ALMS P1 and P2 classes?

[wmcot]

I was at the Utah GP qualifying today and it seems that rules have hampered the P1 class to the point that it should be the new P2 class and P2 should become P1. When the top P1 car qualifies 8th, something is wrong with the classifications/specifications. :(

[IMSAFAN1]

If you go to the American LeMans web site and read the pit notes of this event..you'll see that during an interview Audi drivers have said that they completely missed the set-up. They were in and out of the pits trying to get the car set up.

[courageous]

On the street courses you can forgive the 2nd class mixing it & maybe beating the top guys, but on a track like Utah where the cars have a chance to stretch their legs...

Trouble is, we really can't say if it is just the P2 rules break or is Audi having problems?

[tannat]

Never mind the 8th position, what is the time difference?

What was said above is important as well. If they missed the setup, the position is irrelevant.

See what times they run during the race. I never really pay much attention to practice and q times.

As the saying goes, "it" stops when the green flag drops..

[harvick#1]

I was on IMSA live standings and by lap one, the Audi was leading, so they past 7 cars in one lap.

but the Penske Porshes were unbelievable quick. Sascha was awesome when he was continuely running 2.22's when everyoen was running 2.25's.

Dyson seems to be getting better finishing 4th and 5th overall, and Penske got 1-3. Audi finished 2nd and 6th

[call_me_andrew]

I thought the rules were written with the intent of giving P2 a slight power:weight advantage while P1 has a slight reliability advantage.

[jslone]

Sooner or later the rules committee will have to combine the classes,or just leave them alone.

[wmcot]

Just got back from the race and the Audis were much better today. Pirro went from 7th to 1st at the start and Capello was up to 2nd from last in just a few laps. Pirro/Werner faded but Capello/McNish were pulling away until they had to pit an extra time. Still, finishing 2nd from last place is not a bad day's work.

I do think there needs to be more separation in the class regulations. It really shows with the P1 Creation-Judd teams. Although they are very new to the chassis, they were horribly slow. The Autocon car finished 10th overall while the Jean Richard car was 17th. I saw Darren Turner pass the Jean Richard Creation in his GT2 Ferrari! The team only managed to beat 3 GT2 teams out of all the cars that were still running at the end! :(

[whitec21]

Utah is a pretty deceptive track. It may seem like the kind of track that would really suit the Audis, but the P2s are much better in the mid to low-speed corners which comprise much of the circuit. They lose a lot more in the corners than they gain on the straight.

Another thing to keep in mind is that Audi was running the '06 cars which have none of the new developments because the '07 cars are in Germany being prepped for Le Mans. Audi will regain their form soon, but there will be no more easy wins for them, except of course at Le Mans where no one will be able to touch them.

[wmcot]

I thought the spirit of the 4-class racing was to have performance gaps between P1, P2, GT1, and GT2? There is no longer a gap between P1 and P2 and not much of a gap between GT1 and P2. P1 has a higher horsepower limit, but also higher minimum weight which negates any advantage of horsepower. GT1 also has a higher weight limit than P2. Without that, we might see Corvettes winning overall :(

[trumperZ06]

GT1 also has a higher weight limit than P2. Without that, we might see Corvettes winning overall :(

:D That would be... EXCITING !!! :D

;) The LMP2 group is the class of todays ALMS series. Great racing between Porsche & Honda. Audi may or may not remain in ALMS... given the current regulations.

[wmcot]

Audi may or may not remain in ALMS... given the current regulations.

That would be sad considering all they have done for the series. That would leave a bunch of customer Creations, Lolas, and maybe Zyteks always finishing behind the P2s. Maybe they could call them P3s????

[trumperZ06]

;) The team manager complained bitterly, about the changes in the ALMS rules, restricting the Audi's and threatened to pull out of the ALMS series at the beginning of this year. It will be interesting to see if Audi's factory teams do return after the LeMans race.

[wmcot]

;) The team manager complained bitterly, about the changes in the ALMS rules, restricting the Audi's and threatened to pull out of the ALMS series at the beginning of this year. It will be interesting to see if Audi's factory teams do return after the LeMans race.


I'd rather see the rules loosened up a bit and other competitive teams join P1.

Which brings up another point - why hasn't anyone else entered GT1? You don't have to be that competitive, just fairly reliable to collect all those guaranteed 3rd places!

[trumperZ06]

;) Under todays rules... it's tough for any team to beat the LMP2's. Currently, it's exciting to watch Audi trying to fend off the Porsche & Honda LMP2 attack, which is probably ALMS's intent.

If another factory team entered ALMS LMP1.... maybe... the regulators would consider a rules change, enabling LMP1 entries to have an advantage.