Conference oass::racers

    Preliminary results of qualifying for the Sunbank 24 Hours of Daytona, 
    Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, FL:

    Bob Wollek/Bernd Schneider/Massimo Sigala/Paolo Barilla
    				Porsche 962C		115.595 mph

    Davy Jones/Scott Pruett/Derek Warwick/Raul Boesel
    				Jaguar XJR-12		114.359

    Arie Luyendyk/Julian Bailey
    				Nissan R90C		116.653*

    Geoff Brabham/Chip Robinson/Derek Daly
    				Nissan R90C		116.431*

    Bob Earl/Steve Millen/Jeremy Dale
    				Nissan R90CK		116.283*

    Michael/Mario/Jeff Andretti
    				Porsche 962C		113.390

    Frank Jelinski/"John Winter"/Henri Pescarolo/Hurley Haywood
    				Porsche 962C		111.358

    Juan Fangio II/Willy T. Ribbs/Andy Wallace
    				Toyota Eagle HF89	110.416

    Rocky Moran/P.J. Jones/Mark Dismore			
    				Toyota Eagle HF89	106.184


    *Group C cars cannot start from the front row under IMSA rules.

    Note that speeds were approx. 15 mph less than achieved in practice due
    to heavy rain on the circuit.
    
    TV schedule: ESPN, Saturday (2/2) 3-4pm EST, Saturday 8-9pm EST, Sunday
    (2/3) 3-4pm EST    				

    
    Anybody got the results?
    
    Mark

    The results I saw last night were 
    
    	Wolleck and co 	porsche 962 
    		?	porsche 962
    
    
    	Jaguar went out with waterpump failure ( after 2 replacements)
    	I think nissan had trouble , but not sure what. It was on ceefax 
    	last night.
    
    
    	Sorry Its so sketchy, can't remember , jaguar didn't win or come
    second , no point in reading any further.
    
    
    	Garry

>>    	Wolleck and co 	porsche 962 
>>    		?	porsche 962

First was Porsche but I thought Chip was second in the 83 Nissan 8 
laps down. Only one Jag started as the other was damaged in a practice
accident. 

Two 962 had interesting teams. One team was made up of all Unsers and
the other was all Andrettis. Robby Unser was driving during the night
and the headlights kept going off and on. He was going into a turn and
the lights went out. He said it became difficult to see the turn! End
of Unsers 962. The Andrettis were near the front and had some problems
which put them 13 (?) laps down by Saturday night. At something like
9:00 on Sunday morning they had gotten the car into the lead! They had
more problems which put them back into 5th at the end. Both of these 
teams had brand new cars right out of the box without testing.

The first placed GTO car was a Rousch (sp?) mustang which finished 4th 
overall!

GTL was the Acura engined car which didn't actually take the checkered 
flag. It was parked on the side of the track 5 minutes from the end. 
It was so far in front that it still won.

GTU was a Mazda. I think Al Bacon and Pete Halsmer were two of the 
drivers.

    Brief results of 24 Hrs. Of Daytona:

    "Winter"/Jelinski/Pescarolo/Haywood
    Porsche 962C		719 laps		106.633mph

    Brabham/Robinson/Daly
    Nissan R90C			701 		

    Hotchkiss/Adam/Cord
    Porsche 962C		692

    Gordon/Dallenbach/Martin
    Ford Mustang 6.0		672		(GTO class winner)

    Andretti/Andretti/Andretti
    Porsche 962C		663

    Schroeder/Jones/Fergus
    Ford Mustang 6.0		658		(GTO)

    Johnstone/Peterson/Cameron/Lesnett
    Spice SE90P-Acura		654 (NR)	(GTP-L class winner)

    ************

    (13) Greer/Bacon/Uria/Mees
    Mazda RX-7			605		(GTU class winner)

    who is "John Winter"?  I understand it's a pseudonym, anybody know the
    story behind it?
    
    Also, did anybody else see the end of the race on ESPN?  I wondered
    about the Rousch team lineup to take the flag in formation - seemed
    like the front two of them were banging doorhandles with each other for
    some reason?!  
    
    I thought Robby Unser seemed rather blase about losing his lights going
    into the turn (one?) in the dark, I'd expect that to be a rather
    exciting surprise!  But he was quite matter-of-fact in the interview...
    
    Other than that it reportedly was a rather uneventful race, as much as
    any 24-hour grind can be, I guess.
    

    re: "John Winter"

    I believe he's the son of a European industrialist who secured the
    backing of his family for his racing ambitions in exchange for not
    using the family name in racing.  The family felt racing was not a
    suitable profession for one of their heirs.  It's one of those "open
    secrets" however; On Track published an interview with him a while
    back, which gave his real name.  Come to think of it, the last few
    times I've seen his name listed in race results has been without
    quotes.  Perhaps he's legally changed his name to capitalize on the
    recognition he's achieved under his pseudonym, a la Elton John (who
    hasn't put out a good record since 1973 if you ask me, and yes, I know,
    no one did).

Re: "John Winter"

I agree with what .-1 said about him being the son of a European
Industrialist, however, I thought the alias was to keep his parents
from knowing that he was racing. After a fair amount of success (like
winning LeMans) it was no longer a secret. I thought he had then let
people know his real name and was going to retire from racing.

    
    John Winter is a dentist somewhere (which is how he pays for his
    racing). His real name is Louis Kraegs (or something not a million miles 
    from that) and he retires more often than not at the end of each season, but
    always seems to be back.
    
    As .8 says he revealed his true identity after winning Le Mans and 
    announced that that was it for his racing career (Motoring News had
    an interview with him saying he'd done all he wanted to in motor racing
    and he was finishing.) Maybe his family decided to let him continue
    when they saw how successful he'd been.
    
    Mark

    The IMSA GP of Palm Beach was last Saturday in Florida.  It was run
    with a threat of tornadoes, but no rain was encountered.  
    
    The pole sitter was Tommy Kendall in Chevy powered car.  It is only his
    second GTP run.  Davy Jones was second on the grid in the Jaguar.  The
    Nissan's of Brabham and Robinson  were on the second row.
    
    The Camel Lights pole was taken by Parker Johnstone in his Acura
    powered Spice car.
    
    Bob Wolleck, a favorite of mine and many IMSA race fans, had to start
    in 19th because of engine problems.
    
    The start was the most eventful part of the race, at least for the
    lead, Davy Jones took first from Kendall at the second turn and never
    looked back.  
    
    Robinson blew by Brabham and Kendall by the end of the first lap.
    
    The most exciting battle in the race was for 2nd,3rd & 4th in GTP. 
    Wayne Taylor, in a newly designed chassis with Chevy power, first
    fought Robinson for 3rd, and Brabham for 2nd, and took the checker in
    2nd.
    
    Some interesting notes on the race:
    
    Wayne Taylor's car is the first GTP (maybe first race car) to have
    power steering!
    
    John Paul jr. and Derek Bell were entered in an open cockpit Porsche,
    which did fairly well.
    
    Bernd Schneider, an F1 driver for the past thre seasons, is driving
    with Wollack in a Porsche.
    
    Raul Boesel, of Indy car fame, is driving the number 2 Jaguar.
    
    Johnstone, in the Acura Spice Lights car, dominated its class, He
    lapped the second place car twice!
    
    Chip Robinson did not finish, spinning in his own water with less than
    5 minutes left.
    
    Juan Manuel Fangio III pushed his car over the finish line for 8th
    place.  
    
    I was especially impressed with Wayne Taylor and the Chevy engine. 
    They may do well this year.
    
    I think Nissan is going to have their hands full with Jaguar, Chevy,
    and sometimes Porsche fighting for the winners circle.
    
    the finish was:  1. Jones/Jaguar     2. Taylor/Chevy  
                     3. Brabham/Nissan   4. Kendall/Chevy
                     5. Moran/Toyota
    
    
    Some new rules for IMSA this year:
    
    1.  2 hour Limit on all sprint races.
    
    2.  1 bonus point awarded for pole sitter.
    
    3.  1 bonus point awarded for fast lap.
    
    
    I got this information by watching ESPN, my favorite racing channel.  I
    will try to provide an update on all IMSA races this year, when job,
    home and VCR permit.
    
    
    TIM
    
    
     

    .re -.1
    
    Great report!  I am looking forward to more of these reports as the
    season progresses.
    
    .re:
    
    >Wayne Taylor's car is the first GTP (maybe first race car) to have
    >power steering!
    
    I believe most of the Winston Cup NASCAR racers use power steering.
    
    Bob J.
    

    I still don't see Toyota getting its act together.  Gurney is still
    trying to get his car enough power to stay with Jaguar and Nissan, and
    the up and coming Chevy.
    
    I heard Mazda is thinking of running GTP next year, and Acura might
    join as well.  If an Acura GTP car runs a well as its lights
    countepart, I think everyone should be worried.  The Acura passed its
    second place car twice during the race at Long Beach.  The lights cars
    went the entire race without a need for fuel, so the Acura stayed on
    the road for two hours.  That's a testament to the car and the tires.
    
    Tim
    

    
    A friend lent me a tape with the satelite broadcast of the Daytona 24
    hours and I was absolutely stunned  (almost to the point of
    speechlessness! :^)) by the seemingly tiny number of people watching
    the race at the circuit.
    
    Was the coverage misleading or are the stands only 10-20% full? Being
    a regular spectator at Le Mans for the last 11 years I couldn't believe
    that a handfull of people only would turn out for Daytona when Le Mans
    is absolutely heaving with people at the start and finish.
    
    Mark

    I don't know what the seating capacity is at Daytona, but in terms of
    actual attendance, I think OT or AW said there were 40 - 50 thousand
    people there. (A lot of people were probably in the rest room when
    the camera zoomed by! :-)
    
    bob

Re: .14

Mark, it's true that the 24 Hrs. is woefully underattended.  One problem 
is the general lack of interest in "sports car" racing in the US.  While 
stock cars have long had a single important series (NASCAR Winston Cup) and 
Indy cars have represented the US National Championship for decades, and of
course the international scene is dominated by F1, the US has seen a number
of series for sports cars and prototypes: US Road Racing Championship in the
1950s and early 1960s, the Can-Am in the late 1960s-mid 1970s and early 1980s,
and IMSA's Camel GT/GTO/GTP series in the late 1970s to the present.  Plus, on 
the international scene, there were Group 6, Group 5, Group 4, and Group C rules
for the series which has been named World Manufacturer's Championship, World 
Champ. of Makes, World Endurance Champ. etc.  This gets confusing, and the lack
of history and continuity has affected the simple American mind when it comes
to allocating precious lesiure time to viewing sports events.  (Although I 
should note here that IMSA GTP in its current iteration seems to be healthy, 
although like CART and Group C it has trouble generating a big starting field
for events).

Many of the more "hard-core" race fans of my acquaintance generally like Croup C/
IMSA GTP racing, perhaps because as kids we all saw "Le Mans" about 10 times, 
fell in love with the beautiful machinery, went regularly to the group 5 6-hour
race at Watkins Glen, and kept up with it over the years.  But our general 
sports press ignores racing in general, so its hard for anything but the Big Two
series (CART and Winston Cup) to break through into the public conciousness, 
with the possible exception of F1 (though to be fair interest in F1 has declined 
in the US over the last ten years).

I agree: we're missing out on one of the big spectatcles in motorsports.  But 
when comparing Le Mans to Daytona, remember that Le Mans has that huge carnival 
along with the race, while the big festivities in Daytona are saved for the
500 two weeks later.  Also, that part of Florida can be COLD in February, so the 
overnight crowd is cut down a bit.  Perhaps a better comparison to Le Mans in 
terms of spectacle and general interest is Indianapolis.

I'll stop babbling now.

    
    Re .16
    
    Hello George,
    
    I'd agree that Le Mans and Indianapolis are more comparable as 'events'
    than Le Mans and Daytona, but I was suprised by the apparent size of
    the crowd I could see (it didn't look 40-50k!).
    
    Many sportscar races in Europe attract very small crowds (at Spa last
    year the commentator personally thanked each person in the grandstand
    for coming!), but Le Mans stands alone. The drivers often compare the
    two 24 hour races these days and for that reason I imagined that they
    were comparable in terms of standing as well as races. It would seem
    I was wrong.
    
    Still, when my friend moves to the States, I'll still try to get to see
    at least 1 Daytona 24 hours.
    
    Mark

Mark, if you get the chance, by all means go.  A 24-hour race is on my list of 
things to see in racing as well.  Besides, think how few hassles you'll have
with such a small crowd present.  And access to the paddock is generally quite
easy in American racing, so you can watch midnight pit stops "up close and 
personal".  And, by Sunday, you'll probably have your pick of grandstand seats! 

    A side benefit of 24-hour racing is the photo oppurtunities. Sunset and
    sunset shots can be dramatic. Nightime pit shots of crews working over
    a glowing red engine are quite dramatic. Time lapse shots with headlight
    and tailight stripes can be taken.
    
    Best of all access is infinitely better. You can move around easily and
    set up without people tripping over your tripod[I always used monopods
    at F1s for this reason].
    
    Just remember to bring plenty of film, 24-hours seems like a lifetime
    if you run out.
    
    Bob

    The 12 hours at Sebring was held last weekend in Florida.  Comparable
    to the 24 hours at Daytona, The ESPN coverage showed many race fans in
    attendance, even in the rain.  Espn stated 70 thousand fans for the 12
    hour race.
    
    The race was the second wettest race in its history, with three series
    of downpours during the race.  The race was run entirely on rain tires. 
    The ESPN coverage I was able to tape was for the final 5 laps and a
    recap, so I can't give you a full play-by-play.
    
    From what I gathered, The Joecst Porsche with Bob Wollack jumped out to
    an early lead, and the Joecst anf Nissan teams pu on quite a show for
    the entire race.  
    
    Jaguar had electircal problems, and only Davy Jones finished the race.
    
    In the lights division, the Acura looked like it would run away with
    its third straight IMSA victory, but a faulty gearbox put them in
    trouble on the grass quite a ways from the pits.  Under IMSA rules, a
    car broken down outside of pit lane cannot be worked on unless by the
    drivers.  So Parker Johnstone and his co-driver, pulled the gear box
    and fixed it so third gear would work, and limped back to the pits, for
    a full gearbox change.  They ended in 5th spot overall for lights.
    
    Late in the race Chip Robinson in the number 84 Nissan had the lead 
    until the ignition box got wet at the pit entrance.  The crew pushed 
    the car to its pit, and while Chip was trying to get it started, Geoff 
    Brabham in the number 83 Nissan moved into first place.
    
    The overall race was a hard fought battle between the Nissans, with the
    Porsches always in contention.
    
    The final GTP placings were:
    
                    1.  Geoff Brabham/Brabham/Daly - Nissan
                    2.  Chip Robinson - Nissan
                    3.  Wollack/Sigala - Porsche
                    4.  Jelinski - Porsche
    
    The final GTO placings were:
    
                    1.  Max Jones - Rousch Mustang
                    2.  Jeremy Dale - Nissan 300zx
                    3.  John O'steen - Mazda RX-7
    
    
    The Win status for makes for the Sebring 1 hours GTP are:
    
    
                    1.  Porsche  17 wins
                    2.  Ferrari   9 wins
                    3.  Ford      3 wins
                    4.  Nissan    3 wins
    
    
    Nissan has won the past three years.
    
    
    
    Tim

    
    Didn't the OTHER Jagwar (:^)) get badly damaged in practice and fail to
    start? Just like Daytona!
    
    Mark

    
    
    	Yup they wrote off another chassis in a practice shunt.  That's two
    	monocoques in a month.  Luckily they will be running the the
    	XJR-12's for a while.  That will give them until Le Mans to get the 
    	V-12 cars put back together again.
    
    	The XJR-14 was unveiled recently for Group C work.  Rumor has it
    	that it looks like an F1 car with fenders.  The rear body work is 
    	supposedly much like the Pug 905.
    
    	I'll have to watch the mailbox for info from JCNA.
    
    
    							Rich P.
    

    
    The XJR-12 is a V12! The XJR-10 (I think!) is the current IMSA car, but 
    a new one is due to appear in Miami.
    
    Anyway, on the XJR-14, it does indeed look like a single seater with 
    a roof and closed in wheels being much smaller and fragile (in
    appearance anyway, I don't know the exact comparative figures off hand)
    than even the turbo V6s. Wait 'til you see the colour scheme too!!!!
    
    In testing at Silverstone the car has lapped (on it's first public run)
    at only .5s off the time of the Jordan F1 car with the same engine
    (which is proving fairly swift by F1 standards). Also Teo Fabi has 
    complained of severe neck pains, not suprising since he's spent a lot
    of time on ovals, but Derek Warwick has also found the downforce
    generated by the XJR-14 gives him neck pains (like the old
    ground-effect F1 cars). The roofline (glasshouse) is reminiscent of 
    the Pug 905 (apparently the new rules encourage the all glass look), but 
    the Jag makes the Pug look bulky as a whole. Imagine anyone thinking
    that 3 months ago!
    
    Mark

Re: last

Not sure why Fabi's days on ovals would soften his neck muscles.  Indy cars at 
Indy are pulling positive G over 6600 feet of a 13200 foot lap.  Midpoint ("apex"
if you will) lateral loading is 3.6-4.0.  G loads at Phoenix (turn 3-4) and 
Nazareth (front dogleg) are about the same.  Michigan might be somewhat less due 
to the high banking.  However, on what passes for road circuits in America, 
Indy cars have significantly lesser lateral loadings than an F1 car, due to 
design differences, smaller tire contact area, time spent in 50 mph corners on 
city circuits, and mechanical and aerodynamic effects of unsmooth ground 
planes (bumpy roads, that is).  

Re: small Grp C cars

With the new engine rules, the cars have less power, thus less ability to 
overcome the drag caused by large downforce-producing shapes/devices.  Grp. C
designers are having to rethink the lift/drag equation, much as F1 designers did
in 1988-89, and are voting for smaller frontal area, among other changes.  
 
 

    
    Re : last
    
    George, The comment was he was having pains in one side of his neck!
    :^) It sounded a bit daft to me as Fabi would have had to drive on
    road circuits too in his Indy racing stint.
    
    Anyway, I'm not sure of the exact figures, but it seems as if the new
    Jag will be the business on fast sweeping circuits (but then the old 
    ones were too!). Another point I forgot to put in my note was that the
    XJR-14 has a central gearchange, the idea being to make the linkage
    less complex as it now passes through the V of the engine in a
    straight line.
    
    Mark

    
    
    RE: .23  Oops!!! You are absolutely correct!  
    		     XJR-12 = 12 cyl. XJR-10 = 6 cyl. 
    
    	     Well, anyways...  Does any one know if there are plans to run
    	     the XJR-14 in IMSA or only in Group C? 
    
    
    								Rich P.
    

Saw the following in CARS_UK or USENET, forget which:  

J-M Balestre has announced a change for Le Mans.  Previously, only teams which
had committed to run the entire 1991 Group C season would be allowed to enter 
cars at LM (although teams could enter more cars at Le Mans than they regularly
run at the sprints).  Unfortunately, only 15 cars were registered for the entire
season, only seven of which were to 1991 3.5 liter normally aspirated/750kg 
spec.  Now, our favorite boneheaded Parisian has announced that anybody with a 
Group C car can enter the 24 Hours, regardless.  Needless to say, the Mercedes 
and Jaguar teams are ripsh*t, as they've built 3.5 liter cars at great expense 
to run the sprint races just to be allowed to enter their more durable 1990-spec
cars at Le Mans.  Balestre claims he consulted Peugeot, and Jean Todt thought it
was a good idea.  Unfortunately for J-M, FISA rules require him to secure the 
OK of ALL teams in the championship before making such changes.  This seems to 
confirm the thinking among many European journalists that J-M Bonehead is out
to kill Group C, and any other series that might detract from his precious
Formula 1 (remember the Euro Touring Car Championship?).

Looks like the Saddam Hussein of auto racing has struck again . . .

    You sound suprised at "Mr Bonehead"'s move...
    
    jim e
    

    Went to Road Atlanta yesterday for the Nissan Grand Prix of Atlanta. 
    Although it was overcast, no rain fell during the race.
    
    It was a beautifully run race from where I was standing for Davy Jones
    in the Jaguar.  By midway He was a full half lap better than the rest
    of the field, including Brabham.  During the pit stops, Davy came in
    first and had a good stop.  Brabham and Boesel came in a lap later
    Boesel was running in third.  Brabham beat him out of the pits for
    second place.  Robinson, who was running in second, came in a lap later
    and returned in second place.  Brabham came back in to the pits soon
    after with elctrical problems, finishing his day.  By this time Davy
    was about to lap Boesel in the second Jaguar.  Davy had almost a lap
    lead when He came in for a final pit stop, and finished in first.
    
    1.  Davy Jones   Jaguar
    2.  Chip Robinson  Nissan
    3.  Raul Boesel  Jaguar
    
    The Lights race was won by Parker Johnstone in the Acura Spice, which
    is turning out to be the car to beat.  Parker has won the three races this
    year, 4 in a row inclding Del Mar last year.
    
    My impression of the Jaguar is that Nissan will have its hands full to
    repeat again as champs.  Davy has the best chance to put Jaguar in the
    winners circle.  
    
    Toyota did not show up for the race, they are developing a whole new
    car which should be ready for Lime Rock.
    
    There was a pretty good crowd there, best in the race history, which
    proves that there is more than one kind of racing down south.
    
    Sometimes you want to see more than a car going round and round.
    
    Tim
      

Davy Jones lamost got the XJR-16 (now known, predictably, as the "F-16") its 
second win yesterday, but a late offcourse excursion allowed Chip Robinson to 
score the win in the Nissan NPT-91.  Jones finished second.  Didn't hear any of
the other positions.

Anyone see results on the Monza Group C event?  Wonder if Peugeot or Mercedes
managed to catch up to the XJR-14, which was something like three seconds faster
than the next best qualifier at Suzuka.

    Jags were 1-2 yesterday, I think.

.30>	Anyone see results on the Monza Group C event?  
    
From:	"The VOGON News Service  06-May-1991 1112"	VNS #2316  

<><><><><><><><>  T h e   V O G O N   N e w s   S e r v i c e  <><><><><><><><>

 Edition : 2316               Monday  6-May-1991            Circulation :  8482 
    
VNS UK SPORTS REPORT:                             [Ken Merrick, VNS Sports Desk]
=====================                             [Valbonne, France            ]

[] MOTOR SPORT
   World Sports Car Championship - Round 2, Monza
  
   As in Suzuka, Jaguar showed absolute supremacy in practise with Teo Fabi
   recording 1'33"672 as his fastest time to take pole, with Derek Warwick
   (1'34"027) in the second Jaguar completing the first line of the grid.
   The second line had the two Peugeots 905s (Baldi/Alliot 1'38"040 and
   Roseberg/Dalmas 1'38"954). The third line were nearly seven seconds off the
   leaders - Zwolsman/Euser in a Spice Cosworth 1'40"143 and Schumacher/
   Wendlinger in the normally aspirated Mercedes 1'40"555.

   To the race itself and in wet conditions. Jaguars reliability had been in
   question and as thecars started their warm-up lap, Derek Warwick was at the
   back of the grid following problems earlier in the day which required a new
   engine 1h 30mins before the start. Replacement took just 1h 22'. 

   Theo Fabi led for the first 22 laps  which included the pace car being used
   on lap 15 after an accident involving the Primagaz Porsche of Cohen Olivar.
   The Peugeot of Dalmas led from laps 23 -47 after the jaguar made a long
   pit-stop. By lap 40 though, with Peugeot 1 and 2, Warwick was within
   striking distance aand he took the lead on lap 48 which he held until the
   finish.

   Result: 1. Warwick/Brundle (Jaguar XJR14) 2h5'42"844 (Av 207.614km/h)
           2. Fabi/Brundle (Jaguar XJR14) + 1 lap
           3. Schlese-Mass (Mercedes C11) +2 laps
           4. Euser-Zwolsman (Spice-Cosworth) + 4 laps
           5. Reuter-Tolvonene (Porsche 962) +4 laps

   Next race _ Silverstone May 19
________________________________________________________________________________
{Sources for uncredited items featured in Sports Desk are: BBC World Service,
 The Independent, Liberation, L'Equipe and La Gazzetta dello Sport}
________________________________________________________________________________
    
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

    Permission to copy material from this VNS is granted (per DIGITAL PP&P)
    provided that the message header for the issue and credit lines for the
    VNS correspondent and original source are retained in the copy.

<><><><><><><><>   VNS Edition : 2316      Monday  6-May-1991   <><><><><><><><>

    
    
    I saw the race at monza (on friday,saturday and sunday) and I was
    really surprised for jaguar`s supremacy. They run at least two seconds
    faster than peugeot and three sec faster than mercedes.
    May be at Monza the Jaguar had a particular advantage due to the rain
    and the dirty track (they have a so large wing behind...) anyway I
    think there are no chances to contrast the Jaguars this year.
    
    did you read anything about the accident occurred at the peugeot boxes?
    Dalmas came in the boxes too fast and he crashed his car against the
    big container of the fuel. The container fallen down on two mechanics
    (they both went to the hospital - a foot and a nose broken).
    Immediately the ambulance went where the accident occured but it
    stopped on the jaguar`s area right when jaguar was entering to change 
    the tyres ! Jaguar`s mechanics pushed away the ambulance but at the
    same time the other peugeot was also entering to change the tyres !!
    It was just like watching TV gags.                   
    
	Mauro.

    The jaguars will dominate group C with this car for quite a while...
    at Suzuka they were 2-5 seconds pper lap faster. All they have to
    do is make it reliable. Monza has shown that they can do it.
      Once again after a rule change designed to make a french car win
    the brits do it again. Its a real shame Colin Chapman isnt alive to
    see this happen. But it did take 25 years for revenge to occur in the 
    shape of the leaping cat.
    
    
    			Meaow
    
    
    					Derek

    I am thinking about going down to Lime Rock on Monday for the IMSA
    race.  Can anyone give me information on ticket prices, best places to
    park and sit, how bad traffic will be, schedule, so on?
    
    Gary

    
    Gen admin  -  $25
    paddock pass  -  $10
    
    11:05  Barber Saab
    12:00  Super Cars
    1:30   IMSA GTP (2 hrs.)
    4:00   Toyo Touring Int.
    4:45   Formula Atlantic
    
    Traffic is bad just about everywhere you could park.  If your going to
    hug one piece of sod do so on the outfield overlookinig Big Bend at the
    end of the straight, or on the infield hillside with views of Big Bend
    and the esses.  If you like to walk get into the infield and you can
    see nearly all the racetrack by walking the inside perimeter.  There
    are plenty of good places to view, one of my favorites is the downhill
    beneath the motor-bridge.
    
    I don't know why, but fields for this race always are a little slack.
    Given its' proximity to the metro NY area I don't understand why the
    manufacturers don't try to make a better showing.  No matter though.
    LRP is a *beautiful* venue.
    
    Have fun.
    
    - Nate

    
    I saw a LRP paper and it said Gen Admin would be $30 at the gate, $25
    if bought before race day.
    

    
    
    	Does anyone know the results from LRP?
    
    
    
    							Rich P.
    

    GTP results
    
    1) Nissan  Chip Robinson
    2) Jaguar  Davy Jones
    3) Nissan  Geoff Brabham
    4) Intreprid Wayne ? (can't remember his last name)
    5) Intreprid Tommy Kendall
    

Well, how about those Mazdas, eh?

Unfortunately, on Saturday night, the Mercedes were running 1-2-3.  Sunday
morning, ESPN picks up the Screensport coverage with 1/2 hr. to go, and no 
Mercs in the lead, and Mazda running 1-6-8 and Jag 2-3-4.  Nobody managed to
give an explanation to us ignorant Americans re: what happened to so radically 
change the outcome.  Another nice effort by the Enhanced Stick-and-ball 
Programming Network.

Does anyone know why TWR didn't start the XJR-14?  It may not have finished but 
at least it would have screwed up the French self-image at the start (Mrs. 
Chesson notwithstanding).

And let's hear it for FISA's Group C weasel, Oberstfuerher Max Moesley, who 
tried to ban the rotary Mazdas from competition during the off-season.
Thankfully not all of FISA's scams/shakedown rackets come to fruition.

    
    Well, essentially, the Mercs fell apart. Palmer's car (32) hit
    something in the night and eventually retired from that (we were
    told...), but then 31 (Schumaker's very fast car) came in with severe
    overheating as a water pump belt failed. This failed at the Porsche
    Curves (about a mile from the pits) and didn't seem to cause any major
    damage (although this car did do the last couple of hours very slowly),
    but at about noon on sunday the lead car (no 1) also suffered this
    fate, but wrecked its engine. It came in for a stop, but only did one
    very slow lap after that before being retired.
    
    So the Mazda took the lead. It'd always appeared in the top 5 during
    the pitstops (being lighter it seemed able to eke its fuel out more)
    and was able to set a faster pace than the disappointingly slow
    Jaguars.
    
    Jaguar, presumably, are fairly pleased with the result as it leaves
    them in the lead of the WSC, which didn't look very likely at 2am on
    Sunday morning! Fabi is now well ahead in the driver's championship too 
    and the 14 should be able to maintain that lead until the end of the
    season going on current form. They obviously got their sums very wrong
    this year with poor qualifying and race speeds (One Merc was regularly
    lapping 12-15 seconds a lap faster!), but the team kept going and took
    and impressive looking result by the end, and this is still an
    endurance event.
    
    Mercedes pulled their Cat.1 car out during qualifying and the XJR-14
    won pole, but didn't take it for the race (presumably Jaguar didn't 
    want to waste time having to race it and refuel it). I agree, it was a 
    shame, but the turbo Merc 1 was faster in practice, so maybe Jags
    didn't expect the Peugeots to display such a turn of speed at the
    beginning. It certainly was a crowd pleaser for the locals! :^)
    
    Mark

What happened to the Peugeots?  I did watch some of the first segment where they
showed the pit fire, and was quite impressed.  Also the chicanes at the 
Mussilene (sp?) straight should be dismantled altogether.  It certainly made 
that section less interesting than it should be.

Jilly

    
    The Pugs died within the first 6 hours, both out with broken
    engines (I believe). Other than their bravado laps in the first
    hour they never looked like lasting the distance...
    
    The chicanes on the Mulsanne look set to remain. They were only
    put in last year to reduce speed on the straight. Eventually the
    straight will probably disappear altogether, I suspect.
    
    Mark
    
    PS I suspect Peugeot were less than impressed with their pitlane
    barbecue!

re: .last

The Peugeot pit fire is a classic example of why Americans are generally aghast
at the pitlane chaos at FISA-controlled races.  There seemed to be scores of 
people, press, crews, FISA weasels, and assorted hangers-on, surrounding each
car as it pitted.  In Formula 1 it's bad enough, with the shorts, etc., but at 
a Group C event?  With fueling underway?  It seems inevitable that someplace, 
someday, scores of people are going to be injured or worse in one of these pit 
incidents.  Had that tankful of Peugeot's zip fuel lit off, the ACO's precious
new pit complex would have looked like downtown Baghdad, circa 16 January.

And what kind of fuel are they using in Group C and F1 these days?  Honda's
paper on the 1.5l V6 turbo, presented to the SAE in 1989, revealed their fuel
mix was 84% toluene and 16% heptane, whihc had some endothermic properties.  
Nowadays, I've seen references to xylene, a nasty aromatic, as a key additive.
Anyone got the poop?  

    Did anyone else catch the subtle spin control on ESPN's reporting about
    Dyson racing yesterday from Watkins Glen?  Early in the race they
    showed a segment about telemetry from the car, and interviewed Rob Dyson
    about a problem that was showing up.  Dyson confided that they were
    leaking water into a cylinder, and were trying to figure out what was
    wrong and what they could do about it.  The announcer (Chip McClure?)
    commented "sounds like a cracked cylinder head, not much you can do
    about that is there?" to which Dyson dissembled.  Sometime later,
    during the yellow after Kendall's crash, ESPN showed a list of cars out
    of the race, including Dyson's Porsche for "a vibration problem". 
    Yeah, I'd guess the engine coming apart did cause a bit of vibration.
    Of course, engine failure would reflect on Porsche but that unspecified
    vibration doesn't.
    
    BTW, Kendall was fairly lucky the Intrepid showed the amount of
    structural integrity that it did, that was a scary moment!  Hope he
    heals well and quickly enough to walk down the aisle as planned...
    
    And I'll bet Boesel had a few words for Geoff Brabham, especially after
    seeing Tommy's big moment!  

Re: Watkins Glen IMSA

My #$%^ newspaper didn't even list the race. I turned the TV on to catch
what was supposed to be Wimbledon and saw the last 3 seconds of a post race
interview with Dan Gurney.

Who's responsible?

    Geoff Brabham was seriously injured yesterday when his Nissan rolled at
    the entrance to Turn 1 at Road America.  He sustained compression
    fractures of two vertebrae and three broken ribs, as well as facial and
    leg lacerations.  He's currently undergoing tests in a hospital in
    Milwaukee.  No cause for the crash has been mentioned.

    It may or may not be relevant, but this is the same corner at which A.J
    Foyt had his big accident last fall.

    
    re. turn 1 at Road America
    
    George, I read that the owners of the circuit had installed a gravel
    pit at this turn in response to Foyt's wreck of last season.  Perhaps
    it saved Brabham from even worse injury?
    
    I know there aren't many races left in the season (2?), does this open
    the door for Robinson and maybe Jones to win the championship?
    
    Thank you for the info.
    
    - Nate

    Nate, no mention of the gravel trap in the USA Fishwrapper article. 
    But you're right, the owners told CART they'd build the trap before the
    '91 race, so we can assume it was there.

    Geoff leads Robinson by 13 points and Jones by 29, so if he's out of
    action for the year (and remember the last race, Del Mar, is in
    October), Robinson or Jones could catch him.

.49>    George, I read that the owners of the circuit had installed a gravel
.49>    pit at this turn in response to Foyt's wreck of last season.  Perhaps
.49>    it saved Brabham from even worse injury?
    
    I think we can be almost certain that the gravel trap was not a
    significant factor.
    
    A report on the USEnet newsgroup rec.autos.sport said that Brabham
    flipped three times "into the gravel trap".  The impression left by the
    wording was that he flipped end-over-end and landed in the trap, in
    which case the trap would seem not to be involved at all.
    
    If that interpretation was not correct and the trap in fact caused the
    flip, it seems rather unclear that it should get credit for saving him
    from worse injuries.  It could just as well be argued that he would've
    done better without the flips, and thus the trap should be blamed not
    credited.  It all depends on what happened, and we certainly do not
    have enough details here now.  Let's watch for further reports.
    
    --bruce

    
    Last nights' SPEEDWEEK reported that Geoff's accident started at the
    top of the hill near the the starter's stand and that the car
    somersaulted 3-4 times down to turn one and landed in the gravel.
    It would appear that the gravel trap was not consequential to the
    accident.
    
    The drivers compartment of the Nissan remained intact throughout!
    What remarkable times we live in.
    
    - Nate

    re: last couple

    Saw some video (non-action) taken from the outside of Turn 1 on last
    week's Speedweek (aka We Shill for RJR Cause They Own 20%).  The gravel
    trap is way back from the racing surface, it looks like it only covers
    the last 20+ feet before the berm.  I would doubt it would have had an
    impact (sorry) on the Brabham accident.  In fact, it looks to be
    optimized for the AJ Foyt scenario only.

    So, what were the results of the race? 
    
    For all those that get Autoweek, in the latest issue at the top, on the
    right side of the cover states "IMSA Road America". I looked inside for
    what I would assume to be the race results and found nothing. Am I
    missing a few pages or did you folks actually read some coverage of the 
    Road America race?
    
    bob 

    I noticed that too.  I think Autoweek screwed up and ran that banner
    one week ahead of schedule, as the race was yesterday and the results
    should be in the issue now in the mail.
    
    Jones won, followed by Robinson and Taylor.

    
    The World Sports Car championship was put to rest yesterday.  The
    series had long suffered from the neglect and poor management of the
    FISA.  Also, their efforts to make it "son of F1" did nothing to help
    the series either.
    
    The nature of any world championship that may follow is not yet clear
    though there has been some talk of a series based on ultra-high
    performance street cars like the F40 and Diablo.  Whatever comes about
    it will need to be far more affordable than F1.
    
    In the short term IMSA GTP racing may beneift (one can hope).  They
    have already said 3.5l cars are welcome with the right equivilency
    rules.
    
    - Nate
    

    From this week's Autoweek:
    
    In light of the cancellation of Group C, there is speculation that 
    some of those teams may come to the U.S. for the 24 hour Daytona race
    (as Nate previously hinted).
    
    "A lot of the turbo teams are coming to Daytona, Miami and Sebring
    (for the first three events of the 92 Camel GT season). We've heard
    from Joest, Courage and Kremer. There will be three Japanese Nissans
    at Daytona. And there are rumors that Mercedes will come, too"
    
    Peugot was also mentioned as a possibility to prep for LeMans.
    IMSA's president claims the series is also open to the WSC's 3.5 liter 
    cars with only a few modifications (in addition to the turbo cars).
    
    I've attended several GTP races and they are a lot of fun. As everyone
    knows, the problem with the series is with the lack of cars and
    knowing that Brabbam or Jones will win most of the time. Lets hope
    these racers will stay in IMSA for a while to make a good season for
    the spectators.
    
    bob
                                                                      
    

    
    Max Mosely appeared on Speedweek last Thursday evening and gave wuite
    an interesting interview.  Amoung other things he said that several
    teams/competitiors/organizers have come forward with interest to
    rejuvinate the World Sports Car championship and that *perhaps* there
    will be sufficent interest to hold the World series after all.
    
    - Nate 

    I went to the recent Rolex 24hr at Daytona. It's nice to head to warm
    weather and greet the start of the new race season. 
    
    I had to change planes in Charlotte and the guy who sits next to me is
    Jerry Punch. Needless to say, he's a personable guy and was headed for 
    home which is also Daytona. We had some laughs about his first 
    interview. It was with A.J. who has a reputation of being tough to 
    interview - but it went well.
    
    As everyone knows by now the #23 Nissan (group c) car past the pole
    sitter, Juan fangio II by the second lap and that's that. They
    temporaily gave up the lead before night to Brabham, got it back
    shortly thereafter. 
    
    The Jags came prepared with six and twelve cylinder cars. At race time
    only one made it - talk about your short day! The Jag came in second
    behind the Nissan factory car. Because it is set up to IMSA GTP specs, 
    they got the points (but the Nissan still got the gold).
    
    As I recall there were five Nissan's in the race. 
    
    Both Toyotas finished the race in the points. Big improvement from 
    previous years.
    
    The big disappointment was the Mazda GTP car which was expected to make
    its debut in IMSA was not yet prepared. Word is they will start the
    next race in Miami. I didn't even see Halsmer or Cobb driving for any
    other Mazda teams.
    
    The weather was clear but kinda cold. (I was wearing a coat, hat and
    gloves!
    
    Bob     

    Just got around to reading an issue of "On Track" that said the ACO's
    law suit against FISA (for failing to live up to their promised support
    of Le Mans) would be decided at the end of November. Does anyone know
    the outcome?
    
    Thanks,
    Chuck Schneider

    
    Nothing as yet chuck,
    
    	There was a bit in Autosport ( uk publication ) a couple of weeks
    ago that outlined the fact that the ACO would be holding '24 Heure du
    Mans' . The date is 19th/20th june and it will be run on the same basis
    as the Fisa Group C rules for 1990. I personally would like to see the
    ACO kick Fisa's butt on this. I have been going for a number of years,
    seeing both the Jaguar wins after their return to sportscar racing.
    Fisa have done nothing for the race other than last year kicked the
    race as far as the championship goes into touch. The last
    nonchampionship race was 1989 , and that was very well entered and very 
    well attended. This year was a plain joke!!! .
    
    
    Garry

Any news on whether the chicanes will be in place on 
the straight or not?

Dave

    
    Not yet, Autosport is due out today , so maybe there will be something
    in there. As for the chicanes, I watched some video tape the other day,
    quite recent, interviewing Derek Bell. He would quite like to see the
    chicanes go, If that is the voice of the rest of the reqular group C
    drivers I don't know. If the race is as suggested run as the WSPC
    regulations for 1990 I can see there being changes. I somehow don't
    thing the chicanes will go.
    
    
    Garry

    
    
    The Scoop.......
    
    
    The headline in autosport reads "All Parties claim victory in Le Mans
    24-hour ruling".
    
    The aco were claiming 37m francs for loss of revenue and damage to its
    reputation. The court rejected the claim of breach of contract, but
    paid �200,000 of a �377,000 claim for compensation  due to loss of TV
    revenue. Both have claimed Victory and both have lodged an appeal.  
    
    
    	Garry

Newsgroups: rec.autos.sport.info
From: Daytona International Speedway <[email protected]>
Subject: IMSA: Daytona testing notes 95-01-06
 
FIRST TWO DAYS OF OPEN TEST FORECASTS WILD ROLEX 24
 
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- After two days and participation by
more than 70 cars, IMSA's ninth annual January Open Test Days
really began to whet sports car fans' appetites for the season-
opener Feb. 1-4.
 
As of Sunday night, some 48 Exxon Series cars had tested for
the Feb. 3-4 Rolex 24 At Daytona, while more than 25 IMSA Endurance
Championship cars had lapped in preparation for the Daytona
inaugural 90-minute Endurance Championship event on Friday, Feb. 2.
 
The hottest news? The Exxon World SportsCars once again
lowered their lap times -- outrageously so. Brit Andy Wallace
unofficially clipped more than a second off Mauro Baldi's track
standard, set one year ago, only a day after Baldi had shaved a
couple tenths off his own mark.
 
The rumored two-car assault by Courage appeared in the person
of Rick Sutherland's Wheel Works team, with several drivers on hand
including Sutherland, quick man Eric van de Poele and Jerome
Policand.
 
The GT ranks of Camaros and Porsches were swelled by the
fascinating "International GT" cars present, including a pair of
Agusta Racing Callaway Corvettes and the Daytona-debuting Bugatti
EB110, which proved to be right on the testing pace with Gildo
Pallanca and Derek John HIll -- son of former World Champion Phil
Hill -- guiding it. Two Dodge Viper GTSRs, and news that the
Jaguar-powered Lister Storm was due for an appearance at the end of
the month, further excited GT proponents.
FERRARI LEADS ROLEX 24 AT DAYTONA TESTING 
SATURDAY, JAN. 6
 
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- More than 70 teams -- representing
three series -- opened a three-day test session in preparation for
IMSA's season-opening events: The Friday, Feb. 2, Daytona inaugural
90-minute IMSA Endurance Championship race; and the Feb 3-4 Rolex 
24 At Daytona Exxon World SportsCar and Supreme GT Series event.
 
Track record holder Mauro Baldi, in the Scandia Ferrari 333
SP, unofficially eclipsed his track record when he recorded the
quickest time of the day at 1:43.193, an average speed of 124.194
mph.
 
Wayne Taylor, the 1994 IMSA World SportsCar champion, is among
the test entries.  Taylor's best time on day one placed him third
quickest.
 
"It's certainly nice to be on the pace the first time out,"
said Doyle Racing's Taylor, a South African now living in Altamonte
Springs, Fla. "This year's goal is to regain the series
championship.  The Rolex 24 is really an important race.  It's one
I need to win."
 
A section of the Oldfield Grandstand is open daily at no
charge from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with access through the Visitors'
Center.  Guided tours of the Speedway are also available from 9:30
a.m. to 4 p.m. for a nominal fee.
 
*IMSA TEST SPEEDS -- Jan. 6 
NO    DRIVER/CAR                         TIME                    SPEED
Exxon World SportsCars
3     Mauro Baldi/Ferrari                1:43.193                124.19
16    James Weaver/ Ford                 1:43.949                123.29
4     Wayne Taylor/Oldsmobile            1:44.040                123.18
Exxon Supreme GTS-1
95    Tommy Archer/Dodge Viper           1:53.241                113.17
91    Roger Schramm/Chevrolet Camaro     1:53.945                112.47
00    Rocky Agusta/Corvette              1:55.104                111.34
Exxon Supreme GTS-2
07    Pete Halsmer/BMW M3                1:59.042                107.65
67    Charles Coker/Porsche 911 RSR      1:59.079                107.62
06    Dieter Quester/BMW M3              2:00.143                106.67
IMSA Endurance Championship  -- Grand Sports
      note: Almo Coppelli set fast time in #00 Callaway Corvette...
35    Marty Miller/Pontiac Firebird      2:09.975                98.603
33    Joe Aquilante/Pontiac Firebird     2:10.825                97.962
3     Don Knowles/Pontiac Firebird       2:11.016                97.820
 
* Electronic times furnished by IMSA scoring.
 
 
NOTES
 
MAURO BALDI (#3 Momo/Perry Ellis America Ferrari 333SP) -- (Baldi
is the track record holder at 1:43.326 / 124.034 mph, set Feb. 2,
1995.) I love Daytona International Speedway. I love the track. I
love coming back to Florida to race. I think the car is pomising. 
The setup, right now, is not too bad so we're in good shape. We'll
be ready for the race.
 
Pirelli has developed the tires from what we used last year. 
Daytona is a hard track on tires and Pirelli want to be a leader at
Daytona so they have worked very hard. I look forward to a
consistent race. It's not important to be the fastest car. Speed is
important in qualifying, but consistency is important in the race. 
You must be quick, but not too quick. You must set a pace which
isn't as hard on the car because the race is very long.
 
We had brake problems last year. We wore out the brake pads. 
This year we are using new pads, very hard pads. They are specially
made and should last twice as long as the ones we used last year. 
Now, we have stiff brakes and stiff pads. We are used to having
very strong brakes but we must rethink our braking points because
we have to start braking a bit sooner to get the same effect.
 
WAYNE TAYLOR (#4 Oldsmobile R&S Mk. 3) -- We're still improving
things and making it better and easier to drive, which is critical
for a 24-hour race. We're not working on speed. We've got the
endurance package on the car, so when we get to working on a sprint
package we think it can be pretty quick. We're turning lap times
that the Silk Cut Jags (XJR-12 GTP cars) were running and that's
impressive!
 
I think we're looking at a fantastically competitive season.
With Courage coming in (two cars being run by Rick Sutherland's
Wheel Works team) that makes it more interesting.
 
(Looking at the Feb. 3-4 Rolex 24.) For a 24-hour race,
whoever stays out of the pits the most -- has the least trouble,
will win. It's going to be a WSC car, for sure: Either an Olds,
Ford, Ferrari or Chevrolet. The American V8's are definitely as
reliable as the Porsche was (which won the '95 Rolex 24). Our
engine package has been super.
 
Our driver lineup is locked-in. It'll be myself, Scott Sharp
and Jim Pace.
 
SUNDAY, JAN. 7
 
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Endurance driving ace Andy Wallace,
driving a Dyson Racing Ford R&S Mk. 3, unofficially shattered the
Daytona International Speedway sports car track record Sunday with
the fastest lap ever turned at Daytona by a World SportsCar as he
led the second day of IMSA sports car testing in preparation for
the Feb. 3-4 Rolex 24 At Daytona.  
 
Wallace, of Oxford, England, blistered the 3.56-mile road
course with a quick lap of 1:42.210, an average speed of 125.389
mph.  The track record, set by Italian Mauro Baldi in qualifying
for the 1995 Rolex 24, is 1:43.326 for a speed of 124.034 mph.   
 
"The car is raging!" crowed Wallace, a former winner of 24-
hour races at Daytona and Le Mans, France, and of the 12 Hours of
Sebring. "The performance of the car is really exciting, it is so
much fun to drive."
 
In one session, Wallace tracked down the Scandia Racing
Ferrari 333SP,  the car Baldi drove a year ago, and eventually
passed it. "The car seems to really rocket out onto the banking
(transition from the road course to the high-speed oval) and I
suppose that is where we are making up a lot of our time."
 
The test will conclude on Monday. A section of the Oldfield
Grandstand is open daily at no charge from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with
access through the Visitors' Center.  Guided tours of the Speedway
are also available from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. for a nominal fee.
 
*IMSA TEST SPEEDS -- Jan. 7 
 
NO    DRIVER/CAR                               TIME                    SPEED
Exxon World SportsCars
16    Andy Wallace/Ford R&S Mk. 3              1:42.210                125.38
4     Wayne Taylor/Olds R&S Mk. 3              1:43.518                123.80
39    Eric van de Poele/Chevy Courage C41      1:44.055                123.16
Exxon Supreme GTS-1
6     Johnny O'Connell/Ford Mustang            1:53.205                113.21
01    Derek Hill/Bugatti EB110                 1:53.247                113.16
90    Tommy Riggins/Oldsmobile Cutlass         1:53.374                113.04
Exxon Supreme GTS-2
07    Dieter Quester/BMW M3                    1:59.176                107.53
06    Pete Halsmer/BMW M3                      1:59.723                107.04
67    Jeff Purner/Porsche 911 RSR              2:00.981                105.93
IMSA Endurance Championship  -- Grand Sports
33    Joe Aquilante/Pontiac Firebird           2:10.734                98.031
35    Marty Miller/Pontiac Firebird            2:10.825                97.962
3     Don Knowles/Pontiac Firebird             2:11.016                97.820
 
* Electronic times furnished by IMSA scoring.
 
 
JOHN PAUL JR. (#07 Valvoline BMW M3) -- We are here these three
days testing for durability, mainly. Both cars are running very
well. My car is basically the same car we had here last year. We
are going to debut new headlights for this race. We don't have them
here for testing, but they'll be brighter and give off a blue glow.
 
DIDIER THEYS (#30 MOMO Ferrari 333 SP) -- I have not been in the
car much because we're trying to get Tim Hubman and Bill Auberlen
used to the car here at Daytona. We're excited to be running two
cars for the Rolex 24! Tim Hubman, Bill Auberlen and John Morton 
will be in one car, and I'll be in the other with Bob Wollek and
(team owner) Gianpiero Moretti.
 
ERIC VAN DE POELE (#36 Chevrolet Courage C41) -- It's coming. We
started work yesterday and had a small problem and we're really
starting to work now and it's coming together. The car is generally
very stiff and more suited for a European track and we have to
adapt to make it more smooth and comfortable for 24 hours.
Generally it's okay, but we just have to find the right setup, and
we have two more days. These cars don't have much downforce and we
just have to find the right balance.
 
END SUNDAY -- MORE TO COME MONDAY, WE HOPE