TBK-Light.com

Personally I don't mind the Corvette DP. But the DP would be closest to the slowest car at LeMans.

Mid Ohio Times

DP: 1.19.5
GA GT: 1.26.8

P1: 1.12.5
P2: 1.15.3
PC: 1.15.4
GT: 1.20.8
GTC: 1.26.5

Good luck balancing that mess.

Lets say you balanced P2 and DP, even if you got them doing identical times, it'd be retarded. The P2s would destroy the DPs in braking zones and medium/high speed corners. So to make up for it the P2s would have to be very slow down the straights. Then you'd need to slow down every other car so the P2s weren't stupidly slow in comparison.

It's all just very silly.

ACO should just ignore Grand Am, otherwise NASCAR is going to ruin sportcars too. Let them adjust to the rules.

NASCAR was behind the whole IMSA GTP thing as well, as an FYI.

It's relatively easy to get a little more speed out of a DP. Open up tire development and get them off the rock hard Conti's. Plus IIRC they run steel brakes. Carbon brakes would be a good addition.

That was back then though NASCAR was better run then.

Well, we should know soon the classes (announcement today [friday]).

In all fairness IMSA was ruined by drug money and Toyota out spending everyone long before the France family came in.

http://www.grand-am.com/News/GA_News/ta ... 6383&sid=1

Was expecting P1 to get the axe. I'm actually surprised to see the LMPC cars make the cut.

Glad they left GTE intact instead of trying to BoP it with GA-GT.

Now it starts to sound more like a merger than a takeover.

Did they? The announcement is disturbingly vague with regards to GTE other than "There will be a GTE class." It's currently very close in performance to the DPs and I'd be amazed if they left it that way.

They're making DP faster though aren't they?

They have to speed up the DPs anyway. Slowing GTE down to make a clearer gap to other classes is another thing, but with "leaving intact" I meant not combining it with GA-GTs:

Both of the organizations’ production-based GT classes will continue as separate, distinct categories

That might be a bit vague, but then it says the GA-GX could be a fifth class in the future. If GTE and GA-GT are not separate classes, what is the fourth class then?

Oh yeah, I understand that Grand-Am GT and ALMS GTE will remain separate entities in 2014 (which is great as GT racing is where it's at as far as I'm concerned and I enjoy both series), my concern is simply what changes they'll make to the GTE class with regard to it's current speed parity with DP. If they speed the DPs up in order to bring them more into line with LMP2 and leave the GTE class and Grand-Am GT classes as they are then I'm a happy bunny.

I think they certainly will alienate anybody interested in seriously running GTE if they do decide to muddle with it. The more series running certain uniform classes (GTE for instance) worldwide, the better.

Kind of disappointing (But expected) that there won't be an LMP1 class but its not as if there's many people prepared to run an LMP1 car right now anyway & I guess that if LMP1 starts getting more cars in the future it could always be reintroduced.

The only real concern I have right now is how they get some form of parity with LMP2 & DP cars. Don't really want to see the P2 cars slowed much so would rather they look at finding find ways to bring the DP cars upto P2 performance levels. However given that the DP's were never designed to go much faster I wonder what problems that could introduce.


I can see 2014 been a bit of a mess to be honest with teams/drivers bitching that the performance balancing is wrong, Although they already often do that anyway so I guess nothing will change



BTW ALMS have put 1998 Petit Le Mans & 1999 Sebring 12Hrs on there YouTube channel, They also have all the 2012 races up there & I guess will be doing the same with this year's races.:
http://www.youtube.com/user/ALMSOfficia ... eos?view=0

The sound of that Ferrari 333SP V12

Let's be honest...who the hell watches the ALMS for P1 racing?

For them to get rid of that class surprises me not. I do like the idea of speeding up the DPs and keeping the GT classes intact.

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Ducks Angels Sounders Spurs

http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/ ... o-le-mans/

If that means a class of couple of cars at best... meh.

DPs at Le Mans is a dream of mine. Sadly its never going to happen, so why are we talking about it?

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"Many people ask me why I always sign off Till We Meet Again, because goodbye is always so final. Goodbye Dan Wheldon." -Marty Reid

That class is fine if we don't lose other cars. It'd be pretty bad to lose legitimate runners so that some DPs can run around not doing anything.

Anyone going to do a Rolex 24 thread? I'd do one myself but I won't be able to watch anyway (final exam of the semester on the 28th)

I'll do one up today.