[Z06] Petit Le Mans Race LG Motorsports #28
09-28-2009, 09:51 AM
#1
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St. Jude Vendor Donor '03-'04-'05-'06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11
Petit Le Mans Race LG Motorsports #28
Hi guys,
Back home now and still disappointed with the race.
Qualifying was great. Missing the pole by only 58/1000th of a second (58 thousandths of a second) Putting the two Factory Corvettes behind us. You all saw the rebuild video after the Boris/Long beach fire and i can tell you that it was totally satisfying to put the car on the front row!!
Rebuild video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9b2eMipdZ0
I have to say thank you to all the Corvette owners that came by at the track was a real pleasure. The support that we get from the Corvette owners from all over is so satisfying that it makes it all worth while.
We all drive Corvettes because we love them. And it is always great to see the passion that comes out at the race track by the Corvette Community.
The question was posed; "how do you think the Michelins compare to the Dunlop in the dry?" Well, considering what version Dunlop tires we have at our disposal, there is still no comparison.
Every Dunlop tired car has adjustments in the base weight and restrictor size to try to overcome the disparity in the tires. These are from the ALMS series.
The other fact it that we used a soft qualifying tire to accomplish what we did. So did the Ford. The performance of that tire will fall off within 10 laps in the heat and dry. The Michelin does not fall off, and I would bet that the Michelin cars did what they did on a harder, longer lasting tire. Our plan was to run hard in the dry for as long as the tires would hold up and hope for an early yellow we would dive in to the pits and change to a harder compound and get out of sequence on pit stops. The rain messed up that plan for sure
On to the meat of the race.
Tom Sutherland did a great job in qualifying. Putting both of the multi million dollar factory Corvettes behind us was incredible. AND we did it on the same money that Corvette racing spends on Food for the weekend! (I wonder if they get Government Cheese too?)
Tom is 21 years old, and he is learning every race. This was his first time on the rain tires and first time on track in the rain. All things considered, it was just two mistakes where he went off track and lost 50% of the front splitter and thus 50% or more of the front down force that determined our race.
After the initial mistake that was made, the drivers, Drissi, Bell and Sutherland, and the team did a great job. Experience gained with years of racing would tell a driver what is necessary to stay on the asphalt. Tom S is a 21 year old young lion. he will be at the top of the heap during his career. I have a saying that I pound into my brain over and over;"don't go too fast too soon!"
ALso, consider what cars went off later (audi, Acura, Porsche, Johny O, ). Even the experienced winners had problems. We just had ours in the first 15 minutes and it cost us BIG TIME.
Drissi, who has the most experience turned some 1:23s while missing half of the front end. That comes from experience. He drove the car within the new limits and kept up with every car around him.
We came back from last in GT to 8th with a hugely compromised and damaged car.
(Photo credits to forum members)
We would normally change the handling by moving the wing or the under tray by 1 degree. This damage was so detrimental to the front down force that I would not even speculate how much it took away.
At any rate, I am still happy with the 8th place. Where could we have finished with no problems on a dry track? Top 5 was our goal, Top 3 was possible, but it would not have been easy.
I have to tell you all one thing. Every team in the Paddock came by and congratulated us on the fine front row qualifying. -----EXCEPT---- Corvette racing. I am still baffled by the animosity that they show toward us.
I guess that if we can do what we do with NO MONEY then why would GM still justify spending over $15 million on bailout racing. It is hard to justify such a huge program when a Privateer can do well with no help. Just a little help in our direction would go a long way and they must feel that we threaten their budget.
As we drove the Race car into the Corvette corral, the GM person in charge of the Corvette corral even tried to stop us from pulling the race car in to the Corral. He said we were not welcomed there because Corvette Racing was doing a "function" inside the tent and that we should leave.
Of course we did not leave because we have come over after qualifying every year for the past 5 years. We have to do it on our own because GM won't allow LGM to come and do any "official function". Jan Magnusen got off the Corvette Racing Golf cart and ran over to congratulate me on the outside pole. He was the only one on the team who did so.
It is like we race a foreign make rather than a Corvette. But its their problem not mine.
We are trying to work a deal with a couple of drivers for Laguna. So far we are not close to a final deal.
We hope that we can make it. If we do, you can count on it to see the race car at the Corvette Corral after qualifying.
I would like to see a time when there are as many Corvettes in GT2 racing as there are Porsche. All in Privateer teams, and all helping the Corvette to an honorable result.
Thanks guys,
See you at the races.
Lou G
Back home now and still disappointed with the race.
Qualifying was great. Missing the pole by only 58/1000th of a second (58 thousandths of a second) Putting the two Factory Corvettes behind us. You all saw the rebuild video after the Boris/Long beach fire and i can tell you that it was totally satisfying to put the car on the front row!!
Rebuild video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9b2eMipdZ0
I have to say thank you to all the Corvette owners that came by at the track was a real pleasure. The support that we get from the Corvette owners from all over is so satisfying that it makes it all worth while.
We all drive Corvettes because we love them. And it is always great to see the passion that comes out at the race track by the Corvette Community.
The question was posed; "how do you think the Michelins compare to the Dunlop in the dry?" Well, considering what version Dunlop tires we have at our disposal, there is still no comparison.
Every Dunlop tired car has adjustments in the base weight and restrictor size to try to overcome the disparity in the tires. These are from the ALMS series.
The other fact it that we used a soft qualifying tire to accomplish what we did. So did the Ford. The performance of that tire will fall off within 10 laps in the heat and dry. The Michelin does not fall off, and I would bet that the Michelin cars did what they did on a harder, longer lasting tire. Our plan was to run hard in the dry for as long as the tires would hold up and hope for an early yellow we would dive in to the pits and change to a harder compound and get out of sequence on pit stops. The rain messed up that plan for sure
On to the meat of the race.
Tom Sutherland did a great job in qualifying. Putting both of the multi million dollar factory Corvettes behind us was incredible. AND we did it on the same money that Corvette racing spends on Food for the weekend! (I wonder if they get Government Cheese too?)
Tom is 21 years old, and he is learning every race. This was his first time on the rain tires and first time on track in the rain. All things considered, it was just two mistakes where he went off track and lost 50% of the front splitter and thus 50% or more of the front down force that determined our race.
After the initial mistake that was made, the drivers, Drissi, Bell and Sutherland, and the team did a great job. Experience gained with years of racing would tell a driver what is necessary to stay on the asphalt. Tom S is a 21 year old young lion. he will be at the top of the heap during his career. I have a saying that I pound into my brain over and over;"don't go too fast too soon!"
ALso, consider what cars went off later (audi, Acura, Porsche, Johny O, ). Even the experienced winners had problems. We just had ours in the first 15 minutes and it cost us BIG TIME.
Drissi, who has the most experience turned some 1:23s while missing half of the front end. That comes from experience. He drove the car within the new limits and kept up with every car around him.
We came back from last in GT to 8th with a hugely compromised and damaged car.
(Photo credits to forum members)
We would normally change the handling by moving the wing or the under tray by 1 degree. This damage was so detrimental to the front down force that I would not even speculate how much it took away.
At any rate, I am still happy with the 8th place. Where could we have finished with no problems on a dry track? Top 5 was our goal, Top 3 was possible, but it would not have been easy.
I have to tell you all one thing. Every team in the Paddock came by and congratulated us on the fine front row qualifying. -----EXCEPT---- Corvette racing. I am still baffled by the animosity that they show toward us.
I guess that if we can do what we do with NO MONEY then why would GM still justify spending over $15 million on bailout racing. It is hard to justify such a huge program when a Privateer can do well with no help. Just a little help in our direction would go a long way and they must feel that we threaten their budget.
As we drove the Race car into the Corvette corral, the GM person in charge of the Corvette corral even tried to stop us from pulling the race car in to the Corral. He said we were not welcomed there because Corvette Racing was doing a "function" inside the tent and that we should leave.
Of course we did not leave because we have come over after qualifying every year for the past 5 years. We have to do it on our own because GM won't allow LGM to come and do any "official function". Jan Magnusen got off the Corvette Racing Golf cart and ran over to congratulate me on the outside pole. He was the only one on the team who did so.
It is like we race a foreign make rather than a Corvette. But its their problem not mine.
We are trying to work a deal with a couple of drivers for Laguna. So far we are not close to a final deal.
We hope that we can make it. If we do, you can count on it to see the race car at the Corvette Corral after qualifying.
I would like to see a time when there are as many Corvettes in GT2 racing as there are Porsche. All in Privateer teams, and all helping the Corvette to an honorable result.
Thanks guys,
See you at the races.
Lou G
__________________
LG Pro LT Headers, MOST HP, MOST TORQUE
http://lgmotorsports.com/gallery/alb...no_compare.jpg
LGM http://www.LGMotorsports.com
Winner Daytona 250
22 WC Wins
"Most powerful Corvette headers on the planet"
LG Pro LT Headers, MOST HP, MOST TORQUE
http://lgmotorsports.com/gallery/alb...no_compare.jpg
LGM http://www.LGMotorsports.com
Winner Daytona 250
22 WC Wins
"Most powerful Corvette headers on the planet"
Last edited by LG Motorsports; 09-28-2009 at 11:01 AM.
09-28-2009, 09:58 AM
#2
Race Director
Hey Lou, watched the race on the tube. Congrats for finishing 8th! Hell, congrats for just finishing in that mess. Thanks also for pointing the behavior of Corvette Racing toward the privateers - who woulda thunk? Not a lot of class there for sure.
Best of luck at Laguna Seca!!!!!
Best of luck at Laguna Seca!!!!!
09-28-2009, 10:25 AM
#5
Melting Slicks
Very 
09-28-2009, 10:31 AM
#6
Congratulations on a good race.. Those guys need to get their heads out of their @ss, take a breath and look around. The factory could help you out a bit, and get a privateer vette on the podium ahead of the factory foreign teams.. That would sell vettes, and there would not be a crying towel large enough for the P,F and B car teams...
Those guys need to get their heads out of their @ss, take a breath and look around. The factory could help you out a bit, and get a privateer vette on the podium ahead of the factory foreign teams.. That would sell vettes, and there would not be a crying towel large enough for the P,F and B car teams...
09-28-2009, 01:44 PM
#8
Melting Slicks
Congrats Lou and LG Motorsports 
Joel G
Joel G
09-28-2009, 03:15 PM
#10
Le Mans Master
Lou, it was good to see you, Lewis, Anthony and all of the guys. Everyone at the Corvette corral was pulling for you guys. All I heard was positive comments about you bringing the car to the corral. 
You guys are just first class. Best of luck on the westcoast.
Jim
You guys are just first class. Best of luck on the westcoast.
Jim
09-28-2009, 03:29 PM
#11
Race Director
Member Since: Oct 2005
Location: I speak the truth. Harsh but accurate. The Woodlands Texas
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St. Jude Donor '09-'10
Good Job Lou! is is a shame the GM Corvette team guys are such douchebags.
You should tell them to lick your bawlz.
You should tell them to lick your bawlz.
09-28-2009, 04:09 PM
#13
Safety Car
congrats Lou, always great to see the underdog doing well. dont worry about corvette racing, they're just jealous! the fact that they didnt talk to you shows that you're getting to them and they feel threatened big time. keep up the good work, you're an inspiration to all of us!
09-28-2009, 04:40 PM
#14
Burning Brakes
09-29-2009, 02:01 AM
#20
Safety Car
Good luck getting something going for Laguna