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Author Topic: ELMS are cancelling the last two rounds on the European calendar  (Read 14116 times)
Nordic
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« Reply #15 on: July 22, 2012, 07:00:50 pm »

Maybe by having a cull of the poorly supported ELMs and GT1 series it will strengthen the ones that remain.

The few teams that did commit are going to take a hit, some sponsor deals will have been sold on a complete series I would guess. Hopefully those cars that did compete and exist can be found a new home and boost grids elsewhere.

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« Reply #16 on: July 23, 2012, 10:08:23 am »

Not really shocked to hear this news. The writing was on the wall the day they announced the calendar.

What they need to do now is start to listen to the privateer teams who make up the bulk of the entries and not so much the fickle manufacturers who are at the mercy of the bean counters on the top floor. Forget the European Series and find a way of making the WEC more attractive and affordable to the smaller teams and their sponsors. If that means more rounds in Europe and North America than so be it. Why go to the Middle East when no one cares about the series or Endurance Racing? The only reason they go there is for Audi and Toyota, and as they only make up a fraction of the entry it cannot be justified. Both Toyota and Audi are global brands and should be happy to race anywhere in the world, so why we have to go to places no one wants to go is just plain daft.
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« Reply #17 on: July 23, 2012, 03:18:50 pm »


..... Why go to the Middle East when no one cares about the series or Endurance Racing?


Pretty much the same reason that F1 has all those races in the Middle and Far East now   ---
£££  $$$  £££  $$$
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« Reply #18 on: July 23, 2012, 06:29:15 pm »

Money makes motorsport happen. It has always been the same. It has never been 'for the fans' despite what you might read on a series strap-line. A series goes where the money is, not where the fans are.



..... Why go to the Middle East when no one cares about the series or Endurance Racing?


Pretty much the same reason that F1 has all those races in the Middle and Far East now   ---
£££  $$$  £££  $$$
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« Reply #19 on: July 23, 2012, 08:30:28 pm »

There seems to be a dividing line between funding a campaign in a 911 or a Ferrari and the LMPs.

Porsche did the sport a great service by selling as many 956/962s as they could.  This doesn't happen as we have a few works cars at the front, and they'll win.

My dream rule is that unless there are 15 works cars they get banned.  Sorry Audi, but this isn't a one make race
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« Reply #20 on: July 23, 2012, 10:54:16 pm »

I suspect Big Cheese has a point in that Atheron, and the ALMS are probably getting a bit fed up with the Audi policy of showing up for their two signature races, scooping the hardware, and then blowing off the rest of the series.  I would hope that the ALMS put their foot down and say look, either commit to a full campaign, or supply customer cars for teams wanting to do so, or your entries for Sebring, and PLM will not be accepted.  But everbody knows the big manufacturers have the sanctioning bodies by the balls.
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« Reply #21 on: July 24, 2012, 03:17:52 am »

Lovely discussion. Carry on  Grin
Phil
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« Reply #22 on: July 24, 2012, 09:36:43 am »

There seems to be a dividing line between funding a campaign in a 911 or a Ferrari and the LMPs.

Porsche did the sport a great service by selling as many 956/962s as they could.  This doesn't happen as we have a few works cars at the front, and they'll win.

My dream rule is that unless there are 15 works cars they get banned.  Sorry Audi, but this isn't a one make race

But didn't we have one make racing in the early days of the 956/962, ok there were customer teams but most of the grids were made of 956/962's of varying specs?  Of course once Jag, Merc, et al came along things changed,  but they didn't provide customer cars.

At least with the R8's some were available to customer teams, but I think the days of privateers being able to run the same cars as the factories has gone I'm afraid.  And do we really want to dumb down the teams at the front?  Personally I don't. 

The ACO almost have it right with LMP1 and LMP2, but there is a case for a LMP1.5, for teams that can afford to run pro drivers, but can't afford a works car,  the Rebellions and Strakka's of the world for example.  They can't run in LMP2 cos they have pro drivers, and can't compete with Audi and Toyota in LMP1.

I'm not advocating endless classes, GTE AM and Pro seems to work outside of ELMS, just make LMP into three classes, and have the LMP1.5 in ELMS/WEC.

Maybe with the demise of GT1 World and GT3 Euro we might see some more ELMS entrants at that level.

If all of the various championships could work together on calendars and rules then it would probably be for the good of them all,  but hey what's that pink thing going oink flying past my window!
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« Reply #23 on: July 25, 2012, 08:52:35 pm »

Lovely discussion. Carry on  Grin
Phil

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Don't understand a bloody word of it... just like listening to Lazy B's (Dr Scones) mates at the campsite...

>Martini...LB
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« Reply #24 on: July 26, 2012, 12:07:37 pm »

My gut feeling is that in two years the ALMS will still be racing in front of large audiences, and FIA championship will have gone the way of the dodo bird.
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Correct. The current FIA championship is entirely underwhelming and completely off the public's radar screen.
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« Reply #25 on: July 26, 2012, 01:38:06 pm »

I have to agree. In a rare moment of leisure last night I flicked through the planner on the Sky box doo-dah and watched the recording of the ALMS round from Lime Rock Park (the US equivalent of Oulton Park??) and whilst there might have been a lack of big name LMP teams at the front, the racing was excellent and the crowds plentiful. It was certainly better than anything we have witnessed in the ELMS and WEC this year.
Food for thought indeed.
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« Reply #26 on: July 26, 2012, 08:52:57 pm »

It was the same at Mosport last week, and will be more of the same at Mid Ohio next Saturday.  The lack of big name factory LMP entries hasn't deterred the fans from showing up, and the GT battles have been terrific.
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« Reply #27 on: July 30, 2012, 01:54:08 pm »

It was the same at Mosport last week, and will be more of the same at Mid Ohio next Saturday.  The lack of big name factory LMP entries hasn't deterred the fans from showing up, and the GT battles have been terrific.
Fax

I suspect that it's the lack of 'big name factory LMP1 teams' that are  ringing the fans in. Who wants to watch 3-4 Audis driving around in formation to another win? The smaller teams have similar technical resources, similar budgets and some good drivers. That makes for good tight racing. That's what I want to watch.

Interesting phrase in the latest FIA/ACO press release where M.Fillon talks of 'partners, Manufacturers, Sponsors and Teams'. It could be a slip of the tongue, but in these days of well polished PR drivell it's interesting that he should speak of of the obvious pecking order. How about giving the 'Teams' a little more importance?

I'm still seeing two many terrifying parallels to what has happened in the WRC. Stuff the manufacturers, just keep the privateers happy. The rest will look after itself. Without the rank and file that make sportscar racing so interesting, we are heading for dark times indeed.
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