Quote:
Originally Posted by Tim Northcutt
A few questions for you:
If you "get what you wish" with races on multiple continents, exactly how many of those "privateers" will be able to afford to go to all points of the globe to participate?
Didn't FIA-GT, then later the LMS try to do a race in Brazil? Boy, the LMS sure had BIG numbers of privateers participate in that, didn't it?
Even with Petit Le Mans being an "Automatic Bid' if you win your class, how many of the European privateers even bother to make that trip? Not enough to amount to a glob of spit...that's how many show up...
Yet you still want to see this stupid world championship that will be enormously expensive for teams, thus it will lack any meaningful participation because they can't afford the trips, and will undercut the other Series in other parts of the world that help to support the ACO's ultimate goal to grow sportscar racing.
Back when the old FIA sportscar series existed and had few competitors, I urged the ACO to form the LMS under its banner, and I think it was a great move...
I just can't understand why the ACO chooses to do this NOW, when it should be done when the sport is strong enough to sustain it as opposed to doing it in the midst of a deep worldwide recession...
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It makes sense in the continents with their own racing series (ALMS, LMS AsLMS). About the rest, i should have said ?let me dream? and not 'why not'. The LMIC is for the manufactures and top privateer teams, not for all, LMP1 class only, and i don't believe that this can work in other ways, like having all the 4 classes.
Brazil was bad, was just stupid, but, in the old WSC days, the final round had few entrants also, and, they had said that the transport would be paid, but only part of it. A Team Manager from a LMS team told me that it wasn't enough to transport an full dismantle LMP. Talking on WSC, the championship was almost for the top manufactures also, and they attend to the races they wanted to, here, there or in Asia, and things worked fine until FIA put an end on it.
I´m not sure that LMIC is going to be a success, or a failure... probably, not even one or the other. But what i am sure, is that this competition was demanded by the manufacturers, and its not some silly kamikaze ideia from ACO. Audi was the first to say present on the new series, an Peugeot will follow for sure. An month ago, Quesnel in an interview on an french sport magazine said that it was necessary to put on an World Championship for manufacturers.
Logistics will be a great problem i agree. In F1, Everything, or almost, is paid by the Championship sponsors, and i doubt that at least in an near future, that will happen in LMIC. Undercut what? Peugeot and Audi are doing only Sebring and Petit Le Mans, what will be different? There ain't Sebring this year but it will be in 2011. And on LMS? Peugeot and Audi are gone (Peugeot went for Spa), and now they can be both in Silverstone (Audi is for sure), an in the future they could be on 2 races. That is much more than we have now, and you loose nothing you didn´t already lost.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tim Northcutt
I will close with this...
The LMS season events (keep Le Mans out of this...separate, showcase event) have many more cars participating, but do not draw even remotely close to as many fans in attendance at the events as North American sportscar races attract to race weekends....not even close.
In fact, Sebring and Petit both draw over 100,000 fans each (Sebring closer to 200,000), Mid-Ohio comes close to 90,000-100,000, Mosport draws 75,000+, and the list goes on and on...
Why screw over an ACO-affiliated series that grows your fanbase for sportscar racing and for Le Mans by undercutting it?
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One of the things i admire on the american motorsports fans (please tell me if i'm wrong), is that you are genuine motorpsort fans. Of course you have your preferences, and some just go to see some kinds of motorsport, and, here in europe is the oposit. There ain't motorsport fans.. there are endurance fans, a huge amount of F1 fans, others are GT fans, WRC fans... motorsport fans? that attend to severeal types of racing? To few...
Then, we have the problem of the lack of works teams, and close races. I can see an seperate LMP2 field for privateer teams, but i can´t understand the advantage of diesel on LMP1.
Now i'll make you two questions that i hope you respond:
Could ALMS (and LMS also) survive only with LMP2 (with no works teams), GT1 and GT2 fields, leaving the top LMP1 for those who can go acroos the world?
If NASCAR and Indy don't have works teams, and they are going well, why can't ALMS go the same way?