08 rumors

[Nick Koske]

Originally Posted by Nick Koske

They originally bought two Lolas, one for spares I believe.

Probably didn't want to run into the same issues they had when the Courage got f---ed up at Lime Rock in 2006?

Good thing they had that second chassis around.

[HORNDAWG]

Hmm, well it seems that Franck Montagny might be expecting to face some of his team/mates from Le Mans at Petit. (?) link

[John Dagys]

Originally Posted by HORNDAWG

Hmm, well it seems that Franck Montagny might be expecting to face some of his team/mates from Le Mans at Petit. (?) link

Franck's been one to speak his mind. I personally was very surprised of his comments made during his debut ALMS race at Lime Rock earlier this month. He doesn't seem to want to hold anything back, and I credit drivers who do that. It would be awesome to see Peugeot come back stateside for Petit. And then why not stick around for Laguna as well?
I think they are seeking some revenge after getting Le Mans "stolen" away from them by Audi.

[HORNDAWG]

Hmm, just what does the future hold for Penske/Porsche in P-2 or?

Does Porsche see the writing on the wall, that they will not (most likely) be allowed to compete for overall wins in 09 with a P-2. Frankly I do not see the Porsche factory, racing for just a class win and not overall.

Tim Cindric (Penske) was on with Dispain and when asked about the rumors responded with, (paraphrasing) I hope they are not true, not exactly a denial.
And then from EI comes the little nugget that, Romain will be in the Penske IRL car ( testing? ). Is this in prep for no Porsche works P-2 in the ALMS next year?

Then I guess the question becomes, does Porsche see an opportunity in P-1 to build a program that will be, if nothing else, cash neutral? Porsche does not pay to go racing as we all know, they race to get paid! Also is the 800# Gorilla of the Audi program that needs to be considered in the whole mix. Semi-siblings going head to head, money well spent??

Or will Penske/Porsche leaving the ALMS open the door for more Spyders to be sold, with not having to compete with the "works" team and Acura moving to P-1?

[porschefan]

Feed Me Sports Cars seems to be wondering the same thing.

RUMOUR: ALMS - What Will Penske do in 2009??? | FeedMeSportscars

Suprised it hasn't come up over on the other boards.

[Patrick]

I still can't see the point of Acura building and campaigning a P-1 car if the rules are made to favor the diesels. Despain also pointed out that because the customer program was doing so well that Porche felt no need for a factory team (Penske). On another note good to see that the injured crew man for De Ferran was downgraded to fair condition hope he gets well soon.

[HORNDAWG]

The ACO’s Plans To Slow LMPs
in 2009

Lap times at Le Mans this year, the ACO has admitted, in a communication to competitors, that the 3:30 barrier was “widely crossed during this year’s race”.
That’s a reference to lap times in the race in the 3:19 to 3:23 bracket (the Peugeot drivers) and 3:23 to 3:28 bracket (the Audi drivers). Mucke, Ito, Enge and Charouz also lapped in under 3:30, in the Lola Aston Martin and the Dome.

Although the details will not be available until mid-September, the ACO is already suggesting that the power of the diesels will be reduced for next year, while LMP2s will also have their power cut back.
Also the ACO will be looking at the comparative outputs of stock block and race engines in LMP1.
Aerodynamics will also be revised: “LMP1 and LMP2 rear wing configurations will be reviewed”.
“These measures aim to reduce the performance of cars, but also to ensure a balance between different types of engine and maintain the gap between LMP1 and LMP2,” says the ACO’s communication.

[porschefan]

Originally Posted by Patrick

I still can't see the point of Acura building and campaigning a P-1 car if the rules are made to favor the diesels. Despain also pointed out that because the customer program was doing so well that Porche felt no need for a factory team (Penske). On another note good to see that the injured crew man for De Ferran was downgraded to fair condition hope he gets well soon.

I can't see that the Porsche P2 program has gone so well with the privateers. Look at qualifying today. Take out the Porsche 'factory team," and Acura seems to have it over the privateer Porsches.
Or, are they talking sales?