2009 season and the global slowdown

[Nordic]

With the sad news that Embassy have closed thier doors and Essex have given up I wonder what team news the coming few weeks and months will bring.

The older people among us will recall the early 90's and the last time the global markets had an impact on sportscar racing. The recession then coupled with the Grp C rule changes and the massive rise in costs they brought saw still born projects from Jag and Merc and a few others leaving only Pug and Toyota to battle it out until the series died.

Are we facing a meltdown of that scale now?

[The359]

Don't forget Rollcentre is looking a bit grim.

I however don't think it's simply the global economy, the rule changes which are still not completely defined are having an effect I'm sure.

[AstonGeoff]

No, the problem for all of the privateer teams is finding the money to run a full program in 2009. Money is in very short supply all round at the moment as we all know....

Rollcentre have their Pesca up for sale and don't look likely to be on the LMS grid in 2009, but they have more than one string to their bow, not least the Moslers so things aren't as grim for them as for the Embassy staff and drivers!

[JAG]

In the early 90's all existing machinery was instantly obsolete, these days there's a very large inventory of competitive cars that have plenty of years ahead of them.

On the factory front, the need to develop and fast track 'green' technology for the road gives LMP programs relevance, and far greater long-term value than mear publicity.

[Nordic]

Originally Posted by JAG

On the factory front, the need to develop and fast track 'green' technology for the road gives LMP programs relevance, and far greater long-term value than mear publicity.

If they want to showcase it, then they need to do it in the full glare of the public so they need to have a rule book that will allow them to win with it, other wise they will do it behind closed doors as I am sure most do anyway.

The big problem for the next 12 months will be existing sponsor deals going sour leaving teams with debits and the lack of new companies coming along to replace them.

While the rule changes in the 90's did make older cars obsolete, (some were borderline historic and a change was needed), what should not be overlooked is the fact that due to the slowdown Merc and Jag pulled the plug on GrpC programs, Lola could not sell enough cars to privateers and others like Spice, Brun, Konrad, Allard and BRM all run out of money to have any impact and thier programs fell apart leaving only Pug, Toyota, Mazda and Euroracing as (fantastic!) regular entrants.

[canam]

Looking from the outside, it is a bit tough for a privateer when the fastest petrol car is nearly 10 seconds off the pace of a works diesel at Le Mans. In LMS P2, the ludicrously expensive Porsches (both to buy and run for full season) have taken their toll (Embassy included) on the potential for others to have a shot at podiums--and now look to be going to pastures elsewhere ie. no more money to burn. Paying drivers want to have a chance of a podium slot--not to finish up p7.

All those who want to test whether a Petrol P1 can compete with the diesels may just get an opportunity--all at the cost of losing more than five privateer teams in LMP cars. The Petrol/Diesel rules was a nonsense--and now acknowledged to be so (although I find die-hards in these forums still talking about the impact of a true works P1 effort etc etc)--but the response may have been too late. Add in the current economic environment, we have a recipe for series implosion. The promoters may have to dig into their pockets and the ACO may have offer incentives.

The shakeout is only just starting.

[Aslak Vind]

Add in the current economic environment, we have a recipe for series implosion. The promoters may have to dig into their pockets and the ACO may have offer incentives.

The shakeout is only just starting.

I think you are right, sadly. I am worried.

[rdjones]

I think that the current economic environment is going to have a big effect not just in sportscars, but in ever other branch of the sport too.

I look over to the BTCC and Seat have pulled the plug on there very successfully touring career. I think over the next few months you will see more and more team's shutting up shop.

[Speed-King]

Originally Posted by rdjones

I think that the current economic environment is going to have a big effect not just in sportscars, but in ever other branch of the sport too.

I look over to the BTCC and Seat have pulled the plug on there very successfully touring career. I think over the next few months you will see more and more team's shutting up shop.

At least on the manufacturer-side sportscar racing seems to be somewhat imune for the moment, with Acura and Aston moving up to P1, Mazda finally taking ALMS serious and more and more hints that the Tyota P1 is more than just a rumour.

True, we may have lost the P&M-LMP1, but right now ACO-style-sportscar racing seems to be manufacturer-wise in a better shape than ever in the last 10 years.

[AU N EGL]

Then you watch the Singapore F1 race, and over 100,000 fans, and MONEY EVERYWHERE.

[Nordic]

Its had to predict how F1 will fare. We have already lost one team this year and another is up for sale. But that happens even in the good times.

It will be harder to snare sponsors in the coming months, and quite a few are backed by banks, Santander, HSBS and ING, etc.

I would expect the big F1 teams will have insurance in case a sponsor goes pop, something I doubt sportscar teams could afford to do and they will be very vunerable I think.

The wealthy owner drivers could also suffer if they rely on the profits of they buisnesses to keep the teams running. If they drop then to protect the long term interests then the luxurys have to go.

I think it is very important now to scale back the number of competing sportscar series to ensure the herd can survive and keep grids full.

What ever happens, once its all over sportscar racing remerges better and stronger.

[Subaru_WRX_STi]

FIA GT will be in danger too, hard economical time, and expensive cars too, the current GT1 will have one more year, and I am worried about next year, we already lost too many teams, and Ratel plans to make it World Championship is even worse

[AU N EGL]

Originally Posted by Subaru_WRX_STi

and Ratel plans to make it World Championship is even worse

and has Ratel announced who is major sponsors are, that will PAY for his World Championships?

[Speed-King]

Originally Posted by Subaru_WRX_STi

FIA GT will be in danger too, hard economical time, and expensive cars too, the current GT1 will have one more year, and I am worried about next year, we already lost too many teams, and Ratel plans to make it World Championship is even worse

FIA GT has one thing going for them and that's the two-class structure. ALMS survived for years with only around 20 cars, I'm pretty sure FIA GT can do that as well. Even if the field size fell to 17 or 18 cars, they could still put on some meaningful racing.
The world championship plans may be a completely different can of worms, but I am not overly worried about the survival of FIA-GT. If necessary they'll downsize to 7 races, and all of them in Western Europe (maybe Silverstone-Spa-Zolder-Oschersleben-A1-Ring-Monza-Dijon), but I really don't see them collapsing.

[old man]

I have been following motor racing all my life and attended my first GP at Aintree over 50 years ago. In the stringent times there have always been ways in which people found it possible to go racing, the original F3 was exciting racing with 500cc bike engines and we had F1 with 1.5ltr engines as I recall, my earliest recollection of sportscars involved 1100cc fire pump engines taking over from "specials" based on Austin 7s etc.

These days we have some series with wide regulations that allow people to more or less race the car they own rather than buy or build something at great expense and if, as I fear, grids in compliance with present rules fall below acceptable levels in either FIA or LM based series then the organisers should be pragmatic and open it up a little. At the top factories spending millions may be lost but we could still have good racing with some interesting cars from recent years being resurected given a little imagination

Racing will not stop (unless it is prohibited) but it may change, look at the success of Ginetta with cost effective cars that are not dissimilar to ones I raced against in Modsports in early 70s

Sorry to be a bit nostalgic but those other contributors of advanced years will confirm that we have seen similar problems before and will do again- nil desporandum!

[Bob Riebe]

Originally Posted by old man

I have been following motor racing all my life and attended my first GP at Aintree over 50 years ago. In the stringent times there have always been ways in which people found it possible to go racing, the original F3 was exciting racing with 500cc bike engines and we had F1 with 1.5ltr engines as I recall, my earliest recollection of sportscars involved 1100cc fire pump engines taking over from "specials" based on Austin 7s etc.

These days we have some series with wide regulations that allow people to more or less race the car they own rather than buy or build something at great expense and if, as I fear, grids in compliance with present rules fall below acceptable levels in either FIA or LM based series then the organisers should be pragmatic and open it up a little. At the top factories spending millions may be lost but we could still have good racing with some interesting cars from recent years being resurected given a little imagination

Racing will not stop (unless it is prohibited) but it may change, look at the success of Ginetta with cost effective cars that are not dissimilar to ones I raced against in Modsports in early 70s

Sorry to be a bit nostalgic but those other contributors of advanced years will confirm that we have seen similar problems before and will do again- nil desporandum!

Old Man:
I agree we have been here before but the basis (rules) were different then.
In the US, privateers kept racing going when the rags were spewing forth doom and gloom.
Big difference was then any privateer could work his magic, real or imagined, to make his car go quicker, faster, farther; with the rules as they exist, NOW,(in road racing in the US) the reason to try has been removed.

Series such as Tom participates in, and vintage, will keep on trucking, but the supposed Prize Ring all, USED TO, strive for, may be out of reach, or unimportant.

Positive thought, more and more rags are including happy-thought, asides, about Detroit going head-to-head in a new Trans-Am.
Maybe just that, happy thoughts, but Detroit loves good press, and often will search out a way to get in the press....