Corvette teasing Aston in ALMS??

[smokie]

As I'm not usually hot with motor racing news, I expect this has already been discussed...

Corvette Racing will confirm its continued participation in the American Le Mans Series--as soon as the Aston Martin Racing team does the same. GM road racing manager Steve Wesoloski even suggested that questions about Chevrolet's 2008 plans should be directed at Prodrive (which runs the Aston team) boss David Richards.

"As soon as they announce they are coming back, we'll announce that we'll be back," he said. "I think you should ask that question to David Richards and George Howard-Chappell [who also runs Aston racing]."

See the full article here http://www.sebringraceway.com/newsdetail.lasso?-Search=Action&-Table=all&-Database=sebring_news&-KeyValue=32903

Glad to see that they "can say with confidence" that they will be at the LM 24...

[termietermite]

Also great to hear over the weekend that there will be Ford GTs, Vipers and GT2 'Vettes (Riley & Scott run) in ALMS next year.  Should be a good year.

[Boorish Grobian]

Will be fun to see the Ford GT's finally being raced.  LMP2, and GT2 look like the classes to watch next year.  I'll still pull for the Lizard's though.  Picked up a nice Flying Lizard tee shirt at the Petit.
Fax

[Bob U]

I'll still pull for the Lizard's though.  Picked up a nice Flying Lizard tee shirt at the Petit.
Fax

You can pick up a very nice Lizard model in Sebring livery here.

http://www.grandprixlegends.com/MiniChampsSite/MI_LeMansSportscar_I_Porsche_1:43Scale(MIniChamps)/P076444%28GPL%5FBaseCatalog%29/MIniChamps.htm

[Matt Harper]

Considering what we had been drinking, Phil and I had a remarkably lucid conversation about this on Friday night at Road Atlanta (well, it seemed lucid to me).
Our concensus was that the GM/P&M/C5/6R campaign has created enormous equity in the Corvette brand. Both the C5 and C6 have been very, very successful and profitable products. The racing effort undoubtedly shifted perceptions of serious sportscar buyers, who look at Corvette as a viable alternative to Porsche 911 and BMW 6 Series and Mercedes Benz CL and CSL. Before 2000, Porsche did not consider Corvette to be a competitor in the showroom - I'm sure of it.
In GT1 at least, GM now has nobody to race against - and as a result, the current programme is doomed. A 'for old times sake' appearance at Le Mans will be pretty meaningless. However and in order to maintain the imputus, some kind of racing programme is probably necessary. The logical move is to GT2 then. Correct me if I'm wrong, by all means, but I think the current Z06 and forthcoming ZR1 will be eligible. Today's Z06 runs broadly the same powerplant as the GT1 spec C5R. So, I'm guessing that they will pretty much pick-up where they left off. What current GT2 car is going to be able to keep up with the totally dominant GT1 C5R package?   A Viper? A Ford GT? A 911 GT3? Are you kidding me?

[Canada Phil]

Hi Matt,
           I remember our conversation  I believe Corvette Racing are very serious about wanting some competition. Johnny O' made a plea for Aston to return at his Friday night Auction. GT2 is going to be very busy in 2008.
Phil

[Dirk3D_NL]

Hi Matt,
           I remember our conversation  I believe Corvette Racing are very serious about wanting some competition. Johnny O' made a plea for Aston to return at his Friday night Auction. GT2 is going to be very busy in 2008.
Phil

indeed, he teased first, but really they need competition, it is rather embarrasing to race like that..

[chop456]

They might need something to do next year. 

Prodrive entry in limbo
Wednesday, 10, October, 2007, 17:51 
 
Prodrive’s entry into Formula 1 in 2008 and beyond has been thrown into doubt as the uncertainty over the validity of customer cars in the sport continues.

David Richard’s squad is due to become the grid’s 12th team next year and had looked set to sign a deal with McLaren which would allow it to use the Woking squad’s chassis’ and engines.

But the team’s plans have now been put in limbo after Williams enquired to the FIA about the outfit’s eligibility to compete next season, prompting an International Court of Appeal hearing into the case on October 24.

Customer cars had been expected to be legalised under new-for-2008 regulations, but the delay in signing a new Concorde Agreement – the commercial document that binds F1 – means that rule change has yet to be rubber stamped.

Some teams, including Williams – one of the sport’s few remaining independent manufacturers – has argued that teams who do not design and make their own cars should not be eligible to score constructors’ points or take a share of F1’s commercial pot.

With such issues still to be resolved, Richards has announced that Prodrive will now not use identical cars to McLaren next year – although he doesn’t rule out a half-way house agreement.

"We cannot do the plan that we had with McLaren now," he told Reuters.

"There will not be a full-blooded equal car arrangement from day one, it cannot be.”

The ongoing uncertainty has forced Prodrive to put its negotiations on hold with McLaren and any other potential partner team.

Although it insists talks with McLaren have far from collapsed, it admits the impending appeal hearing has hampered the planned ramp-up time to its Australian GP debut in March. 

“It would be totally wrong for anyone to claim that 'negotiations between Prodrive and McLaren have collapsed'; quite the contrary," Prodrive said in a statement to Autosport magazine’s website.

"Both Prodrive and McLaren have, for some time, agreed on the manner in which we would establish 'the 12th team' in time for the 2008 F1 season.

"However, we have now passed our self-imposed deadline required to guarantee a competitive and professional start to next year.

"The delay in confirming our agreement with McLaren has been created by a challenge to our entry in next year's F1 World Championship as a non-constructor.”

While it expects to get the all-clear to race in 2008, it still has wider concerns going forward about the basis on which it will compete in the championship.

It insists it remains committed to F1, yet on the platform it initially thought it would be entering the sport on.

"While we remain confident that the short term issue of eligibility to race in 2008 will be resolved in our favour, it still leaves the question of longer term stability unanswered,” it said.

"It is Prodrive's opinion that the financial viability of a new team will not be possible until agreement is reached on a revised 'Concorde Agreement'.

"This is required to determine the long term rights of participation in the championship and eligibility to FOM income, on an equitable basis for all participants in Formula One.

"It would therefore be totally irresponsible of us to employ all the staff required to establish the new team or commit to significant financial obligations while these uncertainties are still unresolved.

"Prodrive remain committed to participating in Formula One.”

Prodrive added that it was considering all possible alternatives for 2008.

http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?PO_ID=41026



 

[Andy Zarse]

Considering what we had been drinking, Phil and I had a remarkably lucid conversation about this on Friday night at Road Atlanta (well, it seemed lucid to me).
Our concensus was that the GM/P&M/C5/6R campaign has created enormous equity in the Corvette brand. Both the C5 and C6 have been very, very successful and profitable products. The racing effort undoubtedly shifted perceptions of serious sportscar buyers, who look at Corvette as a viable alternative to Porsche 911 and BMW 6 Series and Mercedes Benz CL and CSL. Before 2000, Porsche did not consider Corvette to be a competitor in the showroom - I'm sure of it.

You better believe it! We hired a Vette cabriolet for a couple of days at Sebring and it was a wonderful vehicle, the real deal. It was a straightforward stocker C6 auto and we were very impressed with it. Whilst the steering was rather lifeless for European tastes, this is easily solvable, and it seems to me such a shame that they don't make a RHD version and sell it at a sub-911 price. Nissan has been very sucessfull in europe with the 350Z, it's the fourth lowest depreciating car you can by in the UK according to the latest Top Gear survey. With the good will generated by the racing program, there's no reson to suggest why Corvette couldn't do the same.

Don't hold your breath though. Bob Lutz and the assorted brain-dead incompetents who run GM have not the imagination necessary to make it happen. What a shame.

[Steve Pyro]

Andy, I've heard rumours that the next C7 Corvette may share a GM common platform (Holden?) that could make a RHD version easier to produce.