USCC 2014 Entry List & Schedule ONLY

[Maelochs]

Lol ... I have to admit, I don't know crap about Petit ... haven't watched it on TV.

As an ignorant trackside observer following on T&S on my phone, I was foolish enough to enjoy the tense first five hours of the P1 battle, the tight race-long P2 battle, and the always intense fight in GT. Falken winning was a fantastic surprise.

Also ... attracting Euro entries not likely with WEC racing the same day, eh?

But I do agree, the merger was needed ... sad that the sluggish rules committee is strangling the entry list.

Glad to see TUSC management recognized that DPs were way too slow for a real race series and is forcing them to speed up drastically----funny part is that it will cost almost as a new car---which is why Starworks is going P2.

The outdated cross-series carping of AC Flinn et al nonwithstanding, I am eager to see how 2014 works out.

The first year could be a BoP jokefest---I am sure the regs will change many times to get the balance right, but I like variety, and there will be some tremendous variety on the grid in 2014.

Daytona won't prove anything about BoP--I expect DPs with extra power and totally trimmed out will be faster---but Sebring will tell a lot. A few long straights and fast corners, a few slow corners, and abusively bumpy pavement---a good chance for both types of cars to show what they can do.

Already working my vacation time and finances to see those two races.

[Lagunaseca_4life]

I'm just worried when the sandbagging will begin and if it will be as early as next month or until the roar.when will actually get to see the real new potential of the dps,will Imsa know the full potential of the dps and notice the sand bagging and tell them tough luck speed up now.or will a certain engine get a bop break and gain an advantage they don't deserve? I'm more worried about the other tracks they don't have any data on the updated dps that's an even bigger opertunity for the dps to sandbag because of the unknown.

[BullMan]

Originally Posted by Lagunaseca_4life

I'm just worried when the sandbagging will begin and if it will be as early as next month or until the roar.when will actually get to see the real new potential of the dps,will Imsa know the full potential of the dps and notice the sand bagging and tell them tough luck speed up now.or will a certain engine get a bop break and gain an advantage they don't deserve? I'm more worried about the other tracks they don't have any data on the updated dps that's an even bigger opertunity for the dps to sandbag because of the unknown.

NASCAR is the one behind the Spirit of Daytona testing. After all, they pretty much own the team. I'm hopeful that whatever testing numbers they bring back are applied to the rest of the DPs.

[Lagunaseca_4life]

Originally Posted by joeb

After a few weeks of announcements I have updated our prototype entry list. Teams listed in red are still possible but unconfirmed. The first 12 in black have been announced (if I am compiling correctly). Please update if I have missed some.

http://sportscar365.com/wec/8star-mo...th-2014-plans/ looks like no 8 star p2 and maybe 1 or no dp at all or maybe one or two pc's.these damn regs are screwing with everybody.

[Jonerz]

On sandbagging those concerns are no different than any other year. Coming from a centrist perspective as a fan of both series and a bit of an IMSA fan boy, Elkins has been really good in limiting the impact of the political game by teams, at least relative to his past Grand-Am counter parts (Richard Buck's predecessors). So you have Buck, who did a great job for GA in 2012 including balancing new cars in the Ferrari and Audi, and Elkins who has a decent history with ALMS and did a good job adapting to GA this year.

Chris

[FstrthnU]

Well, I suppose if we lose some full-time entries there could be some room for one-off entries. Happy now Euro-team fans?

[Brownj]

Here's a Euro entry announced, full time as well:

http://sportscar365.com/imsa/tusc/ex...ason-p2-entry/

I wonder if Greaves will partner with Dyson racing then? Also, I wonder if Dyson will campaign a Zytek in the P class next year since Greaves has 3 cars available. Or maybe Dyson will just run the car for them with Chris as a driver. Lots to speculate on that one.

[Fogelhund]

Or maybe this IS the Dyson entry for next year?

[Simmi]

Originally Posted by Brownj

Here's a Euro entry announced, full time as well:

Good news. Albeit I don't read that as an announcement. It's intent requiring budget.

That said I think running a Greaves chassis would be a great 2014 stop-gap programme as the series irons out the creases. You're getting superb reliability, a pile of data and knowledge, albeit not on most US tracks.

If you're Dyson (or another team) and you've basically run out of time to pull something together then a turn-key set-up with the potential to go to LM is surely tempting.

[JorritVD]

I think atm with all Prototype teams that they planning to enter, but can't confirm anything yet. All because of the regulations and the max gridsizes for each class, etc.

[canciaro]

Originally Posted by Lagunaseca_4life

http://sportscar365.com/wec/8star-mo...th-2014-plans/ looks like no 8 star p2 and maybe 1 or no dp at all or maybe one or two pc's.these damn regs are screwing with everybody.

Id still rather watch more LMPC cars out there rather than more DP cars

[canamman]

Anyone know if there is chance Rebellion would come over for a few races
with a P2 entry?

[Fogelhund]

Originally Posted by canamman

Anyone know if there is chance Rebellion would come over for a few races
with a P2 entry?

I would call that highly improbable. They don't have a P2 car as of right now, and I'm not sure it makes financial sense to obtain one for a few races... then there is the minor issue of entry caps.

[JorritVD]

Originally Posted by canamman

Anyone know if there is chance Rebellion would come over for a few races
with a P2 entry?

That is hard to say. But with their new partnership with Oreca I think it is not impossible to see them for example at Petit Le Mans with a LMP2 Oreca 02-Nissan.

[Simmi]

Would have to be Petit if they were going to do it.

Early in the year they'll be flat out getting their new cars ready.

[Fogelhund]

Originally Posted by Simmi

Would have to be Petit if they were going to do it.

Early in the year they'll be flat out getting their new cars ready.

Petit clashes with a WEC round.

[Victor_RO]

Originally Posted by Fogelhund

Petit clashes with a WEC round.

Didn't stop them from splitting their efforts between Petit and Fuji this year.

[Maelochs]

If they had a P2 they could defend their two titles ... unless they were running two cars in WEC that weekend.

I think North American fans need to accept that for the next few years, North American sports car racing has abandoned any sort of global relevance. Our "endurance classics" are no longer important outside of the North America, and won't be again until there is again a global sports car taxonomy.

Hopefully Daytona, Sebring, Watkins Glenn, and Petit will resume their places as important international endurance events in 2017, but until then, I don't see a lot of reason for foreign teams to bother.

If TUSC can prove itself as a series, the races will regain lost prestige, and winning them will seem attractive even to teams not seeking points (Rebellion the past two years.) So long as TUSC is perceived as a fumbling, bumbling sort of pastiche of failures ... winning against a field of supercharged dinosaurs and hobbled thoroughbreds doesn't carry much cachet.

[David Land]

Loving these Euro P2 entries! Hopefully Oak will come and play as well (ahem Conquest!)!

Feeling much better about the future!

[Fogelhund]

Originally Posted by Victor_RO

Didn't stop them from splitting their efforts between Petit and Fuji this year.

No, it didn't stop them from running Petit this year, when they were running Fuji unopposed, and no need to continue to develop the car.

Would they be willing to do such a thing, run a completely different car, when they have competition, are in a championship fight, and need to continue to develop the P1 car?

[Canada ALMS fan]

Originally Posted by Maelochs

I think North American fans need to accept that for the next few years, North American sports car racing has abandoned any sort of global relevance. Our "endurance classics" are no longer important outside of the North America, and won't be again until there is again a global sports car taxonomy.

Hopefully Daytona, Sebring, Watkins Glenn, and Petit will resume their places as important international endurance events in 2017, but until then, I don't see a lot of reason for foreign teams to bother.

If TUSC can prove itself as a series, the races will regain lost prestige, and winning them will seem attractive even to teams not seeking points (Rebellion the past two years.) So long as TUSC is perceived as a fumbling, bumbling sort of pastiche of failures ... winning against a field of supercharged dinosaurs and hobbled thoroughbreds doesn't carry much cachet.

This is my nomination for post of the year. And I'll suggest perhaps NASCAR is totally fine with this being the current state of affairs??? If Indycar wasn't already killing itself I wouldn't be surprised if they bought that too.

[ACFlinn]

Originally Posted by Maelochs

If they had a P2 they could defend their two titles ... unless they were running two cars in WEC that weekend.

I think North American fans need to accept that for the next few years, North American sports car racing has abandoned any sort of global relevance. Our "endurance classics" are no longer important outside of the North America, and won't be again until there is again a global sports car taxonomy.

Hopefully Daytona, Sebring, Watkins Glenn, and Petit will resume their places as important international endurance events in 2017, but until then, I don't see a lot of reason for foreign teams to bother.

If TUSC can prove itself as a series, the races will regain lost prestige, and winning them will seem attractive even to teams not seeking points (Rebellion the past two years.) So long as TUSC is perceived as a fumbling, bumbling sort of pastiche of failures ... winning against a field of supercharged dinosaurs and hobbled thoroughbreds doesn't carry much cachet.

If Sebring has lost international prestige it is only because the WEC abandoned it last year.

Andy Flinn

[Canada ALMS fan]

Originally Posted by ACFlinn

If Sebring has lost international prestige it is only because the WEC abandoned it last year.

Andy Flinn

It was prestigious far before the WEC existed and you know that...
The inability for the big guns of international racing to participate (not just P1, but all Le Mans classes) is what will make it fall from grace. Having a DP potentially as an overall winner of the second most important sportscar race will devalue it pretty quickly.

[ACFlinn]

Originally Posted by Canada ALMS fan

This is my nomination for post of the year. And I'll suggest perhaps NASCAR is totally fine with this being the current state of affairs??? If Indycar wasn't already killing itself I wouldn't be surprised if they bought that too.

You're right. Sebring's and Petit's "international prestige" haven't suffered from the death of Peugeot and Penske LMP programs, Audi's pull-out of the ALMS, abandonment by the WEC, and the subsequent sale of the ALMS.

Instead, it's all NASCAR's fault. It always is.

Andy Flinn

[KA]

After the suggestions a week or so back that GAINSCO/Bob Stallings might be taking a 'hiatus' next season, they've now confirmed that they're in- although maybe not full-season.
Stallings says they'll do the at least the endurance rounds at least, and possibly more- decision on that will come in a couple of weeks

http://www.racer.com/gainscobob-stal...rticle/318324/