In reply to friedgreencorrado:
kinda like what happened to Michelin at F1 Indy back a couple years ago... underestimated the load?
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Dec. 21, 2010 7:46 a.m. DukeOfUndersteer SuperDork
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Dec. 21, 2010 10:22 p.m. Platinum90 SuperDork
GrandTouringPrototype.com is a great way to waste an entire holiday week off of work...
Don't say I didn't warn you.
Marshall Pruett rocks!
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Dec. 21, 2010 10:31 p.m. Platinum90 SuperDork
In one of those documentaries, they claim it took Nissan Performance Technologies Inc over 9 months to assemble a GTP car. It boggles my mind. Especially since the average ALMS or Grand Am prototype can be rebuilt after a crash in practice and be ready by qualifying.
How can this be?
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Dec. 22, 2010 1:49 a.m. friedgreencorrado SuperDork
DukeOfUndersteer wrote:
In reply to friedgreencorrado:
kinda like what happened to Michelin at F1 Indy back a couple years ago... underestimated the load?
Underestimated the track. Don't forget that most of the cars running GTP were actually Group C cars with modifications to run in IMSA's American sprint races. They were designed to run on places that were pretty much flat. Road Atlanta ain't flat today, and was much less flat during that time.
Only Spa & the Nurburgring (the last Group C race at the Ring was 1985, IIRC, so a car designed for the 92 season wouldn't have to worry about going there..
) had anything like the kinds of elevation change that RdAtl had back then, and Spa was a longer circuit with slow corners before the big dips (La Source is closer to Eau Rouge & Raidillon than Seven was to Eleven at RA back then).
Add to that the fact that American sportscar races were shorter, and folks used softer rubber, since they didn't have to worry about running 1000km.
The Nissans were also a little heavier than the others, per that article on Mulsanne's Corner (that I hope I posted the link for), they were about 2100lbs to 1830 for the Toyota, or 1680 for the Jags. The Nissans had the best aerodynamic downforce as well, so that added "weight" at dang near 200mph through "The Dip" was insane. Pop goes the Goodyears.
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Dec. 22, 2010 2:15 a.m. friedgreencorrado SuperDork
Platinum90 wrote:
In one of those documentaries, they claim it took Nissan Performance Technologies Inc over 9 months to assemble a GTP car. It boggles my mind. Especially since the average ALMS or Grand Am prototype can be rebuilt after a crash in practice and be ready by qualifying.
How can this be?
Time marches on! Technology gets better. Remember the Audi R8? That time they changed (well, actually replaced) the rear end in 15min at Le Mans? Mechanicaly, the car was designed as a set of sub-assemblies, meant to be replaced when needed, instead of as a whole. This kind of stuff hasn't been ignored by the folks designing modern race cars. Do you recall Highcroft building a new Acura for Scott Sharp at Petit Le Mans 2009?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBr3-DA0LQk
Designed to be fast, but also designed to be repaired or replicated as quickly as possible.
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Dec. 22, 2010 7:26 a.m. DILYSI Dave SuperDork
Larry Nuber apparently didn't get the message that the 70's ended.
Old films are supposed to have people with dumb styles, but the dumb style should at least match the era of the old film!
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Dec. 22, 2010 10:59 p.m. friedgreencorrado SuperDork
I was never much of a Nuber fan. I recall channel surfing one night waaaaay back then, and the Copper Classic was on ESPN. During one of the cautions, they ran a short feature where Larrry was asking the drivers there why they didn't like road racing. Jeez, all these short track guys get their yearly chance to run the big track at Phoenix, why not talk about that instead?
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Dec. 23, 2010 12:07 a.m. Maroon92 SuperDork
In reply to friedgreencorrado:
IIRC the Nissans were said to generate 10,000 pounds of downforce at 200 miles per hour.
Also, the Scott Sharp incident is the one that sticks out most plainly in my memory. That was an amazing feat.
