A POTENTIALLY PIVOTAL DAY FOR ROAD RACING FALLS ON DEAF EARS.

By Peter M. De Lorenzo

Detroit. The torrential rain that defined the 18th running of Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta last weekend led to the most interesting story in North American road racing in years, and that is that GTLM cars took the top two steps on the podium, with Nick Tandy/Patrick Pilet (No. 911 Porsche North America 911 RSR) winning the race overall, and John Edwards, Lucas Luhr and Jens Klingmann (No. 24 Team RLL BMW/IHG Rewards Club BMW Z4 GTLM) finishing second overall, a remarkable result indeed (see more coverage of Petit Le Mans in "The Line" -WG).

Not that it was exactly welcomed with open arms by the powers that be in the NASCAR-controlled IMSA. No, IMSA would much rather you direct your attention elsewhere, like to the new rules for its "Daytona Protoype international" class for 2017 (see the rules in "The Line" -WG). The new top class (allegedly) in American road racing will feature four approved car constructors, with the new DPi and LMP2 cars eligible to compete in the top Prototype class for overall race wins. According to IMSA, its DPi "philosophy" allows for cars to be powered by a wide range of engines from the world’s leading automobile manufacturers, including those used in existing FIA GT3 race car applications, and the cars will also feature manufacturer-specific bodywork and styling cues. And last but not least, in order to achieve performance parity in the top Prototype class, IMSA will utilize a Balance of Performance (BoP) methodology for both the DPi and LM P2 specifications.

Really? Here we go again with "manufacturer-specific bodywork and styling cues" - I've seen this movie before and it never ends well. And apparently using a capital "I" for "international" must be reserved for the FIA, because it makes no sense whatsoever to do it that way otherwise. And, they just couldn't leave "Daytona" out of the name, could they? And the dreaded BoP "methodology?" As if we expected anything less. Listen closely and you can hear the groaning from competitor and race fan alike.

Will these "DPi" cars be eligible to contest for the overall win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans? Unless the French controlled ACO decides to tilt the regulations to allow such a result, it is extremely unlikely. As in no frickin' way. No, these cars will satisfy the desire by IMSA to keep its former Daytona Protoype entrants interested in spending money in the series going forward.

And to what end, exactly? Will a few new-rule, new-look prototypes really liven up the IMSA grids all that much in 2017? Didn't anyone notice at all that the top GT cars racing at the front in the rain at Road Atlanta put on the best road racing show in years? Hasn't it dawned on anyone down in Daytona Beach that clinging to the notion of "faux" prototypes is like pissing in the wind, that an all-GT series enlivened with a new top "GTX" class has the potential to be bigger in terms of manufacturer and race enthusiast interest than any cobbled together prototype class they can come up with?

And the answers to those questions are no, no, no and oh hell no, apparently.

When Jim France bought out the old ALMS from Don Panoz, many racing enthusiasts expressed feelings that this would be The End, nothing less than a doomsday scenario for major league American road racing. And the "NASCAR-ization" of major league road racing here in the U.S. has indeed taken place, and for the most part not in a good way either.

On the one hand, I get the distinct impression that IMSA wants us all to be thankful that there's even any major league road racing going on in this country, that if it weren't for Jim France and his minions we'd be staring at blank screens on our computers or TVs and going to two races a year (Daytona and Sebring). And because of that we should act accordingly, meaning with hats in hands and with appreciative glances and respect.

On the other hand, I happen to expect better from IMSA and the participating manufacturers (make no mistake, because the manufacturers are culpable in all of this, being the chief enablers of the France-led regime). Much better. I expect better decisions when it comes to the actual racing, better decisions on the types of cars featured and why, and more logical decisions based on the realities of today's chaotic media-sports environment. Glorified club racing - and that's exactly what IMSA too often is - cannot be the answer going forward.

Maybe by some miracle there will be some light and clarity emanating from Daytona Beach sometime soon.

Then again, wishful thinking has never been a value-added activity when it comes to racing.

And that's the High-Octane Truth this week.

Editor's Note: For more racing news and photos, check out "The Line." -WG 

Editor's Note: Many of you have seen Peter's references over the years to the Hydrogen Electric Racing Federation (HERF), which he launched in 2007. For those of you who weren't following AE at the time, you can read two of HERF's press releases here and here. And for even more details (including a link to Peter's announcement speech), check out the HERF entry on Wikipedia here. -WG

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)
Le Mans, France, June 15, 1975. The No. 11 Gulf Research Racing Co. Mirage GR8 Ford-Cosworth driven by Jacky Ickx and Derek Bell out front at the 24 Hours of Le Mans that year. The legendary driving duo qualified on the pole and went on to win the race by a one lap margin. Jean-Louis Lafosse/Guy Chasseuil (No. 5 Automobiles Ligier-Gitanes Ligier JS2 Ford-Cosworth) finished second and Vern Schuppan/Jean-Pierre Jaussaud (No. 10 Gulf Research Racing Co. Mirage GR8 Ford-Cosworth) finished third.

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