New GT3 photo - July 2020
07-14-2020, 12:45 AM
#16
Rennlist Member
Looking good!
07-14-2020, 01:51 AM
#17
Drifting
Yes, that is what I was referring to -- quasi factory AF Corse, Porsche, and Aston (its own issues). Not a bedrock of participants at the moment.
With Porsche having expressed interest in LMDh, will they run GTE and LMDh in the current environment? I hope so.
With GT3 owned by Ratel, I don't see Ratel and ACO/WEC kissing and making up.
I would love to see a 992 RSR.
With Porsche having expressed interest in LMDh, will they run GTE and LMDh in the current environment? I hope so.
With GT3 owned by Ratel, I don't see Ratel and ACO/WEC kissing and making up.
I would love to see a 992 RSR.
If budgets for LMDh - which will also have customer cars, at least as an option - are similar to current GTE budgets, what manufacturer would choose to compete for a class victory at Le Mans versus an overall victory? Recall that VAG were recently spending at F1 midpack levels for both Porsche and Audi to compete against each other (and Toyota) at Le Mans and in WEC. An overall victory at Le Mans is probably second only to F1 success in terms of global recognition. I got in an Uber in Paris the Monday after Le Mans of 2018; my Uber driver knew that Toyota had finally won the race with Alonso in the victorious car, but he had no clue that Porsche had won in GTE Pro.
This potential vacuum in the GTE field has developed quickly. There were 17 (!) GTE Pro entrants at Le Mans last year - 4x Porsche, 4x Ford, 3x Ferrari, 2x Aston Martin, 2x Corvette, 2x BMW.
Just a year later the FIA and ACO have lost: 4x Ford, 2x Porsche, 2x Corvette (temporary, they hope to return in 2021), 2x BMW, leaving 2x Porsche, 3-4x Ferrari, 2x Aston Martin. From 17 cars down to 7-8 in one year.
Will Aston Martin stay? What is Lawrence Stroll’s appetite for their continued presence in GTE Pro (even after the hypercar cancellation)? I know that Aston Martin canceled their Le Mans hospitality plans before the pandemic took off. Will Ferrari continue (they are still discussing a Hypercar or LMDh effort against the specter of the F1 cost cap)?
The ACO and FIA need an affordable way for OEMs to show up at Le Mans. Approaching Ratel and making a deal with him is the only way to make that happen, and it opens a floodgate of brands that have powerful Le Mans presence (Audi, Bentley) or potential ambitions (McLaren, Lamborghini, Honda, Mercedes, among others). They can run factory teams with 3 platinum drivers and a healthy testing budget (which is no joke, Porsche tests their GT race cars all the time, all over the world; I once bumped into Fred Mako in the Atlanta airport randomly after he had been at a test at Sebring) in the Pro category and sell cars - a profit center for OEMs - in the Am category.
07-14-2020, 10:20 AM
#18
Three Wheelin'
Agree with all that. Except -- Ratel will not want defund his own series by handing GT3 to WEC/ACO. I am sure he would be delighted to license it at a cost that WEC/ACO may not want to spend, when they have/can create new categories on their own. Yes, they are in a tough spot with interest in GTE having slumped, and may be in for even tougher times with current environment. I hope they get it sorted. GTE is where my passion is .
07-14-2020, 01:48 PM
#19
Burning Brakes
It's a shame. The sounds of those pre-2020 RSRs were the basis for some of my worldwide travels. Was supposed to hear their last running at Le Mans (wanted to hear the C8R in the flesh too) this year too with a nice hospitality package.
It's going to be hard to justify GTE in the US when it's only BMW and Chevrolet running it next year.
It's going to be hard to justify GTE in the US when it's only BMW and Chevrolet running it next year.
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07-14-2020, 04:24 PM
#21
Drifting
Heard the updated RSR at Daytona. It was certainly loud, but nowhere near as musical as the older car.
07-20-2020, 04:09 PM
#22
Drifting
In my opinion, Porsche has viewed the WEC as its primary, more premium, preferred series in which the factory effort competes with the RSR. WEC is an FIA sanctioned world championship, whereas IMSA is essentially an American series in terms of reach (notwithstanding a race in Canada, which will not take place this year).
International (ie, mostly UK) press coverage of the full season IMSA drivers, three of whom are among their absolute best GT drivers - Nick Tandy, Earl Bamber, Laurens Vanthoor - frequently includes something about how they like to race in America, chose to race in America, etc. as if it’s a surprise or demands explanation.
I expect Porsche to continue racing the latest RSR in WEC’s GTE Pro category until (1) the FIA permits factories to race GT3 cars in WEC (and at Le Mans) or (2) other manufacturers depart (current full season GTE Pro competition includes AF Corse’s quasi-factory Ferrari team and Aston Martin Racing). At this point, I wouldn’t necessarily assume that there will be an RSR variant of the 992 (for those aforementioned external reasons).
Edit: There is certainly no guarantee that Porsche will enter LMDh, but I’m hopeful! Provided that’s the case, I’d be delighted to see them partner with Penske, given (1) Penske’s exceptional reputation (2) their mutual achievements with the RS Spyders in the late aughts (3) Penske’s current familiarity with DPi. Unknown what that would mean for driver lineups, as the Penske Acura DPi team uses Penske drivers and the RS Spyder program used Porsche drivers. Tandy and Bamber are very accomplished prototype drivers, and Vanthoor shared a joke about LMDh training recently. Montoya was linked with a 919 drive in the 2015/16 timeframe, but that didn’t come to fruition. JPM is very keen to achieve the “Triple Crown” like Alonso, and he would have a good shot at winning Le Mans in a Porsche LMDh.
International (ie, mostly UK) press coverage of the full season IMSA drivers, three of whom are among their absolute best GT drivers - Nick Tandy, Earl Bamber, Laurens Vanthoor - frequently includes something about how they like to race in America, chose to race in America, etc. as if it’s a surprise or demands explanation.
I expect Porsche to continue racing the latest RSR in WEC’s GTE Pro category until (1) the FIA permits factories to race GT3 cars in WEC (and at Le Mans) or (2) other manufacturers depart (current full season GTE Pro competition includes AF Corse’s quasi-factory Ferrari team and Aston Martin Racing). At this point, I wouldn’t necessarily assume that there will be an RSR variant of the 992 (for those aforementioned external reasons).
Edit: There is certainly no guarantee that Porsche will enter LMDh, but I’m hopeful! Provided that’s the case, I’d be delighted to see them partner with Penske, given (1) Penske’s exceptional reputation (2) their mutual achievements with the RS Spyders in the late aughts (3) Penske’s current familiarity with DPi. Unknown what that would mean for driver lineups, as the Penske Acura DPi team uses Penske drivers and the RS Spyder program used Porsche drivers. Tandy and Bamber are very accomplished prototype drivers, and Vanthoor shared a joke about LMDh training recently. Montoya was linked with a 919 drive in the 2015/16 timeframe, but that didn’t come to fruition. JPM is very keen to achieve the “Triple Crown” like Alonso, and he would have a good shot at winning Le Mans in a Porsche LMDh.
Report: Team Penske, Acura Likely to Split at End of Year
Team Penske and Acura’s partnership in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship could end at the conclusion of the 2020 season, with reports of the two parties going their separate ways next year.French publication Auto Hebdo reports that Acura Team Penske will not continue into 2021, following the end of its initial three-year contract.
Having debuted in 2018, the factory program, which brought star drivers Juan Pablo Montoya and Helio Castroneves into the WeatherTech Championship full-time, delivered the 2019 DPi title with Montoya and Dane Cameron.
With a total of four wins since the program’s debut, Acura Team Penske has yet to claim victories in any of the key endurance races including the Rolex 24 at Daytona, Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring or Motul Petit Le Mans.
Representatives from both Acura and Team Penske have yet to return Sportscar365’s inquiries for comment.
Sportscar365 understands that a number of teams, both currently involved in IMSA and not presently inside the paddock, have been vying to take over the Acura ARX-05 program beginning in 2021.
However, it remains unclear what the program could look like next year, particularly as manufacturers could be faced to make cuts in their motorsports budgets due to the current economic uncertainty.
Team Penske has been linked to at least one potential new LMDh effort, although a possible delay in the rollout of the joint ACO-IMSA regulations may not result in that program coming online until 2023 at the earliest.
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07-21-2020, 03:41 PM
#26
Technical Guru
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
When were the development engineers moved off the RSR, March? I just can't see Porsche doing a full factory program for LMDh unless they are the single source for the series hybrid system or Penske funds it entirely. Not if they can win overall in LMh. What's in it for them? There is an obscene amount of development money from the RSR program that has to be going somewhere? LMDh just doesn't make sense.
Last edited by JasonAndreas; 07-21-2020 at 03:50 PM. Reason: development
07-21-2020, 03:44 PM
#27
Rennlist Member
When were the development engineers moved off the RSR, March? I just can't see Porsche doing a full factory program for LMDh unless they are the single source for the series hybrid system or Penske funds it entirely. Not if they can win overall in LMh. What's in it for them? There is an obscene amount of money from the RSR program that has to be going somewhere? LMDh just doesn't make sense.
07-21-2020, 05:01 PM
#28
Drifting
When were the development engineers moved off the RSR, March? I just can't see Porsche doing a full factory program for LMDh unless they are the single source for the series hybrid system or Penske funds it entirely. Not if they can win overall in LMh. What's in it for them? There is an obscene amount of development money from the RSR program that has to be going somewhere? LMDh just doesn't make sense.
At this point we won’t necessarily know where they’ll be racing next year - i.e., if they will pull out of WEC GTE Pro, too - before the night of champions dinner in December.
07-21-2020, 05:08 PM
#29
Rennlist Member
I wouldn’t assume that RSR development has stopped right now / yet, because Porsche is still competing for championships in both WEC and IMSA this year (both Le Mans, among other WEC events, and the bulk of the IMSA championship are forthcoming this year).
At this point we won’t necessarily know where they’ll be racing next year - i.e., if they will pull out of WEC GTE Pro, too - before the night of champions dinner in December.
At this point we won’t necessarily know where they’ll be racing next year - i.e., if they will pull out of WEC GTE Pro, too - before the night of champions dinner in December.
If they pull the plug in the WEC. Then there definitely won’t be a 992 version RSR