IMSA IMSA : 2019

[AoB Special Stage]

It could just be me, but it sounds more like there could be as many as two coming in, not that two have already begun preparations.

[Coach Ep]

Correct. He can see 2 more for 2019. Discussions from his side are going well and Oreca "did well not to rush" (into the category).
Sounds promising!

[NaBUru38]

Lexus is considering entering IMSA DPi.

http://www.racer.com/imsa/item/14552...sa-dpi-options

[WestCoast]

Originally Posted by NaBUru38

Lexus is considering entering IMSA DPi.

http://www.racer.com/imsa/item/14552...sa-dpi-options

That would be great, they can get the new Supra to fill the GT void.

[TF110]

Originally Posted by NaBUru38

Lexus is considering entering IMSA DPi.

http://www.racer.com/imsa/item/14552...sa-dpi-options

Said this in another thread, but I think they'll wait and hope for the lmp1/dpi rules to align. Then have a united front in America and the WEC take it to Le Mans. Something like the factory GTE teams using the same cars in IMSA and WEC, Ford, BMW, Porsche etc.

[TheMightyM]

It's a bit old (September 20), but here's another story on the future of the Belle Else race. Belle Isle became a state park in 2014 and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources honored the previous deal to allow the race through 2018. Whether the race continues after 2018 is now up for discussion.

A major issue:

A contingent of residents and City Council members have regularly expressed concern over the timetable required for setup and tear-down of the annual event as well as restricted access to certain parts of the 982-acre island from April to June.

The Grand Prix this year had eight weeks to setup and three for tear-down. Organizers said they had committed to reducing the setup time to six weeks. Last year, it had been 10 weeks.

[HORNDAWG]

Originally Posted by TheMightyM

It's a bit old (September 20), but here's another story on the future of the Belle Else race. Belle Isle became a state park in 2014 and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources honored the previous deal to allow the race through 2018. Whether the race continues after 2018 is now up for discussion.

A major issue:

Portland in '19!






L.P.

[joeb]

Originally Posted by TheMightyM

It's a bit old (September 20), but here's another story on the future of the Belle Else race. Belle Isle became a state park in 2014 and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources honored the previous deal to allow the race through 2018. Whether the race continues after 2018 is now up for discussion.

A major issue:

Thanks for posting, I hadn't heard that yet. I have no great feelings for or against the race, I just wish it didn't clash with test day.

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

[Damian Baldi]

Notes from Daytona regarding future.

A private meeting was held on Monday where DPi survey data was reviewed with the manufacturers who participate in the Prototype class. It's believed a general agreement to stay the course with the same DPi formula in the years ahead was made and suggestions of adding LMP1-style hybrid systems were shot down immediately. A general feeling of wanting to leave DPi unchanged described by those who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Source

[TF110]

Originally Posted by Damian Baldi

Notes from Daytona regarding future.



Source

Of course they want to use the same car. And imo, racer.com is usually a site siding with the American view on things. Not that they can't report unbiased but you usually see them favoring imsa on the lmp rules type things.

[AoB Special Stage]

[chernaudi]

Well, Pruett is a GTP/LMP900/early LMP1 fan as much as anything, and IMSA has the closest thing to that era of cars right now.

I like the modern LMP1s as much as anyone, but LMP900, early LMP1, and IMSA GTP had more variety than modern LMP1 or LMP2.

[broadrun96]

Originally Posted by TF110

Of course they want to use the same car. And imo, racer.com is usually a site siding with the American view on things. Not that they can't report unbiased but you usually see them favoring imsa on the lmp rules type things.

So a report from MP about an AMERICAN series should include a Euro perspective because????

If you want to hate the IMSA rules that's fine but to pretend there is Racer bias because they're reporting on US news smacks of envy and well honestly massive immaturity. Get off your high horse and realize they can report on US racing because IMSA is actually trying to plan ahead instead of the ACO method of telling everyone nothing other than utt will be great, just wait.

[chernaudi]

Racer is a US magazine and obviously their reporting will be US-centric. Of course, to go along with my post above, a lot of the stuff I mentioned was when IMSA and the ACO had a clear path and goals and a map to get there, as opposed to the current ACO administration who lived in the moment when VAG and Toyota were throwing money at LMP1, and using nationalistic nepotism on LMP2 later on.

That view might not be popular with those who support ACO racing, and I'm a fan of the WEC as much as anyone is, but when someone drops the ball, you have to be willing to call a spade a spade, a king a king, a joker a joker, etc.

Not saying that IMSA's perfect however, as I'm not a fan of micromanaged BOP among other things (though the ACO have been known to pull that joker out of the deck to a lesser extent, too, especially in the GT classes). There's still places that both have failed and both have succeeded.

[Jonerz]

Originally Posted by TF110

Of course they want to use the same car. And imo, racer.com is usually a site siding with the American view on things. Not that they can't report unbiased but you usually see them favoring imsa on the lmp rules type things.

Pruett is responsible for the vast majority of the sports car content on Racer.com. He was also one of the most vocal opponents of the DP generations 1-3, and the DP 3.5/P2 mix that IMSA had from 2014-2016. So he doesn't simply trumpet what is going on over here.

Chris

[fieldodreams79]

Originally Posted by broadrun96

So a report from MP about an AMERICAN series should include a Euro perspective because????

[chernaudi]

Not to mention that DP 1-3 and what IMSA had from '14-to a degree '16 was as far away from the spirit of LMP900/675, LMP1/LMP2 in their prime, and IMSA GTP as you could've gotten. Just as bad as LMP1 in the WEC right now, if not worse.

[TF110]

Originally Posted by Jonerz

Pruett is responsible for the vast majority of the sports car content on Racer.com. He was also one of the most vocal opponents of the DP generations 1-3, and the DP 3.5/P2 mix that IMSA had from 2014-2016. So he doesn't simply trumpet what is going on over here.

Chris

There's plenty of articles on dpi and it's future that are geared towards they are the answer to the lmp1 ideas going forward. SC365 does this often as well. If you have read racer.com's pieces that is pretty clear. I didn't say they were biased. I said they lean towards the American view on things more often. Obviously being American based is a reason for that. Indycar is the biggest thing on that site as well.

The thing I'm saying is that I don't know what dpi will do for the future and if manufacturers looking to enter both the wec and imsa will sway that decision. The wec lmp1's are looking like a gt prototype for the new rules. Will they be able to run them in imsa too? And vice versa run imsa cars at Le Mans? I don't see how these guys will win anyone more than they have over if they can't do both.

[chernaudi]

This may be about IMSA, but if IMSA and the ACO are trying to edge to having similar rules between LMP1 and DPI, they have to find common ground somewhere like they have with their top GT classes being based around 95+% the same regs.

IMO, GT Prototype is ACO speak for DPI, that's possible to me. I doubt that we'll be getting car makers to build hyper cars that are supposed to be in theory road legal just to race in the top class. Personally, I think that prototypes should look like prototypes, not necessarily something street legal.

Besides, as I've pointed out a few times, the old Audi R8 and R10 had about as many road car related styling cues as the DPI cars have, which was mostly headlight and taillight lenses. The '03 Bentley GTP had very vague design similarities to the then new Continental GT.

Prototypes should be race cars, and in truth that's largely the way it's been since the 1960s. Even if Ford GT40s and Porsche 962s have been converted to being road legal. If someone's so inclined to jump through hoops they could possibly make a modern LMP road legal somewhere in the world I'm betting, too.

That all being said, even if the ACO are wanting to get back to the late '90s GT1/'99 GTP, that's very close to the spirit of current DPI, especially the latter. The Audi R8C had TT styling cues (as did the R8R, and to a lesser degree, R8 and R10), the Mercedes-Benz CLR had C-class styling cues, and the Toyota GT-One foreshadowed the last generation Celica.

[AoB Special Stage]

But that'll only last until Honda decides a wing counts a styling cue again.

[hondafan37]

Originally Posted by chernaudi

This may be about IMSA, but if IMSA and the ACO are trying to edge to having similar rules between LMP1 and DPI, they have to find common ground somewhere like they have with their top GT classes being based around 95+% the same regs.

IMO, GT Prototype is ACO speak for DPI, that's possible to me. I doubt that we'll be getting car makers to build hyper cars that are supposed to be in theory road legal just to race in the top class. Personally, I think that prototypes should look like prototypes, not necessarily something street legal.

Besides, as I've pointed out a few times, the old Audi R8 and R10 had about as many road car related styling cues as the DPI cars have, which was mostly headlight and taillight lenses. The '03 Bentley GTP had very vague design similarities to the then new Continental GT.

Prototypes should be race cars, and in truth that's largely the way it's been since the 1960s. Even if Ford GT40s and Porsche 962s have been converted to being road legal. If someone's so inclined to jump through hoops they could possibly make a modern LMP road legal somewhere in the world I'm betting, too.

That all being said, even if the ACO are wanting to get back to the late '90s GT1/'99 GTP, that's very close to the spirit of current DPI, especially the latter. The Audi R8C had TT styling cues (as did the R8R, and to a lesser degree, R8 and R10), the Mercedes-Benz CLR had C-class styling cues, and the Toyota GT-One foreshadowed the last generation Celica.

I understand that the ACO is not demanding hypercar street legal, they want prototypes in the form of hypercar.
Of course a street legal hypercar could race here.
Personally I am in favor of this idea, the current prototypes have very ugly form.
Removing the shark nose and enlarging the cabin would improve the appearance and they continue to be prototypes.
The GT1/GTP of the end of 90' and the Porsche 962 and Ford GT had hypercar form and therefore they looked very good.

[FormulaFox]

Originally Posted by hondafan37

Removing the shark nose and enlarging the cabin would improve the appearance

Don't take that as a guarantee. The original DP rules were crafted with the expectation that they would bring about cars reminiscent of the Ford GT40 - obviously, that failed. If not done right, we could easily end up with Gen1-2 Daytona Prototypes again rather than vehicles reminiscent of late 90s GT1.

[AoB Special Stage]

Originally Posted by FormulaFox

Don't take that as a guarantee. The original DP rules were crafted with the expectation that they would bring about cars reminiscent of the Ford GT40 - obviously, that failed. If not done right, we could easily end up with Gen1-2 Daytona Prototypes again rather than vehicles reminiscent of late 90s GT1.

Indeed, it's much easier to say things about the rules you're making than actually make them do the thing you want them to do.

[FormulaFox]

Originally Posted by AoB Special Stage

Indeed, it's much easier to say things about the rules you're making than actually make them do the thing you want them to do.

I do hope they succeed this time. I'd like to see the generic LMPs that look sort of like the Glickenhaus SCG003, with the manufacturer-branded cars being built off of a similar tub design. I think that'd be a great way for the next-gen prototype classes to look.

[AoB Special Stage]

I just can't see how they can make it work for more than a year or two without BoPing the class.