PWC: 2020

[Mechanic Z]

Flying Lizard will be bringing back the Audi GT4 for the Sprint races at Sonoma, with Erin Vogel driving.
https://myemail.constantcontact.com/...id=ynz9QgVS0RQ
This is great news! There's been hints about it over the last couple of weeks, but it's cool to see confirmation.

[cbbrit]

Great news for Andy Lally! He'll be racing a Ferrari F488 GT3 at Sears Point in three weeks!

https://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpa...but-at-sonoma/

[joeb]

Originally Posted by cbbrit

Great news for Andy Lally! He'll be racing a Ferrari F488 GT3 at Sears Point in three weeks!

https://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpa...but-at-sonoma/

Best part of this is that it will be his first World Challenge start since 2001!

[Bcarr6]

Back in the right direction for Sonoma - 19 GT3’s entered.

[NaBUru38]

But just six GT3 entries have no bronze drivers.

[Bcarr6]

Originally Posted by NaBUru38

But just six GT3 entries have no bronze drivers.

GT3 has always been intended as a pro-am formula. What’s the issue with that? Go watch GTE if you want pro only GT racing

Oh wait that’s only going to have 6 cars in PRO next year, so the pro pro formula is clearly a wild success

Paying amateurs is what funds these programs

[broadrun96]

Originally Posted by Bcarr6

GT3 has always been intended as a pro-am formula. What’s the issue with that? Go watch GTE if you want pro only GT racing

Oh wait that’s only going to have 6 cars in PRO next year, so the pro pro formula is clearly a wild success

Paying amateurs is what funds these programs

Except they have specifically marketed the cars as driven by pros and pro level racing. The management hasn't quite figured out they aren't the old SCCA WC with huge fields and mostly pro drivers at the front. It's a far change and frankly often a NASCAR event with drivers taking out other drivers aggressively seemingly without penalty. Add in nearly impossible to find and streaming that at least last time I tried wasn't the most stable thing out there means I've lost interest in the series I used to follow for every race in years past. I will admit it is multiple years but they just haven't made me want to find it.

[Bcarr6]

Originally Posted by broadrun96

Except they have specifically marketed the cars as driven by pros and pro level racing. The management hasn't quite figured out they aren't the old SCCA WC with huge fields and mostly pro drivers at the front. It's a far change and frankly often a NASCAR event with drivers taking out other drivers aggressively seemingly without penalty. Add in nearly impossible to find and streaming that at least last time I tried wasn't the most stable thing out there means I've lost interest in the series I used to follow for every race in years past. I will admit it is multiple years but they just haven't made me want to find it.

They stream on GT World’s YouTube?

[NaBUru38]

https://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpa...nd-notebook-2/

A first-of-its-kind series sponsor roundtable was held on Friday, which saw representatives from several series and team sponsors as well as series personnel exchanging ideas of how to leverage paddock relationships to make sponsorship in SRO America more effective and to raise the profile of the series.

It’s understood that the roundtable was popular and future events of this kind could be in the works at other events this year.

So now they care about sponsors and want to "raise the profile" of the championship.


Fans won't care as long as only six entries have no bronze drivers.

[Nick Woodbury]

Is this series still sanctioned by USAC domestically or did that end when SRO stepped in completely?

[Mechanic Z]

Originally Posted by Nick Woodbury

Is this series still sanctioned by USAC domestically or did that end when SRO stepped in completely?

USAC is still involved.

https://files.world-challenge.com/ev...ntSchedule.pdf

[Mechanic Z]

Big news for GT World Challenge America, as SRO has announced schedules today. The huge news is that Indianapolis Motor Speedway will replace Laguna Seca as the site of the IGTC's 8 Hour event, and that the Indy 8 Hour will also be the finale for the World Challenge America season.


https://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpa...c-round-added/
https://sportscar365.com/sro/igtc/ig...e-laguna-seca/


Personally I'm super excited about this, because Indianapolis is close enough to me I can easily make the trip, along with the regular trip to Road America!

[NaBUru38]

GT3 cars will again be missing from GT3, because of a date clash with Monza (?)

Paddock space seems more relevant

https://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpa...obal-schedule/

[Bcarr6]

Originally Posted by NaBUru38

GT3 cars will again be missing from GT3, because of a date clash with Monza (?)

Paddock space seems more relevant

https://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpa...obal-schedule/

I kinda think Gt3 entrants don’t mind this so much. Long Beach and St Pete’s were always surefire ways to start the season with a hefty repair bill

[cbbrit]

Congrats on getting this drive for the remaining three races Mike! Thoroughly deserved!

https://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpa...est-of-season/

[Mike Hedlund]

Originally Posted by cbbrit

Congrats on getting this drive for the remaining three races Mike! Thoroughly deserved!

https://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpa...est-of-season/

Thanks man! Aiming to close out the season strong.

-mike

[cbbrit]

There were a couple of driver changes announced today for Ian Lacy Racing and Alegra Motorsports, in SprintX and GT America respectively, for the balance of the season:

https://sportscar365.com/sro/gt4-ame...-sprintx-east/

https://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpa...ada-at-alegra/

[MaskedRacer]

What is more expensive to run:

1) Full season Blancpain GT America schedule (with two 90 minute races, and longer qualifying sessions)


or

2) 2019 IMSA Weathertech Sprint cup schedule (with one 2 hour 45 minute race and just one 15 minute qualifying session)


I can't imagine Blancpain GT America is cheaper..now in 2020 we'll see what happens. Long Beach is sprint cup now for one. But maybe SRO should scale the races back to 60 minutes. I honestly have found the 90 minute races boring. Perhaps the 14-16 car grids for 90 minutes don't work very well.

[Bcarr6]

Originally Posted by MaskedRacer

What is more expensive to run:



1) Full season Blancpain GT America schedule (with two 90 minute races, and longer qualifying sessions)





or



2) 2019 IMSA Weathertech Sprint cup schedule (with one 2 hour 45 minute race and just one 15 minute qualifying session)





I can't imagine Blancpain GT America is cheaper..now in 2020 we'll see what happens. Long Beach is sprint cup now for one. But maybe SRO should scale the races back to 60 minutes. I honestly have found the 90 minute races boring. Perhaps the 14-16 car grids for 90 minutes don't work very well.

I agree, 90 mins with the smaller grids doesn’t seem to create too much excitement

[broadrun96]

And haven't they added pit stops to the races? That has to add plenty of cost and now the 8 Hour at Indy race is part of the season points as the finale to drive more teams to race than had in California. All I see is costs increasing each year and nothing new to show. And I think the GT3 races are all standalone events, think GT4 and TC get to support Indycars but I don't think the big guys go. I would go if they returned to Road Atlanta but I've gone for Ferrari Challenge and SCCA events with only a few cars in each class so I might not be their target growth audience

[Bcarr6]

Originally Posted by broadrun96

And haven't they added pit stops to the races? That has to add plenty of cost and now the 8 Hour at Indy race is part of the season points as the finale to drive more teams to race than had in California. All I see is costs increasing each year and nothing new to show. And I think the GT3 races are all standalone events, think GT4 and TC get to support Indycars but I don't think the big guys go. I would go if they returned to Road Atlanta but I've gone for Ferrari Challenge and SCCA events with only a few cars in each class so I might not be their target growth audience

Everything is standalone now

If you shaved every race back down to 60 mins, 2 driver races, you’d already shave 6 hours of running in the season

Surely that’d help budget a little.

[MaskedRacer]

Originally Posted by Bcarr6

Everything is standalone now

If you shaved every race back down to 60 mins, 2 driver races, you’d already shave 6 hours of running in the season

Surely that’d help budget a little.

Trim qualifying too.15 minute session with 1 fast lap is all you need. Maybe for race 2 the grid can be set by the fast lap of the race 2 starting driver during race 1.

I guess it was a worthy experiment for 1 year, but going back to 60 minute races is probably the best course of action. Keeping it at 90 would do nothing but give teams the justification to leave GT America and move to GTD Sprint Cup.

Speaking from the prospective of the SRO here, personally I would love to see all of these teams leave for IMSA!!

[nasportscar]

Originally Posted by MaskedRacer

Speaking from the prospective of the SRO here, personally I would love to see all of these teams leave for IMSA!!

This doesn't make any sense, so I'm guessing there's a typo?

Anyways, I would not be opposed to go to 60 minute races and mirroring what Blancpain GT Europe Sprint or ADAC GT Masters does. Right now IMSA GTD Sprint Cup and GT America offer essentially the same thing for the same cost. One of the two needs to differentiate themselves and I really think it's the SRO that needs to make a change to keep boosting GT3 grids with full-time competitors.

[broadrun96]

Originally Posted by nasportscar

Right now IMSA GTD Sprint Cup and GT America offer essentially the same thing for the same cost. One of the two needs to differentiate themselves and I really think it's the SRO that needs to make a change to keep boosting GT3 grids with full-time competitors.

WHAT?? There's a HUGE difference between what GTD Sprint Cup offers than GT America. First, there are multiple manufacturer reps at the IMSA races for multiple classes, much easier communication and networking. Second, IMSA races are actually on a channel at the time of racing, well a few times later that day, but it's better than weeks later on a channel dropped from a few channel lineups recently. Yes I am only counting the actual "broadcast" not streaming in that. Third IMSA offers another step above and networking for drivers, teams, sponsors, team members, etc that is not available if the GT3 car is the top rung.
SRO HAS to offer more for the money than IMSA does to retain teams if it's going to cost as much or more. Right now it seems more like teams running either series are embedded with that series but drivers and importantly AMs and Silvers may not have that attachment and their money drives the racing. If SRO is smart they will NOT follow IMSA with the adjusting and penalizing drivers because they're fast, although the auto-upgrade from AM class after too many wins seems to be that already. But importantly they can still drive and not get pushed out of the series by being "Gold" rated.

[TRspitfirefan]

Originally Posted by broadrun96

WHAT?? There's a HUGE difference between what GTD Sprint Cup offers than GT America......

Methinks the IMSA fan doth protest too much.