Sportscar/GT (and Le Mans) Rumours and Repetition

[seanyb505]

I don't recall anything about this...How much of it is "We just need 50% of the budget" or just a cool idea from someone with photoshop inside AC?

I can see GT3 happening, but honestly a GTE endeavor with this car makes me lol.

[Articus]

This might be lower news but I noticed that ECS Tuning acquired Turner Motorsports. Does that mean ECS Tuning bringing their colors to the Z4 in GTD?

Update: Looks like things will remain unchanged but ECS branding as well as Turner.

[FstrthnU]

http://www.racer.com/wec-le-mans/ite...-mans-interest
Montoya at Le Mans? It'd be really cool to see him go for the last leg of the Triple Crown.

[Acid09]

I don't see him getting a drive in a factory car to be honest.

He's 39 already, if he wants to do a few more years of Indycar he'll be well into his 40s at that point, the average factory driver is a lot younger.

Also, his driving style and personality will be seen as a big risk, I remember one of his Rolex races a few years ago when he was racing unnecessarily hard early into the race.

There's no way one of the major manufactures is going to hire a 40something Le Mans rookie with no LMP experience and questionable team playing skills, the best he could hope for is for a privateer to go for the PR-impact, but that wouldn't place him in contention to win the race.

[Gingers4Justice]

Originally Posted by Acid09

I don't see him getting a drive in a factory car to be honest.

He's 39 already, if he wants to do a few more years of Indycar he'll be well into his 40s at that point, the average factory driver is a lot younger.

Also, his driving style and personality will be seen as a big risk, I remember one of his Rolex races a few years ago when he was racing unnecessarily hard early into the race.

There's no way one of the major manufactures is going to hire a 40something Le Mans rookie with no LMP experience and questionable team playing skills, the best he could hope for is for a privateer to go for the PR-impact, but that wouldn't place him in contention to win the race.

Have you forgotten about Nissan already?

[TF110]

Originally Posted by Acid09

I don't see him getting a drive in a factory car to be honest.

He's 39 already, if he wants to do a few more years of Indycar he'll be well into his 40s at that point, the average factory driver is a lot younger.

Also, his driving style and personality will be seen as a big risk, I remember one of his Rolex races a few years ago when he was racing unnecessarily hard early into the race.

There's no way one of the major manufactures is going to hire a 40something Le Mans rookie with no LMP experience and questionable team playing skills, the best he could hope for is for a privateer to go for the PR-impact, but that wouldn't place him in contention to win the race.

The DP performance from him was fine. Him bumping and rubbing others is just what the Nascar oriented field is accustomed to. If you watch his Indy and F1 races, hes perfectly capable of driving within reason and not wrecking or needlessly roughing up his car. Not sure how he'd have questionable team playing skills when he's done the 24 of Daytona. Maybe its different to having lmp1 co-drivers and teammates?

[Acid09]

Originally Posted by TF110

The DP performance from him was fine. Him bumping and rubbing others is just what the Nascar oriented field is accustomed to. If you watch his Indy and F1 races, hes perfectly capable of driving within reason and not wrecking or needlessly roughing up his car. Not sure how he'd have questionable team playing skills when he's done the 24 of Daytona. Maybe its different to having lmp1 co-drivers and teammates?

But even the "NASCAR oriented field" was ****ed off about his driving style, I remember there was quite a lot of controversy about that.

My main point stands, he's simply too old to be a serious candidate for a seat with one of the big guns. Early 40s is the age factory drivers usually retire these days, not the age to start off as a rookie.

There's plenty of young talent out there for the manufacturers to scoop up (as visible by this year's winners..) why would any manufacturer take a risk with Montoya? Honestly, even the PR value in Europe would be limited as he has been off the radar here for almost a full decade now.. I can't see any manufacturer going for this really.

Well, aside from Nissan of course

[Simmi]

I think if Montoya was really serious about the whole thing he'd have looked into it long ago.

What I've found slightly strange about all this recent triple crown talk is that, it's as if people forgot that Montoya ALREADY won Indy back in 2000. He was gone from F1 after 2006. So he's had the best part of 10 years to try and put something together if he was that bothered.

I'm not sure I've ever heard him mention it until now. I've not really heard that many fans/commentators calling for it either until now. Maybe it's because Le Mans is more of a big deal again?

[Accident]

Where could he go though? Audi doesn't seem to run "wildcards" like Porsche did this year, and Toyota hasn't run a third car yet, and if they did they already have some drivers to choose from. The Nissans aren't a chance for someone who is serious about competing in the race, and there is no chance for a privateer win, so if you are serious what do you do?

I'd love to see some more "wildcard" entries that aren't just basically reserve drivers dumped into a car, I think it's interesting to see how people from different disciplines get on.

As for his age... I can only see that mattering if he's looking for a full-time gig. For a one-off "star" to throw into a third car then I would think as long as he has the pace he should be fine, and he has shown he is still very fast.

Not expecting it, even though I'd like to see it.

[ATLFalconsFAN]

Sorry, potentially dumb question here. Does the triple crown only apply when you win at Le Mans in the top class? I mean could he (or anyone else) technically claim it if the win came in a lower class such as P2?

[Deleted]

Overall.

If everything would apply, winning some LMGTE-AM sub class with bop cars and proam lineups in 34th place would sound pretty laughable in comparison to winning Indy 500 and Monaco GP. Or LMP1 Non-Hybrid Privateers Trophy sub class with three cars in it...

[Coach Ep]

Penske is gonna run a satellite Porsche LMP1 team in WEC (in 2017?) and Montoya is one of the obvious driving seat candidates!

(yes, I did made that up myself...)

[Deleted]

Well only 2 years since the last rumor mill so not total utopia

[J Jay]

Montoya to a Audi/Porsche/Toyota is a non-starter. There are a few drivers who would contend the assertion that you are "too old" at 40+, but the real problem (if he is genuinely interested) is a lack of experience, both in top-class prototypes and with any of those. There's no impetus to take someone even as good as JPM when you can promote a driver from within your roster or groom a promising youngster fresh off the single-seater circuit.

Which leaves Nissan. Well the PR potential is obvious if Montoya is willing to rough it out for as long as it takes to get the GT-R on pace with the other cars. Having said all that however, I would be pleased to see him do Le Mans in any class. The more the merrier.

[Bob Baldwin]

NO I am NOT trying to start a rumor , But a team member in the Penske Org has stated that a privateer is in discussion with Penske to run 2 GT3's out of the Penske shop in North Carolina for the tudor series .
I don't know any details but am assuming that it is for tech support and a pit crew for on site races . Just seems to me that if it was an inhouse Penske operation they would be wanting to get in the class P-2 for overall wins as opposed to class wins only
On the other hand I would also like to see them in an GTLM class also . Time will tell

[FormulaFox]

Originally Posted by Simmi

What I've found slightly strange about all this recent triple crown talk is that, it's as if people forgot that Montoya ALREADY won Indy back in 2000. He was gone from F1 after 2006. So he's had the best part of 10 years to try and put something together if he was that bothered

And...? For most of that time, he was racing in NASCAR full time, which does not have a schedule open enough to dedicate time pursuing something like Le Mans. Even in years where the schedule works out for race weekend, it won't work out in a way that would allow a driver the sufficient preparation time.

Put simply, he had LESS opportunity to try and do it AFTER he left F1 than he had while he was IN F1.

[TF110]

I doubt hed have trouble in a P1. He acclimated pretty well from F1 to Nascar, and from that to Indy. Age issue is the same. He's beating guys who are 10, 15 years younger with more experience in the series.

[Simmi]

Originally Posted by FormulaFox

And...? For most of that time, he was racing in NASCAR full time, which does not have a schedule open enough to dedicate time pursuing something like Le Mans. Even in years where the schedule works out for race weekend, it won't work out in a way that would allow a driver the sufficient preparation time.

Put simply, he had LESS opportunity to try and do it AFTER he left F1 than he had while he was IN F1.

I'm very aware of the NASCAR schedule. What I'm saying is that no one was holding a gun to his head telling him he had to race in that series.

If it was really a big career goal for him then he could have dedicated more time to the pursuit of it.

[FormulaFox]

Originally Posted by Simmi

I'm very aware of the NASCAR schedule. What I'm saying is that no one was holding a gun to his head telling him he had to race in that series.

You're right; He was there because it was what he wanted to do at the time.

If it was really a big career goal for him then he could have dedicated more time to the pursuit of it.

You can't achieve a goal at any time you choose to. He had to decide what to focus on, and for the most part he focused on what he knew he could do, and keep doing, over something he might have to give up something else to do.

Now that the situation is different, he can pursue it. Just because he never felt the time was right to pursue doesn't mean he never considered it a goal before now.

[J Jay]

So this is news ... it has just been (strongly) rumoured on this week's MWM that Porsche will not be contesting GTLM in the WEC next year. The GT budget is apparently being driven wholly towards the new GT car.

Edit - And the 488 GTE will apparently be ready for BoP testing in September.

[Deleted]

Good, it releases two potential slots for LMPs.

[Victor_RO]

Originally Posted by Chiana

Good, it releases two potential slots for LMPs.

Depends on what LMPs would replace them. Apart from MSR, all the LMP2 teams with decent results in their own series are already at Le Mans every year, so the extra LMPs would possibly be taken from the rear of the ELMS grid. And frankly, given the option, I'd rather take two GTE-Pro cars that run towards the front of that class's field than two LMP2 cars that trundle at the back of theirs.

[Deleted]

In any case that is two extra spots for Le Mans, plus the two new garages built by the ACO if they keep the promise, so add in at least 4 new entries that didn't get in this year (or 3 if G56 actually shows up)

[hondafan37]

Originally Posted by J Jay

So this is news ... it has just been (strongly) rumoured on this week's MWM that Porsche will not be contesting GTLM in the WEC next year. The GT budget is apparently being driven wholly towards the new GT car.

Edit - And the 488 GTE will apparently be ready for BoP testing in September.

The 488 GTE will be testing the first days of August
http://www.gt-eins.at/cms/index.php?...10300&Itemid=1

[TheMightyM]

Originally Posted by Chiana

In any case that is two extra spots for Le Mans, plus the two new garages built by the ACO if they keep the promise, so add in at least 4 new entries that didn't get in this year (or 3 if G56 actually shows up)

But Ford is coming, so that eats up two (or four?) spots right there.