2009 24 Hours of Le Mans, LMS and ALMS news

[LeonOfTheDead]

so Nissan MUST be cheating as usual....

using road tires instead of racing slicks?!

[cjent1]

SRO Motorsport Group has proposed 2010 FIA FT Regs they will share with "viable entities".

[Zytek_Fan]

Racing the GT-R in Japan GT500 was given but taking it GT racing is shocking...I am very curious of the engine configuration.

The GT500 car has a 4.5L V8, so I'd assume Nissan will use that...

And if it's built to new GT1 regs, it's probably built to the SRO's proposed 2010 GT regulations.

[Zytek_Fan]

Tom Kristensen says the R15 is "radically different"

Translated version of http://www.motorsporten.dk/news.asp?aID=34498

[Chernaudi]

Back to the engine choice topic about the R15-what engine is most likely to be used. Audi would obviously want to go with as light an engine as possible, as that seemed to be a stumbling block to optimizing the R10 as much as Audi wanted to. So a V8 would make some since-problem is if this is a 2011 engine, it would almost have to be a stock block engine-Audi has no aluminium block V8s that size, and the 4.2 steel block V8 weights almost as much as the 5.5 V12. The only exception that I see is if Audi designs a silumin(aluminum alloyed with a large amount of silicon) block and heads-that type of aluminum may've been used in the R8 and R10 engines because it's very rigid and unyelding, but still very light. Then all Audi has to do make the numbers required by the homolgation rules to make the engine compliant.

But then there's Marshall's thoughts on the engine being maybe a V10, likely of 4.5-5.0 liters. That would seem more likely, as with an engine of that size, Audi will likely be allowed to run turbo boost and air restictor levels similar to what the V12 had, and thus likely have about the same power, or only very little less than what the V12 had. Also, if Audi runs the 3.7 V8, regardless if it's block and heads are steel, iron, or aluminum alloy of some kind, can it withstand the turbo boost pressures that would be required for it to equal Peugeot's 5.5 V12?

And did the R10's V12 run VGT turbos on it, and if not, would the R15 use them?

Just some thoughts on the power unit.

[Zytek_Fan]

Charouz to run Lola Audis in LMS - Auto Hebdo via MotoSport.cz
They say R10 TDI engine...
2 B08 coupes
Charouz do not want to comment


Kazumichi Goh has bought Van Merksteijn RS Spyder - DSC via racingworld.it

Seems very reasonable. Charouz definitely have the resources to receive Audi backing. And no comment is usually a good indication of it being true

Not sure about the Team Goh RS Spyder.

[Kitdy]

Who is Mariantic?

[Zytek_Fan]

Who is Mariantic?

Mariantic - SportsCar Racing News

[Kitdy]

Alright, I was wondering if I could compile a list of cars in 2009 ALMS - this is very preliminary and I'd appreciate help form anyone (ZytekFan)? This is from the winter test list as I know little else and haven't followed ALMS news recently.

So in the ALMS in 2009 we have:

LMP1

Acura ARX-02a X 2?

Lola Something?

LMP2

Acura ARX01-b

Mazda engined Lola B08/86

GT1

Corvette for Sebring and PLM

GT2

Flying Lizard Porsche 911 GT3 RSR X2

Falken Tire 911 GT3

Farnbacher 911 GT3

Panoz Esperante GTLM

Rahal Letterman BMW M3 GTR

Corvette GT2

Risi Ferrari?

Wow this does not look good for the series - what contests do you have? GT1 is dead for all intents and purposes, LMP1 will be a whitewash by Acura due to Audi pulling out just when things in the class would be exciting, no RS Spyders to contest for overall leads, LMP2 having an interesting battle between Acura and Mazda which based on my guess will be easilly won by Acura even with the new Lola coupe.

So that really only leaves GT2 as having any interesting battle and the 3 way between the F430s, 911s, and the M3 could be good.

This really begs the question, why does there even need to be 4 classes in the ALMS anymore? Did anyone but the hardcore ever care about LMP2 before the Spyders came and fought Audi? Does anyone care about LMP2 this year? GT1 is a sham, and LMP1 has only Acura worth mentioning. So really, there could be one class of cars this year and it'd be pretty much as entertaining and much easier to follow. The four classes always sorta bothered me as too many. I think LMP2 is stupid really - if you want to be a privateer, be one in the GT class where things are probably a lot cheaper anyways. Look at the LMS last year - the Spyders dominated and last year at Le Mans the class was a joke with massive attrition and the top car finished well behind the GT1 AMs. I ask again, who but the hardcore cares about this class? 3 classes I think would be much better frankly, and with the state of GT1 you gotta wonder that will it be any use before the new regs are put out and will it be any use after the new regs are out? I hope so - grids in FIA GT1 are OK are they not? I like the ultimate goal of Ratel of a Global GT1 challenge or some such thing I gotta say.

Rambling complete.

[Zytek_Fan]

Intersport Racing hasn't confirmed or denied a race programme for 2009, but I'd expect it to be limited by budget.


Therer were rumours floating around of another BMW to be campaigned by an unknown team.

[LeonOfTheDead]

somehow, I could agree.

I would say that instead of creating LMP2 and GT2 for privateers, they could force makers to sell their cars, even in a less competent package, to privateers, so basically reducing the filed to LMP1 and GT1 (or GT2 when GT1 as we know ot will be dead).
just a fast and superficial thought, I admit, but people, less hardcore fans and so on really don't care about what is slower (SO P2 and GT2), in the same way that if you ask who won Le Mans last year everybody would say Audi, but no one is going to answer Audi in P1, AM in GT1 and so on, because it's not that important after all.
like in F1 where no one cares about what's going on behind the say 8th position (or at least before the first 8 positions started being so boring).
it's not my view, but what I thik is the view of the average motorhead.

for example, GT3 championship is a great show and a lot of fun.
put it inside of a GT race with the GT1 and GT2 cars, and no one would care about them (apart from the difficulties of fitting so much cars on the track ).

With the new rules for GT cars, I guess that even one of the two classes of prototypes could go.
about the possibility to force makers to sell their own new cars, it could be imposed a top to the price of the deal, so basically saying that the maker has to reduce the cost of its own cars in order not to loose too much money while selling the same product.

I suppose a lot of cons can be raised against my proposition.

[faksta]

I didn't follow the latest news either, but wouldn't Peugeot enter for Sebring at least?

[Kitdy]

Leon you understand the critical distinction - average motorhead. I think that the FIA GT/LMS/ALMS has a higher percentage hardcore following than say F1, but room to grow and become more stable and attract more manufacturers lies in making these series more attractive to the average fan - I think in some cases this can be done while still catering to the hardcore fan and keeping everyone happy. Restructuring the class system is one such way. How many common fans like watching 4 classes at once? I find it frustrating as often as it is difficult to keep track of all the events of each class in my head straight and things just get confusing mid-race to be honest. Even in F1 I struggle to recall keep track of all the cars (my short-term memory I think maybe has been destroyed by multitasking). The announcers often don't clarify things well and I think you really gotta watch multi-class racing with a computer - even in F1 it is useful. NASCAR's online coverage if you fork out the cash I believe is sensational for example.

But I digress - appeal to the mainstream in whatever way you can, and I think you will see less team turnover, more money, more manufacturer involvement, fuller grids, and potentially better racing.

[Kitdy]

Intersport Racing hasn't confirmed or denied a race programme for 2009, but I'd expect it to be limited by budget.


Therer were rumours floating around of another BMW to be campaigned by an unknown team.

What was I missing though? Intersport can't run with the top teams anyways and were inconsequential in the races I saw them in barring one where they somehow jumped to the front which briefly which was cool.

ZF, what are your fans on the upcoming season? What positives are there outside GT2? Seeing the P1 Acura will be great, but it will be running in circles with no competition so that will be dumb and definitely not what Acura wanted. They wanted I'd guess, to take it to Audi and prove to be superior.

Is Peugeot gonna be at Sebring?

[LeonOfTheDead]

after all, even among those hardcore fans, there are those thinking the R10 engine is the same you find in the Q7 so, yeah, there is a lot of room for growing.