This year's Gulf 12 Hours was certainly an interesting one indeed. The arrival of Prototypes at the race made many think that the GT3 reign over this race was over. However, that was not meant to be. This, and many other surprises made up the most interesting Gulf 12 Hours to date.
It was clear to many that the P3s had the outright pace to defeat the GT3s in the early portion of this weekend, and that is what I myself expected to happen in the race. However, the organizers handicapped the P3s later on in the weekend. When I had written the preview on Friday afternoon, I was under the thought that this had been a power reduction, not the added 130 second-minimum pit stop that it actually was. This is what killed the prototypes in the end, along with the long full course yellow caused by the wreck of one of the GDL Racing Middle East Lamborghini Huracan STs. The P3s were a good 1.5-2 seconds faster a lap than the GT3s, but the long yellow forced by barrier repairs meant that a large amount of time that could've been gained by the P3s was lost. At the half time break, all the P3s were at least 2 laps down to the GT Pro leaders. The second half didn't mean much after that, as the deficit was too much to overcome for the prototypes. It turned into a two horse race between the two GT Pro Ferrari 488s from Kessel Racing and Dragon Racing. The Kessel Racing team once again came out on top, and took the overall win. Kessel also won the gentlemen class, with the Herberth Porsche that had dominated the race running into issues with just an hour to go. The Pro Am class went to the AF Corse/Spirit of Race Ferrari, who beat the Optimum Motorsport Audi after the Audi ran into mechanical issues in the second half of the race. The 5 car from Graff won the Proto class, while the 23 car from United Autosports, who I predicted to win overall, did not have the pace unless Alex Lynn was in the car. Villorba Corse won in the GTX class over the Dragon Racing Porsche Cayman, in a race where almost all the GT4 competitors faced problems.
So, how did my predictions turn out?
Proto - Incorrect, #5 Graff won over #23 United Autosports
GT Pro - Correct, Kessel Racing #11 won.
GT Pro Am - Correct, AF Corse/Spirit of Race #51 won.
GT Gentlemen - Incorrect, #77 Kessel Racing won over #99 Herberth Motorsport
GTX - Correct, #50 Villorba Corse won.
3/5 wasn't too bad I'd say!
Sunday, December 18, 2016
Friday, December 16, 2016
Gulf 12 Hours Preview
The Gulf 12 Hours this year is shaping up to be a very interesting race. The grid has grown from last year, up to 24 P3, GT3, and GT4 cars this year. However, the organizers have handicapped the P3s, meaning the GT3s will indeed have a shot at the win. Here's the preview for the race:
ENTRY LIST: Link
PROTO:
4 Entries make up the new for 2016 Proto class this year at the Gulf 12 Hours, 2 from Graff Racing, and 2 from United Autosports, meaning all four are Ligier JS P3s. The 23 car from United seems to be the favorite in the class, mostly in part to the talents of Alex Lynn (who, IMO, should be driving for Williams next year, but that's another story). They have been consistently the fastest in practice, and have established themselves as the favorite. However, both of the Graff cars have shown speed, and one should expect them to be competitive throughout the event. The 22 car from United has been off the pace relative to the rest of the P3s throughout the weekend, and I don't think they will be a factor this weekend.
ERIC'S PICK: Alex Lynn's talents will lead the #23 United Autosports Ligier to victory.
GT3 PRO:
3 cars make up this subclass of the GT3 entry this year. A Kessel Racing Ferrari 488, a GP Extreme Renault RS 01, and a Dragon Racing Ferrari 488 are the competitors. The Kessel Ferrari took the overall pole for the event, which surprised me. However, the GP Extreme Renault has the talents of Nicky Pastorelli within them, and they should be competitive this weekend. The Dragon Racing car has been fast all weekend, and with the veteran Nicolas Minassian on the team, they should be in the hunt as well. It's hard to pick a winner out of this very competitive class.
ERIC'S PICK: The Kessel Racing car will win barely over the Dragon Racing Ferrari and the GP Extreme Renault.
GT3 PRO AM:
The Pro Am field this year consists of 4 cars, all from different teams and manufacturers: A Ferrari 488 from AF Corse/Spirit of Race, the other Renault RS 01 from GP Extreme, a Lamborghini Huracan from Sportec Motorsport, and an Optimum Motorsport Audi R8. The AF Corse/Spirit of Race team has been strong in practice and qualifying, and they are the clear favorites in this class. If they run into problems, however, expect the Optimum Audi or possibly the GP Extreme Renault to contend for the win in Pro Am.
ERIC'S PICK: The AF Corse/Spirit of Race team will run away, barring any problems.
GT3 GENT:
The Gentlemen drivers make up the largest of the GT3 subclasses, with seven entries: a Car Collection Audi R8, two Super Trofeo-spec Huracans from GDL Racing Middle East, two Kessel Racing Ferrari 458s, and a single Huracan GT3 and Porsche 991 GT3 from Barwell Motorsport and Herberth Motorsport, respectively. The Herberth Motorsport Porsche qualified the highest in class, and has been running well the entire weekend. Also in contention is Barwell and the #77 Kessel entry. It's clear the Herberth team has found much more speed in qualifying, as they were a second and a half faster than the #77 Kessel Racing car. It will be close competition in this class.
ERIC'S PICK: The Porsche may have the pace, but the multi-team operation of Kessel Racing will pull through, with the #77 Ferrari 458 taking top honors.
GTX:
The GTX class this year features six cars, consisting of a single Porsche Cayman each from Dragon Racing, Slidesport, and Brookspeed. Also joining in are Generation AMR Superracing with a Vantage GT4, and Villorba Corse with two Maserati MC GT4s. The #50 Maserati from Villorba has been consistently quick throughout practice, and took top class honors in qualifying. The Aston has also been quick, and has been at the top of the charts as well.
ERIC'S PICK: The advantage of a two car team will help out Villorba Corse in the end, and the #50 Maserati will win over the Aston Martin.
OVERALL: It seems as if the P3s have been restricted to the approximate pace of the GT3s. With that in mind, it presents an option of a GT3 winning the race overall. The P3s are no doubt more delicate than the GT3s, and with only four cars, there is little backend in the class. If the United Autosports 23 car runs clean this weekend, expect them to win overall. If they do run into trouble, however, expect either one of the Graff cars or the Kessel Racing Pro entry to take top honors.
ERIC'S PICK: The #23 will win overall, barring any problems throughout the race.
ENTRY LIST: Link
PROTO:
4 Entries make up the new for 2016 Proto class this year at the Gulf 12 Hours, 2 from Graff Racing, and 2 from United Autosports, meaning all four are Ligier JS P3s. The 23 car from United seems to be the favorite in the class, mostly in part to the talents of Alex Lynn (who, IMO, should be driving for Williams next year, but that's another story). They have been consistently the fastest in practice, and have established themselves as the favorite. However, both of the Graff cars have shown speed, and one should expect them to be competitive throughout the event. The 22 car from United has been off the pace relative to the rest of the P3s throughout the weekend, and I don't think they will be a factor this weekend.
ERIC'S PICK: Alex Lynn's talents will lead the #23 United Autosports Ligier to victory.
GT3 PRO:
3 cars make up this subclass of the GT3 entry this year. A Kessel Racing Ferrari 488, a GP Extreme Renault RS 01, and a Dragon Racing Ferrari 488 are the competitors. The Kessel Ferrari took the overall pole for the event, which surprised me. However, the GP Extreme Renault has the talents of Nicky Pastorelli within them, and they should be competitive this weekend. The Dragon Racing car has been fast all weekend, and with the veteran Nicolas Minassian on the team, they should be in the hunt as well. It's hard to pick a winner out of this very competitive class.
ERIC'S PICK: The Kessel Racing car will win barely over the Dragon Racing Ferrari and the GP Extreme Renault.
GT3 PRO AM:
The Pro Am field this year consists of 4 cars, all from different teams and manufacturers: A Ferrari 488 from AF Corse/Spirit of Race, the other Renault RS 01 from GP Extreme, a Lamborghini Huracan from Sportec Motorsport, and an Optimum Motorsport Audi R8. The AF Corse/Spirit of Race team has been strong in practice and qualifying, and they are the clear favorites in this class. If they run into problems, however, expect the Optimum Audi or possibly the GP Extreme Renault to contend for the win in Pro Am.
ERIC'S PICK: The AF Corse/Spirit of Race team will run away, barring any problems.
GT3 GENT:
The Gentlemen drivers make up the largest of the GT3 subclasses, with seven entries: a Car Collection Audi R8, two Super Trofeo-spec Huracans from GDL Racing Middle East, two Kessel Racing Ferrari 458s, and a single Huracan GT3 and Porsche 991 GT3 from Barwell Motorsport and Herberth Motorsport, respectively. The Herberth Motorsport Porsche qualified the highest in class, and has been running well the entire weekend. Also in contention is Barwell and the #77 Kessel entry. It's clear the Herberth team has found much more speed in qualifying, as they were a second and a half faster than the #77 Kessel Racing car. It will be close competition in this class.
ERIC'S PICK: The Porsche may have the pace, but the multi-team operation of Kessel Racing will pull through, with the #77 Ferrari 458 taking top honors.
GTX:
The GTX class this year features six cars, consisting of a single Porsche Cayman each from Dragon Racing, Slidesport, and Brookspeed. Also joining in are Generation AMR Superracing with a Vantage GT4, and Villorba Corse with two Maserati MC GT4s. The #50 Maserati from Villorba has been consistently quick throughout practice, and took top class honors in qualifying. The Aston has also been quick, and has been at the top of the charts as well.
ERIC'S PICK: The advantage of a two car team will help out Villorba Corse in the end, and the #50 Maserati will win over the Aston Martin.
OVERALL: It seems as if the P3s have been restricted to the approximate pace of the GT3s. With that in mind, it presents an option of a GT3 winning the race overall. The P3s are no doubt more delicate than the GT3s, and with only four cars, there is little backend in the class. If the United Autosports 23 car runs clean this weekend, expect them to win overall. If they do run into trouble, however, expect either one of the Graff cars or the Kessel Racing Pro entry to take top honors.
ERIC'S PICK: The #23 will win overall, barring any problems throughout the race.
Thursday, December 15, 2016
Rolex 24 December Test: What We Learned
The December test for the upcoming Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona was very interesting indeed. It marked the public on-track debut of two of the three DPi's for next year, those being the Cadillac and the Mazda. It also marked the debut of Porsches' new GTLM entry. Here's what this test told us:
1. The DPi's are going to be fast. The AXR #31 Cadillac driven by Eric Curran was right on the old DP/P2 track record set by Alex Gurney a few years back, and that's in their first real on-track action at the track.
2. The DPi's may not be completely reliable. Both Cadillac and Mazda were hampered by electrical issues that certainly show the greenness of these new cars. While these problems will more than likely be weeded out by raceday, if not by the Roar, anything can happen in a 24 hour race, and we all saw how this affected the outcome in 2003. A DPi problem could mean that the Rebellion Oreca (which might not even need these problems to be competitive, more on that in our upcoming Rolex 24 race preview) and the Visit Florida Racing Riley may be pushed into contention.
3. GTD is up for anyone. The times for these cars were spread across the board. In my opinion, the most impressive performance, while not unexpected, was the Land Motorsport Audi. Both Connor De Phillippi and Christopher Mies were at the top of the board. They will be a team to watch, along with the Riley Motorsports teams, specifically the 33 and 50 cars. The 33 team has been a perennial competitor in the Viper, and the switch to the Mercedes might mean that they could be even more competitive this time around the calendar. The 50 team will also be strong, with former McLaren driver and V8 Supercars star Shane van Gisbergen and Mercedes GT test driver Thomas Jaeger being added to the normal lineup of Gunnar Jeannette and Cooper MacNeil. In fact, it may be up to Jeannette and MacNeil to decide this team's fate, as we have all seen how good Gis can be in sportscars, notably at Bathurst earlier this year, and Jaeger's role in Mercedes will be an advantage for him.
Follow this Link to see John Dagys and Brian Cleary's incredible pictures of the action this week at Daytona: Link
1. The DPi's are going to be fast. The AXR #31 Cadillac driven by Eric Curran was right on the old DP/P2 track record set by Alex Gurney a few years back, and that's in their first real on-track action at the track.
2. The DPi's may not be completely reliable. Both Cadillac and Mazda were hampered by electrical issues that certainly show the greenness of these new cars. While these problems will more than likely be weeded out by raceday, if not by the Roar, anything can happen in a 24 hour race, and we all saw how this affected the outcome in 2003. A DPi problem could mean that the Rebellion Oreca (which might not even need these problems to be competitive, more on that in our upcoming Rolex 24 race preview) and the Visit Florida Racing Riley may be pushed into contention.
3. GTD is up for anyone. The times for these cars were spread across the board. In my opinion, the most impressive performance, while not unexpected, was the Land Motorsport Audi. Both Connor De Phillippi and Christopher Mies were at the top of the board. They will be a team to watch, along with the Riley Motorsports teams, specifically the 33 and 50 cars. The 33 team has been a perennial competitor in the Viper, and the switch to the Mercedes might mean that they could be even more competitive this time around the calendar. The 50 team will also be strong, with former McLaren driver and V8 Supercars star Shane van Gisbergen and Mercedes GT test driver Thomas Jaeger being added to the normal lineup of Gunnar Jeannette and Cooper MacNeil. In fact, it may be up to Jeannette and MacNeil to decide this team's fate, as we have all seen how good Gis can be in sportscars, notably at Bathurst earlier this year, and Jaeger's role in Mercedes will be an advantage for him.
Follow this Link to see John Dagys and Brian Cleary's incredible pictures of the action this week at Daytona: Link
Thursday, December 8, 2016
Welcome
Welcome to my new blog featuring commentary on the world of IndyCar and sportscar racing as well as the Indiana High School Cross-Country and Track and Field world.
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