Comments on: Team Modena to Race GT2 Ferrari for 2009

By: bamba

bamba — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 23:49:58 +0000

Well that’s the point of the ALMS. To keep only top flight teams. if they reduced the schedule to make it cheaper it would bring very underfunded teams, and that would turn away manufacturers. Besides if your competitor does it you better be ale to do it as well. And they are competitors.

Since full factory teams are banned from the FIA GT the ALMS is where they showcase themselves.

Just running in the ALMS gives you the same exposure to consumers that you get traveling to all those countries in the LMS.

Even the lowly teams in the ALMS would make headways in the LMS, if they got serious about it.

By: airbusA346

airbusA346 — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 18:29:55 +0000

Would be good if Garcia and Enge end up at JWA or Barwell.

Tom.

By: rick

rick — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 17:52:44 +0000

AMR “scared to go to the ALMS” ?

It is not cheap to run the full 11 race ALMS schedule in GT1.

Drayson-Barwell never did any Dunlop tire testing nor did they have two full-time pro drivers.

By: Chris

Chris — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 21:42:49 +0000

I think the GT2 Vantage can be very competitive. I dont know what’s holding them back. (oh wait, no GT2 Vantage factory team) Put Enge and Garcia in that car. I think the car will be good.

Hell look at Darren Turner at Petit Le Mans, when he drove the GT2 Vantage for Barwell. He did a great job, but sadly the car let him down. They just need some more R&D with that car, and it will be good to go.

haha….it sounds very good.

By: bamba

bamba — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 20:42:50 +0000

I think that depends on what the driver is offered. The only top Aston Martin teams are JetAlliance and Gigawave in the FIA. Those teams already have their driver lineups set. The works squad only races at LeMans and is scared to go to the ALMS.

With Enge and Garcia needing competitive rides to really shine, they might just stick it out with Team Modena.

Unless the GT2 Vantage becomes competitive this year, and teams are looking for top drivers I don’t see them going away from the team, but we’ll see.

By: Chris

Chris — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 05:28:44 +0000

First off I dont think Aston Martin Racing/Prodrive well let Team Modena keep Antonio Garcia and Tomáš Enge. Heck I would not.

So I would think Team Modena would have new drivers next season. I think they will keep Christian Fittipaldi.

By: bamba

bamba — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 00:59:47 +0000

Porsche has been putting all their best drivers in the RS Spyder program and focusing on the ALMS. There are only 4 factory drivers in Europe (LMS FIA GT) while there are 7 in the ALMS (where they won all their titles).

Porsche is focused on the U.S because that’s their biggest market by far. And they also have the best drivers in the ALMS

If they shifted all those drivers to the LMS and FIA GT it would be a more even playing field. If there’s no factory RS Spyder program those drivers will probably be in GT2 cars in 2009.

By: Rick

Rick — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 19:55:45 +0000

Will Team Modena race the new Reiter Engineering-built Lamborghini Gallardo GT2 machine in 2009? The team races Gallardos in British GT. Will Modena use the winning Dunlop tires from Virgo Motorsport?

Who says Ferrari is paying Modena to race their car? Porsche will have a rough time in GT2 next year.

By: bamba

bamba — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 18:28:11 +0000

To attract a top team to a new chassis, yes financial transactions are involved. Any car make would be happy to have a squad like Team Modena as a partner. They could’ve easily stayed in GT1 with Aston Martin, especially with that driver lineup they have. it took some convincing to make them switch over.

A british squad racing a british make do you know how much local support and sponsorship they get? Ferrari really had to pry them away.

Sure they didn’t really compare to the top GT1 teams, but with what’s left of GT1 it made them a heavyweight and allowed Ferrari to see their potential.

Ferrari is saying thanks to Aston Martin.

By: Anthony

Anthony — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 05:58:43 +0000

In GT2, I don’t think “Ferrari” money it involved like you think it might be.

They are “partners” indeed, they share cost and to offset some of those cost they provide a few drivers they employ like Porsche does that are best at piloting the cars.

Team Modena is just getting tech support for the cars basically but they like Risi and Tafel and everybody else has to pay for the latest tricky bits for the cars when they are released.

I think they’ll keep their current tire contract and that will help vs Virgo.

I think its fair to say GT1 is dead for the ACO until Le Mans and we won’t see Modena at Sebring, I guess Corvette will be racing themselves for the 4 race early season and one race after Le Mans with the cars will bid farewell at Lime Rock and the new GT2 cars will run at Mid Ohio I hear.