Grand Am preview and Touring on SPEED

[Bumpsteer]

SPEED is running some stuff during this weekend Barret marathon. British touring during daylight hours on a weekend are what may be a nice change of pace at SPEED. The Grand Am preview is at midnight eastern Saturday 23, then touring into the dawn.

Another note to hold my breath for another week until Daytona 24 is under way but I should head down soon if I am going to go. Rooms ar cheap that month.

Cheers

GC

[Maelochs]

They are actually expecting 42 cars, I hear. That's almost enough for a race.

[cptkablamo]

Yeah, numbers are well down on previous years but they are everywhere - it still should be a great event...

[SecaSage]

A very good preview show. NAMES, FACES, HUMAN BEINGS. Star drivers out of their element. And they're not all Americans! It ain't ALMS as far as the prototypes go, but Grand Am is really doing this right. Go Hurley. SeaBass is even there. What's not to like?

[Insighter]

What's not to like? The cars?

Kidding aside. Grand Am does do promotion well, especially for their main event. And the race is usually exciting, with a great driver lineup. The NASCAR connection means good coverage on SPEED.

[cptkablamo]

Just a shame that no one will be watching

[MSulka]

Originally Posted by cptkablamo

Just a shame that no one will be watching

Oh now my friend... their press release yesterday said 280 million.

Not.

[cptkablamo]

Of course...how could i forget those 280million people...my bad

[Bumpsteer]

Originally Posted by Maelochs

They are actually expecting 42 cars, I hear. That's almost enough for a race.

Plus two, it seems. Someone elsewhere had posted yearly entry numbers back to the last millennium. While there does seem to be some real sadness about what has happened in sports car racing during the last decade, both series seem determined to survive one way or another. As long as either (hopefully both) ALMS or Grand Am get some air time. I'll be happy to watch when I can. The fills lately with German and British touring recasts are anything but crowd drawing tv spectators, yet they are running them instead of more dead air paid programming (except the night of the 24, go figure).

Boris in a Beemer this year.

I'm just happy to make it another year at this point.

GC

[Snapshot]

Just a hypothetical question. Say Grand-Am loses the Rolex sponsorship and drops out, will we finally have just one series running the 24 hours of Daytona, or lose the race as well?

I thought the event was interesting and a place for drivers from a variety of series to get together with racing by the best.

I don't know about 280 million but I watched both days.

[Maelochs]

I don't know about 280 million, but I know I saw at least 280 people at Homestead.

[cptkablamo]

Daytona is an interesting question - due to ACO rules, if Grand Am does get its licence to exist pulled by Nascar, then ALMS cannot take it over, because Le Mans can be the only ACO 24 hour race...who would take it over - maybe SCCA. Turn it into a run-what-you-brung event...I'm sure you would get some prototypes in that...

But Miami was a good event...except for the Nascar yellow because a leaf fell onto the track..I doubt all that many tuned in but it was a good race none-the-less

[Maelochs]

From what I hear Gunter Schaldach’s Camaro lefst a couple big chunks when it hit the wall in Turn Eight and left a couple more in Turn Two.

It was pretty good timing to create a tight race to the checkered flag, though. Makes one wonder if that NASCAR isn't contagious ...

[diamonddave]

big shake up with the nascar road racing series in near future?

[cptkablamo]

Oh yes! And if what I am hearing is correct - ALMS should be very scared.