http://www.maserati.it/cmc_upload/1/073/799/938/MAS10_780_600.jpg

Luca Badoer and Luciano Burti are likely to spearhead a factory attack on the ALMS and Le Mans in 2003 for Maserati. FIA GT is a possibility but di Montezemolo is keen to raise Maserati's brand image in the US, as the US is virtually untapped market for Maserati. Also of note is that Maserati wants to erase the nasty image that the woefully craptastic Chrysler/Maserati's created in the baby boomer psyche.

There is also rumour that Nissan will be putting in their new 350Z into the GT field.

We'll see.

I'd love to see a further dervisifed field in ALMS.
Porsche privateer vs Porsche privateer just. . .well. . .seems lacking in excitement.

do you have a url to an article on that?

thanks!

You can find the article about the maserati on their website or on www.totalmotorsport.com. The comments I posted were from motorsports "mole".

The 350Z entry is rumoured, but still trying to find some confirmation or pics.

while reading through some ancient topics, i saw this about the 350Z in ALMS. i remember a headline in Autoweek talking about that. i'd be hard-pressed to find that specific issue, but i'll look.

Car and Driver just mentioned the availability of the 350Z as a GT car. From the factory with cage and 450 HP, it is 75K. Not bad. Also, I beleive Pratt and Miller are fidling the GM entries and I heard they were weighing the option of racing the CTS and/or the GTO. THe GTO has roots in teh Holden so they are spending some time with one of the Australian touring cars as insight into waht htey may field for a GTS endeavor. Just a rumor out of the Pratt and Miller shop. I can't wait until next year.

No way that car is 75k, I read it too. My friend said it is going to be a lost lead for them to get back into motorsports. That car will be more like 200k+.

450hp factory race car with all the goodies to compete at ALMS level, they can't do it!

Originally posted by Hammm3
No way that car is 75k, I read it too. My friend said it is going to be a lost lead for them to get back into motorsports. That car will be more like 200k+.

450hp factory race car with all the goodies to compete at ALMS level, they can't do it!

Yeah, the blurb about the Nissan ALMS car in one of the car magazines was BS. I talked to Nissan Motorsports after I read it. They have no intention of building an ALMS car, and even if they did, it would cost $150K+.

If they were really building an ALMS car for $75K, I'd definitely find a way to be driving ALMS next year. :)

Bryan,

What do you know about PTG?

Just call Tom, you should be driving for him anyway.



[QUOTE]Originally posted by BMWRacerITS
[B]I talked to Nissan Motorsports after I read it.


I will be coming to see the Bryan Watt/Preirre Collet show at VIR in the Spring.:eek:

Originally posted by Hammm3
What do you know about PTG?

Just call Tom, you should be driving for him anyway.

If it were only so easy. I've got some decent connections to the PTG folks as well as the G&W Motorsports folks, but it takes a lot more than connections to get a ride. The big ?? is always money. With the the right sponsors, I could find a ride in Star Mazda, World Challenge, or ALSM without any problems. Since I'm currently sponsorless and just finished college, I'm not sure if I can afford a season of SCCA racing next year. Doh! :help :bawl :dunno :D

There are a lot of drivers with more experience and more talent than me who don't have rides because they don't have the $$. On the flip side, there are quite a few guys in ALMS and World Challenge that I can out-drive, but they are able to bring the money/sponsorship to the table. That's the way it goes. :dunno

Hopefully I'll get enough $$ together to run all the East coast Star Mazda races this year. I need more results/experience before I can even start talking to the big boys in ALMS. Doesn't stop me from dreaming about it most every night though. ;)

I will be coming to see the Bryan Watt/Preirre Collet show at VIR in the Spring.:eek:

Ha. It should be fun. Pierre has a FAST (and I repeat, FAST) car, but hopefully my dad and I both have the local VIR knowledge to edge him out. I ran a personal best in my dad's car of 2:04.0 around VIR full course the other day at the G&W Open House. Pierre will have to work real hard to beat that, considering it's 4.5 seconds faster than the fastest BMod car (my dad) at VIR during the 2002 race. :evil2 And did I mention that my last lap was my fastest, and when I pulled into the pits, the rear tires were corded? :evil2 :evil2 Slap on some brand new tires, and we are talking 2:02's!!!

Money, Money, Money, it is so true, I was in Nascar for eight years the last several I was Director of Sponsorship Acquisition (Fancy for go out and get us money so we can race). It was by far the toughest thing I have done in my professional life. :chix

Originally posted by Hammm3
Money, Money, Money, it is so true, I was in Nascar for eight years the last several I was Director of Sponsorship Acquisition.

For what team? Busch? Winston Cup? Regional?

I worked in Sales and Marketing for Speedway Motorsports at Lowes Motor Speedway for a summer job. It was definitely a tough business...and its easier in NASCAR than just about any other racing in America. :eek:

# 26 Busch / Dr Pepper, Carroll Racing