GT2 - battle lines drawn - the ACO declares war............

[Tim the Grey]

Mr Purist? If you feel that way, why weren't you at the Spa 24 hours in 2007? THE best field of GT1 cars ever.
5 MC12s, 2 C6Rs, 2 C5Rs, 2 Murcielagos, and 3 DBR9s.

For RACING sake, I like GT3. No they aren't as fast, don't breathe fire, but then again when were there ever 50+ GT1 cars racing?

GT2 feels like a good, solid, middle ground. Fast enough, noisy enough, and plentiful enough.

[arakis]

The gt2 is the best class ever, but it could all go teribly wrong like gt1, if car prices arent kept in check, unfortunatly with bmw and corvette only entering factory teams, they are pushing ferrari and porsche to invest even more into their cars witch will make them even more expensive, and like a snowball down a hill the Bmw and corvette will then in return increese their funding, and so on, untill it pops and manufacturers start droping out!

They need, apsolutly need to put a price cap on gt2 race cars, lets say around 400k, and a mandetory minimum cars offerd to privateers, lets say 4.

Then we would get even more manufacturers for a longer time!

[JHamilton]

The current GT2 cars are almost as quick as the GT1/GTS of ten years ago, so in my mind we've just shuffled the names around.

[Splendid Cat]

[QUOTE=Tim the Grey;2649991]Mr Purist? If you feel that way, why weren't you at the Spa 24 hours in 2007? THE best field of GT1 cars ever.
5 MC12s, 2 C6Rs, 2 C5Rs, 2 Murcielagos, and 3 DBR9s.QUOTE]


Yeah Purist, just why the heck didn't you fork out the cash and take the time to come from the Mid West to Spa...

What a pathetic post.

BTW - 2005 was better, imo. MC12, C6, C5, DBR9, 550, 575, Lister, Viper, Saleen.

[Porsche GT1]

somebody should allow turbos again in the gt classes

[arakis]

Originally Posted by Porsche GT1

somebody should allow turbos again in the gt classes

they are alowed

[Fogelhund]

Originally Posted by Porsche GT1

somebody should allow turbos again in the gt classes

Maybe more accurately, Turbo's restrictors should be adjusted, so that they could actually be competitive.

[AUTOLEGEND]

Originally Posted by Purist

Besides, Motominded, how many tracks, outside of Europe, are you going to find that can handle a GT field of that size? You mostly just have the F1 circuits in Asia. Elsewhere, Africa doesn't have anything permanent on that scale at present, and Philip Island would be busy if you could get a reasonably full field down to Oz. For North America, it's pretty much Road America, Watkins Glen, or Sebring. For South America, Interlagos might work, and then there's Potrero de los Funes.

Add Road Atlanta, Laguna Seca, Miller Motorsport Park and Infineon to that list.

[NaBUru38]

As long as displacement remains between 3.0L and 4.0L, turbocharged engines for GT2 cars sounds great to me.

[Purist]

I'm not the one with the big cheque book yet, and once I'm done with my coursework this summer, I may still be just part of the ranks of unemployed college graduates for a spell. And logistically, due to my relatively poor eyesight, it would have had to have been a trip for two people.

Road Atlanta might work. I just don't think Miller is a terribly exciting track compared to the others in ALMS; even GA saw fit to switch from the full, 4.5-mile course to the 3.046-mile perimeter circuit. Sears Point and Laguna Seca would be traffic nightmares with full GT1/2/3 grids. I suppose VIR would be a possibility, though that one might require some facility upgrades.

[merlot brougham]

Originally Posted by Purist

I suppose VIR would be a possibility, though that one might require some facility upgrades.

Some? Try ALL the facilities would need an upgrade. I love, no ADORE, the track but all the facilities need a massive upgrade to handle anything beyond the AMA and Rolex races that they host now.

[old man]

Originally Posted by arakis

The gt2 is the best class ever, but it could all go teribly wrong like gt1, if car prices arent kept in check, unfortunatly with bmw and corvette only entering factory teams, they are pushing ferrari and porsche to invest even more into their cars witch will make them even more expensive, and like a snowball down a hill the Bmw and corvette will then in return increese their funding, and so on, untill it pops and manufacturers start droping out!

They need, apsolutly need to put a price cap on gt2 race cars, lets say around 400k, and a mandetory minimum cars offerd to privateers, lets say 4.

Then we would get even more manufacturers for a longer time!

So far we only have one BMW in LMS but I suppose we can view that as a works car, no Corvette in GT2 and ony Luc A in GT1 but with the prices of the cars from BMW and Corvette I am not surprised there are no private teams running them. I am reliably informed (!) that a BMW or Corvette would each be 500,000 Euro plus a spares package at 150,000 Euro and this compares with something in the 350,000 (Give or take a bit) for the Ferrari, Porsche or AM with spares at comparative rates depending on your deal with the "factory".

If the factory teams from BMW and Corvette come in and dominate I agree that will put off the private guys who, up to now in GT2 have been in with a winning chance. SRO banned factory teams because of the Mercedes domination some years back but it is a little hollow given the works support of certain teams although I know it does cost a team a lot of money to be the "favoured one"! The GruppeM domination of FIA GT2 in 2005 was said to have cost the team owner $2.5 million even when he only paid one driver, owned one of the cars and got the Michelin tyre deal.

[Purist]

Merlot, don't forget that Road America has NO garages situated in the main paddock area; the ALMS teams stage out of their transporters. They have to do the same thing at Mid Ohio as well, since the ICS crews take the actual garages at that track. VIR does have two VERY sizable, paved paddock areas. So, I'm not sure I see what the huge problem is.

I'm not sure the BMW has had that large a privateer base at this level for some time. Last go-around, it was just Schnitzer and PTG. This time, it's just Schnitzer and RLR. As for Corvette, they've had a record with the GT1s of keeping the most up-to-date stuff with the factory team, and letting customers have the leftovers as it were. Of course, a customer car going for a premium compared to the established competition isn't going to help their cause either. It will be interesting to see what the customer F458s go for when they're released.

[JAG]

Late 90's GT1 died due to the fact teams needed entirely new cars in 96, 97 and 98, and would have needed new cars again in '99.

GT2 is more like touring cars were sensible regulations can still allow 2-3 year old cars to be competitive.

[Fogelhund]

Originally Posted by JAG

GT2 is more like touring cars were sensible regulations can still allow 2-3 year old cars to be competitive.

Which 2-3 year old cars are still competitive? Without full upgrades packages or concessions?

[arakis]

Originally Posted by Fogelhund

Which 2-3 year old cars are still competitive? Without full upgrades packages or concessions?

none, but the 430 ferrari is from 2006 and it was only upgraded in 2008, and now in 2010. Upgrades are cool, and in the spirit of the sport, the manuf need to develop their cars, thats how things get better and better, but they still don't need full new cars for 4-5 years witch is nice

[Tim the Grey]

Come on! $100K upgrades are close to being a new car...
Sensible rules are to accept a car for homologation if it's not going to run away and hide! Keep it sensible, and not allow speeds to escalate. GT2s are fast enough, thanks. GT3s need slowing down.

[ger80]

Murphy about FIA GT2 and "Le Rat"
http://murphythebear.com/blog/index.php/2010/03/26/770/