2009
The last two years the “Red” Ferrari has been dominant in the long races here and abroad. Let’s just hope some things don’t change.
This will be another GT2 war with the Porsches, BMWs and Corvettes all having superior top speed on the Ferrari, making it difficult for us to overtake although, to balance that, the high speed corners suit the car well.
This will be another fierce GT2 battle with the Porsches, BMWs and Corvettes all having good top speed, and the Panoz could surprise us here as well.
There are seven serious contenders that can win GT2 at this event between the Ferrari, BMWs, Corvettes and Porsches; it’s very unique to have that many with two top level pro drivers in each car.
Rick Mayer, Risi Competizione Team Engineer, gives us the inside story on how to set up a car to race at Lime Rock Park.
It’s a grueling race; the drivers (and crew) need to be 100% focused. Strategy: (1) Stay out of the garage, (2) stay on the track, (3) don’t hit anything or get hit, (4) stop only for fuel, tires, the occasional engine oil and front brakes...
Car count will be up and the complexion of the grid will be a bit different this year with the addition of some GT3 Porsche Cup cars into the ALMS race. IMSA is calling it the “Challenge Class”. Not sure who it’s more challenging for, the GT3 cars or the cars that must pass/race with them!
This is a tight circuit and passing is always tough on street circuits but the 1.968 mile, 11-turn temporary course is a favorite for competitors due to its situation and atmosphere. Qualifying up front will again be critical.
The biggest difference between this year and last will be the car count. This year there are only 17 cars with 6 LMP’s and 11 GT2’s; last year the count was 29 cars with 12 LMP’s—that’s a big difference on a 1.8 mile street course.
For the past few years the race has been a “sprint race”, the entire 12 hours for all classes. The cars are super reliable, the competition always fierce, with none more so than in GT2. Even with hard economic times, this year will be no exception.
