Hondas Lemans Effort 1995/Future...

[billnchristy]

I took JAGs advice and bought some of the Best Motoring Videos...Good stuff!!
(they testdrive the LM Turbo NSX in the Roaring VTEC edition)

Now, I have always heard that Honda had never really put forth an effort to win LM yet in 1995 there is both GT1 and GT2 NSX entered.

The GT2 wins in 1995 and the GT1 pretty much sucked and was never seen again.

Thats about all I know.

Looking back at the entries for the early part of the GT1 era it looks to be heavily populated by JGTC style cars.

Do you think with the return of the GT1 cars in the form of GTS cars we might see another insurge of these awesome cars?

Certainly looks ripe for the picking!!

[Mopar]

thats what im hoping i love the cars in the JGTC and the racing formula (despite the contrived race results due to weight penalties) is a good one. Ratel metioned he wanted cars like the BMW 6 series racing in the GTS class against saleens, so lets hope these sorts of heavily modified cars can compete. With it will bring factory support from Japan and sportscars will flourish. Gts already has sub classes such as the supercar sector so whynot have another. so long as they are all equal im happy!

[JAG]

Originally posted by billnchristy
I took JAGs advice and bought some of the Best Motoring Videos...Good stuff!!
(they testdrive the LM Turbo NSX in the Roaring VTEC edition)

Now, I have always heard that Honda had never really put forth an effort to win LM yet in 1995 there is both GT1 and GT2 NSX entered.

The GT2 wins in 1995 and the GT1 pretty much sucked and was never seen again.

Thats about all I know.

Looking back at the entries for the early part of the GT1 era it looks to be heavily populated by JGTC style cars.

Do you think with the return of the GT1 cars in the form of GTS cars we might see another insurge of these awesome cars?

Certainly looks ripe for the picking!!

Glad you like the Videos

I think the Supra GT LM, Skyline LM and NSX GT1 were the only JGTC style cars to race. They were entered as GT1 cars, like a CLK-LM, as they only needed one road car to be homologated.

Any 'new' JGTC cars would have to be entered as Supercars are in the proposed new GTS class for mass produced sportscars (with major modifications allowed.)

Having said that Nissan are eying a LMP project (if Renault give the green light), and Toyota could be involved with a SARD LMP project.

[billnchristy]

The GT2 NSX look to be pretty much JGTC cars. I dont know if there was additional work done, but even the paint jobs were the same (they raced the Raybrig in 96).

Ah...a new nissan LMP...nice!!

[RacingManiac]

I think once the new rule stablized the Japs might return.....I'd think Toyota still sees Le Mans as an unfinished business having finished 2nd so many times.....

[JAG]

JGTC regs have changed significantly since 1994/5.

[Aysedasi]

Originally posted by RacingManiac
I think once the new rule stablized the Japs might return.....I'd think Toyota still sees Le Mans as an unfinished business having finished 2nd so many times.....

I'd like to think that too, seeing as their last effort featured one of my all-time favourite Le Mans cars, but all the time they continue to throw money at F1's bottomless pit, we're living in cloud cuckoo land, my friend.......

[rdjones]

I think they will come back, remember that the ACO went to Japan at the back end of last year and had talks with Honda about a possible return.

[Aysedasi]

If Mazda hadn't won Le Mans in 91, I think Toyota would have continued and probably Honda as well. Mazda becoming the first Japanese winners (rather unexpectedly) took the icing off the cake for the others. We need them back though, just in the same way as we need Nissan back. It was almost as much of a shame that the R390 and R391 weren't more of a success (the latter in particular).

[kdr]

Originally posted by Aysedasi
I'd like to think that too, seeing as their last effort featured one of my all-time favourite Le Mans cars, but all the time they continue to throw money at F1's bottomless pit, we're living in cloud cuckoo land, my friend.......

one wonders what will come first...their first victory or the bailiffs!

[BSchneiderFan]

Regarding the Nissan R391, how much in the way of modification would it take to make it ACO-legal, and how competitive would it be against modern LMP1 cars? If it was halfway-decent, it would be an excellent basis for a toe-in-the-water exercise by Nissan.

[RacingManiac]

I'd think the motor would still be good....the chassis as I heard was really pretty simple stuff.....Now that Nissan is actually making money on cars again, maybe they should consider a sportscar return....Maybe after if they somehow managed to beat Mitsubishi is Rally Raid/Dakar.....

[billnchristy]

Again, from watching the Best motoring videos, these guys (the drivers in JGTC and other Japanese series) seem very passionate about driving and about their nations cars...it is quite patriotic...im pretty sure if the drivers had any say they would be going back to LM...I dont know if the companies have the same passion or not?!?

[RacingManiac]

Obviously there are the names like Uyko Katayama and whatnot whom we all know and that 99 drive in the GT-One practically made him a household name OUTSIDE of Japan(among sportscar fan anyway...lol). And he is at Le Mans almost every year(last 2 I believe he was in Pescarolo's car?). And one of the presenter in BM video Keiichi Tsuchiya(sp?) is part of that class winning NSX driver and also the 98/99 GT-One all Japanese crew. So the drivers themselves surely doesn't lack chances to go back.....(hell, Katayama even race Dakar every year, as well as climbing Mt. Everest a couple years back)....

[Fab]

Originally posted by Aysedasi
I'd like to think that too, seeing as their last effort featured one of my all-time favourite Le Mans cars, but all the time they continue to throw money at F1's bottomless pit, we're living in cloud cuckoo land, my friend.......

Notice that ACO's board mention the fact that "Toyota could afford F1 AND LM prototypes"... how do they know ? :confused:

[RacingManiac]

Well Toyota practically runs everything now.....they supply truck series's engine, makes IRL's engine, makes GARRA's engine, Baja trophy truck program, Atlantic series engine, JGTC program, and obviously F1....I don't know any other company than has as broad a racing program as Toyota...

[Fab]

None.

But do they win ?

[cybersdorf]

Meanwhile, there will be a works NSX racing in Europe. Just not at Le Mans.

[Nordic]

I don't know any other company than has as broad a racing program as Toyota...

I think Ford does a pretty serious amount of racing, both as Ford and its Brand names, Jaguar - F1, Aston Martin - Gt, Ford - WRC & Various Touring car programs inc NASCAR & Aussie, Formula Ford is still the premier starter program in europe for single seaters.

NSX

Its a shame the NSX program never really progressed in the top line, if it had, maybe the car would have sold a few more examples in europe.
Hopefully Honda, Mazda( more ford, Nissan & Toyota who according to Mike Gascoigne have 'never left a series without winning' well return soon.

[Aysedasi]

nearly snap........

honda

[RacingManiac]

Originally posted by Fab
None.

But do they win ?

Their Truck series program is brand new(with a in house developed pushrod V8 with carb, something Toyota has never done before....). The Baja truck obviously made a name for itself in that type of racing. IRL saw Toyota winning its first Indy 500 and Championship in its first season(adds to their CART success as well). And historically Toyota have done pretty well in every form of racing they've entered(WRC, IMSA GTP...etc).

[JAG]

Its worth pointing out that there is TTE in Europe (F1, WRC, GT-ONE), the US branch (IRL, NASCAR, G/A, Trucks), and Japan (JGTC, Touring Cars etc.).

Do each sector have different budgets. There used to be Toyota Team TOMS Europe and Japan I believe.

[cybersdorf]

Originally posted by JAG
Do each sector have different budgets.

Yes they have.

[nsxr]

I have a good source in toyota that a new supra is on the way. Plus there playing with a road legal v10, 500hp+ just wait.!

[Mopar]

slightly off topic how was the jgtc Nsx able to race in the fia gt championship in 1998 was it given special dispensation or was it totally legal? only this year has the formula mandated flat bottoms so how come it didnt whoop the other gt1s?