Ask the Man Who Drives One

Ryan Dalziel

On June 5th, Radiolemans.com's "Midweek Motorsport" broadcast contained a lengthy interview with Ryan Dalziel, driver for Peter Barron's Starworks team. The subject of the interview was the testing done at Sebring in advance of racing at Belle Isle. Starworks is both a top contender in the Grand-Am Rolex DP class and the 2012 LMP2 WEC championship team. They tested both their Riley/Ford DP car and their HPD/Honda LMP2 car on the same track, with the same driver. What he had to say should have bearing on how USCR chooses to "balance" the performance of DPs and LMP2s in 2014.

Some of the more interesting points Ryan brought out during this interview:

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- He was surprised at result of the tests. His a priori expectation was that the LMP2 car would be faster in the corners and that the DPs would dominate on the the straights. The measured lap times don't support that conclusion. Even though the DPs has 100-150 more horsepower and less downforce than the LMP2, they are heavier and produce more drag, such that in normal race trim the DP was 3-4 mph slower than the LMP2 down the straight. In addition the LMP2 had significant advantages in turns 14, 15, and 16. DP aero produces greater drag than the LMP2. Sebring requires high downforce, so neither car was trimmed out in the tests.

- Ryan gave representative lap times on a green Sebring short course as 1:51 for the LMP2 and 1:55 for the DP. His guess was that half that difference could be made up with tire choice. The LMP2 was running bespoke Dunlop tires, while the DP was running spec Continentals. He was also of the opinion that the DP was too heavy and powerful to run on an LMP2 tire, while the LMP2 could easily run on a DP tire.

- The DP was overall a generally slower car. While Ryan was of the opinion that it would be possible to cheaply slow the LMP2 down through tires, use of low-downforce aero, raising ride heights etc. but he felt strongly that this would be wrong as it would compress the classes such that the PC Challenge cars and GTLM cars would be right in with the "top" prototype class. My own observation is that the LMPC car is already quicker than a DP and they will probably be slowed down in any event. 

- Ryan observed that the test of an LMP2 car on Continentals at Daytona earlier this year is not really representative, and that tests should be conducted at Barbour, Mid-Ohio and Road America. Ryan has also driven LMPC in ALMS and observed that the Michelin tires used prior to 2013 were not engineered for the LMPC but were off the shelf tires. This year's Continentals are superior to the 2012 Michelin LMPC tire, but there is no comparison between a bespoke class tire and a spec tire.

- It was observed that if the Extreme Speed team had not switched from GTE to LMP2 this year, there would have been no LMP2 class left in North America to contend with. Extreme Speed's two-car entry provided sufficient justification for Level 5 to commit to the final ALMS season. Ryan feels that the inclusion of LMP2's in USCR reinforces the need for the DPs to upgrade their technology and that this was a needed change.

- A surprising observation was that it is mostly the better funded DP teams that are most resistant to upgrading the DP cars, mostly on the basis of cost. In DP R&D is conducted primarily by the chassis and engine suppliers, not the teams. Most of the DP upgrades discussed were areo modifications: a different rear wing, re-designed splitter and added nose dive planes. Carbon-fiber brakes were one sticking point with some teams on the basis of costs; Peter Barron pointed out that while the initial purchase was indeed expensive, the fact that far fewer rotors required replacement over the season (with carbon brakes) actually saved operating costs and more than made up the initial costs. Starworks only used two sets of rotors for their entire 2012 WEC championship season.

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I think anyone following the fortunes of the current Grand-Am and ALMS series are impatiently waiting for all the new rules and regulations for the 2014 USCR season, particularly those governing the LMP2 and DP cars. Teams, suppliers and manufacturers are stalled in their plans for next year until they know what those rules and regulations are, making planning difficult.

Bits and Pieces

Recently there has been some news concerning the 2014 USCR season, including pit and paddock regulations and driver ratings. In a previous post, I commented extensively on the difference in pit stop rules between ALMS and Grand-Am. So now I know how many can participate in a pit stop and that pit-work and refueling can take place simultaneously, but so far I still don't know if cars will have to stop their engines during a pit stop and have to re-start under their own power or not.

The PC (Prototype Challenge, formerly LMPC) and GTD (GT Daytona) classes will be pro-am classes utilizing a driver rating system similar to that used by the FIA and ACO. This will go some way toward evening out the performance between the prototypes and the PC teams over the length of a race. By implication the former LMP2 teams can use an all-pro driver lineup if they desire. This might encourage former ALMS LMP1 teams like Dyson and Muscle Milk to move toward using an LMP2 car in USCR's Prototype class for 2014 (who knows?). I have to believe that Greg Pickett would be loathe to forego the powerhouse driver lineup of Klaus Graf and Lucas Luhr had LMP2 been constrained to a pro-am driver pairing.

Looks like the Grand-Am GX class will be eliminated next year. This would probably be a good move should it be decided as described.

UPDATE: A bit more information about the 2014 USCR has just been announced. GTLM remains nearly untouched, save for the addition of window netting. LMP2 cars running in USCR Prototype remain ACO spec. All prototypes get paddle shift and 6-speed gearboxes (new to DP). No further word on BoP in the top class.