karlooz

so it's a marketing series. would you rather complain about it and not race or make the best of the rules and politics and race? hmmm..... i would go race.

carreracup21

I've seen a few of these races in person, trust me, they are racing very hard. This is a great series for privateers getting there feet wet in the pro ranks. TV exposure is very good. The rules sporadically give a new car entering the series a bit of an edge, but for the most part Grand-Am looks like they are trying to make it fair. It's also a bit less expensive to run than the next step up which is a 997 Cup in Rolex or Speed WC. BTW isn't all pro racing really about marketing. F1 is certainly a marketing bonanza. I don't see many plain white cars out there in any pro series.

Nordschleife

In a marketing series, the performance of the cars is 'normalised' to create 'competition'. In F1, for example, we do NOT see Ferrari being given a smaller restrictor half way through the season or Minardi allowed an engine of increased capacity.

There is more to a car than its paint job.

Marketing series can get very expensive, check out the budget a team like Champion needed when running the RS6s in the Speed World Challenge. The WTCC is similarly expensive and for similar reasons.

R+C

BBailey

Grand-Am is a series that showcases driver talent. Not the size of someone's checkbook.

I've had this conversation with a million different people. 2 types of fans watch sportscar racing. Fans that love racing. And fans that love cool cars. Some fans that love cool cars will insist they love racing but the comments they make give away their true leanings.

Fans that love racing will enjoy watching Grand-Am. Fans that love cool cars are better served by the ALMS, FIA GT, etc.

BBailey

It isn't necessarily what modifications are done to a car that belies its build quality, its how they are done and how well the car is built. Polycarbonate windows are not allowed in the GAC series. Engine internals are most definitely not "straight off the showroom floor". Neither is much else on the frontrunning cars (and this goes for any high level racing series from SCCA National Racing on up).

Engine electronics are free in the series at this point. Very soon (next season? not positive on the exact date since I've got other stuff on my mind at the moment and haven't paid as much attention to the rules changes that have been made this season as I normally do) the only choice will be to either run a Spec Bosch ECU or the stock ECU that came in the car. Programming will still be free as it is now. (Rule 7-8.1 Engine management systems may be replace dwith non-OEM systems with Grand American approval).

JimB

Brian,
I'm a big fan of GA Cup because I get to see a car very similar to mine running on the same tracks I drive but I must admit it drives me crazy when a Mustang or CTS beats a Porsche. I hear what you are saying about driver driven racing vs technology driven racing but Grand Am really clouds the issue in Cup by calling it a "showroom stock" series but trying to make it a spec series by attempting to level the playing field between a $30k Mustang and a 997. The Ford and GM marketing guys must love it.

To me, IMSA is a spec series that showcases the drivers. So is NASCAR I suppose. Clearly F1 and ALMS are series that highlight the technical capabilities of the teams as well as driver talent. GA Cup advertises itself as showing off the technical capabilities of the cars (showroom stock) but functions as more of a spec series. Go figure. I'll still watch is so I guess it doesn't matter. Good luck with the Caddy.
Jim

JBH

I know Synergy Racing offers the conversion package for Grand Am Cup 997s - their brochure provides the details of the required modifications and options allowed under the rules. When it's all said and done, the car is not going to look or feel much like a stock 997.
http://www.synergyracing.com/sales.htm

Nordschleife

there are two types of people in the world, those who divide the world into two types, and those who don't........



for a moment there, I thought you were going to describe one of those groups as 'perps'.

R+C

earlyapex

Racing unequal cars and drivers with equalization formulas versus semi-open racing. Which one is real racing? I personally like to see drivers and car manufacturers racing OEM appearing cars that are "equalized" to give close racing. It's fun to cheer for the Porsche teams against all comers. In the first year of GAC, the 996 ran away with everything. Of course since then there have been far fewer wins and the rules have been tweeked. How is this different from any other form of racing. This formula succeeds as does more open formulas meant to highlight the leading edge in automotive technology. We all know that cost containment and spec racing don't always go hand in hand. The best funded teams will always have the best gear, but they don't always win.

I'm glad the Porsche teams have been given so repreve after being shut out last year. I would like to see the M9603 X51 or 3.8 L 997S motors legalized only for the reason that other makes are allowed to run non OEM race motors. The Porsches will have better powere, but they will be harder on their rear tires, which has been their Achilles heal. Yet with the current rules package, I don't think they will dominate as the Fords and BMW's are too strong. Can Caddy be competetive? It's a good platform with a strong engine. With time and development there's no reason Caddy won't be on the podium this year.