The future of Corvette

[Dyson Mazda]

Originally Posted by MagVanisher

Once they finish first place in their class at Petit Le Mans will get Corvette Racing the Grand Slam! If only they would compete in Nurburgring or Spa...

They could not do it with the GTE. There were some rumors they were going to go after if with the PWC Caddy though that never materialized.

[Rodger Davies]

Would make sense to have a go at the Nurburgring with the Caddy, it would match their marketing spiel. However, I guess if it were going to happen next year we'd probably know by now.

[MitchZ06]

Wouldn't the GTE car fit into one of the SP classes?

[TF110]

Theyd never let it beat their gt3 entries. Probably ballast it to 1400kg and kill its engine power.

[MitchZ06]

BMW M3 GT2 ran under E1-XP iirc, maybe they'd allow it there?

[Victor_RO]

Originally Posted by MitchZ06

BMW M3 GT2 ran under E1-XP iirc, maybe they'd allow it there?

There is SP-Pro nowadays for cars with GT3-like pace but not built to GT3 "regulations" (stuff like the Glickenhaus SCG003 or the Code-X Lexus LFA). So a slightly-restricted GTE car would fit quite well in that class.

[Deleted]

BMW M3 GT2 had favorable specs at N24 because it was German OEM. Also at the time GT3 boom and arms race wasn't quite as high

Corvette today would receive garbage BoP for
A) Running outside GT3 (amd SP-PRO isn't quite up to GT3/SP9 allowance is it...)
B) All the other spoiled GT3 brats would cry and demand 'justice'
C) For being foreign and' not strategically important'

[TF110]

You can look at the bop for cars like the LFA and Glickenhaus vs those gt3's and see how they had to make due with smaller restrictors and more weight. Smells like favoritism imo. Though maybe Vette entering two cars as a factory effort might sway some favor in their direction? Dont see these guys running there.

[Deleted]

They only ever enter races they know (American) people might follow, N24 is still club and niche outside heart of Germany. Europe isn't the same for Chevrolet. And the only non US/Canadian race they've ever done is Le Mans, even in the early ALMS days when the series visited Europe and Oz. They will never enter WEC either as long as there is some domestic alternative for domestic market (no matter how crap it is), that's why I always roll my eyes when Hindy says "why still no factory team in WEC" every other time Corvette is being mentioned in broadcast

[kyoung]

Originally Posted by TF110

You can look at the bop for cars like the LFA and Glickenhaus vs those gt3's and see how they had to make due with smaller restrictors and more weight. Smells like favoritism imo. Though maybe Vette entering two cars as a factory effort might sway some favor in their direction? Dont see these guys running there.

This is as close as it will ever get…

http://www.corvetteonline.com/news/n...corvette-team/

There was a time when the Z06 GT3 was a formidable entry in GT3; they bopped it to death. Callaway dropped the displacement to getter better BoP, after about a month of success they gave Ernst Woehr the same bop he had with the 7 liter engine…back to square one.

The Z06 GT3 is pretty much relegated to the ADAC GT Masters and they have had good success there in my opinion largely due to Daniel Keilwitz, I have a lot of respect for his driving skills. The N24 is a showcase for German cars period; other marques are tolerated and bopped accordingly.

[hondafan37]

A imaginary render of the 2016 Corvette GTE/GTLM
https://www.facebook.com/rc82workcho...type=1&theater

[GT3.14]

Originally Posted by kyoung

The N24 is a showcase for German cars period; other marques are tolerated and bopped accordingly.

I don't think BOP has much if anything to do with it. BMW, Porsche, Audi, and Mercedes-Benz have a significant advantage as they develop their cars there. Add a couple of works and customer cars in the VLN and you have a significant advantage in track time over others. Others who will do two VLN rounds with one or two cars and expect to be competitive when they won't even last until midnight.

The Bentleys may have the best shot at a win for a foreign brand (VW blah blah blah) with the amount of running time they have. The Aston and McLaren have proven to be as rugged as a sugar cube. Can't recall a memorable entry for a Lamborghini. Ferraris are a rare sight in VLN and even if AF Corse entered it would takes ages to catch up to the experience of the others.

So when it comes to Corvette, who do people complain that they are not at the N24 when they don't have a GT3 car, VLN experience, or a budget as there is no worthwhile market presence on the entire continent?

And would we really want a factory GTE car that a privateer can't really buy winning the N24 again? And we all see the Nürburgring as the mystical holy land where experience, skill, and good fortune lead to victory. Someone winning with a car built for faster regulations that costs significantly more to buy (if they will even sell you one) and run takes the fun out of it doesn't it? Would you want to watch an ELMS race with 10 P2 cars running behind a P1 car? It's not really any different.

VLN is great because we have no idea who will win. It may be a works supported Audi. It may be Sabine Schmitz in a Porsche that is out of date. It may be the front wheel drive Audi TT from a lower class when the weather is bad (yes, it has happened.)

And let us just be grateful that racing on the Nürburgring still exists at all before we start complaining that the BOP for theoretical entrants would unfavourable.

[HORNDAWG]

Originally Posted by GT3.14

I don't think BOP has much if anything to do with it. BMW, Porsche, Audi, and Mercedes-Benz have a significant advantage as they develop their cars there. Add a couple of works and customer cars in the VLN and you have a significant advantage in track time over others. Others who will do two VLN rounds with one or two cars and expect to be competitive when they won't even last until midnight.

The Bentleys may have the best shot at a win for a foreign brand (VW blah blah blah) with the amount of running time they have. The Aston and McLaren have proven to be as rugged as a sugar cube. Can't recall a memorable entry for a Lamborghini. Ferraris are a rare sight in VLN and even if AF Corse entered it would takes ages to catch up to the experience of the others.

So when it comes to Corvette, who do people complain that they are not at the N24 when they don't have a GT3 car, VLN experience, or a budget as there is no worthwhile market presence on the entire continent?

And would we really want a factory GTE car that a privateer can't really buy winning the N24 again? And we all see the Nürburgring as the mystical holy land where experience, skill, and good fortune lead to victory. Someone winning with a car built for faster regulations that costs significantly more to buy (if they will even sell you one) and run takes the fun out of it doesn't it? Would you want to watch an ELMS race with 10 P2 cars running behind a P1 car? It's not really any different.

VLN is great because we have no idea who will win. It may be a works supported Audi. It may be Sabine Schmitz in a Porsche that is out of date. It may be the front wheel drive Audi TT from a lower class when the weather is bad (yes, it has happened.)

And let us just be grateful that racing on the Nürburgring still exists at all before we start complaining that the BOP for theoretical entrants would unfavourable.

What?









L.P.

[kyoung]

Originally Posted by GT3.14

I don't think BOP has much if anything to do with it.

Well you pretty much lost all credibility in your first sentence, BoP has everything to do with it. You are either very naïve or willfully ignorant.

Originally Posted by GT3.14

BMW, Porsche, Audi, and Mercedes-Benz have a significant advantage as they develop their cars there. Add a couple of works and customer cars in the VLN and you have a significant advantage in track time over others. Others who will do two VLN rounds with one or two cars and expect to be competitive when they won't even last until midnight.

The Zakspeed Viper was not developed on the ring, but that did not stop it from coming in and winning every race in the VLN including the N24. They piled on the weight the following year to give Porsche some help and it worked, not so much in 2001-2002.

BoP and rule packages absolutely determine outcome and unfortunately it permeates every series I can think of. With the exception of force majeure, the sanctioning bodies determine outcome, not the drivers or constructors.

[GT3.14]

Originally Posted by kyoung

Well you pretty much lost all credibility in your first sentence, BoP has everything to do with it. You are either very naïve or willfully ignorant.

The Zakspeed Viper was not developed on the ring, but that did not stop it from coming in and winning every race in the VLN including the N24. They piled on the weight the following year to give Porsche some help and it worked, not so much in 2001-2002.

BoP and rule packages absolutely determine outcome and unfortunately it permeates every series I can think of. With the exception of force majeure, the sanctioning bodies determine outcome, not the drivers or constructors.

The point I was trying to make in my poorly-worded post was that blaming theoretical Corvette GTE BoP for the lack of an entry was ridiculous as they don't have the budget or time to do the race in the first place. Like you said, obviously BoP has a huge impact on results, but there are other factors at play here that rule the car out of the race before a make-believe unfavourable BoP specification is considered.

If the organisers told Corvette that they could put a supercharger on the car and have bigger restrictors than everyone else, Corvette would still not come as it would cost a fortune and compromise their TUSC and Le Mans operations.

And where some blame VLN's BoP as to why foreign brands are not competitive, I don't come to the same conclusion as the German brands make up 90% of the GT3 field in the N24 and have much more data and experience.

[kyoung]

Originally Posted by GT3.14

The point I was trying to make in my poorly-worded post was that blaming theoretical Corvette GTE BoP for the lack of an entry was ridiculous as they don't have the budget or time to do the race in the first place. Like you said, obviously BoP has a huge impact on results, but there are other factors at play here that rule the car out of the race before a make-believe unfavourable BoP specification is considered.

Oh I got the point, poorly worded or not. I think that what you’re fundamentally misunderstanding is that the BoP was based in reality not theory. The other thing I don’t think you understand is that the VLN is primarily a GT3-GT4 venue. I also don’t think that you understand that the Z06.R GT3 is built by Callaway Cars at their facility in Leingarten, Germany under an agreement with GM. As I have stated in the previous post, the Z06.R GT3 was at one time a championship winning car in FIA GT3 and in French GT. The car was continually bopped until it was a mid pack runner so teams moved on to greener pastures, mostly the new at the time Mercedes GT3. As bad as the BoP was for the Z06.R GT3 in FIA GT3, it was even worse for the VLN with a smaller restrictor and more weight. Things can change though, perhaps the C7 will get better BoP when it shows up next year. If that’s the case I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see Callaway run one or two GT3 cars.

Originally Posted by GT3.14

If the organisers told Corvette that they could put a supercharger on the car and have bigger restrictors than everyone else, Corvette would still not come as it would cost a fortune and compromise their TUSC and Le Mans operations.

Well first off, the GTLM Corvette wouldn’t need a supercharger, second, they wouldn’t need a bigger restrictor than everyone else, just a reasonable one, and they seemed to do just fine at Lemans with what they have which is not a larger restrictor than everyone else. GTLM Corvettes will most likely be at the Nurburgring, but not in the VLN. They will most likely compete next year in the class they were designed for at the WEC 6 Hours of Nurburgring and run by Larbre Competition in the AM class.

Originally Posted by GT3.14

And where some blame VLN's BoP as to why foreign brands are not competitive, I don't come to the same conclusion as the German brands make up 90% of the GT3 field in the N24 and have much more data and experience.

I don’t blame the VLN for anything, they can do what they want. I have seen the BoP bulletins in the past and in my opinion, let’s just say they have not been very generous to party crashers at their annual German Carfest, and I am OK with that, your mileage may vary, and I am OK with that too.

[GT3.14]

Originally Posted by kyoung

Oh I got the point, poorly worded or not. I think that what you’re fundamentally misunderstanding is that the BoP was based in reality not theory. The other thing I don’t think you understand is that the VLN is primarily a GT3-GT4 venue. I also don’t think that you understand that the Z06.R GT3 is built by Callaway Cars at their facility in Leingarten, Germany under an agreement with GM.

I understand all of that clearly. The discussion leading up to my comment was specific to a GTE specification Corvette running in EXP, SP8, or similar.

[kyoung]

Originally Posted by GT3.14

I understand all of that clearly. The discussion leading up to my comment was specific to a GTE specification Corvette running in EXP, SP8, or similar.

That will never happen, hell everyone was surprised when they ran a car at the COTA in the WEC. Plus why would they do that when a properly bopped Corvette GT3 or any marque would be plenty capable to win the N24, it just makes no sense. They might supply some of their drivers like the example above, but that would be about it.

[CyberMotor]

One of the most beautiful Corvettes that I have ever seen was either 2005 or 2006 at Daytona. It was a Callaway.

I saw an interesting show today about Detroit's Woodward Dream Cruise. A lot of great cars in the cruise. One of the stories I liked was a guy who had his Corvette stolen and then recovered 30 years later. Of course, the car was used up and abused and as much as he loved the car, he couldn't afford to haul a carcass back for memory sake.

His story was shown on local Detroit TV and a VP for GM saw the story, and GM agreed to haul his car back and then once back, offered to restore it to its original glory.

Great story. They unveiled it in the display window in GM's RenCen lobby.

Wish GM would show this amount of respect for Callaway.

[kyoung]

New GT3?

[rich07]

Originally Posted by kyoung

New GT3?

It appears so. We will see the full car this weekend at the Hockenheim round of ADAC GT Masters.

[HORNDAWG]

Corvette Racing retains full season driver line-up.










L.P.

[HORNDAWG]

Introducing the Callaway C7 GT3-R ....

http://www.endurance-info.com/fr/la-...s-et-en-video/











L.P.

[YorkshireLad]

Whoahh!

[Nick Woodbury]

Umph! WOW.

That rear wing is something else!