ALMS: Lime Rock

dougiemeats

dougiemeats

Racing in the Rain
Premium
1,681
Round: 4
Race Duration: 2 hrs 45 min
Track Type: permanent; 1.53 miles
Date/Location: July 1 - Lakeville, Connecticut
TV Broadcast (U.S./Tape Delay): CBS Sports July 2 - 4:00 PM Eastern

P1
1x Audi R8
1x Highcroft Lola AER
1x Autocon Lola AER
2x Dyson Lola AER

P2
2x Penske Porsche
1x B-K Courage Mazda
1x van der Steur Lola AER
1x Intersport Lola AER

GT1
2x Corvette C6.R
2x Aston Martin

GT2
2x BMW
1x AJR Porsche
1x Petersen/WL Porsche
2x Flying Lizard Porsche
2x Multimatic Panoz
2x Risi Competizione

-Last race for the R8 (ever?)
-Very short track
-Highcroft vs. Autocon
-2 Risi Ferraris
-Does Dyson have the reliability?
-Will Penske go for another overall win?
-How competitive will the BMW be?
-Can we add a Zytek and a Lexus to the list?
-Another interesting GT2 battle ahead

Next: Current team points standings, predictions, current news
 
Hmmm, looks like the heat is on come July 1st. The last race for the R8, finally it will be Autocon Vs Highcroft, and Now there is two Risi Ferraris in GT2just like before.
 
News update: The Petersen/White Lightning Porsche was heavily damaged at Le Mans. The car cannot be repaired but the team has contacted Porsche and will get a replacement in time for this Lime Rock race.

I'm interested in how much Dyson has improved over the Le Mans break. For probably only the second time since I have followed sports car racing, I will be cheering for the Audi R8 (the first time was Le Mans 2005).

Also, with 2 cars entered, I think this may be the race for Risi Competizione. I doubt we will see a Lexus or a Zytek this race but I am very much looking forward to Highcroft vs. Autocon.
 
Le Mans is done and all the champagne has long stayed with the winning drivers and a bunch of enthusiastic race groupies. Now it's back to life as usual as the road to the 2006 Petit Le Mans officially will begin.

You already know that I'm going to support any Houston-based team regardless. So I think while it was a bit sad to not see Risi up and at 'em at Le Mans 2006, that doesn't mean Le Mans 2007 isn't a possibility. They should be a solid team in GT2, and it won't be easy giving the Porsche's plenty of trouble. The Panoz Esperante GTLM's will likely get a HUGE shot in the arm after their upset GT2 win at Le Mans this past weekend. Panoz will need to keep the pressure going to be a sensational, can't miss team. Whether or not Panoz can keep up the good work will begin with Lime Rock Park. The Corvettes are probably bearing the typical pro-American attitude of "nah, those Astons (Aston Martin) didn't sting a bit at Le Mans." Aston Martin will be back and ready to make this rivalry more intense.

Lime Rock Park is what I usually call my idea of a short track. The course looks simple until you actually take note of the different elevation changes. I'd probably say it's one of the smallest world-class tracks out there. All you have to remember is to enjoy racing around the beautiful scenery of Lime Rock, just don't become part of the scenery.
 
As I mentioned in the first post, this will be the final race for the Audi R8. It will have special livery in celebration of its successful career.




I must admit that I have spent the last few years watching every race and hoping that the R8 would break down or lose but it simply wouldn't. This car was well engineered and in combination with world class drivers, they were unstoppable.

Years from now, when our grandchildren ask us about the great sports cars of our day, some of us may remember the Zyteks, while others will remember the Rileys, and some the Lolas. But the first thing I will remember will be the R8. I might forget about the Cadillac, and it may take me a while to remember the Bentley and Panoz, but I will never forget how much I disliked the R8 because it wouldn't lose. Yes, I disliked it, but its sad to see it go.
 
dougiemeats
As I mentioned in the first post, this will be the final race for the Audi R8. It will have special livery in celebration of its successful career.




I must admit that I have spent the last few years watching every race and hoping that the R8 would break down or lose but it simply wouldn't. This car was well engineered and in combination with world class drivers, they were unstoppable.

Years from now, when our grandchildren ask us about the great sports cars of our day, some of us may remember the Zyteks, while others will remember the Rileys, and some the Lolas. But the first thing I will remember will be the R8. I might forget about the Cadillac, and it may take me a while to remember the Bentley and Panoz, but I will never forget how much I disliked the R8 because it wouldn't lose. Yes, I disliked it, but its sad to see it go.
Click to expand...
This to me will be more emotional than my FANSHIP with Ferrari in Formula 1. Because each year its a different car with more horsepower and what not. But the R8 has actually had weight and horsepower penalties and they still came out on top of the competition. So my best regards to Audi in closing the R8 project..

Great job boys!! 👍 and congrats!! 👍
 
Good riddance to bad rubbish. I can only hope that Audi continues cherry-picking the LMES and ALMS schedules to nail Le Mans invites for the R10 instead of turning OUR series into THEIR testing session.

Send the R8 to the chipper/shredder. I never want to see that wretched monument to bloated budgets again.
 
As I say, love the Audi R8 or hate the Audi R8. I'm sure if GTPlanet (much less the amount of Internet freedom today) was around since the late 1960s and early 1970s, we would be saying the same thing about the Porsche 917s. The 917 was perhaps one of the best sportscar race machine well before the Audi R8. I usually say that Audi probably has the budget of F1's Scuderia Ferrari. Audi knows what it takes to win races. And about the only company to actually take the fight to Audi was the Panoz LMP Roadster. Even that car couldn't keep pace. The 1999 Le Mans winner were those BMW V12 LMR machines. They kept pace in Audi's early years with the R8. The ultimate goal for any car company or race team is to clearly dominate and make your company and name known to the world. Audi accomplished that with the R8 and hope to do the same with the R10. I would definitely say that the R8 is Hall of Fame material. In fact, they should be in some sort of Hall of Fame and in many international motorsports museums. Maybe it's a good thing to hate the Audi R8's winning all the time. The hate is probably a sign of saying "I hate that nobody else can take down Audi even on their best day." You know at this point when a car company or race constructor is winning races while everyone else is looking for other series.

Give the Audi R8 credit even if you completely hate this car.
 
I totally agree with you. Regardless of hating it or whatever, give it credit for its accomplishments to come out strong after being heavily penalized in weight and restricted in power.

:cheers: to Audi and the R8.
 
Layla's Keeper
Good riddance to bad rubbish. I can only hope that Audi continues cherry-picking the LMES and ALMS schedules to nail Le Mans invites for the R10 instead of turning OUR series into THEIR testing session.

Send the R8 to the chipper/shredder. I never want to see that wretched monument to bloated budgets again.
Click to expand...
I can only hope that Audi continues cherry-picking the the LMES and ALMS schedules to nail Le Mans invites for the R10 instead of turning OUR series into THEIR testing session. I don't know. that budget of theirs along with them winning races like Sebring and Le mans might make that impossible. as for the R8, hate it all you want but thats superior engineering. it pretty much from the lenth of time I've watched it did what the Porsche 917s and the Nissan GTPs did: Dominate.
 
With all due respect to Layla's Keeper, he's more of a Grand-Am guy. One who'll likely think a Pontiac Crawford DP is better than an R8. Speaking of which, that is a major auto race the Audi R8 has NEVER won (and to some people, didn't need to)- the 24 Hours of Daytona. That's because to my knowledge, Audi never competed in this series. The last true Daytona 24 was 2002, before the Daytona Prototypes and that "upset" Porsche 911 win over the Daytona Prototypes in 2003.

Many of you may agree with me on this one. The most memorable Audi R8 is 9 times out of 10 the crocodile-livery Audi R8 which competed in the "Race of a Thousand Years" in 2000. If you want pictures of it, here are some links I found on the Crocodile Audi R8:

http://www.audiworld.com/news/00/121400/content.shtml
http://www.audiworld.com/news/00/adelaide/content.shtml
http://www.idcow.com/mst2072.html (a die-cast model)
http://home.freeuk.net/mgussin/AudiR8Crocodile/AudiR8Crocodile.htm

Frank Lamberty was the man behind the crocodile design on this memorable Audi R8. I will admit. It's pretty damn creative. It was anything BUT pretty when it won the ALMS race at Adelaide in 2000. It was a memorable event to ring in the new millenium (the REAL millenium, as in 2001 and NOT 2000). This was a six-hour endurance around the streets of Adelaide. I still wished I could have seen all of the tape-delayed event back then on NBC (yeah, I know. It's sad. NEVER trust NBC for quality racing covereage). I have respect for the Audi R8 because it's simply dominated and has a great resumé. Will you at least agree that Audi came up with a hell of a car? What began as two failed projects at Le Mans ended up being two sensational automobiles. The Audi R8R was an open-top deal that would eventually become the Audi R8, and the beautiful Audi R8C was a closed-top deal that would eventually become the Bentley EXP Speed 8 (or whatever it's called). The end result- both evolved cars won Le Mans. The VW Audi group hasn't lost Le Mans this decade. It's impressive even if you think sportscar racing has turned into F1 where there's always one or two drivers or teams who win every race instead of an underdog winning it all.

The Audi R8 is going to be retired for real, but we can surely bet to see this thing maybe run at the Goodwood Festival of Speed or something. The toughest thing to admit is that not many cars would keep pace with the R8. Only one to do it on a regular basis was the Panoz LMP Roadster. But it couldn't beat this car at the big races. I'll have some extra discussion topics in a future post.
 
With the ALMS racing at Lime Rock, let's do another session of "Fact or Fiction?" This is my idea derived from ESPN's Sportscenter segments. The premise is simple- is going to be Fact or Fiction? It's a "fact" if we can expect this to happen and "fiction" if it's just an too-good-to-be-true speculation. So let's see what you think about the following:



LIME ROCK - FACT OR FICTION?

1. The aging Audi R8 will win its final race and have a storybook ending to its life at Lime Rock.

2. Mazda will be on the podium (3rd or better) in LMP2.

3. At least one Penske Porsche RS Spyder will win in LMP2.

4. The Chevy Corvette C6-R's may have won Le Mans, but they have another thing coming because Aston Martin will win at Lime Rock over the 'Vettes!

5. Panoz won in LMP2 even though it wasn't the ALMS Panoz team. But the ALMS Panoz team will win at Lime Rock in GT2 and carry the good fortunes of the Le Mans 2006 efforts.

6. BMW will have a successful return to the ALMS. In fact, expect to see them on the podium in GT2.

7. After a dismal Le Mans effort, Petersen White Lightning will win this race just to simply wipe away the woes of Le Mans 2006.

8. Both Risi Competizione Ferrari F430GTs (regardless of their final classification) will finish.


Well, what do you think?
 
JohnBM01
With the ALMS racing at Lime Rock, let's do another session of "Fact or Fiction?" This is my idea derived from ESPN's Sportscenter segments. The premise is simple- is going to be Fact or Fiction? It's a "fact" if we can expect this to happen and "fiction" if it's just an too-good-to-be-true speculation. So let's see what you think about the following:



LIME ROCK - FACT OR FICTION?

1. The aging Audi R8 will win its final race and have a storybook ending to its life at Lime Rock.

2. Mazda will be on the podium (3rd or better) in LMP2.

3. At least one Penske Porsche RS Spyder will win in LMP2.

4. The Chevy Corvette C6-R's may have won Le Mans, but they have another thing coming because Aston Martin will win at Lime Rock over the 'Vettes!

5. Panoz won in LMP2 even though it wasn't the ALMS Panoz team. But the ALMS Panoz team will win at Lime Rock in GT2 and carry the good fortunes of the Le Mans 2006 efforts.

6. BMW will have a successful return to the ALMS. In fact, expect to see them on the podium in GT2.

7. After a dismal Le Mans effort, Petersen White Lightning will win this race just to simply wipe away the woes of Le Mans 2006.

8. Both Risi Competizione Ferrari F430GTs (regardless of their final classification) will finish.


Well, what do you think?
Click to expand...

Fact: Audi will take the checkered flag in all its glory at its final race.
Fact: Porsche Spyder will win LMP2.
Fiction: Aston will beat the Vettes.
Fact: Risi will take the GT2 win.
 
Don't you DARE put words in my mouth, John. Yes, I'm a fan of Daytona Prototypes, but I know their capabilities and that capability is matching pace with the previous generation of LMP2's, and not much beyond that.

The Audi R8 was a good chassis when introduced. It was an equal to the BMW LMR. However, its superior came about with the introduction of the Chrysler Dallara.

However, the MONEY that Audi was willing to spend was F1 budget material. We're not talking about the clash of the titans that was Group C/GTP. We're talking about second-hand MG-Lola's and piecemeal Riley & Scotts fielded by teams put together by wealthy businessmen who enjoy sportscars.

The Audi R8 has a winning record, I'll never dispute that. But I'll put an asterisk next to its record due to a lack of equivalent competition.

The Porsche 917K had the Ferrari 512M. The Nissan ZX-T's were fighting every week with TWR Jaguars and AAR Toyota-Eagles. The Ferrari 312PB fought viciously with the Matras.

The Audi has no significant rival, no real competition, and has done more damage to sportscar racing in America than losing Camel sponsorship, the IMSA/USRRC split, and the ACO's constant rules meddling COMBINED. I'd say that's plenty of good reason to want it, and the R10, out of the ALMS.
 
John's "LIME ROCK - FACT OR FICTION?"
JohnBM01
1. The aging Audi R8 will win its final race and have a storybook ending to its life at Lime Rock.

2. Mazda will be on the podium (3rd or better) in LMP2.

3. At least one Penske Porsche RS Spyder will win in LMP2.

4. The Chevy Corvette C6-R's may have won Le Mans, but they have another thing coming because Aston Martin will win at Lime Rock over the 'Vettes!

5. Panoz won in LMP2 even though it wasn't the ALMS Panoz team. But the ALMS Panoz team will win at Lime Rock in GT2 and carry the good fortunes of the Le Mans 2006 efforts.

6. BMW will have a successful return to the ALMS. In fact, expect to see them on the podium in GT2.

7. After a dismal Le Mans effort, Petersen White Lightning will win this race just to simply wipe away the woes of Le Mans 2006.

8. Both Risi Competizione Ferrari F430GTs (regardless of their final classification) will finish.
Click to expand...
1. FACT. This is the Audi factory we're talking about, and they're not going to let a couple LMP2 Porsches beat them in the R8's final race.

2. FICTION. I think both the Penske Porsches as well as Intersport will claim the top 3 spots in LMP2.

3. FACT. I think Porsche has the RS Spyders' problems sorted out.

4. FICTION. It will be a good race, but I think 2nd will be the best Aston Martin Racing will do.

5. FICTION. I think it will either be Flying Lizard or Risi Competizione that takes GT2.

6. FICTION. BMW will have a good race, but not enough to get a podium.

7. FICTION. Their car was destroyed at Le Mans, but they will have a new one. However, Flying Lizard, Risi, AJR, and Panoz will be too much for them.

8. FACT. Both Ferraris should make it through the whole race.
 
well I do. as for Layla's Keeper's point on the R8's rivals, sure it didn't have Competition that was Constantly potent but think about it: most of the rivals it went against had one thing in common-Reliability issues. The Zytek 04s, the Pescarolo C60s, The Lola EX257s, and now the Lola B06/10s. all have either beaten it once or came close but fell to reliabilty issues.
 
Porsche (LM P2) don't really have a chance on a momentum circuit such as this. Their chances were at Houston and they surprised me, dispite having a shot, at Mid-Ohio. One would think the Porsche would have a shot but coming down the hill and onto the front straight you can be on the gas non-stop, the Audi's power will win the race for them. As for the Audi R8 I'm gonna miss it. When my grand kids ask me about the great sports cars of my day it'll be Audi R8, Panoz Esperante LMP 1, and Ferrari 333SP. (And maybe the Panoz Esperante LMP 07, just because it was U-G-L-Y ugly!) I may actually get a little emotional when the commentators try to over-dramatify the race by talking about the R8 and all it's success. It almost feels like putting down an old dog, ALMOST. Side note, I wish they'd have brought back the old style Joest/Audi-Sport colors and three cars, black, yellow and red details. That would be a heck of a send-off!

m.piedgros
 
LIME ROCK - FACT OR FICTION?

1. The aging Audi R8 will win its final race and have a storybook ending to its life at Lime Rock.
-Fact. It'll be the story book ending and I may shed a tear.

2. Mazda will be on the podium (3rd or better) in LMP2.
- Fiction. Porsche, Porsche, Intersport.

3. At least one Penske Porsche RS Spyder will win in LMP2.
- Fact. As above, Porsche, Porsche, Intersport.

4. The Chevy Corvette C6-R's may have won Le Mans, but they have another thing coming because Aston Martin will win at Lime Rock over the 'Vettes!
- Fact. Goodbye winning streak for #4. It's Aston in victory lane.

5. Panoz won LM GT2 even though it wasn't the ALMS Panoz team. But the ALMS Panoz team will win at Lime Rock in GT2 and carry the good fortunes of the Le Mans 2006 efforts.
- Fiction. That doesn't mean I won't be cheering for them.

6. BMW will have a successful return to the ALMS. In fact, expect to see them on the podium in GT2.
- Fiction. They didn't do it at Sebring because they were shaking off the ALMS cobwebs. They still can't get it done yet, but they will... oh they will.

7. After a dismal Le Mans effort, Petersen White Lightning will win this race just to simply wipe away the woes of Le Mans 2006.
- Fiction. Fresh car will be competitive but I think the Texans will win.

8. Both Risi Competizione Ferrari F430GTs (regardless of their final classification) will finish.
- Fact. They are going to win.

m.piedgros
 
I wish I could be there, as I live about an hour from the circuit, but I can't go.

R8 for the tribute win!
 
"I predict its going to be one hell of a race." - DLRgian

"... as they always are." - m.piedgros

I agree, but somehow, I have a feeling that the CBS coverage will make it seem less exciting than it really is. :indiff:
 
No. CBS coverage is condenced. The commentators are just as qualified as the Speed commentators, as I believe they are in fact under contract with NewsCorp. CBS show a 2 and 3/4 hour race in two hours. It doesn't feel right.

m.piedgros
 
Yes, m.piedgros, it is mostly the fact that they show a 2:45 race in 2 hours. Because of some post-race coverage, that means we only see 1:45 of the actual race. It ruins the "flow" of the coverage, and as you said, it doesn't feel right. This is especially evident in the beginning of the coverage when they show the start and have to skip forward to catch up to real time.

DLRgian is also correct. Some of it is the commentating. Maybe it's not necessarily the commentators themselves, but the way they deliver it. It seems that the aimed audience is a "new viewer" to the American Le Mans Series. They tend to explain the obvious things too much (i.e. "4 classes racing at the same time!"). Speed's coverage seems aimed more at the "informed" audience and they get straight to the point.

Anyone else feel this way?
 
Well, I respect Greg Creamer a lot. I didn't know he is also an SCCA corner worker. I respect Greg Creamer as a Speed announcer even if not as much as I like Bob Varsha, David Hobbs, Alain de Cadenet, and the wonderful Leigh Diffey. So it's not all that bad.

ALMS raced Lime Rock before, I just don't know what specific meeting this is for the ALMS to return here. I don't know, maybe their 3rd or 4th appearance at Lime Rock? Lime Rock is a nice track in a lovely setting. Lime Rock Park is basically... a park. A park dedicated to speed. I like those on-board views when the cars head onto the front straight and you see all those trees in the background. The trick to this track is to try to tame the track and make sure your car doesn't become part of the scenery. My only fear is that this may be a wet race considering all the rain I've heard of in the New England sector of America. A track as short as Lime Rock Park can be critical in keeping the car on all fours and on the asphalt. And as I joked, this is going to be short track racing for road racing fans. And I mean that in terms of the fact that this is a short road course where you DON'T want to be running a slow pace. I don't mean "short track racing for road racing fans" in terms of NASCAR-style banging and wrecking and 10+ cautions. This should be a good race.
 

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