Oreca

[BSchneiderFan]

It's been a quiet few years for de Chaunac's team, and there have been rumours dotted here and there, but I thought I'd bring them all together on one thread. In 2005, will ORECA:

1) Run a Maserati MC12 in the FIA GT Championship?

2) Run an Audi France-backed R8 at Le Mans?

3) Work on a 2006-spec Viper?

4) Do something else?

[krt917]

I suspect the Audi run is most likely, but I'd most liketo see them develop the new Viper. Oreca and Vipers go well together!

Failing that, I wouldn't be too upset if they turned out to be one of the three 'works' teams to run the new DBR9.

[Fosca]

or Oreca is preparing the Porsche Sportscars comeback.
Simply because they are already involved with Porsche, since Oreca takes care of the french Porsche Carrera Cup.

Just a thought.

[BSchneiderFan]

Tricky one. Porsche has said in the past that it would prefer to operate through customers rather than with a factory team. ORECA could be a possibility.

[Adam43]

I'd love to see them have a stab at an overall win next year with an Audi.

Many things are possible with them, maybe more than one program?

[Fosca]

just for the ones who don't know but for this year, Oreca was doing:

-Trophée Andros with Toyota and Alain Prost as one of the drivers
-Junior WRC and french/european Rally championship (S1600)
-Porsche Carrera Cup (organizers)
-Formule Campus (french formula junior championship) with Alain Prost's son

maybe I forgot other stuff, but they are already very busy. They would have to drop at least one thing, if they want to do some a serious sportscar racing programm.

[Garrett]

BRING BACK THE VIPERS ORECA!!!!!!!!

[tblincoe]

my vote is for them not to run the Audi program, and to begin development on the next racing version of the GTS-R in late 2005

[jhansen]

I agree with that. A one-year Audi program is a bit silly at this point. There would be no guarantee of getting an R9 in 2006. My vote is the new Viper.

[Russfeld]

Why cant they do....both?

[Fosca]

some months ago, there have been rumours around that Alain Prost will race the MC12. and since Hughues and Alain are good friends...

Never know, but would prefer some oreca vipers

[tblincoe]

i would say that the MC-12 is more likely than the R8... the R8 will be hampered by the regs, Oreca has no real ties to Audi, and there is the issue of the factory Audi drivers and such, it just doesn't sound like a good fit to me.

[therealdeal]

i dont care what they run.... just come back and be competitive with either the C6 or the audis..... ORECA is a very competitive team and they showed the world with thier viper team and i wouldnt mind seeing them back with vipers but i wouldnt mind seeing something else....

[Fab]

FYI : Oreca Racing Website...

[Pilgrimage]

Viper/ Corvette/ Ferrari + Maserati/ Aston etc - could be a very exciting few years for GT endurance racing.
I'd like to see Oreca run the vipers again too, but will there be a "been there - done that" thought, which might make them try something else?
Not convinced about the R8 link unless it is to promote a French (?) run Audi assault.

[GTRMagic]

Did they ever get rid of that LeMans car advertised in Autosport last year, with offers to prep the car for free if someone would take it away?

[SALEEN S7R]

Martin Short's Rollcentre squad purchased both chasis from 2002, although Im not sure what happened to the chasis from the 2000/2001 seasons.

[simon c]

Hughes de Chaunac stated in 2000 that his motivation was to win Le Mans outright with a manufacturer. Chrysler's pull out in 2001 stymied that, but I can't see how his motivation will have changed.

[Garrett]

Do you think if Oreca took the three Vipers they had in 2000, did some updating on them, some testing, and had the factory back them again, that the old GTS-Rs would still be competitive for the 2005 season??

[Hauptmann6]

Originally posted by Garrett
Do you think if Oreca took the three Vipers they had in 2000, did some updating on them, some testing, and had the factory back them again, that the old GTS-Rs would still be competitive for the 2005 season??

I doubt it. They are about 5 years behind on development. Starting fresh with the new Viper would probably be more effective.

[tblincoe]

Originally posted by Garrett
Do you think if Oreca took the three Vipers they had in 2000, did some updating on them, some testing, and had the factory back them again, that the old GTS-Rs would still be competitive for the 2005 season??

I don't think that the Viper could get much faster than the Carsport Viper did this year... that was a car full of updates and in my mind it was the fastest a Viper could go. The Viper is just too old, even Oreca couldn't get it to be a front-runner, esp. now that the MC-12 and DBR-9 have arrived

[jhansen]

I agree, the Viper is well past it. The only way the Carsport Viper could have gone a bit faster would be with pro drivers.

[Fosca]

I agree, the Viper is well past it. The only way the Carsport Viper could have gone a bit faster would be with pro drivers.

but then beating the two GTS factory teams would still have been mission impossible (without some extra portion of luck)

[gsmith2424]

Originally posted by jhansen
I agree, the Viper is well past it. The only way the Carsport Viper could have gone a bit faster would be with pro drivers.

It would have even gone faster if they also had Michelins.

[tblincoe]

all of this is true, but the point is that the Viper is at the end of its life... I'm sure Oreca could be more competitive with the Viper than Carsport or Zwaans, but I find it hard to believe that the GTS-R could compete with the MC-12, S7-R, or DBR-9, no matter who is running it