Round 2: the Long Beach Grand Prix

[FstrthnU]

I just wanted to kick off discussion for the next round (even if it's a ways off), so here's a bit of news: Alex Job Racing has just received their Lotus Evora GTE. I doubt they'll be able to do much with it, but I guess we'll have to wait and see...

http://www.alms.com/articles/lotus-e...racing-florida

[The Badger]

I know AJR can run a decent show ..... but how might they developing this , I dont know ?

Is there any support or wedge going their way ?

I wish them the best with this striking machine and hopefully add some more flare to the ALMS GT class , which imo is brilliant .

[skycafe]

I hope it works for them, and great to have them back in the big(er) GT class. Also, I wish I had invested in the Black and Gold paint pigment companies.....

[Deleted]

36-car provisional entry for Long Beach

3x P1
4x P2
9x PC
12x GT
8x GTC

Effectively the same as in Sebring but with second Dyson, gues starring AMR Vantage and AJR with Evora (minus GTC Porsche). Very impressive entry, makes the ELMS list look kinda lame

[FstrthnU]

Originally Posted by Chiana

36-car provisional entry for Long Beach

3x P1
4x P2
9x PC
12x GT
8x GTC

Effectively the same as in Sebring but with second Dyson, gues starring AMR Vantage and AJR with Evora (minus GTC Porsche). Very impressive entry, makes the ELMS list look kinda lame

So it looks like the 2nd Dyson is last year's car for now, what's with the /66 though? Did they upgrade it from last year's /86?

P1 looks like it's gonna be another great year even with 3 cars (again), but sadly Level 5's probably going to be unstoppable in P2 unless the Conquest guys can get their act together.

[Canada ALMS fan]

Lola 1x/6x is the designation for LMP1, they use 1x/8x as the designation for LMP2.
Tim Pappas told me at Sebring Black Swan are upgrading their B11/80 to 2012 spec mid-season to take the fight to Level 5 although the Dempsey guys told me they didn't think he'd be able to as they believe the tub is different? Perhaps Mulsanne Mike can set us straight? I thought the upgrade could be done based on the Radio Le Mans interview of the guys at Huntingdon in the offseason.

[Jonerz]

I'm excited to see how Black Swan do. Sebring was a bit of a learning experience, and the shortest race of the season will be quite a different event. I have faith BSR will be competitive. Also hoping Conquest figures out the game, to make the class even better.

Is 36 the maximum number of entries at Long Beach? There is one car (GT - can't mention names or manufacturer as I would be breaking confidence, hoping the program comes together for round 3) I expected to see and it is not there and the Libra Radical is absent too...

Chris

[Speed-King]

FWIW, World Challenge is also capped at 36, I think, so it's a GT/GTS only round for them.

[Coach Ep]

Originally Posted by Jonerz

and the Libra Radical is absent too...

Chris

We´re getting used to Ian Dawson´s fairy tales, don´t we...

[gwyllion]

Originally Posted by Coach Ep

We´re getting used to Ian Dawson´s fairy tales, don´t we...

He said that he wanted an entry but the list was already full.

[FstrthnU]

Funny thing is, counting the Challenge cars, the ALMS Long Beach Grand Prix has a bigger entry list than the Grand-Am race this weekend

[Deleted]

Originally Posted by FstrthnU

Funny thing is, counting the Challenge cars, the ALMS Long Beach Grand Prix has a bigger entry list than the Grand-Am race this weekend

Perhaps so but CTSCC has around 75 cars lined up for Barber, which is quite astounding really

[cbbrit]

Now 35 entries as GTC #30 NGT Motorsport Porsche has been withdrawn.

[Speed-King]

Originally Posted by FstrthnU

Funny thing is, counting the Challenge cars, the ALMS Long Beach Grand Prix has a bigger entry list than the Grand-Am race this weekend

It's been like that for pretty much all of last year.

But then, it's of course easier to live with a < 30 car field when you only have two classes.

[Salamus]

Originally Posted by cbbrit

Now 35 entries as GTC #30 NGT Motorsport Porsche has been withdrawn.

Any reason as to why?

[NightStalk3r]

Originally Posted by Salamus

Any reason as to why?

Sebring crash did more damage than was first thought.

[Ultimo]

I look at the entry list and I still say to myself: wouldn't it be better if this were just a GT series and there were magically 2-3X as many GT cars? Utter fantasy, but that's what my heart desires.

The GT class is certainly the most intriguing category; P1s are fastest but it is mighty sad on TV and in person to see 3 P1s tooling around.

Someone earlier stated that this makes the ELMS look bad; but I think that is only the case if you look at it relatively. 35 entries across 5 classes is not very impressive. Otherwise, you have to say that the ELMS and ALMS don't look very good at all, and the WEC better, but not fantastic.

[Fogelhund]

Originally Posted by Ultimo

Someone earlier stated that this makes the ELMS look bad; but I think that is only the case if you look at it relatively. 35 entries across 5 classes is not very impressive. Otherwise, you have to say that the ELMS and ALMS don't look very good at all, and the WEC better, but not fantastic.

Take out the spec jam cars in the ALMS, and things look dreadful.

The rules don't matter, which cars are running don't matter.. it's the captain's steering the ship that need changing.. though I do agree that I'd prefer to see these GT cars at the front of the grid then some privateer proto chassis.

[Speed-King]

Right, but not even the spec cars wanted to sign up for ELMS!

[Jonerz]

The American Le Mans Series Presented by Tequila Patron - We're pretty confident we don't have the worst management in all motorsport... at least our spec classes are well subscribed.

It would be nice if the ALMS had an advertising sales department and a strong marketing department. It seems when someone gets hired to take those tasks they wind up doing something else. That happens when you haven't any money to spend to cover all your bases.

Chris

[Ultimo]

Originally Posted by Fogelhund

Take out the spec jam cars in the ALMS, and things look dreadful.

Oh, no doubt. It's very painful to see, especially as the GT racing has been so good recently, and in years past there have been some good - if manufactured (ahem RS Spyder vs R10) - battles at the front.

Jonerz, I agree with what you say, and the ridiculous spindoctory emanating from Atherton makes it all the more worse, but I got thinking: what racing fan - or maybe more broadly - sports fan, likes the people running their sport of choice? Go read what the Europeans say about SRO in GT1/3 land, or Bernard in the F1 subforum, or the ACO, or Tony George, or the France family... I watch a ****load of hockey, and pretty much every single NHL fan hates Gary Bettman more than they hate Satan. David Stern and Bud Selig have both been controversial in their tenures, to say the least. Of the big four here in North America, the only decent commish I can think of is Roger Goodell; across the pond, the FA seem to run the EPL pretty well, but I'm mostly speaking outta my ass about soccer.

This is far from the gamut of sports/motorsports, but it's a decent sample I'd say. I am in no way trying to dull the fact that ALMS management are incompetent, but rather trying to illuminate that it seems to be a common (and hilarious!) theme those that run sport seem to be derided by the fans of said sport; and maybe the derision increases with the hardcoreness of the fan, but that's another thought.

[Simmi]

Like a few other people have said previously it would be foolish to revert to the current GT cars being the top class just as the GTE begins to show cracks of weakness worldwide.

[Ultimo]

Originally Posted by Simmi

Like a few other people have said previously it would be foolish to revert to the current GT cars being the top class just as the GTE begins to show cracks of weakness worldwide.

Which begs the question: how does one "fix" GT racing? It has been discussed here literally, trillions of times.

[Accident]

If the GTE cars were the "stars" of the series, and the series were able to get a decent media package and therefore exposure, couldn't it help the situation in GTE?

[Fogelhund]

Originally Posted by Simmi

Like a few other people have said previously it would be foolish to revert to the current GT cars being the top class just as the GTE begins to show cracks of weakness worldwide.

I'm not so certain it is really a big deal. If a series completely went in a new direction, it wouldn't be hard to include both GTE spec cars, and GT3 spec cars in the same category, until the GTE cars were phased out.