2006 Alms

[JAG]

Again, I understand all of the problems and difficulties, BUT, in 2006 the series has to deliver.

The chassis' will be ready, teams/series officials have had a definitive timetable to plan towards, everything is in place to move forward, there are no more reasons (excuses?), the ALMS has to deliver.

A repeat of 2004/5 is NOT acceptable, particualrly in LMP1/GT1.

Agree or disagree?

[Brian W Keske]

And exactly why is this unacceptable to you if it works for Don and the fans?

[JAG]

If it works for Don and the fans fine, keep you 4 car P1 fields and GT1 steamroller.

We have been told for so long that the last few years are the lull before the new reg cars arrive.

I am absolutly convinced that if you said to the average fan they can have the same cars/teams for another 2-3 years they would walk away in droves.

Fans are supporting and backing the series in the hope, no expectation, of BIG, BIG improvements in the coming years.

[Brian W Keske]

Originally Posted by JAG

If it works for Don and the fans fine, keep you 4 car P1 fields and GT1 steamroller.

We have been told for so long that the last few years are the lull before the new reg cars arrive.

I am absolutly convinced that if you said to the average fan they can have the same cars/teams for another 2-3 years they would walk away in droves.

Fans are supporting and backing the series in the hope, no expectation, of BIG, BIG improvements in the coming years.

Oh, I agree, we do want improvement.

It is just that you are stating things as ultimatums.

I'm sure Don and Scott want improvement as much, or more, than we do. They are working hard at their job, and hopefully are successful. But, I do believe thay are in a better position to improve things than us typing on a keyboard.

I'm trying to be patiently optimistic in the mean time. But I'm not expecting 50 car field either. One thing is for sure, Penske does not become involved with something unless it has an upside. So his involvement with Porsche speaks volumes to me.

[tblincoe]

Originally Posted by JAG

If it works for Don and the fans fine, keep you 4 car P1 fields and GT1 steamroller.

We have been told for so long that the last few years are the lull before the new reg cars arrive.

I am absolutly convinced that if you said to the average fan they can have the same cars/teams for another 2-3 years they would walk away in droves.

Fans are supporting and backing the series in the hope, no expectation, of BIG, BIG improvements in the coming years.

JAG, where do you get this stuff? you are making such broad assumptions that there is no way you could back up your line of thinking...

"Fans are supporting and backing the series in the hope, no expectation, of BIG, BIG improvements in the coming years."?????

-the majority of fans that come to the race track aren't the die hard fans like those found on the boards here. they are casual followers of sportscar racing and have no idea about the "big improvements" that are in the pipeline.

if your theories on car counts were true, wouldn't the attendance rates have gone down in the the last 3 years? especially this year when the car counts have been so "miserable"? but it hasn't JAG, attendance (and more importantly TV viewership) has gone up every year FOR THE LAST 3 YEARS. nobody goes to the racetrack or turns on the TV because they are promised something for the NEXT YEAR, let alone the next race... thats just ridiculous logic.

cars will come and go, whats important is that there is a total package experience for the average fan, and the ALMS is scoring an A+ in that area. sure car counts could be higher and we need to have more competition in GT1 (which is coming next year in the form of DBR-9s), but the show and competition is there and thats whats important.

[JAG]

If you read earlier in the thread I've always said 2 more competitive entries in P1/2 and GT1 next year would make a tremendous difference.

The lack of new reg/competitive chassis have always been put forward as the reason this wiill not happen untill 2006.

Next year good P1 and GT1 customer options will be available, so a couple more competitive entries is the minimum we should, and I expect, we will get.

I just cannot sit back and state that all is well and the current ALMS field is viable for the series beyond this year.

[Brian W Keske]

Again, I agree. But there is interest in the form of Penske (huge) and guy's like Riley.

So much has been going on 'here' with the appearance of success Grand Am is having (and also 'taking' a team like Buckler from the series, as example). And in a nation where motorsports is really watered down throughout the various disciplines, we don't see the incredible jumps in intrest as you may in England, and other european countries, as road racing is very much a niche' sport and few are really interested in taking this route. So, it will take a bit of time. I don't see 2006 as a 'make or break' year, but I do want to see improvement as I'm not happy with grid size...nobody over here is, it is a constant discussion among fans, and I'm sure the ALMS organization.

But I think there are folks interested, and as you say, I hope they see the various customer cars availiable and join the fray. But up till now, it hasn't made allot of sense to go out and purchas an obsolete car in which to get beaten to death by the Audi's, Corvette's, and Porsche's. Hard to get corporate sponsors behing a losing proposition I would think. And that goes for the manufacturers as well.

[Tim Northcutt]

New cars and entries will create a buzz among the fans....regardless of how many there are....

I know...I was at Mid-Ohio, and both the Zytek and the Mazda Courage drew a ton of fan interest....both in the paddock and on the track....everyone in the paddock and on the spectator mounds were talking about both cars all weekend...

I'm sure that the Zytek entry helpted the gate as well...I estimated a 10,000 person increase from the 2004 race....I am confident that there were close to 60,000 people there on Race Day....2004 was 50,000 people

[Bentley03]

And therein lies the fundamental problem with the ALMS 2005. I can't argue with the quality of the racing, but it desperately needs an injection of new machinery. The relatively (compared to the LMES) small car counts are, I agree, not the real issue. But I'm very optomistic for the future of the series. Exciting times ahead!!

[Fogelhund]

There is a great deal up in the air right now. Last October was a real lowpoint for the series.

At that point we had the following cars for 05'.

Champion x2
Dyson x2
Intersport x2
Miracle x1
Corvette x2
ACEMCO x1
AJR x1
Lizards x2
Lightning x2
Panoz x2

That was it... 17 cars.... Of course we've had some unexpected new teams, and some older teams reup that were not expected to.

There is an incredible amount going on in the back scenes that I've heard about, and probably as much if not more I haven't heard about. I'll go so far as to suggest that we could be looking at between 35-50+ cars next year depending on how negotiations go, and if the Can-Am portion of the series is a go. LMP2 alone could have 15+ cars if everything goes right (which it almost never does).

[tblincoe]

Originally Posted by Fogelhund

There is a great deal up in the air right now. Last October was a real lowpoint for the series.

At that point we had the following cars for 05'.

Champion x2
Dyson x2
Intersport x2
Miracle x1
Corvette x2
ACEMCO x1
AJR x1
Lizards x2
Lightning x2
Panoz x2

That was it... 17 cars.... Of course we've had some unexpected new teams, and some older teams reup that were not expected to.

There is an incredible amount going on in the back scenes that I've heard about, and probably as much if not more I haven't heard about. I'll go so far as to suggest that we could be looking at between 35-50+ cars next year depending on how negotiations go, and if the Can-Am portion of the series is a go. LMP2 alone could have 15+ cars if everything goes right (which it almost never does).

wow 35-50? you are definitely more "in the loop" than i am if you estimate that!!

i'm thinking somewhere in the low 30s is about right in my book, and that would be perfect considering the competition and new machinery that will comprise the increase in numbers.

[awegrzyn]

I heard this kind of talk for years now. There is always a lot of things going on behind the scenes in every type of racing, but that's not what counts.

[JAG]

True, but 2006 is a little different as the new reg cars are arriving and a customer challenger to the C6.R, the Aston, is available.

[The Badger]

Ive heard that the Bell's are interested in the Aston Martin and the Corvette for ALMS next year ? Im not sure which I would prefer to see them run !

[Brian W Keske]

Prior to the start...or was it around Sebring?...dunno....I thought it was going to be Corvette, but that could have changed.

The Aston's seem like thay may have the leg's on the Corvette, but I wonder which would do better on the tighter tracks, and shorter races?

....BTW, God bless you folks in London (& England in general), my prayers are with all the families, friends, and people who may have been impacted by the tragety today.

Keep the faith.

[BSchneiderFan]

If the car count does get close to 50, Lime Rock's going to be a giggle.

[Bentley03]

Originally Posted by BSchneiderFan

If the car count does get close to 50, Lime Rock's going to be a giggle.

Or a traffic jam........

[tblincoe]

Originally Posted by Brian W Keske

Prior to the start...or was it around Sebring?...dunno....I thought it was going to be Corvette, but that could have changed.

The Aston's seem like thay may have the leg's on the Corvette, but I wonder which would do better on the tighter tracks, and shorter races?

....BTW, God bless you folks in London (& England in general), my prayers are with all the families, friends, and people who may have been impacted by the tragety today.

Keep the faith.

i think that the C6.R's package, including its low-end torque in the V8 as well as its ability to just pound away over the bumps of NA tracks might give the edge to the C6.R for an ALMS campaign, esp. considering that you will have GM guys in the same paddock at all races...

that having been said i would have to go with taking a pair of DBR-9s, that way you have different machinery than a factory team, which gives you the chance to possibly have better machinery at any given track whereas if you take a pair of C6.Rs the best you can have is the same car as a factory team... which rarely works out in the privateer's favor.

[macdaddy]

More about the rumours re: ALMS / ChampCar...

Fogelhund has presented us with a very fascinating post.

[Brian W Keske]

I hope he is wrong (nothing personal Fogel).

I stand by my 'gut feeling' than anything associated with CCWS is not good for the ALMS.

[GP Racer]

Originally Posted by macdaddy

More about the rumours re: ALMS / ChampCar...

Fogelhund has presented us with a very fascinating post.

No disrespect to Fogelhund, as he is not one to fly off with a rumor, but this story broke sometime last week in a Robin Miller article, and as of now, I've yet to hear any other credible, or even non credible, journalist, web-site, or newspaper say anything at all on the matter. This story is potentially so big, that that just seems unbelievable to me. Surely Curt Cavin, Speed, IndyStar or somebody would have chimed in by now?

I'll wait on this one...

[macdaddy]

The story did "break" a few days ago, but not to the extent that Fogelhund has reported. Even Speed has published a story regarding a Honda/ALMS connection involving several IRL teams.

I'm not one to give in to rumours either, but I get the gut feeling that there's something really big about to happen here, and it's going to take us all by surprise.

KK originally bought a race team. Then he bought ChampCar. Followed by Cosworth. Then Pi. Soon he bought the Long Beach GP.

At this rate, he'll own 10T's by the end of the year...

[jross427]

LMP1
2XChampion Audi R10's or R8 Hybrids
2XDyson Riley's (New)
1XAutocon Riley (New)
1XCreation Autsportif Reynard DBA/Zytek (the Big Three)
1XRollcentre ?????????? (Sebring)
LMP2
1XPenske Porsche
1XBK Motorsports Courage Mazda
1XMiracle Courage AER
1XIntersport Racing Lola B05/40 AER
2X?????????? Radicals ??????????
GT1
2XChevorlet Racing Corvette C6R's
2X????????????? Aston Martin DBR9's
1XRisi Maserati MC12
1XAcemco Saleen S7R
1XBell ?????????????
1XPacific Coast Racing Corvette C6R
1XKonrad Saleen S7R (Sebring)
GT2
2XFlying Lyzard Porsche 911 GT3 RSR
2XPanoz Esparante GT-LM
1XAlex Job Porsche 911 GT3 RSR
2X????????? TVR 400R's

[Fogelhund]

Ross, a couple of points regarding your list.

1. Miracle have stated publicly that they will be in a LMP1 next year, and are actively pursuing their options. At the Courage meeting, they suggested it would be a Courage LMP1, not that they could say anything different. The Courage in LMP1 is most likely though.

2. Bill Riley stated that he would not sell his LMP1 to anybody. It had to be people who would make them look good, and be very competitive. While I appreciate all entries in the ALMS, I would suggest Autocon is not a team currently that could make such a car "very competitive".

3. Intersport is certainly a bit of a mystery at this point aren't they?

4. Radical have stated 3-5 cars for certain by the end of next year.

5. There are definately more cars to come, which I can't say much about.

[jross427]

ok thanks, just makin a list of what i think, i wish i had the sorces u had, and so does everybody else that dosent, when theres been a big change ill do my list over