2014 SCCA World Challenge

[BullMan]

Originally Posted by Rodger Davies

What was all the comment about Turner being slightly outside the rules at Sebring? Heard several loaded comments aimed in their direction, got the impression they were maybe still using some of the aids that are supposed to be restricted in GTD?

I thought their wing placement was out of sorts, or something.

[Mike Hedlund]

Originally Posted by Rodger Davies

What was all the comment about Turner being slightly outside the rules at Sebring? Heard several loaded comments aimed in their direction, got the impression they were maybe still using some of the aids that are supposed to be restricted in GTD?

I haven't heard anyone say they were outside the rules. I just think the BOP is heavily in the Z4's favor. Until it got dark their fastest race lap was nearly 1 second clear of anyone else in the class. They went slower at night and even with the banged up front end, I don't think anyone believes they were pushing at 100%.

It's all in the game...

-mike

[Rodger Davies]

Gotcha; just saw a few comments, didn't think much of them until I listened to MWM and their cryptic "the car seemed veeery familiar [to Marcus Paltalla]" comment, made me curious.

Good to see them also adopting a proper GT3 spec for an interesting circuit.

[MoMedic9019]

Do not expect Turner back in TUSCCAR anytime soon.

[FLGTFAN]

Turner was a Grand-Am stalwart. And... they qualy'd on pole at Sebring. Why are they so eager to bail?

[Lagunaseca_4life]

Originally Posted by FLGTFAN

Turner was a Grand-Am stalwart. And... they qualy'd on pole at Sebring. Why are they so eager to bail?

Da lalana pays most of turners bills, and also the one paying for Astons gtlm at daytona.so if anything I think it has to do with him,for some reason he also decided not to do the ctcs race at the last moment.



With pwc grids getting bigger and the possibility of more gtd teams jumping over,I wonder if they can make races longer like maybe 2 hours.if not there the chance thay can also be caution fests.

[Cheyne]

Originally Posted by Lagunaseca_4life

Da lalana pays most of turners bills, and also the one paying for Astons gtlm at daytona.so if anything I think it has to do with him,for some reason he also decided not to do the ctcs race at the last moment.



With pwc grids getting bigger and the possibility of more gtd teams jumping over,I wonder if they can make races longer like maybe 2 hours.if not there the chance thay can also be caution fests.

I doubt they would go more than 1 hour. It would require pit stops and extra crew. While not a problem for some teams it would be a hardship for smaller teams. Especially in GTS. I know in the few races I did we only took 2 guys, my wife and daughter to the track. I choose WCGT over Grand Am Cup at the time due to no pit stops.

Cheyne

[MoMedic9019]

Originally Posted by FLGTFAN

Turner was a Grand-Am stalwart. And... they qualy'd on pole at Sebring. Why are they so eager to bail?

Cheaper to run their Z4 GT3 in PWC. An increase in TV coverage, fair officiating, and similar racing. They can also take their Conti entries into PWC too.

Maybe they come back IF TUSCAR gets their **** straight, but...who knows.

[Matt]

Erm, an INCREASE in TV coverage? How?

[Mike Hedlund]

Originally Posted by Matt

Erm, an INCREASE in TV coverage? How?

You go from a *chance* at 25% coverage at *some* races streaming on imsa.com to a *chance* at 50% coverage at *all* races on NBC Sports.

But honestly, I don't think TV coverage has much of a factor in their decision making process.

-mike

[Speed-King]

Originally Posted by FLGTFAN

Turner was a Grand-Am stalwart. And... they qualy'd on pole at Sebring. Why are they so eager to bail?

A lot of GA stalwarts - especially on the CTSCC side of the paddock - are very unhappy with the way things have been run last year and even more so in the new season.

That also tells me that screaming "NASCRAP" is a gross oversimplification of the situation. These people were just fine with a NASCAR owned and controlled series for the better part of a decade, but things have really taken a turn for the worse since the IMSA/ALMS guys were brought in.

[Nick6]

In the past Turner has run programs in WC and Grand-Am. Could just be Dalla Lana is looking for more track time, and St. Pete is within driving distance from the Turner shop.

[Coach Ep]

Originally Posted by Nick6

In the past Turner has run programs in WC and Grand-Am. Could just be Dalla Lana is looking for more track time, and St. Pete is within driving distance from the Turner shop.

There you go, and the next TUSC race for GTD is not until May.

Also it seems the Vita4one entry will be out although it's still on the entry list (no surprise really if it disappears).

Still leaves 50+ provisional entries, way too much for a street course, prepare for another yellow fest...

[Nick Woodbury]

Originally Posted by Coach Ep

Still leaves 50+ provisional entries, way too much for a street course, prepare for another yellow fest...

This is a completely different series, with a different mindset for officiating and race control, different drivers, the majority of which have raced there plenty of times.


Please.....don't jump to conclusions.

[rwintle]

Front page story on the Vaughan Citizen this week (local newspaper; Vaughan is the municipality north of Toronto where Ferrari of Ontario lives) about the Remo Ferri Competizione/Ferrari of Ontario WC team. Old news that they're entering, but nice exposure even if in a local rag.

Interesting comments in the story though - Mr. Ferri strongly believes that there is much better bang for the TV coverage buck in WC as compared with TUSCC. Recall that there have been connections with AIM autosport (in Grand Am) and the ALMS (R. Ferri Competizione fielded a GT2 Ferrari with Risi Competizione some years back; last I saw it was parked in the garage at the dealership).

Remo Ferri is no fool, having built a very successful set of dealerships (Ferrari, Maserati, BMW, Mini, FIAT) so it's interesting he's gone in this direction, I think. And nice for us here in Ontario, a local WC team to root for.

[Speed-King]

Originally Posted by Nick Woodbury

This is a completely different series, with a different mindset for officiating and race control, different drivers, the majority of which have raced there plenty of times.


Please.....don't jump to conclusions.

They've had some horrible yellow fest in the past as well, though. Especially at St.Pete. Not having pitstops to sort out makes the individual yellows a good deal shorter, but that's set off by having too many cars on a tight street circuit.

[Nick Woodbury]

Looks as if another GT3 entry is on its way in the form of Taggart Autosport, which ran a pair of Lotus Exige's in the GTS class. The team is now upgrading to the GT-A class with a Porsche GT3 R.

http://sportscar365.com/gt/world-cha...che-911-gt3-r/

[Rodger Davies]

Apparently three cars are about to pull out, though should still be an epic entry no matter which.

Guessing one is Vita4One.

[rich07]

They've been doing a few no shows lately (Bathurst..), pretty poor form for a multiple championship winning team of their calibre. Back in the Maserati days it would've been unthinkable.

[Rodger Davies]

Ah, can understand the logic - pay the entry fee in the hope of trying to find a customer/partner. Did you ever see the BES Spa 24 lists when they released them at the start of the season? About 50% of the listed cars were replaced by the race.

[cmk]

Originally Posted by rich07

They've been doing a few no shows lately (Bathurst..), pretty poor form for a multiple championship winning team of their calibre. Back in the Maserati days it would've been unthinkable.

Back in the Maserati days they had sponsorship from Vitaphone and at least a certain amount of factory support from FIAT too. It's sad, but I think they're doing the best they can to drum up investment.

[IndyMeister]

Originally Posted by rich07

They've been doing a few no shows lately (Bathurst..), pretty poor form for a multiple championship winning team of their calibre. Back in the Maserati days it would've been unthinkable.

Sad but true.

Technically it might be the same team (even though the name has been altered) but I assume the 2006 champion squad was quite different to the one of 2013. I am talking about emplyees not the drivers or team principal ...

[rwintle]

Originally Posted by rwintle

Front page story on the Vaughan Citizen this week (local newspaper; Vaughan is the municipality north of Toronto where Ferrari of Ontario lives) about the Remo Ferri Competizione/Ferrari of Ontario WC team. Old news that they're entering, but nice exposure even if in a local rag.

Interesting comments in the story though - Mr. Ferri strongly believes that there is much better bang for the TV coverage buck in WC as compared with TUSCC. Recall that there have been connections with AIM autosport (in Grand Am) and the ALMS (R. Ferri Competizione fielded a GT2 Ferrari with Risi Competizione some years back; last I saw it was parked in the garage at the dealership).

Remo Ferri is no fool, having built a very successful set of dealerships (Ferrari, Maserati, BMW, Mini, FIAT) so it's interesting he's gone in this direction, I think. And nice for us here in Ontario, a local WC team to root for.

Ah, found the story online if anyone's interested:
http://www.yorkregion.com/news-story...llenge-series/

The exact quote regarding TV exposure was, er, short but to the point:

“I believe we are going to get a lot more exposure (than with the Grand-AM series),” Mr. Ferri said.

[rich07]

Originally Posted by IndyMeister

Sad but true.

Technically it might be the same team (even though the name has been altered) but I assume the 2006 champion squad was quite different to the one of 2013. I am talking about emplyees not the drivers or team principal ...

Indeed. There was an employee exodus at the end of one season-I forget which year that was

[WolfsburgRS]

I interviewed Remo Ferri at the Daytona 24 in 2013 and he is quite an individual. Certainly no fool, and he has a fantastically interesting history. I'm pleased to see their addition to the series...2014 is looking like a real break-through year. Can't wait!