IMSA is planning to rid of its current Protoype format for the 2017 TUDOR season, with plans to implement an all P2 class instead of the mixed P2/Daytona Prototype class currently in place. That means the Corvette DP will no longer be able to race in TUDOR competition, so it’s now time for General Motors to start mulling over its replacement.
GM has yet to confirm its involvement in P2 for 2017, however GM Racing boss Mark Kent recently made statements to RACER which made it seem as though the automaker’s return is highly likely. It still remains to be seen whether the new GM P2 racer will be Chevy or Cadillac branded, or if it will use turbo V6 or naturally aspirated V8 power, though both have been recognized as possibilities.
“I think as we look at the new chapter in prototype racing, it is truly an exciting time, starting in 2017 and beyond,” Kent told RACER. “We believe IMSA has done a very good job of bringing the balls down out of the air and locking down some of the key elements. Now we know which engines we’ll package, we now know what the bodywork will potentially look like.”
“So we have enough information now to internally assess whether continuing in the series makes sense from a business perspective. And if we were to continue, we have enough definition to determine which product it makes the most sense to continue with.”
Apart from producing different engines and bodywork for customer teams to buy, as they currently do in the TUDOR Protoype class, GM could also decide to field its own factory-backed team for 2017. Kent acknowledged the advantages of both possibilities, but admitted the customer teams have ultimately paid off for GM and Chevy.
“For many years, it looked like having a focused, two-car team was the approach to use,” Kent said. “But if you look at more recent history in the Prototype class, having three or four Corvette Daytona Prototypes fielded by two or three different teams has resulted in multiple championships for us.”
“It’s also hard to argue why you wouldn’t continue down that path if you could continue with the strong teams that are currently running the Corvette Daytona Prototype?” Kent added. “It’s not an easy thing to answer and obviously we won’t have to answer that question until we answer the question of whether or not we even continue in the prototype class.”
Comments
If it is not a Corvette and doesn’t at least resemble a Corvette as the current car does it will be another series that Nascar has screwed and I will no longer be following.
as a owner of 11 new corvettes since 1959 the car better look like a corvette or I will not watch. I hate racing where the only difference in the cars are is the colors and the sponsor decals. NASCAR found that out in cup as people stayed away in droves
I have a negative feeling about the switch !
Guys there is much more to this than the story tells.
First off GM has been waiting to see what the rule package is.
Second the cost of racing is off the charts and series have tried to hold the line on cost. This is why cars in many cases have similar rules or face constant rules changes like weight to even up the racing.
If the racing goes unchecked the cost sky rockets and the companies involved pull out if they can not win or afford to keep up. Even F1 is now feeling the pinch from this.
Third if one makes dominates the series dies. Showroon stock racing in the 80’s was dominated by Corvette till they ban the Corvette. Then they ran the Z/28 and dominated with it till everyone else left the series and it died. In the end no one won.
Trans Am, Can Am and other road race series have gone thorough this and dies not just once but several times like Trans Am.
Sorry but pure racing just will not happen anymore as technology and cost have taken it away. Cars are just too good today as in the past many were not and few even finished a race let along finished in second by a second after 24 hours.
I miss the old racing too but as with everything else time stands still for no one.
Pure racing does not have to be dead! Just intelligent people need to get into the business who understands the history of sports car racing. It’s very simple what they need to do to build the most successful sports car racing series ever made. They need to bring back Group C/GTP’s but designed and upgraded with all modern technology:)! GTP’s our the fastest most powerful cars ever built and ones with new tech would be even more so. And only a very few simple regulations need to be made to make it fair to race for all, and fun to watch by all.
1. Limit the allowed total expense of the Cars to a price that 90 percent of teams agree to. Take a vote every season so as more teams can afford higher budgets the budget goes up and the cars get better technology and faster with each year.
2. Modern Safety guild lines all teams can agree too.
3. Original GTP series rules.
(Rule 1. prevents bigger teams from out performer small teams only because of larger budgets which was the only cause of GTP’s demise in the 90s. All teams would have to hold on to there parts recipes for auditing by IMSA.
Why not standardize on P1, P2, GTLM, and GT3 and get the world racing again. Differing standards and rules limits competition and decreases the interest of the manufactures to compete. GT3’s future looks remarkable due a commonality of goals.