Online Endurance Race Coverage

Variations on Coverage

Since I am on a small island in the Caribbean and my local cable monopoly doesn't carry any of the channels that cover multi-class endurance racing, I am dependent on online coverage of those sporting events. This year there have been changes in the online media coverage of the Tudor United Sports Car Championship, the World Endurance Championship and the European Le Mans Series. I discuss the online coverage offerings from my own island perspective, those in Europe and elsewhere may have a wider selection of options for following their sport.

ELMS - Best bargain in multi-class endurance racing.

The online coverage of the ELMS rounds in 2014 are the same as last year: free full streaming coverage via Dailymotion.com of the race with Radio Le Mans commentary plus live timing and scoring on their website. As always, audio commentary with live forum participation was available on the Radiolemans.com website. Folks complain that they can't see the race in HD, and there are occasional net congestion glitches, but overall a good online package. Luckily for me, the live stream is available through the Dailymotion.com channel on my Roku 3 TV set-top box, making it very simple to watch the race on the larger screen. The ELMS does not publicly archive the full race videos, which is a shame, only short clips of various aspects of the race. Without a U.S. TV package, the ELMS does a good job for their online fans that would otherwise not be able to see races without going to the track. If they would add online Archives to the mix, it could attract an even wider audience.

WEC - You get what you pay for.

Last year the WEC rounds (other than Le Mans) were pretty much the same as the ELMS online coverage. For 2014, the WEC decided to charge a subscription fee for all rounds (other than Le Mans). This was a last minute surprise for those of us dependent on online coverage and at first even the live timing and scoring would require subscription. At the last minute T&S was made freely available. Like the ELMS, Radiolemans.com provided full live audio commentary of the WEC (including Le Mans) from their website. I bit the bullet and paid the 19.99€ price for the streaming coverage; it was similar in quality to that provided free by the ELMS with Radiolemans.com commentary and standard definition video. While I watched the race on my desktop computer, there are also FIAWEC "apps" for Android and iPad as well (subscription required). Like the ELMS, there is no public archive of the full race videos. Personally I don't mind paying the nominal fee for video, it beats paying a cable TV provider monthly for a bundle of channels I don't want at a much higher fee just to watch the races I want, even if that were an option (which for me it isn't). While not free, offering streaming video with excellent commentary is a key element in growing the fan base. About that commentary: there are some changes coming, so I will probably supplement the streaming video with a separate Radiolemans.com audio stream.

TUSCC - How to lose fans and (negatively) influence people.

For the first three rounds of the TUSC Championship there was free full live video streaming with commentary by Fox Sports, echoing the Fox Sports TV coverage in the U.S. combined with timing and scoring on the IMSA website. It came as quite a surprise to find out that live video of the TV broadcast of the Laguna Seca rounds were not available to me at all. The only live video I could get were from several on-board cameras with nothing but the ambient sounds in the cars. Live timing and scoring was available on the IMSA website, and audio commentary could be had on the MRN.com website. In previous years the ALMS worked with ESPN/ABC television in the U.S. and in addition provided free, full-race live streaming video with commentary supplied partially by John Hindhaugh and Jeremy Shaw (who are normally heard on Radiolemans.com). The switch to Fox Sports (in the U.S) meant that fewer people could actually watch the race on TV (Fox Sports is less available in cable packages), and with the elimination of free live streaming even fewer fans can watch live than last year in the ALMS (Grand-Am never had live online streaming). This loss of online streaming can't do anything but discourage the fan base; it is another example of TUSCC shooting itself in the foot. The elimination from North American endurance racing of the excellent audio coverage provided in the past by Radiolemans.com compounds this error. The only good thing in the TUSCC online coverage package is that full races and qualifying sessions are publicly archived on the IMSA website and on YouTube. My Roku 3 TV set-top box has a YouTube channel, so I can watch full races on the larger screen, once they are posted (1-2 days after the race), but it's better than listening to MRN live. Oh yes, and the archives are available in 720p HD. BTW, the ALMS and Grand-Am channels on YouTube have those complete races archived there too.

Final Thoughts

The ELMS and WEC should really archive their race videos. If the WEC need to protect their subscription revenue, they could post them long after the race is run, or at the end of the season. Those archives are an historical record and could serve to grow their fan base. Charging a subscription fee, especially on coverage that was previously available for free, is tricky. On the one hand the revenue can be used to improve coverage and delivery, on the other you may price yourself out of favor with your existing fans and you will be restricing your contact with potential new fans. Personally I don't mind paying a nominal fee, it is far better than what TUSCC has done with their live online coverage. What TUSCC has done right is providing archives of full races and qualifying sessions (with commercials edited out!) for on-demand viewing. I would like to see live race streams available as channels for TV set-top boxes (e.g. Roku, AppleTV, Chromecast etc.) preferably for free, but as a paid channel as a last resort. This would make the viewing experience easier for those who can't follow these races on broadcast/cable TV or afford going to the track. All three series need to do a better job of publicizing their online offerings. The last minute and un-announced changes are really not on; there is no excuse for them. There should be a well-designed web page that concisely describes the online coverage that should include answers to questions like: Will there be a live video stream? Is their a separate audio-only stream? Will it be free? Will it be geoblocked? Is their and app or TV set-top channel? What devices are supported? What time and dates are the races? Will qualifying be covered? How about timing and scoring? Will the videos be archived? You can find most of this information on the current websites, but not always in one place, and sometimes not in a timely manner. There is a need to make this information more timely, complete, clear and concise, and easily navigated.

Useful Links

ELMS Live Stream on Dailymotion:
 http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xpl59v_european-le-mans-series-2014-live_auto

TUSCC Channel on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC58em84jwiyM20qR-iqBDZw

Sebring 2014

I think fans of both the former ALMS and Grand-Am series have been curious about how the new TUSC series competitors would fare on the two iconic Florida tracks: Daytona and Sebring. In January we saw ACO-rules cars at Daytona for the first time in decade and a half. In the prototype class the Daytona Prototypes were expected to dominate, and for the most part they did; the nature of the track and the 2014 BoP measures assured that outcome. At Sebring the outcome was less certain. What I saw at Sebring this year was that IMSA did a remarkable job in equalizing the lap times of the DP and LMP2 within the prototype class. As we saw at Daytona, those two car types attained their respective lap times in very different ways. The LMP2 cars give up about 100hp to the DPs, so on the straights and accelerating through traffic, the DPs had the advantage, but in the braking zones and high-speed corners the LMP2s showed their pedigree.

The Sebring race itself was marred by too many full-course cautions. There were 11 safety-car periods and 1 red-flag period. In 2013 there were only 4 full-course cautions. The final safety-car period determined the outcome of the overall (and prototype class) winner. The #01 Gnassi Riley-Ford DP's last pit-stop came immediately before that last yellow, and had there not been a safety car period just then, it would have had to make an additional stop for fuel, which would have taken them out of contention. Meanwhile, the #1 Extreme Speed Oreca-Nissan LMP2 pitted later and would have been able to see the checker without an additional stop had the race remained green until the end. Unfortunately for the Extreme Speed team, that final yellow meant that the #01 DP would not have to make any further stops, and the frustratingly long (28min) safety car period did not leave enough green flag racing to catch Marino Franchitti in the #01. In trying to catch the leader, Ryan Dalziel in the #1 set the fastest lap of the race. But that is endurance racing; luck always plays a role.

My take on the DP vs. LMP2 race is that the LMP2 cars did much better the longer the green-flag stint. In the first half of the race, there were barely any full-stint green flag periods. The DPs gained an advantage from the abbreviated stints and from the re-starts that accompanied them; their greater torque meant better acceleration, which also helped in traffic. In the latter stages of the race things calmed down somewhat with regard to caution periods and the greater green-flag running allowed the LMP2 cars to show their stuff and they traded leading the race.

The playlist (pre-race show, race broadcast in 3 parts, and short highlight video) of the official TUSC Sebring race is on YouTube. My screenshot of the timing screen at the finish can be seen here.

Records?

According to the unofficial results of the Sebring race, a new track record was set by Ryan Dalziel in the #1 HPD prototype. Well, I guess since this is the first race of the TUSC series at that track, it is a record. But let's look at some other lap times to see where that time fits in:

Fastest Race Lap Times

The LMP1 class is no longer included in the 12 Hours of Sebring, so I guess that time could be excluded. In 2008, the LMP2 cars were not cost-capped and ran racing engines, so they can be excluded too. Finally last year's LMP2 car, running to the same basic regulations as 2014, was just beaten out by Ryan in the HPD, so yes it is a new record. This is pretty remarkable, since last year LMP2 ran an open tire formula (though with Dunlop having pulled out of the ALMS, the teams were stuck with off-the-shelf Michelins), while this year for the first time they ran on Continental spec tires. There were some restrictor breaks given to the LMP2-derived prototypes.

The Problem with Caution Periods

Beyond affecting the outcome of the race, numerous caution periods also frustrate teams and the enthusiasm of the fans. They also make bad video and the on-air commentators run out of things to talk about. There is no doubt that caution periods often are needed to assure the safety of drivers, corner workers, and fans. But other organizers and other tracks have found ways to reduce the impact on races and reduce the duration of these safety periods.

By designing and equipping strategic run-off areas with "snatch-tractors" or winches, an otherwise undamaged or slightly damaged car can be retrieved and returned to the track under a local yellow, no need for a safety car if a competitor spins or otherwise gets trapped in the kitty litter.

Another more radical innovation in safety periods has a name: Code 60. This was pioneered by the Creventic organization, which sponsors a series of 12 and 24 hour endurance races worldwide. Code 60 has also been adopted by VLN the organizers of the Nurburgring 24 and other races. Under Code 60 purple flags (and/or lights) are deployed and cars must slow to 60km/h (37mph) no matter where they are on the track, and no passing is allowed. This is the same speed that the pit-lane speed-limiters are set for, so maintaining that rate is simple. With no safety-car, the pits open sooner and there is no need for the elaborate "wave by" before the end of the safety period; their duration is shortened considerably. Had Code 60 been in place at Sebring, the time spent under caution would have been substantially reduced. We still would have needed at least 3 safety car periods and the red-flag period; repairs to the track and removal of extensive debris would require it. Purple flags don't stop fires.

 Not too long ago the  European Le Mans Series went for an entire season (5 6-hour races) without a full course caution. Of course, this was partly due to high driving standards as well as doing more under local yellows.

The Prototype Challenge class was involved in the major collisions of the race. One collision in particular pointed out the need for greater discretion among the drivers. The #87 PC car of Gaston Kearby made the most dangerous track re-entry from a spin I have seen in quite a while. It was "t-boned" by the #08 PC of Alex Tagliani at speed. Once the bad decision to re-enter the track was made, Alex could do nothing to avoid the collision. I'm curious about the fallout, if any, from this incident. This and another high-speed collision of PC cars proved the safety of the carbon-fiber tubs of the FLM09 chassis the hard way; all four drivers walked away from those collisions. Beyond the two collisions, it seemed that every time the race went green, another PC car was spinning off the track and were sometimes the cause of the safety-car periods when they became stuck in the runoff areas and had to be towed out.

Media Coverage

Prior to the race weekend it looked like U.S. coverage of the race would be restricted to 3 hours at the start of the race to live TV coverage on Fox Sports, with the remaining 9 hours streamed on IMSA.com for those outside the Fox coverage areas. On March 12th, there was an announcement on the IMSA web site that a new site had been established (http://www.fanschoice.tv/schedule) that would stream live video of some of the TUSC races, including Sebring. At the time it was unclear what restrictions there might be (geoblocked?). As it turned out, there seemed to be a last minute decision to stream the entire 12 hours of  Sebring live from the IMSA.com web site, and there didn't appear to be any geoblocking. The stream was clean, solid and supported up to 720p HD resolution. My only real complaint is that IMSA should have made this decision earlier and advertised it more widely. Oh yes, that new site did not appear to actually stream the race. I appreciate the improved streaming coverage, but the way it came about confused many fans.

The audio coverage of the Daytona race on MRN was, to be kind, disappointing. For the remainder of the TUSC season, MRN has added Greg Creamer and Ryan Eversley to the broadcast team. This is a major improvement and a step in the right direction. The problem was that in a 12 hour race, you need more than one competent team of commentators. For the shorter TUSC races (all but Watkins Glen and Petite Le Mans), this new team should prove a big win for MRN. I still miss the coverage we used to have from Radiolemans.com however.

These two steps (expanded streaming coverage and upgraded commentary) shows that IMSA is trying to make things better for the fans. They need to keep up the good work and do a better job of keeping everyone informed of the changes in a timely manner.

Officiating

I don't have the heart to discuss the officiating. I don't think anyone has expressed the problem better than Graham Goodwin of DailySportscar.com: http://www.dailysportscar.com/?p=25310

Daytona 2014: The Start of an Era

Well, it finally happened. The inaugural race of the new U.S. endurance racing era, the 52nd running of the "Rolex 24 at Daytona" by the Tudor United SportsCar Championship (TUSC) has been run. As I write this (Jan 28) the official results have not yet been posted but you can see the results in a screen-shot of my browser at the end of the race here. In the third hour of the race, fans were horrified by a bad shunt between Memo Gidley's Corvette DP and Matteo Malucelli's Ferrari 458 GTLM which put both drivers into hospital, Matteo suffering a serious concussion, and Memo requiring surgery for broken limbs and back. Let's all hope they recover fully.

After all the balancing of performance done over the last year and the testing at Daytona and Sebring during the off-season it might be interesting to take a look at some lap times:

Fastest Race Laps by year and class

So after some new aerodynamic upgrades, an extra 50hp and other allowances, a Daytona Prototype managed to cut just about 2 seconds (1.997) from last year's fastest lap. The DPs had to forego their new front splitter for safety reasons, but we may see them again on other tracks. The GTD class (last year's Grand-Am GT class) managed about a 1 second (0.947) improvement over last year; in both years it was a Ferrari 458 setting the pace.

I feel justified breaking out the DPs from the P2s and the Deltawing because these are really three very different cars running in a single class. On lap times it would appear as if TUSC had done pretty good job of balancing the performance of the cars in the Prototype class. If you had seen them on track, it would seem somewhat different. The P2 cars were very much slower on the long straights, being passed by GTD cars routinely, only to catch and pass them on the infield road course. The 3 car types within the prototype class get their lap times in different ways. The DPs have about 100hp and a much higher top end advantage over the lighter P2 cars, which have an advantage in the twisty bits and under braking. The Deltawing was very fast in the straights, but couldn't match the P2s in the corners. Daytona, and other power tracks will favor top-end speed, while more technical tracks should favor the more nimble cars. Let's hope that TUSC doesn't cripple the P2s in favor of the DPs; let their overall performance allow each their advantages to shine on the appropriate tracks. The P2s did better than I had expected: there was 1 in the top 5, 2 in the top 10, and 3 in the top 15. If the Morgan-Nissan hadn't had that alternator failure (lost 16 laps), there may have been 2 in the top 5, but that's endurance racing.

The new Mazda SkyActiv diesel prototypes were two of the slowest cars on the track, and they didn't make it to the finish. I think it was a brave effort to bring out such a radical car in so public a forum for what amounts to extended testing. I have my doubts about how much they can improve, but such guts deserve our patient understanding.

The end of the race was marred by controversy. At the checkered flag Level 5's 1st place GTD Ferrari was assessed a penalty for avoidable contact with the 2nd place Flying Lizard GTD Audi thereby giving the win to the Lizards. There was no contact between the two cars. Some 3 hours later, the ruling was reversed, returning the win to Level 5. This kerfuffle shows two things. The bad thing was they robbed a team of their public victory on the podium. The good thing was that TUSC eventually did the right thing. In the NASCAR-centric world the wrong would probably not have been righted; once the fans have left the stands, the race is done and no changes to the outcome would take place. So, I am optimistic that TUSC will continue to evolve and adopt those values that the ALMS exemplified.

About the Coverage

The Daytona 24 is one race that I have never been able to watch "live" in the past due to the fact that Grand-Am only ever televised it live on Speed, which my local cable monopoly never carried. Now Speed has become Fox Sports, and I still can't see it. I was able to see the first 2 hours of the race this year on the basic cable Fox channel. The only legitimate streaming video that I could have seen was between the hours of 9PM and 7AM  EST (10PM to 8AM AST) at IMSA.com, but the start of that stream experienced technical difficulties, so I went to bed. I got up at 5AM AST (4AM EST) to watch the last 3 hours of the streaming coverage, which ended early BTW.  I was at least able to watch any of several on-board cameras for the entire race (thank goodness). The audio commentary of Bob Varsha, Dorsey Schroeder and company was very good for the 2 hours on Fox that I could watch. I can't say the same for MRN commentary that was my only option for the other 22 hours.

I realized I was in for a hard slog when the MRN announcer stated that this year's PC class was known as LMP2 in last year's ALMS (face palm). No, afraid not. Last year the PC class was known as LMPC for "Le Man Prototype Challenge" in the ALMS. What made the error more glaring was that last year's ALMS LMP2 was actually running in this year's TUSC Prototype class. That was just a taste of the inadequate MRN commentary. Let's put it this way, much of the time I just listened to the car noises from the on-board videos and turned MRN off altogether. When I did listen to MRN, they seemed to cover the overall race leaders almost exclusively, even when some of the best racing was often in the GTLM or GTD classes. I have never missed Radio Le Mans more than for this race, but I fear that they will be missed on every round on the TUSC calendar. I think it a travesty that the voice of the ALMS has been lost to fans of U.S. endurance racing. My only hope is that in future races there will be a live stream (that I can actually get) that has the Fox Sports commentary team and/or members of the RLM team.

Beyond the audio and periodic video coverage, there was live timing and scoring that allowed me to follow the race. Back in the day I followed many races (ALMS, ELMS, Le Mans) with only RLM commentary and live timing and scoring. I would rather have decent commentary and good T&S, than mediocre commentary with video. I found a source for live timing and scoring that was (IMHO) better than, and certainly easier to follow, than that supplied by IMSA.com.

Live T&S: http://www.livescoring.us/scoring.php

The screen-shot of the results referenced at the top of this posting utilized this site.

Before the start of the season it was claimed that archived race video would be available on IMSA.com 24 hours after broadcast. It has been over 48 hours and I'm still waiting to see when it gets posted. Welcome to the future.

UPDATE: The Daytona race video archive was posted in 4 parts today (Jan 30th). So far a total of about 10-11 hours of the race. Fortuitously these videos are being archived on the Tudor Championship channel on YouTube and YouTube recently became available on my Roku 3, so by subscribing to that channel I can now watch the race archives conveniently on my LCD TV in up to 720p resolution. Oh yeah, and the commercials are edited out.

Calendars and Coverage for 2014

The month of December marks the beginning of the off-season for endurance sports car racing. That means it is time to start anticipating the new season. Within the WEC, ELMS and TUSC series there are twenty-five races for 2014. Here is a chronological list of these races and their test days:

UPDATE: the Fuji WEC race has been moved to Oct. 12th. The figure above has been changed to reflect this.

UPDATE (31 Jan 2014): the Sao Paulo WEC round has been moved from Aug 31 to Nov 30. The figure above has been changed to reflect this.

TIP: Click on the image above. Once you have the enlarged image right-click and save the image to your desktop. Now you have a basic reminder of upcoming races every time you start your computer.

I have published two public Google calendars with this information and more available in three formats (HTML, XML, iCal), one for the ACO rules races (WEC and ELMS) and one for the IMSA TUSC races:

ACO Racing 2014   links:  HTML, XML, iCal
TUSC Racing 2014 links:  HTML, XML, iCal

These can be used directly from a browser, in Apple's calendar program, in Thunderbird/Lightning, and other calendar applications. You can find instructions for use of Google calendar with several popular applications here.

As more detail is provided by the organizers, these calendars will be updated to include event times, coverage etc. For those who are already using the calendars I published previously, those links are being re-used with new names. Last year's "ACO Racing 2013" becomes next year's "ACO Racing 2014" and last year's "Grand-Am 2013" becomes "TUSC Racing 2014" (since TUSC no longer conforms to ACO rules). If and when any information comes out about the Asian Le Mans series, it will be added to the ACO calendar. As always the times will be for U.S. Eastern Time, with race local times included along with other details in the "Description" field.

Over on the Radiolemans.com forum, James Hazen has been collecting news of TUSC entries for 2014. This list is based on team announcements and press releases. It is being actively updated. You can find the list here.

Media Coverage

It is expected that video for both ELMS and WEC races will be streamed live on Dailymotion.com as in previous years. If this last year is any guide, commentary on these streams will be provided by the Radiolemans.com team, but so far there is no confirmation of this. The full range of TUSC coverage is still a bit of a mystery. Last August the 5-year deal with Fox Sports was announced.  This deal covers broadcast rights in the U.S. as well as streaming rights. IMSA retains some streaming rights and streaming on demand for archived video. If it works like last year's ALMS arrangement whereby IMSA can stream video of races live for the "International" audience, then all will be well; but I have my doubts. Live streaming arrangements have not been finalized. Since I can't get Fox Sports from my local cable monopoly, I am dependent on the Internet for any race coverage. 

Grand-Am had Speed TV (now Fox Sports) coverage (mixed live and delayed telecasts) as well as audio-only coverage via MRN Internet radio. The only streaming video coverage was on-demand from their archives after the races were broadcast. It was painfully obvious that the MRN coverage was far inferior to the coverage of WEC and ELMS races by Radiolemans.com. The archived Speed videos were good quality, but since I couldn't get Speed TV, I saw none of the Grand-Am races live. If TUSC follows this model rather than the ALMS model, I predict there will be a widespread loss of  fan-base.

I feel very strongly that if IMSA/TUSC wants to preserve and grow their fan-base, they would open up their media coverage as much as possible. Radiolemans.com's interactive broadcasts were an important feature of the ALMS for over a decade and in my opinion were responsible for attracting quite a number of International fans to the ALMS, including myself.

I would be willing to pay a nominal fee for live streaming race coverage. The ESPN player I have used in the past was less than $5.00US for the entire ALMS season. At twice that price it would still be a bargain, and a lot more practical than somehow convincing my local cable monopoly to add Fox Sports to their channel list then paying some exorbitant price per month for a "bundle" of channels I don't want.

Here is the "How to Watch" FAQ from the IMSA site:

How to Watch - FAQs
On what channel can I find IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship races?
All TUDOR Championship races can been seen on FOX Sports 1 or FOX Sports 2.

What do I do if I don't get FOX Sports 1 or FOX Sports 2?
Contact your local cable provider.

Is online streaming available?
Online streaming is not available at this time, but will be in the future.

Where can I watch archived races?
Archived races will be available on IMSA.com 24 hours after the broadcast on FS1 or FS2

I will have to wait and see what their online streaming product is and keep my fingers crossed.

The End of an Era

This past weekend marked the end of one era of sports car racing in North America with the final running of Petit Le Mans, closing the last season of the American Le Mans Series.I am not alone in being somewhat saddened by the loss of the ALMS.I felt the same sort of loss in the early 1970s with the close of the original Trans-Am series (1966-1972), the original Can-Am series (1966-1973) and my local drag strip (Lions Drag Strip 1955-1972).While I have some reservations about the new combined series, at least I have some hope for next year, unlike that earlier time.

This year was the first (and last) year that the Grand-Am Rolex series ran at Road Atlanta and this offers a final opportunity to compare the DP to the LMP2 lap times prior to performance balancing that will place those two different cars in the same class next year. Here are the raw numbers for the top 4 fastest race laps in each class.

It must be remembered that the DP teams had no previous track data to work with.Grand-Am ran in April, ALMS ran in October.

It will be interesting to see what sort of numbers are put up next year after TUSC/IMSA "balance" the performance of these cars.Speaking of which, TUSC/IMSA has finally released the essential elements of that balancing of LMP2 and DP cars competing in next year's Prototype class. I read about it at Racer.com.

The important changes to the DP cars are:

- New mandatory front diffuser and rear wing

- Brake materials are now open

- Single piece forged wheels are now allowed

- Differential choice is now open

- Damper choice is now less restricted

- Throttle actuation is now free

- Engines will gain about 50hp

The important changes to the LMP2 cars are:

- Le Mans aero kits mandated for Elkhart Lake, Daytona and Indy

- Minimum weight will increase from 900kg to 960kg

- Spec. Continental tires are mandatory

- Driver teams can be any mix of Pro and Am

The DP cars will be faster, at some significant up-front cost. Some DP teams are whining about the cost of these changes, but it is worth noting that only the new aero pieces are mandatory (approx. $15K). So if economy is more important that winning, they don't need to spend the money.If they don't want to upgrade, they will find it hard, not only to keep up with LMP2 cars and with upgraded DPs, but with LMPC cars as well. The current LMPC cars are faster than the current DP cars (the #8 LMPC's fastest race lap at Road Atlanta was 1:16.0). I would love to see one of the top teams from Grand-Am switch to and LMP2 car next year. Imagine: Gnassi dropping the BMW V8 from the DP car into an LMP2 chassis (Oreca, Lola/Multimatic, Adess, Riley).How about putting the Ford EcoBoost V6, like the one in Michael Shank's new DP, into an LMP2 chassis? That Roush engine was developed for LMP2 after all. Here is a rare photo of that engine in the Libra Radical/Ford at the 2012 Laguna Seca ALMS round:

The LMP2 cars will be slower. The mandatory aero changes for LMP2 run about $13.7K.The biggest hit will be the added 60kg (132lbs.). This increase will have a negative affect not only on acceleration, but braking, manuverability, fuel economy and reliability. The evolution of the LMP2 class has seen weight go from 675kg to 700, to 750, to 800, to 820, to 900, and now to 960kg. While this penalty will allow the DPs to compete, to me it is exactly the wrong thing to do. Road cars are getting lighter with smaller engines, why are we making race cars artifically heavier (other than politics)? I have had my say about this in an earlier posting.

When it comes time to formulate new specs for the Prototype class for TUSC (2017?), I am hoping for a true lightweight, efficient formula that takes advantage of modern automotive technology and keeps the flavor of sophisticated racing that the old ALMS series promoted alive.

Where the Rubber Meets the Road

The weekend of September 21st - 22nd provided the first chance for ALMS fans to see the series compete on the new Circuit of the Americas (COTA) track near Austin Texas. The track was built to accommodate the renewal of the United States Grand Prix for Formula 1 in November 2012. The third week of September held the COTA "Super Endurance Weekend" with an ALMS race on Saturday and a World Endurance Championship (WEC) on Sunday. So now three major multi-class sports car series have competed at COTA for the first time this year. This will allow some comparisons to be made where the rubber meets the road.

This is both the first and last time the ALMS will run at COTA. While the GTE cars and the LMPC cars in the ALMS will be running largely unchanged next year the United SportsCar Racing Championship series sponsored by Tudor watches (aka TUSCC, pronounced "tusk"), the LMP2 cars will be combined with the Daytona Prototypes from Grand-Am into a single class. The COTA races permit a comparison of those cars from the WEC, ALMS and Grand-Am on the same track.

Here is a summary of the fastest race laps (time in seconds) for the top four cars in each series (for LMP2 and DP):

The results are somewhat surprising. The first thing that stood out to me was the difference between the WEC and ALMS LMP2 cars. I would have expected them to be much closer instead of nearly 3 seconds apart. I also expected the ALMS cars to be significantly faster than the DPs, and while nearly 2 seconds is far from nothing, I would have predicted a better showing from the ALMS LMP2. So my first question was:

 Why is there such a difference between the WEC and ALMS lap times?

Part of the answer is probably because the WEC LMP2 class runs on bespoke Dunlop tires (one car, Pecom Racing is on bespoke Michelins), while the ALMS class is on off-the-shelf Michelins. According to Ryan Dalziel, this can make quite a difference. Another part of the answer is that, while the race was run in dry conditions, rains prior to the ALMS race prevented the track to "rubber-in" sufficiently to permit maximum performance. Even the ALMS qualifying was run in the wet. The WEC qualifying and race were in dry conditions and benefited from the ALMS race seasoning the track. There is also one other obvious difference between the LMP2 cars in WEC and ALMS: All 4 LMP2 cars in the ALMS are HPD/Honda while none of the WEC cars are that configuration. Would these factors explain the entire 2 second difference between WEC and ALMS? Maybe, but we'll never know.

What about the small performance difference between ALMS/LMP2 and Grand-Am/DP?

Part of the answer may lie in the weather. Grand-Am had their race much earlier in the year when conditions were likely much better:

The temperatures are the daily high for Austin, Texas from the Weather Underground Weather and History Almanac (www.wunderground.com).

The 24-25F degree difference in ambient temperature very likely had an effect on performance, tire wear and driver fatigue. Looking at days prior to the race dates indicate that Grand-Am also had dry weather to prepare for the race, unlike the ALMS. 

The 2014 Season

Sadly, next year there will be no ALMS. We will however be able to see the TUSCC and WEC at Cota the same weekend next September. The TUSCC race is on the 20th and the WEC race is on the 21st. By then hopefully we will know what BoP measures have been applied to LMP2 and DP in the TUSCC Prototype Class and be able to more directly compare them to the WEC teams. Of course the best comparison would have been to have them in the same race.

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.