GTS ALMS Future?

[Kurt Maxwell]

With the news that a new Saleen S7R is comming to the ALMS and the prospect of a Lamborghini joining as well might sportscar team owner Kevin Doran be right about GTS being the future of the ALMS?

There are great battles with the current GTS Corvettes and Ferrari 550s and there are many new supercars that could race there that are on the horizon.

The only problem I can see is this-
If there are only two Audi R8s,Field's two cars and a couple Dyson MGs you will have enough LMPs to make sure a GTS doesn't win, but not enough for a good race for the overall between the prototypes.

GTS is where the interest and action are in the ALMS so why bother with LMP cars? Why not make it a copy of the FIA GT? That way the battle in GTS will be for the overall win, not just for a trophy in a "secondary" class.ni

Maybe Sebring and PLM could become LMES events? They are at the begining and end of the season and are the only races that get good LMP fields and big crowds anyway.

[rdjones]

Well I have just heard an interview with Bobby Rahal on the ALMS Radio Web and he is planing to run a Ferrari 575 next year.......

[Kurt Maxwell]

Thank for that info,RDJ.

That has been an on again off again situation for a while. Good to hear that it is on as Rahal brings much more to the ALMS than just another good GTS car.

I wonder if Panoz is going ahead with his plans for a GTS team?

[Fogelhund]

Kurt, I analyze the information and come up with the follownig. At Sebring there is the DBA Zytek whatever and the Bentley's, beyond that, the fields are the same, and at many of the events the crowds excellent.

This certainly doesn't bring us to much of a discussion for, or against the GTS cars. I do think that we all acknowldge the dependency on manufacturers and the pandering that is required on the behalf of the ACO to these manufacturers. IF in fact the ACO is going to pander to GTS cars moving towards a set target somewhere around a 3:40 range, which somehow makes them even with LMP, then so be it. GTS will then be a sort of GT1 then won't it? Hopefully the controls will work this time.

[Kurt Maxwell]

Yes,BH. I think so. Maybe.

Like Ratel said-if there aren't enough LMPs then something should be done. I am clearly not the only one who thinks it's broke and needs fixing.

With the big news so far on the prototype front being customer LMP2 cars it doesn't look like there is too much momentum in LMP while there is quite a bit of it in GTS.

If Porsche see that they can win LM overall with a supercar that the R&D has been paid for I think they will be there with at least factory support for privateers. I know they said they wouldn't race the Carrera GT, but it wouldn't be the first time they played the game to get what they wanted.

Maserati vs Porsche would be exciting. Throw in Zondas,Saleen S7Rs,Mosler GTS and Lamborghinis-all cars that privateers can actually buy and afford to race-and that would fix the sport for me.

Of course the ACO might prefer that the Spa 24 hours becomes the most important sportscar race in the world so maybe they won' change anything

[Chevyguy]

To listen to any Rahal rumor is laughable. Every couple of months, there is a new Rahal rumor, and nothing to back up any of what he says. I think interviewers are taking too seriously things that Rahal might be pondering.