The American Le Mans Series was a big endurance racing series in the US. The host is using it as a reference point to compare past budgets with today’s racing.
IMSA is the big sports-car racing series in North America. The host is comparing how much teams spend and how manufacturers approach development in IMSA versus WEC.
WEC is a world championship for endurance racing. It’s the series where the host says the top “hypercar” rules and competition push teams to spend more on development.
GT3 cars are modified versions of normal sports cars built for racing. The host is pointing out that teams may spend different amounts on GT3 programs depending on whether they race in WEC or IMSA.
GTP is the top prototype class in IMSA’s modern era (the category that replaced earlier top-prototype formats). Here, the host compares development costs and manufacturer spending between IMSA’s GTP and WEC’s hypercar, suggesting hypercar competition can drive more aggressive investment.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is a famous race where cars run for a full day nonstop. It matters a lot to big racing teams, so the hosts are connecting Porsche’s strategy to whether they’ll race there.
In racing, a “loan arrangement” means a driver is temporarily allowed to race with a different team than usual. The hosts are using it as a clue that Porsche really values that opportunity.
Porsche is the car company behind models like the 911. Here, they’re talking about whether Porsche will come back to the biggest, most expensive racing class—hypercars.
Hypercar is the highest class of endurance racing cars in the WEC. It’s for the fastest, most advanced race cars, and getting into it usually takes a lot of money and engineering effort.
It means hiring or moving people back onto the racing project. You can’t just decide to race again—you have to rebuild the team that makes and runs the cars.
This means Porsche’s main company has to officially approve the racing plan. It usually involves support like people, parts, and permission to use factory resources.
Proton is referenced as a likely partner team that could provide the operational support needed for Porsche to run hypercar entries. In endurance racing, factory brands often rely on established racing organizations to manage day-to-day team execution.
Concept
WC
“WC” is shorthand for the top world championship series. In this context, it means endurance racing’s biggest global stage.
BOP (Balance of Performance) is a motorsport rule-set that adjusts things like weight, power, or aerodynamics so different cars can compete more evenly. The hosts argue that running multiple platforms with a BOP system makes the rules and development process very complex.
LMH is a racing category for the fastest endurance prototype cars. It’s the class used in events like Le Mans for manufacturer-backed “hypercar” style race entries.
LMDH is a set of racing rules for endurance prototypes. It’s meant to make it easier for teams to build a car that can compete in big races like Le Mans, using a shared approach.
Return on investment is a way to judge whether something is “worth it” financially. The host is saying racing has to make sense for car makers to keep spending money on it.
An “arms race” here means teams keep spending more and more to gain an advantage. The idea is that if rules get simpler or more predictable, teams may not feel forced to constantly upgrade.
The FIA is the main organization that writes the rules for international auto racing. Teams have to follow its safety and eligibility requirements to race under the current regulations.
The Alpine A424 is a race car built for endurance events like Le Mans. The hosts are discussing a hypothetical where it could be bought and then altered to compete.
A privateer is a racing team that isn’t directly run by the car manufacturer. The host is saying that independent teams could be another path for who shows up and races.
GT racing uses production-based cars (grand touring) that are adapted for competition. Prototype racing uses purpose-built race cars designed specifically for endurance series, which typically allows more freedom in aerodynamics and engineering.
Alpine Signitech is the racing team setup associated with Alpine. Here, it’s being discussed in terms of how the team might organize and brand its racing effort around 2027.
ACO is a major endurance racing organization. The hosts are saying it should work with IMSA to make it easier for private teams to join the top-level racing.
Mercedes is being talked about as one of the brands involved in GT3 racing. The host is basically saying brand strategy can affect how expensive and complicated GT3 becomes.
They’re talking about changing a road car’s setup so it can race under GT3 rules. That can mean switching to a simpler drivetrain and removing hybrid parts so the car meets what the rules allow.
Orica is referenced here as a logistics/engineering partner involved in moving and refitting powertrain components for GT3 use. The key point for listeners is that GT3 programs rely on specialized external support to adapt modern road-car technology to race rules.
A hybrid system uses both a gas engine and an electric system. For GT3 racing, they may have to remove the hybrid parts so the car follows the race rules.
Hyundai is mentioned as a brand that could get more interested in this kind of racing. The host is saying the GT3 field may shuffle as companies come and go.
Genesis is mentioned as another brand that might want to get involved in this racing category. The host’s point is that the lineup could change as brands enter or leave.
Genesis is a luxury car brand made by Hyundai. It builds higher-end versions of cars with more comfort and features than typical mainstream models. The podcast mentions it because Genesis is interested in the subject being discussed.
Great Wall is mentioned as a brand from China that’s been talking about getting into this type of racing. The host is saying GT3 could grow in new regions.
Honda is mentioned as an example of a brand that has stepped back from GT3 racing. The host’s point is that brands can leave when the business case changes.
GT4 is a racing class meant to be cheaper and more “production-like” than GT3. The host is basically saying GT4 might be under more pressure going forward.
McLaren is the car brand the host is talking about here. They’re saying McLaren is changing where it puts its racing effort, partly because of how much it can support and manage as a company.
A single-make championship is a race series where everyone is driving the same brand’s cars. It usually keeps things more even and helps the manufacturer support customers with parts, setup guidance, and events.
Lamborghini Temerario is a new Lamborghini racing car being positioned for a single-make style program. The host’s point is that Lamborghini wants to build a customer-racing ecosystem around it, similar to what worked before.
Electrification means moving toward electric power in the car. Here, the host is wondering whether GT3 will eventually change away from traditional gas engines and what manufacturers will do about it.
Hybridization means the race car uses both a traditional engine and an electric system. The big question for GT3 is whether the rules and technology will push teams toward hybrids in the future.
Synthetic fuels are man-made gasoline-like fuels. The idea is that you can keep using internal-combustion engines, but with a fuel that’s produced in a more climate-friendly way.
Qualifying is when drivers try to set their best lap time before the race. Your results decide where you start, which can make the race easier or harder.
A four-hour race is a long race where teams plan for the whole event, not just a few laps. Drivers switch out, and the team has to manage tires, fuel, and reliability for hours.
The paddock is the secured area at a race circuit where teams park, service cars, and manage operations between sessions. It’s also where many hospitality and fan-access activities are centered, so it strongly affects where spectators can find food and facilities.
A “rule set” is the governing technical and sporting framework for a racing series—things like car specifications, eligibility, and how teams are allowed to build and operate cars. The segment argues that teams weigh rule-set timing against budgets and other constraints before committing to a program.
Company
United in the States as it is with BMW and WRT
WRT is a racing team that works with BMW in endurance events. The host is saying that who provides support in the U.S. can change the plan when rules and cars are changing.
Company
Arrow
Arrow is mentioned as a possible partner that could help run or support a racing effort. The host is saying that the choice of partner affects how teams plan for rule changes.
It’s a way to describe when a big project costs the most money. For racing programs, spending usually peaks during development, so leaders plan budgets around that timing.
In racing, lobbying means a team tries to persuade the people who write the rules. Here, the host is saying McLaren’s actions are about trying to shape the rules rather than just stepping back.
LMP2 is one of the prototype race categories used in endurance racing. It’s governed by rules that can change where the driver sits and how the car is built.
This is about where the driver sits in the car. The host is saying the rules for LMP2 will change the driver’s position, which affects how the car is built.
LMP3 is a prototype racing class used in endurance events. The discussion is about whether the series should keep LMP2 and LMP3 as distinct categories.
A safety car period is when the race slows down behind a lead car because something dangerous happened on the track. If there are more of these, it usually means more accidents or problems are happening.
They’re saying race organizers should make sure drivers are ready before letting them compete. That could mean practice/testing before the season and during the event so everyone is safer on track.
Many endurance races group drivers by skill level. “Bronze” is one of those categories, and the host is saying teams can get stuck if the driver doesn’t meet the required level.
They’re talking about a system where drivers get penalty points for bad behavior or rule violations. The host thinks the way those points are used might not be working well.
They’re saying the punishment system may be too mild for a short season. If the penalties don’t add up to a real consequence, someone could keep making the same mistakes race after race.
LIVE
Well, good evening and welcome to the latest edition of the Week in Sportscast podcast
part of the Marshall Pruitt podcast collection and brought to you, as always, with the help
and the assistance of our good friends and the Justice Brothers and at toronto motorsports.com.
I'm Graeme Goodwin. I'm the Editor-in-Chief of dailysportscast.com joined here in, well,
the Ardennes Forest outside of Spa Fraga Chant and our salubrious chalet, as I believe
they don't pronounce it round here, by friend, colleague, and the editor of DSC and also
racer.com's WC correspondent Stephen Kilby Stephen. It's been, in weather terms, a pretty
miserable day, but there's a lot going on. We popped out a call for questions a little
later today and they've come in their droves. We're going to work our way through it. It's
principally a mix of IMSA, WC, a few EMS questions in there as well. So we'll just crack through
a few, a bowl of you, your way as well amongst this. We're going to start with Stuart Hart.
Stuart says, I'm interested in your views on the unprecedented growth of WC. You should say,
by the way, these are from listeners and gathered across the three platforms we share these with,
which is on X, which I'm still going to call Twitter, because I'm old. On Facebook, I'm
also a broadcast group there, and also on the Rweck Discord channel. Thank you everybody
that's actually contributed. So Stuart Hart says, interested in your views on the unprecedented
growth of hashtag WEC. Worth noting, SPAR rarely surpassed 30K. I presume that means attendees
during the Group C era. Italian rounds drew sub 15K, and UK events never top 35,000. That
does surprise me. That surprises me. I was at a Brands Hatch meeting that was absolutely packed.
And there's been a fundamental change in the sports profile and demographics.
I've put aside the numbers. They're up for debate. Tell me why you think it is undoubted.
If the weather holds and it looks like it will, we could well be looking at a six-figure crowd
this weekend. I think there's a very, very good chance of that. From my understanding,
weeks ago, we reached the total ticket sales number from last year. That's about people
paying on the get-go. The attendance number was, what, 92,000 last year? It was in the 90s.
A astonishing crowd last year, and by all measures, looks like we're going to have an even bigger one
this time. It's multiple factors, isn't it? Obviously, we've got a load of manufacturer
power. We've got a load of star power there. The manufacturer's putting money in and attracting
guests and attracting people to come watch these cars. And also, it's just riding a crest of a
wave that motor sports are going through in general. In part, you've got to say that the lights are
Netflix and the Drivers to Survive series are in the power that's hand over four-wheel-one and
getting people interested in the sport that maybe would never sit and watch a full race before.
And then going and discovering other parts of the sport. And at a time when it's so expensive to
go to an F1 race, that if you're paying 60, 70 euros to come for a weekend spa for this,
compared to thousands at the cost to go to like a Grand Prix here or at Silverstone,
you're going to get people coming in big numbers. And the third element is Le Mans is sold out,
selling out quickly. And people are looking for any other opportunity to come and see these cars
if they can't get a ticket to Le Mans. So these events are benefiting from that as well.
I think I'd agree with pretty much all of that. I'd add this, there is the brand power aspect.
And when you look at brands like Porsche, okay, they're not the WC at the moment in the hypercar,
Aston Martin, particularly Ferrari. And beyond that, brands like Valentino Rossi,
Jenson Button, for instance, they do attract a following. You see an awful lot of red and
yellow. You know, you saw an awful lot of valet yellow at the time. But it's fair to say his
absence didn't hurt the crowd level this year. Beyond that, something happened in the wake of
COVID-19. People suddenly decided in that I think in the wake of that isolation that came with
lockdown, that actually they want to get out and do things. I think people have found in doing that,
they quite liked it and they've stayed. And it's become, I think, more of the culture. The value
for EMS, for IMSA, for WEC races undoubtedly is there in terms of the ticket pricing. As a world
class event, I think there are a few that are as good value as the 24 hours at Le Mans. I think
all of those things come as part of the package. And I think we'd be all doing ourselves a favour.
Everybody involved in the sport, if we just went that extra mile and you tried to, I certainly tried
to, in encouraging people to come, encouraging people if they are going to come bring a friend,
bring a family member, bring your kids. And if you see them there and you get the opportunities to
interact, make it a fun time. If, you know, I know if I've got the opportunity to walk someone
into a garage, I will do so. If I think the moment is appropriate. If there's an opportunity,
if someone recognises you in the paddock, I know you'll stop and talk, I most certainly will.
And it's a matter of remembering what it was like when you were on the other side of the fence and
also when it was what it was like when the other side of the fence and a youngster and how much
that an individual taking the time to just give you a look behind the curtain, how much that meant.
And I think a lot of people do. I think a lot of people are very conscious of the fact that,
you know, it is a hierarchy to your experience in sport and helping someone
to just get something a little bit extra costs nothing, nothing at all.
There's another point I'd like to raise on this, which is if you're comparing like Stuart is the
current era to say the group zero, when you had a manufacturer boom and a load of iconic cars.
I think how different the kind of,
how different travel is and how much simpler it is now. It's not cheap, but it is easy.
But it's just suddenly go right. I'm just going to go on booking.com,
look at where the accommodation is, get the GPS. It's the predominance of the private car.
You know, that's vastly more accessible to more people than it ever was back in the 70s, 80s,
even the 90s. It's less daunting with language barriers.
Yeah, indeed. I mean, technology's helped as well. Getting from place to place is less
daunting. I just hope that the current mess that the world's in doesn't, you know,
frankly, screw this and then when it screwed pretty much everything else.
This is, we're talking about freedom. This is a great freedom. Freedom to come and enjoy
something like this for a relatively low price, you know, your friends and family,
and there'd be relatively few barriers to when I need to do it. More power to them, I say,
but I agree with him. There's been a fundamental change. This feels on that front,
like a very special here indeed. I get a buzz on a race morning when you can look out and see as
many people as we now do see sitting trackside. It's not a competition. It's not about whether
or not this is more or less than F1 or MotoGP or GT, but whatever it is, it's not a competition.
Come to the races. races because if you keep coming, it just underlines the investment
that the manufacturers and the brands that back them and the privateers are making in our sport
come to the races. It's so important if you value what it is you watch on your mobile device,
on your TV or trackside. Come. Let's move on. Right turn lover.
Where is the arms race bigger and more expensive? WC or IMSA? Is there a budget cap on the horizon?
In my opinion, he says, race budgets are like auctions. The second highest bidder is willing
to find the amount. I understand that. And this comes, I think, from some comments
amongst others from David Salter at HRC Acura in IMSA and explaining in part the withdrawal of
Acura from factory level competition is to do with the uncertainty of budgets moving forward.
There was an irony here. I can remember a conversation with Alan McNish back when
Audi committed to LMDH back in the day, saying that the big plus of the formula,
as it was defined, was that you could really put forward to a board a five or even a 10-year plan,
amortizing everything, including the trucks over that period of time. And it's certainly the case
that it's not turned out that way. Development costs are moving forward. We've got a lot of
questions about the 2030 regulations. And I'm going to be very interested to see what, if anything,
is in those regulations about development costs, jokers, you name it. There should be less reason
to have it with a single platform set of rules. But what's more expensive? It depends how you do it.
It's a straight answer. It depends on whether or not there's plenty of testing. It depends on what
your pressures are from your manufacturer. It depends on what your objectives are as a program.
It depends on whether or not you've got joint programs in the WCNM because some of those costs
can be advertised across the two. As we've seen this year in particular, we've got more than one
manufacturer using drivers across both programs. Those drivers are only given one set of wages,
and it will be managed across a number of days they are required to race and test.
But there's all sorts of things that are in it. All I can tell you is this, despite what people
have said a number of times, and I've said this before in comments and reply, everything I have
heard since we were back in the American Le Mans series days is there's not a great
deal of difference to the budget between ALMS then, IMSA now, because of course the difference
between the two is the Rolex 24 hours for starters. There's not a great deal of difference in the
budgets between the two series. Yes, we've got air freight and sea freight to build into WEC,
but then in the United States, you've got permanent staff for the full season, the full year,
multiple haulers than in operation, pretty much permanently. Those things don't come cheap either.
So I don't think there's a massive difference between the two, and I have my own opinion
in certain circumstances which side that goes. My guess is there are people running GT3 cars
in WEC that are spending more than GT3 cars in IMSA, and there are people where it's the other way
around. When he's talking about the ALMS race in terms of development costs for between hypercar
and GTP, that's part of the question as well, isn't it? For me, it's definitely hypercar and WEC
that's driving it. If you took the hypercar grid completely away, and all this formula was, was
the current GTP pack, I don't think it would be anywhere near close to what we are in terms of
this cycle of manufacturers bringing jokers on a yearly basis or at least considering it and
spending the money to sort of make these marginal gains. Because if you look at the way that the
IMSA seasons are panned out, although yes, you've had some dominant streaks from the likes of Penske.
All the manufacturers involved, for the most part, the ones that have been there for the
longest have won races, BMWs won races, Acura's won races, Cadillacs won races, Porsche's won races.
If you look at the WEC grid, and there are manufacturers there that haven't yet won a race,
and so because it's so much more competitive, it's a bigger field, everyone's more desperate
on that basis to get those results. And you've got those LMH cars, which for me are ultimately
driving this in the first place. It comes down to Islaman. We heard in the conversations around
why there's the JDC Miller, and congratulations to them, by the way, from the Laguna Seca race
result that was epic. Sticking with the 2025 version of the car, for multiple reasons. One is,
of course, there's a financial reason for it. There's a six-figure sum attached to equipping
that car, plus another one for the space that you inevitably need. But the reality when you dip
into it is their view is the changes to the 963, ironically, would benefit the car in particular
for one race and one race only. And it's a race they're not going to do, which is the 24-hours
of Islaman. So I don't disagree with you at all. We're going to rattle through, because we've got
quite a lot of ground to cover. Arnaj Robb says, hi, chaps. Much talk at Porsche loading out Estra
and Vantor to other teams in WC next year, whilst this clearly demonstrates long-term faith in
both drivers. Surely it also presents a number of double-edged sword scenarios. Watch your view
on this unusual loan arrangement. Well, number one remains to be confirmed, although I don't
think we're going to have much longer to think about this. I'm going to crack on this one. I'm
going to chuck a couple of yours away in a second. I think it's pretty simple. What it shows is that
amongst some of the most valued drivers that Porsche have got, their decision to leave WC
in general, and Le Mans in particular, was not popular. Otherwise, they wouldn't be accepting
a loan arrangement to go back and to contest a race that they clearly value in their career,
their finite career, remember. I think that's what it indicates probably more than anything else.
You're only going to have the opportunity for a loan if the driver wants to do it. If they want
to do it, they're attracted not necessarily by where it is they're going, but what it is they're
doing. I think what it indicates, Rob, is that the move to just focus on IMSA was unpopular
with some of their most senior drivers. That's what I think.
This one, I'm going to chuck to you. Sportscar Joe says, with how the 23 regulations look to be
shaping up. Well, we don't really know that yet, but we've got a few indications. 2030.
Do you think Porsche will return to hypercar?
I think they will at some stage. It's their heartland, but of course,
it's going to depend on the financials, isn't it? Porsche, as a company right now,
not in the rudest of health when it comes to road car sales and long-term outlook,
if that transforms, turns around, becomes less of a day-to-day issue, then I don't
see any reason why they aren't back here very quickly. It's not as simple as just pressing
a button and coming back because you've got to restaff a program. Yes, the base in Mannheim's
still there. Yes, there are a few staff still on site, but a lot of that talent has either
shipped off the Morseville and started working on the GTP program full-time,
or has left and moved to other programs elsewhere. It's not as simple as just,
let's come back tomorrow. It can be done. Will it be as soon as next year, the year after?
It depends on who you ask. I've spoken to people who are adamant they're coming back
next year, and it's a very real possibility because the new CEO doesn't feel like it was a
first place. We've got other people saying they don't see it. It's really hard to call.
I think they'll be back at some point, but I wouldn't like to put my own word.
I don't think... Let's put it this way. It's a difference between the brand
and Porsche-Pensky Motorsport. Do I think Porsche-Pensky Motorsport can be back next year? No,
I don't. think Porsche-Pensky would love him, too.
I think Porsche-Pensky would love him, too, but for Porsche-Pensky to have a chance of doing that,
Porsche need to be back with two cars and the factory's blessing to do that. I think that's
more likely. It does need there to be some form of support to come into a team to run those cars,
and that most likely would be Proton at this stage, although there are other possibilities.
But do I think they're coming back in 2017? No, I don't. It's a straight-and-understand
answer. Do I think we'll see Porsche back in hypercar on the WC at some point in the future,
either pre- or post-hypercar regulation changes? Yes, because I think this is what Porsche does.
I think if I was being blunt about it, and frankly, I'm in the mood to be,
I think those that believe the proper place for Porsche to be is formulary. I think that's
Aaron Nonsense. It's a straight-and-understand answer that I think comes into a form of rewriting
the future of a brand that makes the cardinal error of ignoring the fans and the backers
and the customers you've already got. For my money, if we're into the stage where, and we are,
one of the things that Porsche told us was the big problem is the underperformance of their EVs,
I get why you're investing in that. I absolutely don't understand why you're absolutely abandoning
the core message that you've got on a global front at the biggest sports car race in the world.
Why does it you think it's a smart idea not to have a presence there as you approach a very
important part in the company's history? It's their money, it's their decision, they've made that
decision. I happen to completely disagree with it, and whilst they will have undoubted further
success in the United States, and I'm sure they're going to have success in formulary,
I'm just not sure how many people are going to care about it.
Well said. That's what I think. Okay.
Matt says, hey guys, if we're in a plasmere replacement racing and we've multiple EVMs
adjoining but haven't even started yet, why does it need to have a regulation changed to 2030? I
think you've half answered that. It seems like the industry is fixing something that's not broken.
Yeah. In its simplest terms, I think we've reached a point from the last few years where
you can look at the results, way that seasons have played out and come to the
conclusion that with two platforms and a BOP system to manage them, it's incredibly complex
with this amount of manufacturers who are bringing in updates on a regular basis.
The need for the 2030 regulations, for the most part, for the people involved in these conversations
is down to tightening the field further, is reaching or coming closer to the point that
everyone would like it to be, where you don't have a disparity that we currently have, which is,
you know, when you look at the results long term, LMH cars, be it the Ferrari, Toyota,
I've taken the vast majority of the wins in the championship since 2023,
and Ferrari have won Le Mans each time. And the LMDH cars, although they have won races
as a whole, as a collective, it's been harder for the rule makers to balance them with the LMH
cars. I think that's fair enough. And, you know, ultimately, what you're looking for is sports car
racing in its current form and its future form will live or die on the basis of its market appeal
that's return on investment. If it can give a return on investment,
then the manufacturers will come and will continue to come.
Some of them, probably not all of them. If that's the case, and what you're doing is taking out
complexity, if you're taking out uncertainty, potentially dealing with some of the issues
we've just been debating about cost and development and arms race, then you get a chance
of basically pressing the repeat button. That, if they can achieve it, will be
really quite something special. You need to sell the future to these manufacturers,
because they're going to be here for years and years and years. You need to give them a reason
to keep coming back. And yes, there's cost involved in changing regulations and
central for having to bring a new car or heavily modify the car you've got just to meet safety
standards for the FIA, for instance, to get a car eligible for whatever this rule set looks like.
But it's harder when you look beyond the financial strain it would cause to keep these
manufacturers coming back if they've invested for five years in the WC, haven't won a race,
and have no outlook to necessarily do that anytime soon without bringing a new car anyway.
Yep. Okay. Oli says, and it's not Oli G, by the way, what's more likely than WC in 2027,
two proton Porsches, BYD buying the Alpine A424, changing the headlights and going racing,
or signature run privateer outpins. Do you want to crack up that one?
Two of those three things are possible. I think all three of them are theoretically possible.
Two of them out of the three are possible. At the same time. Yep.
Yeah. Let's go through them. Two proton Porsches. I think that's the most likely
scenario for Porsche to be back. I think the blocking tactics that were employed by some
in getting the way of what Christian Reed and others were trying to do, I think,
frankly, some people need to look at their life choices in some of the behaviors we saw there.
I don't think that was fair to an extraordinary customer of Porsche. I don't think it was even
handed. And I think that was determined in the wrong way within certain elements of Porsche.
So I wish everybody well with this. I'd like to see proton state with it. I know there's a wish
and a will for them to come back. That's certainly possible. Signature run privateer outpins,
more or less likely than BYD buying that program at the moment, Stephen.
I don't know. From conversations I've had in the last handful of days,
I would lean the way of Signature coming back with Alpenes that they funded themselves
with a blessing of Alpine to continue using the brand and potentially putting in for the
manufacturing fee to allow them to do it. I think that's the most like scenario. I think
Alpine are going to have to get very or sooner tech in this case are going to have to get very
busy to fill the big financial gap that's involved here. I'd like to think the what I'm
told about the way that Alpine are looking at next year and and I'm being open to to that car
continuation. I think that's good. That's good news. It opens up a door. Does that mean that's
necessarily going to happen and is significantly more likely than a Chinese brand, for instance,
buying that program up, rebadging it, re-homologating the car? I think so, but there is
something going on there about Chinese brands getting very close here. We'd said just last
week about the chances of BYD being reported and it would make a lot of sense. It would make a lot
of sense. I don't get the impression it's as close as some people believe. I think that's right.
I think to a degree, the answer might be this simple. There's a lot of work to be done within
the Chinese automotive industry to understand international motorsport, to make the alliances
that will make this actually work. We shouldn't underestimate Chinese industry in its totality
or in micro format in any way, but it's going to be tough to get up to speed quickly.
You've spoken to people close to this story. I've spoken to some people close to this story
and I think the thing that people are not sure of is how much the voices within the Chinese
automotive industry that are keen to look at international motorsport, particularly international
sports car racing, whether it be GT or prototype racing, hypercar racing, how much they actually
understand is required in terms of organization, perhaps organization in ways in which does not
come naturally to a Chinese conglomerate. I'd like them to come. I think it's perfectly relevant for
them to come. I've zeroed out their conversations about whether or not it's possible it could happen.
Could we get to the stage where you've got a company, let's say BYD, with a project versus
parties within the current Alpine Signitech family looking to put a deal together to keep it all in
house with effectively a private-aid budget? I could see both of those projects progressing
in parallel, maybe slightly out of step with each other, but I agree with you. I think the more
likely scenario at the moment of the two, because it can only one or the other on either,
is finding the budget to pull together to run those cars and Alpines under a different brand
for the team in 2027. The best news about it is compared to a few weeks ago,
they're significantly more confident now that we will see those cars racing in.
We're going to push on. Quick response to a multi-faceted question from Mohamed Ualitz.
How impressive is the win for JDC at Laguna Seca? The answer is very impressive. We watched
together the final couple of laps and the attack from Lauren Heinrich now, obviously it's confirmed
as a full-season driver for next year. It's richly deserved. Congratulations to them. For me,
one of the next big questions that's IMSA in particular, I think, but wider than that,
the ACO need to address is just what can they do to assist
privateers to get into this hypercone GTP marketplace. That, I think, is going to be
critical, particularly in North America in the next few years. Clearly, they've lost
Acura moving forward. That's not going back. We know now there is a 2027 Porsche program.
I think that takes some of the doubt out of things, but the smartest thing that they can do
into and beyond the 2030 regulation change is to find ways in which that
private market place can be assisted. I just can't. I couldn't be any more happy for
the guys behind JDC. John Church is someone I respect enormously. It still baffles me that
they've found a way to make this work and for a number of years now as a Porsche privateer in
this field. It's a great reward for everything they've put into this. Again, a showcase of
Lauren Heinrich's talent behind the wheel. Indeed. It's lots of grace.
For a team that had success, a team that did David Medlar. What do you think is behind WTR's
struggles, especially since the 31 is performing well? We also asked who will fill the GTP void
in IMSA for 2027. Now Acura has pulled out. I was surprised to him that Toyota has never in IMSA
given the importance of US market to them. We know Toyota, Lexus reviewed all sorts of things.
They looked at an LMVH program. We know that for starters. We also know that the decision was taken
by Lexus to focus in the USA on their GT program. That's going to be an interesting one, bearing
in mind the new GT car. It's going to be brand new. We believe you globally as a Toyota. What
will Lexus do in the future? That could be an interesting moment moving forward.
As for WTR's struggles, you're right. The 31 is performing well. Why isn't the WTR team performing
well? They're the car with two cars, if you like, errors in their quiver. I think they need,
if they haven't already, to do a root and branch review of what on earth is going wrong.
Because it is beyond odd for a team that has got a great reputation. They're a championship-winning
team. They've won some very big races and they're simply not turning it on in terms of championship
level four. Any sensible team owner at this point would be looking at all the pieces on the
board and would be being ruthlessly honest. Because if you're not, then you continue to
underperform. And we saw that, it's got to be said in particular Le Mans last year. Sorry,
but they weren't good enough. They just weren't. They were nowhere near the level.
If you're going to make that investment to take them there, you've got to justify being there.
Yeah, you most certainly have. And they epitomized the phrase on and so on. It does not sit easily
with me to say that. Okay, but a huge admiration for what the team and what Wayne and his family
and his crew have achieved down through the years. But I think we're at the stage with WTR,
where they need to have a good hard look at literally everything. And I think I know what
the answer is going to be. I think the answer is significant investment in highly skilled people
in a range of areas around that team needs to be considered and if deemed necessary,
put in place right now. Fair. Let's have a look at some of the discord questions that came in.
Not a really important question in the grand scheme of things, says Chris. It's always got this
curiosity. Is there a historical reason on why WTC at Sparr is held on a Saturday?
I think it's sort of a public holiday. You're wrong. I double checked it. It's because I want
to go and sit on my couch on a Sunday after a race and the Husky needs a walk and he's missing his
daddy. Yeah, that's what it is. And also that this is the second consecutive back to back
breaks weekend. And if I don't come home on the Sunday, truly going to cut my balls off.
But apart from that, the answer is historically. Is it ascension?
Is it ascension? I thought ascension was amazing, isn't it? I'm riffing here, but I have a feeling
I've had this discussion years ago and I'm pretty sure it's sent us around a public holiday at this
time of year. Could be wrong. I'll buy that for Euro. Do Keynes qualifying this modification
in Paul Ricker. This is the Keynes team. Orica set pole position was sent to the back of the grid
after some ceiling foam. SEA LNG, not CEI LNG, was found between body panels.
What's the story if it wasn't them just being a bit naughty? I suspect it was them being a bit
naughty, is the other answer. I think it was probably maybe it was a bit of a repair. It's not
the kind of thing you'd normally see being put in for a repair on an Olympia 2 car. I think maybe
they just got a bit found out for trying to find a bit of an edge. Just the honest answer.
Do I think it's a bit of a cheat? Probably. It's a straight answer from my point of view.
I don't know that to be true, but they got disqualified. They got caught doing something
they shouldn't have been doing. And I can't think of a better reason for doing that other
than making your car slightly faster. Fair? I would say so.
GT3 racing, says Steen Paspont, is in a healthy place right now, but it seems to me that Mercedes
go back to their old ways of doing location specials, seeing all the cars themselves become
ever more complex and expensive, tend to wonder how big the GT3 bubble can get, and if, or maybe
when, it could burst. How do you look at the future of GT3 racing? What a question on the
20th anniversary of the very first race in GT3. Yeah, and on the day when we've run an interview
with Stefan Rutter, who discusses this very point. I think good reason to have concerns
in the case of some of the brands that want to stay in this formula, but do not have a car that's
relevant, which is weird. We've discussed on this show before the technology in sports cars and
supercars for the road and how that's had to be accommodated with sort of retrofitting cars as
two-wheel drive or non-hybrid. Classic example of that, of course, is the Ferrari 296. I can't
remember the number of person hours, I think it's 32 hours for each powertrain that arrives from
Maranello to Orica, where they are refitted to go into GT3 cars. It's 32 hours to take the hybrid
system off effectively and a blueprint that's powertrain to go into the car. It is a concern.
What do I think? I think we probably see a future in the next 56 years,
where there are fewer brands. There may well be others coming. We know that's Hyundai,
Genesis are keen to look at this. We know Great Wall in China have talked about finding a way
into this. There's potentially some expansion. Inevitably, I think we'll lose a few. I think
there will be a few that will fall off the end. We've seen that with Honda. Realistically, we've
now seen it with Nissan, unless we see something new. Bentley, Cadillac, Stefan Rittel's least
favorite GT3 program of all time. I think it's fair to say. I think the reality is we inevitably,
with industry changes, we'll see some cars, some manufacturers falling by the wayside.
There may be new takers out there. I'm not expecting us to be in a situation in five or
six years time where there's 10, 11, 12 GT3 manufacturers. My guess is it might be close to
six times. I'm more worried about the future of GT4. Yeah. I think that that's a part of the
marketplace that on paper looks like it should be experiencing almost exponential growth at a time
like this economically. I get the sense that actually that's the part of the motor sport ladder
that's suffering the most at the moment. The top end of the sport is doing really well and there's
money being pumped in from more angles. Buttman's okay. It's the middle bit where people are a bit
more risk averse now. It shows with the likes of McLaren deciding this isn't actually the place we
want to be anymore. Well, I don't think it suits where they are. I think the key thing from McLaren,
they're a smaller manufacturer, remember, I think they've realized that with a, I think there's two
reasons behind it. One is linked in with the realities of the economic scale. That is putting
all of their or rather more of their engineering and customer support network, which is limited,
into a place where they can control the marketplace. And I know they feel
they can be just as successful pushing customers in the way of their GT3 product from their own.
One makes series where the car performance sits above GT4 than they could be from doing
getting GT4. The second reason is it's Giorgio Santa that's now running this. And what Giorgio's
doing is repeating the very menu that he did with such blinding success as Carriere and Lamborghini
Esquadra Corsa, which was putting in place a very high quality single make championship with
world-class support technically and in terms of the way the customers are looked after with the
hospitality and the entertainment side of things and pushing that into what in his time became
a booming GT3 marketplace. It's a whole new era for Lamborghini with Temerario. They've got
a new single make racer to come soon and let's wait and see whether or not they can repeat
that success with a new model. That's why I think we're seeing it with McLaren. Will we see others
do it? Maybe? Maybe. Yeah. Maybe. It's interesting, a few years ahead, I think, for GT3. We've
talked in the past about what happens with hybridization, electrification in GT3. There's
kind of no discussion about it still. How relevant is it? What is the manufacturer appetite going to
be like for these sort of cars powered by ICEs in five, 10 years time? Something at some point
will probably have to change there or at least move more widely to synthetic fuels perhaps. But
yeah, it's just amazing the staying power. We discussed over dinner earlier tonight. In the
time I've been doing this, which is three quarters of the entire GT3 era, it feels like the GT3 era
is going to burst. It's getting too expensive. It's been a conversation since I started doing
this and it's only grown. It's only grown. Two more quick questions from the the disc called
CHAPS and CHAPSES, one of which is a multi-faceted one, but it's all around the WC Plus platform.
Xanyun asks after the first three weekends of the new platform and following the introduction
of WC Plus and the decision to pull the LMS Michelin-Lamon Cup away from YouTube. Is the ACO
satisfied with the performance of the app, both in terms of stability and viewers? Has there been
a noticeable dip in the LMS viewership numbers or an increase in WC viewers? Farm Your Gaming says,
following on to the above, do you think with what we've seen it's the right call to make,
or should it stay accessible on YouTube? Xanyun carries on to say, is there any chance you'll
get live strings for FB1, FB2, and reduce for the future? Understands ACO doesn't think it's
beneficial to pay for an entire TV crew for another day, but given WC does release single
app on-boards after these sessions, it seems at least on-board cameras are installed and
recording. Genesis, initially, also set up live streams for these sessions. So clearly there's
some manufacturer interest in it as well. Well, first things first, we have not had a read out
yet from WC about the success or otherwise in terms of numbers for the app. And remember the app
itself, with the difficulties with getting it through Apple's approval processes, has been a
relatively recent addition. I've seen sort of three layers of response to the performance of WC Plus.
Some people are extremely happy with it. Some people found some performance issues may or may
not have been, by the way, the capabilities of their device or their Wi-Fi. I'm happy to say
right now, the number of times I've, you know, poured scorn on a product that I've actually
been using, but it turns out it's by Shady Internet or my slightly overheated iPhone,
both that in mind too. And then there's the others that simply are not engaging with change
that are unhappy. Let's move from a platform where they have accessibility for it.
Don't want to be registering even for the free contents. That's their project, okay.
I understand why WC has done it. I'm personally disappointed that we've not got a free offering
on YouTube of anything live, but I understand what they're trying to do is drive as many people
as possible in the first blitz to their app stuff. I'll come to the FP1, FP2 things at a moment.
I think it's going to be interesting to see exactly what those numbers look like.
Whether or not we're going to find out, I don't know. Probably won't. Probably not.
Is there any chance we'll get live streams for FP1, FP2? There's a chance. I'll be blunt. There's
not a peer-to-peer huge appetite for it. I'll say right now the thing that I am really disappointed
is behind the paywall is FP3 for the FI will endurance championship. I always saw that as
being an opportunity to push people in the direction of paid content and it strikes me that's not a
correct decision, that if we're there and able to push a marketing message and that marketing
message is, come and see our shiny new app, that's where all the really good stuff is. Where am I
supposed to say that now? I guess it's the question. Not my decision, not been party to those discussions,
have had the odd discussion since, but not necessarily with the people that make those
decisions. Journalistically, I'm sure Stephen, you'll be asking those questions.
There's a handful of questions I've got about it and I've had a couple of discussions, one in
particular about the live timing platform on there, how it works, what the functionality has, what it
believes that taking like ELMS and the monk up off of YouTube, where you can just soak up
round and pass us by more easy or in an easier fashion is the way to go. They must have done some
analysis on is it more worthwhile to get the people interested in the ELMS on the platform and
then tempt them over to it. I haven't seen something like a proper free trial offer,
maybe that it's passed me by because I've had to put it anyway for work purposes, but it strikes
me as if you've got this shiny new platform, they're going to put so much behind it and lock
so much of it away and trap it in needing a login, maybe give people like a complete free trial of
the first couple of races before the month, actually this is really working well and actually
maybe I will pay for this for the rest of the season, give people the chance to see what it's
capable of because when it comes down to it from my experience of using it as a platform to watch
WC and ELMS and the monk, which I've also used it for, it's significantly more stable in my
experience than the previous test set up. I think as a product, it's far more fit for purpose,
the user interface is a lot better for the most part. It's just a lot more of a smooth experience
and sometimes when you're battling pressure and Wi-Fi and you've got a UI that's just messy or
doesn't work very well at times, it can be very frustrating. I've not had those frustrations,
my biggest frustration with the entire thing has been the lifetime, I'm just not a fan of it.
I think we had a fantastic live timing system a few years ago with expert mode, with key strategy
data, with drive time data, with a proper race control bulletin board, with just so much
key information that certainly from what I'm doing reporting on it, I get that's nothing
like what the majority of people are using it for was fantastic and it feels like we've taken a
step back for something that looks shiny and flashy and modern but doesn't actually give me
anything I need at times. I'll say this out loud, would have been nicely been asked, actually.
Well, I have been asked but after it's launched. There you go. Final one from our friends at
our WEC is from Ben, he says, I'm thinking about going to the LMS Bar right at the race list this
year. You're my first ever time attending any race, what do I need to know and do? Well, okay,
you would be more than welcome, Ben. Bring friends. What do I need to know and do? Not a lot,
just understand how you're getting here, understand where you're staying if you're coming
for more than a single day, as to what to do, keep an eye on the weather forecast if it looks
variable, bring clothes for every eventuality, bring some good walking shoes and bring something
to sit on is what I would suggest, whether or not there's a blanket or a collapsible chair,
that's always a good thing, although there will be grandstand seats available for you.
And get around the circuit, as far as a great example of a circuit where you can
pretty much walk the whole thing and in a four-hour race, you'd probably pretty much walk the whole
thing. Four hours you might need to hot-foot it a little bit, not too much time at each corner.
Yeah, but it's doable. If you're coming Saturday Sunday, there's a whole lot of track time
with whatever our fourth support series would be for that weekend. We've got here for the WEC
this weekend, it's Cruricup Benlux and the Legends of LaMonna here, alongside the WEC itself.
Elon S, of course, will be supported by Michelin LaMonde Cup, that'll be a race on the Saturday
afternoon into the evening, by the Leisure European Series with a couple of races on Saturday
again, and obviously on the Saturday, you've got qualifying as well for LaMonde Cup and for Elon S.
Sunday tends to be our fourth support series, plus Elon S, so there's likely to be a short
race in the morning, then all the fan-facing activities, so including the autograph session,
and then obviously it's a four-hour race. Brings a basic food and drink.
No one says something that I definitely would note for a place like Spa,
and I certainly don't know what it's like. Elon S, but I imagine it's even more
restrictive than WEC, is a lot of the facilities, like places to buy food and drink,
toilet facilities for these smaller events are like the F1, where the whole circuit,
all the way around the back is catered for, a lot of it's centered around the paddock,
so make sure if you've got food and drink, you've got it packed so that if you don't walk two miles
in one direction to get all the way to Lecombe or all the way to Poorn to then find, actually,
I really want to get, and I've got to go all the way to the paddock to get it, because there's no
full food trucks on this side of the circuit, because it's a lot quieter, so do keep that in mind.
Last stock is going to be our friends on the Marshall Brook podcast.
Facebook page, and we're going to run through a few of the questions here before we pack anything,
it's way past midnight here at Spa. Jake Ward says, McLaren joining WEC, the brand loves the
spotlight. Nick Tandy is the perfect driver of dress and papaya, put behind the wheel of the
McLaren LMD Husky. Tell me I'm not crazy, Tandy deserves to be an prototype, not benched in GT3.
I agree he absolutely deserves to be an prototype. Whether or not McLaren is eventually where Nick
bulls up, whether or not he returns to the front line with Porsche Penske Motorsport,
whether or not he's looking at somebody else, he clearly was not very happy to be transferred over
the GTD Pro. He's giving it his absolute best, as you expect him to do as a full professional,
but I did say earlier in the show, I thought there was a decision that had been made
by Porsche that clearly had not been very popular with some of its most valuable drivers. Nick is
absolutely one of those, and he was displaced because some of those valuable drivers from WEC
needed a birth. I would not be remotely surprised to see Nick Tandy in something other than a
Porsche in the next couple of years, whether or not it's McLaren remains to be seen. That's
as much I've got to say on that. Kevin Kemp says, I don't understand why manufacturers like McLaren
would delay entering into them, so they've got a car built to the current rule, why not race it,
what's the point of waiting for the next rule set, you have a car you can race now or in the
near future. Number one, there's a whole range of things that will determine what McLaren,
and for that matter, anybody else Ford included, Genesis included, what they'll do when they'll
come. New rule sets are one part of it, budgets are another part of it. The current geopolitical
situation is yet another part of it with things like tariffs and supply chain and all that great
stuff that we all love talking about. All of that is a part of it. In the case of McLaren,
there's also the issue of the new IndyCar rule set. It's absolutely one that has been
impactful in terms of accurate choices in the future. I think the reality here is if you look at
the public comments by, in this case, Zach Brown, what he's trying to do is contextualize, my apologies,
the frameworks plural around which his McLaren's decisions will be made.
It really isn't simple. Budget needs to be there for starters. There is the issue about service
provider. Will it be United in the States as it is with BMW and WRT on both fronts? Will it be
Arrow? If it's going to be Arrow, then there's the impact of new rule set, new cars for IndyCar
to take into account. You necessarily would compromise. You've then got the impact that
would be made moving forward with the onset of a new rule set. Will their brand new car in 2027
be able to be adapted to be eligible for a new rule set in 2030? If not, then the economy's
a scalar affected by that. It really isn't simple. It's a straight answer. But delay
entering into M-set, number one, they haven't yet made a decision. No matter what is said,
there's no decision to be made. 2028 was always, I believe, spoken about as the very earliest
that they'd be coming in. The decision not to do that has not been made.
I'm still the belief that we'll see them in 2028. I had a really interesting conversation with
a very trusted source of mine in the round, the hypercar industry,
only last week. We talked about this very topic. Something that you put in front of me was quite
interesting, which is you've got to think of these things when you're hearing the likes of
Brown discussing ways of taking a programme in the future. You've got to think of it in terms
of a spending curve for a programme like this. You get a budget, you do the cost analysis,
you sign it off with the board, this is what it's going to cost, this is how many years we're going
to do it, and this is how it's going to get spread out. Right now, they're entering that peak
spending period, where they're developing the car, they're getting everything set up,
they're spending loads and loads of money right now to get it off the ground and get it into
work next year. It's very, very tough when you're having to answer to boards about budget,
and inevitably, if there's overspend, you're going to have to ask for more to keep it going
in the direction it needs to go. Then suddenly go, well, we've got all this going on the Middle
East, we've got cost rising here and there. I actually need more budget for this because
I didn't see this happening. This is all starting in six months time. We need to sign drivers,
we need to do all these things that are costing loads of money right now that won't be a cost in
the next couple of years, and then say, oh, by the way, we're going to join IMSA in two years
as well, and it's going to cost this. It's easier to have that discussion and confirm that and get
it signed off in a year or so's time when they're not spending the amount they are right now.
We've got a later question on the broader similar thing from Daniel Nikon. With
accurate departure from IMSA, do you think it could accelerate McLaren or Ford's decisions
during the series? What is Porsche's likelihood of exiting IMSA as well? I don't think Porsche
are leaving certainly next year in any way, shape, or form. Do I think accurate departure will
have a direct impact on either McLaren or Ford? No, why should it? It's a straight honest answer.
And by the way, Chris Wright has replied to that question by saying McLaren is set out right.
They're indefinitely delaying IMSA until they know what the next GTP regulations will be. No,
they haven't. Straight no, they have not said that. They have said that they're keen to find out
the eligibility or otherwise of the new car or an evolution version of it, the 2030 regulations,
but that's not saying they're delaying it. What they're doing is lobbying. That's exactly what
Zach Brown is doing right there and he's very good at it. So I don't know what you've read,
Daniel, but whatever it was, it wasn't that. That is not what they're saying at all.
So, okay, that's that part of it. What do we expect to see?
We know we're going to see McLaren in 2027 and Ford in 2027 into the WC. Let's hope the market
situation gives both those manufacturers the opportunity to find a way into IMSA as quickly
as possible. And that's all, I guess, is the other thing to say. It's not a given that either one
will definitely do it. They've both said they're interested in doing it to some degree or other.
McLaren, I think, have been clearer about that than Ford necessarily have. Do I see them both in
IMSA? Yes, I do. Will it be for a full program? I've absolutely no idea. The only comments I've
seen from McLaren on this from lately came from Zach Brown and I read that and I think you and I
had a conversation about it as performing two things. One is outlining how complicated the
road map was for McLaren over the next three or four years because it is complicated with all the
IndyCar stuff, with global situation, with new ruleset, with a brand new car, et cetera, et cetera.
But I also saw that in exactly the same way as I saw the comments we saw two years ago from Thomas
Loudon back has been a pretty blunt lobbying effort to try to push the rule makers to take
into account the difficulties that that particular manufacturer has got at this moment in terms of
trying to amortize, trying to extend the investment opportunity for the platform
they've currently approved. Would that be fair? We're coming towards the end. Let's have a quick
look. Here's Dan McGrath. I've asked this a few times, hoping you can get an answer. Why is the
heart racing running a Loudar exhaust in IMSA versus WC with a Valkyrie when both series have the
same rules in place on sound limit for fiber car? The Loudar exhaust was run initially in WC at
Cattisle, Imola last year. Were they told out of compliance? Right. The only thing I can tell you
about their confidence is that there was not a Loudar exhaust run in competition at Imola. What
I do know happened at Imola in the first year for the car is they ran out of space and they ran
whatever they had, particularly a test exhaust. I believe in one session before space arrived.
So I don't know whether or not they're running a Loudar exhaust in IMSA than they are in WC.
What I can tell you is I was at the original test for Valkyrie at Daytona and, of course,
I've heard the car since in IMSA competition. I don't think the car's Loudar in IMSA.
It's a Mulligate car. I don't believe it's Loudar in IMSA at all. I think that's incorrect,
is a straight answer. I've seen and I've heard the videos that claim that a Qatar one car was
Loudar in the other. I didn't hear it, is a straight answer. I completely agree that there
was a session at Imola where one car was Loudar. I've asked for an explanation and was told they
ran out of spares and were given approval, I believe, to run with, I guess, a test exhaust
at that point very early in the car's life. But I believe that car is running in pretty much
exactly the same form in both championships. If you think wrong, Dan, you can think wrong.
I've asked the question. That's the answer I was given. We know that from the original Daytona
test they were given the opportunity to run the car Loudar, pretty much WC followed suit,
and it runs to the maximum sound level that is allowed. The other thing to take into account with
these kinds of question is it does very much depend where you're standing.
It does indeed. I'll give you a couple of examples. Standing in the pit lane at Bahrain,
for instance, I can remember walking down the pit lane with cars on track, a car on track,
and a car came by and it was, what the hell was that? That was the most amazing noise.
It was a Porsche Cup car. It was a new Porsche Cup car because of the bold effect that that
grandstand at the Bahrain is. The moment it's very much the same. It's just echoes,
doesn't it? I think you may have been with me when, some years ago, we sat in the grandstands,
the first free practice session for pretty good on this session, and listened to the cars coming
out of pit lane. This would have been out in 17, 18, some kind of time.
It was too loud, too loud. Everything was too loud. It's like you watch your
list of the cars elsewhere and it's fine. Standing in a car where it's just a wide open space,
the sound just dissipates. I don't think there's any great conspiracy here. I just don't think
it's different is a straight answer. I was at Daytona. I stood in three or four different places.
I didn't hear anything different. Cars sound quite quiet at Daytona again because there's a lot of
open space. There's not big, thick buildings on the side of the track to contain the sound.
I think we're sort of going to have to leave it there with one exception. I'm just going to have
a quick chat. I'm going to make it two exceptions. Right. Okay. Actually, I was just spotting another
couple to let crack on. Richard Garter says, in the early to mid 2000s, you'd hear things on race
broadcasts like spirit of rules. The car has two roll hoops because it's in the spirit of rules.
Are such things built into modern prototypes anymore? Yes. Specifically in sports cars that are
designed to effectively have a space for a second seat, no second seat, because it's full of electronics,
God knows what other cupins, but yes, that's very much in the same spirit. That's why the
cars look like that. That's why you've got the capola on the car, the shape of the dimensions
that you have. And by the way, that's going to continue into the 2028 regulations for LMP2
because the center driving position has gone from those regulations. Let's have a look.
Final one, I think, from this selection, and then you can go with whatever you've got
on the top of your head. It's a very good one. I know Graeme especially hates this being brought
up over and over, says Mike Hock, but surely we need some form of LMP2 and LMP3,
driver quality control. I don't think I've ever expressed that view at all. For LMP3, I think,
maybe. Maybe. All that's talking about Le Mans Cup and maybe there being a barrier to entry that
should be there. Yes. Solid driving on-show WCMs for the LMS has been atrocious over the last couple
of years. The amount of safety car periods, risk to other drivers and damage costs seems to be
rising steadily. What do I think? I mean, I think I may have said this on the show before.
I think we should have some form of entry qualification for this form of racing at this
level, a world championship level, maybe an IMSA LMS level. And I think there's
pretty easy ways you can do that. I understand the reasons why that's difficult, particularly for
the teams that require that commercial investment. But I think an out-of-competition level of testing
and for a brand new driver coming in, an in-competition level of testing,
that means that you can be reassured that that driver is fit for purpose and is safe.
I don't think that would be unsensible at all is the honest answer. The problem comes when a team
gets to the stage where a driver it requires, let's say a bronze driver in a program formula,
fails that bar. What does that team do then? Do we lose teams in that way? You've got to
consider that as well. It is ultimately not just a sport, it's a business. I don't disagree that some
of the driver behaviors we've seen. You know, Steve and I have been sharply critical at times of some
of the standards we've seen, for instance, the Michelin and non-cup. I believe, beyond that,
by the way, I think we have a point space system in terms of the disciplinary side of things and
the driver's standards side of things. I think it needs a rethink. I don't see a point in giving
a single penalty point in a six round championship, for instance. If that's what that driver is doing
for that season, frankly, you can behave badly in all six races and not come close to a point where
you're going to be asked to sit by and think about what you've done. Maybe that needs another
thing. Maybe we need to be a little less liberal in terms of the attitude we've got to, frankly,
sometimes purely bad driving. But on the face of it, I think it is an area we perhaps need to look at.
I don't know what the answer is. It's a straightforward answer, and I'm sure there's lots
and lots of people that disagree with me. Anyway, that's me. What you got before we finish?
Last time we recorded, it was before we had the news about Alex and Adi. Feel like we should end on
that? We should. I'm forcing because it is incredibly emotional, and Alex was just special.
He was just an outstanding individual, an outstanding human being, an outstanding sports
standing example to all of us in seeing the positives through adversity. You saw him race.
I saw him race. I think it's an extraordinary thing when a sportsman that is not a form of
one racer, that is not a Premiership footballer or Syria footballer, that amongst the first
people to respond is his own Prime Minister. That says something. It doesn't matter what you think
of the politician. Forget that. The Prime Minister made a statement. That's respect.
It's then when you look a bit further and you start to read some of the incredibly emotional
stuff that came out. Somebody sent to me a clip from an extraordinary program that exists in
the UK called The Last Leg. The Last Leg started many years ago as effectively part of Channel 4
in the UK's Paralympic Coverage. It was basically a light entertainment show, chat show,
based around the premise of the Paralympics, with all of their presenters being in some way,
having in some form a disability. There's a guy called Alex Brooker on that show,
who is not a motorsport fan, and it was what he said about Alex Sanardi. He, as a young disabled
man, and about the example that Alex set to him that gave him hope and aspiration and drive
to move forward with a career in what sometimes I'm sure must feel a very unfriendly world
when you've got that little challenge. I'm lost in admiration for that man. Not Alex Brooker,
although he's pretty good, but Alex Sanardi. I had the privilege of meeting him and interviewing him
more than once. They rank amongst not just my favourite times in this sport, but the most
inspirational times in this sport. I'll tell you just this one story, which doesn't surround Alex's
time in a race car. Towards the end of my day job career, we had the Paralympics in London,
and one of the last things I did with that day job was to run a team that ran the transport
of people to and from the Games for both the Paralympics and the Olympics. Quite a tight-knit team
on a big floor, a big office building. I spent a hell of a long time doing it over a four-week period.
During that time, you interact with your colleagues and you talk about a whole range of things. I
told them the story of Alex Sanardi. I remember talking to this room with 20, 30, 40 people in it,
and because we had the big screens and the Olympics were on constantly,
quite often other people would be around our area, and that's the story of how Network Rail,
80 people, stood and cheered an Italian home to a gold medal at Bran's Hatch
because he was that fucking awesome. He's just that awesome. The manner of his departure from
competition was tragic. I'm happy as a person without pain, but I will never,
ever forget what that man meant to millions of people in terms of his sheer grit and determination
to succeed. I don't think he ever considered himself inspirational, but I can't think of
anything more inspirational than a man who'd been as good and successful as he had in one career
shrugging off the towering challenges of the results of his accident to go ahead and do what he
did not just in sporting endeavor, but going back to the Alex Booker thing to inspire millions of
people, millions of people to go what better. I think that's a fitting picture, a fitting tribute
to the most extraordinary man. I was utterly delighted to see the WRT cars carrying tributes
to him this weekend here as part. I'm emotional and I make no excuses for it because he was awesome.
I don't know how much more I can add to that really, Graham. He was just, for me, a hero.
I remember seeing him racing WRT cars from that point in his career onwards and
meeting him as a fan, meeting him at work later on, and the exact same person, no matter what
setting you were interacting with him in, just the most charming, humble person,
had no business being as approachable and down to earth as he was considering how
he's the sort of person who would get mobbed in the streets and so embass the world because he's
just superstar. Yeah, an absolute icon and it really hit hard that day because it just,
yeah, he meant a lot to me as well and like I say, just two millions of people and
there just won't ever be anyone else like him ever, I don't think. And in one way, let's hope there
isn't because you don't want to see people hurt and damaged in the way that he was. But in other
ways, I know exactly what you mean because it was the inspirational way within which he dealt with
those challenges and there's so many stories. There's so many stories and I hope somebody
writes a book worth reading about this. I hope somebody involved in his life
writes that book because trust me, just the kind of the stories in microcosm you hear along the way,
it's worth everybody's time to learn what he did and how he did it and
I'm happy as a piece, I'm happy he's without pain and I feel enormously for his family
who he adored, clearly. But we're going to miss him. We're going to miss him a lot. There's not
going to be anybody else like him. We've spoken to this before about this life we lead doing this,
giving us access to people we absolutely idolise and people we consider like, you know,
childhood heroes in a lot of instances and there's a lot to be said for meeting somebody that you
admire as much as I did and you did with Alex and him not just meet the bar of what you thought he
was going to be but exceed it and to have somebody that you've never met before treat you as if you're
a friend and have been forever, there aren't as many people who go to that level who's just so
generous of his time and just this incredibly talented. Yeah, you know, the other thing is,
you know, we're not the sort to ask gotcha questions and certainly not to Alex as normally,
because that's not going to work, but I have witnessed people who've tried and the way in
which he dealt with that and it's that moment where they realise that they're wrong. They're
prepared to answer and the quality of his answers always completely outweigh any possible reason
why you might go down that road. Rest in peace, Alex. You were absolutely awesome. I am going to be
trying by the way to follow up with a couple of people with a couple of those stories and if I can
get those stories in podcastable form, we'll find a way to put them out. It particularly includes
my very first encounter with Alex as a fan. I'm not going to tell you anymore because it's an
awesome story but I hope we can get that one on tape this weekend. The person who can tell the
story is here at Spa this weekend and I'm going to encourage them to do that.
If all of this is a mystery to you, go read about Alex and Ida. Just go read about Alex and Ida.
I don't care who your sporting hero is. It doesn't match up to what this man did.
That was a really good video actually on Imza's YouTube channel that they've re-run that they
did when they filmed a sort of micro documentary about his life. It's a 10 minute 10 minute thing
on remembering his life and it's a re-run of what they produced when he raced at the Ralex 24 and
2019. Really, really well put together a piece so seek that out. That'll do for that.
Rest in peace Al. It's a shitty week with that kind of news but for now we're going to say thank
you to you Stephen Kilby. It's late in the evening and we've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow.
We'll say thanks again to the Justice Brothers and to toronto motorsports.com.
This has been the Week in Sportscast. Part of the Martial Crew Podcast
with me, Graham Goodwin, with him, Stephen Kilby. We will be back to you next week.
About this episode
Crowd and media momentum take center stage, with hosts pointing to Netflix’s “Drive to Survive” and the pull of Le Mans as sports-car weekends swell—potentially toward “a six-figure crowd this weekend” at Spa. They then pivot to the business side: rising budgets, uncertain 2030 rules, and why hypercar/WEC competition keeps pushing development spending. Porsche’s 963 and possible hypercar return get debated alongside GT3 cost pressure, paywalls, and a few technical talking points.
If you'd like to join the PrueDay podcast listener group, send an email to [email protected] and you'll be invited to participate in the Discord chat that takes place every day and meet up with your new family at events.
