GM steals and cheats....
10-17-2005, 01:54 PM
#31
Addict
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
Hey;
That was about the worst race I have ever seen. Team orders are one thing, but professionals need to be just a tad more transparent than that, it was disgusting.
That was about the worst race I have ever seen. Team orders are one thing, but professionals need to be just a tad more transparent than that, it was disgusting.
10-17-2005, 07:58 PM
#33
What a breath of fresh air TC was after watching the GT fiasco. Very similar races actually except Acura and Mazda showed what real racing is all about. It was a pleasure to watch Randy try to run down PD to win the championship for Mazda...
10-17-2005, 08:35 PM
#34
Addict
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
I was in the race and haven't seen the TV coverage yet, and it was a lot of fun despite having too many yellow flag laps. With the focus on the leaders you guys probably didn't get to see some of the brilliant racing that was taking place a bit further back, including one very good Porsce driver. I'm sure he'll post a first-hand report later, but here's some of what I saw, and I hope it makes some of you feel a bit better.
On the very first lap I came down the corkscrew and found James Sofronas parked at the bottom, apparently spun. Did someone in a GM car punt him off the track? I don't know, but I certainly didn't start wondering if there was a conspiracy against the Porsches.
I believe he went into the pits under the caution, and when he came back out he was 2nd to last of the cars still in the race. On the restart he came on strong, which is what you'd expect given his 8th place on the grid. I moved over between turns 10 and 11 to let him by with a wave, knowing that he and I were not really in the same race. Did him being in a Porsche have anything to do with it? Not really, and I let Mike Davis in the Saleen Mustang by on the next lap between 9 and 10, also by moving over and giving a wave. I knew I could catch up to the cars in front of me, and didn't want to spoil anyone else's race.
Sofronas and Davis worked their way to the front, racing in short spurts between the caution laps, ending up 5th and 8th respectively. If it's not clear from what I just wrote, they came from the very back to do this, and with only a small number of race laps to do it in. I'm sure Sofronas passed a number of GM cars on his way to the front, but it doesn't appear that any of them tried to "take him out" because he was in a Porsche.
Two of the Porsches were in bad shape in turn 3 on lap 6, and when I came around it looked a bit like a war zone with all the dust and parts. Liddell and Aschenbach apparently took each other out, without any help from the GM cars. Again, no thoughts of a conspiracy entered my head, although I was reminded of the HWFM turtle mascot when watching Liddell's car "swim" through the gravel.
Aschenbach lost his front bumper and probably had other damage, and ended up 3rd from last of the cars still in the race. He was behing me by 3-4 cars, far enough back that I couldn't see what kind of car it was, and the lack of a front bumper meant it could have been anything.
On the lap 14 restart I had my best race of the day, drag-racing a Viper down the front straight and taking the inside line, going side-by-side at 130-135 MPH over the hill at turn 1, then braking hard for turn 2. The Porsche brakes continue to amaze me, and I'm sure that the car could have handled another 10-15 MPH if the driver had the nerve.
I'm guessing that Aschenbach was coming on strong behind me, but I never saw him go by as I took myself out with a spin in turn 5. I was driving hard, for sure, but it looks like some of the dust caused my front end to get loose, and I didn't help things by lifting. It was a "clean" spin and I didn't hit anything, and I was looped around to get going again, but now in 22nd overall, and dead freaking last of the cars on the lead lap!
My team had worked too hard for me to come in at the end like that, so I told them that I'd get some of it back, even if we only had a few racing laps to do it in. On the final restart I again out-dragged a Viper on the front straight, passed another Viper who made like a rally car in turn 10, passed another apparently wounded car (Vette?) on the front straight, and passed a Porsche Turbo in 5.
I had been chasing a Viper and was on his tail as we went into the final turn (11), and I went for it down the front straight towards the finish line. I drafted him and whipped to the right just before the finish line, pulling alongside for a "photo" finish, although I waved him by as I figured he was a nose ahead. The final times showed him 0.084 seconds in front of me, which is pretty freaking close, and folks, it was a lot of fun.
Three of the Porsches were at or near the back at one time during the race, and ended up in 5th, 10th, and 15th. I won't claim to be the driver that Sofronas and Aschenbach are, but their performance and my own were proof enough to me that the Porsches were quite competitive, and perhaps not quite the victims of a conspiracy as has been suggested.
I didn't like the excessive number of caution laps, and I saw some "antics" that I didn't care for, but I did witness some great racing. I'm sorry that some of you are upset by what you saw on TV, but I would ask that you not be so quick to jump on the conspiracy theories, or to think that there wasn't any racing going on. I saw more passing in a couple of laps that I sometimes do in an entire F1 race, and was able to go "side-by-side" with several cars without incident. This is a great series, and I'll bet that it will be even better next year.
I hope to have some videos ready by tomorrow, and I hope that you can see the race from a different perspective.
On the very first lap I came down the corkscrew and found James Sofronas parked at the bottom, apparently spun. Did someone in a GM car punt him off the track? I don't know, but I certainly didn't start wondering if there was a conspiracy against the Porsches.
I believe he went into the pits under the caution, and when he came back out he was 2nd to last of the cars still in the race. On the restart he came on strong, which is what you'd expect given his 8th place on the grid. I moved over between turns 10 and 11 to let him by with a wave, knowing that he and I were not really in the same race. Did him being in a Porsche have anything to do with it? Not really, and I let Mike Davis in the Saleen Mustang by on the next lap between 9 and 10, also by moving over and giving a wave. I knew I could catch up to the cars in front of me, and didn't want to spoil anyone else's race.
Sofronas and Davis worked their way to the front, racing in short spurts between the caution laps, ending up 5th and 8th respectively. If it's not clear from what I just wrote, they came from the very back to do this, and with only a small number of race laps to do it in. I'm sure Sofronas passed a number of GM cars on his way to the front, but it doesn't appear that any of them tried to "take him out" because he was in a Porsche.
Two of the Porsches were in bad shape in turn 3 on lap 6, and when I came around it looked a bit like a war zone with all the dust and parts. Liddell and Aschenbach apparently took each other out, without any help from the GM cars. Again, no thoughts of a conspiracy entered my head, although I was reminded of the HWFM turtle mascot when watching Liddell's car "swim" through the gravel.
Aschenbach lost his front bumper and probably had other damage, and ended up 3rd from last of the cars still in the race. He was behing me by 3-4 cars, far enough back that I couldn't see what kind of car it was, and the lack of a front bumper meant it could have been anything.
On the lap 14 restart I had my best race of the day, drag-racing a Viper down the front straight and taking the inside line, going side-by-side at 130-135 MPH over the hill at turn 1, then braking hard for turn 2. The Porsche brakes continue to amaze me, and I'm sure that the car could have handled another 10-15 MPH if the driver had the nerve.
I'm guessing that Aschenbach was coming on strong behind me, but I never saw him go by as I took myself out with a spin in turn 5. I was driving hard, for sure, but it looks like some of the dust caused my front end to get loose, and I didn't help things by lifting. It was a "clean" spin and I didn't hit anything, and I was looped around to get going again, but now in 22nd overall, and dead freaking last of the cars on the lead lap!
My team had worked too hard for me to come in at the end like that, so I told them that I'd get some of it back, even if we only had a few racing laps to do it in. On the final restart I again out-dragged a Viper on the front straight, passed another Viper who made like a rally car in turn 10, passed another apparently wounded car (Vette?) on the front straight, and passed a Porsche Turbo in 5.
I had been chasing a Viper and was on his tail as we went into the final turn (11), and I went for it down the front straight towards the finish line. I drafted him and whipped to the right just before the finish line, pulling alongside for a "photo" finish, although I waved him by as I figured he was a nose ahead. The final times showed him 0.084 seconds in front of me, which is pretty freaking close, and folks, it was a lot of fun.
Three of the Porsches were at or near the back at one time during the race, and ended up in 5th, 10th, and 15th. I won't claim to be the driver that Sofronas and Aschenbach are, but their performance and my own were proof enough to me that the Porsches were quite competitive, and perhaps not quite the victims of a conspiracy as has been suggested.
I didn't like the excessive number of caution laps, and I saw some "antics" that I didn't care for, but I did witness some great racing. I'm sorry that some of you are upset by what you saw on TV, but I would ask that you not be so quick to jump on the conspiracy theories, or to think that there wasn't any racing going on. I saw more passing in a couple of laps that I sometimes do in an entire F1 race, and was able to go "side-by-side" with several cars without incident. This is a great series, and I'll bet that it will be even better next year.
I hope to have some videos ready by tomorrow, and I hope that you can see the race from a different perspective.
10-17-2005, 08:57 PM
#35
Burning Brakes
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Kelowna, BC, Canada
Posts: 1,031
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Skip-
Thanks for the writeup! It's always awe-inspiring to hear the story from "the inside".
I agree with you, though, that it was a fantastic race all round (at least from the couch), but if you do watch the TV coverage, the last actions by the GM cars to assure a manufacturers championship were VERY transparent.
That being said, I take it with a grain of salt, and treat it for what it is... a hollow victory. I think it also speaks volumes for GM that they feel they have to resort to those tactics in order to win.
It will NOT, however, cause me to stop watching and following the series... there's just too much other good stuff to outweigh it (by a large margin).
One of the funnier moments of the race, IMO, was when the Dyson team psyched out the other teams, making them think that they were coming in for a fuel stop... and didn't. They got the lights on in the pits, got the guys ready at the wall, etc., and the other teams pitted before they had a chance to get into the pits... and they never did.
THAT'S the type of "conspiracy theories" and trickery I enjoy, and I feel belongs in racing. As far as I'm concerned, GM and their "bullying" can take a hike.
$0.02
PS: Congrats on a great race!
Thanks for the writeup! It's always awe-inspiring to hear the story from "the inside".
I agree with you, though, that it was a fantastic race all round (at least from the couch), but if you do watch the TV coverage, the last actions by the GM cars to assure a manufacturers championship were VERY transparent.
That being said, I take it with a grain of salt, and treat it for what it is... a hollow victory. I think it also speaks volumes for GM that they feel they have to resort to those tactics in order to win.
It will NOT, however, cause me to stop watching and following the series... there's just too much other good stuff to outweigh it (by a large margin).
One of the funnier moments of the race, IMO, was when the Dyson team psyched out the other teams, making them think that they were coming in for a fuel stop... and didn't. They got the lights on in the pits, got the guys ready at the wall, etc., and the other teams pitted before they had a chance to get into the pits... and they never did.
THAT'S the type of "conspiracy theories" and trickery I enjoy, and I feel belongs in racing. As far as I'm concerned, GM and their "bullying" can take a hike.
$0.02
PS: Congrats on a great race!
10-17-2005, 09:59 PM
#36
Race Director
I didn't see the race and won't comment on any possible conspiracies, but I will say that blatent contact to make a pass is a weasel move and it truly bothers me to see it in pro racing, mainly because it just teaches amateurs and kids who will perhaps race one day that it's supposedly OK.
I fear that sanctioning bodies will only crack down after someone is killed by such tactics. I imagine that the punt of Henzler wasn't the sort that would kill anyone, nor was it at Road Atlanta, but sooner or later, someone is doing to die.
I fear that sanctioning bodies will only crack down after someone is killed by such tactics. I imagine that the punt of Henzler wasn't the sort that would kill anyone, nor was it at Road Atlanta, but sooner or later, someone is doing to die.
10-17-2005, 10:35 PM
#37
Addict
Lifetime Rennlist
Member
Lifetime Rennlist
Member
Skip, I never said that there was NO good racing going on, or that ALL Porsches were victims of anything. From my perspective, which you apparently haven't seen yet, the tactics used by TWO cars against ONE Porsche were unacceptable. Don't take that as some conspiracy theory about Porsche please.
I'm glad you enjoyed your racing from your perspective and experience.
I'm glad you enjoyed your racing from your perspective and experience.
10-17-2005, 10:37 PM
#38
Lifetime Rennlist Member
While I prefer clean racing, the teams are there to win. And they are going to do everything that the rules allow and everything outside the rules that they can get away with. Contact racing exists because the sanctioning body does not stop it. It is not really up to GM or their teams to control this - it is us to SCCA. As long as they continue to allow contact racing, that is what the series will be.
10-18-2005, 05:11 AM
#39
Drifting
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Munich
Posts: 2,722
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Contact between cars racing for position is normal. Contact for other reasons is usually unsporting or careless. The gormless Michael Schumacher was guilty of it last weekend. But he is a hollow man.
R+C
R+C
10-18-2005, 08:50 AM
#40
Addict
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
Good reading from TheRaceSite.com. Its "The Preferred Line" by Jim Boum
"10/17/2005 - The Preferred Line - Road racing news and commentary
SPEED World Challenge Laguna Seca 2005 Special Edition - WCGT Race Report (October 16, 2005) By Jim Bourn
Photo: Max Papis before the start of the Laguna Seca GT race is strapped in and ready to go!
Papis wins Laguna Seca finale as Cadillac wins WCGT Championship
In a race that could only described as somewhere between the surreal and the bizarre GM double teamed Porsche to allow Team Cadillac to race to an eleventh hour Manufacturer's Championship here at Laguna Seca as Cadillac's Maxes Papis and Angelelli finished 1-2 in their matching CTS-Vs.
While Cadillac celebrated their championships almost everyone else was angry at someone else as the race was at best a crash fest as there was contact on every lap sending one car or the other spinning into the gravel traps.
"That was an ugly race and it on live TV did the series absolutely no good," said 3R Racing's Bob Raub.
"I don't know, was there even 4 green flag laps," Leighton Reese said of the race? "It was ridiculous! It was a disappointing race. It was such a wreck 'em rodeo!"
The race got off to a good start as Wolf Henzler and his Applied Materials Porsche 911 led Mike McCann and Robin Liddell, both of whom got great starts, and eventual race winner Max Papis up and over the hill down into turn two and unlike Mosport everyone made it through to complete the first lap.
Well almost. James Sofronas got shuffled off the track and dropped a wheel into a ditch ripping a rear sway bar mount off the car. James went from 6th to last in one lap.
During the first caution period Sofronas pitted twice to have his crew do what they could to the car and rejoined the field at the back where he would make a great charge through the field to finish 5th.
Lap two heading down into two Henzler had already shown his strength and had pulled out a gap on Papis as the field went into turn two.
This time things wouldn't progress quite so nicely as Jim McCann and Mike Davis got into each other coming down the hill turning Davis's ACS Express Mustang around and sending Jim's McCann Plastics/K&N Filters Dodge Viper spinning wildly across the pit exit road, across the dirt and out into the track where is collected Bob Woodhouse's Viper.
The contact caused heavy damage to both Vipers and deposited the wreckage in the sand trap. Full course caution #1.
Get used to it folks as the pace car led the most laps in this race which, already shortened to 45 minutes or 28 laps due to live TV constraints and only went 20 agonizing laps.
The clean up seemed to take forever and ended when the wrecker driver dragged McCann's Viper backwards into a wall and left it there! The running order was Henzler, Mike McCann, Liddell, Papis, Lawson Aschenbach, Tommy Archer, Leighton Reese, Lou Gigliotti, Max Papis and Andy Pilgrim in the top ten and ready to go green on lap 6.
The restart was ugly as leader Wolf Henzler brought the pack very slowly down pit straight, as would be his option, and from that point on opinions vary drastically as both Reese (to the inside) and Lou Gigliotti (on the outside) pulled out of line thinking that the race had started.
"Henzler really backed the field up and I thought he was at the cones (which signify where the restart should have occurred) so I moved out to take a look and Lou went out the other side, but they didn't start the race so I said 'oh no I'm gonna get black flagged' so I moved back into line," said Reese of the restart. "But Lou did go and he ultimately black-flagged for it."
Gigliotti blasted his LG Pro Long Tube Headers Chevy Corvette from 8th to first before the field got to turn two which once again the field failed to clear without contact as Robin Liddell's AXA/Pfaff Motors Porsche got popped bending the fender into a front wheel.
When Liddell got to turn three his car was barely able to turn so he smacked, quite unintentionally, Lawson Achenbach's Farnbacher Loles Porsche spinning Aschenbach to the back of the ever diminishing pack.
Between the jumbled restart which saw the outside line, where Gigliotti was, moving much faster than the line behind Henzler as Angelelli and Pilgrim took full benefit from the confusion.
With Liddell, Aschenbach and Sofronas in trouble Porsche's championship hopes now fully rested on Henzler's capable shoulders as he and the field followed Gigliotti for 3 glorious racing laps.
Turn two again as Dino Crescentini spun his LG Motorsports Corvette into the gravel and was able to extricate himself so we get FCC #2 and this is where the race went from the ugly to the bizarre!
While Gigliotti was leading the race and balking Henzler the officials were reviewing the TV replays of the restart to see if Lou had in fact actually jumped the start. The review process lasted well into the caution period and the final decision, which was disputed in many circles, was that Gigliotti had in fact advanced a position before the race had gone green!
So before the field was to go green again on lap 11 Lou was given the black flag which he would have to serve after the course went green.
But the course didn't go green as Carol Hollfelder's Ford Advanced Engineering Ford Mustang died on course and had to be removed.
Finally the course went green on lap 13 and Lou was given the black flag.
As the field went into turn two Gigliotti took a very cautious and slow entry on the inside. So slow that Henzler tried to pass on the outside. Lou then tried to keep Henzler back but accelerated both himself and Henzler wide allowing Max Papis, who had muscled past McCann earlier, to slide past the both of them saying 'thank you very much' as he motored into the lead!
Papis was given the Coolest Move of the Race Award for this pass but that was bogus because Gigliotti did all of the work as any good blocking back will do!
Papis now held a lead he would never relinquish but Henzler, who was the fastest package all weekend was safely in second so Porsche was still going to win the championship.
But this race being what it was that wasn't going to happen!
The order was Papis, Henzler, McCann, Angelelli, Archer, Pilgrim and Reese in the top seven with Ritch Marziale keeping his nose clean in his All-cut concrete Viper in 8th with Sofronas and Tim Wiens in 9th and 10th.
Angelelli bashed his way past McCann as he tapped him once in turn two and since that didn't have the desired effect he drove into the back of Mike's Viper depositing the #82 Viper into the wall oh so close to his brother's #83.
McCann, who ran strong all weekend, pulled himself off the wall and did finish 12th but Mike deserved better!
This left Angelelli free to work on Henzler.
Well not so free as Tommy Archer was all over Angelelli and eventually got past Max to claim the 3rd position.
In fairness it has to be said that in the last half of this race Archer and Angelelli put on a great display of racing as they went at hard but clean, at least with each other, for what little green flag racing there was.
Another full course caution to pull yet another car from the sand with pace car leading Papis, Henzler, Archer, Angelelli, Pilgrim, Reese, Sofronas, Marziale, Wiens and Davis through lap 16 and beyond.
More bizzaro world as during the caution period Robin Liddell and Lou Gigliotti were running door to door down the pit straight seemingly arguing over who should be in front as if it really mattered as Liddell was a lap or so down.
No big deal really but it at least broke the boredom of watching the pace car drive silently around the track.
Going green on lap 18 and we would have more contact in turn two. Of course we would and you can see where this is going can't you!
Unfortunately the contact would decide and even somewhat taint the manufacturer's championship.
Henzler, Archer and Angelelli would come down into the turn in a bunch with Henzler and Angelelli nose to tail and Archer on the outside.
At first blush it sure looked like Max nailed Wolf with the result being that Henzler slowed to a crawl.
Upon further review of the TV coverage the outside rear tire on Henzler's Farnbacher Loles Porsche was going flat causing Wolf to squirm a bit and then Angelelli hit him.
The unfortunate Henzler was left to limp along with a flat tire to the pits handing the championship to Cadillac!
How the tire was made to go flat I cannot say. It sure couldn't have been from normal use because the race never went green enough to even really heat up the tires.
In the overall scheme of things it doesn't really matter I guess but I have to say that based on what I saw on the replays Max couldn't have caused the flat. At least right then as Angelelli got into Henzler on the other side of the car and AFTER the tire had gone down.
To say that Wolf was unhappy about all of this would be an understatement.
Papis wins the race followed by Angelelli who prevailed over Archer who filled the podium in 3rd followed by Pilgrim.
James Sofronas completed his recovery to finish 5th by bashing his way past Reese pulling Tim Wiens along with his for 6th. Reese was 7th followed by Davis, Tony Gaples and Aschenbach in 10th.
Team Cadillac happily wins the manufacturer championship and Andy Pilgrim deservedly wins the driver's crown but almost everyone else went home angry!
And that is about all I will say about the season ending GT race at Laguna Seca.
For now!"
"10/17/2005 - The Preferred Line - Road racing news and commentary
SPEED World Challenge Laguna Seca 2005 Special Edition - WCGT Race Report (October 16, 2005) By Jim Bourn
Photo: Max Papis before the start of the Laguna Seca GT race is strapped in and ready to go!
Papis wins Laguna Seca finale as Cadillac wins WCGT Championship
In a race that could only described as somewhere between the surreal and the bizarre GM double teamed Porsche to allow Team Cadillac to race to an eleventh hour Manufacturer's Championship here at Laguna Seca as Cadillac's Maxes Papis and Angelelli finished 1-2 in their matching CTS-Vs.
While Cadillac celebrated their championships almost everyone else was angry at someone else as the race was at best a crash fest as there was contact on every lap sending one car or the other spinning into the gravel traps.
"That was an ugly race and it on live TV did the series absolutely no good," said 3R Racing's Bob Raub.
"I don't know, was there even 4 green flag laps," Leighton Reese said of the race? "It was ridiculous! It was a disappointing race. It was such a wreck 'em rodeo!"
The race got off to a good start as Wolf Henzler and his Applied Materials Porsche 911 led Mike McCann and Robin Liddell, both of whom got great starts, and eventual race winner Max Papis up and over the hill down into turn two and unlike Mosport everyone made it through to complete the first lap.
Well almost. James Sofronas got shuffled off the track and dropped a wheel into a ditch ripping a rear sway bar mount off the car. James went from 6th to last in one lap.
During the first caution period Sofronas pitted twice to have his crew do what they could to the car and rejoined the field at the back where he would make a great charge through the field to finish 5th.
Lap two heading down into two Henzler had already shown his strength and had pulled out a gap on Papis as the field went into turn two.
This time things wouldn't progress quite so nicely as Jim McCann and Mike Davis got into each other coming down the hill turning Davis's ACS Express Mustang around and sending Jim's McCann Plastics/K&N Filters Dodge Viper spinning wildly across the pit exit road, across the dirt and out into the track where is collected Bob Woodhouse's Viper.
The contact caused heavy damage to both Vipers and deposited the wreckage in the sand trap. Full course caution #1.
Get used to it folks as the pace car led the most laps in this race which, already shortened to 45 minutes or 28 laps due to live TV constraints and only went 20 agonizing laps.
The clean up seemed to take forever and ended when the wrecker driver dragged McCann's Viper backwards into a wall and left it there! The running order was Henzler, Mike McCann, Liddell, Papis, Lawson Aschenbach, Tommy Archer, Leighton Reese, Lou Gigliotti, Max Papis and Andy Pilgrim in the top ten and ready to go green on lap 6.
The restart was ugly as leader Wolf Henzler brought the pack very slowly down pit straight, as would be his option, and from that point on opinions vary drastically as both Reese (to the inside) and Lou Gigliotti (on the outside) pulled out of line thinking that the race had started.
"Henzler really backed the field up and I thought he was at the cones (which signify where the restart should have occurred) so I moved out to take a look and Lou went out the other side, but they didn't start the race so I said 'oh no I'm gonna get black flagged' so I moved back into line," said Reese of the restart. "But Lou did go and he ultimately black-flagged for it."
Gigliotti blasted his LG Pro Long Tube Headers Chevy Corvette from 8th to first before the field got to turn two which once again the field failed to clear without contact as Robin Liddell's AXA/Pfaff Motors Porsche got popped bending the fender into a front wheel.
When Liddell got to turn three his car was barely able to turn so he smacked, quite unintentionally, Lawson Achenbach's Farnbacher Loles Porsche spinning Aschenbach to the back of the ever diminishing pack.
Between the jumbled restart which saw the outside line, where Gigliotti was, moving much faster than the line behind Henzler as Angelelli and Pilgrim took full benefit from the confusion.
With Liddell, Aschenbach and Sofronas in trouble Porsche's championship hopes now fully rested on Henzler's capable shoulders as he and the field followed Gigliotti for 3 glorious racing laps.
Turn two again as Dino Crescentini spun his LG Motorsports Corvette into the gravel and was able to extricate himself so we get FCC #2 and this is where the race went from the ugly to the bizarre!
While Gigliotti was leading the race and balking Henzler the officials were reviewing the TV replays of the restart to see if Lou had in fact actually jumped the start. The review process lasted well into the caution period and the final decision, which was disputed in many circles, was that Gigliotti had in fact advanced a position before the race had gone green!
So before the field was to go green again on lap 11 Lou was given the black flag which he would have to serve after the course went green.
But the course didn't go green as Carol Hollfelder's Ford Advanced Engineering Ford Mustang died on course and had to be removed.
Finally the course went green on lap 13 and Lou was given the black flag.
As the field went into turn two Gigliotti took a very cautious and slow entry on the inside. So slow that Henzler tried to pass on the outside. Lou then tried to keep Henzler back but accelerated both himself and Henzler wide allowing Max Papis, who had muscled past McCann earlier, to slide past the both of them saying 'thank you very much' as he motored into the lead!
Papis was given the Coolest Move of the Race Award for this pass but that was bogus because Gigliotti did all of the work as any good blocking back will do!
Papis now held a lead he would never relinquish but Henzler, who was the fastest package all weekend was safely in second so Porsche was still going to win the championship.
But this race being what it was that wasn't going to happen!
The order was Papis, Henzler, McCann, Angelelli, Archer, Pilgrim and Reese in the top seven with Ritch Marziale keeping his nose clean in his All-cut concrete Viper in 8th with Sofronas and Tim Wiens in 9th and 10th.
Angelelli bashed his way past McCann as he tapped him once in turn two and since that didn't have the desired effect he drove into the back of Mike's Viper depositing the #82 Viper into the wall oh so close to his brother's #83.
McCann, who ran strong all weekend, pulled himself off the wall and did finish 12th but Mike deserved better!
This left Angelelli free to work on Henzler.
Well not so free as Tommy Archer was all over Angelelli and eventually got past Max to claim the 3rd position.
In fairness it has to be said that in the last half of this race Archer and Angelelli put on a great display of racing as they went at hard but clean, at least with each other, for what little green flag racing there was.
Another full course caution to pull yet another car from the sand with pace car leading Papis, Henzler, Archer, Angelelli, Pilgrim, Reese, Sofronas, Marziale, Wiens and Davis through lap 16 and beyond.
More bizzaro world as during the caution period Robin Liddell and Lou Gigliotti were running door to door down the pit straight seemingly arguing over who should be in front as if it really mattered as Liddell was a lap or so down.
No big deal really but it at least broke the boredom of watching the pace car drive silently around the track.
Going green on lap 18 and we would have more contact in turn two. Of course we would and you can see where this is going can't you!
Unfortunately the contact would decide and even somewhat taint the manufacturer's championship.
Henzler, Archer and Angelelli would come down into the turn in a bunch with Henzler and Angelelli nose to tail and Archer on the outside.
At first blush it sure looked like Max nailed Wolf with the result being that Henzler slowed to a crawl.
Upon further review of the TV coverage the outside rear tire on Henzler's Farnbacher Loles Porsche was going flat causing Wolf to squirm a bit and then Angelelli hit him.
The unfortunate Henzler was left to limp along with a flat tire to the pits handing the championship to Cadillac!
How the tire was made to go flat I cannot say. It sure couldn't have been from normal use because the race never went green enough to even really heat up the tires.
In the overall scheme of things it doesn't really matter I guess but I have to say that based on what I saw on the replays Max couldn't have caused the flat. At least right then as Angelelli got into Henzler on the other side of the car and AFTER the tire had gone down.
To say that Wolf was unhappy about all of this would be an understatement.
Papis wins the race followed by Angelelli who prevailed over Archer who filled the podium in 3rd followed by Pilgrim.
James Sofronas completed his recovery to finish 5th by bashing his way past Reese pulling Tim Wiens along with his for 6th. Reese was 7th followed by Davis, Tony Gaples and Aschenbach in 10th.
Team Cadillac happily wins the manufacturer championship and Andy Pilgrim deservedly wins the driver's crown but almost everyone else went home angry!
And that is about all I will say about the season ending GT race at Laguna Seca.
For now!"
10-18-2005, 03:37 PM
#41
Rennlist Member
This race was painful to watch... first Lawson gets turned around by Liddell and loses his (actually I have his on my car) bumper... Then poor Wolf... after watching and participating in the GT3 I have to blame Porsche for a lot of this. Why do they build and sell us a car that can't take a slight rub without cutting tires or bumpers coming off? Or a radiator breaking (did not happen much this year but it is very vulnerable). I don't think I can race competitively in SCCA GT2 in this car as you have to use fenders to pass, and that will take me out of the race as it did Wolf in many races this year.
I hope the 997 GT3 will be better but I doubt it. How much are those vipers, anyway?
I hope the 997 GT3 will be better but I doubt it. How much are those vipers, anyway?
10-18-2005, 04:09 PM
#42
Addict
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
I was checking out the 997 GT3 and it doesn't look all that different in terms of the wheelwells, bumper attachments, etc. For WCGT and Grand Am they're going to have to modify the 997 GT3s to get rid of the sequential shifter and the PCCBs, both of which are not legal. The suspension bits look interesting, the intake is a thing of beauty, and the whole car looks great.
I was starting to wonder if perhaps the different types of cars in SWC were part of the tire cutting problem, with a mismatch between the bumper heights, shapes, etc. But then I recalled the German Supercup series, where they bang the crap out of each other and take out several cars each race. That series looks much rougher than SWC to me!
The Viper Competition Coupe is $129k, and seems to be about as ready to race as the GT3 Cups are. Most teams do lots of development, and a good used one may be more than a new one due to the addition of MoTeC, etc.
I was starting to wonder if perhaps the different types of cars in SWC were part of the tire cutting problem, with a mismatch between the bumper heights, shapes, etc. But then I recalled the German Supercup series, where they bang the crap out of each other and take out several cars each race. That series looks much rougher than SWC to me!
The Viper Competition Coupe is $129k, and seems to be about as ready to race as the GT3 Cups are. Most teams do lots of development, and a good used one may be more than a new one due to the addition of MoTeC, etc.
10-18-2005, 04:23 PM
#43
Addict
Lifetime Rennlist
Member
Lifetime Rennlist
Member
Originally Posted by Skip in Boulder
For WCGT and Grand Am they're going to have to modify the 997 GT3s to get rid of the sequential shifter..
Are you certain about that for G.A? The GTO has a sequential box. Just wonder if the rules were different for the Porsche.
10-18-2005, 05:23 PM
#45
Addict
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: SW Ontario canada
Posts: 882
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I'm not grave dancing, seege, I am mourning an industry and a work force. I bought a new GM car in 1981 and was appalled by the service and attitude of GM when the inevitable quality problems arose. I have not bought one since.
True enough that the inprts have built factories here and the NA auto industry will survive in that way, but with China on the horizon, we may be mourning a lifestyle too.
True enough that the inprts have built factories here and the NA auto industry will survive in that way, but with China on the horizon, we may be mourning a lifestyle too.