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Sears Point Raceway

X-Factor

22/07/2001

Circus Contraption

By Kerry Morse

Can it really be a year since Allan McNish dusted the entire field ? Yes it can, and the ALMS regulars finally returned to action on U.S. territory. Compared to the recent ELMS follies at Estoril, which only attracted two prototypes, Sears had eight LMP 900s and a token 675 entry for Dick Barbour.

The GT and GTS groups were to be the focus of controversy as both Tom Milner's PTG and Charly Lamm's new BMW V-8s squared off against each other for the first time, and the Corvettes had to deal with the Konrad Team Saleen. For the first time in several years, Porsche watched from the back of the grid. And everyone not driving an Audi or named David Brabham watched his or her mirrors.

After having to deal with the rains of Le Mans the weather could not have been more perfect that what had been bestowed on the twisty circuit located just above San Francisco. However, track conditions for the LMP group during qualifying could have been better. Just ask Dindo Capello. "Eet was very sleepery. There was no way to beat last yeer's time" Perennial second place qualifiers Biela and Pirro must wonder if they were given race number 2 because that's where they always seem to be. Audi number 1 is 4 for 4 in poles for the ALMS. Nice try Dindo but it wasn't track conditions that were responsible for McNish's shattering lap last year.

A word is in order about the circuit. The management and staff have done an unbelievable job of redoing almost everything. Garages, parking, entrances, etc. The only request is get a few hundred trees for shade.

Most expected an Audi 1-2 and maybe a 3 with the Champion effort starring Andy " The Fridge" Wallace and ex F1 chauffer, Johnny Herbert. Standing in Champion's way was a very determined Panoz bunch happy to be reunited with the LMP-1 groundpounder. Brabs wasted no time in getting up to speed and the roar of the big Ford was a delight to the crowd.

Terry Borcheller continues to prove that there isn't much that he can't drive and drive quickly. Bouncing around from Porsches, Lexus 300's, etc. he seems to have found a home in the seat of the Konrad Saleen SR7. This isn't exactly what the Pratt Brat's and their yellow Corvettes needed to deal with. Having the Oreca Vipers finally gone should have left the headlines and track records to Detroit. Now they have the Saleen. Life's like that, isn't it ?

Porsche vs. BMW vs. BMW. financing available meets Bring My Wallet. In 1999, BMW was faced with the fact that the new GT-3R Porsche was poised to dominate the GT class and that a new car would take a while to put together. After all, there were all those enormous bills that Munich has to pay in Formula One. Weissach sold an enormous amount of GT-3Rs to private teams and the GT grids were full of Porsches. BMW struck back earlier this year with a V-8 M3 that really didn't exist, it didn't matter though. The A.C.O. said it was OK with them, so here we have it. The BMW press gathering at a local winery was the usual scripted affair but the Bavarian sense of humor was evident when the question of Porsche complaints came up. "Whiners" came the response from the back of room. Interestingly the voice belonged to one of the drivers from the #6 BMW. No doubt he was happy to be there and proud to be part of the operation. The combo of Tom Milner and Charly Lamm look awkward at best and some hack remarked that Milner's accent is far more German at official events. Then there is the tire war between Yokohama (PTG) and Michelin (BMW AG) to deal with. Wouldn't it have been cool to see some guy in a bib costume fighting an oversize samurai in Yokohama colors? These warriors are always part of the show between periods of NHL games. Are you listening, Sylvia?

The Cadillac LMP effort was almost stealth like. Change the silver to gray and remove the graphics. Actually this was a good strategy as the less attention given to Cadillac, the better. Jeff Hazell was fully in his element at Sears during practice and directed the troops in a low-key manner. Our Nige (as in Stroud) was back home in the U.K. working on the new car so it will do well next year in Arnage. Almost everything that Wayne Taylor and company are doing right now should be treated as live testing. A good finish or even a podium is simply a bonus. After GM's enormous waste of money last year, this approach is sound and sensible. Hopefully some corporate hack won't interfere and let it play out as Hazell and Stroud intend. On a fashion note, check out WT's new glasses. Looks like the bass player from The Leaves circa 1966. Hey Joe, where you goin' with that...

Of course what would a report be without a Brooksie story. After enduring motel rooms in the USA (Haymarket does not pay much) that were a little more than props for "The Grapes of Wrath", our hero lens man popped for a waterfront room in a trendy hotel in Tiburon. Fantastic views of the San Francisco Bay, a wine bar. What could possibly go wrong? How does one explain a pile of sand on your bed when you wake up in the morning. JB ignored it the first morning but after it happened a second night, he took his complaint to the management. The horrified expression and quiet voice explained the trendy hotel has termites! WOT?!? An immediate adjustment will be made to your bill, sir. Too bloody right!

Entertainment came in the form one night of dinner with Brooksie, Fiona Miller, Ms. Burkhart taking a break from running her ranch and the currently unemployed Dave Price. The high point - or low if you were the management of the eatery - came when Fiona requested proper bottled water and Pricey responded with dumping all five glasses on the table over his shoulder and in to San Francisco bay. And we still had race day coming up..

I didn't pay much attention to Saturday's qualifying times because there wasn't much reason to. A good time to go watch the cars from different vantage points and talk to the fans. Most I spoke with had a genuine enthusiasm for the ALMS and while the crowd will never come close to the numbers that Sears gets for NASCAR, they are no less vocal. One bit of strangeness occurred at 3 PM that afternoon when Don Panoz and company had a press conference to announce a race in Malaysia for November. It was very short on details and the organizers only brought 50 press kits that were reserved for the teams. (Hey, were there 50 teams at Sears?) This angered John Brooks when he asked for one and was refused, as he was a gentleman of the press. I believe his comment was along the lines of "Look tosspot, if they have a race it's doubtful anybody here will be there and if there is a race, I am gonna be there". He still didn't get a press package. What shocked me (yes, it is possible) is that no one in the room recalled that there was a round of the FIA Group C Championship (can you say Rothmans Porsche) held at Kuala Lumpur back in the mid 80s. It was less than a success back then so I hope these people have done their homework.

The start of a race at Sears Point is always worth standing up for. While the two Joest Audi R8's jockeyed for position, Brabs got the start of the year in the Panoz and shuffled the Champion R8 back to 4th. No one expected Brabs and Mags to challenge the Audis, but the moral victory of seeing the bright red rocket in front of the Champion R8 and the Cadillacs had to make the team feel good for the moment. Even the scapegoat of the moment, Dave Price, had praise for his displaced team, as Pricey was a commentator for Radio Le Mans for the full two hours and 45 minutes. Can you imagine the Dave Price Variety Show? With Pricey's special guest, Steve Soper on Channel 4?

The Saleen pulled out to an early lead only to have the tires go off and the ill handling mid engine box became easy prey for Ron Fellows and his canary yellow Corvette. I would expect the Saleen to have a better run at Portland which is far easier on setting up a car. The BMW battle was the most bitter on the track and the last lap bang up in which BMW AG boy Ekblom tapped the Stuck / Said PTG from behind and caused a spin in turn 11. Words were exchanged (good thing that Soper is in the BTCC) and the officials gave Ekblom a 35 second penalty for amusing the crowd.

Observations on the fly.....

Audi # 1 continues to be the car to beat, #2 seems to be the Bridesmaid. Pirro and Biela must be just psyched out by now.

Very good to see the Panoz crew having something to smile about after such a rough year. David Brabham continues to show why he is the one of the best drivers in the world. A tip of the hat to a brilliant controlled drive by co-driver Jan Magnussen. To take last year's LMP 1 Panoz, dust it off and at least make things interesting says something about the heart of the whole crew.

Dindo Capello is finally starting to emerge from the shadow of Allan McNish and is maturing race by race. He is showing the signs of a driver who is ready to get to the next level. T.K. maybe the best tonic for a charging Dindo, his calm balance is a perfect foil for Capello who was prone to make mistakes last year. Kristensen is less intimidating a personality compared to Nishy, but no less intimidating as a driver.

Ron Fellows has the last laugh and leads the Corvettes home to a GM 1-2 in GTS over Saleen. OK, the Mallock McLaren clone had a few problems but never count out Ron Fellows. If the Canadian gets a whiff that he can get you, he will. Same goes for Kelly Collins.

BMW now has the Hatfields and the McCoys and the fight will be amusing and bloody for the rest of the season. Charly 1... Tom...0. Look for it to get political.

Dave Maraj of Champion must be wondering what is going on. He gets an Audi R8, two very good drivers in Herbert and Wallace and can't get past a year old Panoz. I think Audi owes a bit more support to the Champion effort.

Silly problems kept Cadillac from better results. An alternator problem slowed the # 7 car at the midway point and Wayne Taylor suffered the indignity of losing a front wheel after the nut worked itself loose. Jeff Hazell will be asking questions. Look for some personal changes. Still, the cars simply are going better each time they are out on a circuit and are competing. A big change from last year.

Porsche has to do something. Or do they? While Porsche management does have grounds for questioning the M3 8 bangers legality, forget it, they are here to stay. The gap between the new M3 and the best of the Alex Job factory cars were close to the gap between the speed of the 996's debut and the BMW at Sears in 1999. More to the point are the gap between the factory Porsches and the customer cars. Now that's a gap! Don't read anything in to the fact that Norbert Singer was in the Alex Job pits. The greatest sportscar man of our generation was simply filling in for Roland Kussmaul. However, Singer is a keen observer of all things in motorsport and his "look right through you stare" was evident in pit row when it came to watching the werks Audis. Come on Weissach, give us a Singer Porsche LMP for next year. We don't care what SUV you tow it with..

LMP 675: There has to be something done about this. The group could provide some exciting racing if only a few more cars would show up. PSCR should think about adopting a rule that if only one car is entered then the class is dropped per event. Can you imagine the MGs over here ?