Racecar Engineering - February 2012

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PIT CREW Editor

Andrew Cotton

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George Bolt jr, Mike Fuller, Simon McBeath, Danny Nowlan, Mark Ortiz, Charles Armstrong-Wilson

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ISSN No 0961-1096 USPS No 007-969

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Generation game T

he Rolex 24 at Daytona awaits at the end of January, and will take place with a wealth of new machinery taking part – up to nine new generation Daytona Prototypes, with Ferrari

and Audi in the GT ranks, and with the usual sprint finish almost assured. I have attended the 24-hour race many times, and

one of my abiding memories is the sight of a Ferrari 333SP on the banking, at night, weaving between the slower traffic. The infield between turns three and four at the Speedway is the perfect place to appreciate endurance racing. The difference in speed, the level of skill in negotiating traffic, and the sheer noise and speed of these cars was inspiring. James Weaver said that going into the braking area at turn one was like going into warp drive, as the bankers and dentists brake around 100m before the professional drivers in their faster cars.

Then came the Daytona

Prototype (DP) era, and things changed. Already I had been threatened with arrest (twice – once in the pit lane by an armed guard), and been thrown out of Danica Patrick’s pit because I was carrying a notebook rather than a television camera, so my view of Grand Am was soured. The cars were labelled ‘Prototurtles’ by one

whether this signalled a change of heart. Certainly, the next generation Daytona Prototypes

look a lot better, but the running gear is the same (in many cases the cars themselves are the same, with just a new roll cage and body kit), and the ethos is the same safety car zone of manufactured close finishes. It is a world apart from the American Le Mans Series and, given the choice of winter trips to Florida, Sebring wins every time. The Sebring 12 Hours has seen some outstanding racing, big name drivers and, held on the Spring Break weekend, a massive crowd that loves to see the cars, the racing, and get involved in the alternative lifestyle of Green Park. Yet the France family is in it for the long term, and

longevity is critical to its success. It is working, and with good-looking cars that can travel at 180mph on the banking, is it time to reconsider my position on Grand Am? ‘We have cars out there

“the sheer noise and speed of these cars was inspiring”

commentator, and were beaten to overall victory by Kevin Buckler’s GT class Porsche in 2003. They were technically light years behind the Europeans, who were chasing green technology, bringing in the new manufacturers and, at the same time, staging that same fantastic racing. Then, things got worse. The Daytona 24 Hours became a safety car zone, and only the last two hours were interesting. One year, a colleague and I hit the pub at 11pm on Saturday night, and were firmly settled at the bar when Gaston Mazzacane went off and hit a lamp post on the infield. We watched on television as the safety car came out and racing was suspended, then we stopped watching altogether. When we returned early the next morning, we had missed nothing. This became our ritual, until flight prices started rising, interest waned, and I stopped going. None of the drivers could understand my lack of

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enthusiasm and, when I went to Daytona in December to see the new generation DPs, Joao Barbosa asked

that are doing their seventh Rolex 24, cars that have more than 40,000 racing miles on them, and they are still capable of being on the front row,’ says Managing Director of Competitions, Mark Raffauf.

‘Our position is that when people make an investment, they need to be able to use it. Keeping the cars stable, rules stable, and fighting off the temptation to do new stuff has allowed us to weather a downturn pretty well. It is still attractive because it is still reasonable. ‘There will be nine new cars at Daytona. Add that to

incredible growth in GT, with Audi coming, Ferrari and another manufacturer with an 8.0-litre engine we can live with. GM is already there, along with Mazda, BMW and Porsche. GT is probably the most diverse group of major manufacturers, all with a chance to win, which is more than anywhere at any time.’ The Daytona 24 Hours is again a drivers’ race. The cars look better, the manufacturers can start to show off their styling cues for future models and, if Grand Am can get the media back on board, Daytona could become a great race again. Certainly it is worth a second chance but, if you spot an Englishman nursing a beer in the Irish bar on Daytona Beach at 11pm on Saturday mid-race, you will have your answer.

EDITOR Andrew Cotton

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• Racecar Engineering, incorporating Cars & Car Conversions and Rallysport, is published 12 times per annum and is available on subscription. Although due care has been taken to ensure that the content of this publication is accurate and up-to-date, the publisher can accept no liability for errors and omissions. Unless otherwise stated, this publication has not tested products or services that are described herein, and their inclusion does not imply any form of endorsement. By accepting advertisements in this publication, the publisher does not warrant their accuracy, nor accept responsibility for their contents. The publisher welcomes unsolicited manuscripts and illustrations but can accept no liability for their safe return. © 2012 Chelsea Magazine Company. All rights reserved.

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98 www.racecar-engineering.com • February 2012 August 2008

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