Daytona 24 Hours-Does anyone care anymore?
Discussion
Just thought that there are a good many sportscar racing fans on here, and it's the Daytona Test Weekend, and no-one has mentioned it, not even the US members. I have a feeling that when it was being run to broadly similar rules to Le Mans (I.e. Proper prototypes, not the pig ugly, slow things they have now) that it would have been mentioned. So, does anyone care anymore?
Richard,
With the disappearance of Bentley I honestly don't think the average British sports car enthusiast is interested at all. If a couple of TVR teams were running it might stir up a few people, but if you look at the entry list it doesn't say much to the casual reader.
Re your comment about the Le Mans cars, what would you like to see running in a 'world sports car class' if Max Mosley (!) got around to re-inventing one?
Ian.
With the disappearance of Bentley I honestly don't think the average British sports car enthusiast is interested at all. If a couple of TVR teams were running it might stir up a few people, but if you look at the entry list it doesn't say much to the casual reader.
Re your comment about the Le Mans cars, what would you like to see running in a 'world sports car class' if Max Mosley (!) got around to re-inventing one?
Ian.
Seeing as how the Bentley's would have had nothing to do with Daytona anyway, it wouldn't make that much difference McNab, as they ran under Le Mans/ACO/ALMS regs.
However, on the GRAND AM front, I personally don't like the new Daytona Prototypes. Although, the new Doran does have a vaguely Bentleyesque quality to it, they seem to be getting longer in design as designs progress!
But the 24 hours in itself is still a great event, even though it gets sod all coverage and even less attendance by a paying public over the race days!
However, on the GRAND AM front, I personally don't like the new Daytona Prototypes. Although, the new Doran does have a vaguely Bentleyesque quality to it, they seem to be getting longer in design as designs progress!
But the 24 hours in itself is still a great event, even though it gets sod all coverage and even less attendance by a paying public over the race days!
The point I was making wasn't based on compliance with the regs - simply that something with the Bentley name on it (or TVR or whatever) might interest people in the UK.
Sadly there's not much enthusiasm left for sports car racing unless there's a 'British' car involved, and you won't get TV coverage even if there are a dozen Brit drivers in the entry list.
We only get to see Le Mans because Eurosport is French, or am I wrong about that too?
Sadly there's not much enthusiasm left for sports car racing unless there's a 'British' car involved, and you won't get TV coverage even if there are a dozen Brit drivers in the entry list.
We only get to see Le Mans because Eurosport is French, or am I wrong about that too?
I think the main problem is that it's not part of a major international championship anymore, and hasn't been for a number of years. Now, the same criticism can be levelled at Le Mans, but LM has carisma, and the worldwide media attention that comes from that. Daytona is basically a big oval with a couple of hairpins and a chicane added on. Plus, since the rules changed from SRP1/II to Daytona Prototypes, the cars have got slower and a hell of a lot uglier. I think I'm right in saying that GT3 class cars are heavily restricted in both the engine and aerodynamic department this year, so they don't score an overall victory, as happened last year. The whole thing is just a joke to me. They only have 450bhp FFS! A proper modern sports prototype should have at least 200bhp more than that. In an ideal world, the rules would be a modern interpretation of Group C before it went a bit silly, with the Pug 905 and Toyota TS010 etc. Imagine a modern field of 850bhp, closed top, proper prototypes, racing together with GT cars and smaller, open prototypes. 
I think Daytona has always struggled in recent years.. I went in 98 and some of the local hotels didnt even know there was anything on...
i've never known it on tv during the actual race.. sometimes a program a while later...
im not sure about the daytona proto's either if your going to do it you want proper lm protos and Gt's
G
i've never known it on tv during the actual race.. sometimes a program a while later...
im not sure about the daytona proto's either if your going to do it you want proper lm protos and Gt's
G
If they had as much ALMS on the basic news channels as much as they do nascar im sure racing would take off all over the U.S. but the only way we can get some form of GT racing on t.v. is speed. I believe they played one ALMS event last year which was nothing. SO i am pissed at the basic brodcast channels for shunning ALMS and promotings nascar...
Daytona isn`t the ALMS and IMO isn`t really pukka sportscar racing any more - the "daytona" prototypes have more in common with Nascar than anything else.
Sebring is the proper start of the season and, although, the entry is not as good as last year I`m certainly going to be more interested!
Sebring is the proper start of the season and, although, the entry is not as good as last year I`m certainly going to be more interested!
trouble is, though i dislike the DP solution and the new Grand-Am class structure you cannot knock the "Daytona 24 Hours" brand...
even though imo the race has lost something of appeal in recent years, ie, its more important to win the triple crown of sebring, le mans AND the PLM instead of sebring, le mans and daytona...
i think Grand-Am were right in abandoning prototypes, because the only cars elligable to race were so old it was like a classic car meet... yet they could have seized the oppertunity so much more...
they're big on having the big car companies supplying engines, like Toyota/Lexus, Chevrolet, Porsche etc... but why did they not make the cars look slightly like the road going models???
not, like a GTS car, but think of the new SV8 championship (or whatever its called) in england, the cars run the same chassis but with a Vectra/406/X-Type body put on top so you can say "ooh i drive that car" despite the racing version being a RWD V8!!!
Grand-Am should have done the same imo, get Crawford/Doran/Riley to build the chassis and bodywork but give them each an appearance that looks like the engine.. possibly the 911 for the Porsche (or Cayenne?
) the Celica for the Toyota or Lexus coupe/cabriolet thing...
imo, this would not alienate the fans so much as 50% of the spectators at Daytona probably only went to see Stewart/Earnhardt et all race...
then, perhaps being a less USA approach someone in england might provide it TV coverage, 'cos did any of you know for example:
1. an ex-pat Brit won (Pilgrim)
2. two brits finished 2nd and one the GT class (Mowlem, Lidell)
3. one of Britians best sportscar racers nearly won outright (Wallace)
4. another Brit finished 7th (Newton)
5. various other Brits such as Ian James and Justin Bell entered the race along with Graham Nash and Cirtek motorsport... surely enough reason to at least have a hour long highlights program?
even though imo the race has lost something of appeal in recent years, ie, its more important to win the triple crown of sebring, le mans AND the PLM instead of sebring, le mans and daytona...
i think Grand-Am were right in abandoning prototypes, because the only cars elligable to race were so old it was like a classic car meet... yet they could have seized the oppertunity so much more...
they're big on having the big car companies supplying engines, like Toyota/Lexus, Chevrolet, Porsche etc... but why did they not make the cars look slightly like the road going models???
not, like a GTS car, but think of the new SV8 championship (or whatever its called) in england, the cars run the same chassis but with a Vectra/406/X-Type body put on top so you can say "ooh i drive that car" despite the racing version being a RWD V8!!!
Grand-Am should have done the same imo, get Crawford/Doran/Riley to build the chassis and bodywork but give them each an appearance that looks like the engine.. possibly the 911 for the Porsche (or Cayenne?
) the Celica for the Toyota or Lexus coupe/cabriolet thing... imo, this would not alienate the fans so much as 50% of the spectators at Daytona probably only went to see Stewart/Earnhardt et all race...
then, perhaps being a less USA approach someone in england might provide it TV coverage, 'cos did any of you know for example:
1. an ex-pat Brit won (Pilgrim)
2. two brits finished 2nd and one the GT class (Mowlem, Lidell)
3. one of Britians best sportscar racers nearly won outright (Wallace)
4. another Brit finished 7th (Newton)
5. various other Brits such as Ian James and Justin Bell entered the race along with Graham Nash and Cirtek motorsport... surely enough reason to at least have a hour long highlights program?
littlegearl said:
1. an ex-pat Brit won (Pilgrim)
2. two brits finished 2nd and one the GT class (Mowlem, Lidell)
3. one of Britians best sportscar racers nearly won outright (Wallace)
4. another Brit finished 7th (Newton)
5. various other Brits such as Ian James and Justin Bell entered the race along with Graham Nash and Cirtek motorsport... surely enough reason to at least have a hour long highlights program?
Yup, knew all of that
Some good points in there though. Having watched the videos off the Grand Am website the DPs have grown on me, though I still think they're pig uglyAll the DPs really need is a smaller glasshouse and another 100-150bhp. I used to race the old Prosport 3000s which were very similar in construction, if a little smaller. They managed to have small glasshouses, so why can't the DPs? That's why they look so damn ugly! The Crawford is probably the best looking: mainly because they've taken the time to reduce the cockpit to the bare minimum size.
The concept isn't a bad one, really, and they're certainly starting to get cars on the grid now. If I was organising ALMS I'd be starting to get a touch concerned. DPs aren't high-tech and they are very, very slow on the straights, but their popularity among teams is rising.
The concept isn't a bad one, really, and they're certainly starting to get cars on the grid now. If I was organising ALMS I'd be starting to get a touch concerned. DPs aren't high-tech and they are very, very slow on the straights, but their popularity among teams is rising.
Ahonen said:
All the DPs really need is a smaller glasshouse and another 100-150bhp. I used to race the old Prosport 3000s which were very similar in construction, if a little smaller. They managed to have small glasshouses, so why can't the DPs? That's why they look so damn ugly! The Crawford is probably the best looking: mainly because they've taken the time to reduce the cockpit to the bare minimum size.
The concept isn't a bad one, really, and they're certainly starting to get cars on the grid now. If I was organising ALMS I'd be starting to get a touch concerned. DPs aren't high-tech and they are very, very slow on the straights, but their popularity among teams is rising.
Wish I'd been old enough to go and see Prosport 3000s. I've seen a couple racing in other series and they're very pretty, very quick cars. You're right on the power thing though. They desperately need more.
I still have a real soft spot for the old Prosport. They were cracking little cars and looked and sounded great. Only 20 were ever built and grids never really got beyond 16, but a few really decent drivers drove them - Nigel Greensall, Nigel James (now races Group Cs), Peter Hardman, Will Hewland, Ian Flux, Klass Zwart (Mr Ascari) and Chris Lord (who I used to run - top bloke).
I think we were still lapping most circuits quicker than British GT1 Championship cars in '96 - with half the horsepower!
Incidentally, the Stealth B6 GT car is based on a Prosport all the way up to the rear bulkhead. It's a beefed up version, but you can recognise the chassis, front suspension and glasshouse. We all saw how quickly Mr Greensall pedalled that a few years ago. Shame it only worked on really smooth tracks like Silverstone...
I think we were still lapping most circuits quicker than British GT1 Championship cars in '96 - with half the horsepower!
Incidentally, the Stealth B6 GT car is based on a Prosport all the way up to the rear bulkhead. It's a beefed up version, but you can recognise the chassis, front suspension and glasshouse. We all saw how quickly Mr Greensall pedalled that a few years ago. Shame it only worked on really smooth tracks like Silverstone...
the crawford is the one that looks remotely normal right?
it almost looks like an IMSA Jag/Toyota/Nissan... with a small cockpit Grand-Am could get back to the glory days of North American racing in look which would alienate less fans imo... even if the cars would be whooped by the Porsche's if they werent draconianly restricted...
it almost looks like an IMSA Jag/Toyota/Nissan... with a small cockpit Grand-Am could get back to the glory days of North American racing in look which would alienate less fans imo... even if the cars would be whooped by the Porsche's if they werent draconianly restricted...
I noticed that many events are no longer broadcast Dakar rally and GT racing are event i used to enjoy they even used to put endurance motorcycle racing on sometimes.The only motorsport they broadcast now is F1 and rallying.i dont know if its the same on sky,its a shame really cause they where all good to watch.
although to my knowledge Daytona has never been covered on any of the FOUR terrestrial channels i can remember seeing bulletins from Le Mans a while back, and not too long ago GT/F3 on 4 were on at reasonable times
now all we have is ITV with WRC/BTCC/F1... and so far i have yet to see any WRC coverage as they have one 30 mins show rather than the 3 hour long ones they promised!!! grr!
now all we have is ITV with WRC/BTCC/F1... and so far i have yet to see any WRC coverage as they have one 30 mins show rather than the 3 hour long ones they promised!!! grr!
Gassing Station | General Motorsport | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff