USCC 2014 Entry List & Schedule ONLY

[PointDSM]

Originally Posted by MoMedic9019

So....nobody else could make a DP tire?

Exactly. What is Conti/Hoosier? Yes, they are a tire company, that needs to be challenged to moved forward (like any company). Open the tire spec's up and IMSA will rid itself of a lot of issue's, and uncover some new (better) ones, like high car counts and too good of racing.

[schmidder]

Kick out continental..then we go right back into a thread on series sponsors and lack thereof...

[MoMedic9019]

Originally Posted by schmidder

Kick out continental..then we go right back into a thread on series sponsors and lack thereof...

The ALMS had plenty of series partners. Including Michelin.

And nobody anywhere, except for you, has said to kick them out. Keep them around, force them to make a better tire, it's just simple competition.

[joeb]

Originally Posted by schmidder

Kick out continental..then we go right back into a thread on series sponsors and lack thereof...

I though Tudor was the series sponsor?

[fieldodreams79]

The best part of the tribute from DSC for Greg Pickett was the white, orange and yellow Monza. Hopefully, like many others, they will find a way back into motorracing at some point, as he has in the past. If not, the show must go on and will go on in Detroit.

[jasonjessica09]

What do you think of the idea that GTD at least should be at Lime Rock this weekend next year to co-headline that weekend with Conti. Having GTD there would be enough to draw me in.

[Dyson Mazda]

Originally Posted by jasonjessica09

What do you think of the idea that GTD at least should be at Lime Rock this weekend next year to co-headline that weekend with Conti. Having GTD there would be enough to draw me in.

I think TUDOR needs to think about having more all prototype round and all GT rounds for the tracks not on the schedule. This would allow them to get their schedule length up to 16 rounds (more tickets sold) and they could alternate the P and GT tracks every other year. This would be an easy way to get Mid-Ohio, Lime Rock, Barber, and Sonoma back on the schedule.

I think the ideal schedule looks like

4 NAEC Rounds (P, PC, GTLM, GTD): Various Lengths
4 Combined Races (P, PC, GTLM, GTD): 3 Hours
4 Prototype only rounds (P, PC): 2 Hours
4 GT only rounds (GTLM, GTD): 2 Hours

[Maelochs]

I am pretty sure any tire company could make a DP tire ... would any want to?

Look how big the DP field is; then consider that a new manufacturer would likely get less than half of that. How many tires, how much investment, and if the tire isn't better no one will want it, so the new manufacturer would have to spend as much as it took to make that better tire.

Then consider DPs will likely only run for another two seasons. And then consider TV ratings for TUSC races.Michelin is already there in GTLM, and who else would care? Dunlop? Yokohama? Why? So a few hundred people could see thembeating another manufacturer most people don't know or care about?

I don't see a lot of incentive for any other firm to invest in a DP tire.

Of course, as has been pointed out, Conti might not allow it---contracts might not allow it--which makes the whole discussion moot.

[Salamus]

All-prototype or all-GT races are a bit dull in my opinion. It is better to have P+GTLM and PC+GTD races to spread out the field a bit more.

Or USCC can do the logical thing and phase out PC in the next two years and there wouldn't be a huge incentive to split the field at smaller tracks.

[jasonjessica09]

I agree with Dyson Racing and Salamus although that is for 2016 and beyond perhaps. For a shorter term fix in 2015 I say this: 1) Ditch Kansas 2) have Detroit be P/LMPC 3) Lime Rock GTD 4) Mosport split between P/LMPC and GTLM/GTD. Long Beach, Laguna Seca, and VIR can remain as it was this year.

[Matt]

An all GT race at LRP would have made this past weekend even better.

[MoMedic9019]

The split up schedule is annoying teams and drivers, it's one more thing that is driving the frustration up.

If you need to split GT and P, fine, but it needs to be done same track/same weekend, and they need track time. Not the garbage that occurred at Laguna.

[Gulf]

Originally Posted by MoMedic9019

The split up schedule is annoying teams and drivers, it's one more thing that is driving the frustration up.

If you need to split GT and P, fine, but it needs to be done same track/same weekend, and they need track time. Not the garbage that occurred at Laguna.

If they want to avoid garbage then they are going to have to look for another series.

[TRspitfirefan]

Originally Posted by Salamus

All-prototype or all-GT races are a bit dull in my opinion. It is better to have P+GTLM and PC+GTD races to spread out the field a bit more.

In the past, I would have agreed with this sentiment. However, currently I really like both GT classes and I'm not all that fond of the tusc flavor of prototype. Plus the GTLM class very much deserves headliner status.
Pirelli World Challenge GT/GTS races are awesome, so I think that IMSA GTLM/GTD will be too.

[schmidder]

Originally Posted by MoMedic9019

The ALMS had plenty of series partners. Including Michelin.

And nobody anywhere, except for you, has said to kick them out. Keep them around, force them to make a better tire, it's just simple competition.

Meant more as..If you kick them out...man..you people are tough

[Nick Woodbury]

Originally Posted by schmidder

Meant more as..If you kick them out...man..you people are tough

A lot of people here like to think they know more than the next guy, one wrong step and you are torn to shreds it seems.

[mimi1969]

Originally Posted by MoMedic9019

Open the tire formula.

You're asking for major headaches. Allowing all cars to run different tires would creates so many different formulas that it would make it almost impossible to balance all of them. In the end you will force teams out of the series due to increased cost.

[mimi1969]

Originally Posted by Maelochs

I am pretty sure any tire company could make a DP tire ... would any want to?

Look how big the DP field is; then consider that a new manufacturer would likely get less than half of that. How many tires, how much investment, and if the tire isn't better no one will want it, so the new manufacturer would have to spend as much as it took to make that better tire.

Then consider DPs will likely only run for another two seasons. And then consider TV ratings for TUSC races.Michelin is already there in GTLM, and who else would care? Dunlop? Yokohama? Why? So a few hundred people could see thembeating another manufacturer most people don't know or care about?

I don't see a lot of incentive for any other firm to invest in a DP tire.

Of course, as has been pointed out, Conti might not allow it---contracts might not allow it--which makes the whole discussion moot.

The tire manufacturer in a single tire series builds what the series wants them to build. That way teams do not have to keep changing set ups for different tires. It keep cost down

[ttdriver2009]

It seems to me that a single tire manufacturer for a series must make sense. From looking at PWC, it used to be Toyo and then it became Pirelli. The Blancpain series uses Pirelli. ALMS became a series where everyone ran Michelins except for Falken and that Delta Wing. At this point, I don't really see what the benefit of an open tire formula is, if everyone in the end uses the same brand. Plus, I keep hearing about customer tires. That tells me that a tire company can make a specific tire for one particular team and the rest get a generic off the shelf unit. Dunlop pulled out of the US market and Yokohama doesn't seem to be interested in anything except for the GT3 Cup series. Goodyear is in NASCAR and BFG has been off of the radar for may years. Firestone does Indy. Pirelli already has their own series.

[Deleted]

Originally Posted by ttdriver2009

It seems to me that a single tire manufacturer for a series must make sense. From looking at PWC, it used to be Toyo and then it became Pirelli. The Blancpain series uses Pirelli. ALMS became a series where everyone ran Michelins except for Falken and that Delta Wing. At this point, I don't really see what the benefit of an open tire formula is, if everyone in the end uses the same brand. Plus, I keep hearing about customer tires. That tells me that a tire company can make a specific tire for one particular team and the rest get a generic off the shelf unit. Dunlop pulled out of the US market and Yokohama doesn't seem to be interested in anything except for the GT3 Cup series. Goodyear is in NASCAR and BFG has been off of the radar for may years. Firestone does Indy. Pirelli already has their own series.

Then again, other than the title tire supplier giving a lot of cash to the series, what exactly is being achieved by this spec-route...

But yes, even at Le Mans tire variety has been decreasing at alarming rate in the last few years

[Maelochs]

I hate you use that dirty "R" word but ... I think racing tires have so lost relevance to street rubber than manufacturers are only in it for the brand exposure---in which case, being dominant in a series is a good thing.

Maybe each manufacturer could, through doing millions in R&D, come up with a tire which sticks better And lasts longer---but it seems that that is not a goal anyone knows how to achieve with conventional technology.

Thus most gains are so small as to be almost meaningless--a set of tires from any top-tier manufacturer is likely to be about on par with any other---in which case, winning is down to other factors, and spending money on a total crapshoot where the outcome is decided by outside forces .... tough sell to the bean-counters.

"Racing Improves the Breed" only so long as companies are willing to spend the big bucks, and then, they really need to know up front that there will be some tangible improvement to their daily product arising from their racing product.

With the goal of passenger car tires being to offer decent performance, a comfortable ride, long life, and low rolling resistance--as opposed to the racing tire which needs to be super light, able to handle high heat with minimal material, and ridiculously sticky for only about 300 miles---there just isn't much room for technology crossover.

The only other reason to go racing is PR, and by sponsoring a single-supplier series, the manufacturer gets guaranteed good results.

Conti doesn't have to spend much money on R&D for its Tudor tires---so long as they don't delaminate (I'm looking at you, Pirelli,), Conti wins. If they didn't have a small field, no competition, and guaranteed positive advertising I doubt there would be sufficient RoI to bother.

And as far as I can tell, modern fans aren't too upset if there isn't a lot of tire competition. I don't recall seeing a Dunlop, Goodyear, or Michelin fan corral like I see Corvette, BMW, or Jag corrals. Companies see that fans are responding to makes, not tire makers ... so why spend big bucks to fight for small returns?

Add to that, the series is probably happier knowing that it can count on all the cars being on decent rubber, and enough of it being there to run the races. One less variable, one less potential headache.

Further the series are probably happiest getting that big sponsor check up front, and knowing that it has that part of its budget guaranteed way before the season starts.

All factors working against tire wars, and leading to single-tire series.

[MoMedic9019]

Originally Posted by mimi1969

You're asking for major headaches. Allowing all cars to run different tires would creates so many different formulas that it would make it almost impossible to balance all of them. In the end you will force teams out of the series due to increased cost.

So, they can't run tests with tire manu's to attempt to balance things? I suppose not...far too logical.

Heck, they can't even allow a slightly softer tire in for P2.

[BullMan]

Originally Posted by MoMedic9019

So, they can't run tests with tire manu's to attempt to balance things? I suppose not...far too logical.

Heck, they can't even allow a slightly softer tire in for P2.

They couldn't be bothered to test P2s against DPs until just a few weeks before the first race. What makes you think they would ever test tires against each other?

[TF110]

Originally Posted by BullMan

They couldn't be bothered to test P2s against DPs until just a few weeks before the first race. What makes you think they would ever test tires against each other?

Theyre satisfied with continental. I was surprised GTE were able to keep their Michelin and Falken.

[PointDSM]

Without GTE, the series wouldn't have made it past Sebring (well, the 10 Grand-Am fans would still be watching).

Pretty simple argument on their end to force TUSC's hand.