LM24 2007 Le Mans entry list - Page 2

**Bentley03** · 22 Dec 2006, 19:16 (Ref:1797884)

Quote:

Originally Posted by SALEEN S7R

Common sense if you ask me.

Jury's out here. Le Mans is always oversubscribed these days, period. The ACO have more teams who race regularly in their series wanting Le Mans invites than they can accommodate, even with 55 garages. Yet they have given up four places to teams which support a different sanctioning body. At first glance, it seems like a kick in the teeth to those Teams that support ACO rules racing, but ultimately fail to get invites to Le Mans in 2007.

The Real DMN · 22 Dec 2006, 19:18 (Ref:1797885)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bentley03

I'm gobsmacked. Le Mans invites for class winners and runners up in the FIAGT Championship. Absolutely gobsmacked!!

I thought this has been standard practise for the last few years anyway? The same way they always invite a few teams from the FFSA.

mariantic · 22 Dec 2006, 19:30 (Ref:1797894)

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Real DMN

I thought this has been standard practise for the last few years anyway? The same way they always invite a few teams from the FFSA.

No, it's not been standard practice to invite FIA-GT & FFSA cars, just ALMS & LMS.
If the others entered & put forward suitable cars they have often been favourably received, but invited auto-entries is BIG NEWS and will I'm sure add to the appeal of FIA-GT in 2007 for Le Mans hopefuls.

Great news

Mariantic

**Adam43** · 22 Dec 2006, 19:52 (Ref:1797906)

How strange, and potentially pointless! As B03 says they are over-subscribed. These teams could apply for an entry, if they wanted, and the ACO could accept. I suppose it is nice to be asked.

Still, we know that they are quality teams, but do they have suitable cars though.

kingkai · 22 Dec 2006, 20:03 (Ref:1797912)

Also gobsmacked...
Well so we might see a maserati MC-12 at LM, strange...
Good news imho.
Well give also entrance to supergt cars.. and we have a great full GT1 field

(not being serious about the S-GT, well would love to see a bigger GT1 field, but that is just my biggest dream)

eddsc · 22 Dec 2006, 20:07 (Ref:1797915)

JMB, Freisinger and BMS Scuderia Italia definitely had invitations for the 2004 race, thanks to FIA GT success in 2003.

AU N EGL · 22 Dec 2006, 20:36 (Ref:1797931)

These new entries will be great

http://www.the-paddock.net/content/view/240952/49/

I hope some accomidations can be made for the MC-12 to run.

AU N EGL · 22 Dec 2006, 20:38 (Ref:1797932)

Quote:

Originally Posted by SALEEN S7R

Well I think we can rule out Vitaphone making a appearance, unless of course the ACO have a sudden change of heart and give the MC12 some sort of special dispensation to be able to run at the event. Assuming of course that this wont happen it looks like Phoneix racing will get their entries. A bit of a shame, id really love to see the MC12's at Le Mans.

What are the rule difference again? a few mm shorter and a few mm narrower then the MC-12 is now??

I say let the MC-12 run

Hugewally · 22 Dec 2006, 21:27 (Ref:1797957)

And just a short two years ago, you've thought that the ACO was going to have a heart attack when IMSA allowed the MC12 to enter the ALMS...

I'm starting to have visions of Monty Python skits...

The Real DMN · 22 Dec 2006, 21:28 (Ref:1797958)

To Vitaphone still their Saleen?

Hugewally · 22 Dec 2006, 21:30 (Ref:1797959)

They belong to Konrad.

Fogelhund · 22 Dec 2006, 21:32 (Ref:1797962)

Please note, the cars have not been invited, the teams were.

Quote:

The teams which will receive the invitations are : Vitaphone Racing Team and Aston Martin Racing BMS for GT1, and AF Corse and Scuderia Ecosse for GT2.

In the release, this sentence followed.

Quote:

The cars entered must be in conformity with the ACO Cahier des Charges.

This is one of the biggest piles of you know what I've seen in some time. There is obviously some sort of back room shenanigans going on here, really, it is the only way to explain this.

So, such teams as Petersen White Lightning don't get the autoinvite, because they are running at slightly different spec....

Yet, Vitaphone gets an autoinvite for performing in a car, that isn't even homologated, and never will be homologated for an ACO race proper.

Bottom Line, this stinks. The ACO stinks.

brielga · 22 Dec 2006, 21:40 (Ref:1797968)

It is indeed contradictory, excluding PWL and including Viataphone makes no sense. Including the 2 first ACO-COMPLIANT teams would be arguable but more logical.... A slap in the face for ALMS after all their efforts to maintain a decent series IMHO.(not to remember that in 2005 3 of the 4 winners came from there...)

ger80 · 22 Dec 2006, 22:07 (Ref:1797982)

Well, sound like politics...
Maybe the ACO wants to make some presure on the IMSA to use ACO rules, but the Vitaphone invitation is realy strange. What happens if Vitaphone changes the car? Is there something in the rules that the automatic entry is away if you change the car? Vitaphone Lambo, that would be great ...

dj choc ice · 22 Dec 2006, 23:20 (Ref:1798007)

not sure about this business of petersen and vitaphone, but i guess its out of spite the ACO not giving petersen the invite.

maybe it is done to make IMSA change their regs in all classes to the ACO's regs, although the maserati MC12 or MChammer as i like to call it, would be a great sight at lemans in 2007 afterall, it will add spice to the already rather spicy GT1 class.

Hugewally · 23 Dec 2006, 00:19 (Ref:1798033)

Quote:

Originally Posted by ger80

Well, sound like politics...
Maybe the ACO wants to make some presure on the IMSA to use ACO rules, but the Vitaphone invitation is realy strange. What happens if Vitaphone changes the car? Is there something in the rules that the automatic entry is away if you change the car? Vitaphone Lambo, that would be great ...

Quote:

Originally Posted by dj choc ice

not sure about this business of petersen and vitaphone, but i guess its out of spite the ACO not giving petersen the invite.

maybe it is done to make IMSA change their regs in all classes to the ACO's regs, although the maserati MC12 or MChammer as i like to call it, would be a great sight at lemans in 2007 afterall, it will add spice to the already rather spicy GT1 class.

How can allowing a non-legal ACO car to run at Le Mans make any sense to force IMSA/ALMS to change its rules?

As to the invite, any team can change to any car they like, as long as they remain in the invited class.

broadrun96 · 23 Dec 2006, 03:29 (Ref:1798086)

any ideas on what the FIA teams would switch to to become ACO-compliant? And would the ACO work out some kind of modifications to allow the MC12 to run at a modified setup to compete? What are the problems with the MC running, size, power/displacement, or limited construction? Not to sure about specifics but would love to see it at Le Mans next year

Hugewally · 23 Dec 2006, 04:15 (Ref:1798094)

Its 3cm too wide at the rear wheels.

SALEEN S7R · 23 Dec 2006, 04:47 (Ref:1798101)

Exactly. That is the only problem. As far as I know Maserati have also made sufficent numbers of the car for it to be eligable, so homlogation shoudnt be a issue. Who knows though, perhaps the ACO have been watching the MC12 running in FIA GT over the course of 2006 and are going to make a announcement regarding letting the car run in some form or another? I just hope they dont try and penalise it but rather let it run in the same spec it does in FIA GT with a 180cm rear wing rather than a 200cm rear wing like the other have.

cptkablamo · 23 Dec 2006, 05:42 (Ref:1798124)

I am pretty sure Vitaphone can use any other GT1 car to take up their entry...but the political tug of war continues between the ACO and Maserati...I say the ACO should stand firm, as Maserati have more than enough resources to make their car fit the rules - as many other teams had to when the ACO introduced the current rules...yes we may lose a Maserati from the 24 Hours but I think it is for the greater good (of having a firm govening body)

SALEEN S7R · 23 Dec 2006, 05:46 (Ref:1798126)

Yes Maserati have enough recources to make the car fit the regulations but they would have to totally re homlogate the car all over again. A bit of a pointless excerise just to get a entry at Le Mans from their perspective. Especially when you consider that Maserati have a new GT1 car in the pipeline.

Hugewally · 23 Dec 2006, 08:06 (Ref:1798148)

Quote:

Originally Posted by SALEEN S7R

Exactly. That is the only problem. As far as I know Maserati have also made sufficent numbers of the car for it to be eligable, so homlogation shoudnt be a issue. Who knows though, perhaps the ACO have been watching the MC12 running in FIA GT over the course of 2006 and are going to make a announcement regarding letting the car run in some form or another? I just hope they dont try and penalise it but rather let it run in the same spec it does in FIA GT with a 180cm rear wing rather than a 200cm rear wing like the other have.

Except for the fact that the car was never submitted for ACO homologation to begin with.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cptkablamo

I am pretty sure Vitaphone can use any other GT1 car to take up their entry...but the political tug of war continues between the ACO and Maserati...I say the ACO should stand firm, as Maserati have more than enough resources to make their car fit the rules - as many other teams had to when the ACO introduced the current rules...yes we may lose a Maserati from the 24 Hours but I think it is for the greater good (of having a firm govening body)

How can you lose a Maserati from Le Mans when the car has never raced there before?

Trouble is, Maserati built the car to the rules when it was made, but the rules were changed on them.

How is the ACO being firm by inviting a team that ran a car all year long that isn’t even remotely close to ACO specs, but then they don’t invite a team that won an auto-invite race (PWL @ Petit) because they ran that race with a slightly larger (allowed by IMSA) restrictor? Someone please explain the reasoning there… Heck, they don’t even allow the MC12 to race in their own Le Mans Series…

Quote:

Originally Posted by SALEEN S7R

Yes Maserati have enough recources to make the car fit the regulations but they would have to totally re homlogate the car all over again. A bit of a pointless excerise just to get a entry at Le Mans from their perspective. Especially when you consider that Maserati have a new GT1 car in the pipeline.

The car was never homologated to begin with because it wasn’t ACO legal. Maserati built the car to the rules at the time, but the ACO changed the rules on them. Maserati is on record two years ago saying they would not spend the time and money to re-engineer the car.

But why invite a team knowing full well they've raced all year long with a car that doesn't comply with your rules? Will they have to race something other than what they've been racing (If the ACO doesn't allow some variation with the MC12)? Or forcing them to co-team with a team that does have a legal car. If they do switch cars, then just how effective will they be running a ‘different’ car?

TheNewBob · 23 Dec 2006, 08:14 (Ref:1798151)

I think maybe they're aiming at rewarding a team's achievments in FIA GT rather than the car they used to do it with. Still doesn't make an awful lot of sense, though.

Nordic · 23 Dec 2006, 08:35 (Ref:1798154)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fogelhund

Please note, the cars have not been invited, the teams were.

For those that seem to have a problem grasping the actual invite, I have repeated this as it was posted before.

Its the Team not the car that get the invite. So any team that has been invited has until (and including) the 8th of Jan to decide if they want to get their hand on an ACO legal car and drop the ACO a nice fat deposit.

The Invite is not for the MC12

While the debate seem to be centered on this contentious car, there are 3 other teams that have also been included, who I think will make a welcome addition to the grid.

I agree its hard to understand why the ACO have chosen to offer these invites while still leaving some teams in the US out in the cold that have supported the ALMs. I see it as olive branch to try and bring some hitherto unlikey harmony to the Sportscar racing scene in Europe at least.

btw, I fully epect the winner of the 07 Daytona 24hr to be offered an invite after that fine race has taken place!

**Bentley03** · 23 Dec 2006, 08:39 (Ref:1798155)

This announcement has come completely out of the blue. Had this been the ACO's intention all along for 2007, we would have known about it long before now. A deal has clearly been struck between the two sanctioning bodies. We know what the FIAGT gets out of it, we'll just have to wait to see what the ACO gets out of it. I have my suspicions, and I don't think all the answers lie in Europe.............

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