Forsythe/ALMS Rumors

[mattcat]

They're getting a little more serious on their Dunlops...

[alwayswatching]

[quote=Aslak Vind]I think that the issue with Lola is, that you buy a car with parts as a package. And thats it. No factory support as you get with a Porsche RS Spyder, so everything hangs in the balance, as to how good and wellfunded backbone you have, with mechanics, engineers and so on.

I would also has at a guess, that you would pay considerably less for the Lola & spares package, than you would the Porsche Spyder. Lola does have engineers at the ALMS races, and the difference in the $ cost required, I'd imagine would mean you could employ an good engineer/s.

Lola probably still represents the best bang for the buck for a private Team.

[WMUCarGuy]

[QUOTE=alwayswatching]

Originally Posted by Aslak Vind

I think that the issue with Lola is, that you buy a car with parts as a package. And thats it. No factory support as you get with a Porsche RS Spyder, so everything hangs in the balance, as to how good and wellfunded backbone you have, with mechanics, engineers and so on.

I would also has at a guess, that you would pay considerably less for the Lola & spares package, than you would the Porsche Spyder. Lola does have engineers at the ALMS races, and the difference in the $ cost required, I'd imagine would mean you could employ an good engineer/s.

Lola probably still represents the best bang for the buck for a private Team.

Although I think there were reports saying that the new Lola coupe was almost as expensive as an RS Spyder, so a Zytek would seemingly be a huge bargain.

[mpme]

[quote=WMUCarGuy]

Originally Posted by alwayswatching

Although I think there were reports saying that the new Lola coupe was almost as expensive as an RS Spyder, so a Zytek would seemingly be a huge bargain.

The costs are pretty far apart actually. I'll have a story out in the next few weeks on the comparative costs of sportscars, and the B08/80 is included.

A race ready Lola P2 Coupe is nothing like the $1.5M the RS Spyder will set you back. No way Mazda could have afforded it if that was the case.

[The Badger]

[QUOTE=WMUCarGuy]

Originally Posted by alwayswatching

the new Lola coupe was almost as expensive as an RS Spyder

Somehow I cant see that .....the Porsche is a fully worked out example of a total package ..... If you buy a Lola , you choose your engine and test it too . Lola dont do that for you .

If the Coupe is almost as expensive as an RS Spyder ..... I would be picking the Porsche for the simple reason its a turn key chassis that works very well indeed .

[Speed-King]

Forsythe to Grand Am??
http://www.grand-am.com/rolex/schedu...st.cfm?eid=855

[joeb]

Originally Posted by Speed-King

Forsythe to Grand Am??
http://www.grand-am.com/rolex/schedu...st.cfm?eid=855

ouch! That is not exactly a large lineup for the test day. 6 DP's....

the forsythe entry appears to be the ex Cheever Racing car.

[cmk]

Woah, a whole 8 DPs now. Then again, I don't remember the late fall test ever being that well-attended, as it's an interspace between 2008 and 2009 programs.

There is a certain feeling that GARRA is headed for tough times next year, and I think that may well be the case, but I do not believe this is necessarily a signal of that.

[Speed-King]

Originally Posted by joeb

the forsythe entry appears to be the ex Cheever Racing car.

Cheever was testing the last two days, though. So there's a lot of possibilities why Forsythe would test in the ex-Cheever car. Could be that they ordered their own car from Cheever, but it isn't ready yet.

[FIRE]

Originally Posted by joeb

ouch! That is not exactly a large lineup for the test day. 6 DP's....

the forsythe entry appears to be the ex Cheever Racing car.

And taken over the Crown Royal sponsorship?


edit: Maybe Speed King is right. Forsythe using the Cheever car before getting an own Cheever Coyote chassis.

[Rodger Davies]

8 cars but all are decent entries. Forsythe and possibly Penske next year. I'd rather NASCAR Sportstcars died off but I'm beginning to wonder if those predicting a bleak future are speaking too soon.

[Speed-King]

Originally Posted by Rodger Davies

8 cars but all are decent entries.

The October test is really quite redundant as it is done on 08-spec tires, with the 09-tires only available for the November test. So apart from driver eavulation or getting track time for new teams there's not that much to be gained from that test.

And a few stalwarts have just recently said that they'd be back or are on the November entry list, i.e. Michael Shank with both Fords, Gainsco, the 2nd Brumos car and Sun Trust.

Also: Cheever sounded pretty confident about an extended Crown Royal sponsorship just four weeks ago:
http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/artic...s-road-runner/

“With the DP rules stability, and a terrific sponsor – racing is now embedded in Crown Royal’s corporate culture – I’m very positive about Grand-Am in general and my team in particular,” Cheever says.

That really doesn't sound like CR would dump him, things may have changed, of course.

I think there will be a good dozen of regular DPs in Grand Am next year and a growing number of teams that just do a limited schedule.

[aeroehl]

Does anyone see one of the big Grand Am teams being a second Corvette GT2 team and I have a hard time seeing GM in the series next year.