Motorsport RumorCAN: Porsche LMP1, Panoz IndyCar, Sportscar Unification?

Hello, folks! Well, it's been a while since I had something to publish, hasn't it? Personal and computer problems have kept me busy lately, but right now I've got something for us all: A new Motorsports Rumorcan! So let's get cracking.

Porsche LMP1 to be modified RS Spyder?

Since Penske Racing's sudden jump over to Grand-Am for the current season, it's been heavily rumored, but never confirmed nor denied, that it was a temporary matter to keep Penske's sportscar teams in shape while Porsche developed an LMP1 car for 2010.

While we still have nothing official, new rumors point to the Porsche LMP1 being little more than a modified version of the RS Spyder.

It wouldn't be the first time an LMP2 has been bumped up to LMP1—Eco Racing modified a Radical SR9 into an LMP1 car (dubbed the Radical SR10) by fitting larger fenders to fit the larger LMP1 tires.

The SR10 has ran into it's share of problems, which could mean why Porsche has been so secretive about their LMP1 project: They don't want prying eyes to reveal anything before they're ready. Simply modifying the RS Spyder will require some aerodynamic tweaks to make it work properly, and they may not be able to make it work at all.

By being secretive Porsche could drop the project at any time if it proved too serious an issue without it looking like they broke any promises to fans.

Panoz back to IndyCar?

IndyCar's Brian Barnhart recently indicated the Dallara exclusivity to a new IRL chassis is not really guaranteed - a rather welcome piece of information in and of itself, but he has also noted that there are "two designs" the IRL is looking into right now. And of course, it didn't take long for rumors to start flying.

The most intriguing of these being that Panoz is back in the game. Many believe that Panoz has presented a new, more refined version of the DP01 Champ Car that would be more suited for the future IRL formula.

It would not be the first time the DP01 was revised—the car provided by Panoz for the Superleague Formula is very heavily based on the DP01, the majority of the modifications being in regards to fitting and cooling the SF V12.

Although the original DP01 was designed with the possibility of ovals in mind, an aero package for such was never tested. But with the IRL clearly leaning towards a more CART-like schedule, the exceptional road course capability of the DP01 makes designs based on it a rather appealing concept.

It can be said with certainty that many lessons learned from the DP01 need to be applied to the next IRL car, no matter who it comes from.

Sportscar unification?

ALMS is struggling to fill it's field this year, Grand-Am is down on cars slightly, and many feel that, like IRL and Champ Car, this is a conflict that must end. So it is of no surprise that rumors about ALMS and Grand-Am merging are extremely commonplace. Some say it could never happen for various reasons, from the LMPs completely embarrassing the DPs to the ACO agreement not allowing the ALMS to have their own 24-hour race.

I have never seen anything to indicate anything forbidding the ALMS from running a 24-hour race. It seems to me they simply haven't done it because America doesn't need another one, and it'd make them look a little desperate to beat Grand-Am.

DPs being embarrassed by LMPs is also a load of crap in my mind. The DPs weren't designed to be better than, or even as good as, the LMPs in any way besides SAFETY. Their sole purpose was to be exciting and safe. And with the GT1 class of the ALMS dead for all intents and purposes, DPs would make a good class to slip in as a replacement in a merged series.

What about the Grand-Am GT cars? Any number of things could be done with them. The cars could be upped to a GT2-friendly spec(but be exempt from invites to Le Mans if they're not a perfect match), or be slipped in as a new GT class.

But I'm getting way ahead of myself. That's all IF a merger happened. This about the latest rumor regarding the mater, which states, quite simply, that Penske Racing's move to Grand-Am has nothing to do with a potential Porsche LMP1 program, but that it's purpose is to work with Grand-Am management to try and create communication between the series for purposes of an eventual merging.

Sounds a bit far-fetched to me, but if anyone's the man for the job in such matters, it's Roger Penske.

So that's all for this edition. What do we all think?