IMSA 2022: Looking to the present?

[Pandamasque]

Originally Posted by broadrun96

And it appears Chip has decided to stop waiting for Ford and are jumping with both feet in to GM's camp.

How about Ganassi Acura for LMDh? In Indycar CGR is using Honda engines and has been for most of the team's history.

As far as I understand, no extra Acura DPi cars are available, so the Cadillac thing could be a stop-gap solution.
This is pure speculation on my part.

[broadrun96]

Originally Posted by Pandamasque

How about Ganassi Acura for LMDh? In Indycar CGR is using Honda engines and has been for most of the team's history.

As far as I understand, no extra Acura DPi cars are available, so the Cadillac thing could be a stop-gap solution.
This is pure speculation on my part.

It appears MP thinks it is because he is going to be the GM partner in LMDh

[broadrun96]

Originally Posted by joeb

Ouch for Dragonspeed, they were told no engines exist, but I guess Chip got a different answer ....

I wonder if we just haven't been told about a car not coming back in 2022, chance Jimmie and his car are back for 2022? If not, there's Chip's engine and the numbers don't change. Not that I want to lose a car in addition to Mazda leaving.

[jimclark]

Originally Posted by Pandamasque

So I thought of Talladega. A simracing friend of mine used to call them "cement mixers"

This layout would do. Just thinking out loud. It'll not like this would ever happen.

I don't know if this is a real layout used for racing, just a pic I googled.

IMSA GT ran at 'dega '71-'78 (minus '73 and '77).

[Coach Ep]

Originally Posted by broadrun96

I wonder if we just haven't been told about a car not coming back in 2022, chance Jimmie and his car are back for 2022? If not, there's Chip's engine and the numbers don't change. Not that I want to lose a car in addition to Mazda leaving.

Or Jimmie & co are making the jump away from Action Express, turning a part-time entry into a full-time one.


Agreed on the Dragonspeed comments.

[Pandamasque]

Originally Posted by broadrun96

It appears MP thinks it is because he is going to be the GM partner in LMDh

That was a brain fart on my part. I totally forgot CGR was running that primer-grey unofficial works car already.

[broadrun96]

Originally Posted by Coach Ep

Or Jimmie & co are making the jump away from Action Express, turning a part-time entry into a full-time one.


Agreed on the Dragonspeed comments.

That would be interesting as MP then ran an article about AXR being sold, with them obviously denying it. But to add intrigue, MP said it's hinted Hendrick was buying it. So there's that for Jimmie and Co

[joeb]

Originally Posted by broadrun96

That would be interesting as MP then ran an article about AXR being sold, with them obviously denying it. But to add intrigue, MP said it's hinted Hendrick was buying it. So there's that for Jimmie and Co

Hendrick getting in to Lmdh? GM has liked to have multiple factor favored teams in the past, could be in the cards again. Don't know what this means for JDC, but I hope to see them stay in the top class.

[broadrun96]

MP being optimistic about GTD-Pro

His field: Corvette x2
BMW x2
Porsche x2, maybe 3

Maybes
Lexus x1
Lamborghini x1, possibly 2

Not too bad a field compared to GTLM running, wonder if Snow will get promoted again and they'll have to run Pro. He hasn't been running away from everyone this season like he had in the past though

https://racer.com/2021/08/05/momentu...gtd-pro-class/

[WyldStallion]

Originally Posted by broadrun96

MP being optimistic about GTD-Pro

His field: Corvette x2
BMW x2
Porsche x2, maybe 3

Maybes
Lexus x1
Lamborghini x1, possibly 2

Not too bad a field compared to GTLM running, wonder if Snow will get promoted again and they'll have to run Pro. He hasn't been running away from everyone this season like he had in the past though

https://racer.com/2021/08/05/momentu...gtd-pro-class/

Looks better now after the announcment of a single BoP. Can almost treat GTD as one class now. With GTD Am as more of a sub-category. Sort of like.....GT World Challenge.

Boy I wonder how GT WC America will do in 2022. IMSA and them will be stepping all over each other now with GTLM gone. If I was a gentleman GT driver with cash. I'd run GT WC full season plus the 2 all GT IMSA races.

On a downer...looks like the Daytona 24 Q race will continue with the same full field 1 hour 40 minute snoozer. What a waste. Good chances to mix things up with the format and they botch it again. Time to change their minds though.

[hondafan37]

IMSA pondering late 2022 warm-up race for new LMDh prototypes

https://racer.com/2021/08/06/imsa-po..._-1Inu9kcX7DOA

[Adam43]

Good plan. The earlier the better

[WyldStallion]

https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/d...d-beyond-2022/

Hope this happens, can anybody say LMP3 has made the Weathertech series better? I'd say no.

[WyldStallion]

Originally Posted by hondafan37

IMSA pondering late 2022 warm-up race for new LMDh prototypes

https://racer.com/2021/08/06/imsa-po..._-1Inu9kcX7DOA

Unpopular opinion about to be made...but yeah I don't buy the LMDH hype-o-meter just yet. We have not even seen or heard a car yet. Lets just hope that these manufacturers come up with the goods when the cars are revealed.

[canaglia]

lmp3 = LMPC
moving chicanes for prototypes and fastest gt, nothing really new... none will ever remember of their existence if one day they will be dropped off by IMSA

[seanyb505]

Originally Posted by WyldStallion

https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/d...d-beyond-2022/

Hope this happens, can anybody say LMP3 has made the Weathertech series better? I'd say no.

I'd say yes. More people putting money on the table to run with imsa, more on track activities, more sales, I think it does a good job of rounding out the product that is imsa. It's beneficial to the people involved. I could go on, but declaring that you don't like it doesn't invalidate what it brings to the table both for people that spend money and those that make the money.

[WyldStallion]

Originally Posted by seanyb505

I'd say yes. More people putting money on the table to run with imsa, more on track activities, more sales, I think it does a good job of rounding out the product that is imsa. It's beneficial to the people involved. I could go on, but declaring that you don't like it doesn't invalidate what it brings to the table both for people that spend money and those that make the money.

You can do that with Porshe Carrera cup being the "filler" class. Those cars would be far more appealing that LMP3.

[Adam43]

Maybe I’m wrong, but I’m beginning to get the impression you prefer GT cars.

[Pandamasque]

Originally Posted by WyldStallion

You can do that with Porshe Carrera cup being the "filler" class. Those cars would be far more appealing that LMP3.

I agree. Better looking and more spectacular in terms of how they handle. And more importantly, an Am class (P3, P2) that's faster than a Pro class (GTLM, GTD Pro) is always a potential source of trouble.

LMPC and P3 added little more than just random chaos and FCYs in IMSA from the racing standpoint. I get it, in various "transitional" periods their job was to make the grids look less embarrassing. But once LMDh is there, P3 becomes redundant.

[broadrun96]

Originally Posted by WyldStallion

You can do that with Porshe Carrera cup being the "filler" class. Those cars would be far more appealing that LMP3.

Yeah, cause running a support series without any chance of running in the main event is the same thing. Few of the moneyed drivers from Carrera Cup (insert appropriate yearly name) move up but a decent chunk of the field in LMP3 now pay to run LMP2/3 in the main event. That's IMSA's goal.

And yes, there are no LMDh cars on track yet. They aren't supposed to debut until 2023. Unless you want them to announce the new class at Petit to start the next season. It's called being thorough and planning. Yes, in theory DPi 2.0 was supposed to be '22 but life happened. And given we're at double the current lineup I'd go with the teams and manufacturer involvement shows there is interest in selling to fans, but at a reasonable sellable to the bean counters budget.

[WyldStallion]

Something I don't think anybody has commented on yet is this....GTD Pro will have a 50 minute minimum drive time. This is important. It could discourage pro-am driver lineups from trying out GTD Pro now. At least in the 2 hour 40 minute and less races. I could see a team like Weathertech/Proton maybe run GTD Pro in the endurance races but got GTD Am in the "sprint" races. Cooper MacNeil would not be able to pull a short stint at Road America like he just did next year. This is how gentleman drivers like Ed Brown and Jon Bennett were able to win overall races in the past too. This won't be possible in GTD Pro.

[Bcarr6]

The LMP3 / GT3 balance is always a little difficult, but I am inclined to think IMSA should have as many protoypes in the ratio as possible, especially now GTLM is going away.

I wonder how well GTD PRo will do. Personally, id be fine with LMDH / P2 /P3 / GTD ProAm

I'd rather see those pro GT3's in SRO America

[joeb]

Algarve Pro looking at an IMSA expansion as a way to get more miles out of their Orecas and supply of parts!

https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/a...ogram-in-2022/

[WyldStallion]

Originally Posted by Bcarr6

The LMP3 / GT3 balance is always a little difficult, but I am inclined to think IMSA should have as many protoypes in the ratio as possible, especially now GTLM is going away.

I wonder how well GTD PRo will do. Personally, id be fine with LMDH / P2 /P3 / GTD ProAm

I'd rather see those pro GT3's in SRO America

Me too, only chance of this is if Corvette and IMSA relationship ever gets strained which looks to be as good as ever. GT WC America might be in a big pickle next year with GTD Pro coming in. There current format is fine for 2021 but these 2X90 minute races with a pro class won't work in 2022. They will need to adjust. Maybe back to PWC (current GT America) format?

I'd rather see a spec Porsche Carrera Cup or Lambo ST class than LMP3 in the Weathertech series as a 5th field filler class.

[seanyb505]

Those products are not sold as endurance events, and in the case of Lamborghini, wrong tires.