ALMS 2005 Entries

[Fosca]

What about Jim Matthew? Maybe he'll find some funding to race a Zytek?
Or anybody else for a Zytek in 2005?

-Chamberlain?
-KnightHawk? (btw what happenend to Steve Knight?)
-Spencer Motorsports? (what happenend to them?)
-AB Motorsport? (same as above)
-Essex Racing? (runs GA I think)
-Archangel Motorsport?
-Kyser Racing? (what happenend to them?)

or maybe a green Olive Garden Zytek in 2005???



EDIT: Oh, this is my first post
Hello everybody

[Fab]

Originally posted by Fosca
Oh, this is my first post Hello everybody

A great welcome on Ten-Tenths !

[paul-collins]

Originally posted by Fosca
What about Jim Matthew? Maybe he'll find some funding to race a Zytek?
Or anybody else for a Zytek in 2005?

-Chamberlain?
-KnightHawk? (btw what happenend to Steve Knight?)
-Spencer Motorsports? (what happenend to them?)
-AB Motorsport? (same as above)
-Essex Racing? (runs GA I think)
-Archangel Motorsport?
-Kyser Racing? (what happenend to them?)

Essex is still running in GA. To be clear, the owner of Essex motorsports is the father of a driver in Miracle Motorsports.

Archangel: http://www.archangelmotorsports.com/ Mike Johnson did some team management for Intersport at Le Mans this year. He was also involved in a rogue Daytona Prototype design to be built out of the old TWR shops in the UK. Don't remember the details other than that, as it could have been predicted, they were turned down for entry (not having been part of the original approved constructors).

Kyser - any relation to Micheal Keyser, the journo/filmmaker/racer who did A French Kiss With Death? He's done some occasional races with Gunnar racing in the past few years...

As for the Lotus, it didn't fall off the face of the earth so much as get locked in a garage.

[fazzaz]

Michael Keyser hasn't raced in quite a few years. He helped arrange a couple of things, including putting Milt Minter in the Gunnar Porsche. He is not related to Kyser Racing in any way.

The Archangel shop is closed, as far as I know. I see Michael Johnson at GrandAm events, but I'm not sure what he's doing (other than a GrandAm Cup program -- Nissan? -- he was involved with.

[jhansen]

If Creation found the funds they would seriously consider contesting the entire ALMS season. They believe the car to be well suited to the North American race tracks. You can see this desire if you read Nic Minassian's interview on rfmsports.com

http://www.rfmsports.com/IMSA/ALMS/S...Sspecials.html

"MO: Are there plans to bring the Zytek to the ALMS next year?

NM: It is our wish to do it, but it all depends on sponsorship. They are working on 2 different sorts of sponsors. They need to work on a good American sponsor if we want to do the ALMS, if we find the money in Europe, we will probably do the LMES again, but we do plan to do Sebring, all the LMES (there are going to be 5 races next year rumoured), the 24 hours of Le Mans, and Petit and Laguna Seca again."

MO: What is the incentive for the team to run in the P1 class? With Audi so unbeatable?

"For speed, we are with them. But it depends on the racetrack that we are in. It depends on the type of race, the ALMS has lots of twisty type tracks with character. This sort of track is very good for our car. When you go to Europe, and do tracks like Monza, our car has the downforce; it does not do so well."


Someone send them some money! This team could do some damage in the ALMS sprint races.

[tblincoe]

dailysportscar.com reports that larbre will run 2 esperantes in the LMES next year and that barbour is in negotiations to run the panoz effort in the LMES. i think this will free up panoz's assets to run the courages next year with panoz power. soooo......

LMP1

2x Champion Audi R8
2x Dyson Lola B160 AER
2x JML Courage C60 Elan Hybrid

LMP2

2x Miracle Courage AER
1x Intersport Lola B05/40 Judd
1x Intersport Lola B2K/50 Judd
1x Van der Steur Lola B2K/40 AER

GT1

2x Corvette C6-R
2x Risi Maserati MC12
2x ACEMCO Saleen S7-R

GT2

2x Alex Job Porsche 911 GT3-RSR
2x Flying Lizard Motorsports 911 GT3-RSR
2x The Racers Group 911 GT3-RSR
2x J-3 Racing 911 GT3-RSR
2x Dick Barbour Panoz Esperante eGT-LM
1x BAM! 911 GT3-RSR
1x Petersen White Lightning 911 GT3-RSR
1x PK Sport 911 GT3-RSR

[jhansen]

I think you meant Barbour were negotiating for the ALMS?

As for Risi and Maserati MC-12's, what is your source for this?

And the second ACEMCO Saleen is still only part time.

If GT1 and P1 increase over 2004 we should have a good year.

[paul-collins]

Risi had just enough money to run a single GTC (and even so had to miss one round). Think the MC-12 will be cheaper to run?

[slicktsax]

actually the acemco saleen still uses the 7 liter saleen ford pushrod motor, it's just tuned by elan. just like with rafenelli last year when their 550's engine was tuned and stretched to 6 liters. remember the vette's 7 liter ls1 V8 was built and tuned by katech but it's still a ls1 design. rahal said he's looking at aston martons for 2006. as for rafenelli, i hope he picks up the two ex barbor lambos and is able to get some good sponsership and factory support, they are nice looking cars. i was just thinking, if barbour pics up the 550's they would look real stunning in that silver black and red livery that teh lambos were painted in. as for carsport america, who knows they said they might return. too bad the pagoni never took off, it was a nice car and given proper funds and development time it would have been ultra fast. i mean c'mon a 7.3 liter V12 in a mid engine car? that is a recipe for success, if only?

[tblincoe]

i was referring to the ALMS in regard to barbour running the panoz, simple typo there...

as for risi, i am going on nothing other than that maserati wants to run in the ALMS with the MC-12 in 2005, and risi is the most capable ferrari-loyal team in North America. if you read earlier in this thread i stated that risi would get the funding from maserati as i would expect any ALMS MC-12 program to be factory supported...

[jhansen]

I'd call that optimistic at best. I was under the impression that if we saw the MC12's in the ALMS it would only be for Sebring and maybe Petit. And even if Risi did land the deal with works support they'd still have to come up with a sponsor package. Also, Risi doesn't seem to fit as a potential team. Rafanelli would have a better chance I would think. But neither is likely. I'd glady be wrong though.

In reality we'll be lucky if we get a 550 or two. As for the Lambos, nobody seems to be real thrilled with them at the moment.

[Mal]

Autosport reported yesterday that Maserati is seeking a dispensation from The ACO to run the MC12 at LeMans, LMES and ALMS for next year before revising the car to the new regs for 2006

[Nordic]

Autosport reported yesterday that Maserati is seeking a dispensation from The ACO to run the MC12 at LeMans, LMES and ALMS for next year before revising the car to the new regs for 2006

Why can't they just make the car legal, other teams don't seem to find it such a big problem.

[tblincoe]

last time i checked AF Corse didn't need sponsorship to run the MC-12s in FIA-GT... factory efforts can go without sponsors if necessary, and im also pretty confident that a factory supported effort from maserati won't have too much trouble finding someone to throw down some cash to put their name on the sides of the cars.

is it likely we'll see MC12s in the ALMS? yes... risi was just a scenario of mine because obviously maserati is fishing for someone to run with in the ALMS.

as for not legalizing the car immediately, the world motorsport bodies are just making sure that the MC12 is not a class killer and that it is within the spirit of the rules. ratel and others are very keen to not bring back the era of the GT1 car...

[jhansen]

You're probably right tblincoe. A factory Maserati team could carry on without a primary sponsor. Although I believe AF Corse is a bit different, as they were involved in the development process.

Either way, I find it highly unlikely that we will see the MC12's in the ALMS on a fulltime basis next year. But like I said, I'd love to be wrong about that.

[slicktsax]

well i do hope rafenelli does return next year no matter what class he enters. i was amazed with what he did with such a small team he had and funds. his ex alms 550 is now with Cooper racing in australia where it was dominating the nation's cup until it was handed unfair restrictions and they withdrew. the 550 will be racing at the bahrain gt festival

[tblincoe]

rafanelli was definitely impressive as he developed his car personally and for a small privateer team that's something to be proud of. unfortuanately he's been out of the mix a while and thats why i tip my hat to risi on this one, but i would take rafanelli in a heart beat... he deserves to be racing.

[LouisTheShark]

Among the various teams/people mentioned in this thread, I am 99% sure one owns an unannounced DP Riley.

[tblincoe]

well im pretty sure krohn will be running in GARRA... he's not cut out to run in the ALMS imo

[LouisTheShark]

"well im pretty sure krohn will be running in GARRA... he's not cut out to run in the ALMS imo"

Well, if a gentleman driver is not cut out to run in ALMS, then you better tell the ALMS. They are hoping their new Founders Cup will bring more people like Krohn into the series. I give you that there are different qualities of gentleman/woman drivers, but if you want to keep out the ones that are on the slower side, you will loose at least 3 cars from the ALMS grid.

BTW, the good news is that you will likely not have to watch Krohn in the ALMS in 2005, but that is not the team/person I was talking about.

[tblincoe]

i totally understand the role of gentleman drivers in the ALMS, but krohn was ridiculously slow and didn't belong in the GTS class... he made bad mistakes and i think he was a hazard to others on the track.

[tblincoe]

good news today is that it is technically possible to put the elan engine in the C60. i would now expect to see a pair of courages running in the ALMS next year...

[Tim Northcutt]

Thanks, tblincoe....it was my opinion that if a Chevy engine could fit in the C60, surely an Elan could as well....

Didn't Fab report in the Le Mans 2005 thread that a Courage C70 is in the works, and that it would have Elan power???

That could be the extension of this effort into 2006

[tblincoe]

i haven't been following the Le Mans 2005 thread... i wouldnt be suprised if a Courage C70 is in the works, from what was said by Yves in the DSC article, they are doing a lot of Aero work at a wind tunnel at Magny Cours. sounds to me like they have decided to make a totally new LMP1 and not just a straight Hybrid of the C60. this is probably because of the new found money Yves has with the success of the C65...

the C65 is already the most popular customer car since the R&S MkIII, with at least 7 cars running next year around the world. (2x Miracle, 2x Noel del Bello, 2x Belmondo, 1x Tracsport)

[jhansen]

What specs will the LMP1's be running to in the ALMS for 2005? This year they were able to run to the '03 specs, will that continue?