IMSA BoP changes

[Gunman]

SRT Viper GTS-R gets a larger opening in the air restrictor, and weight reduction.

http://www.imsaracing.net/2012/alms/bulletins/IMSA COMPETITION BULLETIN 12-31.pdf

 

[2006red/whitecoupe]

well deserved, the Vipers were running 4-5sec a lap slower at RA and they need to even things up a bit for next year.

 

[bushido]

That is great news!!

 

[Alabaster Mamba]

Great news. Making it breathe through a straw while trying to run a marathon is what it amounts to. Hopefully they will get a larger weight reduction before next year when they are going to try and be competitive.

 

[shooter_t1]

Yep, that is great news

 

[Coloviper]

They all run E85? What's up with that? Great if you are blown as some advatanges but NA?

 

[Gunman]

They all run E85? What's up with that? Great if you are blown as some advatanges but NA?

ALMS is "green".

 

[SlayerLS1]

E85 has some advantages in high compression N/A engines too.

 

[steve911]

Thats great for the Vipers, but the Corvettes got an increase too!

 

[Gunman]

Thats great for the Vipers, but the Corvettes got an increase too!

Previous adjustment, current changes are in red.

 

[steve911]

thanks for that. On my computer, the vettes entry looked red too.

 

[JLorello]

I wonder what the power bump is going to be?

 

[VYPR BYT 94]

should be interesting to see what diff it makes... good news.

 

[InjectTheVenom]

should be interesting to see what diff it makes... good news.

Agreed, now all SRT needs to do is a little more sandbagging until the opportune moment comes and blow everyone else out of the water!

 

[TrackAire]

Does anybody know how much horsepower the car is making?

Since the cars are all handicapped in one way or another, this form of racing really doesn't mean much to me....did we win because we're the best or did we win because the rest of the field is handicapped more than our car

They should take all restrictions off the cars and let the manufacturers battle it out. In the end the cars would less expensive and safer for the drivers.

Cheers,
George

 

[The_Greg]

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!!!!

 

[MTGTS]

Does anybody know how much horsepower the car is making?

I've heard 455hp

 

[BigDawg]

Does anybody know how much horsepower the car is making?

Since the cars are all handicapped in one way or another, this form of racing really doesn't mean much to me....did we win because we're the best or did we win because the rest of the field is handicapped more than our car

They should take all restrictions off the cars and let the manufacturers battle it out. In the end the cars would less expensive and safer for the drivers.

Cheers,
George

I'd love to see it...but then the arrogant European teams would have to admit that their engineering does not create the fastest car...just like Porsche saying big front engine cars can't compete with their designs. Oh really? Prove it!

 

[DMan]

Yes the current specs are 455hp.

That's the thing about ALMS people who don't know the details think, oh wow an M3 is faster than a new Viper. They don't know the racing viper is down nearly 200hp compared to the street version. This racing is all good for marketing if you're winning, if not, it seems like a nightmare.

 

[Gunman]

Does anybody know how much horsepower the car is making?

Since the cars are all handicapped in one way or another, this form of racing really doesn't mean much to me....did we win because we're the best or did we win because the rest of the field is handicapped more than our car

They should take all restrictions off the cars and let the manufacturers battle it out. In the end the cars would less expensive and safer for the drivers.

Cheers,
George

It wouldn't save money, it would become a matter of the deepest pockets winning the race. That said, I wish I was involved in motorsports back in the can-am days

 

[DMan]

I wonder what the power bump is going to be?

The class is currently limited to 500hp, so somewhere 455-500 is the range. So not huge but a big diff at this level of competition.

 

[TrackAire]

It wouldn't save money, it would become a matter of the deepest pockets winning the race. That said, I wish I was involved in motorsports back in the can-am days

Actually the teams spend a lot more money trying to make a car faster under the restrictor rules, downforce rules, etc. Engineering costs and exotic parts get expensive real quick. It's not hard to make 700 to 800 hp unrestricted...I don't think they would be able to hook up with more than that on a rear wheel drive platform. Let the M3's, Porsches, Vettes, etc bring it to the table. It would make for much more exciting racing and be safer for the drivers too. I watched the video of the GTS-R going around the track and honestly, it was kinda of slow and boring when you study the vid....I was very suprised how slow the car was to rev out. My street driven Viper should not have more horsepower than a full blown race GTR-S.

I agree with you about the old Can-Am days....those cars were brutal and fast

Cheers,
George

 

[Gunman]

Engine builders would be working to get the higher HP engines to last 24 hours, while keeping things light. Once the power was there, money would be spent developing a suspension (along with tweaking the traction control) that would allow the car to put that power to the ground. It's endless, the more you give teams, the more we will find things to spend money on!

 

[The_Greg]

You have to cut the rules somewhere - otherwise racing would be deepest pockets AND unbelievably dangerous.

Since you have to cut off the rules somewhere, there will always be a need to keep engineering and spending money, to the extent of what is allowed as per the rules. Everybody is looking for the leg up - that is what drives the engineering expense and time, not the rules but the fact that everyone is trying to be faster within whatever rules there are.

Plus, these engineering findings are not for nothing, there is a trickle down effect.

And , I see your point very clearly about "well, did I win because I had the best car, the best driver, or because the rules set allowed me to go fastest?" BUT if one car clearly dominates, to a point where they're miles ahead of the competition, then racing is boring to watch. They have to keep it competitive, keep it safe, and keep people's interest in the racing series.

 

[Newport Viper]

. My street driven Viper should not have more horsepower than a full blown race GTR-S.

ICheers,
George

SECOND THAT! What's the point then... I have no interest in it. I thought the Viper Cup was way cooler!

 

[TrackAire]

You have to cut the rules somewhere - otherwise racing would be deepest pockets AND unbelievably dangerous.

Since you have to cut off the rules somewhere, there will always be a need to keep engineering and spending money, to the extent of what is allowed as per the rules. Everybody is looking for the leg up - that is what drives the engineering expense and time, not the rules but the fact that everyone is trying to be faster within whatever rules there are.

Plus, these engineering findings are not for nothing, there is a trickle down effect.

And , I see your point very clearly about "well, did I win because I had the best car, the best driver, or because the rules set allowed me to go fastest?" BUT if one car clearly dominates, to a point where they're miles ahead of the competition, then racing is boring to watch. They have to keep it competitive, keep it safe, and keep people's interest in the racing series.

Greg,

You bring up very valid points, but regarding motorsports competition, I was a lot more interested in Nascar when Dale Earnhardt was winning all the races and I was rooting for one of the other drivers. When Aryton Senna was dominating with McLaren in the late 80's I was a big fan of the Williams team. Did it sway me away from watching the F1 races when Senna was winning everything?,....just the opposite since it made it that much more interesting for me to see what the Williams team would do to fight back or what the Yates team would do to beat Dale's #3. Honestly, there is no easy answer on how to make the cars compete in a fashion that is fun to watch and fair. But to me, there is something just not right when a Vette or Viper has to run a de-tuned motor to compete in a series. From my perspective, motorsports has to have a car that can be identified visually and a driver that has some personality or unique style. Once everything looks the same, performs the same and acts the same I think it loses some of its loyal fans.

I'm very happy and proud to see the GTS-R and Viper racing. But damn, how cool would it be to see 700 hp Vipers, Vetts, M3's, Porsches, AMG's etc going at it on the track?

Cheers,
George

 

[The_Greg]

George, and others on here, I agree that de-tuning cars is no fun and it doesn't make sense to have a race car that may even be slower around a track on certain tracks. I wonder what the GTS-R does vs a '13 road car on Road America? Maybe limiting power s ALMS's way to keep the GT much slower than P1? Multi-class racing probably adds an exponential layer of challenges for the governing body (and race teams!). And to NASCAR... I hold that type of racing in a whole different light than ALMS, F1, etc... The cars are the exact damn same and don't share a single part with a production version. NASCAR Camry? Seriously?

Taking this on a slightly different tangent, one of the most fascinating things to me about the good 'ol days of racing was the cheating/rule bending! Stories of the 7/8ths camaro, cigarette butts in the combustion chambers, lead shot in the frame with a remote dump release, even the William's active suspension in F1... Those types of things really make me smile (maybe its the competitive engineer in me).

 

[Gunman]

And to NASCAR... I hold that type of racing in a whole different light than ALMS, F1, etc... The cars are the exact damn same and don't share a single part with a production version. NASCAR Camry? Seriously?

In the biz, you can see differences in an RCR vs. HMS vs. Penske vs. Roush vs. EGR car, but on TV they do look the same.

Taking this on a slightly different tangent, one of the most fascinating things to me about the good 'ol days of racing was the cheating/rule bending! Stories of the 7/8ths camaro, cigarette butts in the combustion chambers, lead shot in the frame with a remote dump release, even the William's active suspension in F1... Those types of things really make me smile (maybe its the competitive engineer in me).

My current favorite quote, "It's all about reading the regulations with a careful eye and understanding what's actually there, rather than what the intent might be." - Adrian Newey, Chief technical officer at Red Bull Racing F1.

 

[02ViperTodd]

From the practise times today, the're gonna need more air or less weight.

 

[Gunman]

From the practise times today, the're gonna need more air or less weight.

They ran half as many laps as the rest of the field...91 had cooling issues.
http://via.me/-4mj1yks

Not sure on the 93.