It can always get worse, you know. Also it won't be with immediate effect. The 24h Race btw was announced to be save for 2013, so the Truck-GP and the DTM race. /OT
What a stupid decision...I still don't get why didn't WEC use ELMS and ALMS as base like ILMC did in 2011! It worked perfectly and some teams were doing double program!
Now ELMS have poor grid, WEc is way too expensive.I don't get the point at going to Bahrein...
Sebring (ALMS)
Silverstone (testday for rain tyres) (ELMS)
Spa (if silverstone isn't enough it can help)(ELMS)
Le Mans
Sao Paulo
Petit Le Mans (ALMS)
Fuji (Asian)
Shanghai(Asian)
Beating a dead horse. Will you build them new larger pit complexes?
Also, Sebring would be likely gone anyway after next year because lack of P1 in the new merged US series, but lets just ignore this and keep repeating how ACO snubbed ALMS again.
ELMS had a decent enough P2 grid, but was let down by the GTE entries really, especially at Donington.
Morgan, why couldn't they have it like Spa and Silverstone this year where the WEC run the event and the local entries join the WEC race? That's the sticking point, ALMS want to have it as their own race which means the WEC is playing second fiddle = https://twitter.com/specutainment/status/251923506701422592
Austin will have plenty of garage space, an FIA grade 1 track to stop the SC coming out umpteen times as you have at those two tracks under IMSA rules, and will allow those two races to host the new American series. Plus a more sensible season in terms of logistics.
Cars that did Le Mans 24 hrs had to be rebuild completely for Donington 6hrs. In general that kind of cars have some engine rebuilt and heavy rebuild after 30 hours so you can do two events without any serious rebuild and three if you have a good stock of spare parts to make it go a bit further than 30 hours.
For Petit Le Mans, there is 10 hours of racing + 7hours of official free practise and few over hours of private practise. As European team were only offered one 40 feet container, you can't take that many spare parts and you should be awared that European teams are renting material to american team. Basically it isn't really possible to do a lot of serious work there (wheel bearing for example require some special tools that teams like IMSA Performance can't send oversea in order not to endanger other racing programs).
Basically Petit Le Mans cars has to be completely rebuilt like a Le Mans 24 hours car because it has already nearly 10 hours of racing at Donington.
Last thing is that in the US, GTs are using E85 fuel, so that's require few changes like fuel tank, fuel pump, fuel lines,...
FIA WEC at Spa was 25 August, so car were going to be back in the workshop on 27 August. IMSA Performance has sent his car to the US on September 10th so basically mechanics would have had one week to get the car ready. With many suppliers slowed down by summer holiday, that would be an hard program.
Furthermore, in term of money (that's always about that in fact), Petit Le Mans is like two ELMS event. So it really replace Brno & Portimao. Spa was replacing Zolder and it was almost the same budget. So if a team wanted to do Silverstone and Petit, it would have required an additionnal budget. Budget have been (in general) fixed on late February.
To be honest, for being part of that kind of racing team. Believe me, ELMS+WEC at the same time is by far the best way to have strong grid. The thing is that ALMS teams don't really car about WEC exept Krohn Racing. We only find some european teams that were previously in ELMS (Greaves, Felbermayr, ...). That kind of championship require to have 15 people and a car that only do that championship, that is really expensive. Last year when ELMS and ILMS had several races in common, it wasn't that bad as you could entered a car in both championship and half the races was racing for both championship with only one car. So two championship with one budget = 50% cheaper !
Anyway, one day ACO & Peter Auto would maybe listen to teams to know what to do...one day maybe they listen someone else than Audi...but that's another story.
That's a good thing (GTE) but how will they cost capped GT2? Funny thing is that some GT3 are now almost as expensive to run as some GTE.
PLM this week end. Whaoo a LMP1 race this week without factory ! First time in 2012 that 3 different cars can win a race ! GT battle will be epic, just sad to see those two cars only in ELMS GTE-AM. Would have been fun if ESM and FLM would have enter one car LMP2 race will be really interesting aswell
You'd think it's be a 'jesus that was frightening' moment after he stops, but no, it's instantly bitch at the other drive time (not that it wasn't warranted).
GTC driver just drilled it off the kerb right into him... Guys commenting on that video saying all these stupid theories on that site Phil, as to why it happened (the rear was wider and he didn't see it). Hah, it was a mistake from the GTC car [running along the kerb and eventually losing rear grip cos he ran it all the way onto the grass], coincidently the Deltawing was there to be collected.
Now, back to my usual bashing of the Deltawing why did the roll bar appear not to keep the drivers head from hitting the ground???
I see they are saying he didn't hit his head on the ground, presumably so the car doesn't get excluded from competition? His head clearly hit the ground in the video....
I'm a fan of the DW but you can't ignore the fact that it has to be a wierd situation to be lapped/lap that car with it's shape. You throw a quick look in the mirror in a already stressed situation and try to judge exactly where the front is, then use all the track you can, then bang that front is just there.
But that flip was bad luck but inevitable, GTC car hit it on it's left rear quarter panel which put it sideways, on top of a hill and with that shape of the car it was bound to happen.