Porsche/Penske in ALMS

[SWBS]

In what could be the best news in years for the (not so patient) faithful, ALMS announces the following joint venture between Porsche and Penske:
http://www.americanlemans.com/News/A...spx?NewsID=932

Finally....

Jim

[Homemade 911]

All,
I posted this same article a coupla days ago under "off topic"...I agree with Jim...It's about time...

cheers
Thom Kuby

[CurtEgerer]

Obviously good news, but ...... LMP2? Hmmm, no real competitors in that category so they should be able to swoop in and win right away. If it's just a stepping stone to LMP, I say great. But the speculation is that Porsche sees this as another 'profit center' to sell cars to privateers, just like the successful GT3RS program. So will it amount to just another lower class dominated by privateers or will Porsche step up and go for the overall win in ALMS and LeMans? I don't think Penske would be interested in winning races in a minor category for long, so hopefully the stepping stone theory will play out!

[das908kind]

Obviously good news, but ...... LMP2? Hmmm, no real competitors in that category so they should be able to swoop in and win right away. If it's just a stepping stone to LMP, I say great. But the speculation is that Porsche sees this as another 'profit center' to sell cars to privateers, just like the successful GT3RS program. So will it amount to just another lower class dominated by privateers or will Porsche step up and go for the overall win in ALMS and LeMans? I don't think Penske would be interested in winning races in a minor category for long, so hopefully the stepping stone theory will play out!

Don't forget racing is a business and Porsche does not have the cashflow of VW or Daimler-Chrysler. They have share holders to keep happy.

[NeunElf]

Porsche might just be thinking their LMP2 could be a threat to win overall. If they use an engine already homologated in one of the GT classes, they can have a bigger engine with bigger intake restrictors (4 liters with 44.7 mm restrictors for 4 valves/cylinder engine).

That's less than the LMP1s are allowed, but the LMP1s do have a weight disadvantage.

[CurtEgerer]

You might be right! I read this today:

"Porsche testing new prototype today at a private location...shooter says "brutally fast...and quite a different approach body wise from the norm"..We'd tell ya but then we'd have to kill ya we do not publish rumor."

[pwd72s]

Obviously good news, but ...... LMP2? Hmmm, no real competitors in that category so they should be able to swoop in and win right away. If it's just a stepping stone to LMP, I say great. But the speculation is that Porsche sees this as another 'profit center' to sell cars to privateers, just like the successful GT3RS program. So will it amount to just another lower class dominated by privateers or will Porsche step up and go for the overall win in ALMS and LeMans? I don't think Penske would be interested in winning races in a minor category for long, so hopefully the stepping stone theory will play out!

I couldn't AGREE more. Considering the current Porsche corporate management? "If racing doesn't turn a profit, forget it!"...

[das908kind]

I found this on the Gunnar website, labeling it as an Porsche/Lola LMP-2 but I'm confused...



This looks like a car that's been around for a few years already, and Wayne Jackson is driving(?). The livery looks particular, as in not official to the factory or Penske, but the article does say they are waiting for ACO and ALMS to approve the car.

Here's the link for the full story:

Gunnar test day at Moroso

Anyone have more info?

[CurtEgerer]

That's the standard Lola LMP2. Gunnar must have been playing around with a P-engine version or, maybe, planning to do some race-testing on the engine that Porsche will use???

[NeunElf]

Elsewhere on the Gunnar Racing website you can read that this car has been in work since 2002 and it has an air-cooled Porsche six.

I wish them well, but it's probably not the car Porsche & Penske will run.