Petit Le Mans 2017

That is impressive for out of the box. For some reason I think Helio may be
prone to making a mistake. There were so many Indy guys there for the autograph session.
Felt like I was at an Indy race. I will be in the paddock at 7 a.m. for engine warmups as
the teams wake the monsters. Looking forward to it, my 15th.
 
Sat. Oct. 7:
10:30 to 11:30 a.m. (FS1)
11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (FS2)
2:30 to 5:00 p.m. (FOX Sports GO)
5:00 to 9:30 p.m. (FS2)
*Full race available on FOX Sports GO
 
Hotrod said:
For some reason I think Helio may be prone to making a mistake.
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I'm pretty sure Helio will be ok or Roger wouldn't have put him in the car. Sportscar racing is a new game for Helio, but remember he was pretty good in the Porsche RS Spyder. If he does make a big mistake it will probably be at night because he doesn't have that much experience there. The GT cars could trip him up too. Anybody can make a mistake in a race this long, especially if it rains.

The guy who really has the experience here is Pagenaud (a former ALMS champion), plus he is blistering fast. JPM has done a few sportscar races too, and has done the bulk of Penske testing on this car. Right now the BOP seems to be very slightly in favor of the P2 cars, so if the Penske goes into the last hour healthy and in contention, they are going to be really tough to beat.
 
So far the race has been terrific in all classes, but the prototypes have been the most interesting, to me, anyway.

DPI is the new GTP. IMSA is back.

Helio got punted by a GT car and lost a lap, but with three hours left he is only 30 sec back and closing. They have had some bad luck, but their program is off to a roaring start. You've got factory cars there from Cadillac and Nissan, but Penske has proven if you can execute with an off the shelf P2 car you can challenge for wins. It's not over yet, but the way Helio is closing in I suspect the Penske has plenty of time to get back up front, or at least make things more interesting.

Nearly as interesting is the Visit Florida car is currently second after a quiet day running just outside of the top five. They have not been in any fights or scraps and there is not a scratch on that car. I suspect they are playing the long game and waiting for the end to make a move.
 
Pretty excellent racing. I have to say this is the most even the P class has been since the merger, everyone seems to be on pace. Just have to make sure the Acura and updated Mazda fit in well and you're pretty set.

Congrats to ESM and back-to-back years with NAEC race wins. They really came on strong the second half of the season.

And two Corvette championships just warms my heart.
 
Terrific race but it fell apart a little with the top two cars being taken out with penalties in the last 15 minutes. I would have been angry about it except Nissan deserved to win either way.

I was not going to cheer for Penske until they got behind and then Helio set the place on fire. I believe Montoya was actually ahead of the two cars that eventually beat them when he clipped the slower car, so aside from that they were at least in contention to win. They were fast enough and executed well enough that the other teams had better be ready for them next year.

Corvette racing is simply the best GT racing team in the world. The BOP has been working against them all year and they still won both the drivers and manufacturers championship.

Now all we need are five or six new DPIs for next year and we'll be set. IMSA is back, baby!
 
Post race report " Live" from the track.

That was jolly good fun all weekend. For my 15th Petit , I rate that in the top 5.

* I knew Hartley was good, but he was off the charts good against the field.
* Derani will be a star for long time to come.
* For me as a fan, protos restarting behind the GT classes on a couple of the restarts
was quite fascinating. Sure it is hectic but high amounts of skill are needed to
successfully navigate traffic. Really fun to watch.
* Lots of drama, think there were 13 or 14 FCY's.
* Sounds like a lot of good things to look forward to next year for IMSA.
* Got to meet some big Sebring fans who were up for the race. They were part of
the Camp Shoe Tree group that sets up at T4&5 every year at Sebring. Nice to meet you
KC,Mike and Steve. I hope to get to Sebring in 2019.
 
Hotrod said:
Post race report " Live" from the track.
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I can't imagine how intense that race was in person.

I knew Hartley was good, but he was off the charts good against the field..
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There has been no announcement of where Hartley is going next year, but he sure didn't hurt his chances yesterday. If he can't land an Indycar drive he seems to fit in with the Nissan crew really well.

Derani will be a star for long time to come..
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Here is a guy who has won the Rolex, Sebring, and now the Petite. He's also the first guy to beat the Cadillacs in a straight fight. Might be even better than we suspect.

For me as a fan, protos restarting behind the GT classes on a couple of the restarts was quite fascinating. Sure it is hectic but high amounts of skill are needed to successfully navigate traffic. Really fun to watch.
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The downside was the top two cars were taken out of the fight by penalties earned on that last restart. That's not a criticism. That's just what happened.

Sounds like a lot of good things to look forward to next year for IMSA.
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We've got 110 days before the Rolex. plenty of time for new deals to come together.
 
Not gonna lie, saw this at another blog. Drivers getting in a little post Petit twitter dust up.
 
I like Pipo but the esses down Road Atlanta really should be one car all the way through. It was very ambitious and honestly a bit of divebomb. A penalty is adequate, IMO. It's generally the faster car's responsibility to make a clean pass, not for the slower car to just make way the second the see a headlight in their mirror.
 
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