GrandAm to Europe?

**FIRE** · 18 Jan 2010, 10:34 (Ref:2615030)

According Autosprint (Italian magazine) N.Technology (I thought they were bankrupt) and Pirelli are looking if it's possble to organize a European GrandAm (GrandEuro?

) series. In cooperation with Dallara they did a proposal to the France family. If the series becomes reality depends on European manufacturers.

http://www.autosport.nl/news/19584/s...in_europa.html (in Dutch)

Let the bashing begin!

The Badger · 18 Jan 2010, 12:04 (Ref:2615071)

Please no ..... we have the LMS and Fia GT , this proposal would only take away from our championships .

As Grand-Am may be good racing , the cars look really quite unattractive..... !!!

R4z3rw33n · 18 Jan 2010, 12:16 (Ref:2615083)

Does anybody really think France family & Co. are going to spend millions just to contaminate the ACO's morning coffee?
Oh wait...

LeMans.pt · 18 Jan 2010, 13:01 (Ref:2615091)

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Badger

Please no ..... we have the LMS and Fia GT , this proposal would only take away from our championships .

And that is the two big ones.... because then we have Open GT, VdeV, several nacional GT championships..... that's too much! There ain't enough money for the ones who already are on track,why bring along more?

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Badger

As Grand-Am may be good racing , the cars look really quite unattractive !!!

Noooooooooooooo! They are a hymn to beauty and graciousness....

...NOT!!

Jonerz · 18 Jan 2010, 13:06 (Ref:2615094)

Quote:

Originally Posted by R4z3rw33n

Does anybody really think France family & Co. are going to spend millions just to contaminate the ACO's morning coffee?
Oh wait...

Well done. +1

Chris

Speed-King · 18 Jan 2010, 13:36 (Ref:2615108)

This was Dallara's idea and that of Pirelli, not the Frances, and the explanation is, I guess, quite simple: Dallara have so far only sold three of their DPs and with stagnating DP-fields and no one knowing what will happen at the end of the current chassis cycle after 2012 the prospects for selling any more cars aren't exactly great - same goes in a way for Pirelli, who signed on with GA when they regularly had 50 car fields and payed a lot of money to become the exclusive tire supplier. Now fields have shrunken to around 30 cars, but Pirelli's developement costs haven't changed, hence they are missing out on some considerable profit as well.

A European series would give them both another outlet for their products, but quite frankly I don't see it happening...

fieldodreams79 · 18 Jan 2010, 13:45 (Ref:2615114)

maybe Europeans can take the GA and their cars all together and race them in europe exclusively. that way, we in the USA will never see them on our television sets, unless they race at LM.

Mal · 18 Jan 2010, 14:00 (Ref:2615123)

Maybe it is the first stage of posturing to try and incorporate a DP class at Le Mans and ultimately into a united ALMS/ Grand am series

Jonerz · 18 Jan 2010, 15:35 (Ref:2615161)

There is currently a thread on GARRA Fans about Grand-Am apparently showing some interest in the Super GT - DTM rules sharing. I'm intrigued to see how this all develops. (I'd link but there was nothing of substance there - apparently it was reported in a German magazine called SpeedWeek.)

Chris

Speed-King · 18 Jan 2010, 15:41 (Ref:2615162)

It was me who posted the link there and I think that it's more a case of DTM looking for partners for their new rules car than Grand Am being actively interested in this. At least the fact that the rumor originated in Germany and not in Florida would support this.

I believe at least one Speedweek author posts on here, maybe he can shed some light on this.

Jonerz · 18 Jan 2010, 15:50 (Ref:2615168)

Oh cool. Thanks SK.

Chris

MrSebring · 18 Jan 2010, 16:38 (Ref:2615186)

Grand-Am. The cancer is spreading ....

old man · 18 Jan 2010, 16:46 (Ref:2615190)

If they pay decent prize money they could pinch quite a few teams, not sure where they would get the money from though.

Acid09 · 18 Jan 2010, 17:33 (Ref:2615207)

Their formula will not work over here, European race fans are not used to bad-looking, technically simplistic race cars.

Pretty much every approach to install a European stock car series failed too.

**FIRE** · 18 Jan 2010, 17:51 (Ref:2615214)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Speed-King

It was me who posted the link there and I think that it's more a case of DTM looking for partners for their new rules car than Grand Am being actively interested in this. At least the fact that the rumor originated in Germany and not in Florida would support this.

I believe at least one Speedweek author posts on here, maybe he can shed some light on this.

DTM is desperate to get a 3rd manufacturer involved

Speed-King · 18 Jan 2010, 18:08 (Ref:2615223)

Looks like my earlier specualtion was "somewhat" off the mark:

I asked filip, the person who posted the information about the Speedweek article on the Touring Car Times forum, if he could tell me any more about this since i couldn't find a copy of Speedweek this morning at our local news agent, here's his answer:

Quote:

Marcus Lacroix (DTM Expert) wrote in the last weeks issue from the "Speedweek", that the Grand-Am contactet the ITR to swap ideas about the rules. That was the whole information, but may be tomorrow there will be more news. If there is an new article tomorrow, i'll let you know.

Jonerz · 18 Jan 2010, 18:14 (Ref:2615224)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acid09

Their formula will not work over here, European race fans are not used to bad-looking, technically simplistic race cars.

Pretty much every approach to install a European stock car series failed too.

They expected a better result than in the USA?

@Speed-King: That may not be the end of the news, but I'd imagine Grand-Am really has little to gain, other than perhaps appeasing Pirelli and Dallara with selling more chassis.

Chris

**FIRE** · 18 Jan 2010, 19:56 (Ref:2615280)

I would like to see ACO adopts the GrandAm DP engines for LMP2.

NaBUru38 · 19 Jan 2010, 17:07 (Ref:2615785)

Once Grand-Am finds that the ITR and Super GT allow materials other than iron, plastic and rubber, they will quit.

**FIRE** · 19 Jan 2010, 18:01 (Ref:2615812)

Quote:

Originally Posted by NaBUru38

Once Grand-Am finds that the ITR and Super GT allow materials other than iron, plastic and rubber, they will quit.

LeMans.pt · 19 Jan 2010, 18:40 (Ref:2615829)

Quote:

Originally Posted by NaBUru38

Once Grand-Am finds that the ITR and Super GT allow materials other than iron, plastic and rubber, they will quit.

Andy77 · 19 Jan 2010, 19:18 (Ref:2615857)

Quote:

Originally Posted by NaBUru38

Once Grand-Am finds that the ITR and Super GT allow materials other than iron, plastic and rubber, they will quit.

+1

Fogelhund · 19 Jan 2010, 19:26 (Ref:2615863)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Speed-King

This was Dallara's idea and that of Pirelli, not the Frances, and the explanation is, I guess, quite simple: Dallara have so far only sold three of their DPs and with stagnating DP-fields and no one knowing what will happen at the end of the current chassis cycle after 2012 the prospects for selling any more cars aren't exactly great - same goes in a way for Pirelli, who signed on with GA when they regularly had 50 car fields and payed a lot of money to become the exclusive tire supplier. Now fields have shrunken to around 30 cars, but Pirelli's developement costs haven't changed, hence they are missing out on some considerable profit as well.

A European series would give them both another outlet for their products, but quite frankly I don't see it happening...

The Dallara's don't sell, because the Riley's outperform them. Even "if" a Euro series got off the ground, Riley would sell the majority of the chassis anyway. You might have thought that Dallara of all people would understand that when you enter a tightly constricted set of rules series, with series limited manufacturers, that eventually most, if not all, chassis would be built by one constructor.

Speed-King · 19 Jan 2010, 19:33 (Ref:2615868)

Not sure about them not performing, they won two races last season and ran pretty up front all year long - I think it's more a case of them being a good deal more expensive than the Riley and the fact that there haven't been all that many DPs been sold lately in general.

ascarracinguk · 19 Jan 2010, 20:14 (Ref:2615891)

am i the only brit that actually likes grand am?? love the cars and class, however in europe there isnt enough room. now if ratel sitches the fia gt world series idea...which is rubbish with just 24 cars, they go to LMS and make a massive grid then there would be room for grand am

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