2018 Daytona 24hr
Discussion
MikeT66 said:
I found the whole story of the GT quite interesting (and mirroring the original GT40 in many ways, bizarrely). Ford knew that they couldn’t make a Le Mans/GT winner from the Mustang (their only other choice), so looked at the regulations and said “We’ll build a car to match those.” Cynical? Possibly. Playing by the rules? Yes – as much as Porsche and the 917, for example. Plus, they were invited to join GT racing by the other manufacturers despite not having the required number of road cars.
I watched Le Mans in 2016 – all but a couple of hours around 3.00-5.00am. I remember ranting at the TV (much to the amusement of Mrs.T66 and our hosts) when the ACO ruled against one of the Fords running without position lights, and the car had to make a lengthy stop to get it fixed. Ford made the same call later against Ferrari. It wasn’t the best sportsmanship, undoubtedly, but I sort of enjoyed the needling between the two again. Ford vs. Ferrari – all over again!
It would be great if some privateers could get racing the GTs and put some more classic colours on them, certainly (Gulf, anyone?) – I’ve never really liked Ganassi’s red/white/blue schematics on any of their cars.
Yes - racing under a waiver with a carbon tubbed car that was designed as a race car first certainly helped them but BoP means they would always get pegged back at some point. I thought the fact that the car found five seconds between the pre-race test and final qualifying a bit suspicious!I watched Le Mans in 2016 – all but a couple of hours around 3.00-5.00am. I remember ranting at the TV (much to the amusement of Mrs.T66 and our hosts) when the ACO ruled against one of the Fords running without position lights, and the car had to make a lengthy stop to get it fixed. Ford made the same call later against Ferrari. It wasn’t the best sportsmanship, undoubtedly, but I sort of enjoyed the needling between the two again. Ford vs. Ferrari – all over again!
It would be great if some privateers could get racing the GTs and put some more classic colours on them, certainly (Gulf, anyone?) – I’ve never really liked Ganassi’s red/white/blue schematics on any of their cars.
I understand that several of the Ford top brass entered Risi's pit during the race and threw their weight around which is the bit that really left a sour taste. I think the lone Ferrari - run by a small privateer team - going up against the might of Dearborn is a good story in itself, quite apart from the broader Ford / Ferrari narrative!
I'm not close-minded to the broader picture though and it's great for global GT racing that Ford is present and really pushing a works programme in both WEC and IMSA.
Needling, flouncing and fisticuffs - all part of motorsports illustrious history! 
Senna/Prost, McLaren/Ferrari, Ford/Ferrari, Ford/GM, Hunt/Lauda, Schumacher/everyone... In a world of sanitised sports, it's good to see some genuine passion, rivalry and downhearted skullduggery going on - and long may it live.
It's one of the reasons I love motorsports and historic racing. To see new champions and great races is seeing (motorsport) history happen before your eyes. To see old Ferraris, Fords, Lola etc in full speed is to see the history of racing revisited. To see those glorious tracks such as Daytona, Le Mans, Monaco, etc is, to me, like visitng old the battlegrounds of history, legends written in the concrete and asphalt of the circuits. You don't even have to see the big circuits to experience this - even the smaller tracks like my local one, Oulton Park, have great histories.
Let's hope for some fantastic racing again this year and (hopefully) some more history being made.
Senna/Prost, McLaren/Ferrari, Ford/Ferrari, Ford/GM, Hunt/Lauda, Schumacher/everyone... In a world of sanitised sports, it's good to see some genuine passion, rivalry and downhearted skullduggery going on - and long may it live. It's one of the reasons I love motorsports and historic racing. To see new champions and great races is seeing (motorsport) history happen before your eyes. To see old Ferraris, Fords, Lola etc in full speed is to see the history of racing revisited. To see those glorious tracks such as Daytona, Le Mans, Monaco, etc is, to me, like visitng old the battlegrounds of history, legends written in the concrete and asphalt of the circuits. You don't even have to see the big circuits to experience this - even the smaller tracks like my local one, Oulton Park, have great histories.
Let's hope for some fantastic racing again this year and (hopefully) some more history being made.
Couldn’t agree more, Mike. I grew up ten miles from Oulton Park and have been visiting race there for 30 years since I was an infant. I enjoy a little-league club event as much as a grand prix. It’s only in more recent years that I’ve started to really strongly pursue my dream of attending all the world’s great motor racing events. When we first started going to Oulton, I never dreamed I’d get to Le Mans or Monza or Bathurst or Indy. Crikey – I felt like an adventurer the first time I ventured to Goodwood for the 1994 Festival of Speed! I think we’ll love back on the 2014 – 2017 WEC LMP1 ‘arms race’ as one of the very few eras when manufacturers were given the opportunity to throw the kitchen sink at development. The cars and racing have been monstrous. I reckon there’s the potential for something similar in IMSA – not the spending, nor the technology, but the closeness of the racing and the competition between manufacturers.
Too many folk put on the old rose tinted glasses and don’t notice how much thoroughly awesome stuff is out there to go and watch every weekend of the year.
Too many folk put on the old rose tinted glasses and don’t notice how much thoroughly awesome stuff is out there to go and watch every weekend of the year.
chevronb37 said:
Couldn’t agree more, Mike. I grew up ten miles from Oulton Park and have been visiting race there for 30 years since I was an infant. I enjoy a little-league club event as much as a grand prix. It’s only in more recent years that I’ve started to really strongly pursue my dream of attending all the world’s great motor racing events. When we first started going to Oulton, I never dreamed I’d get to Le Mans or Monza or Bathurst or Indy. Crikey – I felt like an adventurer the first time I ventured to Goodwood for the 1994 Festival of Speed! I think we’ll love back on the 2014 – 2017 WEC LMP1 ‘arms race’ as one of the very few eras when manufacturers were given the opportunity to throw the kitchen sink at development. The cars and racing have been monstrous. I reckon there’s the potential for something similar in IMSA – not the spending, nor the technology, but the closeness of the racing and the competition between manufacturers.
Too many folk put on the old rose tinted glasses and don’t notice how much thoroughly awesome stuff is out there to go and watch every weekend of the year.
100%. Too many folk put on the old rose tinted glasses and don’t notice how much thoroughly awesome stuff is out there to go and watch every weekend of the year.
Going back to racing in the USA, Dickie Meaden suggested in Motorsport magazine a month or so ago a new 'Can-Am' series, but for electric cars might be a good idea. I think he definitely had a point - Formula E is s
te and there is little interest in electric cars as a sporting idea. Make the new series with few rules (like the old glorious Can-Am days) - let the fastest/most efficient win, by whatever means, and make electric racing exciting and cutting edge at the same time. I'd have loved to have seen the sportscar racing of the late 60s and the Ford/Ferrari battles and that fantastic Can-Am series as it happened. What a glorious time for motorsports - a bit of vision and bravery now could see it revisited. I think the all-consuming media coverage of F1 (and f
k everything else) has had a massive detrimental effect on the rest of motorsports by smothering other coverage - even Le Mans, the greatest race in motorsports, and Daytona, get nothing in the UK media. A crying shame.I'm not sure if this will be of any help or interest (RV camping at Daytona can be exclusive and/or expensive for Rolex 24).
My main FL interest in this form of motorsport is the 12 Hours of Sebring, which is an entirely different experience to Daytona and I rent an RV for Sebring - given that it is effectively a 5 day event.
Historically, I've used an RV consigner (i.e. they rent out privately owned vehicles) and I've had all manner of stuff from them, from little C Class, right up to monster diesel pushers. Trouble with this company is that they're way out in Longwood FL and due to the nature of their inventory, I've not always got the specific vehicle I ordered (though always up-graded, in fairness to them). Also they are not cheap.
So, this year I've gone for a company called Road Bear RV. They are really close to MCO, which is great for me, because so am I, their rental fleet is extensive and new - and they are very, very competitively priced. Potentially perfect for a more comfortable Rolex 24 experience.
I've ordered one of these for Sebring - Weds-Mon for $620 all in.
Website is: www.roadbearrv.com
My main FL interest in this form of motorsport is the 12 Hours of Sebring, which is an entirely different experience to Daytona and I rent an RV for Sebring - given that it is effectively a 5 day event.
Historically, I've used an RV consigner (i.e. they rent out privately owned vehicles) and I've had all manner of stuff from them, from little C Class, right up to monster diesel pushers. Trouble with this company is that they're way out in Longwood FL and due to the nature of their inventory, I've not always got the specific vehicle I ordered (though always up-graded, in fairness to them). Also they are not cheap.
So, this year I've gone for a company called Road Bear RV. They are really close to MCO, which is great for me, because so am I, their rental fleet is extensive and new - and they are very, very competitively priced. Potentially perfect for a more comfortable Rolex 24 experience.
I've ordered one of these for Sebring - Weds-Mon for $620 all in.
Website is: www.roadbearrv.com
Matt Harper said:
I'm not sure if this will be of any help or interest (RV camping at Daytona can be exclusive and/or expensive for Rolex 24).
They are really close to MCO, which is great for me, because so am I, their rental fleet is extensive and new - and they are very, very competitively priced. Potentially perfect for a more comfortable Rolex 24 experience.
OK - scratch this - all infield parking now sold-out.They are really close to MCO, which is great for me, because so am I, their rental fleet is extensive and new - and they are very, very competitively priced. Potentially perfect for a more comfortable Rolex 24 experience.
Any further word on where to watch? Is the race broadcast live on https://imsatv.imsa.com/?
DangerDoom said:
Any further word on where to watch? Is the race broadcast live on https://imsatv.imsa.com/?
It doesn't look like it is on the Motorsport.tv channel (ex-MotorsTV) so the website it is then (unless you are somewhere that is geoblocked out).http://www.crash.net/sportscars/news/888969/1/rast...
First practice - "Rast quickest as Alonso's car crashes in first Daytona practice"
First practice - "Rast quickest as Alonso's car crashes in first Daytona practice"
Dan BSCS said:
MissChief said:
As much as I'm grateful it'll likely be in HD then, I think I'd rather have full coverage on Motorsport.tv in SD. 
Will it be streamed on youtube does anyone know?
You can watch the whole thing on imsa.comWill it be streamed on youtube does anyone know?
MissChief said:
As much as I'm grateful it'll likely be in HD then, I think I'd rather have full coverage on Motorsport.tv in SD.
We used to get comprehensive coverage of the ALMS when it was in its death throes, and Grand AM, which I could never get on with, now we've got the combined series growing into the best domestic sportscar series in the world (probably the best outright) there's next to nothing, which is such a shame, especially if you haven't got internet which can cope with streaming a 24 hour race.MissChief said:
Dan BSCS said:
MissChief said:
As much as I'm grateful it'll likely be in HD then, I think I'd rather have full coverage on Motorsport.tv in SD.
Will it be streamed on youtube does anyone know?
You can watch the whole thing on imsa.comWill it be streamed on youtube does anyone know?
Gassing Station | General Motorsport | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff