2015 TUDOR United Sportscar Championship

[RACECAR]

Oh, so they're not out yet?

Full broadcast for TUSCC should be up this week on youtube.

 

[IforceV8]

 

[JohnBM01]

I didn't get to see most of the recent round at Mosport. What I did see, however, were spins and wrecks mostly by the Prototype Challenge entries. I have absolutely nothing against the PC class. The way I came around to them is that it is a class of racing that gets people into the Prototype ranks without having to get one of the more proper and more solid prototypes. I've always liked the Oreca FLM09.

With Mosport now in the rear view mirror, it's time to return to the States and the next round of the championship. That next round is beautiful Lime Rock Park in Connecticut. Lime Rock Park would be considered a "short track" to road racing types. This is a motor racing circuit that looks more like a city park more than some hardcore permanent race track. I learned of Lime Rock Park when I used to play "Sports Car GT" on the PC. Maybe my favorite parts of Lime Rock Park are the crest heading into the final corner and then the final corner itself. Both make for some pretty good photo opportunities. It is a short track, but it is a technical one with a number of elevation changes to keep you honest. Since Lime Rock Park is short, one big mistake could easily put you lap(s) down. Its short length also means you don't have much time to pull off winning passes if you're trailing overall or in class. So this track will rattle some brains and test some patience.


This race is on the weekend of July 24-25. It should be a good race, as is the case usually with Lime Rock Park.

 

[01GTP]

This race is on the weekend of July 24-25. It should be a good race, as is the case usually with Lime Rock Park.

The fan experience should be better this time around as Skippy has pushed some soil around the track this year with many improvements to the
paddocks and the fan viewing areas.

This years Conti race has been changed to only one combined class race instead of the traditional separate class races.
They are extending the pitwalk before the race for the fans, which I have come to really enjoy.

Here's a couple from this years race at the Glen.

 

[01GTP]

New car for Compass360 team to debut at Lime Rock.

http://www.imsa.com/articles/compass360-makes-gt-daytona-debut-audi-r8-lms

 

[catamount39]

Anybody got predictions for today? I'm thinking the Viper has a good shot at the win in GTD. I just hope PC doesn't screw things up. I want that BMW to win to make it a sweep...but...why does the Turner BMW suck so bad? Stupid IMSA BoP... . Same goes for the floppy Aston, which AMR is probably embarrassed about lol.

 

[IforceV8]

Considering this race was yesterday I can tell you the winner is a Chevy.

 

[catamount39]

Considering this race was yesterday I can tell you the winner is a Chevy.

PC is an entire spec field of Chevy powered FLM Oreca's so...that's a shocker.

 

[RACECAR]

Considering this race was yesterday I can tell you the winner is a Chevy.

I was about rage until I realized its just PC and GTD this weekend. Carry on.

 

[catamount39]

I was about rage until I realized its just PC and GTD this weekend. Carry on.

Sadly we don't have Callaway Corvette GT3's.

 

[AnthonyD1993]

Sadly we don't have Callaway Corvette GT3's.

You can thank GM for that since they basically won't let them sell them here due to the ATS that P&M built.

 

[catamount39]

You can thank GM for that since they basically won't let them sell them here due to the ATS that P&M built.

It's annoying...I hope we at least get a Caddy' in Tudor.

 

[RACECAR]

Honestly, I would love for Chevy to do what Porsche does in GTLM/GTE and have a Factory team in the US and a European one (with Larbre Competition Running them).

Also, I cannot wait for when GT3 Rules come full circle. No longer will I have to sit and look at the same dreadful Porsches. Audi Customer Racing sends Modified R8 LMS cars, BMW sends a Modified Z4 GT3, Aston Martin And TRG had a modified Vantage GT3, Ferrari sends some modified Ferrari 458 GT3s and Riley runs the modified Viper GT3-R but what does Porsche give its teams? A lazily modified Porsche Cup Car called "GT3 America" and its competing against GT3 cars (which this year are even closer to their full blown specs then last year). Great thinking

 

[IforceV8]

Nice work by Faux sports making Daly look like Maldanado while editing out the part where the Audi was blocking him which gave the lapped car the run.

 

[catamount39]

OH MY GOD TURNER WON IN GTD! The BMW Z4 GT3 in it's final year sweeps a GT weekend (Spa and Lime Rock)! WOOOH! The big bad V8 screams to victory!

 

[Northstar]

Is anyone else going to Road America now that's it's only a couple weeks away?

 

[IforceV8]

OH MY GOD TURNER WON IN GTD! The BMW Z4 GT3 in it's final year sweeps a GT weekend (Spa and Lime Rock)! WOOOH! The big bad V8 screams to victory!

You should be happy about next year then too. http://sportscar365.com/imsa/tusc/turner-were-going-for-the-m6-next-year/

 

[catamount39]

You should be happy about next year then too. http://sportscar365.com/imsa/tusc/turner-were-going-for-the-m6-next-year/

No I hate the M6 GT3 and am abandoning BMW after this season. Ever since it was announced that this twin turbo weirdo was replacing the Z4 I've been saddened. A beautiful, raw racer like the Z4 being replaced by this tank with a different engine is a crime.

Lexus will join my fanfare of the Aston GT3 next year as well as the new AMG GT GT3 which (even with the SLS engine) sounds a little more like the Z4 interestingly.

Is it petty? Maybe, but that M6, while good for BMW itself, replacing the Z4 is like replacing David Beckham with Billy Bob in soccer (football). I just pray that TRG gets a real Aston with ACTUAL suspension from an AMR car because I've never seen an Aston flop and roll so bad ever. Hopefully they just borrow their PWC car.

 

[IforceV8]

Well look at this way, if the M6 gets the lead it is so big it will be like passing a semi on a 2-lane road.

 

[RACECAR]

No I hate the M6 GT3 and am abandoning BMW after this season. Ever since it was announced that this twin turbo weirdo was replacing the Z4 I've been saddened. A beautiful, raw racer like the Z4 being replaced by this tank with a different engine is a crime.

Lexus will join my fanfare of the Aston GT3 next year as well as the new AMG GT GT3 which (even with the SLS engine) sounds a little more like the Z4 interestingly.

Is it petty? Maybe, but that M6, while good for BMW itself, replacing the Z4 is like replacing David Beckham with Billy Bob in soccer (football). I just pray that TRG gets a real Aston with ACTUAL suspension from an AMR car because I've never seen an Aston flop and roll so bad ever. Hopefully they just borrow their PWC car.

Pretty sure in the same announcement, BMW said that they were still supporting customers using the Z4 (of which, there are crap loads around the world). Besides, the Z4 is about to be out of homologation so it was going to be replaced eventually, one way or the other.

 

[LMSCorvetteGT2]

No I hate the M6 GT3 and am abandoning BMW after this season. Ever since it was announced that this twin turbo weirdo was replacing the Z4 I've been saddened. A beautiful, raw racer like the Z4 being replaced by this tank with a different engine is a crime.

Lexus will join my fanfare of the Aston GT3 next year as well as the new AMG GT GT3 which (even with the SLS engine) sounds a little more like the Z4 interestingly.

Is it petty? Maybe, but that M6, while good for BMW itself, replacing the Z4 is like replacing David Beckham with Billy Bob in soccer (football). I just pray that TRG gets a real Aston with ACTUAL suspension from an AMR car because I've never seen an Aston flop and roll so bad ever. Hopefully they just borrow their PWC car.

I don't see how the M6 gets that comparison. And realistically it makes more sense to actually use a car closer to production then the car that was being used. The M6 is the upper tier performance face of BMW, contrary to your want. It's far more fitting to see it fight it out with the likes of Ferrari and Vette, and Aston and Ford and so on. At the end of the day the road going variants for all these cars are not very close to comparison to begin with.

The Aston being portrayed wont be able to mark a challenge against a Vette or the Ferrari in real world, and nor would the BMW and like wise none of these cars will probably be able to do what the GT does when it is released. This could be wrong but as of what we known for the cars that currently drive around outside of the GT, this is true.

 

[RACECAR]

I don't see how the M6 gets that comparison. And realistically it makes more sense to actually use a car closer to production then the car that was being used. The M6 is the upper tier performance face of BMW, contrary to your want. It's far more fitting to see it fight it out with the likes of Ferrari and Vette, and Aston and Ford and so on. At the end of the day the road going variants for all these cars are not very close to comparison to begin with.

The Aston being portrayed wont be able to mark a challenge against a Vette or the Ferrari in real world, and nor would the BMW and like wise none of these cars will probably be able to do what the GT does when it is released. This could be wrong but as of what we known for the cars that currently drive around outside of the GT, this is true.

This. For instance, the Bentley Continental would be blown away by the R8 LMS and the Huracan. The same story can be applied in GTLM/GTE in all their various guises. Would a M3 stood any chance against the version of the Corvette which has a higher horsepower then the class allows?

 

[catamount39]

I'd rather...much...much rather see a BMW M4 or M3 GT3 car instead of that pig M6. The only car...ONLY car which is allowed to be fat as a GT racer is the Bentley because there is no such thing as a small Bentley. This M6 is a terrible choice.

And to put it in perspective, GT cars (not the top level) have not always been a bunch of cars who as street cars would be equal. Need I remind everyone of the Chevy Monza and BMW 3-series Group 5 cars? Were they equal with a Porsche 911 and Chevy Corvette? Heck...the Lancia Stratos? The answer is...no.

 

[Furinkazen]

Guess what this would have been.

 

[catamount39]

Guess what this would have been.
View attachment 419267

Is that what the last iteration of the Coyote DP would look like?

 

[Furinkazen]

Is that what the last iteration of the Coyote DP would look like?

Yep.

 

[catamount39]

Yep.

Actually looks really good. That DP concept blossomed at the wrong time. We should have had LMP2 then DP instead of LMP2 then PC.

 

[JohnBM01]

I think I missed the action from Lime Rock Park completely. In that case... congratulations to all winners overall and in class.

As for Turner BMW going from the Z4 GT to the M6 GT3, I like the Z4 GT more than the M6 GT3. The M6 GT3 may not be as lovely as the old M3 GTRs from 1999-2001 or so, but I'd stick with the Z4 GT unless they get phased out or something. Speaking of those old BMWs, I wouldn't mind seeing a one-off modern take on the classic white/black/orange Prototype Technology Group BMWs. Or maybe we'll get that with the M6 GT3.


Anyhow, Road America is next on the weekend of August 7-9. So bring on all 4+ miles of Road America!

 

[IforceV8]

0.0 rating and 86k viewers for the Lime Rock race on FS1 is pathetic. A high school basketball game on ESPNU at the same time had 89k viewers.

BMW M6 GTLM project is underway. http://sportscar365.com/imsa/tusc/bmw-m6-gtlm-in-build/

BoP changes. http://sportscar365.com/imsa/tusc/corvette-dp-hit-with-bop-adjustments-for-road-america/

SOD looking to the future. I think this was a older story that was recycled. http://www.racer.com/imsa/item/119809-imsa-visitflorida-com-racing-considering-early-p2-switch

Mazda are testing the gasser again this week prior to the race and are on the entry list but who knows if the car will race.

Buried in the Indycar silly season notes was a reference to Briscoe likely making a move to a full time sports car ride next year. Ford of Chevy?

 

[catamount39]

Briscoe would probably go to Ford for a fulltime effort, Corvette Racing would only sign him if somebody retired because their regular lineup is BEAST. 👍

ONLY 86K VIEWERS?! WHAT?! That was like one of the cooler races of the season!

Oh yay...the German tank is coming...get ready everybody for the Tiger II GTLM.