Sportscars in Europe -- Bizarre Year!

Tim Northcutt · 16 Jul 2003, 20:55 (Ref:663296)

This year has been so mixed up and jumbled in the Sportscar prototypes, that I can't help but ask...

What the heck is going on here??????

The Lister LMP 900 has entered two events, but has not turned a single lap in a race (they didn't start at Sebring, either, if my memory serves me corectly) and has not appeared on ANY entry list since Le Mans (Europe or North America)....

Team Nasamax hasn't fared much better...two starts, lots of troubles, followed by falling of the face of the Earth since June 14th...

Has anyone seen pictures of these cars/teams/drivers on the side of a milk carton lately???

Three teams that were virtually thought to be Dead on Arrival for this year as far as sportscar proto racing -- Team Ascari, Goddard, and R&M -- are now racing, but were nowhere to be seen prior to Le Mans...

The mysterious "Spanish Courage-Judd" that was expected for the last half of the season also is MIA -- nowhere to be found....

The Piper Chassis was the 2004 Regs prototype...but also has disappeared...not a syllable about it...any buyers???

Any sellers????

What about the Courage 675 that ran at LM??? Or the factory Courage??? Where are they????

Does anyone know what is actually going on with any of these listed above???

I'm just curious....seems like a lot of "where are they now" or "why aren't they somewhere?"

Your insight would be most appreciated

pirenzo · 16 Jul 2003, 21:22 (Ref:663320)

I thought the C65 wasn't to race until next year. But wait, it can't (or it wouldn't be wise)
That must be why they scrapped it. It was a badly planned venture if yo ask me.
Ascari, i thought they were giving up sportscars to concentrate on their EuroBOSS cars (last time i saw them they were wiping the floor, but hey, if they think it's important)
Nasamax. Ha, don't say no-one told you so. Doesn't surprise me in the least to see they gave up on that one. Seems a no brainer to stay clear of the Reynard to me.
The Lister will be back, but it beats me why they don't enter it for more races, or express an interest at least in the LMES, they need to get some serious mile under that car's belt, and they don't seem to be making any progress on that front at all.

Tim Northcutt · 16 Jul 2003, 21:37 (Ref:663344)

The C65 ran at Le Mans, didn't it?????

With the JPX engine????

And back in April, everything I read was that R&M was going to run in some Italian GT series this year...with no interest in proto racing...

There also seems to be two pieces of Audi hardware sitting in mothballs as well -- Audi UK and Team Goh....

WHY?????

$$$$$ (or lack thereof?) ????

Graham Goodwin · 16 Jul 2003, 21:40 (Ref:663345)

Team Goh are doing the FIASCC at Spa and the Audi UK car is entered for the LMES race at LM in November

Tim Northcutt · 16 Jul 2003, 21:42 (Ref:663347)

Thanks, Graham Goodwin...that's the first I've heard about either car since Le Mans....boy, would that be a big waste to have machinery like that sitting around and not racing for wins somewhere....because no matter where they entered they would be in the hunt for the podium at a minimum...

pirenzo · 16 Jul 2003, 21:42 (Ref:663349)

Quote:

Originally posted by Tim Northcutt
The C65 ran at Le Mans, didn't it?????

With the JPX engine????

And back in April, everything I read was that R&M was going to run in some Italian GT series this year...with no interest in proto racing...

There also seems to be two pieces of Audi hardware sitting in mothballs as well -- Audi UK and Team Goh....

WHY?????

$$$$$ (or lack thereof?) ????

I wasn't aware that the C65 ran. Which team?

Tim Northcutt · 16 Jul 2003, 21:47 (Ref:663353)

If you look at this year's entry list in the 675 category, it was Car #31, entered as "Courage Competition" with a "Courage JPX" engine and it was driven by Halliday, Alliot
and Rosenblad....

pirenzo · 16 Jul 2003, 22:06 (Ref:663368)

Do you think it would be a good idea to race it next year. It would come under the "grandfather" clause presumably?
That would seem like a silly thing to do in my mind.
Surely now most teams should be beginning to gear up for next year. and crucially 05, by which time you are going to need an 04/05 spec car to be competitive. I belive Courage introduced the car into a market soon to be killed off, so i ask why they built it in the first place?

Tim Northcutt · 16 Jul 2003, 22:20 (Ref:663381)

I would agree to an extent...

Maybe they were trying to learn a few things about chassis and engine dynamics in the 675 class before making changes or adjustments to the C65 concept to be an LMP2 or a 750 class prototype for privateers...

I don't really know the answer to that one....

I do know that the JPX engine as their power choice was widely questioned...especially since they made that choice about 8-10 weeks before Le Mans....not a lot of time to work out bugs in a new engine concept if you ask me...

In a way, you could probably say the same thing about Lister....but others have said it was designed to be converted to 2004 regs...

But as noted above...Lister has fallen off the radar screen after a dismal first six months as a prototype racing operation....

This is worse than playing "Where's Waldo" because nobody is wearing a candy-striped shirt....

Personally, I just don't get it...especially Lister...you spend big $$$ with a prominent designer to create a car to 2003 specs when they will go away 12 months later, try to race the car twice only to miss out on the starting grid both times, then you don't run the car in at least 2 events that have occured since Le Mans, and apprarently are not entered in the next two (if you look at both FIA-SCC and ALMS schedules combined)....

Sounds like a monumental waste of $$$ and time to me...

at least race the car as part of a 10-15 car FIA-SCC field...even if they are racing on a neighborhood go-kart track....

after all, you paid for it.....race it just to learn something, if for no other reason...get your money's worth...

RacingManiac · 17 Jul 2003, 02:41 (Ref:663513)

Any of the big european teams will be coming to PLM?

KA · 17 Jul 2003, 10:00 (Ref:663694)

Quote:

Originally posted by Tim Northcutt
But as noted above...Lister has fallen off the radar screen after a dismal first six months as a prototype racing operation....

Personally, I just don't get it...especially Lister...you spend big $$$ with a prominent designer to create a car to 2003 specs when they will go away 12 months later, try to race the car twice only to miss out on the starting grid both times, then you don't run the car in at least 2 events that have occured since Le Mans, and apprarently are not entered in the next two (if you look at both FIA-SCC and ALMS schedules combined)....

Sounds like a monumental waste of $$$ and time to me...

at least race the car as part of a 10-15 car FIA-SCC field...even if they are racing on a neighborhood go-kart track....

after all, you paid for it.....race it just to learn something, if for no other reason...get your money's worth...

From what I've seen in the press in the UK (or on DSC) Listers plans for the rest of the season with the LMP are Donington and Spa FIA races, and then the LMES race in November.

At a guess Monza was always going to be out of the question for them, maybe because of the need to repair the car after JC-W's Le Mans qualifying shunt, but mainly because of the date clash with the Donington FIA GT round.

I wouldn't be too surprised if they're too preoccupied with preparing for the Spa 24hours at the moment to have considered running the LMP in Germany....

Tim Northcutt · 17 Jul 2003, 13:23 (Ref:663874)

Thanks, KA....

I appreciate the insight, and your explanation makes perfect sense...especially with the Spa 24 hrs. coming up...

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