After Sebring, Advice for Le Mans...

[Tim Northcutt]

To Lister, Nasamax, and Pilbeam:
Test, Test and Test some more...you are so far behind the curve from starting late that you need to use every opportunity possible to prepare for June...

To the Entire 675 Class:
Figure out a balance between speed and reliability....In every race beyond the 3 hr. timed events, virtually everyone in the class goes up in flames and finished behind the GT winners....you can't win if you don't finish..

To DBA Zytek:
Spend time on getting reliability from the engine between now and June....the rest of the package is fast!

To JML Panoz:
Congratulate yourselves for the Papis/Beretta/Jeanette team's run yesterday, and give the other team enough testing or seat time to get a good feel for the cars...I don't think you can beat the Audis or bentleys (unless they face trouble), but you can race for "best of the rest"..you certainly were yesterday!!!!

To Matthews Racing:
Figure out how to clone Marc Goosens (twice, since magnussen will drive for Team Goh in June), and
Become a Team Owner instead of an Owner/Driver...I'm sure that you can drive the car faster than I ever could dream to drive it, but you're really more of a GT or GTS class driver...laps consistently over 2 min. made your team drop like a rock in the standings...to win at this form of racing, three top notch drivers are needed...not 2 and one-half.

To Champion Audi:
Great strategy was tossed out the window when Pirro got back in the car out of sequence late in the race...the advantage you gained via your fuel strategy was lost when an extra driver change had to occur to comply with the rules...you have another 2nd place when you dominated and should have won at Sebring...learn from it...

To MG-Lola:

Take a total look at every component you put onto that otherwise fast chassis...mechanical and electical problems have plagued your cars for over two years now...if you build them, figure out how to solve the problems...if you buy them, look for other suppliers....

To Bentley:
With everything you have put into your efforts, please be sure your cars comply in every way with the tech regulations! You gave us a thrill in that first hour slicing through the field, but it was too much ground to make up....You can win Le mans if you take care of all things, big and little....

To American Spirit:
Dump the Lincoln Engine....it just doesn't have the horses to get you where you need to be....

Those are my thoughts....anyone else have observations to share with the competitors and teams????