Sportscar/GT (and Le Mans) Rumours and Repetition

[joeb]

Originally Posted by J Jay

Spot on. Despite being Japanese, the MX-5 was the quintessential British small sports car - light, cheap and uncomplicated. Fortunately for Mazda the general trend is for cars to be none of those things so the MX5 has more room to play with, but I hope they don't lose sight of how well received a small open-top RWD two-seater would be (look at the success of the ToyBaru BR86).

Originally Posted by Mr Pink

I was under the impression that the new gen MX-5 was supposed to go "back to the roots"? Have I gotten that totally wrong?

This new model is indeed smaller than the outgoing. Price isn't going up much either. I don't think anything has been lost sight of. They are simply sponsoring racing of their car, which has been the most popular racer in the US for some time anyways. I don't see the new model changing that.

[hondafan37]

Reiter Engineering and KTM : New vehicle project for customer racing

http://www.endurance-info.com/en/rei...stomer-racing/

[TF110]

Remember the talk of the YGK/Tokai University lmp1 engine project? Heres a little update http://www.sports-carracing.net/2014...tm#141121news2. They speak about an exhaust recovery system on a non-turbo engine, only a turbine on the exhaust

[Japanese Samurai]

Originally Posted by TF110

Remember the talk of the YGK/Tokai University lmp1 engine project? Heres a little update http://www.sports-carracing.net/2014...tm#141121news2. They speak about an exhaust recovery system on a non-turbo engine, only a turbine on the exhaust

The report says that YGK's energy recovery system does not suit to LMP1-H regulations at present.
The electrical assistance is always active and it lacks the energy storage system.

[JHamilton]

Originally Posted by TRspitfirefan

http://www.racer.com/mazda-mx-5-cup-goes-global-in-2016

I think this is the only news: "In a first for Mazda, the company will sell the Global MX-5 Cup racecars ready to race from a single supplier, instead of selling cars and kits for racers and teams to build on their own."

You can certainly see what the Alfa will look like from behind!

[TF110]

Originally Posted by Japanese Samurai

The report says that YGK's energy recovery system does not suit to LMP1-H regulations at present.
The electrical assistance is always active and it lacks the energy storage system.

Thanks for the clarification. I thought that was the case, but I wasnt sure if the translation was correct. So they need a battery/capacitor.

[Deleted]

As follow-up from this, we have update on Ratel's Ultracar-thingie
SRO Launches Ultracar Sports Club

It's all nice and dandy and the list of eglible super-hyper-duper cars is impressive to say the least, but ultimately

NO TIMING
NO CLASSIFICATIONS
TOTAL OF X8 30MIN FP SESSIONS ONLY

means glorified track day essentially. The initial concept - as so often with SRO - sounded better, there was at least glimmer of hope of timed qualifying-ish laps or something. But when you have free practice with no timing it just means turning up for couple of 50km/h laps while drinking Coke and then heading back to hospitality area for dinner.

Still, it may give hope for rising interest in GT1-esque class sometime in the future again, maybe... or when only three cars turn up for Ricard it gets canned in silence and is immediately forgotten. Like the Revival Series

[Gingers4Justice]

Originally Posted by Chiana

As follow-up from this, we have update on Ratel's Ultracar-thingie
SRO Launches Ultracar Sports Club

It's all nice and dandy and the list of eglible super-hyper-duper cars is impressive to say the least, but ultimately

NO TIMING
NO CLASSIFICATIONS
TOTAL OF X8 30MIN FP SESSIONS ONLY

means glorified track day essentially. The initial concept - as so often with SRO - sounded better, there was at least glimmer of hope of timed qualifying-ish laps or something. But when you have free practice with no timing it just means turning up for couple of 50km/h laps while drinking Coke and then heading back to hospitality area for dinner.

Still, it may give hope for rising interest in GT1-esque class sometime in the future again, maybe... or when only three cars turn up for Ricard it gets canned in silence and is immediately forgotten. Like the Revival Series

That's one way of looking at it. As a paying spectator, I'd say this is infinitely better than usual lunch-time parades. Half an hour of seeing these cars doing something other than sticking to national speed limits - what's not to like?

The original concept sounded overly ambitious to me. Let's see where this concept goes - if it gets off the ground.

[Deleted]

Originally Posted by Gingers4Justice

Half an hour of seeing these cars doing something other than sticking to national speed limits

This is assuming they (at least the 'road car class' with road tires) are actually allowed to do more than just circle around in countryside display pace

Some of those things hitting real max speed on Mistral straight would be rather scary - and awesome

[Rodger Davies]

Actually, that's 100% what I read into the original concept. They don't have enough of these cars to make an actual racing series out of, but it fills the gaps better than those various demo runs that often take place behind a safety car.

Sure, if someone doesn't want to gun their worth-three-times-more-than-a-GT3 supercar, they don't have to, but if they do then it gives them a free reign and a (small) audience to do it in front of.

This is just a VIP package for people with a lot of money and a nice car - it's actually something they've offered for years, but now with laps of the track thrown in on top. As I look at it, everyone wins (albeit a small amount).

[TF110]

Plenty of guys with these cars would love to do this.

[wewantourdarbyback]

I don't read anthing about restricting them from doing whatever the want in their own cars when allowed on track. Just that the aren't timing it, wouldn't want to bruise the egos of these rather rich men would we?

[bella]

if you think about it, it provides a nice little gateway for the owners of those cars to get into proper circuit racing. a little extra half-step onto the racing ladder. it can go from "well, that sounds like fun" to "this is REALLY fun" to "i reckon i could race those, i wonder how much it'd cost". clever stuff.

[Simmi]

I wonder whether there's an insurance element to this and perhaps the reason why there isn't any timing or "competitive" component?

I've no idea how it all works that's just me thinking out loud.

[wdave0]

Originally Posted by Simmi

I wonder whether there's an insurance element to this and perhaps the reason why there isn't any timing or "competitive" component?

I've no idea how it all works that's just me thinking out loud.

Competition or not has a huge impact on insurance premiums, "organized practice" is an old cheap way of getting a start.

[wewantourdarbyback]

I imagine Simmi may be right. The drivers would need SRO to insure them or they won't take part, if SRO can claim that no one will be trying to beat other times it may help them lower how much they have to pay, and therefore how much they need to lump on top of the price for the participants.

[Deleted]

Originally Posted by bella

if you think about it, it provides a nice little gateway for the owners of those cars to get into proper circuit racing. a little extra half-step onto the racing ladder. it can go from "well, that sounds like fun" to "this is REALLY fun" to "i reckon i could race those, i wonder how much it'd cost". clever stuff.

Yes, maybe, but if you only do non-timed, non-classified laps with most likely couple of other cars that you don't even really see during those 30 minute practice sessions, it doesn't really give a sense of 'racing' does it. Maybe sense of speed in controlled environment sure but else?

And once you've blasted through Mistral straight with your own precious Bugatti Veyron's 8 liter sixteen cylinder piston internal combustion engine reaching 430km/h, being denied of bringing that car to actual circuit racing and instead being 'forced' to do it with some boring old GT3 car that has less power than it's low-to-medium-price-range road car counterpart and is heavily performance balanced against all the other models, it doesn't quite feel the same I suspect.

[Speed-King]

Originally Posted by Chiana

And once you've blasted through Mistral straight with your own precious Bugatti Veyron's 8 liter sixteen cylinder piston internal combustion engine reaching 430km/h, being denied of bringing that car to actual circuit racing and instead being 'forced' to do it with some boring old GT3 car that has less power than it's low-to-medium-price-range road car counterpart and is heavily performance balanced against all the other models, it doesn't quite feel the same I suspect.

Well, if there are enough people that feel like that, maybe SRO (or someone else) could be presuaded to sanction a proper race (not being greedy and suggesting a series for the moment) for them.

[Deleted]

Originally Posted by Speed-King

Well, if there are enough people that feel like that, maybe SRO (or someone else) could be presuaded to sanction a proper race (not being greedy and suggesting a series for the moment) for them.

We can always dream of such

[Simmi]

Are some of those cars even safe enough to race without modifications? Surely it's a pipedream?

[bella]

Originally Posted by Chiana

Yes, maybe, but if you only do non-timed, non-classified laps with most likely couple of other cars that you don't even really see during those 30 minute practice sessions, it doesn't really give a sense of 'racing' does it. Maybe sense of speed in controlled environment sure but else?

And once you've blasted through Mistral straight with your own precious Bugatti Veyron's 8 liter sixteen cylinder piston internal combustion engine reaching 430km/h, being denied of bringing that car to actual circuit racing and instead being 'forced' to do it with some boring old GT3 car that has less power than it's low-to-medium-price-range road car counterpart and is heavily performance balanced against all the other models, it doesn't quite feel the same I suspect.

doesn't matter. you're letting your jaded opinion of racing get in the way of what someone who is relatively new to it all will think. the buzz comes from driving on a track, and hitting a few apexes and kerbs at the right time in the right place.

[Deleted]

Originally Posted by bella

doesn't matter. you're letting your jaded opinion of racing get in the way of what someone who is relatively new to it all will think. the buzz comes from driving on a track, and hitting a few apexes and kerbs at the right time in the right place.

Jaded opinion... yes yours is surely the only and ultimate truth.

Also, I don't think many of them will dare to hit the kerbs. Paul Ricard especially might be the safest track you're gonna get, but road car with road tires will destroy itself soon enough if one gets too greedy

[gustavobamba]

Audi looking for garage 56th?!?!?!?!?!?

Mat Fernandez think so...

"Reading a note tonight about Audi aiming for a Gge 56 position at @24hoursoflemans with a prototype running on a revolutionary engine. Hmmm."

https://twitter.com/matlemans/status/537726404721246210

Possible hydrogen engine!!!!!!!

[broadrun96]

Originally Posted by Chiana

Yes, maybe, but if you only do non-timed, non-classified laps with most likely couple of other cars that you don't even really see during those 30 minute practice sessions, it doesn't really give a sense of 'racing' does it. Maybe sense of speed in controlled environment sure but else?

And once you've blasted through Mistral straight with your own precious Bugatti Veyron's 8 liter sixteen cylinder piston internal combustion engine reaching 430km/h, being denied of bringing that car to actual circuit racing and instead being 'forced' to do it with some boring old GT3 car that has less power than it's low-to-medium-price-range road car counterpart and is heavily performance balanced against all the other models, it doesn't quite feel the same I suspect.

So an owner of a couple hypercars wouldn't love to drag one or two to the track when he's possibly already there with his GT3 toy and the pro/coach driver??

I'm thinking there will be plenty of cars out turning laps scouting the track, getting the feel for what the car can do, showing off to a buddy in the passenger seat, learning and riding with the driver coach actually on the track. And yes, SRO, insurers, drivers and fans will all know each guy is timing his laps and there will be comparisons and bragging rights in the garage. I think you have completely missed the point of the event. It's not a race but a chance to enjoy the car. And if you think ANY of those cars will attack the track like a GT3 car, you're DREAMING and deluding yourself into thinking the hypercars are GT1s in disguise. The outright speed might be better but a proper GT3 would crush it braking and through the corner, and last more than 2 laps at a time at full chit.

[Deleted]

Originally Posted by broadrun96

So an owner of a couple hypercars wouldn't love to drag one or two to the track when he's possibly already there with his GT3 toy and the pro/coach driver??

I'm thinking there will be plenty of cars out turning laps scouting the track, getting the feel for what the car can do, showing off to a buddy in the passenger seat, learning and riding with the driver coach actually on the track. And yes, SRO, insurers, drivers and fans will all know each guy is timing his laps and there will be comparisons and bragging rights in the garage. I think you have completely missed the point of the event. It's not a race but a chance to enjoy the car. And if you think ANY of those cars will attack the track like a GT3 car, you're DREAMING and deluding yourself into thinking the hypercars are GT1s in disguise. The outright speed might be better but a proper GT3 would crush it braking and through the corner, and last more than 2 laps at a time at full chit.

I have literally no idea what the first paragraph is trying to say. The quote I was replying to wasn't talking about people already in the racing circles or driving GT3s or whatever, but random rich people who would just turn up with their hyper-super-duper car for fun with no previous experience. Yes of course what you say could also happen but the hahahaha-rolf smileys make no sense in this context.

And where exactly have I been saying that they would attack the track like GT3 car? Re-check posts 5882, 5884 and 5897 please, it's pretty much the exact opposite I'm expecting... maybe in the 'race-prepped class' with the MC12s and stuff they will attack more, but not in the road cars with road tires. Of course not.

Race tires, proper aero, better cornering will make Ferrari 458 GT2 & GT3 lap faster than the more powerful road car variant on any track, but saying that any GT3 would beat any million(s) dollar street ultracar at Paul Ricard or wherever is just guessing. And in any case, the GT3 product range is for lower cost, lower price.

Also, not a race but chance to enjoy the car? Well duhh...