October 17, 2012
Editor-in-Chief's Note: While the ALMS crowd is pounding around Road Atlanta for a week before Petit Le Mans - A week? Really? Is there a chance the drivers are going to forget the track or something? - I thought it would be appropriate to leave this column up this week, as Duncan Dayton's comments are still resonating throughout U.S. and international sports car racing circles. - PMD
Making sense of the Grand-Am/ALMS mash-up.
By Peter M. De Lorenzo
(Posted 10/8, 9:00 a.m.) Detroit. As rumblings emerge from the discussions among the parties involved in the new ISCAR sports car series in the U.S. - manufacturers met in New York a week ago with Jim France, Don Panoz and Scott Atherton ahead of the season-ending Grand-Am banquet - it's clear that the talks are becoming a series of political maneuverings and compromises rather than a "let's do what's best for American road racing." To a degree that was to be expected because make no mistake, Jim France orchestrated a buyout of the American Le Mans Series by NASCAR's Grand-Am, and that means that old ways of doing things and old loyalties will be rewarded, whether it furthers the cause of this new racing enterprise, or not. And that's too bad, because what this new racing series needs is a clean sheet of paper and a huge dose of vision.
I asked someone who knows a thing or two about racing, specifically American road racing, to give his thoughts on what this new ISCAR series needs. Duncan Dayton should be no stranger to the readers of this publication, as his Highcroft Racing delivered back-to-back ALMS championships in 2009-2010 with the Honda performance Development Acura ARX-01a. His organization was also responsible for the key development work on the wide front tires - together with partner Michelin - in prototype racing, the same tires eventually used with a high degree of success by the Audi team. Dayton was also the prime mover in securing Nissan as a manufacturer partner for the remarkable DeltaWing program, when the program was in dire danger of fading away because of a lack of crucial funding. Dayton also has a stellar background as a racer himself, competing in the USAC Formula Ford 2000 series in the 90s, and achieving an incredible eleven victories at the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique - a record for the internationally renowned street circuit.
Dayton is also a businessman, and he understands the dynamic of manufacturer support, sponsorships and the need for cohesive marketing when it comes to a major racing series. So I asked Duncan for his thoughts on what this new American road racing series needs. One key in Dayton's mind is that the manufacturers must support the racing series financially as well as directly supporting teams: "If they (the manufacturers) all got behind the series and each contributed $1million to marketing the series, including buying a good TV package and establishing a decent prize fund, the series might actually go somewhere. If they balked at paying the $1M, tell them thanks very much, go race your cars in another series in North America. The other thing I would insist on is that they post a revolving $1M a year for three years. If they left the series, they would forfeit the remaining $2M so that the series would have some financial stability."
I agree with this perspective wholeheartedly. Manufacturers are the lifeblood of the sport, but the fleeting nature of their involvement can be devastating to a series. If this new series is truly going to be the future of American road racing, then the majority of the manufacturers represented in New York last week should be willing to do more to get this series off of the ground than just showing up. They should guarantee three solid years of involvement.
"I would make the tire suppliers do the same, but at a lower level," Dayton continued. "Same goes for the chassis suppliers. Think how Lola profited for 50 years on the backs of the series and the teams. Sure they had development dollars invested, but did they ever put a dime back into the series to make them healthy? No." In other words, to get a proper new American road racing series off of the ground, all manufacturers involved have to contribute over and above what they're normally used to doing. A sticking point? Sure, but if this series attempts to get off of the ground by doing the same thing as before we'll be having discussions on how to fix ISCAR three years from now.
Dayton is quite adamant about Jim France trying to save his beloved DPs as well: "Jim France has to let the DPs die a natural death. Many of the chassis are old and have been updated to the new silhouette, but have surely been depreciated by the teams. And how do they stack up to a carbon fiber tub in a crash test? The key to making DP's competitive? The series will have to incorporate open tire competition. A spec tire will not work in trying to equalize DPs and P2s. If they just give the DPs more horsepower, the racing will suck. The P2s will be faster in the corners, but the DPs will power by on the straight. I also can't see the French ever allowing a DP to run on the hallowed ground of Le Mans. It would be the ugliest car to run there since Briggs Cunningham ran Le Monstre!"
I view Jim France's insistence on keeping the DPs and Rolex GT cars around as understandable but it's counterproductive, it's adhering to yester-tech for old times' sake, and it doesn't account for the projection of technological development in racing, something that absolutely must continue. ISCAR is to begin in 2014. Do we really want to be having the conversation about accommodating DPs and Rolex GT cars approaching the year 2020? Yikes.
Dayton closes with a few more thoughts: "For the combined series to survive in any reasonable way, there has to be an open rule book and open competition with tire suppliers, drivetrains and fuels. That is the only way to increase interest in my mind. Everyone says they don't want an arms race and escalating costs, but if the OEMs fuel it, then everyone wins, because the money gets passed around to everyone. Look at the Falken Tire 911 in the ALMS. Who has ever heard of Falken tires? But they are funding a GT team. If, let's say, Continental becomes the only tire, it's not going to work. It is time to take American road racing big time or it will be the same old mediocre bullshit that we have had for way too long."
Amen to that. I'm all for heavy manufacturer involvement in ISCAR at every level. The more the better in fact, as long as there's a fundamental financial responsibility that goes along with that involvement. And frankly, Duncan's thoughts about the whole prototype aspect of this discussion gives me pause. I don't see a prototype class made up of DPs, P2s and an occasional DeltaWing car working at all. It's a train wreck waiting to happen. Just as I don't see making accommodations for tube-framed Rolex GT cars to run against the current ALMS GT cars. it's just setting the bar too low.
I've said this before but I think that ISCAR should forgo prototypes altogether and make this new enterprise the best GT racing series in the world. I'm tired of reading about how the Australian V8 Supercars are the best thing going. And I'm tired of hearing about the DTM series as well. Not that I don't respect these series (especially the V8 Supercars) and appreciate what they do, but there is simply no excuse for this country to not have a world-class GT road racing series of its own. Imagine if every notable manufacturer competing in America's showrooms today - Audi, BMW, Corvette, Ferrari, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, KIA, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Porsche, Toyota, et al - fielded first-rate GT cars in an all-new American road racing series. I am convinced that the manufacturers would embrace it wholeheartedly.
Right now key discussions are taking place that will affect this new road racing series for the next decade. The opportunity to do something great is on the table. But it will require true vision and real courage of conviction to pull it off. And the opportunity to end up with something regrettably mediocre is, unfortunately, exceedingly high as well.
The key players involved must make decisions based on creating a solid future for the sport of American road racing. And that means letting go of old preconceived notions for the greater good of all concerned.
We shall see if they're up to it.
And that's the High-Octane Truth in the motorsports world for this week.
(Highcroft Racing)
Duncan Dayton.
Publisher's Note: As part of our continuing series celebrating the "Glory Days" of racing, we're proud to present another noteworthy image from the Ford Racing Archives. - PMD
(Dave Friedman, courtesy of the Ford Racing Archives and Wieck Media)
Mexico City, October 23, 1966. Bruce McLaren in his Bruce McLaren Motor Racing McLaren M2B-Ford during the Grand Prix of Mexico at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. McLaren was using the 3.0-liter DOHC Ford Indy V8 in an experiment and it didn't go well. He qualified in fourteenth position and the engine expired on Lap 40 (of 65 laps). Pole sitter John Surtees (No. 7 Cooper-Maserati T81 3.0-liter V12) won the race, Jack Brabham (No. 5 Brabham-Repco BT20 3.0-liter V8) finished second, and Denny Hulme (No. 6 Brabham-Repco BT20 3.0-liter V8) finished third. Jack Brabham had won the 1966 World Championship before the Mexican round. See images of that race weekend here.
Publisher's Note: Like these Ford racing photos? Check out www.fordimages.com. Be forewarned, however, because you won't be able to go there and not order something. - PMD
See another live episode of "Autoline After Hours" with hosts John McElroy, from Autoline Detroit, and Peter De Lorenzo, The Autoextremist, and guests this Thursday evening, at 7:00PM EDT at www.autolinedetroit.tv.
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