USCC (leave your axe outside)

[Maelochs]

"You do realize that if ALMS split their field like TUSC does for Long Beach, they'd have a whopping fourteen car field, right?"

You are aware that ALMS no longer exists, right?

Fact is, TUSC is feeling the fallout of its errors at its first two races, and the teams it is losing are good teams. not back-markers with iffy budgets.

21 cars at Long Beach isn't terrible, but it ain't a huge grid--but that is irrelevant. What is relevant--what is, in fact, the point--is that top-tier teams are saying, "Yeah, let's see if you can get it together before we waste more cash and energy in your series."

I Really hope the rumors are true, and TUSC will do a Huge upgrade by Long Beach.

I fear that what another poster said was true: TUSC management is fine with DPs being the de facto top class, and P2s withdrawing. Hopefully not, but this is the bunch that ran Rolex at a loss for 15 years.

TUSC did so badly at its first two races, it will need to be flawless at all the rest. Even if LB is okay, if something goes wrong at Laguna many (too many) fans will likely say, "See, they never really changed." Sooner or later NASCAR will have to decide if it wants another unpopular subsidized sports car series draining cash at every event.

TUSC can't focus just on getting it right at Long Beach. They need to get ti right at every race for the rest fo the season. They've used their mulligans for the next several years just at Daytona and Sebring.

[wdave0]

Originally Posted by Matt

You do realize that if ALMS split their field like TUSC does for Long Beach, they'd have a whopping fourteen car field, right?

Yes, but they didn't, they're dead and that has nothing to do with TUSCC except they seem determined to fail too.

[Speed-King]

Marshall Pruett ‏@marshallpruett 53m
Too bad to learn of Dave Hart, @IMSA's Director of Communications, resigning his post. A genuinely good, high character guy.

What do we make of that? Quitting out of frustration or 'being gone'?

[Salamus]

Originally Posted by wdave0

So long beach is down to 21 entries and shrinking. I can remember many series being ridiculed for fields that small. If IMSA can't manage a decent race with a small, almost all pro field, even on a street circuit, they are totally unfit. They are running out of chances.

21 cars is fairly normal these days. The fact that almost all of them are all-pro makes the car count irrelevant.

But I agree that Long Beach is USCC's best opportunity to prove to people that it can properly officiate a race. I'm not expecting a yellow unless an accident occurs. But if a yellow comes out for a piece of debris that is no where near the race line or something of that sort, then I won't bother with the series for the rest of the year.

[Dodge_Swinger]

Originally Posted by Matt

You do realize that if ALMS split their field like TUSC does for Long Beach, they'd have a whopping fourteen car field, right?

ALMS ceased operations in 2013, as did Grand-Am. It's TUSCC for 2014 and this series is extolled as having large fields. Obviously the TUSCC field is going to be smaller with the loss of PC and GTD, but we now have teams dropping out and openly stating their displeasure with the series as their reason for doing so. ALMS theoretically splitting their field has about as much to do with the TUSCC series as theoretically splitting the GTO/GTU field in the original IMSA series.

[Dodge_Swinger]

Sorry for the above post. Should have read all the way to the end of the thread before responding as other posters said the same thing.

[Canada ALMS fan]

Anyone who doubts who is in control of the series take a look at the garbage they are tweeting:

TUDOR Championship ‏@UnitedSportsCar
Scott Pruett (@scottpruett01) leads with 57 wins in the modern era of endurance sports car racing. Who is second? pic.twitter.com/mFnmRlTC1L

Looks like this IS Grand Am 2.0...

[JHamilton]

Originally Posted by Canada ALMS fan

Anyone who doubts who is in control of the series take a look at the garbage they are tweeting:

TUDOR Championship ‏@UnitedSportsCar
Scott Pruett (@scottpruett01) leads with 57 wins in the modern era of endurance sports car racing. Who is second? pic.twitter.com/mFnmRlTC1L

Looks like this IS Grand Am 2.0...

What's the problem? They combined the records just like Indycar and CART did.

"The combined top-5 is: Scott Pruett (57), Bill Auberlen (53), Lucas Luhr (51), Al Holbert (49), Butch Leitzinger (49). #IMSA"

[MoMedic9019]

Originally Posted by Speed-King

What do we make of that? Quitting out of frustration or 'being gone'?

Some of it is frustration. The ship is sinking....

Teams are bailing, now personnel.

[Canada ALMS fan]

Originally Posted by JHamilton

What's the problem? They combined the records just like Indycar and CART did.

"The combined top-5 is: Scott Pruett (57), Bill Auberlen (53), Lucas Luhr (51), Al Holbert (49), Butch Leitzinger (49). #IMSA"

Just pointing out where their loyalties lie promoting the Grand Am poster boy as the greatest ever. A lot of those victories came from grids where the driving talent was a fraction of that in those victories racked up by a lot of the others. More than a little disingenuous.

[Victor_RO]

One-race suspension/ban for Matteo Malucelli and Gaston Kearby for their Sebring incidents.

EDIT: Oops, missed it where it was posted before. Sorry, nvm.

[Speed-King]

Originally Posted by Canada ALMS fan

Just pointing out where their loyalties lie promoting the Grand Am poster boy as the greatest ever. A lot of those victories came from grids where the driving talent was a fraction of that in those victories racked up by a lot of the others. More than a little disingenuous.

For all its shortcomings, a lack of talent behind the wheel was never Grand Am's biggest problem.

In fact, there were always some rather credible line-ups that gave Pruett a run for the money.

Let's take Barber 2006 as a random example: Pruett was still paired with Luiz Diaz by then and was up against among others:

Andy Wallace (GB)/Butch Leitzinger (USA)
Wayne Taylor (ZA)/Max Angelelli (I)/Jan Magnussen (DK)
Adrian Fernandez (MEX)/Mario Haberfeld (BR)
Memo Gidley (USA)/Michael McDowell (USA)
Mike Rockenfeller (D)/Patrick Long (USA)
Christian Fittipaldi (BR)/Max Papis (I)
Jörg Bergmeister (D)/Colin Braun (USA)
Alex Gurney (USA)/Jon Fogarty (USA)

Now 2006 was probably GA's high point, but Barber was not a particularly special race and no matter how you look at it, that's a stacked field right there.

Things got a little thinner around the end of the decade, but Pruett was always up against half a dozen solid all-pro lineups.

[jasonjessica09]

There is no denying Scott Pruett's ability in the 2000's. But I think he has slowed down some in the past year or so.

[belt driven]

MM won both CA ALMS races last year; but all they had to do to get class podiums was take the green at LB and not be the first to break at LS. I heard Pickett was OK with BOP at Sebring; at least before the car broke. Maybe their problem is not the fairness of the competition, but the quantity of it.

What did Starworks have planned when they listed as alternate for P class? Did they do any testing of their existing Ford motors at uprated power; or had they been in talks with HPD all along? If the latter, did they expect to plug in a new motor and be competetive? Didn’t work that way for Shank or Ganassi with their turbo Fords.

As for field sizes, for all the abuse hurled at PC, it would be unfair to call it a “filler” class. PCs finished 3rd, 4th, and 5th at LB last year ahead of 1st in P2.

Last years Laguna Seca race had 7 cautions for 33 laps, 6 for 30 for cars off course, 1 for 7 laps. It’s a beautiful course; but if you venture off the black stuff into the dust bowl, you’ll be stuck.

[David Land]

The TUDOR series is just so frustrating.

I just can't understand why they seem to be so hellbent on making this just SLIGHTLY better than Grand-Am, when it could be SO much better.

Sad to see this wasted potential.

[JHamilton]

Originally Posted by Canada ALMS fan

Just pointing out where their loyalties lie promoting the Grand Am poster boy as the greatest ever. A lot of those victories came from grids where the driving talent was a fraction of that in those victories racked up by a lot of the others. More than a little disingenuous.

I hear ya, and I will be the first to say I dislike Pruett (No idea why... maybe the finger pistols? Pew Pew) but some of Luhr's wins came against no one. That's not his fault though and same with Pruett.

[skycafe]

Pruett is one of America's great road racers, and it is sad that won't be totally reflected in the history books. If he hadn't had that testing accident at Sebring in an indy car so long ago, and a long recovery period, and that period of rebuilding confidence in others of his abilities, I believe he would have had a far different and more impressive record. He has had to play the 'personality' role because of what fate has dealt. I would even like his commentary of LeMans if he could overcome the problem with the word "Mulsanne," and the constant pandering to the GA series in the US. He accomplished a lot in the GA world, but also before it. He is a good guy, get him some time with an acting coach and someone to help with pronunciation of French words...

[skycafe]

Scott Pruett's personality quirks aside, he is a very talented driver, he is a fair driver, and he came from humble beginnings.

[Canada ALMS fan]

Originally Posted by skycafe

Scott Pruett's personality quirks aside, he is a very talented driver, he is a fair driver, and he came from humble beginnings.

When he raced in CART he was one of my favourites, I think it was constantly being hailed as the greatest sportscar driver of all time on the GA broadcasts and his annoying antics that got to me. That and I think he should have known when to stop. Can't blame him for his passion though.

JHamilton - fair point about Luhr, although I still think he is a fantastic driver and one of my favourites.

[Lagunaseca_4life]

Well....

Americanlemansfans.com shut down again.


Thanks again fogelhund,and thank you for trying to keep it open.hopefully it will come back again some day

[fieldodreams79]

I am beginning to wonder if the sun will ever rise again.

[Lagunaseca_4life]

Well of course it will!


It just won't feel the same......

[Fogelhund]

David Hart, director of ‪#‎IMSA‬ Communications has resigned, effectively immediately. https://twitter.com/johndagys/status/448882813261987840

[Peat]

Originally Posted by Victor_RO

One-race suspension/ban for Matteo Malucelli and Gaston Kearby for their Sebring incidents.

EDIT: Oops, missed it where it was posted before. Sorry, nvm.

Why does it take 11 days to penalise these 2 for dreadful driving yet they are happy to make erroneous calls in an instant on iffy things like the FL/L5 at Daytona & Alex Job at Sebring?

I'm on a real downer about this at the mo.

The sun will rise again, for sure. But what will be left?

[Flash02]

Originally Posted by Maelochs

"[COLOR=Blue]
I fear that what another poster said was true: TUSC management is fine with DPs being the de facto top class, and P2s withdrawing. Hopefully not, but this is the bunch that ran Rolex at a loss for 15 years.

This is and continues to be my biggest fear, I just feel the DP car is Not suited to this series. From what I see the P2 cars are a far superior car and should be the front runner in this series.