Story in Autosport
Discussion
To add to Simon's comments...
Just come back in from another very long day working on the car only to be pointed at this weeks Autosport. To say I'm livid is an understatement. Brit GT was heavily criticised last year for having a grid completely lacking in diversity and this year you have guys like us coming along who hopefully can add to the mix and genuinely challenge the boring bloody Porsches and we get landed with this tripe. Thanks very much to those kicking up a stink, really
appreciated.
I really would like some of these people to come and have a good look at a prosport. It's basically an Ultima with a damn near standard boat anchor of a Granada engine, not exactly special. A tube frame, glass fibre, low production sportscar like many of the other cars on the grid. Yes there was a one make race series for them but there was one of those for the Marcos challenge cars too and at least our car is a completely standard Prosport. I keep hearing this rubbish about it being a sports prototype, just because it has been styled a bit like the Group-C cars of old, this does not mean that it has any of their aerodynamic properties which it clearly doesn't, It has NO underfloor aerodynamics to start with.
I'm really hoping this doesn't turn into a mud slinging contest because from where I'm standing there are quite a few people on the grid in some pretty fragile looking glass houses.
Just come back in from another very long day working on the car only to be pointed at this weeks Autosport. To say I'm livid is an understatement. Brit GT was heavily criticised last year for having a grid completely lacking in diversity and this year you have guys like us coming along who hopefully can add to the mix and genuinely challenge the boring bloody Porsches and we get landed with this tripe. Thanks very much to those kicking up a stink, really
appreciated. I really would like some of these people to come and have a good look at a prosport. It's basically an Ultima with a damn near standard boat anchor of a Granada engine, not exactly special. A tube frame, glass fibre, low production sportscar like many of the other cars on the grid. Yes there was a one make race series for them but there was one of those for the Marcos challenge cars too and at least our car is a completely standard Prosport. I keep hearing this rubbish about it being a sports prototype, just because it has been styled a bit like the Group-C cars of old, this does not mean that it has any of their aerodynamic properties which it clearly doesn't, It has NO underfloor aerodynamics to start with.
I'm really hoping this doesn't turn into a mud slinging contest because from where I'm standing there are quite a few people on the grid in some pretty fragile looking glass houses.
scuffham said:
What is it with some people?
we have not even got out yet and already some people seem to want to ban us from the GTC grid...
do people have f*** all better to do?
Simon
Read that just now, I'm surprised it's even being discussed for the car has been accepted for the full season and that should be an end to it.
"The spirit" of the GT series may or may not have been compromised by allowing this car and yours to enter, that's a question for SRO to decide on when the idea was first discussed NOT now that this team and your good selves have made all the plans and spent all the money, hell, if they don't know what a Pro sport is capable of by now then which planet do they usually inhabit
. I spoke to the driver of this car, yes it's quick and yes it can take podium positions, my only complaint was that you can't see them in your mirrors as they are so bloody low
next time out they had two big white strips down the middle of the car so that helped a bit. If they start putting other teams on the back burner through successes then that's tough as far as I'm concerned, if the car runs to the same power to weight ratio's then the rest of us, so be it, they are complying with the rules and regs as they stand, if these rules and regs don't allow for matters outside of power to weight calculations to be taken into account, then perhaps they shouldn't have allowed the cars to enter in the first place, or have something written in to the 2006 regs that would even things up. I repeat, the time to have considered the acceptability or not of this type of car in BGT and the implications and reaction of other teams was way back when the idea was first muted.
If the teams in GTC do make an official complaint, and I shall not be one of them, then I'm sure something will be suggested as a compromise, which will of course be totally against your interest such as moving you up to GT2
so let us hope it's only one or two teams that make a fuss for if all of them have a go, bar us who don't give a shit who we race against, as we are only there for the fun of it and couldn't win a race even if we had a formula one car , SRO will swing towards them IMHO 
Simon and Chris - thought of you guys when I saw this in Autosport this afternoon. It's hardly as if this type of thing has never happened in sportscar racing - I don't remember the Dauer Porsche being stripped of it's 1994 Le Mans win and they've only made a handful of roadcars.
National racing, especially sportscar classes, need entrants and the class thrives on privateers. Allowing entrants that don't have ridiculous budgets makes sense to me but then motor racing is full of stories of competitors trying to gain an advantage away from the track...
National racing, especially sportscar classes, need entrants and the class thrives on privateers. Allowing entrants that don't have ridiculous budgets makes sense to me but then motor racing is full of stories of competitors trying to gain an advantage away from the track...
I shouldn't worry about this too much. Check back to 2004 and exactly the same sentiments were being expressed when Bintec entered their Prosport. Okay, that car bowed out pretty quickly, but Rob Horsfield (and Ian Stinton) were out a couple of times last year without comment.
Teams have had two years to discuss this issue and IMO the reason they haven't is that up to now the Prosports have not been the epitome of reliability. Now that Stinton and (I'm sure) Scandal have arrived with fully sorted versions, the sour grapes are allegedly being squeezed in certain quarters. The car is legal; SRO have accepted the entry fee; end of story!
So there!
P.S. I didn't hear anything along these lines last weekend and I spoke to nearly all the GTC runners. Perhaps it's just Autospout stirring things?
>> Edited by renkadima on Thursday 20th April 22:40
Teams have had two years to discuss this issue and IMO the reason they haven't is that up to now the Prosports have not been the epitome of reliability. Now that Stinton and (I'm sure) Scandal have arrived with fully sorted versions, the sour grapes are allegedly being squeezed in certain quarters. The car is legal; SRO have accepted the entry fee; end of story!
So there!
P.S. I didn't hear anything along these lines last weekend and I spoke to nearly all the GTC runners. Perhaps it's just Autospout stirring things?
>> Edited by renkadima on Thursday 20th April 22:40
not read the article myself - what does it say?
I agree with the sentiments so far - if it is within the weight criteria, it should be OK. I think the Saturday race is the only time I have seen a Prosport finish a Brit GT race (though I may be wrong) so I would have thought it was a case of outright speed v reliability, which some of the front-running Porsche's have both of, as can the Marcos, and possibly some of the Ferraris if budgets are big enough to bring on the development.
Variety is the spice of the championship, so good look to all.
One question though, is there any age limit for a car in the championship, it would be a bit odd to see some other cars of the Prosport's 'vintage' (unless they still make them, so again, excuse my ignorance) still out there?
I agree with the sentiments so far - if it is within the weight criteria, it should be OK. I think the Saturday race is the only time I have seen a Prosport finish a Brit GT race (though I may be wrong) so I would have thought it was a case of outright speed v reliability, which some of the front-running Porsche's have both of, as can the Marcos, and possibly some of the Ferraris if budgets are big enough to bring on the development.
Variety is the spice of the championship, so good look to all.
One question though, is there any age limit for a car in the championship, it would be a bit odd to see some other cars of the Prosport's 'vintage' (unless they still make them, so again, excuse my ignorance) still out there?
Isn't it odd how the Prosport guys barely got a mention in the season preview in Autosport the week before? Talk about vested interests and sour grapes.
I think letters / emails to Autosport are in order.
Many Brit GT teams talk about it being a stepping stone to the international series; Where will Brit GT be when they all clear off if there are no privateer teams left to support it?
I think letters / emails to Autosport are in order.
Many Brit GT teams talk about it being a stepping stone to the international series; Where will Brit GT be when they all clear off if there are no privateer teams left to support it?
pretty much all the same teams that are quoted in the autosport piece also kicked up something when the guys running the prosports for the past few years first tried to enter and their arguements were the same then. the car was allowed to run then so what has exactly changed since then? have they secretely attached a supercharger?? umm no i dont think so. why would the outcome be any different outcome to asking them to be outlawed.
my own personal opinion is = be happy that there is variation in the GT3 field. last year both GT2 and GT3 was in trouble of becoming a mixed single race championship of ferrari's and porsches (nothing wrong with all the teams getting a proven package) so let the guys who are trying something different (invariably on a smaller budget) have a go!
and breathe
my own personal opinion is = be happy that there is variation in the GT3 field. last year both GT2 and GT3 was in trouble of becoming a mixed single race championship of ferrari's and porsches (nothing wrong with all the teams getting a proven package) so let the guys who are trying something different (invariably on a smaller budget) have a go!
and breathe
BalhamLotus said:
Isn't it odd how the Prosport guys barely got a mention in the season preview in Autosport the week before? Talk about vested interests and sour grapes.
I think letters / emails to Autosport are in order.
Many Brit GT teams talk about it being a stepping stone to the international series; Where will Brit GT be when they all clear off if there are no privateer teams left to support it?
exactly...
From where I am sitting, it looks much more like a case of the bigger budget teams throwing their toys out of the pram (same as in Britcar).
I note that Ian (in the ProSport) did not post the fastest lap, or top the speed traps at any point during the weekend, which implies to me that it's a case of consistency that earned him his place, not car advantage, to my mind the teams that are bitching should look at their own (driver) performances.
Racing Rod said:
Ian told me that the car doesn't have the top end that a lot of the other cars do which is why he spends most of his time on the "GO " button and breaks as little as possible, that goes some way to explaining why he overtook me on the grass up clay hill, great move, hats off to him
true enough, in a straight line the Elise (I have) is faster...
Did half a days test at Snett on Thursday, and up the pit straight, a Caterham was giving it a hard time! (worth pointing out that we have reduced the engine power in line with GTC's P/W ratio).
scuffham said:
true enough, in a straight line the Elise (I have) is faster...
Did half a days test at Snett on Thursday, and up the pit straight, a Caterham was giving it a hard time! (worth pointing out that we have reduced the engine power in line with GTC's P/W ratio).
In real terms I can't see how they can do anything about it at this very late stage, it all seems like a load of fuss over very little. Some teams regard their money and so called prestige as the prize that SRO need/want and therefore take full advantage in order to get changes made that suit them. It's no good if the SRO bend to threats, they must make a stand and if the complaining teams don't like it, they can do the other thing
No doubt these comments will not find favour in certain quarters, I say bollox to all this, lets get on with the racing and stop all the playground whingeing
scuffham said:
it's just a shame the same cannot be said for the inhabitants of Ten-Tenths
Is it my imagination or has the thread on 10/10ths been deleted?
Most of the 'anti' comments on their weren't too bad, just people suggesting that they concurred with the "not in the spirit of the regs" remarks and someone saying that entering something out of the ordinary was bound to provoke comment.
On a positive note, is the Scandal Prosport going to be at the Donington round?
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