[LM24] Le Mans 2004 entry list

[Aysedasi]

Sorry, but where are these rumours emanating from?

I'd love to see it there, but the ACO will have to break their own rules to do it......

[vandijk]

Ayse, you can find the article in the sports section of lemans.maville.com

[marcush.]

Iknow they are ready...so it is just up to ACO to invite them...the car will be terrific around LeMans....unfortunatelly Nick is pescabound,isn´t he?
Johansson would make a great leaddriver....

[Tim Northcutt]

So....

They "might" extend another "invite?".....

This becomes more absurd every day!!!!

I'd love to see the Creation Zytek there....they should have been on the "Original list" to the event....

But I would take it as a slap in the face if I were in Creation's shoes....

I hope this foolishness NEVER happaens again!!!!

The ACO has lost all credibility with me on this process....and trying to turn applesauce out of rotten apples doesn't make those rotten apples taste any better....

[vandijk]

The updated list of this morning.

[kdr]

i make it 49 including the spinnaker?

[Tim Northcutt]

I didn't count, but since we know that the "Boat People" are TOAST from many reliable news sources, this list also loses even more credibility with the ACO in my eyes...

BTW....

Can anyone possibly sum up, from the Original List of Invites:

Who exactly has dropped out (a full list under that heading would be nice) and the class that they had entered....

Who has stepped in as a replacement (not who they replaced, necessarily, just who has stepped in) and the class....

and Who was added as "New" additions to the "Reserve" list when the dominoes started to fall....

This has been way too complicated to sort out....and the changes have been extensive...

This has been like a modern-day "The Odyssey"....now that the Sirens have lured Spinnaker to the rocky shores, and the Boat People sank from the entry list....

[Graham Goodwin]

The potential of a late invite to the Creation DBA was outlined this morning on DSC together with the confirmation of a further Courage withdrawl - So that means we are down to 48 with a possible single addition.

As I understand it (again from DSC) the ACO are convening a meeting to discuss whether the remaining re-engined Courages will be allowed in and will also discuss whether an additional single car (presumably the DBA) will be invited.

As far as I'm aware we have now lost 9 - 2x GTS 550s, 1x GT 550, The Spinnaker Dallara, 2 x Courage C65s, The Pagani, The Arena Dome and (from the additional reserve list) the Konrad Saleen

[KA]

Withdrawn entries in order- think the sequence of events is correct-

1: Arena/Stefan Johansson Dome (LMP1) (think this was withdrawn on the day the list was released....)
2: #68 BMS Ferrari (GTS) (this had been a guaranteed entry)
3: Risi Ferrari (GT) (another guaranteed slot)
4: #99 XL Ferrari 550 (GT) (having come from the reserve list to replace Risi!)
5: #67 Care Racing Ferrari (GTS)- another guaranteed entry falls by the wayside
6: #60- the Zonda (GTS)
7: #7 Clandesteam Dallara (LMP1)-
8: #34 Epsilon Courage (LMP2)
and finally a works Courage seems to have gone (think this was reported on DSC this morning)

The original reserve list in order was:

1: #4 Taurus Lola (LMP1)- replaced the Dome
2: #75 Perspective Porsche (GT)- replaced the BMS Ferrari
3: #99 XL Ferrari (GT)- replaced the Risi Ferrari, and was itself replaced by-
4: #16 Racing for Holland Dome (LMP1)
5: #90 TVR (GT)- replaced the Care Ferrari
6: #84 Seikel Porsche (GT)- replaced the Zonda

The two additions to the reserve list were made after Risi withdrew, and were the Konrad Saleen (which withdrew from the reserve list shortly afterwards- I think sometime before the Care Ferrari withdrew...) and the second WR, which looks as if it will get a race after all

[19dodge]

do you think the ACO will call a 2nd team now? If so, i hope its Graham Nash or RML... I know its too late for Konrad, since he had his chance (withdrew from reserve list)

[KA]

Originally posted by 19dodge
do you think the ACO will call a 2nd team now? If so, i hope its Graham Nash or RML... I know its too late for Konrad, since he had his chance (withdrew from reserve list)

Even if the ACO asked, I'd be surprised if RML were to accept with a Saleen- don't forget they're already there with their MG-Lola, and 3 of their 4 regular Saleen drivers are lined up for that car

[rdjones]

I am sat here open mouthed, so they are going to invite the Creation DBA, the question has to be asked, if they are let in, can Creation get everything together in what 4 days........

[19dodge]

Mike Jankowski told DSC that he is ready. He has the spares + 2 engines. JCW would be one of the drivers..

RML could do it. Remember that Miguel Ramos is the guy who brings in the money to the team (for the #8 saleen team) Have him in the car with Chris Goodwin and another pay driver (Gavin Pickering?- he has close ties to the team before) and they would be set!!

[KA]

Originally posted by 19dodge
Mike Jankowski told DSC that he is ready. He has the spares + 2 engines. JCW would be one of the drivers..

RML could do it. Remember that Miguel Ramos is the guy who brings in the money to the team (for the #8 saleen team) Have him in the car with Chris Goodwin and another pay driver (Gavin Pickering?- he has close ties to the team before) and they would be set!!

Of course- I'd got it in my mind that Ramos was the third driver on the Lola, as he was at Monza- I'd forgotten they'd signed Nathan Kinch for LM.....

[dretceterini]

This is even more of a farse than F1, CART, the IRL, or Daytona Prototypes. All this nonsense is depressing and turning me off auto racong. The only ones that seem to have teir act together is nA$$****...

[Aysedasi]

I understand the ACO have given the go-ahead for Brian Rix to be issued with the necessary licence to run in the Creation car.

















That's one for the older British fans.....

[kdr]

without giving my age away....i got it.

[Graham Goodwin]

The Buzzcocks!!!, Whitehall farces!!!!

Whatever next????

[Fogelhund]

I've been saying this for a couple of years now, but it's time to bring back meaningful pre-qualifying. Those cars that come, and can qualify on merit, do so. Those that can't, well they become the reserves.

72 cars?

We get the autobid cars, then the rest fight for the remaining positions.

There are no insulted teams, and those that don't make the first list have nobody to blame but themselves. Then as teams drop out from the first list, the next team in that class moves into its position.. and so on.

Surely you wouldn't run out of cars with 72 entrants, and you wouldn't alienate anybody either.

[Graham Goodwin]

So I was wrong in my earlier post. We've actually lost ten from the entry and reserve lists (not counting the teams that refused their automatic entries).

It seems very clear indeed that the current situation is really rather untenable. It really is not good news that there are teams and cars ready, willing and able to compete whilst the race looks like starting with a grid less than the maximum. I have to admit to being really rather disgusted with Spinnaker for throwing in the towel after the 28 May cut-off.

Whilst the Courage position is rather different it is still pretty astonishing that an earlier decision wasn't taken.

Lets hope the ACO agree and adopt a better system for 2005.

[Truckosaurus]

Would the return of Pre-Qualifying mean a third weekend of 'creating' the Circuit du Sarthe (4 including the Classic) as the FIA insisted on the old PQ weekend becoming 'free practice' in the wake of the Mercedes debarcle in '99.

If/when the LMES gets off the ground, perhaps the whole 50 car entry for the 24hrs can be given on merit to teams which have proved themselves in other races (plus winners from the ALMS) rather than entries which only appear for one weekend in June.

Or even... perhaps a minimum entry criteria of the team/car having finished in at least one endurance race (either FIA/ELMS/ALMS/Belcar/Nurburgring series whatever it's called) since the last LM24hrs.

[jhansen]

Quote from Guy Humpage: "(plus winners from the ALMS)"



I sincerely hope that any such process would include more than just the "winners" of the ALMS series, which has done a lot to support top flight sportscar racing over the last five years.

[Tim Northcutt]

How about assigning or going by points like the ALMS or the LMES will keep anyway, and add weight to the longer distances for prestigious races like Petit & Sebring

and of course, the 1000K's or a 500-miler (like Road America) would carry a litle less weight than a 10, 12 or 24 hr. event, but have more weight than a 2hr. 30 min. event like the old FIA-SCC races or the shorter ALMS events at 2 hr. 45 min....

Kinda like the way Por Golf does it on an international scale to rate players competing on different tours, and they use this scale for "Invites" to the major tournaments like the British Open or The Masters....

Just apply that system to Le Mans selections only....

You could still keep the "Automatic Bids" for the Series Season Champs and Runners Up and for the previous year's LM Podiums if you wish....

Then leave a few "At Large" slots for a new creation or whatever that could not earn points prior to being created that would be at the ACO's discretion....provided they can show viability and that the car will be track-worthy, etc., via tests, a verifiable financial statement, or whatever......

I really like the idea of PQ.....

But a team like AutoCon might not have the $$$ to make a trip over in the "Hope" of making it...and one bad break, despite a previous year of running consistent, could be flushed by one mishap...

Another Option:

Designate long circuits in North America (Sebring, VIR, Road America) as wll as Europe (Spa, Paul Ricard name another decent-length circuit of your choice), plua a couple in Asia to host a "Regional Qualifying" to set a designated # of teams from various areas that could earn a bid through qualifying of this sort....

I would think that teams and drivers woulsd rather "earn" their bids on the track or over the course of a season's performance than to rely on the whims of the ACO when there are no defined "criteria" that they are aware of that decides this...

It would solve a lot of problems and the "best" teams would be there.....

It also would eliminate the nonsense that has occurred this year...

[The Badger]

We still had nonsence when we had PQ before . I dont like the way that a car has to set a fast lap in PQ when it should be setting itself up and learning info .

Like whan one of the Dave Price run Panoz GTR cars very nearly didnt get in , until the last minute'S of PQ . We all knew it was fast , just had a few problems on the day ! I think a better solution has to be found rather than PQ !!!

[nobster]

Why don't we write an open letter to the ACO signed by all of us true fans that we dislike what has happened this year with the entrylist.
This is not the way to satisfy your customers.