FIA International Prototype Cup

[BSchneiderFan]

I've been leafing through old copies of Autosport and have been wondering about the abortive International Prototype Cup, due to run in 1999. Shortly before it was cancelled, Stephane Ratel, the organiser, said that he had three works entries and fifteen privateers, but that the works entries, all Mercedes-Benz, were contingent upon another manufacturer also committing to the series. Sadly, Porsche, Audi, BMW, Nissan and Toyota all refused to step up to the plate, despite the fact that all (except Porsche) entered works prototype teams at Le Mans that year.

So who were the potential entrants? AMG would have run three cars, likely Schneider/Webber and Bouchut/Tiemann with another crew to be added. Thomas Bscher was to enter his 1998-spec BMW V12 LM, and DAMS were ready to bring their Motorola-backed Lola-Judd B98/10.

Kremer Racing had the K9 ready to go but Porsche's withdrawal from sportscar racing left them without an engine and transmission; however, they did go on to run a Roush-powered Lola in the SportsRacing World Cup.

Konrad Motorsport were preparing a Lola with a Lotus twin-turbo (later dropped and replaced with a Ford V8); the car ran in some ALMS and SRWC races but Franz Konrad might have preferred the IPC if it had gone ahead.

Riley & Scott Europe ran a Ford-engined car for Philippe Gache, Gary Formato and Franck Lagorce in the SportsRacing World Cup; might they have committed to the IPC?

Also, what of the GT1 privateers of 1998? GTC Competition was presumably left without financial backing when Thomas Bscher hooked up with Dave Price to run the BMW. Zakspeed had had an unrewarding year with a Pirelli-shod Porsche 911 GT1-98 and went into hibernation for a year. Persson might have been able to get hold of a new Mercedes (MB were, remember, very keen supporters of the series).

So, any thoughts, recollections, conjectures?