Accommodations.

By Peter M. De Lorenzo

Detroit. The United SportsCar racing season opens in January with the 52nd running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway, and the class structure for the upcoming inaugural season of the new unified series has been released with few surprises.

The new GT Le Mans (GTLM) class will retain all of the ALMS’ current GT class specs, the GT Daytona (GTD) class will encompass GRAND-AM’s Rolex Series GT teams, although the class will run with "adjusted performance levels to assist in cost reduction and an overall meshing with other classes," according to USC. GTD may also include FIA GT3 cars with minimal modifications, providing they meet class performance targets. The popular and highly competitive Prototype Challenge (PC) class now competing in the ALMS will return with all current technical aspects intact. And the Prototype (P) class is still being wrestled with, as series officials are in a race of their own as they try to come to a balance between the ALMS’ P2 cars, DeltaWing and Rolex Series’ Daytona Prototypes, not an easy task to be sure.

The work going on right now is difficult for the new series' officials, as there's a real problem with the Prototype class. Road racing enthusiasts have a legitimate fear that the ALMS P2 cars will be "dumbed down" to accommodate the Daytona Prototypes, and no one wants to see that. There are plenty of other concerns as well, but everyone I come across worries that the overall quality of the racing will take a hit in the interest of accommodation over competition. It's a legitimate concern, but the USC brain trust assures me that those worries are unfounded. We'll see.

One aspect of all of this is that the relationship to the ACO and the 24 Hours of Le Mans - a significant and important part of the two road racing series unification process - has determined a lot about the formation of the USC. And it's no wonder, because the connection to the world's most important and prestigious road racing event was absolutely essential in establishing the legitimacy of the new series.

But as I've pointed out before in a previous column there are drawbacks to that connection as well, the most important being that missed opportunities can develop when adapting the competition profile of this new series to the North American market, while honoring the existing classes that run at Le Mans.

What do I mean?

For one thing this region could use a factory-supported, balls-out GT-based series that could be the headliner in special stand-alone racing events. I've proposed this before, but the thought of a GTLM "X" class, which would pull the restrictions off of the current GTLM class cars and unleash 1,000HP BMWs, Corvettes, Ferraris, Porsches and Vipers, is intoxicating. Imagine, if you will, the spiritual successor to the legendary Can-Am series in terms of very "relaxed" rules, featuring "run what you brung" unlimited racers with contemporary GT bodywork.

But of course a class like that would be a "one-off" for this market only, as it doesn't fit with anything the ACO has at Le Mans, so it's not likely to happen. As in ever. A fun thought to be sure, but the realities of modern-day racing budgets and the varying degrees by which ROI policies are applied to them makes it difficult to even conceive of any manufacturer adding to their existing GT budgets to fund these unlimited GTLM "X" racers.

Racing today consists of restrictions, specifications, accommodations, deals and "understandings."

Not much romance to that, is there?

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

(Photo courtesy of the Ford Racing Archives and Wieck Media)

Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, August 21, 1983. The famed Mustang GTP on its way to victory in the Budweiser 500 Camel GT race at Road America. The turbocharged No. 06 Team Zakspeed USA/Roush Ford Mustang GTP machine was driven to the win by Tim Coconis and Klaus Ludwig, after the duo qualified second. The pole was claimed by AL Holbert (co-driver Jim Trueman) in the No. 4 Holbert Racing Porsche Turbo-powered March 83G with a lap of 2:09.949. Tony Adamowicz/Don Devendorf (No. 83 Electromotive Racing Datsun Activision 280ZX Turbo) finished second and Bobby Rahal/Geoff Brabham (No. 6 Team Sakspeed USA/Roush Ford Mustang GTP) came in third. The radical Bob Riley designed front/mid-engined Mustang GTP was powered by a 2.1-liter Ford Cosworth BDA turbocharged within an inch of its life and delivering well over 600HP. Though powerful the engine was unreliable and generated tremendous waves of cockpit heat. The Mustang GTP was built under the direction of Jack Roush with fabrication by Protofab Engineering. The advanced chassis structure was a bonded carbon fiber and Nomex composite with Kevlar in key areas. The program lasted for two years before Ford Racing (then Ford Motorsport) pulled the plug on it, with the Road America win being the machine's only victory.

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