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This Week in the Mixer Ep 2.05
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GoT reaction, The Padres are who we thought they were and I’m letting them off the hook, Memorial Day prop, and more Sportsball talk.
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2018 Motorsport Preview and Ramblings
As the 2018 motorsport season comes into focus, we can begin to look at this year’s slate of racing and the teams that will contest for championships.
Formula 1
Another year of Mercedes dominance? Probably.
For the neutrals and fans of other team on the grid, the Mercedes reign has not been era known for delivering great races. Heading into last season, there was some hope the rest of the field would be able to claw back the full second per lap advantage the Silver Arrows seemed to have on the rest of the field.
At certain points, Ferrari gave the illusion the prancing horse was up to the challenge, but a series of disappointing mid-season results put the Championship out of reach for Ferrari much sooner than fans had hoped.
The technical regulations for 2018 do not vary greatly from 2017; apart from the absence of shark fins/t-wings and the addition of the universally loved halo… It is not unreasonable to think we will see more of the same. The Mercedes power unit will be able to push through any aero, strategy, or driver deficiencies the team encounter over the length of the season.
Unless the mad F1 engineers at Renault, Ferrari, and Honda have somehow advanced their engines in the off-season, there is little doubt this will be another season to forget.
At least that gives us plenty of room in the word-count to gripe about the halo right?
For what the races may lack in drama, they possibly will make up for it in palate diversity. With Toro Rosso, Sauber/Alfa Romeo, and the stunning McLaren sporting sharp liveries, maybe the battles mid-pack will be eye-pleasing enough to draw the attention of the F1 race broadcast directors. Could be the only thing worth watching.
WEC
The rollercoaster of the WEC news cycle has been running non-stop arguably since Audi announced their withdrawal two seasons ago. The LMP1 grid went from five, to four, to maybe three, and now… ten.
The Privateer LMP1’s have taken up the call filling the vacancies, left by Audi and Porsche, and then some. SMP-Dallara, Manor-Ginetta, Rebellion-Oreca and the returning ByKolles teams will challenge Toyota for the two yearlong ‘Super Season’.
Surely this is Toyota’s time to shine at Le Mans right?
The Toyota Gazoo Racing squad are taking no chances. A primary point of focus for their off-season program has been to practice for unusual failures that have plagued the Japanese manufacturer for ages. We will have to wait until June to see if Toyota’s ‘expecting the unexpected strategy,’ will work.
With the direction of the future of LMP1 regulations in the balance, Toyota spot on the grid as the sole manufacturer to bend the ear of ACO is in a position of power. Will they use this position to skew the regulations to their favor, or will they take their (presumed) 2018-19 Le Mans trophies and ‘Super Season’ titles and leave the WEC?
At their core, Toyota crave competition. Should the team claim the Le Mans trophy that has long eluded them, the smart money would be on manufacturer remaining in the series welcoming new challengers to try to displace them from the top spot of the Le Mans podium.
Like trying to remove a fire hydrant from the sidewalk with a spoon… It would be a tough to displace Toyota as defending Le Mans champs after decades of trying to breakthrough.
But we are getting ahead of ourselves, aren’t we?
Rebellion certainly have the Endurance racing pedigree, the SMP-Dallara looks fast sitting still, Manor is no slouch, and ByKolles have been testing non-stop. All will be right there should Toyota stumble.
In addition to the battle at the top end of the grid, GTE Pro will not disappoint. Aston Martin’s newest Vantage model and the return of BMW results in four new cars for the full-length of the WEC season.
At Le Mans, Porsche will run four RSR’s at Le Mans, Ford field four GT’s, while Ferrari will run a trio of 488’s. Alongside two Corvette’s, and the afore mentioned Aston’s and BMW’s, the 15 GTE Pro’s may as well headline the Le Mans marquee come June.
Rumors swirl that yet another GTE manufacture will join the fray in the near future. An announcement is expected sometime in the spring with Toyota being the most likely to declare their intention of beginning a GTE program. The prospect of a Supra based GTE car is something many did not know they needed in their life until the internet forums began buzzing a few weeks ago.
What looked like a dismal wasteland of a transition period just a few months ago seems to have a blossomed into a great-valley-esque oasis of racing for the WEC.
Oh, and that Alonso guy from F1 signed up for the full season with Toyota. No big deal…
IMSA
Despite the dominance of F1, and the WEC taking up most of news headlines, the racing state-side is set to be the best product for the motorsport consumer.
The 24 Hours of Daytona may have not been the epic race the lineup was set up to deliver, but the series still has Sebring, Petit Le Mans, and a DPi lineup ready to go wheel to wheel through October!
Penske will get to grips with their Acura-Oreca and undoubtedly be the thorn in Cadillac’s side, while Nissan may be the among the favorite’s heading into Sebring.
If Joest can progress towards a more reliable Mazda, we could see one of the best battles in IMSA racing history with four manufacturers going head to head.
IndyCar
Just look at these things. Every one of them more gorgeous than the last.
With less aero grip than their predecessors, driver quality will be much more important in 2018. Although lacking the big name European manufacturers, if we are talking about the quality of racing and visual appeal, IndyCar is currently a better product than F1.
Not something that has been said for quite some time.
As the time draw near for drivers to start their engines one thing is for certain, we are set for an action packed 2018 season of racing. Time to get revved up!
Alonso Preparing for Toyota Le Mans Seat; Headlines this Weeks WEC News Roundup
In perhaps the busiest couple of weeks as far as endurance racing news goes, a long-awaited bombshell was dropped.
Fernando Alonso looks set to race in LMP1 at Le Mans in 2018 with Toyota Gazoo Racing. Reports have circled the Motorsports world the Spaniard visited the team’s headquarters earlier this week for seat fitting. Connecting the dots, Alonso appears likely to participate in the Bahrain Rookie test session on November 19th, the day after the final WEC race of the season on the same track.
Alonso will race at IMSA’s 24-Hours of Daytona in January for United Autosport’s, presumably to gain endurance racing experience ahead of Le Mans and further his bid for the triple crown of motorsport.
It appears the 36-year-old two-time Formula 1 Champion is determined to give his fan’s something to follow other than the hottest meme material.
As the racing world eagerly anticipates Alonso’s inaugural endurance race in Daytona, it appears many European teams will be making the trip as well.
Rumors are swirling Jackie Chan DC racing intends to enter a pair of ORECA 07’s in the Florida race. The Chinese team are considering an entry into the four major American endurance races (Daytona, Sebring, Watkins Glen, and Petit Le Mans) in what would be the busiest calendar for an LMP2 team. Currently sitting second behind the No. 13 Vaillante Rebellion in the LMP2 Driver’s Championship, the ‘Mighty 38,” and No.37 car run both the WEC and Asian Le Mans series.
In GTE news, three major manufacturer’s plans for the WEC ‘Super Season’ are coming to light. Porsche are said to be considering entering their pair of 911 RSR’s from IMSA alongside their two WEC cars. This plan would mimic Fords GT program, who have just committed to the 2018-2019 season, and add intensity to the fight in GTE.
The runners in GTE at Le Mans will face stiff competition from Aston Martin Racing who just began testing their new Vantage at Sebring. Spy camera shots show the imposes a real challenge to shake up the GTE hierarchy next season.
With no shortage of notable headlines, perhaps the most exciting nugget from endurance racing news is that Ginetta will reveal its LMP1 challenger at the Autosport International show in January. It will be the first glimpse the public can take of the car ahead of the ‘Super Season.’
With Manor and an additional unnamed team confirmed to be running the car so far, the Ginetta’s will be a prominently featured brand on the 2018-2019 WEC grid.
More confirmations of next season’s plans are expected in the upcoming week ahead of the 2017 season’s finale with the 6 Hours of Bahrain next weekend.
Keep it here and follow @rob_c_14 on Twitter for all the latest WEC, IMSA, and Motorsports news.
Toyota Wins the Day, But Porsche Toast Their Third Straight Title in Shanghai
The pair of TS050 Hybrids dominated the weekend and much of the race. Toyota ran 1-2 until the final hour when an error in the final hour by the race leading No. 7 at the hands of Jose Maria Lopez resulted in Porsche earning enough points to take their third straight Driver’s and Constructors Championship.
A questionable dive down the inside of the No. 91 Porsche 911 RSR at turn 2 resulted in an incident, damaging the driveshaft and suspension of Jose Maria Lopez’s TS050.
The subsequent trip to the garage displaced the Toyota four laps behind the leading No. 8 Toyota of Sebastian Buemi. As a result, Toyota’s hopes of carrying the Driver’s/Constructor’s title fight into the final round at Bahrain was spoiled.
The win for the No. 8 marks the second on the season for the driver trio of Sebastian Buemi, Anthony Davidson, and Kaz Nakajima.
An outright dogfight broke out in LMP2. The No. 13 Vaillante Rebellion looked in the first hour to be on cruise control to a comfortable win, until the championship leading and hometown favorite ‘Mighty 38,’ of Jackie Chan DC Racing came pedaling back.
Ultimately, two spins forced by other cars while Ho-Pin Tung was at the wheel, put the No. 38 out of contention ultimately finishing fourth in class.
A stellar final stint by Nelson Piquet Jr. meant the No. 13 team would take the top step on the podium, taking over the Driver’s Championship lead by 4 points over the squad of the ‘Mighty 38.’
In GTE Pro, Ford found it’s form again taking the class win with it’s No. 67 car. The win marks the second on the season for Anthony Priaulx and Harry Tricknell. The two benefited from the No. 91 Porsche’s incident with the No. 7 Toyota in the final hour as the damage sustained by the 911 RSR took the car out of contention.
Porsche is still looking for it’s first GTE win in the WEC with the new 911 RSR.
Lacking the drama of the other three classes in action, it was the No. 98 Aston Martin Racing team taking the win in GTE Am a full lap ahead of the No. 86 Gulf Racing UK Porsche 911.
Eight out of nine rounds have now wrapped in the 2017 WEC season. With three Driver’s titles still on the line for the last round at Bahrain, as well as the final duel between Porsche and Toyota in LMP1, the final race of the season is set up to be a memorable one.
Keep it here for all your WEC news and race coverage.
Follow @rob_c_14 on Twitter to be sure to keep up on all the latest.
Two New LMP1 Teams for WEC 2018-2019 ‘Super Season’
The race for top honors at Le Mans for the upcoming ‘Super Season’ appears to be getting off to an early start.
Just last week, representatives from Toyota stated they were leaning towards committing to the 2018-2019 season and beyond. Their decision hinging on the finalization of the LMP1 regulations in December.
Now, in the last two days we have had announcements from two additional teams who have declared their intentions of joining the LMP1 fray.
First came an announcement by the ELMS championship winning DragonSpeed team on Tuesday, that they intend to run an LMP1 program in the upcoming WEC season. This marks the first time a US based team will contest the top category in the WEC.
Pictured: DragonSpeed Oreca/Gibson LMP2
At this moment, DragonSpeed plans on running a single car with a chassis and engine supplier still yet to be determined. The stars and strapped liveried car will see current DragonSpeed drivers Ben Hanley, and Henrik Hedman at the wheel. The third seat for the car remains open.
Not to be outdone by DragonSpeed, TRS and Manor Endurance Racing announced on Wednesday they have purchased a Ginetta LMP1 chassis and will enter the 2018-2019 WEC ‘Super Season’ as well. The purchase confirms the team anticipates making good on their plans from earlier this year. Like DragonSpeed for the US, this will mark the first time a team bearing the Chinese flag will race in the WEC’s LMP1 category.
There has been no driver announcement for the team, and the engine supply has yet to be determined. Ginetta had previously announced Mechchrome would be supplying the engines for their chassis, it remains to be seen whether Manor will use the powerplant.
The announcements ease the concerns many have over the number of LMP1 entrants. At current estimate, a conservative number of four appears all but guaranteed with at least one Toyota, an SMP/Dallara, Manor/Ginetta, and a DragonSpeed car. Additionally, Ginetta has confirmed a sale of three additional chassis for a two-car team effort. ByKolles have yet to confirm their 2018-2019 plans, but have continued testing, a strong indicator they aim to continue in the WEC.
If another team joins the grid, or if any of these single car efforts double in size, we could be looking at a ten car LMP1 grid in what had been pegged as a transition period for the top-level prototypes.
A welcome relief after months of speculation. Let’s keep this momentum going! The green flag drops for penultimate round at The Six Hours of Shanghai this weekend.
Keep it here for all your WEC coverage.
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