ALMS: Salt Lake City/Mid-Season Discussion

[JohnBM01]

I had a chance to see the Utah Grand Prix. Here are some comments.

First off, I like the roar of the Audi R10 and the Porsche RS Spyder. The R10 has a nice V12 roar despite the fact it's pretty quiet. The Porsche RS Spyder's engine is sort of like a motorcycle-like engine roar, just not with the high-revving deal with motorcycles. * Is it okay to call Miller Motorsports Park a diamond in the rough? I said this course is kind of like the Bahrain F1 GP race. It is certainly a world-class track that can only get better in the coming years. * This was considered a Saturday night race despite the fact this was mostly a mid-evening event. I do sort of wish they'd come off with some pure nighttime event. Think of an event like a Saturday evening race which goes into nighttime. That is what I would love to see. There's a certain magic with night racing. You get to enjoy a lovely sunset as the moon will come out and stars will shine. It is also cooler at night as you have to contend with darkness and a tough race track. * NASCAR has what they call drama. Ha! It was pretty dramatic to see that one Audi R10 have some troubles late in the race. * Speaking of late in the race, that was one hell of a Final Lap for the Audi R10 vs. Porsche RS Spyder. The Porsche could have won the race if they had either traffic for the Audi or getting a good draft over the R10. * Congratulations to the Aston Martin crew for winning in GT1. There was a little of complaining in terms of power balance between the Corvette and Aston Martin DBR9s. The #4 'Vette was off-pace and dead last in GT1 ranks. This GT1 battle is a good one, but I kind of wished more GT1 competitors could step up. I kind of dislike the combo of British Racing Green with red. I like the British Racing Green with Yellow trim. A classical color combination. Maybe a better alternative color combo would be British Racing Green/Silver or British Racing Green/White. * The Porsche RS Spyder is closing within one point in the championship with their P2 victory. They are behind the Field/Halliday combo in P2. They may take the lead with a win or higher finish over the Field/Halliday tandem. * Ferrari's bad luck in winning in GT2 was finally broken as Texas-based Risi Competizione got her done at Utah. First Ferrari GT2 win since Lime Rock in 2004.


Biela/Pirro - Audi R10
Maasen/Luhr - Porsche RS Spyder
Enge/??? - Aston Martin DPR9
Melo/Salo - Ferrari F430GT

FACT OR FICTION? - RESULTS

1. Penske will win not only in P2, but also overall.
RESULT: FICTION Fiction here. But he was very close. Almost made you wish this was an oval race as to where the Porsche RS Spyder could get a good draft going to win. Unfortunately, Audi wasn't having any of that. It was still a great effort by the Porsche P2 effort. Maybe Porsche should step up to P1 if they want to put up a big fight.

2. Audi will win 1-2.
RESULT: FICTION That yellow with red accented Porsche RS Spyder messed up the Audi 1-2.

3. Aston Martin will win two straight in GT1.
RESULT: FACT In fact, the two Aston Matins beat the two 'Vettes 1-2. The complaint was about how the performance of the Corvettes was balanced so that they wouldn't dominate so easily. It almost means that the Corvette could lose only one way- heavily restricted. That's not to say that the Aston Martins aren't as good as the Corvettes, on the contrary.

4. Risi Competizione will get a podium finish.
RESULT: FACT Hate it or love it, the Ferrari F30 is on top. The Enzo likely gave birth to a bouncing baby known as the Ferrari F430. The F430GT has really shown its strength by caputing pole and winning from the pole. Perhaps this win will give the car a little more incentive in trying to be and remain the top dog in the GT2 ranks. It is a beautiful machine with plenty of spunk. Its road-going counterpart cures my only problem with the 360 Modena- not enough power to match the lustful looks. This one does sweet justice. And Giuseppe Risi's boys did their dirty work to hand the man a win. That's a big plus for Risi Competizione who is more like a joint effort of Ferrari of Houston and Ferrari of Dallas. The group is based in Houston, Texas. And of course since I'm such a homer, I've flown the flag of Risi Competizione.

5. Petersen White Lightning will win in GT2.
RESULT: FICTION Second place is the first loser. And sad to say, Petersen White Lightning pick up the silver.

6. A class leader will fall out of the race and bring a major shakeup in the points.
RESULT: FICTION I don't think a front-runner in the championship fell out of the race. Out of contention maybe, but not out of the race. I'll have to check back later to update bullet 7 if necessary.

7. Hard fought action means no more than one caution.
RESULT: FACT I know the Grand-Am boys and girls will go to work next month(?) around this course, but the ALMS boys and girls put up a pretty nice fight without initiating too much NASCAR thugging. The only caution was for that lone Porsche RS Spyder stopped on the exit of pit road.

8. Lola will get a podium.
RESULT: FACT According to the Fighting Illini, dougiemeats, it was Audi, Porsche, Lola the overall podium. Shame to all who thought they had a snowball's chance in Hell! Give me 20 pushups and the latest Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition magazine (not in any exact order)!

9. Panoz will crash or finished lapped.
RESULT: FICTION Again, I'll have to check back if I need to update this bullet. They finished 5th in GT2. Maybe they will have a better time in beautiful Portland, OR, USA. It's the City of Roses. Let's just hope there won't be any black roses for this team.

10. German sweep in GT2.
RESULT: FICTION Last I checked, Ferrari isn't a German car company.

The Sonoco Forgotten Fact had to do with a race 72 years ago today (probably 7/15/2006) at the Nürburgring. The winner was the first to bear the Auto Union rings (Audi today). The driver was Hans Stück Sr. I was going to say Hans Stück, but had no idea and guessed R. Joest. One of those times you just want to scream at the top of your lungs saying... DAMN! Next race will be at the beautiful Portland International Raceway. This track is in a very serene setting within reach of the City of Roses. It's technical and lovely. Should be some wonderful European-style racing on this purely American course with the ALMS in town. The Audi R10 should have no problem here simply because there are certain sound levels you must not exceed in Portland. The R10 has a nice, muffled roar. But will it be up to snuff in keeping a good thing going? Congratulations to all winners in class.

I have some "Fact or Fiction?" questions ready for Portland, but I'll need to know who all will be in the race in order to come up with my statements.

 

[dougiemeats]

Five Rounds Done, Five Rounds To Go​

The end of this race marked the halfway point of the 2006 American Le Mans Series season. What did you think of the first half of the season? Any favorite moments? What are you looking forward to in the second half? Here are a few of my observations and favorite moments:

Sebring Fireworks

The American Le Mans Series began the 2006 season with the Twelve Hours of Sebring. We got our first taste of the exciting GT2 class. Before this year, the GT2 class was mostly a Porsche-dominated class, and I welcome the change. The most memorable moment for me in Sebring was the battle for the final GT1 podium spot between the #3 Corvette and the Aston Martin at the end of the twelve-hour event. For those that missed it; Speed Channel provided an in-car view of the Corvette as it chased the Aston Martin during the final lap. Fireworks lit up the night sky during the battle and seeing it through the windshield of the Corvette was truly a dramatic moment.

"New"

Miller Motorsports Park is not the only "new" thing with ALMS 2006. There are also many new cars racing. We saw Penske debut the Porsche RS Spyder last year, but the car is still new for many. Audi debuted the R10 and Dyson debuted their new Lola at Sebring. In GT2, Risi Competizione is racing a new Ferrari and BMW has returned to the American Le Mans Series. In the GT1 class, we saw the return of Konrad with two Saleen S7Rs, only to see them drop out of the series later. The Aston Martin DBR9, while merely a "guest" last year, is racing the whole season this year. The "new" theme continues into the next half as we expect new cars from Lexus and Radical later on this year.

One Point

If someone would have asked me last year: "Do you think Liz Halliday and Clint Field will be leading the Drivers Championship halfway into the 2006 season?" I would have laughed at the thought. Well, we are halfway and the two Intersport Racing drivers are leading Maassen and Luhr by one point...

"McMurry is leading the race..."

One of my favorite moments is when the Autocon Motorsports Lola, piloted by Chris McMurry, briefly led the race ahead of the Audi R8, Dyson Lolas, and Penske Porsches at Lime Rock Park. I believe this is the first time in Autocon Motorsports history that they have led a race overall. They finished in second place behind the Audi in P1. What an achievement for the team! Here's an interesting fact: Chris McMurry will go down in history as the last driver to lead the Audi R8.

Airplane... Boat... Race Car...

The DBR9s can do it all. After "flying" off the track at Mid-Ohio, then being submerged in water at Lime Rock Park, Aston Martin Racing has finally found a way to win... thanks to IMSA. The Corvettes are heavily restricted, which provided a a very exciting finish at Lime Rock Park, not typically seen in endurance racing.


Second Half

There's much to look forward to in the next half of the 2006 season. Radical (van der Steur), Lexus, Creation, and Zytek all plan to race sometime in the next five races. The Aston Martin and Corvette battle is starting to heat up. Dyson Racing is improving. BMW is showing some promise. We have yet to see a repeat-winner in the GT2 class. There are some exciting times ahead...

Feel free to continue discussing the race if you wish, this thread is open for both topics

 

[RACECAR]

I had a chance to see the Utah Grand Prix. Here are some comments.

First off, I like the roar of the Audi R10 and the Porsche RS Spyder. The R10 has a nice V12 roar despite the fact it's pretty quiet. The Porsche RS Spyder's engine is sort of like a motorcycle-like engine roar, just not with the high-revving deal with motorcycles. * Is it okay to call Miller Motorsports Park a diamond in the rough? I said this course is kind of like the Bahrain F1 GP race. It is certainly a world-class track that can only get better in the coming years. * This was considered a Saturday night race despite the fact this was mostly a mid-evening event. I do sort of wish they'd come off with some pure nighttime event. Think of an event like a Saturday evening race which goes into nighttime. That is what I would love to see. There's a certain magic with night racing. You get to enjoy a lovely sunset as the moon will come out and stars will shine. It is also cooler at night as you have to contend with darkness and a tough race track. * NASCAR has what they call drama. Ha! It was pretty dramatic to see that one Audi R10 have some troubles late in the race. * Speaking of late in the race, that was one hell of a Final Lap for the Audi R10 vs. Porsche RS Spyder. The Porsche could have won the race if they had either traffic for the Audi or getting a good draft over the R10. * Congratulations to the Aston Martin crew for winning in GT1. There was a little of complaining in terms of power balance between the Corvette and Aston Martin DBR9s. The #4 'Vette was off-pace and dead last in GT1 ranks. This GT1 battle is a good one, but I kind of wished more GT1 competitors could step up. I kind of dislike the combo of British Racing Green with red. I like the British Racing Green with Yellow trim. A classical color combination. Maybe a better alternative color combo would be British Racing Green/Silver or British Racing Green/White. * The Porsche RS Spyder is closing within one point in the championship with their P2 victory. They are behind the Field/Halliday combo in P2. They may take the lead with a win or higher finish over the Field/Halliday tandem. * Ferrari's bad luck in winning in GT2 was finally broken as Texas-based Risi Competizione got her done at Utah. First Ferrari GT2 win since Lime Rock in 2004.


Biela/Pirro - Audi R10
Maasen/Luhr - Porsche RS Spyder
Enge/??? - Aston Martin DPR9
Melo/Salo - Ferrari F430GT

FACT OR FICTION? - RESULTS

1. Penske will win not only in P2, but also overall.
RESULT: FICTION Fiction here. But he was very close. Almost made you wish this was an oval race as to where the Porsche RS Spyder could get a good draft going to win. Unfortunately, Audi wasn't having any of that. It was still a great effort by the Porsche P2 effort. Maybe Porsche should step up to P1 if they want to put up a big fight.

2. Audi will win 1-2.
RESULT: FICTION That yellow with red accented Porsche RS Spyder messed up the Audi 1-2.

3. Aston Martin will win two straight in GT1.
RESULT: FACT In fact, the two Aston Matins beat the two 'Vettes 1-2. The complaint was about how the performance of the Corvettes was balanced so that they wouldn't dominate so easily. It almost means that the Corvette could lose only one way- heavily restricted. That's not to say that the Aston Martins aren't as good as the Corvettes, on the contrary.

4. Risi Competizione will get a podium finish.
RESULT: FACT Hate it or love it, the Ferrari F30 is on top. The Enzo likely gave birth to a bouncing baby known as the Ferrari F430. The F430GT has really shown its strength by caputing pole and winning from the pole. Perhaps this win will give the car a little more incentive in trying to be and remain the top dog in the GT2 ranks. It is a beautiful machine with plenty of spunk. Its road-going counterpart cures my only problem with the 360 Modena- not enough power to match the lustful looks. This one does sweet justice. And Giuseppe Risi's boys did their dirty work to hand the man a win. That's a big plus for Risi Competizione who is more like a joint effort of Ferrari of Houston and Ferrari of Dallas. The group is based in Houston, Texas. And of course since I'm such a homer, I've flown the flag of Risi Competizione.

5. Petersen White Lightning will win in GT2.
RESULT: FICTION Second place is the first loser. And sad to say, Petersen White Lightning pick up the silver.

6. A class leader will fall out of the race and bring a major shakeup in the points.
RESULT: FICTION I don't think a front-runner in the championship fell out of the race. Out of contention maybe, but not out of the race. I'll have to check back later to update bullet 7 if necessary.

7. Hard fought action means no more than one caution.
RESULT: FACT I know the Grand-Am boys and girls will go to work next month(?) around this course, but the ALMS boys and girls put up a pretty nice fight without initiating too much NASCAR thugging. The only caution was for that lone Porsche RS Spyder stopped on the exit of pit road.

8. Lola will get a podium.
RESULT: FACT According to the Fighting Illini, dougiemeats, it was Audi, Porsche, Lola the overall podium. Shame to all who thought they had a snowball's chance in Hell! Give me 20 pushups and the latest Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition magazine (not in any exact order)!

9. Panoz will crash or finished lapped.
RESULT: FICTION Again, I'll have to check back if I need to update this bullet. They finished 5th in GT2. Maybe they will have a better time in beautiful Portland, OR, USA. It's the City of Roses. Let's just hope there won't be any black roses for this team.

10. German sweep in GT2.
RESULT: FICTION Last I checked, Ferrari isn't a German car company.

The Sonoco Forgotten Fact had to do with a race 72 years ago today (probably 7/15/2006) at the Nürburgring. The winner was the first to bear the Auto Union rings (Audi today). The driver was Hans Stück Sr. I was going to say Hans Stück, but had no idea and guessed R. Joest. One of those times you just want to scream at the top of your lungs saying... DAMN! Next race will be at the beautiful Portland International Raceway. This track is in a very serene setting within reach of the City of Roses. It's technical and lovely. Should be some wonderful European-style racing on this purely American course with the ALMS in town. The Audi R10 should have no problem here simply because there are certain sound levels you must not exceed in Portland. The R10 has a nice, muffled roar. But will it be up to snuff in keeping a good thing going? Congratulations to all winners in class.

I have some "Fact or Fiction?" questions ready for Portland, but I'll need to know who all will be in the race in order to come up with my statements.

??? it was Turner.

DPR at first I thought you mentioned a Prototype but its DBR9

As for the the Sunoco forgotten facts, I thought it was either Nuvolari or Bernd Rosemeyer, but I was surprised because I didn't know there was a Hans Stuck Sr.

 

[JohnBM01]

I made what are called "typos" in my last post. And thanks for clearing up the GT1 entrant I missed.

 

[ROAD_DOGG33J]

Sebring Fireworks

The American Le Mans Series began the 2006 season with the Twelve Hours of Sebring. We got our first taste of the exciting GT2 class. Before this year, the GT2 class was mostly a Porsche-dominated class, and I welcome the change. The most memorable moment for me in Sebring was the battle for 2nd place between the #3 Corvette and the Aston Martin during the final lap. For those that missed it; Speed Channel provided an in-car view of the Corvette as it chased the Aston Martin during the final lap. Fireworks lit up the night sky during the battle and seeing it through the windshield of the Corvette was truly a dramatic moment.

They were fighting for 3rd place.

 

[dougiemeats]

They were fighting for 3rd place.

Thank you for pointing out my mistake It's now fixed.

 

[m.piedgros]

Well. As always ALMS have provided great racing. Favorite moment has to be at Sebring, chilling at the Chateau Elan with my Dad watching the closing laps (and SHAKING FROM THE SEVERE COLD!!!) That memory will stick around for a while. I'm going back to the Chateau next year, see you there fellas.

One little thing I need clearing up, will changes be made to the 'Vettes to let 'em be competitive again or are we going to watch another joke? (Okay, I may have stretched the truth a little, it wasn't a bad race but Lime Rock was better, bring back the ROCKstrictions to the 'Vette. Huh? See what I did there, ROCKstrictions, I should have a sit-com.)

m.piedgros

 

[dougiemeats]

One little thing I need clearing up, will changes be made to the 'Vettes to let 'em be competitive again or are we going to watch another joke? (Okay, I may have stretched the truth a little, it wasn't a bad race but Lime Rock was better, bring back the ROCKstrictions to the 'Vette. Huh? See what I did there, ROCKstrictions, I should have a sit-com.)

Well, from the way things are going, we'll probably see more restrictions instead of easing up on them. Actually, I don't know about any further restrictions, so it looks like things will stay as they are. I do agree that they need to go back to the "ROCKstrictions." I want another finish like that!

Thanks for sharing your favorite memory of ALMS 2006 so far. I forgot that you attended the race. I can't believe it's already been 4 months since the first race!

Sebring is probably my favorite race so far this season. It was definitely the highlight of my college spring break. (My friends and I didn't go anywhere for break. Instead, we went back to our hometown and it snowed harder than it did in the winter! Gotta love Illinois! Oh well, Sebring more than made up for it.)

 

[JohnBM01]

Okay, let's do the mid-season.

Grids Some other message board I usually talked about how grids in the ALMS are low compared to their GARRA rivals. I usually say it's because the ALMS wants the finest race cars bound for Le Mans or in the spirit of Le Mans. Quality costs money, and it's usually expensive to field these cars throughout the course of a season. Or as a blog I found put it:

"ALMS is all about the best, fastest sportscars that coincidentally are all running to the same rules that Le Mans uses. It's not about weight penalties, parity between cars or big grids. You may only get 10 prototypes at an event but you can be damn sure they're really spectacular cars with superb drivers and solid financial backing. They'll bring big fancy trucks with big, fancy hospitality, and all team members will be wearing immaculate uniforms that match.

"GARRA is about simpler technology that is easier to run and fund and is thus more readily available. The upside to this is nice big grids and tight racing. The downside is that cars can come off as a bit goofy or low-tech, and that many teams are not particularly well-funded or able to secure the services of top drivers." -from: http://fastestlap.blogspot.com/2006_05_01_fastestlap_archive.html[/I]

All I can say is that quality costs money. The group is giving us American sportscar fans some of the finest GT and prototype race cars in the world. They claim to offer "European racing with American attitude." This couldn't be any more true as you have Porsches, Ferraris, Audis, BMWs, and such. It would be nice to see some more European and maybe even Asia-Pacific teams compete in America to enhance grids a bit and add some depth. Trouble is, I've seen the Le Mans Series as perhaps the best sportscar racing series with all the competition in that series. I'm not taking anything away from the ALMS. Don't get me wrong. I just wish a few more teams could compete in America to have some more international influence. Remember when the lovely Lamborghini Murcielago GT-R raced in the ALMS? It provided a little more depth and competition to the GT1 ranks. I do miss the Acemco Saleen a bit. Maybe Saleen should come up with a Saleen S7 Turbo race car. But I don't know if the S7 Turbo would be legal enough for ALMS competition. I think all four classes of ALMS competition can use a little more competition. I'm just not expecting NASCAR numbers (40+ to a track). More competition is always a nice thing. GT1 seems to need more concentration to make it more than just Chevy vs. Aston Martin.

 

[m.piedgros]

The factory could provide superchagers to teams running the S7R and call it the '06 version. Apparently Steve Saleen was tossing and turning at night knowing that Ferrari made a more powerful car with the Enzo so he went out and put a super charger and a big ol' defuser on the back.

m.piedgros

 

[dougiemeats]

The grids are small, but we have witnessed some great racing despite the fact. The Corvette-Aston Martin finish at Lime Rock Park; the Audi-Porsche battle at Miller Motorsports Park; the fact that any car in any given race can win in GT2... this year has not disappointed.

What series did Audi pick? ALMS.
How about Porsche? ALMS.
Aston Martin Racing? ALMS.

As I've mentioned before, we have the 4 best GT1 cars in the world competing against each other here in America. The grids could be better, but it's all about the racing.

Oh and I just posted this in the ALMS News thread, but add two more teams to next year's lineups: Fernandez Racing and Andretti Green Racing! I don't think we'll have small grids next year.

 

[Brett]

I think ALMS is a great series! The racing is almost always great and I could not ask for much more than that. Larger grids are always welcome too; but at the expense of the quality of the cars and the quality of racing, changing the regulations for cheaper racing, thus larger grids, would be a bad thing.

I also agree that having some more of the European teams would be nice. Before that though, I am just hoping that SPEED will pick up coverage of the LMES.

The way I look at it with Audi, Porsche, and Aston Martin being in ALMS is that the United States is one of their biggest markets for selling road cars; thus, it makes sense to be involved in a race series in the US. And it is a very good thing that they are here! 👍

Could we ask for anything better than having the two best GT1 teams in the world? Corvette Racing is the absolute best in the world at the moment, with Aston Martin Racing being right on their tails.

Next year, with Andretti Green Racing and Fernandez Racing joining the field in LMP2, the racing is only going to be that much better. Let's hope the Honda ("Acura") program is going to be fast out of the box and able to compete with the Porsche RS Spyder and the Audi R10. It's going to make for great racing! I had also heard that Bobby Rahal also tried to obtain the right to run the Honda ("Acura") LMP2 car, but was not accepted as an applicant, which is a real shame. It would have been very awesome to possibly see six of the Honda ("Acura") cars on the grid.

Has anyone heard if Mazda is going to be involved in ALMS anymore? Or are they still involved at the moment?

 

[Layla's Keeper]

Mazda is still committed to their LMP2 program with BK. The team's biggest hang-up is what to do next for a chassis as the Courage C65 nears the end of its competitive cycle.

Guy Cosmo, Mazda, Road & Track, and BK Motorsports are all committed to this program. No need to worry, there'll still be a Mazda LMP2 in the coming year.

 

[Brett]

That's good news! 👍 The more manufacturers ALMS can get, the better.

 

[dougiemeats]

Layla's Keeper,

How difficult would it be for the team to obtain a brand new Courage chassis? Also, have you heard anything about BK considering other manufacturers such as Lola?

I certainly hope they can work out something and be competitive next year. I would love to see the BK squad give the customer/factory Porsches and Acura Lolas & Courages a fight for podium spots. The LMP2 class next year has potential to be as exciting as the GT2 class is this year.

 

[JohnBM01]

What ALMS class of racing do you think needs a little more competition and why:

A.) Prototype 1
B.) Prototype 2
C.) Grand Touring 1
D.) Grand Touring 2
E.) All are just fine
F.) None of the Above

 

[ROAD_DOGG33J]

What ALMS class of racing do you think needs a little more competition and why:

A.) Prototype 1
B.) Prototype 2
C.) Grand Touring 1
D.) Grand Touring 2
E.) All are just fine
F.) None of the Above

GT2 looks fine to me, there are good battles between the Porsches, Panoz(ii), and Ferraris.

GT1 is the one that needs it the most, IMO. I really don't like these extreme restrictions. Why don't they do it to the Porsches and Audis in P2 and P1? The Astons and 'Vettes do have great races, but I miss the ACEMCO Saleen and the Maserati.

P2 is also lacking. The Porsches only fall behind when they have problems. It makes me wonder why they aren't restricted, is it to compete with the Audis? I think a couple more slower teams would make it better.

P1, I'm not sure about, but I guess like P2, it could use one more slower team. I was hoping there would be a battle like in the previous year where the R8 and the Dysons made for some great races.

 

[Layla's Keeper]

Well, firstly there's the cost of a new chassis. The Mazda LMP2 is purely a Mazda of America endeavor, and it's been in alliance with BK (a private team) as opposed to an in-house team. Mazda USA (mostly through Racing Beat, Petitt, and other well known rotary builders) has been developing the engines while BK develops the installation. It's not an easy install, either, because of the unique dimensions and requirements of a rotary.

A Lola has been talked about, as has a new Courage, and even mention of Pilbeam and Lucchini, but nothing concrete especially seeing the uphill battle of running with the Porsche Spyders.

As far as more competition, by far and away LMP1 NEEDS it. I'm sick sick sick sick SICK of the Audi juggernaught. It's painful to know that it will take an act of God to get Dyson to the front, and Dyson is the only other team capable of that feat.

Heck, unless you count Autocon campaigning last year's Dyson car under hybrid rules, Dyson is the only other TEAM in LMP1. It used to be, in IMSA, that on any weekend you'd have at least 3 teams - Nissan, Gurney AAR Toyota Eagles, TWR Jaguar - who were going to fight like rabid hounds for the win. Now you've got Audi and Joest using ALMS as an extended test session for Le Mans, and Dyson running themselves ragged for Audi's scraps.

LMP1 needs a stable rules package that encourages the performance of privateer combinations by making allowances in power and tire. None of this "Let's change the rules every other year to bankrupt the chassis makers" nonsense. No. We need rules that encourage RACING at the top level.

 

[Brett]

I think all of the classes need more competition.

GT2 could use even more variety, maybe a couple more Ferraris and BMWs thrown in with the multitude of Porsches. Having said that, the competition in GT2 is great right now, but having a couple more cars on the grid would not hurt.

GT1 needs more cars period. It does not matter what cars are running in GT1, so long as there are more cars. Dodge needs to get their act together and produce a car that is available to privateers to run in GT1 or have a factory effort. It would also be nice to see the Saleens, along with the Maserati MC12s, return to the GT1. While we are at it, it would also be nice to have a Lamborghini Murcielago in the class also.

Next year, with the addition of Honda ("Acura"), LMP2 is going to improve. The Honda ("Acura") LMP2 effort may not be up to the pace of the Porsche Spyders at first, but I can see them gaining speed in leaps and bounds. Hopefully, Mazda will be able to rejoin the ranks in LMP2.

LMP1 definitely needs a little help. Audi has definitely got a very tight grip around this class. The R10 has already shown to have great pace and it is only going to get better. Dyson has struggled with their new car and hopefully they will be able to get back to challenging for race wins. It is really too bad that ALMS does not get all the different cars that the LMES does. I was looking at their car lineup on their website and they have a wide variety of cars.

Really, some of the stuff I said is nitpicking with the ALMS, but larger grids would definitely be great.

 

[dougiemeats]

What ALMS class of racing do you think needs a little more competition and why

The two prototype classes. This year could have been a disaster if Porsche was not involved. Before some "adjusting," Porsche was the only team to take the fight to the Audis. For now, I'll sit back and enjoy what is essentially one prototype class. But I do hope things change soon.

The funny thing is, Porsche is contending for overall wins, capturing overall pole-positions, and leading the race overall, yet they are still struggling to find the reliability to win a class championship.