More Good News For Grand AM Fans!

GP Racer · 10 Dec 2004, 00:24 (Ref:1175793)

The good news for Grand Am fans just keeps on coming! This announcment just came out today.

INDIANAPOLIS (December 9, 2004) -- One of the world's leading luxury car manufacturers has joined the Rolex Sports Car Series, as officials from Nissan North America, Inc. and the Grand American Road Racing Association today announced that Infiniti engines have been approved for Daytona Prototype competition beginning with the 2005 season.

Thats another major manufacturer added to the roster for 05 that already includes BMW, Ford, Pontiac, Porsche, and Lexus. This series is fast becoming a showcase for carmakers worlwide.

For the rest of the story, go to www.grandamerican.com

JAG · 10 Dec 2004, 01:06 (Ref:1175816)

Sorry, but having an engine approved for DP is hardly manufactuer involvement in the traditional sense!

slicktsax · 10 Dec 2004, 01:09 (Ref:1175817)

darn you beat me to the punch. well anyway yeah the Hypersport team which ran the panoz esperante in the GT clas of the american lemans series back in 2003 is going to run a Doran JE4 with the infiniti power plant. it will be a 4.35 liter version of the V8 that's in the Infiniti Q45. story and pic of the car can be found here: http://www.lmsr.net/hsport2005.html

also GW motorsports has changed it's name to Synergy motorsports. also the Frissele brothers will pilot the Synergy BMW Doran backed by FX.com. Burt Frissle was one of teh drivers who piloted the micheal shank racing lexus doran je4 this past year, article can be found here: http://www.grand-am.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3411

billnchristy · 10 Dec 2004, 18:27 (Ref:1176412)

Looks like people are finally learning how to paint these things and make them look good...if not great! Thats a sexy car!

SALEEN S7R · 10 Dec 2004, 20:43 (Ref:1176529)

Quote:

Originally Posted by slicktsax

darn you beat me to the punch. well anyway yeah the Hypersport team which ran the panoz esperante in the GT clas of the american lemans series back in 2003 is going to run a Doran JE4 with the infiniti power plant. it will be a 4.35 liter version of the V8 that's in the Infiniti Q45. story and pic of the car can be found here: http://www.lmsr.net/hsport2005.html

also GW motorsports has changed it's name to Synergy motorsports. also the Frissele brothers will pilot the Synergy BMW Doran backed by FX.com. Burt Frissle was one of teh drivers who piloted the micheal shank racing lexus doran je4 this past year, article can be found here: http://www.grand-am.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3411

Very pretty car - it looks just like a REAL racing car huh guys?

Now if only it could go like one...

GP Racer · 10 Dec 2004, 21:33 (Ref:1176571)

Quote:

Originally Posted by SALEEN S7R

Very pretty car - it looks just like a REAL racing car huh guys?

Now if only it could go like one...

How true!

If they could just make it as fast as an Audi LMP, then we could watch it race around the track all by itself for hours and hours, laps in front of its nearest competition. Now thats exciting!

SALEEN S7R · 10 Dec 2004, 21:48 (Ref:1176581)

Didnt u see the ALMS this season GP Racer? The Audi was hardly running around by itself, sure it was the dominant car, but there was plenty of people there challenging it, not least the Dyson Lolas and the Creation Zytek...

Bramzel · 11 Dec 2004, 01:10 (Ref:1176718)

Quote:

Originally Posted by GP Racer

This series is fast becoming a showcase for carmakers worlwide.

Without disrespecting the series (even though I hate those cars I agree that it's a strong championship, just can't bother me at all) ; that sentence made me laugh.

Jeffrey-Lee · 11 Dec 2004, 01:42 (Ref:1176723)

Showcase of what? Their company logo and name? Surely not technology...

But yes the series is gaining some momentum which is cool. Daytona looks set for a pretty competitive edition

. I just hope they change the regs for the greenhouse very soon, the cars just look ridiculous at the moment.

vwpilot · 11 Dec 2004, 02:12 (Ref:1176739)

It will showcase Infiniti as much as the IRL did for them. I cant stand all the people around that said they bought their Q45 after seeing the engine run at Indy.

vs346 · 11 Dec 2004, 02:59 (Ref:1176753)

Quote:

Originally Posted by vwpilot

I cant stand all the people around that said they bought their Q45 after seeing the engine run at Indy.

all i can do is:

Fab · 11 Dec 2004, 07:16 (Ref:1176824)

Nice car, this Q45, IMHO...

GP Racer · 11 Dec 2004, 21:27 (Ref:1177237)

Quote:

Originally Posted by vwpilot

It will showcase Infiniti as much as the IRL did for them. I cant stand all the people around that said they bought their Q45 after seeing the engine run at Indy.

Why's that vwpilot? Care to elaborate?

Infiniti didn't do well in the IRL, but if it helped sell cars, then I would say they were successful. Yes, pushing technology is nice and part of it, but the major reason is to show the badge, and sell cars.

I think that Infiniti has made a great decision coming to GA. For little investment, they will compete against their major competitors in the automotive world, and likely sell more cars because of it...

billnchristy · 11 Dec 2004, 21:49 (Ref:1177252)

what about a twin cam V8 isnt modern or high tech? What else is out there? Nobody but audi uses direct injection...so tell me, what is the high tech engine of today?

vwpilot · 12 Dec 2004, 02:21 (Ref:1177367)

Quote:

Originally Posted by GP Racer

Why's that vwpilot? Care to elaborate?

Infiniti didn't do well in the IRL, but if it helped sell cars, then I would say they were successful. Yes, pushing technology is nice and part of it, but the major reason is to show the badge, and sell cars.

I think that Infiniti has made a great decision coming to GA. For little investment, they will compete against their major competitors in the automotive world, and likely sell more cars because of it...

I think you missed the sarcasm in my post.

The IRL did not sell cars for them and the point was the GA [sarcasm]will do just as well for them.[/sarcasm]

billnchristy · 12 Dec 2004, 02:35 (Ref:1177369)

They will probably sell more with their DP engine than with their LM1 program...

extramundane · 12 Dec 2004, 05:43 (Ref:1177400)

Quote:

Originally Posted by billnchristy

They will probably sell more with their DP engine than with their LM1 program...

Wouldn't that require fans to actually watch Grand-Am?

Speedworx · 12 Dec 2004, 11:03 (Ref:1177518)

I really like the look of the Grand-Am car. I wish the series was shown on TV in the UK.

SALEEN S7R · 12 Dec 2004, 11:12 (Ref:1177525)

Quote:

Originally Posted by hakkiman

I really like the look of the Grand-Am car. I wish the series was shown on TV in the UK.

It is, Sky sports about a fortnight after the race, on a programme called "Race world" presented by Mark Cole.

luke · 12 Dec 2004, 12:06 (Ref:1177561)

Quote:

Originally Posted by SALEEN S7R

It is, Sky sports about a fortnight after the race, on a programme called "Race world" presented by Mark Cole.

I think it's about a few months behind, because last month they showed the race at Homestead that was in September.

But any way we could do with better coverege.

SALEEN S7R · 12 Dec 2004, 12:09 (Ref:1177564)

Quote:

Originally Posted by luke

I think it's about a few months behind, because last month they showed the race at Homestead that was in September.

But any way we could do with better coverege.

Perhaps if the series was more interesting to the general public we might get better coverage. Like we do with the ALMS.

billnchristy · 12 Dec 2004, 15:32 (Ref:1177624)

you guys get better ALMS coverage than we do...

SALEEN S7R · 12 Dec 2004, 15:37 (Ref:1177626)

Do we? As far as I know we get ur coverage. CBS and Speed that is, sure for one race we got the coverage before u guys did on CBS but that was because CBS delayed the Laguna Seca coverage for some reason or another. I cant think of any when else we have received coverage before u.

billnchristy · 12 Dec 2004, 16:09 (Ref:1177641)

Was your CBS coverage only 2hrs for the 4hr Laguna race?
Does the SPEED broadcasts get interupted for NASCAR happy hour or auctions?

If so I guess you dont get better coverage...but I thought I had heard that the whole race was shown for Petit and Laguna over in Europe live...

Danske · 12 Dec 2004, 16:56 (Ref:1177663)

The network broadcasts of the ALMS races in the US had only the last hour or so live. Still, that's better than the Champcar broadcasts which were only live when the series was on the west coast.

And that was better than the Trans-Am coverage which was a short recap a week later in the OWRS infomercial if you didn't have the HDTV channel

.

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