ACO sends invites for 2007 Le Mans to ALMS teams

[entzik]

The ACO (http://www.lemans.org) has granted automatic invites to the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2007 to the following teams:

Audi Sport North America
Penske Motorsports
Corvette Racing
Aston Martin Racing
Risi Competizione

Read more about it at the paddoc talk (http://www.paddocktalk.com/news/html/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=46030).

Can't wait to get the Penske LMP2s in front of my camera.

[1LM1]

Penske could come but I think Porsche won't agree at least as for next year.

My bet is Penske at Le Mans in 2008.

[entzik]

Penske could come but I think Porsche won't agree at least as for next year.

That would be really stupid. Penske got their invites for LMP2 and Porsche doesn't participate into LMP2 directly, so there would be no competing against themselves.

[1LM1]

I think that Porsche is worried about the reliability of the car.

[harvick#1]

but to be invited to the greatest race in the world and not go is stupid, who cars about reliability, go out and race the damn thing, you fail, then you fail. but you tried and comeback next year with a better gameplan. we've seen the past couple of years the LMP2 class has been a joke at LeMans, it would be better if they raced

[1LM1]

but to be invited to the greatest race in the world and not go is stupid, who cars about reliability, go out and race the damn thing, you fail, then you fail. but you tried and comeback next year with a better gameplan. we've seen the past couple of years the LMP2 class has been a joke at LeMans, it would be better if they raced

Yes you are right. I don't understand Porsche's decison either. In fact I don't understand Porsche general policy/strategy in motorsport.

They should be present in LMP1 or LMP2 every year at Le Mans. I don't know why they just don't.

[harvick#1]

I think Porsche is just trying to perfect their car before LeMans, the only problem is, you can't perfect it. Audi has been the one exception at LeMans, but they have struggled with the R8 and R10 at times. Porsche will never know how reliable the car is until they actually race at Lemans to get the feeling for what is going to be needed to win the event.

[Mark in Oshawa]

Penske wont go if Porsche wont pay. This has been discussed. Penske is running the team but Porsche is paying the frieght and has control over the destiny of the team. Penske I know would love to go, but he wont go if it doesn't make business sense. That is what Penske does, he makes sure he goes racing with someone else spending the money.

I think though with ACO's invite, Porsche and Penske will find their way to France....

[Subaru WRX]

what a shame, building up an LMP2n and refusing to be part to the race that each constructor want to compete !!

[Speedworx]

Who cares about the crappy LMP1s and LMP2s.

Its all about GT1 and GT2 for me.

Go Aston Martin!

Go Panoz!

[grassrootsracer]

I must agree with the above sentiments about Penske most likely not going to Le Mans. Pity.

Speedworx, I, as well as many others, care about the LMP1 and LMP2 categories. That's not to discredit GT1 or GT2 (although GT1 has been a joke in the ALMS with only two teams), which are also great, in my opinion.

[Subaru WRX]

I also follow the Grand Touring race more thant the overall !! the P1 is an Audi affair, with no surprises, whereas the GT1 and the GT2 had both great battles, Aston Marin vs Corvette and Porsche vs Ferrari, Panoz and the surprising Spykers !!

about 2007 I wish that a GT1 could be on the overall poduim, as this year Le Mans saw a great 4th overall by the 64 Corvette ahead of the whole P2 field and the great part of P1.

[Sleeper]

For those that are argueing over the Penske's, remember that they are being payed by Porsche NORTH AMERICA, this means that any races outside of North Amercia are going to need extra funnding and Porsche AG have, for some very strange reason, been very apathetic towards motorsport with the exception of the mass produced 911 GT3.

[Subaru WRX]

of course, we all know that Porsche is paying Roger Penske to run its RS Spyder in the ALMS, but why refusing Le Mans ??!! is it the fact that the circuit is not suitable to P2, on top speed ? or the fact that both battles between Audi vs Peugeot vs Pescarolo in LMP1 and Corvette vs Aston Martin in GT1, will stole the whole show from the P2 ?

[Sleeper]

Well, it would be very expensive to bring the cars over from America for 3 weeks for the race but mostly I reckon that there's some resistance from the top brass in Germany against having a works Porsche team at Le Mans, though I havnt a clue why.

[Subaru WRX]

and why, Audi for 2006 had 2 teams, Champion Racing that raced the old R8 and the R10 for the ALMS, and at Le Mans it was Team Joest, Porsche could do the same, Penske in the ALMS and an European team for le Mans, as at Spa with Manthy Racing

[Sleeper]

Well 06 was a development year for the Porsche but this year we could get a customer team turning up at Le Mans, the Spyder was developed to be a customer car in the first place. As I've said before, unless they can mass produce the racer (like the GT3 and its various incarnations) Porsche have been very anti motorsport for some reason. Remember that McNish tested an LMP1 Porsche in early 2000 only for the project to get canned, I believe at the same time that the managment changed. Durring the year Lola and Stephane Ratel tried to get permishen from Porsche to use their body moldes for the Carrera GT to make a GT1 racer to go against Aston an Maserati, but Porsche said no they didnt want it racing. Now I have heard no reason why they are against top level racing, for a company like themselves it doesnt make much sense to me (though they do have a large stake in Audi...).

Like I said, dont expect any works entries at Le mans anytime soon, but privater LMP2 cars is a different matter.