micro

http://www.johnnyoconnell.com/

Salt Lake City
Added 07/14/06

Looking at track maps, and then walking around the outside of the circuit here, I was saying to myself that there are just way to many corners and the track is way to busy. I really didn’t expect to like it. But then after about my 7th or 8th lap was just grinning in the car as it is so fun to drive. Very cool.

We didn’t go as quick as the Astons as the restrictions they put on us are quite a challenge. Our top speed is not much better than a GT-2 car, and well there is nothing more frustrating than barely being quicker than a Porsche !!! The race will for sure be a challenge due to us being down on top speed. But hopefully the Michelins will give us and edge towards the end of a stint.

I am wondering if the Aston Martin boys are really showing all that they have. I would think that with our restrictions off we would be sooo much faster. Hopefully someone is out there with a radar gun showing the difference and we can get a little help back.

No matter though, we’ll be pushing hard, and really enjoying a great track. After Lime Rock this place is heaven !!!

Johnny

Jason

TRAIL BOSS

Grand Prix of Utah
Miller Motorsports Park, Tooele, Utah
Saturday's lineup
1. Frank Biela, Germany; Emanuele Pirro, Italy; Audi R10 TDI Power (P1), 2:21.553
2. Rinaldo Capello, Italy; Allan McNish, Scotland; Audi R10 TDI Power (P1), 2:21.762
3. Butch Leitzinger, State College, PA; James Weaver, England; Lola B06/10 AER (P1), 2:22.535
4. Sascha Maassen, Germany; Lucas Luhr, Germany; Porsche RS Spyder (P2), 2:23.387
5. Romain Dumas, France; Timo Bernhard, Germany; Porsche RS Spyder (P2), 2:23.460
6. Chris Dyson, Pleasant Valley, NY; Guy Smith, England; Lola B06/10 AER (P1), 2:24.291
7. Duncan Dayton, North Salem, NY; Andy Wallace, England; Lola EX257 AER (P1), 2:25.866
8. Liz Halliday, Rancho Santa Fe, CA; Clint Field, Dublin, OH; Jon Field, Dublin, OH; Lola B05/40 AER (P2), 2:30.043
9. Bryan Willman, Kirkland, WA; Michael Lewis, San Diego, CA; Lola EX257 AER (P1), 2:30.949
10. Darren Turner, England; Tomas Enge, Czech Republic; Aston Martin DB9 (GT1), 2:34.953
11. Stephane Sarrazin, France; Andrea Piccini, Italy; Aston Martin DB9 (GT1), 2:35.330
12. Ron Fellows, Canada; Johnny O`Connell, Flowery Branch, GA; Corvette C6.R (GT1), 2:37.414
13. Olivier Beretta, Monaco; Oliver Gavin, England; Corvette C6.R (GT1), 2:37.626
14. Jaime Melo, Brazil; Mika Salo, Finland; Ferrari 430 GT Berlinetta (GT2), 2:44.024
15. Jorg Bergmeister, Germany; Patrick Long, Oak Park, CA; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (GT2), 2:45.161
16. Johannes van Overbeek, San Francisco, CA; Wolf Henzler, Germany; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (GT2), 2:45.904
17. Tom Milner, Leesburg, VA; Gunnar Jeannette, Palm Beach Gardens, FL; Panoz Esperante GTLM (GT2), 2:46.322
18. Seth Neiman, Burlingame, CA; Darren Law, Phoenix, AZ; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (GT2), 2:46.855
19. David Brabham, Australia; Scott Maxwell, Canada; Panoz Esperante GTLM (GT2), 2:47.594
20. Joey Hand, Sacramento, CA; Bill Auberlen, Hermosa Beach, CA; BMW E46 M3 (GT2), 2:48.759
21. Justin Marks, Sacramento, CA; Bryan Sellers, Centerville, OH; BMW E46 M3 (GT2), 2:50.414
22. Klaus Graf, Germany; Mike Rockenfeller, Germany; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (GT2), 2:44.797

Roscoe

Ag-z06

So can anyone explain why the Porsche P2 cars are faster than many of the P1 cars and were leading the race in Lime Rock overall for much of the day? Is it just that the factory and Penske has the car set up so well or are the drivers just that good?

rcolling

micro

Two teams have Dyson's old P1 cars from last year.

Dyson has two new Lolas that are improving. One of them had bad luck at the Lime Rock race when they hit Gavin.

Both the Audi Porsche (RS Spyder) teams have factory drivers.

The P2 class IS designed for privateers, not the Penske empire.

The R10s face changes at Utah.

The R10's refueling nozzle has been narrowed by 5 mm, forcing longer pit stops.

"The current regulations permit the same 90-liter tank on both diesel and gasoline cars but permit the larger restrictor on the refueling rig of diesel cars because of the different viscosities of the fuel."

http://www.americanlemans.com/News/Article.aspx?ID=2276

Mako7

I will stop watching the GT1 races if the series honchos do not stop this BSBSBSBS of putting so much weight and intake restrictors on the C6Rs to neuter them. So equalization is fine, but 2-4 seconds per lap with a notably higher top speed is not acceptable. Let's send a petition to the race honchos AND their sponsors!

Gonzo

You make an excellent point. It seems that over the last several years the C5R/C6R program has had not only great drivers, and a great team, but also the determination and perservereince to push the Corvette Racing program in every aspect, Technologically. Is it fair to punish a team for being commited to making the ALMS was it is today by staying year after year and pushing the envelope. It seems that if you get to good the make you give up all the reasearch and development that go's into making the C6R better than the C5R was, and it was great.

I wish the AM team my best wishes in fielding a team that are competitive with corvette, but if the only way they can compete is to put 199 lbs of blastast in the C6R and restrict the intake, they really are not competitive are they. The AM is a great car, I saw an engine go into one last year at Petit lemans, that engine was a ting of beauty. But let them raise the level of performance of the AM. Don't decrease the performance of the C6R to make it "fair"

The entire idea is absurd. Should the Pittsburg Steelers wide receivers have to gain 20 lbs each, to make them more on a level playing field with teams they beat in the NFL last year. Athletes training is like Corvette racing training and developing the car. Only to dump 199 lbs into it, why not just say they have to take a passenger

It is emblematic of all of society today. The dumbing down to the lowest common denominator, so everyone will have an equal chance. I say BS, If you train better build a better car withing the regs and beat your opponent, thats the whole point.

F1 has similar problems "Homolgenation of engines" Crap, let the teams field the best they can. You want to limit something, do a salary cap, teams can't outspend each other by millions. AM and Corvette both have plenty of cash to spend. To Corvette credit, GM puts on quite a nice show and spread for ALMS fans, with the corvette corral, and activities like parade laps. But I do really want to watch Ron Fellows, and Johnny O, compete with a 200 lb anchor on the car, whats next they have to wear an eye patch and only use one hand.

Crap, I don't mind losing fair ans square, but if the ALMS wants to hamstring the best team in the series, in terms of fan participation and viewership, lets see how far they go when GM says OK seeya

Respectfully Gonzo

micro

Why doesn't P and M sell C6-Rs to customers rather than sell two of them after the season is done like last year?

AU N EGL

Ok New bumber sticker being made for the back of my trailer.

AU N EGL

Depends on where you want to race them? that is why the one customer C6-r and the C5Rs are in europe, not in the US.

Calloway wanted to bring the C6-Z06-Rs they built for FIAGT3 ( in europe) to the US to race in AMLS GT2, Chevy said NO they will not support those cars then.

rcolling

The ALMS is faced with a crisis in GT1.

Because of the Corvette dominance nobody wants to race them. The AMs are NOT funded by the factory. To get funding ProDrive had to go with Pirelli tires. That is what makes them not competitive in GT1. Anybody who paid attention at LeMans when the AMs wore Michelins knows those cars are just as fast as the Corvettes.

So Prodrive essentially said do something to level the playing field or we are going home. If they went home there would only be the 2 Corvettes and they would probably end up going home also.

But IMSA obviously went way too far with the penalties. The last race the Corvettes helplessly chased the AMs around the course and never threatened.

not08crmanymore

A vette just passed an ASTON for 2nd.

Everett Ogilvie

I will also probably quit watching GT1 if it remains this LUDICROUS. On the last lap the Ferrari GT2 car was as fast as the C6R (they never said whether the Vette was having issues or not). AM did not win - Team Corvette was forced to lose. Fehan and Chevrolet should threaten to pull out... that would get some attention.

vader86

Both.

Porsche factory backing=$$$$$, factory engineers, better drivers
Penske=experience, personnel, more $$$$
They can probably get enough HP numbers to not get whipped on the straights too bad, and they have a big weight advantage, which leads to alot of quickness in tight cornering. Small tracks like Lime Rock will lend towards Porsche. Audi will shine on longer tracks with more straights.

No other P2 car will compete with Penske, though I imagine next season that IMSA will stick it to them like they are C6R now.

rcolling

On the ALMs site they said the following recommendations will be made to IMSA.

1) Corvette penalties to be set back to the status at Lime Rock (199lbs) or better.

2) All AER engines will get a restrictor size increase. This should help the Dysons compete with the Audis in P1 and the Intersport Lolas compete with Porsche in P2. (P1 may be viable but the Intersport Lola is not anywhere near the Porsche)

micro

There are actually two C6-Rs in Europe. GLPK (FIA GT Championship) and PSI Experience (Le Mans Series) have one each.

That is why P & M should sell customer C6-Rs like Porsche does with the 911, Saleen with the S7R, Ferrari with the F430, Aston Martin with the DBR9, etc.

People are racing C5-Rs and C6-Rs in the FIA GT Championship and the Le Mans Series without people complaining.

Customers lack the huge resources of factory teams. Did you know that Audi had a newspaper made daily for the press at Le Mans this year?

Panoz is developing a new GT1 race car.

GT1 news

Panoz building GT1 racecar

30th June 2006

The US sportscar manufacturer Panoz Auto Development in Hoschton, Georgia has confirmed that it is working a on GT1 racecar.

At the recent 2006 Le Mans 24 Hour race a British entered Panoz Esperante won the GT2 class, the first success in the classic French endurance race since the Panoz marque made its Le Mans debut in 1997.

The GT1 car will be based on the chassis of the GT2 albeit with a carbon fibre composite central chassis section.

Company founder Don Panzo told Autosport magazine, "Most of the drawings are done, and if we got the right engine we could be up and running in 12 months."

-------

"The base engineering for the next generation of the Esperante has also been conducted by Multimatic."

http://www.multimaticmotorsports.com...3&task=article

micro

Where is the link?

Van Der Steur Racing will race an all-new Radical SR9 (P2 class) at Petit Le Mans. Their previous car was an old Lola. It will have a 2.0 liter AER turbo I-4 with around 500 hp.

http://americanlemans.com/News/Article.aspx?ID=1775

One Radical SR9 finished 3rd in P2, ahead of the Le Mans-winning Lola of RML, and 8th overall at the recent 1,000 km of Nürburgring.

http://www.lmes.net/uk/nurburgring/resultats.asp

AutoCutter

Rolling the C6R's back to the Lime Rock penalties is still too restrictive. At present and unless one or both of the AM's break, the C6R is now the perennial 3rd place finisher. The fact is the Aston's are pretty fast cars as seen at Sebring-the only thing that maded them uncompetitive was they broke so much, and they aren't breaking now.

With IMSA now giving the Aston Martins all the "wins" for what I guess is the rest of the season, why should the C6R's even show up at anymore of these "races." I can't see P & M being able to afford to field the C6R's now with no real chance of winning anymore-I mean Uncle GM is short on cash right now. GM will doubtlessly be force to pull the money plug if they can't win once in awhile; besides the current situation is not the best advertisment for the Corvette. The Cadallic's are in a similar situation.