For the final week of 2013 a list of predictions of what could happen in a few different motorsport series in 2014 will be posted and today we look at the world of sports car racing, from the inaugural Tudor United Sportscar Championship to the FIA World Endurance Championship and a few items in between.
1. Porsche Wins Le Mans With Mark Webber
It's a complete hunch. Yes I know Audi will still be there and have won four in a row and twelve of fourteen since the turn of the millennium. Who knows, Webber may struggle in sports cars. Porsche might struggle as a whole. The bright side is they will have an experienced duo in Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas leading the way with another Porsche factory driver Marc Lieb in the stable along with the talented Neel Jani and youngster Brendon Hartley. I envision Bernhard and Dumas pairing with Jani as the number one team with Lieb, Hartley and Webber forming the second car. Is that team good enough to win Le Mans? We will have to wait and find out. Let me put it to you this way: Did anyone really think the #2 Audi of Fässler, Tréluyer and Lotterer would hold off three Peugeots for sixteen hours?
2. Tom Kristensen Retires
First Dindo Capello, then Allan McNish. The master of Le Mans has seen his two wingmen retire and he has accomplished a spectacular career driving for Audi. He has nothing left to prove and after 2014 he will also enter retirement. Audi has been experiencing a constant changing of the guard but they always find the next batch of drivers to continue their legacy. Frank Biela, Emanuele Pirro, Marco Werner, Capello, McNish and Kristensen all set the bar at Audi and the likes of Fässler, Tréluyer, Lotterer and Duval are drivers Audi found who have continued to raise it.
3. Audi Promote Within to Replace Allan McNish
Rarely does Audi go outside the box when it comes to replacing one of their drivers and following the retirement of Allan McNish this will be no different. However who they decide to become the third driver along side Kristensen and Duval is another story. Mike Rockenfeller is committed to DTM full-time. Filipe Albuquerque has been successful for Audi in DTM and won the GT class this past January in the 24 Hours of Daytona. Oliver Jarvis, Marc Gené and Lucas di Grassi completed the third car at Le Mans this year. I suspect di Grassi, Albuquerque and Jarvis are frontrunners to land the spot. The other driver to watch out for is René Rast who was one of Albuquerque's teammates at Daytona earlier this year, won the Spa 24 Hours in 2012 and is a three-time Porsche Supercup champion.
4. Bob Stallings Racing Wins 24 Hours of Daytona
After being forced to run only the North American Endurance Cup races in 2014, the highly successful #99 Gainsco entry known as the Red Dragon will finally break though at Daytona. Each year Alex Gurney and Jon Fogerty have entered Daytona as favorites but rarely complete all 24 hours let alone be in contention to win. But I feel that will change. After all these years, the one year they de-emphasize the championship they pull out the biggest sports car race in North America. Plus they will have two veterans in Memo Gidley and Darren Law rounding out a very dangerous part time team.
5. TUSC Will Have A Few Events Where Class Limits Cause Headaches
For most events the Prototype class will be limited to 19, PC to 10, GTLM to 12 and GTD to 19. But from the looks of the full-time entry list, GTD will be causing the most problems. Twenty-four cars are entered to run the full-season in GTD with another three entered for Daytona. GTLM is set with 10 full-time entries with another two committed to the NAEC events. The Prototype class doesn't hit it's limit on full-time entries with thirteen with another three prototypes entered for the NAEC but the PC class is overbooked with twelve full-time.
Naturally if the P class does not have a full house entered for any round, it would only make sense to redistribute them to other class that are over their limits but what will happen in a month's time at Daytona? If the P class is three short, first will those spots be redistributed and if so to which class or classes? Does PC receive two additional spots that way no PC cars are sent home? Does GTD get two additional spots that way less GTD cars are sent home? And what happens at other events such as Sebring and Indianapolis where the P and GTLM class are given one and two additional entries respectively? We will just have to find out when it happens.
6. Nissan ZEOD RC Will Complete All 24 Hours at Le Mans
Unlike it's predecessor as the Garage 56 entry and old brother, the DeltaWing, the ZEOD RC will see the checkered flag in the French classic. The hybrid electric vehicle may not be running competitive lap times compared other LMP entries but it will avoid mechanical failures and contact from other cars to make it to the end.
7. Mid-Ohio Will Receive A Sports Car Date For 2015
After being left off both the United SportsCar Championship and Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge schedule, the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course will get back on one or both schedules for 2015.
8. Pirelli World Challenge Will Continue to Grow
Last season saw Cadillacs CTS-Vs, Audi R8s and Volvo S60s competed full-time with cameos throughout the season by Corvettes, Porsche 911 GT3s, Dodge Vipers, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMGs and an Aston Martin Vantage GT3. Reiter Engineering has homologated a Lamborghini Gallardo FL2 GT3 and DragonSpeed tested a Ferrari GT3 458 earlier this month with signs pointing to the McLaren MP4-12C and maybe even a Bentley Continental GT3 making their debut in 2014. Keep an eye out for Pirelli World Challenge in 2014. It might be the best racing you see all year.
9. Ferrari Will Continue To Look Toward A Future in LMP1
Over the past month, Ferrari has expressed interest in entering LMP1 and I think we will continue to hear rumblings of a return of the Scuderia. With the new 1.6 liter V6 engine that will be used in Formula One also being in compliance with the ACO's regulations, the return to Le Mans is easier than ever for Ferrari and I am sure it is a return we would all like to see.
In case you missed it, here are Formula One predictions for 2014. NASCAR predictions and a mixed-bag of predictions on series such as MotoGP, DTM, World Rally and other will be available tomorrow.
Covering All Motorsports. From Indianapolis to Le Mans, Daytona to Monaco.
