There are sure to be some differing perspectives on this:
https://www.windingroad.com/article...-57717561&mc_cid=5f6cbfce62&mc_eid=a417b78390
https://www.windingroad.com/article...-57717561&mc_cid=5f6cbfce62&mc_eid=a417b78390
Balance of Performance - Counterpoint?
- Thread starter Cobrar
- Start date
Howard
GT Owner
Once in the lead by three minutes due to the safety car at the four-hour mark, the lead Porsche had little incentive to set fastest lap, or to jeopardize their gift with high-risk passing. I'm a Porsche fan (I own two) but the GTLM BOP cannot be justified by the lead Porsche performance.
Somehow when Ford managed to win at Lemans in 2016, all was well and perfectly justified with BoP. When Ford doesn't win, everyone is quick to cite BoP. For me, any time spent debating BoP is detracting from the win that Ford enjoyed in 2016. Either you subscribe to the notion that BoP does a reasonably equitable job at leveling the field or you don't. If it's the later, then we're really saying that Ford's 2016 win was due to favorable BoP conditions and the results in 2018 were unfavorable BoP adjustments..... diminishing the accomplishments of the race winners.
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BoP completely eliminates the ultimate motivation to come up with a BEST tool, a faster race car. Sure it can be maybe better on tires, but you cant even build it to run longer, as now there is a rule for max number of laps per stint, in addition to fuel capacity.
Yes it works for getting manufacturers, in the door, and not embarrassing them selves (as suggested in the article). I do get the BoP and in a way do support it, as with out it, you might have a race like Toyota did this year.
Of course, the GT should win every race, however.
Yes it works for getting manufacturers, in the door, and not embarrassing them selves (as suggested in the article). I do get the BoP and in a way do support it, as with out it, you might have a race like Toyota did this year.
Of course, the GT should win every race, however.
Nafod
GT Owner
2017 was a great 2nd, 23+ hours of watching to have it all happen in the last few laps. Missed 2018, but will definitely be there for 2019..:thumbsup
PeteK
GT Owner
Sure, you can say that BoP favored Ford in 2016, and Porsche this year and argue about those all the way to the grave, and you can argue about what the teams do to sandbag or otherwise not show their best hand to prevent getting penalized by BoP (as Ford probably did in 2016), but eventually the BoP mows you down. And you can argue that everyone has to play by the same rules regarding numbers of laps, driving stints, driving time, etc. but they keep changing those rules too. I didn't know that there was a maximum stint for each driver, so I was surprised by the announcement that the #67 would be penalized from 4th place to somewhere in the back of the pack. Was that fair? Well, by one definition, everyone has to abide by the same rules, so it's fair, but as far as I'm concerned, if you keep changing the rules, then the game becomes more about the rules than the racing. Like someone said, you don't go to a baseball game to watch the umpire, but that's what I feel like with LeMans.
The big problem with BoP from my point of view as a race fan is that the races aren't won on the track, they are won in the rules committee room. The BoP gets adjusted every race to even out the performance of very different cars. It's like watching football where the NFL adjusts the rules every week to even out the teams. At some point, it's just frustrating no matter who you root for.
I've said it before, but bear with me again, the rules committee needs to set the rules for the season, and leave them alone: Car must be based on a production model (the mid-engined RSR really stretched that definition). Set the basic parameters for the class, say 3.0 liters, no hybrid drives (that's for the LMP classes), not to exceed certain dimensions, minimum weight, no moveable aero, maximum fuel limit for the race, etc. then get the hell out of the way and let the teams compete on their implementation of technology, driving skill, and race strategy. And be sure to enforce penalties equally. Then we'd have something resembling racing again that's fun to watch.
The big problem with BoP from my point of view as a race fan is that the races aren't won on the track, they are won in the rules committee room. The BoP gets adjusted every race to even out the performance of very different cars. It's like watching football where the NFL adjusts the rules every week to even out the teams. At some point, it's just frustrating no matter who you root for.
I've said it before, but bear with me again, the rules committee needs to set the rules for the season, and leave them alone: Car must be based on a production model (the mid-engined RSR really stretched that definition). Set the basic parameters for the class, say 3.0 liters, no hybrid drives (that's for the LMP classes), not to exceed certain dimensions, minimum weight, no moveable aero, maximum fuel limit for the race, etc. then get the hell out of the way and let the teams compete on their implementation of technology, driving skill, and race strategy. And be sure to enforce penalties equally. Then we'd have something resembling racing again that's fun to watch.
That's basically it.
The IMSA BoP has been decent most of the time. FIA WEC auto-BoP has also been ok since they implemented it. The Le Mans BoP is a circus because it's a one-off, but it's a one-off for a reason. Realistically, the minute the RSR ran the 3:47.5 on Wednesday, everyone knew the race was over. But beyond that, LM itself has just become a byzantine regulatory disaster that everyone knows is designed to influence outcomes. Acceleration regulated, top speed regulated, drive time regulated, fueling time regulated, max laps on a tank regulated, blah blah blah. You have to go 11 laps off the green flag, 14 laps max during the race and 13 laps max when checkered flag falls. So what is the point of fuel strategy? It's an endless web designed to remove any kind of superiority your chassis or powertrain might give you and they add more annually. Drive time regulations in an all-professional class is stupid. It's not like Tony Kanaan is some Kazakh drug runner that bought his seat for $15 million.
And then the hideous safety car situation. That is the most frustrating thing on earth. 16 cars in a 17 car field were removed from contention after 4 hours based purely on the luck of the safety car draw. With all the previously mentioned rules, the only drama is will there be a component failure or crash. Played out easily. RSR cruised to an easy victory over the last 20 hours after being gifted a near-3 minute lead.
It's harder to swallow if you're the GT because the GT was designed to the rules in order to be a very successful race car.
The IMSA BoP has been decent most of the time. FIA WEC auto-BoP has also been ok since they implemented it. The Le Mans BoP is a circus because it's a one-off, but it's a one-off for a reason. Realistically, the minute the RSR ran the 3:47.5 on Wednesday, everyone knew the race was over. But beyond that, LM itself has just become a byzantine regulatory disaster that everyone knows is designed to influence outcomes. Acceleration regulated, top speed regulated, drive time regulated, fueling time regulated, max laps on a tank regulated, blah blah blah. You have to go 11 laps off the green flag, 14 laps max during the race and 13 laps max when checkered flag falls. So what is the point of fuel strategy? It's an endless web designed to remove any kind of superiority your chassis or powertrain might give you and they add more annually. Drive time regulations in an all-professional class is stupid. It's not like Tony Kanaan is some Kazakh drug runner that bought his seat for $15 million.
And then the hideous safety car situation. That is the most frustrating thing on earth. 16 cars in a 17 car field were removed from contention after 4 hours based purely on the luck of the safety car draw. With all the previously mentioned rules, the only drama is will there be a component failure or crash. Played out easily. RSR cruised to an easy victory over the last 20 hours after being gifted a near-3 minute lead.
It's harder to swallow if you're the GT because the GT was designed to the rules in order to be a very successful race car.
NJS
GT Owner
+1 Boring race. Normally, Car durability, driver capability and team strategy play equal roles. Team strategy was eliminated this year, and the safety car provided a huge margin for durability and driver capability. BOP was supposed to level the playing field. This year the rule changes and safety car dictated the outcome.
The increasing enforcement of regulations at the 24 Hours of Le Mans has led to “almost preordained” racing according to Corvette Racing program manager Doug Fehan, who along with other manufacturer representatives, have spoken out on the current state of the class.
The winner in GTE-Pro in last weekend’s around-the-clock enduro was essentially decided following a fourth-hour safety car period, which gave the class-leading No. 92 Porsche 911 RSR a two-plus minute lead.
It was compounded by new-for-2018 pit stop regulations, as well as minimum refueling times and maximum stint lengths, which Fehan believes eliminated many elements of race strategy.
“I don’t think it’s intentional, but I think that we’re going to find that we have really gotten close on a BoP situation and now we need to focus on a sporting regulations situation,” he told Sportscar365.
“I think the sporting regulations have made the race almost too mechanical, almost preordained, and not real racing. And that’s not a criticism.”
GTE-Pro cars were limited to 14-lap stints in the race, with the exception of the opening stint, which was capped to 11 laps, and 13 laps for the final stint.
Additionally, for the second consecutive year, refueling times were controlled, with a minimum of 35 seconds for GTE-Pro and 45 seconds for GTE-Am.
Similar rules were enforced in LMP1, which saw 11-lap stints for the race-winning Toyota TS050 Hybrids and ten laps for the non-hybrids, which if shown increased performance to the benchmark hybrids, were subject to a stop-and-hold penalty.
Fehan, who praised the work the FIA and ACO achieved in the Balance of Performance for GTE-Pro, said its revised pitstop regulations has reduced the team’s role in the race.
Refueling and tire changes are now done simultaneously, in a similar format seen in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
“I am a huge advocate of separating car work and fueling,” Fehan said. “So the emphasis comes on to the crew. I want to see the same thing in America.
“I like it when the pit stop plays a role in how effectively you compete in the race. Where it’s more than just a driver in the car, it’s the whole team that has a role.
“The unintended consequence of that is that it encourages less tire usage. Because now you really have to ask yourself, ‘Should I keep the set of tires on, or should I take the time to put a new set on?’… I like that.”
BMW Motorsport director Jens Marquardt believes the “overall package” needs to be looked at, particularly in the wake of last weekend’s safety car-impacted race.
“I think some of the things are necessary so that you get a proper balanced field,” he told Sportscar365. “We all know how difficult that all is.
“Obviously, from a sporting point of view with a safety car and everything, the way things went in our category meant that there was such a gap from the lead car to the rest – clearly there was no chance that it could be made up, without any issues.
“That’s something to review. At the end of the day I think we really need to look at the overall package.”
The strictly controlled regulations, however, has arguably produced closer racing on track, which Fehan believes to have been one of positives to have come out of Le Mans.
Despite Porsche’s runaway class win, four manufacturers finished in the top-five in GTE-Pro, with the fourth-place finishing No. 63 Corvette C7.R setting the race’s fastest lap.
It came following two revisions to the BoP following the Le Mans Test Day, including wholesale changes made after qualifying on Friday.
“I want to see the data because, I think I know where it’s going, but I think I’m going to be really impressed when I see it,” Fehan said. “I think it’s going to be way closer than anyone expected.”
The winner in GTE-Pro in last weekend’s around-the-clock enduro was essentially decided following a fourth-hour safety car period, which gave the class-leading No. 92 Porsche 911 RSR a two-plus minute lead.
It was compounded by new-for-2018 pit stop regulations, as well as minimum refueling times and maximum stint lengths, which Fehan believes eliminated many elements of race strategy.
“I don’t think it’s intentional, but I think that we’re going to find that we have really gotten close on a BoP situation and now we need to focus on a sporting regulations situation,” he told Sportscar365.
“I think the sporting regulations have made the race almost too mechanical, almost preordained, and not real racing. And that’s not a criticism.”
GTE-Pro cars were limited to 14-lap stints in the race, with the exception of the opening stint, which was capped to 11 laps, and 13 laps for the final stint.
Additionally, for the second consecutive year, refueling times were controlled, with a minimum of 35 seconds for GTE-Pro and 45 seconds for GTE-Am.
Similar rules were enforced in LMP1, which saw 11-lap stints for the race-winning Toyota TS050 Hybrids and ten laps for the non-hybrids, which if shown increased performance to the benchmark hybrids, were subject to a stop-and-hold penalty.
Fehan, who praised the work the FIA and ACO achieved in the Balance of Performance for GTE-Pro, said its revised pitstop regulations has reduced the team’s role in the race.
Refueling and tire changes are now done simultaneously, in a similar format seen in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
“I am a huge advocate of separating car work and fueling,” Fehan said. “So the emphasis comes on to the crew. I want to see the same thing in America.
“I like it when the pit stop plays a role in how effectively you compete in the race. Where it’s more than just a driver in the car, it’s the whole team that has a role.
“The unintended consequence of that is that it encourages less tire usage. Because now you really have to ask yourself, ‘Should I keep the set of tires on, or should I take the time to put a new set on?’… I like that.”
BMW Motorsport director Jens Marquardt believes the “overall package” needs to be looked at, particularly in the wake of last weekend’s safety car-impacted race.
“I think some of the things are necessary so that you get a proper balanced field,” he told Sportscar365. “We all know how difficult that all is.
“Obviously, from a sporting point of view with a safety car and everything, the way things went in our category meant that there was such a gap from the lead car to the rest – clearly there was no chance that it could be made up, without any issues.
“That’s something to review. At the end of the day I think we really need to look at the overall package.”
The strictly controlled regulations, however, has arguably produced closer racing on track, which Fehan believes to have been one of positives to have come out of Le Mans.
Despite Porsche’s runaway class win, four manufacturers finished in the top-five in GTE-Pro, with the fourth-place finishing No. 63 Corvette C7.R setting the race’s fastest lap.
It came following two revisions to the BoP following the Le Mans Test Day, including wholesale changes made after qualifying on Friday.
“I want to see the data because, I think I know where it’s going, but I think I’m going to be really impressed when I see it,” Fehan said. “I think it’s going to be way closer than anyone expected.”
The Corvette manager's opinion is perhaps a bit 'accommodating'. For the moment, he likes the current regulation that keeps his 7 year old chassis competitive. Yeah, I get that. Wonder if he'll feel the same way when Chevy eventually goes to a new chassis.
