Motorsport Off Topic Thread

MissChief said:
A combined set of regulations for all GT style racing would have a huge and dramatic effect on racer numbers and manufacturers would find it much easier to jump on board. If a Manufacturer has half a dozen potential rac series and could conceivably sell 20-30 cars there's potential to even make a small profit on GT style racers for the lower classes. Although Porsche, Audi and others already make GT racers McLaren, GM, Mercedes Benz, even Lamborghini and possibly Ferrari could be enticed into something like this.
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Lamborghini, Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes AMG, Corvette and BMW along with Audi and Porsche all make BoP compliant GT3 cars competing very competitively in a wide variety of series including Blancpain Endurance (50+ grids) and ADAC GT Masters (40+ grids).

Skeeter said:
If it means that we can have the variety and volume of cars currently competing in GT3 (and GT1) championships racing at Le Mans, then I'm all for it!
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GT1 is effectively dead, the grids last year were only around 9-11 cars and this year many of the entrants were glorified GT3 cars. Infact the Hexis McLaren MP4 GT3 won several GT1 rounds and also won the final Blancpain race.
 
The GT1 championship is not glorified GT3 cars... it is GT3 cars. They adopted the GT3 regs due to low entry numbers. Its just badged as GT1. I think the races are longer than the GT3 support series races.

Its a tribute to the popularity of the GT3 regulations if they have enough entrants to run 2 full race programs together with full grids.

The ACO need to realise this. I imagine they could do something similar to the plans for the LMP classes by having 2 GT categories with the lower based on GT3 and only for customer cars, and the upper designed for manufacturers to showcase technology with hybrids and things.

Imagine if there was a fleet of GT3 cars from the massive customer car offering available, and then in the upper class there were hybrid McLaren P1s and Enzos and Aventadors! Currently if a manufacturer wants to compete as a flagship in Le Mans they need to build a prototype.
 
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On the subject of crashes, not seen it posted here yet - but a Nissan Deltawing racing at Road Atlanta had a crash...

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Anyone else think it's slightly worrying just how easily it flipped then from some lateral contact? It obviously flicked itself - it's left rear riding up the 911. But that's a sort of accident that is really quite likely to happen in GT racing from what I've seen...
 
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"One of the DeltaWings"? Have they got more than one chassis now?

I think most things would rise up like that with that sort of contact. The DeltaWing relies on ground effects for downforce though so as soon as its off the ground a bit its got zero downforce.

Good to see it dispatching the Prototype with ease though. I didn't realise it was out racing in ALMS already. I love this car!

Edit: Dammit, looks like they were pretty quick too

The Nissan DeltaWing was only 4/10ths of a second slower than the fatest P2 car in sixth place on the timesheet in this afternoon's session.
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Skeeter said:
The GT1 championship is not glorified GT3 cars... it is GT3 cars. They adopted the GT3 regs due to low entry numbers. Its just badged as GT1. I think the races are longer than the GT3 support series races.
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Thing is my friend withdrew two teams because they changed the regulations so much that his cars were effectively useless and he would have had to totally reb-design the cars (if they were even elligible at all).
 
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Skeeter said:
"One of the DeltaWings"? Have they got more than one chassis now?
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No idea! edited post to not confuse things :D

Yeh I agree most things would rise up a bit, just that's quite a lot there, I know there is quite a crest there on that track so I guess it's a little unfair to make judgement on it.

Agreed that it is great to see the car going well though, looks pretty quick there ;)
 
Gayjin said:
Thing is my friend withdrew two teams because they changed the regulations so much that his cars were effectively useless and he would have had to totally reb-design the cars (if they were even elligible at all).
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Which team? What cars were they?

PinkFloyd said:
No idea! edited post to not confuse things :D

Yeh I agree most things would rise up a bit, just that's quite a lot there, I know there is quite a crest there on that track so I guess it's a little unfair to make judgement on it.

Agreed that it is great to see the car going well though, looks pretty quick there ;)
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I didn't think it was going to be racing in ALMS until 2014, but it looks like it will be racing in 2013, just not officially classified.

I really hope someone produces a 1:18 scale diecast of it!
 
Hmmm... who out there said it would act like a Reliant Robin? May have been a little bit correct.

Nasty accident though, but it shouldn't have happened.
 
Flibster said:
Hmmm... who out there said it would act like a Reliant Robin? May have been a little bit correct.

Nasty accident though, but it shouldn't have happened.
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Just need one painted yellow and sponsored by Trotters Independent traders :D

But it looked like the 911 turned in it, so either it didn't see it or was trying to bully it off the track...
 
I think that this, in combination with the Le Mans accident highlights a problem the Deltawing is going to have.

When they're passing slower traffic the drivers of those slower cars are going to see the nose of a car in their peripheral vision and instinctively give it as much room as they would the front of any other car. By the time they've realised their mistake it's too late.
 
I don't think the contact is the issue, I think its the fact its so delicate. In both incidents I dont think either driver saw them, so it would have happened to anyone, but the damage sustained is going to be much greater than in a prototype or GT.

I hope they can fix it.
 
Re: Deltawing/Porsche collision - The only criticism I can lay on the Delta is that it could be painted in a more conspicuous colour, especially with its lower profile making it harder to spot in the first place. At the top of the hill (4th gear for LMPs), a flat-floored prototype could very well get air underneath it with that sort of contact, and if you need reminding ...


As I type, the Delta pits from third *overall* for its first tyre change, almost four hours (!) into the race. Seems a real shame that the FIA haven't used the Delta's "success" to launch a class of super-light prototypes with heavy restrictions on power/fuel in return for much more open regulations.
 
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Your right, the FIA seem to have taken zero interest in the DeltaWing, even though it would fit with there green image.

Its aim is to be as fast as the P2s, but with half the weight, drag, power, fuel and tyres. Seems they are well on the way.
 
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