It all goes back to them not competing against their customers. It's a shame, but oh well.Seems so weird they won't run next year even for a few races to work on the car.
They still race Conti ST Look for Marsh to possibly have a GTD program...pure speculation on my part, but I think it could happenThat second Action Express Corvette is more or less that same team. As for Team Sahlens, its looking more and more likely that they aren't coming back.
That Ligier Honda had a pretty favorable BoP. It was a second+ clear at COTA and Road Atlanta. That being said, Pew will hold them back a little bit. Negri is very quick thoughAlmost forgot, Mike Shank is expected to switch engine Manufacterers
Looks like we won't be seeing a Shank racing DP at all should this happen. Still think LMP2 cars are screwed with the likes of the Gus Bus and Daziel gone. Not saying Shank's drivers are bad but they just aren't...well, Yacaman or Dazial. The DP field is stacked with the likes of Pruett, Barbosa & Fittipaldi as well as the Taylor Brothers.
They still race Conti ST
That Ligier Honda had a pretty favorable BoP. It was a second+ clear at COTA and Road Atlanta. That being said, Pew will hold them back a little bit. Negri is very quick though
Oh yeah, it was the only P2 car that could actually challenge (and dominate) the DPs convincingly but I kinda feel it helped that the Gus Bus was just in beast mode 100% of the race.
When Mike Shank has had a pro-pro DP lineup, he was pretty successful. Not championship successful, but they were pretty good. Their pro-am lineup has kept them on the grid, but limited their success as a team for the most part.I'm not a huge Gus fan, but I think Shank crew can actually do well with it if they get their hand around things. They have struggled most of the time in DP outside of the few races where they did well, or won.
When Mike Shank has had a pro-pro DP lineup, he was pretty successful. Not championship successful, but they were pretty good. Their pro-am lineup has kept them on the grid, but limited their success as a team for the most part.
Listen to this week's Sports Car Unleashed podcast. They have him for an interview. He made it clear where his roots lie, but he does give a very good analysis of the switch. No engine talks though.Very true. The one thing that makes me laugh the most is MSR was the biggest one against spending money on upgrades, now he completely changes cars/engines and everything after basically what 2 years.
Age factors into the decisions, if I remember correctly once you hit 50 you automatically drop to silver. (From a few years ago it was 55, not sure on this year) Same reason Fittipaldi was a bronze for the Brazil WEC race despite being an F1 Champion.How about Andrew Davis, Kenny Wilden, Boris Said, and Oz Negri Jr PC Rolex 24 lineup? We don't need stinking gold drivers!!!
Considering all of those drivers make their respective livings off of driving a race car, that constitutes pro. Age shouldn't matter at all. What's not mentioned is that guys like Justin Wilson, A.J. Allmendinger, and Scott Dixon aren't even rated.Age factors into the decisions, if I remember correctly once you hit 50 you automatically drop to silver. (From a few years ago it was 55, not sure on this year) Same reason Fittipaldi was a bronze for the Brazil WEC race despite being an F1 Champion.
Other than Davis (silver, seriously?), I don't see any problem with the rankings list. Negri and Said were both off the pace this year, constantly running at the back of the pack. (Although the cars they were in had something to do with that.) I've never even heard of Wilden. And looking at his stats, he's never won a race in a major category, which will count against him.
I'm not defending the system, just clarifying it for you. The system is flawed on so many levels it isn't fixable, getting moved up to gold can ruin a driver's career. How wrong is that?Considering all of those drivers make their respective livings off of driving a race car, that constitutes pro. Age shouldn't matter at all. What's not mentioned is that guys like Justin Wilson, A.J. Allmendinger, and Scott Dixon aren't even rated.
There's no reason to have a ranking system. It's pro racing
When a driver races cars for a living, that's called pro. It's not like Andrew Davis or Boris Said's careers were in jeopardy remaining gold.The system is flawed on so many levels it isn't fixable, getting moved up to gold can ruin a driver's career. How wrong is that?
I think you missed my point. It's not the drivers like Davis or Said that are affected (Although if either wanted to race internationally it's a lot easier to get a seat as a Silver than a Gold) but the drivers who are fast for a silver, but slow for a gold. If they get moved up, it can cost them a seat for the next year. See Markus Paltalla, Ranked as a silver, so got a seat alongside Cameron at Turner. If he's a gold he doesn't get the seat.When a driver races cars for a living, that's called pro. It's not like Andrew Davis or Boris Said's careers were in jeopardy remaining gold.
The driver categorisation of any driver over 50 years old will be reduced by one grade for the
season following his/her 50th birthday
Having those fast silvers simply poops on the actual amateur drivers who are gentlemen who don't have experience or pace. Currently, it's a contest to see who can the fastest Silver of the teams who don't need a gentleman to fund the operation. That's why I'm a fan of getting rid of the system entirely.I think you missed my point. It's not the drivers like Davis or Said that are affected (Although if either wanted to race internationally it's a lot easier to get a seat as a Silver than a Gold) but the drivers who are fast for a silver, but slow for a gold. If they get moved up, it can cost them a seat for the next year. See Markus Paltalla, Ranked as a silver, so got a seat alongside Cameron at Turner. If he's a gold he doesn't get the seat.
Getting moved down a rank has absolutely no affect on a driver's career. We all know Davis is fast, a team isn't going to drop him just because he was ranked silver instead of gold.
From the FIA Rankings list:
Explains Said and Negri
Having those fast silvers simply poops on the actual amateur drivers who are gentlemen who don't have experience or pace. Currently, it's a contest to see who can the fastest Silver of the teams who don't need a gentleman to fund the operation. That's why I'm a fan of getting rid of the system entirely.
To the age point: Does Boris and Ozz turning 50 automatically make them slower than the pros under 50?
Not saying you're wrong, but I am showing how stupid the system is in general
The rules are totally counterproductive towards what they're trying to protect with the appeals that are going through. That's the point. It's not that the rules are being broken; it's a case of a sanctioning body making rules that are stupid. It poops on the true ams because lesser known pros ranked Silver/Bronze are getting the seats in pro-am classes with the better teams who can afford a pro-pro lineup, and when those guys get ranked as a pro, it eliminates a lot of them from getting rides in the first place. Lose-lose for everyone.You started this in another thread too and failed to answer questions about those drivers' appeals.
The rules are quite clear, if a driver doesn't apply for a rating, they don't get one. If they appeal, they're heard. If they're superlicence they don't need one.
I'm not sure why you continue to thrash about over this issues.
Rules.
The rules are totally counterproductive towards what they're trying to protect with the appeals that are going through. That's the point. It's not that the rules are being broken; it's a case of a sanctioning body making rules that are stupid. It poops on the true ams because lesser known pros ranked Silver/Bronze are getting the seats in pro-am classes with the better teams who can afford a pro-pro lineup, and when those guys get ranked as a pro, it eliminates a lot of them from getting rides in the first place. Lose-lose for everyone.
Solution: drop the driver rankings and stop having mandatory amateur classes. After all, IMSA is the only professional endurance sports car series. Same for the WEC. It's a world championship for cripes sake, and they're having to put a label on drivers when it's really unnecessary.
Pretty much yea.But the rules aren't new, simply an amalgam of existing tables, right?
They still race Conti ST Look for Marsh to possibly have a GTD program...pure speculation on my part, but I think it could happen
That Ligier Honda had a pretty favorable BoP. It was a second+ clear at COTA and Road Atlanta. That being said, Pew will hold them back a little bit. Negri is very quick though
Just a pre-season P championship pick here: SoD/VisitFlorida Racing