will any other GT car get a look in this season?
Discussion
The Saleen is definately doing this business this year and it doesn't look like any of the major manufacturers are intending to field anything to beat it next season. Given that the GT field is so small this year anyway there may well be a reorganisation of the championship for next year. In the same way as the GT 1 class bit the dust a few years ago, I would imagine that next year GT will disappear, leaving GTO and a new class much closer to production cars (and much cheaper for teams to run). Otherwise with such a small field its hard to see the British championship going on for much longer.
Hi guys!
Just to add some food for thought... This year they have victory ballast. Great in theory, but when a team is abke to run clear aways from everyone else, perhaps it is time to look at the restrictor sizes.
When you see 2 cars exit the corner together, and both having taken the corner well, these cars are traction limited, so really, you cannot accelerate much faster. However, down the straight, and into 4th gear and above, and a car pulls strongly away... that is POWER.
I know restrictor sizes are base on math formulaes and all, but engines are not exactly a perfectly exact science. Restrictors were introduced to level the field, why are we not seeing them come of use? It will be a great loss to see the end of the GT cars. Without taking anything away, when the FIA GTs were at Silverstone, their field was strong, but the cars? We watch GT racing to see the diversity and insane cars battle.
Thanks for listening to my nonsense!
PH
Just to add some food for thought... This year they have victory ballast. Great in theory, but when a team is abke to run clear aways from everyone else, perhaps it is time to look at the restrictor sizes.
When you see 2 cars exit the corner together, and both having taken the corner well, these cars are traction limited, so really, you cannot accelerate much faster. However, down the straight, and into 4th gear and above, and a car pulls strongly away... that is POWER.
I know restrictor sizes are base on math formulaes and all, but engines are not exactly a perfectly exact science. Restrictors were introduced to level the field, why are we not seeing them come of use? It will be a great loss to see the end of the GT cars. Without taking anything away, when the FIA GTs were at Silverstone, their field was strong, but the cars? We watch GT racing to see the diversity and insane cars battle.
Thanks for listening to my nonsense!
PH
I agree the GT series is brilliant entertainment, but quite a few people are making comments like "great GTO battle but the GT was boring". With an ever shrinking field of GT class entries it might be time to rethink things or face the terrible prospect of seeing the whole thing disappear.
....a shame if you've shelled out £350k on a Saleen, but the GT grid is looking a bit like Jurassic Park.
The other contributing factor is global elligibility (for both ACO (Le Mans/ALMS) and FIA). Morgan did everything right on that front, but have unfortunately IMHO produced a car that at this stage, just can't handle well enough to hang on to the front of the class (and of course it's been thrashed senseless with the ugly stick)
Which basically means that that this point in time, unless you have a 911 or 360, you can't pitch a car into any old series.
The other contributing factor is global elligibility (for both ACO (Le Mans/ALMS) and FIA). Morgan did everything right on that front, but have unfortunately IMHO produced a car that at this stage, just can't handle well enough to hang on to the front of the class (and of course it's been thrashed senseless with the ugly stick)
Which basically means that that this point in time, unless you have a 911 or 360, you can't pitch a car into any old series.
we're not sure how fast that Moggie is yet - it has never run at full RPM in the British championship and remember it is a BRAND NEW car. Once fully on song it does close to 11,000 rpm (can't wait to hear it).
But back to GT - if the Speed 12 hadn't suffered a spin at Silverstone this year, I think it would have won, but then the Saleen had started from the back after a fuel leak. Someone made a remark about dinosaurs and if you think how old the Marcos are and teh Lister and the Speed 12 compared to the Saleen, perhaps we shouldn't be too surprised. What we need is some new blood - perhaps the Farboud would be a good challenger? Anyone else think of something they'd like to see in GT - Ferrari 550/575, some Vipers back again?
But back to GT - if the Speed 12 hadn't suffered a spin at Silverstone this year, I think it would have won, but then the Saleen had started from the back after a fuel leak. Someone made a remark about dinosaurs and if you think how old the Marcos are and teh Lister and the Speed 12 compared to the Saleen, perhaps we shouldn't be too surprised. What we need is some new blood - perhaps the Farboud would be a good challenger? Anyone else think of something they'd like to see in GT - Ferrari 550/575, some Vipers back again?
I agree that the series is in dire straits at the moment, with 12 cars (was it?) at Croft, but they're promising twenty or so this weekend at Silverstone. I also believe that GNM may be looking to run a third Saleen later this year, although (like their second) it may not compete in every British round. Now, the thought of three Saleens makes GT sound much more interesting, especially if Graham Nash can find two more drivers to match the quality of those he's already signed.
I spoke to the team yesterday, and the third car is already in action! With RML having already taken away the car they're borrowing for Le Mans, Tommy and Ian are in the ex-Daytona/Sebring car (originally run in unpainted carbon fibre) and Nathan and Tom will drive the third car. This is the same S7-R that ran so well in last year's Spanish GT championship.
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