IMSA Race TUSC Round 3: The Tequila Patron Sportscar Showcase at Long Beach

[aneesh99]

Originally Posted by Dyson Mazda

They did not end up taking any.

What did they end up doing to P2's? I completely ignored all of the technical stuff IMSA were doing. Did they alter the ride height at all?

[Matt]

Originally Posted by aneesh99

What did they end up doing to P2's? I completely ignored all of the technical stuff IMSA were doing. Did they alter the ride height at all?

give them a restrictor with a bigger opening so they could have more power and then had to run on the conti tires...thats it.

[MoMedic9019]

Originally Posted by Matt

give them a restrictor with a bigger opening so they could have more power and then had to run on the conti tires...thats it.

They gave them a smaller restrictor, upped the RH, smaller fuel cell and had LeMans aero kit mandated

Then, once realized how slow they were, gave them it all back sans-restrictor, then they upped the fuel cell, bigger fuel flow restrictor, slightly larger air restrictor and aero.

[Matt]

Originally Posted by MoMedic9019

They gave them a smaller restrictor, upped the RH, smaller fuel cell and had LeMans aero kit mandated

Then, once realized how slow they were, gave them it all back sans-restrictor, then they upped the fuel cell, bigger fuel flow restrictor, slightly larger air restrictor and aero.

Yeah, I'm talking how they currently are. They've got a bigger/smaller depending on how you word it restrictor(one that gave them more horses than ACO legal), and they run Contis.

[jasonjessica09]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcwHzP6NSOs

Replay of race is up. The thing that is sad and laughable. The total video is 1 hour and 23 minutes!

[Mechanic Z]

Originally Posted by Danske

Which would make them no longer WEC LMP2 legal cars. Heck, trying to evolve the P2 cars to make them faster is illegal in the WEC too.
[Only allowed to make revisions to the homologated car for "safety, reliability, servicing or cost reduction reasons".]

Yup, that's why we need LMP1! Or at least a super P2 with more freedom!

[Dyson Mazda]

Originally Posted by Mechanic Z

Yup, that's why we need LMP1! Or at least a super P2 with more freedom!

and more HP

[TF110]

They just need their Michelin's!

[Dyson Mazda]

Originally Posted by TF110

They just need their Michelin's!

They were faster at Long Beach this year without them

[TF110]

Originally Posted by Dyson Mazda

They were faster at Long Beach this year without them

That means little imo. Cars get faster by the season, so the gains would be there with those tires as well. They might not have even needed to change the tires.

[Dyson Mazda]

Originally Posted by TF110

That means little imo. Cars get faster by the season, so the gains would be there with those tires as well. They might not have even needed to change the tires.

I don't think the Conti's need to be changed. However, the way the rules work encourages a team to do so on ever pit stop as it does not take any longer.

[JHamilton]

Originally Posted by Dyson Mazda

and more HP

I have heard that the HPD is maxed out while the Nissan has more to give. No idea of the truth of that, but something I've heard.

[TF110]

Originally Posted by Dyson Mazda

I don't think the Conti's need to be changed. However, the way the rules work encourages a team to do so on ever pit stop as it does not take any longer.

New tires take longer to reach their optimum though. One stint hardly is taxing their normal tires. So it might be beneficial to not tire change. These are all "what ifs " anyway since continental has the P class monopolized.

[Holt]

I have the race on DVR so I went back through it and calculated the amount of commercial time vs race time.

The average race broadcast was about 6 minutes and 45 seconds with commercials averaging about 3 and a half minutes. 31% of the race was commercials. NASCAR Sprint Cup races average about 25% of the broadcast being commercials. To be behind NASCAR in that respect is pretty bad because NASCAR already has loads of commercials

[Lagunaseca_4life]

Well finally home and read through this entire thread, kinda glad i was there and not watching the broadcast.even though i sure would of loved not totaling my truck on the way there.

From my experience getting there on friday just before practice two,i feel it was different.it was enjoyable but at the same time it wasnt,fords ahead in practices and qualifying just wasnt right and knowing the new ford partnership.something seemed fishy, also thought it was interesting that the fords had a boost pressure adjustment for baro compensation but the hpd didnt?so the ford is going to get its own bop from track to track?again i question fords envolvment in this type of way.
I was surprised at corvettes performance here,but the hpd that got in the way didnt help none. Also think the post daytona bop is really starting to hurt the vipers more than anyone and should be fixed.

But this event didnt feel right.the paddock had a weird vibe.i mean most teams werent even working on the cars,if any thing the only car being worked on was the mazda and it still blew up! Some of the dp teams paddock set up were just embarrassing,easily can outdone by a club level setup and this is supposed to be pro level top class racing,time to look like it.hours away from the race teams were stripping down there paddock setups.it was just weird seeing corvettes setup stripped in minutes and people just walking on in looking and touching the cars with several different teams.the vibe was just off in the paddock and just did not feel like a pro level event,it felt more like a club level.the paddock is one of my favorite places to be during the race weekend, i vist it many times and stick around after the race.but this time i couldnt stand it and spent more time in the indy and pwc paddock,i didnt even go for the autograph session or the pre grid,and post qualifying/race inspection.it just felt off and wired kinda like how it felt during grand am.

The race wasnt bad and felt like it went by really quick,guess thats what no cautions does.but the P race was just horrid,yea dps still have it over the p2s but oak fought back so i can get over that.but the whole ford issue is just wrong and cant shake a very fishy feeling ive had since the ecoboost was announced.i dont understand how a baro pressure change will affect the ford but not the hpd,imsa never ajdjusted the hpds for atmospheric pressure.so why start now and why only the fords? I was hoping rojas would wreck the damn thing because it seemed like it would run away like it did! I also questioned the pass on the #5 axr after the pitstop,why did it take such a wide lane opening the door to the inside?that is a passing zone and usually a corner that a leader would defend towards the inside,the lane the axr took is the move a car seting up a pass usally takes not a car defending its postion.to me at that moment it totally looked like that position was handed over.

The video boards there where pretty good at showing the action.i never gave mrn a hard time during the previous rounds since i pretty much ignored them.but puting them over the track pa was just horrid, no sound at times cutting in out and just trying to figure out what the heck they were talking about.really irritating way to follow the race at the track.

The mazda looks nice but its just junk! Soooooo slow in every session.

Race its self was ok.give the ford run away and esm just getting in the way for gtlm lead allowing the vette to take off,the race was pretty good down the field.there was good racing 2-4 in the P class and gtlm was good too with the two bmws chasing eachother,then the vette with the two porsches,and viper with the falken porsche,then risi and falken,then vette and bmw,and viper and porsche.the racing was there,just wish it would have been for like first place but at least there was racing going on not just cars parading around.

Honestly i missed pc and gtc, two pro classes are awesome but the car count is low.would be awesome with more cars.but as is it was a bit dull for being sports car racing and honestly felt like a grand am race with a few better cars.there was only a few times when the lead P cars got into gtlm traffic and even then the 01 would clear and the rest would get balked.it was like literally the pack of lead dps and then the gtlm pack and the. The stragglers getting in the way like the mazdas,ed brown,and shank ford.like you knew wich car was coming next because of the car that just passed,it was the same lap after lap.i thought pits would change up the order,but the long pit road didnt really give an advantage to anyone and after pits cycled it was back to the same pattern of cars.i dont know but i did like the verity and challenge pcs and gtcs added and wish they could of ran.

Either way i enjoyed the weekend and enjoyed the cars.imsa still has some work to do, and it needs to happen fast.the tudor portion of this event just had a strong grad am vibe to it.ive been to both alms and grand am races,including long beach many times.tudor was supposed to be something better than the two,you can sure tell they tried but it was just the wrong way and i was left with the overwhelming feeling of a grand am race,not an alms,and especially not a tudor race that was supposed to be something better than both,but i guess this is what a tudor race is like and its not any good at this point.

So unfortunately we had planed ahead and booked LB and laguna at the same and everything has been paid for already.so we will end up at laguna and see how that race goes.which is sad because we love laguna and have always looked forward to that race,but like this its just a waste and a damn shame.hopefully this series improves so we'll consider coming back next year,right now its not looking good at all......

[Ephaeton]

Originally Posted by Salamus

I gave up watching the race because of the commercial breaks. Looks like I've given up on this series for now.

same here. I'll be coming back for the endurance events. Hail WEC!

[jasonjessica09]

How could anybody miss LMPC is beyond my comprehension. If that class was at Long Beach we would have guarenteed 2 yellows at least. If GTD was in their over half the race would be yellow and there would be complaints about that.

The P/GTLM format works folks. A race that goes green all the way is always the ideal situation. Stop the complaining for once. Post Sebring it was justified yes. But not Long Beach.

[belt driven]

I would have to agree. Last year’s Grand Am race had 3 cautions for 15 laps out of 105 (14%) while ALMS had 7 for 40 out of 150 (27%). Unless maybe downhill in the corkscrew, a car off course in that dustbowl is a FCY.

Sorry, guys. I was misled by Laguna Seca’s own front page saying: “all four classes on track at the same time.”

[EricS]

Someone in the MWM Collective added up the minutes of MotoGP race which was also broadcast on FS1:

MotoGP at COTA (a 60 min broadcast)
14:13 warm-up lap/race start
3:00 commercial
9:19 racing
3:00 commercial
16:34 racing thru the end of the race
0:30 FS1 3 Things break
2:31 Commercial
0:34 We'll be right back with interviews
3:01 commercials
1:51 results, Marquez interview
3:03 commercials
2:30 Danielle goes blah and Pedrosa interview and end of broadcast

So, during green laps there were only 2 sets of commercials for 6 minutes total. I think this answers everyone's question that it is a TUSC issue and not a Fox issue. She also gave a much more detailed breakdown than I did of commercial breaks for the TUSC race on FS1 and on MRN.

With WEC and the NHL playoffs starting this week I'm done with TUSC. Have fun ya'll.

[nkoske]

In the end...I'm glad I was able to watch the 100 min race in 57 mins on my DVR. In the end that's about how much I care about the TUSC series now. About 60% from the glory days of the ALMS (maybe less), where I'd listen to nearly every session via RLM, and tell my wife I need to be home between x and y to watch the race live.

But now with TUSC (much like my previous relationship with GA) I'll watch the race via DVR. I'll probably watch the bigger races 24, Sebring and PLM. I'm not sure the 6 hour of the Glen rates with me as all I know it as is a GA race.

I'd could be militant and say I won't spend all weekend at Laguna camping, but in the end it is more about hanging out with friends and family, BBQ-ing, having an adult beverage or two, etc... and there happens to be some race cars around. With that said I have zero loyalty to this new series, lets say the WEC decides to make a trip to Laguna...I'd gladly switch weekends. Hell if Indycar decided to switch to Laguna I'd be tempted to ditch Sportscars (I know heresy right?).

[Salamus]

Originally Posted by nkoske

Hell if Indycar decided to switch to Laguna I'd be tempted to ditch Sportscars (I know heresy right?).

Not at all. IndyCar and NASCAR have provided great racing this year. I'm actually more excited for IndyCar and NASCAR races than USCC. I'll still give Laguna a chance but it better be near perfect.

[TzeiTzei]

Couldnt watch the race live, but just saw it on youtube. Seriously, an 83min broadcast from a 100min race. The racing was quite good though, and no FCYs.

I still think that BoP in the P class needs some adjusting. It's not like there is a huge difference in race pace, but the P2s just can't really race against the DPs. The difference in power is just too big. The only way for a P2 to pass a DP is through a mistake or some heroics. Take away some power from the DPs, and I think we would see even better racing. But I still have faith in that they will fix the issues.

[ATLFalconsFAN]

Originally Posted by nkoske

In the end...I'm glad I was able to watch the 100 min race in 57 mins on my DVR. In the end that's about how much I care about the TUSC series now. About 60% from the glory days of the ALMS (maybe less), where I'd listen to nearly every session via RLM, and tell my wife I need to be home between x and y to watch the race live.

But now with TUSC (much like my previous relationship with GA) I'll watch the race via DVR. I'll probably watch the bigger races 24, Sebring and PLM. I'm not sure the 6 hour of the Glen rates with me as all I know it as is a GA race.

I'd could be militant and say I won't spend all weekend at Laguna camping, but in the end it is more about hanging out with friends and family, BBQ-ing, having an adult beverage or two, etc... and there happens to be some race cars around. With that said I have zero loyalty to this new series, lets say the WEC decides to make a trip to Laguna...I'd gladly switch weekends. Hell if Indycar decided to switch to Laguna I'd be tempted to ditch Sportscars (I know heresy right?).

I agree 1,000,000% with everything you just said (except for the last part). I'm done with TUSC other than DVR. But like you said, I'll go to Petit and enjoy being at Road Atlanta, not for the product on track, but just for the track and experience. Same goes for Sebring.

[jasonjessica09]

Originally Posted by ATLFalconsFAN

I agree 1,000,000% with everything you just said (except for the last part). I'm done with TUSC other than DVR. But like you said, I'll go to Petit and enjoy being at Road Atlanta, not for the product on track, but just for the track and experience. Same goes for Sebring.

Not an issue at Long Beach but the Petit Le Mans. 4 classes on a track under 2 miles? That could be a disaster. I could see that having as much FCY time as Sebring.

[Slowsley]

Originally Posted by jasonjessica09

Not an issue at Long Beach but the Petit Le Mans. 4 classes on a track under 2 miles? That could be a disaster. I could see that having as much FCY time as Sebring.

Road Atl is 2.54 mi. and has handled 50+ grids for years. But yeah, there'll be cautions.