Can Anyone Guess Where This Car Will Race?

[Layla's Keeper]

C'mon folks, give it a shot.

[Layla's Keeper]

and another pic for good measure, same car.

[kfoote]

I voted for JGTC, but really wanted to vote for none of the above, as the car is not legal for either SPEED World Challenge or ALMS GT with the mods that have been done to it.

[Layla's Keeper]

Figured somebody would catch on.

This Mazda RX-8 is a factory supported entrant into the GT class in the Grand Am Rolex series. It's what they call a "Prep 2" GT car, which means factory appearing bodywork and dimensions, plus factory style suspension, but the chassis are "clipped" at the unibody to mount full tube frame setups and the engines are slightly more modified.

A regular ACO/FIA/ALMS style GT car is a "Prep 1".

[kfoote]

I'm glad to see someone is building these cars.

I'll also be interested to see how many of the prep 2 cars start showing up in SCCA GT2/3. the point for these is that they're actually less expensive to build and run than the prep 1 cars. I'd guess this RX8 would be about $200k by the time it's done, where a competitive Porsche 996 will be in the $275k range by the time you're done with it.

[vettemaan]

Too bad Grand-am is such a boring series

[Layla's Keeper]

I have a lot more interest in 30 Daytona Prototypes (20 of which have a realistic chance at the overall) than I do in 3 LMP's.

Sorry, ALMS lost me when the prayer for competition went "Oh Lord, please let the Dyson car hold together AND let the Champion Audi wreck."

And don't even dream of trying to feed me that "but the GTS battle was exciting" - because without Prodrive, it wasn't. The Krohn-Barbour Lamborghinis were a cruel joke, the Saleen was still off the pace, the bulk of 575GTC's are in the LMES, and the Vipers are still just puttering around - or the "It's a rebuilding year" bullshit.

You know what the amazing new car announcement for ALMS was? There WASN'T ANY! Sure, Lola has a new LMP2 on the boards, Lucchini debuted a new LMP2 chassis, and there's even a new customer Courage LMP2. What American teams bought them? Hell, poor Jon Field and the Bahama Joes team had their old Lola chassis BREAK AT THE TUB because the chassis is too long past its service life and there's nothing the team can afford that would replace it competitively.

The Grand-Am Rolex Series is the healthiest, strongest, most competitive endurance road racing series in the world right now. The driver list for Daytona is a veritable who's who of top drawer talent, and the chassis builders are working long and hard building roller after roller as current teams expand and new teams arrive. Even ALMS stalwart Dyson is showing up to drive at Daytona, not to mention The Racers Group has a pair of DP's all shined up and ready to roll for Daytona.

Until ALMS wakes up and realizes that the ACO is an anchor around its neck and that the incestual relationship between the ACO, the LMES, and Ratel's FIA GT means that the European teams have lost their reason to come stateside, and then thusly reacts by instituting new rules that open classes up so that privateers can be competitive and can modify older equipment and extend the service life of the numerous mothballed chassis out there, Grand Am will thrive.

And even after that, there's still a place for Grand Am because Grand Am is offering something we fans haven't had since the glory days of the IMSA GTP cars - REAL FUCKING RACING!

Oh, and while I'm at it, FUCK CHAMPION AUDI, ALEX JOB RACING, AND THE WHOLE DAMN VOLKSWAGEN AG GROUP!

[kfoote]

voDevil,

Go away. Since this is the SPORTS CAR FORUM, find me a major racing series where the Golf or Jetta IV has been marginally competitive, or where the Golf/Jetta V is going to be racing next year.

FWIW, I have to disagree with Layla a bit. Having been in the ALMS paddock for the better part of the last 4 years, Champoin and Job are generally very well respeced, and are very helpful. Thei biggest "fault" comes from having the best resources and winning a lot of races. that having been said, the races are generally pretty boring and I don't expect much to change in '05.

Looking at the entry list, teh 24 hrs of Daytona should be a VERY good race this weekend, both in DP and GT. There could very well be multiple cars on the lead lap at the end, which is unherd of in a 24 hr race.

[wtss]

I see you know much about racing cars... but if you know where this car races and what is it I'll call you God

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...63#post2822563

[TheStang00]

Originally Posted by wtss

I see you know much about racing cars... but if you know where this car races and what is it I'll call you God

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...63#post2822563

looks kinda like an old school le mans car

[Jaguar D-Type]

Originally Posted by vettemaan

Too bad Grand-am is such a boring series

I don't think it is boring. The new Mustangs are cool and the 2006 Pontiac Solstice will be raced.