... where's the voice of the American motorsport fans ??

[RacingManiac]

It is multiple fold though, ALMS by being a ACO oriented series, involves a lot more manufacturer teams. BUT at the same time there are not that many manufacturers around to go racing, so they need private team to fill the grid. Unlike Grand AM where it is closer to NASCAR with cars being built to a specific templete, in a similar performance envelope, and the cars costs less, ALMS present a more expensive route to field a car. But because small team is not nearly as flexible on dollars as the big teams, governing body of ALMS needs to give them help to attract them to the series. As all motorsports in America needs to fight with the 800lb gorilla that is the NASCAR, whose instant gratification of big crashes and close racing general public may find more entertaining, and with Grand AM being based on the similar formula, ALMS probably feel the need to curb anyone running away with things. That is not to say though it was the case last year. As Doug Fehan said(and what I've seen), racing was pretty close last year in GT1 class as it was, with laguna seca Finale featured all cars in the class pretty much running nose to tail the whole event....

Sportscar series needs to do what they can to survive.....in US especially...

[Matra et Alpine]

But it looks like the big boys - Aston Racing - are taking advantage of a regulation intended to aid small teams

[RacingManiac]

Well I think ALMS did that to appease to them.....they still are trying to lure Prodrive to do a full season....without the Astons the GT1 class outside of Sebring would just be 2 Konrad Saleens and 2 Factory Vettes....