http://media.gm.com/content/media/us/ ... en/2011/Nov/1115_corvette

now... what does this mean for Corvette GT racing?

supprising that they're stepping away from the Nascar cookie cutter stuff.

But it is a positive step.

I'd rather see them in ALMS but that would cost way more.

Hope the GT's keep going especially to Lemans.

Anybody else notice the hint of a rear split window?

Hmmmm, from some angles, I really like it. From others, not so sure. Guess I will have to wait for Mid-Ohio to make a full assessment. Come on Summer !

I like it.....is it a mid engine or front engine? Sorry don't know a lot about that kind of race car....I noticed the rear window also....

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Yea, me too.

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mid

See an engine???????

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My guess is that GM / Corvette diteched ALMS when it lost it's TV contract. No sense spending millions on a program that only reaches the masses via posters and 30 second commercials.

DP is still televised LIVE and in it's entirity, even the Daytona 24 (minus a few hours overnight).

All I can say is that I am fully erect...ALthough I hope one of the teams campainging one paints it yellow in the spirit of the C5.R and C6.R.

I root for Suntrust (who wouldn't root for Angellelli?) and they're switching. Life is good.

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Ah, me.

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Don't tell me you're a Pruett fan

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I'm not anyone's fan.
I don't like some drivers, guys like Angellelli who cause more wrecks than Kyle Busch, I have zero respect for.

I know Pruett, raced against him in karts. Good driver but I'm not a fan.

At least you can still recognize it as a corvette...sort of. I like it.

Sure has bold looks. Bet they have to sell a lot of Malibus to pay for that program.

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ALMS did NOT lose their TV contract. Apparently, the ESPN360 deal on the web and the short next day broadcast was ALMS' idea. They wanted a neat TV package, and the web was designed to support the die hard fans.

What went wrong was ESPN royally fucked us. Last year at Sebring, on the Wednesday BEFORE the race, ESPN changed the game. The original plan had it so that we could watch on the web, live, on ESPN360, or, on www.americanlemans.com. On that Wednesday, ESPN killed the simulcast on www.americanlemans.com. Top that off with most ISPs not supporting ESPN360 (bandwidth hog for smaller ISPs), we got boned and boned hard.

I tried to get it on the web, but my brothers DSL wouldn't support it. And could I find a reason why it wasn't on www.americanlemans.com? No... It took me until well past the end of the race to figure it all out.

They lost a lot of credibility that day. A lot. More than I think Atherton will ever admit to. I hope they figure out a way to fix the problem. I really do.

And it might just have cost them Corvette Racing. If it did, it will end the Corvette Corrals, they won't be there unless Corvette Racing IS. The sad part, Corvette Racing can't prop up Grand Am... it will still be a diluted sport. And in this economy, not even the deep pockets of NASCAR will keep GrandAm floating indefinitely.

The only upside to this form of racing is the cost controls. Daytona Prototypes are old school and cheap to build. A rolling chassis specs out at about $300k... which is about the same price point as GT racing these days. I don't even want to think what Audi and Peugeot have spent on LeMans prototypes in the last few year. It has to be staggering.

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I am, since the 1980s.

"Hi to my family at home."

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Interesting. I didn't know the whole story. I do know that I had a similar experience to you trying to get my service provider to show the races. I tried to get ESPN3 and kept getting the "it's coming to your cable provider" message, tried to watch through my Xbox because that was supposed to be an option, and after a few hours and a few tries I didn't see a second of coverage. The chopped down races that were on network TV were a joke, but I never talked to any non-race fans to see if their attempt to involve casual fans worked. I doubt it, but I can't begin to guess what could make racing interesting to non-racers. That's why I'm not in marketing.

At the end of the day, I stopped caring about ALMS. I wasn't that interested, anyway, since Audi and PSA stopped racing here; I don't care about a bunch of Mazdas. GT racing was getting really good with BMW and Corvette back, but I decided it was an acceptable loss. I like Rolex, all three classes, so that was enough racing to keep me entertained and therefore that's what I watch.

Plus, they brought Speed GT back. It's a little silly right now, but hopefully they'll figure it out and it will be worth watching in 2013.

So what are we saying.....that there will not be a factory sponsered Corvette C6.R at Sebring this next year? I am a bit confused......as usual....