Won't be at Daytona until tomorrow night, but here are a few pics from sportscar365 from today:

The 55 Mazda DPi in its race livery........gorgeous:



The 2 Nissan DPi car in race livery.........wow:



Not sure which car this is, probably a WEC spec P2 with a Gibson engine but it looks marvelous:



More pics here:

http://sportscar365.com/features/photography/photos-daytona-thursday-gallery-4/

We will have night practice Saturday night so it's gonna be interesting to see some of the light packages on these things.

Just for those who don't know why I am focusing on the DPi/P2 cars, this is a whole new ball game this year, all brand new cars in Protoype here (both DPi and WEC P2) and in WEC with the spec P2s.

The DPis are the same chassis from one of the 4 approved manufacturers as the P2s just different bodywork, engines, some aero, and electronics.

If IMSA plays it right and don't try to NASCARize it, this could be the best racing on the planet.

Right now it's Mazda, Cadillac, and Nissan in DPi with rumors of other car companies being interested.  It will be a good platform for them as they don't have to built a chassis, just provide the engine.  The bodywork and design can be a co-op between the team and the engine manufacturer or the factory can do the whole think like Mazda and Caddy.  Nissan is more of a co-op right now.

IF you are gonna run a Mazda DPi, they are now tied to the Riley chassis so any others running them will have to have a Riley chassis to start.  That is why the "Visit Florida" team bought a Riley-Gibson WEC spec P2 with an eye on later setting it up as a Mazda.

The Caddys are on Dallarra chassis.

The Nissan uses the Ligier chassis.

This does not mean that some other mfg cannot also use one of these chassis later on.

I'm looking forward to it.

Got pics from the Roar and went ahead and posted them below.
Was gonna wait but decided to post them last night.

IN, baby

It was cold and wet on Saturday, both WeatherTech and Continental cars:


















Tried to take some shots during night practice last night, not very good:






The ocean outside my hotel was quite angry this morning and today was cold, very very cold:





Today, some WeatherTech cars and some Continental Tire Challenge cars:

In!

I will still do my standalone Rolex24, 12 Hours of Sebring, and Petit threads, but I am gonna go ahead and post this intro since we are entering an entire new era for both the prototypes and GTLM.  I know I talked about it in the original post, but want to try to delve a little deeper.

Starting at the Rolex, both WEC and IMSA will be using the same chassis built by 4 approved constructers, ORECA, Ligier (Onroak), Dallara, and Riley.
In FIA WEC, those chassis must be equipped with a Gibson V8, a Nissan based engine.  It’s a 4 liter naturally aspirated engine making in excess of 600 horsepower and it does sound sweet.  It will have specified engine management, data logger, and other electronics.

In IMSA, those same 4 chassis can be equipped with various engines but must use bodywork reflective of the engine, if you are using a Mazda engine, the car must look a little like a Mazda.
Right now, Mazda, Cadillac, and Nissan are in with new cars that are ready to go and were tested at the Roar before the 24.  The electronics are a little different from the WEC cars.

The Mazda DPi uses the Riley chassis so anyone else that wants to run a Mazda must use the same chassis and bodywork, brakes the car is homologated with, electronics, etc.  Mazda plans to build some customer cars on Riley chassis later on after they get the car developed with the factory team.  One team has already bought a Riley Gibson LMP2 in WEC spec to later convert to a Mazda.

The Caddies are using the Dallara chassis and the same goes for anyone later than wants to run a Caddy has to use a Dallara with all the homologated parts although GM probably won’t allow customer cars and the three that you will see at the Rolex and this season are factory cars.

Nissan is using the Ligier (ONROAK) chassis and the same holds true about any future Nissan DPis as the others.  They may or may not build some customer cars later.

IMSA is allowing the WEC spec LMP2s to run here and they are actually the benchmark against which the DPi performance will be set.
No one has picked an ORECA chassis for a DPi but that could happen later but there are at least two here for the Rolex, including the Rebellion team for those that have been around this for a while.

Also, another engine manufacturer such as Porsche, Ford, Honda, etc can also use a Riley, Dallara, ORECA, or Ligier but different bodywork, maybe homologate it with different brakes, etc. so now the base chassis is not locked in to just one engine.

In GTLM, the BMW and Ferraris are updated 2016 specs cars, not sure but I think the vettes are all new cars, and the 911 RSR is a midengine setup now.

GTD is still to GT3 specs but several new cars including the Acura NSX and the Lexus.  

Alex Job 23 car will be an Audi and that just ain't right.

Hope I explained all that well enough.

Lucas Oil Chili Bowl starts here in a bit if anyone is interested in watching it.

Well I missed that the 2017 started.

Look into the WTR 2017 Cadillac. Seems like a good step forward for Daytona Prototypes.

Daytona Prototype in name only.  See my description above.

All monocoque chassis, none of that outdated tube frame crap.

Whine Taylor Racing.  If he don't win, he whines like a little girl.

I'm not fully up to speed on the new terminology for the class, but the new cars are a huge jump forward.

As far as WTR, I pretty much just think Jordan Taylor is a character and is an American winner of the LM24 (in his class) so he has my support.

Well, Tommy Milner was in the same car and is an American.

Wayne is not an American and I have been around him since Ricky and Jordan were little tikes.

He is a whiner.  I was a fan but over the years, got to where I can't stand him.

And the rules had to be so hammered to make those tube frame POS DPs competitive and he was a leading whiner about that saying that the DPs were the worlds premier prototypes, a world that included at the time the Audi LMP1s and the WEC LMP2s, which were 3 seconds a lap faster at Daytona when the "merger" happened.

They slowed the P2s way down so the DPs could win.  Last year, when I went to COTA, the WEC P2s were 3 seconds a lap faster there than the DPs or the IMSA neutered P2s.  The DPs winning any races was a joke.

Hopefully, that is all in the past now.

I just wish that Honda was still doing the Prototype class so burbanite could be going for overall victories.

As it is, my favorites in P will be:
Mazda
Nissan
the WEC spec Gibson powered P2s
All the caddies break

In for a new year.

I am hoping that within a year or two, Porsche, Ford, Honda, and others realize that DPi is a good way to go prototype racing.

You can go for overall wins at places like Sebring and the Rolex24.

You don't have to build a chassis the way that Audi, Porsche, and Toyota have and like Porsche has done over the years with the 935, 956, 962, and Spyder.

You pick one of the 4 chassis, you pick which of your engines you want to use, you design (or have designed) the bodywork, and go racing.

Yeah, it's not cheap, but it's nowhere near P1 money or maybe even GTE/GTLM money.

Again, if IMSA plays it right, we can have the best racing in the world right here in the WeatherTech series.  Time will tell if they are smart enough to realize it.

ETA:  Mazda is using the Riley chassis which is a joint venture with Multimatic, a Canadian company which runs the WEC Ford GTs and the GT4 Mustangs in the Continental Tires series so maybe we will see Ford sooner than later using a Riley chassis.  As noted, a chassis may be used by more than one auto company as the basis for their DPi.

Just a thought.

Larry, you're pretty much on point with that last post.

All I'm going to say is ....watch this space....

I'll be in Daytona on Tuesday, race season is upon us and what an awesome way to start. I have been involved in the GTD project since we inherited it from Japan and will continue with it in both the IMSA and PWC series for the time being. I'll also, as usual, support Indycar as and when I can fit it in. I also have a few new projects that are in the gestation period, some will see the light of day, others, for various reasons may be put on hold until the environment is right. Regardless, we are all going racing soon and that is what drives me each and every day.

Sounds like good stuff is coming!

burbanite, I saw one of the NSX GT cars in Detroit at the NAIAS, and if it races as good as it looks it'll be a winner for sure.

I'll be at Daytona again. Hoping to see another one-two victory for Corvette Racing.

Well, between Fox, Foxsports1, and Foxsports2, they are showing all of the Rolex24 except from 2200 to 2300 Saturday.

Just set up my DVR to record since I will be on the corners.

Just FYI, and since it includes sports car drivers, the Race Of Champions from Miami is on CBSSN right now.

The "beauty" of racing in a BOP series is no matter what you do to make your car faster the series will kick you in the nuts....  So, we never see any of the cars at their fullest potential, it sucks.

Unless you are who they want to win, like the last 3 years.

Unfortunately, even WEC has BOP and I can't really think of any professional series that doesn't have BOP.

I know, this is one of those times that I pine for the"good old days"...

Many of the guys who aren't household names are the ones who didn't live to become so. I'd love to see unlimited racing as much as the next guy, but it would be on par with the Colosseum were it to happen. 

I was impressed to see RHR and Rahal are driving for Shank this weekend. I have a favorite GTD team now.  

Looks like rain Saturday night.

Got a little tonight but after night practice.  I use Rain-X and am staying up 95 a couple of exits.  Didn't even know it was raining until I took my exit and encountered some street lights.

Anyway, there is the 2017 Rolex24 picture thread:

http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_1_5/1959363_The-OFFICIAL-2017-Rolex24-at-Daytona-thread-.html

In late but in!

Here's to a long and sleepless night..

That was an interesting last hour of the Continental race. Drama all around in both classes.

I'll drink to that.................tonight.

Rolex 24 at Daytona Green Flag.

Third and fourth in class at 9 hours in, long way to go....

And a long time too

In and tag.

In on one.

Few iPotato pics from today:

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I personally thought it was nice to be able to watch the race from start to finish with only 3 channel changes.

Bwoah

Atherton is such a Baghdad Bob.

Yeah, I guess it was fair and equitable if you wanted a certain brand to win overall.

Yeah, the GT classes could have gone to several manufacturers and that was great, but Prototype was pretty much handed to one brand.

Dipshit.

The Continental Tire Challenge 4 hour race from Daytona will be on FS1 at 1330 EST.  You should watch.

We had a Cayman come hard into our guard rail right near the flag station while I was flagging................

Can't wait! We're headed over the 2'ed for the SVRA historic races then stage the motorhome in the staging field for the 12 hours. Then back over the 14'th for the big show.

I thought of you instantly when the Caymen smashed up right at turn 5 flag stand.

Well, just got my credentials confirmation by e-mail for Sebring.

3 weeks and 6 days.............

Kinda weird this year.  Usually the track holds paid test days on Mon and Tue and we start first thing Wed morning.

According to the IMSA schedule that they give us and the teams, no cars until 1545 on Wed and just one session each for Prototype Challenge (not the PC class in the WeatherTech Series but the old IMSA Lites with the P3s in the mix now.  This will be their first look in the US) and a session for the GT3 Cup.

Thu will be full tilt boogie with everything being out at some point including night practice.  We will be on the turns from 0800 to 2115........whew!

Lots of practice sessions for everyone and some qualifying for some of the support series.

Fri will be some support races, qualifying for the WT series and the Continental Tire Challenge race.

Sat will be warmups at 0800, some car corrals, and some vintage stuff before the race.

Can't wait.

OST

34 ENTRIES SET FOR SEBRING TEST NEXT WEEK    

Leaving VIR in the morning having tested the new RealTime Racing NSX here for the past two days then heading to the IMSA open test in Sebring on Tuesday.

Did an SCCA drivers school this weekend at Roebling Road near Savannah.  SVRA (Sportscar Vintage Racing Association) also incorporated a short school and did some regular races on Saturday.

These pictures are from the vintage group:

Supposedly, the BOSS 302 in this picture belongs to Bill Elliot.  He wasn't there but I was told he owned it:






Old British cars starting with a 1963 Elva:



A Bugeye and a Spridget:



A TR4.  Don't see many of these:



There were 3 914s there including a 914-6.  That car only ran the SVRA races on Saturday and was not around for the school on Sunday, just these 2 914-4s:





The moon was out  during the day:



These guys made a pass at about eye level and then flew on into the woods.  It was pretty cool but I couldn't get hold of my camera until they were out there, dang it:



My Boxster S with the previous midengine flat opposed Porsche going by in the background..........

Two weeks from tomorrow, practice and qualifying at Sebring begins.

Well, just got a major schedule change.  Cars will now be on course as of 0800 EDT on Wednesday instead of 1545.

GT3 Cup, Prototype Challenge ( with the new P3 cars as well as the old IMSA Lites), and Continental Tire Series all day and all morning on Thursday with a qualifying session for the GT3 Cup and Prototype Challenge cars.

No WeatherTech cars until an hour long practice session at 1515 on Thursday, a Prototype Challenge race, a GT3 Cup race, and then NIGHT PRACTICE for the WeatherTech cars!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

First PWC race this weekend in St. Pete. RealTime Racing just received their second NSX, got it off the boat in Miami, did a shakedown at Homestead and it's now here in the paddock. I'll be supporting the two RTR NSX's as well as the Indycars who are also having their season opener. Following that it's a couple of days R&R with the GF then over to Sebring for the 12 Hour.

The Shank NSXs and the RTR NSXs are both GT3 cars, right?

How much difference in them between the two series?

Very different setups for Pirellis versus Continentals or similar setups?

ETA:  According to 365, Eversly smacked a barrier pretty hard at St Pete.

How is he?

How bad is the car?