Motorsport Solstice This is going to hell week on the Monterey Peninsula… Brooks is flying over today from Heathrow to L.A. and Ford is stuffing him in a new Mustang GT convertible for the week. My ride is a new Land Rover so I can navigate the polo fields of Pebble Beach. For the first time in years I am not attempting to race anything at the Monterey Historics which is fine with me for a change. Between us there are ten events to cover and these are paying gigs ! Of course bunking down at Terry Burkhart's PG beach house stocked with Grey Goose, Guinness and Jose Cuervo will make it all worthwhile along with a Monterey Bay ( Waterloo ) sunset. Anyone who remembers life before Nintendo will understand this. Remember when we had to wait weeks, even months, to find out what happened at Le Mans ? Autoweek ( also known as Competition Press back then ) would have something in a week or so. Autosport might as well been only available on the moon for a kid growing up in San Pedro and television had the game of the week and ABC's Wide World of Sports, which shockingly did cover La Sarthe sometimes. I would pass the time with a slot car set waiting for Road & Track so I could really get the story of what went on in detail. Pure and easy Today we have the opposite problem. Too much overload and immediate information. But how much of that info can be trusted to be accurate. In an alarming escalation, much of what hits the wireless first is taken as gospel and only those who really give a damn look more carefully at what went down. So who really cares out there and is it worth the effort ? All depends on what mood you are in I suppose… I bring this up because doesn’t it seem like Le Mans was so last year already ? All the events in the motorsport universe seem outdated by the day’s end of a race and the last posting of a forum dweller. Well, that's all part of what they want you to think buckaroos ! Move on, nothing to see here…. problem is that I listened and I heard. We all live in an Audi submarine… Was that a race or a regatta ? A look at JB's gallery show conditions that are far worse than that little monsoon we had back at La Sarthe in '01. Let us all praise famous men. Having discarded his DTM cat box for a proper racecar, Allan McNish confirmed his standing as one of the finest sportscar drivers of his or any other generation. Team Oreca has had by all accounts a miserable season. Few team managers know La Sarthe like Hughes de Chaunac but their Play Station Audi R8 was just not a serious contender in les 24 heures. By the time the LMES hit Silverstone for the 1000K, a few changes were obvious in the Oreca squad. Stephane Ortelli found himself partnered with his old pal from Le Mans '98 and the effort took on a more purposeful seriousness. Professionalism has always been a point for Oreca and it was time to return to form. The weather was only part of the problem. The Creation boys were on a tear and the advances the small team has made is nothing short of miraculous. They are to the LMES what Dyson is to the ALMS, a case of heart and passion over funding. Make no mistake, Creation should have won the 1000K land o' lakes just as Dyson should have taken Portland. But we all know how cruel racing can be. Should haves don’t count in the record books and those who saw a determined McNish absolutely at the top of his game will remember this race for a long, long time. Let's make up and be friendly… The Oreca team celebrated the win more as a relief than a battle won. There was none of that rah rah distasteful Audi flag waving nonsense that annoyed so many people who watched or were at Portland after Weaver lost the race in the last minute with a stricken Lola. The Dyson team picked up a lot of new fans with their efforts this year and if Champion Audi wants to keep some from defecting, a bit more sportsmanship should be in order. Having the TV camera following a victorious Audi chauffeur over to the Dyson camp to offer condolences on a hard fought battle would have been memorable and the right thing to do. Regardless, haven’t we seen enough of those damn Audi flags since 2000, put ’em away. Bib Over All - the four star final I was supposed to be at Indy but was in Weissach that week and flew home for a friend's wedding. I missed not only La Sarthe but also the greatest racing political hatchet job in years. Isn't it strange how the Formula 1 mess at Indianapolis is a virtual non-story today. True, the bibs were weapons of mass de-construction and Pierre and Company blew it ( pun accepted ) big time. However, that is nothing compared to the circus act put on by Max Mosley and the FIA. Ferrari gets the nod for a strong supporting role as henchmen showing that no matter who is running the show at Maranello, it is the old man ( above or below –you decide ) that still has the influence. The stewards also got in to the act without doing much fact checking. A story quickly developed taken as factual that Michelin had tested at the speedway after the resurfacing. Guess what, they had not. Michelin handled a written response to that and several other key questions I asked in a rapid manner within a day after the non-race. Pierre Dupasquier, the Michelin motorsport director, is a decent and honorable man. If he tells me that my bibendums are unsafe to use I am going to take him at his word. Withdrawing from motorsports events for safety reasons is hardly something novel for Michelin. I was there for two of them. Daytona when the Ferrari 512LM's had blow outs on the banking, destroying one of the cars and at Le Mans in 1988 when a tire let go on the Sauber Mercedes at full song on Mulsanne. Were they wrong and does Michelin have something to answer for ? Yes, but the company handled it in a far more professional manner than the FIA or some of the screaming F1 talking heads. It amazes me how many of these people need to get out more often and away from the press room or their laptops. Pole position for outrageousness goes to the individual that stated that as punishment, Michelin should be banned from competing in the U.S. for a minimum of ten years. I should publish his address so all those soccer moms with SUV's, mini vans and Lexus's can send him their Bibs as a sign of solidarity. Get real. THE SAFETY DANCE Men without talent rejected the hay bale tire chicane idea and opted for the much safer and sane pit lane approach. I agree, all that lose straw could block a radiator. Better to have an incident in pit lane where there are only people. But hey, it's F1…they're expendable. This is where the FIA really loses face. All this hyperbole of safety being the big concern. Fines, summons to the World Motorsport Council, penalties, beheadings… who then is going to lay a summons on Max for the debacle in Pueblo concerning the recent FIA WTCC Race ? An unfinished track, run off line and run off track ? If that is not an issue of safety, what is ? The FIA regularly ignores its own regulations just don’t you do it. All of this simply illustrates that the head of the FIA should not come from the ranks of F1. Got safety ? Le Mans got chicanes and they now want to flatten the hump. On a country road in France no less ? But don’t mess with Monaco… no sir. We must respect tradition you understand. Whose safety are we respecting here Max ? The two sets of rules, one for F1 and another for everyone else has to change and it is up to the other series to start demanding accountability. The war of words between the FIA and Michelin was a loss for the Concorde Palace of Sin. For the price of a few tickets for the next USGP a major war was averted. Pity… I would like to have seen who was standing at the end. The Point ( Sears ) of no return… Safety became an issue at the recent ALMS round at Sears Point. The pit out that all visiting series must use has been constructed specifically for NASCAR and the incident was predictable. Soares has already discussed the situation in his past column so you know which side of the fence I come down on. I asked IMSA officials for an explanation and they termed it a racing incident but they did go to length to say how unfortunate the whole mess was. Taken at their word, you have to assume the tapes were reviewed. What was not answered though is the question as to why there was no flag station at that point. Should IMSA have the final say as to safety and require the track to make changes ? If they don’t they should and where were the drivers on this critical issue. The fact that Sears is not a circuit that is part of the Panoz orbit and the track personal, while professional, know that the ALMS is not a money maker along the lines of NASCAR. One member of the press staff joked what a nice relaxed atmosphere following the hectic pace of the previous NASCAR race. One major complaint making the rounds was that track management tends to charge vendors NASCAR numbers while drawing considerably smaller crowds. This, as any small businessperson will tell you, is not cost effective and several will not return next year. As enjoyable as having a round at Sears Point is, the ALMS has to look carefully at the cost return. Sears Point was a great event if only for the fact that it was a chance to catch up with Vanessa and her haute cuisine. For some reason her big white marquee was situated in the communications compound and with an obnoxious Mazda team near her tent entrance. The noisemakers were constantly working on their Norelco and starting it up at inopportune times earning a stare from our lady of the range and a visit from Larry. As it should be. Travels with Lister David Lister was in attendance at Sears Point by either default or Air France, take your pick. He fired off a couple of thousand images, intimidated Regis and generally had a good time. Lister loved the place, got on well with the PR personal at the track and was ready to party. However, long term plans for a rave in the city came to nothing due to a surprise visit by Dave’s mum and dad. This necessitated a wardrobe change and Dave emerged looking quite smart in his white knee socks, shorts, schoolboy blazer and tie. The comparison to heavy metal masters AC/DC was not lost by those who witnessed this fashion plate. Back to La Sarthe It was a great result and one for the record books with the top three class spots taken by teams based in the U.S. As usual, this accomplishment was all but ignored by the mainstream press in this country. There were a number of great opportunities that could have really brought up the awareness of the ALMS that were not properly exploited. The Pratt brats wheeled the new Corvette back to the top step but it was not an easy win and many felt, not deserved. GM will take it nevertheless. The references to the ‘Vettes having brushed aside the challenge from the Aston Martins is ludicrous. On paper, Ollie Gavin should be a faster driver than Peter Kox. Maybe that is true if they are in identical cars. Gavin, no matter how hard he tried, could not get the new ‘Vette past Kox in the Aston during the early part of the race. The change of position finally came during a pit stop. So much for having brushed aside the Astons. The penalties handed out to Darren Turner by the ACO officials were on the borderline of stretched credibility. How many times have cars had problems in the chicanes that have resulted in being brought in for a visit to le penalty box ? Jump in the fire….. I had a chance conversation at Heathrow with a person who was on their way to Le Mans while I was going to Stuttgart. What made the talk so interesting was that she was an agency photographer who does a lot of fashion and model work but was also quite knowledgeable on the history of La Sarthe. As she was leaving to catch her flight, I asked her to send me a note on how her first visit went down. A week after the race I received an email from her along with some images and a long rant. To quote her: “Would someone please explain to Mr.Fehan, Mr. Pratt and company, that while their joy for winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans is certainly understandable, their standing in front of the winning drivers on the podium and nearly completely blocking the drivers from the fans, TV and photographers is not. The podium is where drivers celebrate and are celebrated. Having team principles standing front and center, instead of behind or to the side is, well, I guess it is just plan stupid and insulting, especially from a pr or advertising perspective. You certainly didn't see Dr. Ulrich and Mr. Maraj in front of any of the Audi drivers during the podium. Alex Job was gracious with the difficult job he had to do and yet, there he was smiling behind Leo Hindery. Act like you have been there before.” How the Job was done…. We all knew an Audi would win (although it was pretty damn close wasn’t it ?) and most likely the Corvettes would pull it off. There was no such discussion surrounding GT-2. A Porsche will always win. This year was to prove no different although the chosen one failed to live up to the re-race hype. Petersen/White Lightning had it all going for them, the better werks drivers, excellent assistance from Porsche Weissach, the latest Michelins. Many wondered aloud as to why Petersen were even running the race and why not just hand them the cup. So what went wrong ? Alex Job was informed or suggested may be the right term that he would be teaming up with BAM for an assault on La Sarthe. Drivers were to be Marc Lieb and Mike Rockenfeller along with team principal Leo the Yankee. Doughnuts were from Yokohama. Few, if any, gave the ALR/BAM operation much of a chance against the Petersen GT-3. The hat trick ( pole, lap, race ) went to the wrong guys and Leo got to see the view from the top slot far in to the maddening crowd. Simply put, Alex Job managed a lesser squad to a brilliant win. In speaking with Yokohama technicians, they give a lot of credit for this win because of their past working relationship with AJR. The time spent getting the balance just right for the softer sidewalls of the Yokohamas helped with the drivers confidence. Alex Job states that tires were not an advantage but credits Lieb and Rockenfeller with providing excellent feedback, which was critical in getting the car set up. An obvious strong hand in dealing with Leo sealed the victory. Every driver wants his maximum time in the car but there was no way that Leo could keep up the needed pace in what has become a 24 hour sprint race. The two stints he did were enough and no matter how down he may have felt watching the two kids at play, holding the trophy for winning the class quickly proved that Alex Job made the right calls. And picking up Angel who just arrived from the coast…. AJR have gotten their act together in the ALMS reeling off a bushel of wins to take a slim margin over the Petersen/White Lightning Porsche. The #23 was behind in class points until Portland. Now with the second half of the season upon us, the GT-2 champion will come down to who deals best with the pressure. AJR is now in the catbird seat so it will be up to Petersen to respond. Conquistador The constant running footage of the Porsche LMP2 at Estoril during the Sears Point coverage showed a new car taking laps that only proved the car existed. There are those who think that the addition of Penske is a signal that the car is a winner and can challenge the LMP1 category. Did anyone notice how big and bouncy the Porsche looked at Estoril ? The car needs work, period. A few items to consider: Penske will be running the car with hand picked drivers ala the factory. Roger’s past success and winning efforts have been with his people. I don’t see any of the current batch of werks shoes up there with Mark Donohue or a crew that has a Greg Syfert. Appearances aside, obviously Penske is taking a different approach to the LMP2 from the 917/10 and 917/30 efforts. Another point is the constant babble on how the LMP2 is a contract job for PMNA/PCNA. However, who owns both U.S. concerns but the mother ship. This blatant cover gives Porsche AG cover if the project fails and a reason not to be at Le Mans with an official entry. Fortunately this masquerade hasn’t fooled many. Porsche wants a winner and the LMP2 debut will be closely watched. It could be Le Mans 1982 all over again or the Indy 2708 at Laguna Seca. In racing, there are only absolutes. Until after the Monterey madness… |
Kerry Morse |
