OT: Death of Innovation, Continental Tires spec for 3/4 of USCR classes next year Options

[ThePaintedMan]

http://www.alms.com/articles/imsa-tire-str...zed-2014-season

Sorry, this is a couple weeks old, but since no one else has brought it up yet, I figured I would. So the worst fears of many have been realized - NASCAR and it's spec mindset has made it's way solidly into the new USCR series next year. Every class but the GTE cars will have to run on spec Continental Tires next year. Not Michelins, not Dunlops. Continentals. I guess money talks, but this is (IMG:style_emoticons/default/stromberg.gif) . Hey, it'll be an easy way to make sure the DPs are still competitive with the P2 cars. If the P2 cars have to run on bicycle tires and they give the big fat slicks to the DPs, surely the France family can remain happy with their investment staying at the front of the field.

[naro914]

While I too am a bit dissapointed with the conti tire spec, I think we will all be a bit surprised with the quality of racing and 'innovation' next year.

And I too, have been VERY skeptical and VERY critical of the entire 'merger'. But....

Steve Focazio is head of Grand Am marketing, and a good friend of mine. More importantly, he is a HUGE sports car fan and has ZERO interest in Nascar - even though that's really where his check comes from. He did a presentation at the Road America race last weekend that, if even half of it is true, is very encouraging. I've spoken at length to him privately about all this, and I've come away with the following:

- There are NO plans to dumb down USCR to a spec type series like Nascar. According to Brian France, "we already have that, no need to make another spec type series"
- Brian (and Bill) France are HUGE sports car fans, which is why they bought all this to begin with. Nascar is where they make money, sports car racing is their passion.
- Many of the technical resources in USCR are coming over from ALMS, not Grand Am, including all the people responsible for competition, rules, and vehicle specs. This is a good thing!
- What they've found is, the LMP2 cars are faster in the corners, the DP cars are faster on the straights. In order to have good racing, there needs to be more balance so they are working with the manufacturers and teams to figure out how to balance that out a bit. But they DO NOT plan to dumb down the LMP2 cars, the plan is to give more downforce to the DP cars and maybe up the power allowable for the LMP2 cars.
- they are in discussions with top manufacturers to bring back LMP1 around 2016 or so...all depends on if anyone really wants to run it. The reason they decided against it is that there was not a lot of teams that really wanted to run the class - Audi, Peugeot, etc said no.
- All races will be broadcast live on the new Fox Sports 1 or Fox Sports 2, with some on regular Fox networks throughout the year.

A lot will change through the first couple years, so it should be interesting. I, for one, and happy we'll have one series to follow so the marketing and visibility for sports car racing in America will be more focused instead of fractured like it's been for years.

Again, I was very skeptical and very critical of the information that was coming out, but after talking to Steve, hearing his presentation and fielding the multitude of questions he got, I am much happier. Time will tell...