It seems like the critics come out of the woodwork every February when the the Automobile Club de l’Ouest releases the entry list for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. I must admit that I’m no exception. Each year, I prepare my own list of “probable” entrants I’d envision the ACO to select in the days prior to its release. Usually I’m not perfect, but almost every time, a few surprises pop in. Surely enough, the 2009 edition was no exception.
photo by: John Dagys
Today, the ACO revealed its selections for the 77th edition of the “Grand Prix of Endurance,” and by all means, the organizers did a commendable job to shape this year’s field. Considering there were 83 applicants for 55 spots (plus 10 reserves), the ACO had to make some tough decisions.
Without a doubt, an incredible group of competitors were selected for the two prototype divisions. Audi Sport Team Joest enters three brand-new Audi R15 TDIs, while Team Peugeot Total returns with three of its 908 Hdi-FAPs, seeking revenge. To add to the mix, Aston Martin Racing has taken its factory team to the prototype ranks and fields three V12-powered Lola Coupes.
That’s nine fully factory backed P1s right there, but there’s more. Audi will be lending support to Colin Kolles, who will run a pair of year-old Audi R10 TDIs. Peugeot didn’t want to be outdone and has given one of its 908s to Le Mans stalwart Henri Pescarolo to campaign.
In this economic climate, nobody would have imagined a few months back that there would be a dozen factory backed or manufacturer-assisted cars on the P1 grid this year. But there is. I believe this speaks volumes for Le Mans-branded racing worldwide, and the automaker’s will power to stay in the sport. Sure, Audi has pulled the plug on its American Le Mans Series and European-based Le Mans Series programs, but it’s still rolling out a brand-new car and remains faithful to Le Mans.
If you look at the depth in the LMP2 category, you can see manufacturer presence there, too. Despite dropping its factory backing in the American Le Mans Series, Porsche is continuing to support its RS Spyder privateers in Europe. In fact, two new teams, Team Goh and Vitaphone Racing, have entered RS Spyders for Le Mans. And Team Essex has risen from the ashes to take one more stab at the twice-around-the-clock classic.
Mazda, on the other hand, has increased its support on both sides of the Atlantic, with a two-car program with Dyson Racing in the ALMS and four teams with Mazda MZR-R power at Le Mans. Then of course there’s Chevrolet, which has continued to fund its Pratt & Miller-run Corvette Racing squad despite the brutal US car market, and fields two Corvette C6.Rs in the GT1 class.
The ACO knows it needs to have a good balance of manufacturers and privateers in order for its rather complicated formula to succeed. If you look at this year’s entry list, the organizers have achieved that in P1. Sure, there’s certainly some disappointed teams today, finding out the news that they’re not in the race. I feel for Autocon Motorsports and ECOSpeed Racing, teams that didn’t get an entry. But there’s only 55 spots, and only so much room, especially this year with the increased factory presence.
However, It was interesting to note that the ACO only selected eight GT1 entries out of 22 that filed a request. Was that decision based on the current level of competition (or lack there of it in the ALMS and LMS), or the category’s future? Next year, both GT1 and GT2 will be restructured under new regulations proposed by SRO Chairman Stephane Ratel. Ratel is pushing ahead with plans for a World GT Championship, and the ACO is so far going along with those changes.
photo by: John Dagys
A lot of questions remain over what exactly will happen in 2010, though. The rules, which call for current GT2-style cars with engine displacements of over 5.5 liters being classified as GT1 and below 5.5 liters as GT2, doesn’t seem to be gaining much momentum, with only one manufacturer (Nissan) possibly showing interest to race in GT1, and the rest of the marquess content to stay in GT2 (Chevy, Ferrari, Porsche, Aston Martin). Those “big four” have been calling for a single GT category, but Ratel isn’t responding. What will come of all this, and could the GT1 category’s low entry count at Le Mans have any political ramifications?
Did the ACO only select eight cars on purpose? There were a handful of teams that had the right qualifications (professional drivers, full-season entries in the Le Mans Series), but still didn’t get an invite. Take a look at Larbre Competition for instance. Here’s a team that has been at Le Mans for the last 16 consecutive years, and is put ninth on the reserve list. Or Full Speed Racing, a new team run by GT specialist Graham Nash that recently signed sportscar ace Christophe Bouchut. Was there just not enough room for these two teams, or does the ACO have a grand new plan for future GT regulations?
Even without Larbre and Full Speed, the GT1 grid at Le Mans will be very strong – something the ALMS and LMS has lacked in past seasons. Between Corvette Racing’s two factory racers and a pair of Luc Alphand Corvette C6.Rs, along with two strong privateer Aston Martin DBR9s and Reiter-engineered Lamborghini Murcielagos, there is potential for a competitive race.
Fourteen entries make up GT2, with an overwhelming majority being Prancing Horses. But to the ACO’s credit, five of those were automatic invites for Ferrari’s success on the racetrack from last year. The three Porsche teams, Flying Lizard Motorsports, IMSA Performance Matmut and Team Felbermayr-Proton, are certainly all very strong squads, as long as they don’t run into trouble. Last year, two of the Porsches collided in the early hours, knocking one out of the race and severely delaying the other.
Aside from the Porsche and Ferrari battle, there’s some variety in the category with an Aston Martin Vantage GT2 and Spyker C8 Laviolette. While it may not be completely balanced, the ACO did the best job it could given the circumstances.
If this entry doesn’t get you excited for Le Mans, I’m not sure what will. Without a doubt, Le Mans will be the sportscar race of the year. I’m already counting the days…
USF1 officially broke cover Tuesday, and while Team Principal Ken Anderson and Sporting Director Peter Windsor didn’t give too many details on Formula One’s first American team in decades, both provided some interesting insight into the team’s potential driver selections.
Names like IndyCar star Danica Patrick and Scott Speed, the last American to grace the F1 grid, were mentioned by Windsor as driver possibilities, but admitted that he nor Anderson have yet to formally negotiate with anyone. Windsor said, though, that the goal is to place Americans in both seats when the team debuts in 2010.
While there may be interest, Patrick has gone on the record in saying that she doesn’t enjoy international travel – a staple of F1. Speed appears to be happy in NASCAR, embarking on his rookie season in the Sprint Cup Series. However, Windsor wasn’t shy to mention that he’d be interested in talking to some of Speed’s colleagues currently in NASCAR, with Kyle Busch’s name thrown out during the conference.
But in all honestly, will USF1 be able to attract an American star with a household name? There’s always Marco Andretti or Graham Rahal, but will either want to gamble their solid IndyCar careers to make a leap into the unknown, with a start-up team?
Don’t count out lesser-known names such as Team USA scholarship winners Connor Daly and Josef Newgarden, or A1GP winner Jonathan Summerton, as potentials, although perhaps only being considered to be test drivers at first.
A F1 veteran may be needed to help get the team off the ground, and that would be someone without an American passport, unless Scott Speed has a change of mind. But will Anderson and Windsor elect to go that route?
The bottom line is that there’s now two highly sought-after seats on the market right now, in a time where many young Americans are looking for a place to race. USF1 could be all that’s needed to put some juice back in F1 for U.S. fans.
Today is the official launch of my personal blog, TheFastLine.net. As you can see, it also doubles as my online portfolio. I hope you will take the time to look around, and let me know of your thoughts or questions.
As the motorsports season kicks into high gear, my goal is to write a handful of blog entries per week, which hopefully will provide unique insight into the sometimes complicated, but ever-addictive sport of auto racing. I’m also hoping to have some surprises in store over the next few months, including publishing multimedia content exclusive to TheFastLine.net. So be sure to stay tuned!
As IndyCar Series teams try to scrap together enough money to go racing in 2009, one squad will be in good shape heading into the season-opening Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in April. Lincolnshire, Ill.-based Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing has acquired the driving services (and financial backing) of Milka Duno.
The Venezuelan female racer rose to fame last year not for her success on the track, but instead from a highly publicized shoving match with Danica Patrick that was caught on camera – becoming a YouTube sensation (below).
Now, Duno, who scored a best finish of 14th last year, moves to one of the most fabled teams in open-wheel racing, bringing an alleged $6 million in in sponsorship with her. SPEEDtv.com’s Robin Miller broke the news last week and sheds some light into the situation.
It’s truly a sign of the times when open-wheel stars such as Justin Wilson, Paul Tracy and Ryan Hunter-Reay are left without rides, but a driver a substantial amount of funding can walk in and secure a drive. Duno lacks experience in IndyCars, and many argue she sometimes poses to be a danger on track, especially on high-speed ovals.
Of course this isn’t the first time where a driver’s money has put he or she in a top ride, but perhaps teams are so cash-scrapped, they’ll do anything to survive. It will be interesting to see how this impacts IndyCar racing, and the whole sport in general.
The economic downturn has impacted all facets of our daily life, and sporting entertainment hasn’t been immune from it either. NASCAR has been one of the heavily impacted sports, thanks to its reliance on multi-million dollar sponsorship and manufacturer support from America’s struggling “big three” automakers.
photo by: Eric Gilbert, Motorsport.com
Sunday’s Sprint Cup Series season-opening Daytona 500 will feature a full field of 43 cars; there’s no concern of filling the grid as many had originally visioned. In fact, 13 teams will be headed home following Thursday’s Gatorade Duel qualifying races. So how could this be?
Small teams on shoestring budgets are going for all or nothing, hoping that they’ll be on the grid for the most prestigious race of the year. Drivers like former championship-winning crew chief Kirk Shelmerdine or 57-year-old ARCA veteran Norm Benning are rolling the dice with no sponsorship, let alone manufacturer support.
Then there are others like Joe Nemechek, who revived his own former Nationwide Series team after being left without a Cup ride for 2009. The veteran racer who has contested nearly 500 Cup races in his career is giving it his all to make it on his own – sponsorship or not. One major incentive is the prize money, as even the last place finisher in the Daytona 500 will receive $250,000.
Motorsport.com’s Joe Jennings talked to Nemechek this week at Daytona International Speedway and has put together a great piece on the challenges of an independent in the sport today.
The question on everyone’s mind, though, is will teams like Nemechek’s make it through a season? Many have pledged to run the full 36-race tour, but it’s near impossible to accomplish without any backing. Will the fields be full come June or July? And will this great disparity in NASCAR amongst teams be good or bad for the sport?
Time will tell, but one thing is for sure: there are plenty of fighters out there who will not let go of their dreams.
