M3 GTR -- First Race this Weekend!

[GT3 Tim]

Originally Posted by bmargolis

Anyone else notice that the main announcer kept referring to the BMW as an "E93."

Yes I did. LOL I was going to mention that.

All in all, I think it was a reasonable first race. There is going to be much to learn and "fix" this season. They will get it together.

I hope they get to remove the restrictors. Geez. What is this, NASCAR?

[Ryan239]

I have pics and vids I will post later from the event, it was nice to see the M3s run, at least for a little while.

[gr8000]

Originally Posted by Ryan239

I have pics and vids I will post later from the event, it was nice to see the M3s run, at least for a little while.

Please do, I would love to see them!

[cncmastr]

Originally Posted by GT3 Tim

Yes I did. LOL I was going to mention that.

All in all, I think it was a reasonable first race. There is going to be much to learn and "fix" this season. They will get it together.

I hope they get to remove the restrictors. Geez. What is this, NASCAR?

ugh! It was maddening!!

[Ryan239]

Not the best camera but this is what I've got:

http://picasaweb.google.com/rcatucci...sOfSebring2009

[Gearhead999s]

Originally Posted by GT3 Tim

Yes I did. LOL I was going to mention that.

All in all, I think it was a reasonable first race. There is going to be much to learn and "fix" this season. They will get it together.

I hope they get to remove the restrictors. Geez. What is this, NASCAR?

They all run restictors of different sizes based on weight,displacement & I beleive the # of cylinders.

[bruce.augenstein@comcast.]

Originally Posted by footie

It was a shame that I missed the first few hours of the race so didn't get to see the M3 race, but hat off to Audi and Peugeot for producing a thrilling race and ulimately hat off to Audi for winning with a brand new design to win straight out of the box.

Roll on LeMans.

For me, it's generally boring to watch pretty much any kind of race track action, unless I'm actually out there on track, but I found this race strangely fascinating.

I got initially drawn in by an in-car camera in one of the M3s, watching as he hunted down and eventually passed one of the more important Porsches. However, in the middle of that segment, there was a "Pardon me, coming through!" moment as one of the GT1 Vettes effortlessly blasted by, followed a minute or two later by the other Vette. Apparently this was their last race, having dominated for so long that they ran out of competition. The only guys who could trade shots with them were the Aston folks (ProDrive?), who were competitive through some weight advantage combined with that wonderful V12 power.

I'll be sorry to see the Vettes retire, although apparently they're going to field a couple of GT2 cars, which should add to the fun.

I was a little miffed that the M3s dropped out, because Audi has apparently spoiled me over the last few years with cars that win right out of the box - enough so that now I apparently think it's the norm - which is really weird. Almost nobody wins right out of the box, except Audi, but there it is. Now I kind of expect that instant gratification.

Of course, Peugeot gave them all they could handle, with a more powerful (and generally a bit quicker) car that was undone by being a bit tougher on tires and fuel.

Looking forward to the rest of the series, obviously with Lemans as a highlight. I'll be miffed again if Rahal doesn't get it together.