Nordic Supercar

[skycafe]

Originally Posted by Graham Goodwin

My god that thing has taken a serious beating from the ugly stick!

Not enough to kill and bury the poor thing, it still looks like it can scury around.

[ROB IS THE STIG]

Im guessing it works aerodynamically, looks dog rough but clearly goes!!

[Bob Riebe]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Magnusson

Right now they're 2x 40km, which is just under 25 miles each. Carrera races are 2x 50km (31 miles each). The difference isn't that big, but Carrera Cup cars are cheaper, the racing is closer and more competitive, broadcasted on TV and have spectators. For NS to make it, they need to run about 4-5 events that doesn't clash with Carrera (CC teams have shown interest in racing in "another series", be it SLC or NSC, with their Cup cars and drivers, and two teams already did it last year), have good race length to interest people looking for value for money, be on TV (even if it's a highlights package) and get some gate crowd. If they team up with a few classes not on the STCC bill, like Formula Renault, Ginetta Cup, Superkart and maybe even Modsport/Roadsport, and do some advertising scheme like the old Sun Brands Hatch days, they might create a niche for themselves. Not that I think any of this will happen, mind you. The crowd is less important though, main thing is that they interest more people with money to come out and play.

Lordy that is waaaay to short to even be called a sprint.

They should be at absolute minimum, at least sixty miles long.

At one time during the Trans-Am years, up here at the old Donnybrooke track, they used two thirty mile "races" to qualifying for grid placement in the one hundred mile race.

[Jimmy Magnusson]

Well, they raced at Pärnu today. We'll see if they mention it on the official site or not, but five cars took part. They were:

#1 Pertti Kuismanen / Chrysler Viper GTS-R / Kuismanen Competition
#2 Peter Jervemyr / Porsche 996 GT2 / Playground Racing
#7 Mika Viitala / Venturi 400 / Spirit Racing Finland
#11 Johnny Carpor / Saleen S7-R
#22 Erik Behrens / Chrysler Viper GTS-R / ALFAB Racing

All cars raced in the GT2 class, although the Venturi and Porsche really should have been in GT3 - they were ten seconds of the space, and Pärnu is a very short circuit (53-second lap). The first race was very close between Behrens and Kuismanen (less than half a second distance between the two for most of the race) until Behrens first pulled away to a two second lead with three or four fast laps. He then lost his breaks on the final lap and lost the win to Kuismanen. The Saleen couldn't keep up with the Vipers and disappeared with a few laps to go, but at least he didn't get lapped (the Venturi went a lap down towards the end of the 6th lap, and finished two laps down. Jervemyr was lapped once).

For the second race it was again close, with Kuismanen hounded by Behrens all race. Don't think the gap was more than one second at any point, although Kuismanen held on to win. The Saleen got stuck behind Jervemyr early on, and then had an off-track excursion which cost him about half a minute. But even in clear air his lap times were not as good as in race one. The Venturi didn't make it out for the second race. Sadly there were no other classes on track, so only four cars. I'm sure people enjoyed seeing the Vipers battle, but four cars is very meager. In general the grids in the other classes were also very small, though larger than the Supercars.

[MJ_N_09]

At least the racing is apparently good.

[PorscheFanNo1]

Sad to see what has happend to this serie this year! It really was a great serie a few years back, had the luck so see them once and it was great with a 20+ car grid and a very diverse feild, and still very close with good racing! Hope they will strike back next year and run as support to STCC again, they deserve that!

[Jimmy Magnusson]

Originally Posted by PorscheFanNo1

Sad to see what has happend to this serie this year! It really was a great serie a few years back, had the luck so see them once and it was great with a 20+ car grid and a very diverse feild, and still very close with good racing! Hope they will strike back next year and run as support to STCC again, they deserve that!

I think it'd be better for this series to die and someone to start something new, to be honest. Oh, and they added a picture to their article about the Pärnu race...

http://www.nordicsupercar.com/news.php?id=207

...which is from the race that was held two years ago! Looks a bit better regarding car count I guess...

[Graham Goodwin]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Magnusson

I think it'd be better for this series to die and someone to start something new.

Have to say I agree with you Jimmy - There's a point when, whatever the attraction of the individual cars, the package doesn't hack it - and a 5 car race simply isn't good enough to sustain a series

[Allan Dane]

I think that the factory build cars aka Viper, Vette, Saleen. Is fantastic cars but they make the homebrew stay away. The only way to make it work is free up the regulations! That will make it possible to do things that can make the non-factorycars competetive and therefore worth the effort. 1.st thing is to lower the weight-limit and drop the produktion minimum on bodyshapes. The regs. make it to expensive as it is now.

[d.rocky]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Magnusson

I think it'd be better for this series to die and someone to start something new, to be honest. Oh, and they added a picture to their article about the Pärnu race...

http://www.nordicsupercar.com/news.php?id=207

...which is from the race that was held two years ago! Looks a bit better regarding car count I guess...

been looking at the gallery. not surprisingly a large amount of 911's but a good mix of cars none the less. was the saab 95(kinda old school DTM'esque!) a factory effort?
did the orange and green(no.40) corvette originate from grand am from a few years back?

[PorscheFanNo1]

Looks like we got the new GT serie in Sweden now:
http://www.sportinformation.com/Arti...?article=19603
Its named Swedish GT SuperCup and will be run with basicly GT3 and GT4 rules, but I guess almost anything goes as long as they arent too fast, as theres lots of fast cars in Sweden and Finland that doesnt really fit into GT3 or GT4 homoligation. But anyway, they will do 5 races next season and expand to 7 races in 2011. So I guess Nordic Supercar is basicly dead now. Hope this serie can get some proper management and be a great success! Hope they'll run some races in co-operation with STCC as well, that would mean some 10-20k spectators.

[Goran Malmberg]

Originally Posted by Allan Dane

I think that the factory build cars aka Viper, Vette, Saleen. Is fantastic cars but they make the homebrew stay away. The only way to make it work is free up the regulations! That will make it possible to do things that can make the non-factorycars competetive and therefore worth the effort. 1.st thing is to lower the weight-limit and drop the produktion minimum on bodyshapes. The regs. make it to expensive as it is now.

It may be that some drop out because of the fast factory cars, but I do not think the rules are the problem. I have worked for over two years to build a car and do not feel that the rules restricted the possibility of building a fast car. But now, once it becomes clear that perhaps the series dies, I do not find it very funny.
I think it's really fun to fight against ORECA Vipers, that is something to measure my car against. I presented the car here in the forum for a short time ago.
http://tentenths.com/forum/showthread.php?t=118490

If it becomes so that the series is down, so I see this as a major obstacle for amateurs to build a car and be with, because you simply do not have time to build a car adapted to the rules.
Goran

[FIRE]

Originally Posted by PorscheFanNo1

Looks like we got the new GT serie in Sweden now:
http://www.sportinformation.com/Arti...?article=19603

I like this Aquila CR1 sportscar.
http://www.aquilaracingcars.com/

http://www.aquilaracingcars.com/gallery/gallery.html

[Valker]

NSC calendar for 2010 season is out: http://www.nordicsupercar.com/kalender.php

There are four rounds in Sweden, Finland and Estonia. Alastaro (1.) and Pärnu (3.) events are part of the Finnish Championship Racing series and Anderstorp final is something called The Race Legends. Second meeting of the season is Mantorp, but the the date is not announced yet.

[Don Vito]

Originally Posted by PorscheFanNo1

Looks like we got the new GT serie in Sweden now:
http://www.sportinformation.com/Arti...?article=19603
Its named Swedish GT SuperCup and will be run with basicly GT3 and GT4 rules, but I guess almost anything goes as long as they arent too fast, as theres lots of fast cars in Sweden and Finland that doesnt really fit into GT3 or GT4 homoligation. But anyway, they will do 5 races next season and expand to 7 races in 2011. So I guess Nordic Supercar is basicly dead now. Hope this serie can get some proper management and be a great success! Hope they'll run some races in co-operation with STCC as well, that would mean some 10-20k spectators.

If I have to make an educated guess, I bet the series will be limited to genuine GT3 and GT4 cars only and outside these, there will be some Porsche GT3 Cup and Ferrari Challenge cars to fill in the grid (a.ka. to make sure that there would be more than just handful of cars...). I won't belive any Super Saloon (FIN) or Nordic Supercars* (SWE) will be accepted into the grid.
At least in Finland the organisator kicked them off the events. Next year there might be some joint efforts with finns and swedes in Pärnu and one other event in Finland. IMO those NSC teams, who's cars don't fit into GT rules, should get themselves a finnish license and drive here in the national open class events. Not much spectators expected though, but I think it would be more fun to race if there is more cars on the grid.


*) I mean NSC cars, which don't fall into FIA GT3/GT4 regulations

[Valker]

Originally Posted by Don Vito

If I have to make an educated guess, I bet the series will be limited to genuine GT3 and GT4 cars only and outside these, there will be some Porsche GT3 Cup and Ferrari Challenge cars to fill in the grid (a.ka. to make sure that there would be more than just handful of cars...).

Maybe I got it wrong (my Swedish ain't too good) but it doesn't sound like that at all. They are talking about cars like BMW M3, Aquila, Megane Trophy etc.

GT3 and GT4 class names don't seem to refer to FIA regulations. Cars will be divided into two categories by weight/power ratio. GT3 = 2.6 kg/hp and GT4 = 3.2 kg/hp.

http://www.sbf.se/2009/10/27/ny-raci...or-sportbilar/

[Don Vito]

Originally Posted by Valker

Maybe I got it wrong (my Swedish ain't too good) but it doesn't sound like that at all. They are talking about cars like BMW M3, Aquila, Megane Trophy etc.

GT3 and GT4 class names don't seem to refer to FIA regulations. Cars will be divided into two categories by weight/power ratio. GT3 = 2.6 kg/hp and GT4 = 3.2 kg/hp.

http://www.sbf.se/2009/10/27/ny-raci...or-sportbilar/

Oh, I obviously missed your point. That new series seems to be totally different thing than NEZ Baltic GT or NSC or what ever you want to call it....
But still I have lots of doubts concerning NSC visting finnish GT championship events... The finnish organisator is not known from his positive thinking when it comes to non-homologated, more or less home-built "GT" cars, like BMW M1 with an ex F1 engine....

[PorscheFanNo1]

And even one more GT serie in Sweden, "GT Endurance" run to GT3 regs and will start out in 2010 with 3 endurace races run together with "GT3 Cup Challenge", which I'm guessing is a new Carrera Cup serie that will run together with SKK and not STCC.

http://www.bilsport.se/news.php?id=75705&c=1

[Valker]

I guess GT3 Cup Challange is a series for older Carrera Cup cars but I don't really see any point in it as there are already several series where one can run that kind of cars.

[Atle Gulbrandsen]

Hi

It seems difficult to work together and create a good GT-championship in the Nordic Countries.

Nordic Supercar was a good idea, but what now? Maybe we are ready for a FIA GT3-championship in Scandinavia? We have it in Germany, UK, Brazil, Italy, Australia, China etc. etc.

With races in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and the Baltic countries? And together with STCC, DTC and some high profile races?

In Norway we have started a new championship called GT, with a lot of exciting cars as Corvette Z06, Viper, Porsches etc. Norway is not ready for a proper FIA GT3-championship just yet, but maybe Scandinavia is?

The Porsche Carrera Cup in Sweden is a huge success, but wouldn't a GT3 championship be more popular?

Best regards
Atle Gulbrandsen
www.atlegulbrandsen.com

[Jimmy Magnusson]

Atle, I recognize your name. Have you raced in a support race to the STCC at any point? Or in one of SSK's series?

I'll also add that NSC will have GT3 and GT4 classes this season, too. Too late for that series, though. I will be interested to see how Leif Lindström's series pans out - he's been trying to put something togeather for some time now. His Ginetta series has already been pretty successful, especially considering they don't run togeather with STCC. I like that he's been able to create a calendar with no STCC clashes, and having the Ginettas as a support cateogory is good. I do hope he chooses the 2x1hr races, those are good value for money for a gentleman racer.

Flash Engineering's series have the right format, but I don't think they'll let it compete with their Carrera Cup series. More likely this will be a place for the CC teams to run endurance races. Which is too bad, because they'd fit right into Lindström's series.

Aiming for a Scandinavian series is hoping for a bit much, I think. From a Swedish perspective I'd rather see a focus on the home market, because there's enough potential to run a good series here. At most I'd go to Våler, but then Våler isn't a particuarly good track. Any other place is too long a journey. An international series could work, but then you're talking one level up in professionalism and overall level than I am. Norway and Sweden can run a low-level series in between them. So can Sweden and Denmark, or even Sweden and Finland. But as soon as you get three countries or more you're asking a lot from your competitors in terms of travel. Also, is there the teams in Norway to support such a series? I know only of Roger Moen's team, and Cartech (which seems like a very small team). In Sweden and Denmark there's a lot of teams (relatively speaking) who could run cars. Some in Finland, too, though not many.

[Atle Gulbrandsen]

I raced the Renault 5 Junior (with Mattias Ekström) with SSK in 1995. And I have raced with the STCC at Vålerbanen and Arctic Circle Raceway a couple of times.

Now I race in the VLN at the Nürburgring.

I don't agree about Vålerbanen. OK, it's both a race track and a safety center, but the track is one of the most fun in Scandinavia. You have good speed all the way, a very challenging left right combination and no really slow corners.

And in the last years they have also added a proper pit lane, stands for the spectators, and the whole facility is always clean, with green grass and it looks good - compared to a lot of other Scandinavian tracks.

BR
Atle Gulbrandsen
www.atlegulbrandsen.com

[Jimmy Magnusson]

Originally Posted by Atle Gulbrandsen

I raced the Renault 5 Junior (with Mattias Ekström) with SSK in 1995. And I have raced with the STCC at Vålerbanen and Arctic Circle Raceway a couple of times.

Now I race in the VLN at the Nürburgring.

I don't agree about Vålerbanen. OK, it's both a race track and a safety center, but the track is one of the most fun in Scandinavia. You have good speed all the way, a very challenging left right combination and no really slow corners.

And in the last years they have also added a proper pit lane, stands for the spectators, and the whole facility is always clean, with green grass and it looks good - compared to a lot of other Scandinavian tracks.

BR
Atle Gulbrandsen
www.atlegulbrandsen.com

It's probably from the Våler support races I recognize you. Super Sevens, right? But I think we'll have to disagree about Våler. It has never seemed very suitable to bigger cars to me. And those gravel traps just sucks you in like nothing else.

[Atle Gulbrandsen]

Yes, Seven Racing. I won the Norwegian Championship i 07.

The gravel traps at Vålerbanen sucks! I agree! It's sand traps and not gravel traps...

[Jimmy Magnusson]

Originally Posted by Goran Malmberg

It may be that some drop out because of the fast factory cars, but I do not think the rules are the problem. I have worked for over two years to build a car and do not feel that the rules restricted the possibility of building a fast car. But now, once it becomes clear that perhaps the series dies, I do not find it very funny.
I think it's really fun to fight against ORECA Vipers, that is something to measure my car against. I presented the car here in the forum for a short time ago.
http://tentenths.com/forum/showthread.php?t=118490

If it becomes so that the series is down, so I see this as a major obstacle for amateurs to build a car and be with, because you simply do not have time to build a car adapted to the rules.
Goran

Göran, I'm very happy to see the car out on track. Been following the build since it was announced on the rejsa.nu site, nice photoblog the team (still SpeedLab, right?) had there.