Your Turn, Sports Cars
3/24/2008On July 19, 2004, I got up on this cybersoapbox, and called on Porsche to design and build a modern prototype and re-enter endurance sports car racing's most prestigious class.
"It says here the time has come for Porsche to rekindle its glorious heritage," I wrote to the legendary automaker. Later, I added, "(the Grand-Am) series' philosophy is based on lower-cost chassis built by a limited number of constructors and run by independent teams. So, it would seem, ALMS and its Le Mans-compatible specs is the place for Porsche. Nothing could help the Don Panoz-founded organization more."
It happened.
On May 23, 2005, I climbed back up, and urged sports car racing's most successful marque to put American drivers in its then-announced P2 class Spyders.
"My greatest hope . . . is that the decision-makers at Porsche Cars North America have taken full notice of the mistakes made by teams and officials in the Indy Racing League and Champ Car World Series and will hire at least two worthy Americans."
Continuing: "If this TRULY is an AMERICAN program, I hope we see the kind of common-sense understanding of the marketplace not evident in the open-wheel series."
I mentioned Patrick Long as a candidate.
That's happened, too.
Now, one more time, I am stepping-up with a call to the sports car decision-makers.
Get together. One series.
I was surprised that Long, a winner on both tours, disagreed.
"I think both series are doing something a little bit different," he said. "Because they're such different philosophies, I don't see that as a big issue. I enjoy both kinds of racing.
"Grand-Am is more of a spec series, with closer racing, and less of a technical challenge. ALMS is staying more true to the traditional sports car racing, based on 24 hours of Le Mans.
"There seems to be room for both."
I don't see that.
Sports car racing, in the United States, is a niche sport. No, that's an exaggeration. It's a fragment of a unit of a subsection of a subset of a niche.
ALMS has Sebring, direct manufacturer participation, demographics, a "green" mindset and some over-the-air network TV exposure. Grand-Am has Daytona, a good engine mix, competition stability, a NASCAR mindset and Jim France.
Neither have TV ratings, attendance figures, or on-going national media coverage worthy of a press release. The truth is, they wouldn't even if unified into a single series. And I say that as someone who grew up a sports car fan, from the Cobra to the Ford GT to the Porsche 962 and several Ferraris in-between.
But it would be a start toward a brighter future. And better than what we see now.
Yes, believe-it-or-not, for once, open wheel has shown the right road to follow.
To the ALMS and Grand-Am management teams, I say this:
It's your turn.
[ Next column: April 7 ]
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(I.N. Sider is the pen name for an independent motorsports business-person who has a quarter-century of professional experience working in almost every major North American racing series. The writer is not an employee of Valvoline or Ashland Inc. The column is intended to inform, entertain, and stimulate thought on the contemporary motorsports scene. The opinions expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of Valvoline or Ashland Inc.)
BackAbout I.N. Sider
I.N. Sider is the pen name for an independent motorsports business-person who has a quarter-century of professional experience working in almost every major North American racing series. The writer is not an employee of Valvoline or Ashland Inc. The column is intended to inform, entertain, and stimulate thought on the contemporary motorsports scene. The opinions expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of Valvoline or Ashland Inc.