A new dawn for US sportscar racing

US sportscar racing fans have had 16 years of schism and a further 16 months of anticipation after Grand-Am's buyout of the American Le Mans Series was revealed.

The new order of the United SportsCar Championship finally begins this weekend with the Daytona 24 Hours. That much is fact, but the uncertainty that has plagued this merger since its announcement in September 2012 will continue into the inaugural race. Which is a mixture of good and bad.

Bad is the confusion that surrounds the rules in the Prototype class made up of upgraded Daytona Prototypes from Grand-Am, and the LMP2 machinery and solo DeltaWing carried over from the ALMS. The final rules for this weekend's USC were only set in stone last Friday, following months of acrimony and bickering that isn't likely to stop with the Rolex-sponsored 24 Hours.

Good is the fact that it is almost impossible to predict what is going to happen this weekend. That was the case after the official Daytona test, the 'Roar before the Rolex', early this month. The P2 teams, whose entries lagged behind on outright pace, reckoned the DPs would be in control, while the DP boys were suggesting it wasn't clear-cut.

Now USC sanctioning body IMSA has thrown the cat among the pigeons by making some final tweaks under what it calls Adjustment of Performance rules (that's Balance of Performance in European parlance).

The first page or two of any attempt at a USC formbook had to be ripped up immediately. The unknowns going into the brave new world of US sportscar racing were multiplied.

WHICH IS THE FASTER CAR?

DPs proved faster in testing © LAT

The revised DPs, now with more power, more aero courtesy of underfloor tunnels, six-speed gearboxes, carbon brakes and traction control, proved quicker than the P2s around the Daytona International Speedway by around a second a lap.

That has resulted in their performance being pegged back thanks to a reduction in the diameter of their engine air-restrictors, resulting in less power to the tune of five per cent.

That's going to reduce their advantage over the P2s in pure lap time, but a reduction in top speed by somewhere between three and five miles per hour is highly significant.

One of the key advantages for the DPs was an ability to blast through the traffic high on the banking that accounts for much of the 3.56-mile circuit. The top speed of the P2s, on the other hand, is more or less on par with the cars in the other three classes that make up the USC field.

The final rules bulletin has also confirmed the restrictor sizes for the P2s. They are running five per cent larger diameters than under pure Automobile Club de l'Ouest/FIA rules, with the exception of the HPD ARX-03b's twin-turbo V6, which is at a figure nearer six per cent.

What shouldn't be overlooked is that the HPD-equipped Extreme Speed Motorsports team that headed the P2 times at the 'Roar' ran a series of restrictors up to 11 per cent bigger than pure ACO specs to help IMSA gather data. That raises the prospect of P2 times this weekend that are slower than at the test.

THE TYRE FACTOR

The DP teams argue that they need to be faster over one lap, because the lighter and less powerful P2s have more downforce and are kinder on their tyres. A switch to harder-compound spec rubber with stiffer sidewalls, a reaction by tyre supplier Continental and Hoosier (which manufactures the tyres for Continental) to the aerial accidents that befell two DPs in testing in November, has undoubtedly blunted the performance of the P2s, but the knock-on is better tyre wear.

Tyres will be harder this year © LAT

Richard Westbrook, who is starting his second full season with the Spirit of Daytona squad, points out that the gap between the two types of car will diminish and potentially flip around over the course of a stint.

"At the end of a stint, we are finished on our tyres," he says. "They don't have the tyre degradation that we have and it looks like they can double- or even triple-stint."

Double- or triple-stinting wouldn't appear to be an advantage under USC rules because, unlike in European sportscar racing, tyres can be changed at the same time as the fuel goes in.

But the DP boys argue that there are major gains to be made by doubling the ultra-hard tyre in an arena in which tyre heaters are not allowed.

"They should gain massively on their outlap if they keep the same tyres on," argues Westbrook. "Because the tyres are so hard, we could lose maybe something like 15 to 20 seconds on an out-lap in the night. If they are tripling, that's 60s that we have to claw back."

STINT LENGTH

The P2s, not surprisingly for a less powerful car, went further on a tank of gas than the DPs at the test. There was a three-lap difference, which IMSA has tried to address by knocking three litres from the capacity of the P2s. At the same time it has slowed down the refuelling rate for the cars, so they take their 72 litres in the same time as the DPs get a 76-litre load.

'RACEABILITY'

Speed on the banking might not turn out to be the only reason why a DP is the better race machine at Daytona, even if its performance is on a par with a P2. The heavier, more robust DP also looks the better weapon for the rough and tumble of US-style sportscar racing.

Can the LMP2s match the DPs? © LAT

"With 67 cars out on the track, there is going to be a lot of rubbing, and we all know the DP can take a lot more abuse," says Bill Riley, whose Riley Technologies squad is bidding for a 10th straight victory in the Daytona 24 Hours.

"It's the car you want to be in when a Porsche jumps out at you at 3am and you take to the grass at the Bus Stop."

RELIABILITY STAKES

There have to be question marks about the reliability of each type of car, even though both have routinely completed 24-hour races in the past. The DPs are running with more power and more downforce than before, while the P2s are experiencing the forces of the high Daytona banking for the first time.

That said, there is an air of confidence on both sides.

"So far we haven't seen any issues, even though the cars are subject to massive loads on the banking," says Westbrook. "It was a concern, but we haven't seen anything to worry us."

HAS ANYONE BEEN SANDBAGGING?

Woe betide them if they have! Sandbagging at the Daytona test has almost become a tradition and this year there would be more to gain in the race than ever, but IMSA put its foot down ahead of the 'Roar' by issuing a rules bulletin with punitive implications for anyone who didn't show their full potential at the test.

Anyone caught sandbagging or trying to pull the wool over IMSA's eyes faces a five-minute stop-go penalty. What's more, it would have to be taken in the final 30 minutes of the race to maximise its effect.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER DAYTONA?

That's a big question that has yet to be answered. The process undertaken in the lead-up to the 24 Hours will be repeated, with two tests scheduled for Sebring, scene of the second USC round in March, and more windtunnel testing.

The DPs will get back the rear diffusers that were taken off the cars to reduce loads and the P2s will be able to run in high-downforce configuration (with the exception of Indianapolis and Road America).

IMSA technical boss Scot Elkins is also suggesting that the full 60kg of ballast originally planned for the P2s will return.

DELTAWING PROSPECTS

DeltaWing hopes for a strong outing © LAT

If you listen to DeltaWing Racing Cars team manager Dave Price, the coupe version of the lightweight experimental racer should be in the mix.

"You've got to remember that the DeltaWing was originally designed to be an IndyCar, so if it is going to be good anywhere it will be at Daytona," he says.

"We are not far off the others and we've come a long way in terms of reliability.

"If we can stay out on track, we should be relatively competitive."

COULD THERE BE A SHOCK?

Daytona has had its fair share of them over the years, never more so than outright GT victories in the Grand-Am era for Chrysler, Chevrolet and Porsche in 2000, '01 and '03. It is unlikely to happen again, because it will be Prototype Challenge contenders who are waiting in the wings if the event turns into a race of attrition.

ORECA boss Hugues de Chaunac is positive about a strong result from at least one of the nine-strong contingent of PC class ORECA-Nissan FLM09s.

"There is a good probability of a PC making it onto the podium," he explains. "We know the cars are reliable. Our P2 car should be reliable as well, but the difference is that there are nine PCs, so one of the cars should come through without problems."

CAN A VERDICT BE REACHED?

Probably not, but the percentages favour the DPs. There appear to be nine frontrunning entries, whereas there are only six P2s in total and Mazda's new diesel-powered P2s are unlikely to be anything approaching a force on the basis of the Roar.

A betting man would probably place his money on the cars that share their name with the track.

LEADING CONTENDERS

DP

Action Express Racing
Coyote-Chevrolet Corvette DP
#5 Joao Barbosa/Christian Fittipaldi/Sebastien Bourdais/Burt Frisselle
#9 Burt Frisselle/Brian Frisselle/John Martin/Fabien Giroix

Action Express, winner at Daytona in 2010, topped the times at the test and has done most miles with the revised Coyote chassis. Two strong line-ups must make it pre-race favourite.

Wayne Taylor Racing
Dallara-Chevrolet Corvette DP
#10 Ricky Taylor/Jordan Taylor/Max Angelelli/Wayne Taylor

Last year's Grand-Am champion team appeared to lag behind its Chevy stablemates at the 'Roar', but there should be little to choose between all the 'Vette-lookalikes.

Michael Shank Racing
Riley-Ford DP
#60 Oswaldo Negri Jr/John Pew/AJ Allmendinger/Justin Wilson

MSR's hopes of repeating its long-awaited 2012 triumph at Daytona hang on whether Roush Yates has fixed the exhaust manifold problems on the new Ford EcoBoost V6.

Starworks Motorsports
Riley-BMW DP
#78 Brendon Hartley/Scott Mayer/Alex Popow

Starworks is a dark horse after moving up from the reserves with a Riley powered by a Dinan-tuned BMW V8. The team has form and this is a stronger-than-it-looks line-up.

Spirit of Daytona
Coyote-Chevrolet Corvette DP
#90 Richard Westbrook/Michael Valiante/Mike Rockenfeller

The local team bounced back from Westbrook's massive shunt in testing at Daytona last November to run on the pace at the test. Must be well-placed for a first victory.

GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing
Riley-Chevrolet Corvette DP
#99 Alex Gurney/Jon Fogarty/Memo Gidley/Darren Law

GAINSCO, Grand-Am champion in 2007 and '09, steps down from a full-series campaign to an enduro-only programme, despite a strong 2013 season. Could this be the year it breaks its Daytona duck?

Chip Ganassi Racing
Riley-Ford DP
#01 Scott Pruett/Memo Rojas/Jamie McMurray/Sage Karam
#02 Scott Dixon/Tony Kanaan/Marino Franchitti/Kyle Larson

Question marks about the Ford's reliability mean that Ganassi, five times a winner at Daytona in nine attempts, for once cannot be regarded as the pre-event favourite.

LMP2

Extreme Speed Motorsports
HPD ARX-03b
#1 Scott Sharp/Ryan Dalziel/David Brabham
#2 Johannes van Overbeek/Ed Brown/Simon Pagenaud/Anthony Lazzaro

ESM's lead entry with Sharp, Dalziel and Brabham must start as the LMP2 car with the best chance courtesy of its pace at the 'Roar' and HPD's renowned reliability.

Muscle Milk/Pickett Racing
HPD ARX-03b
#6 Klaus Graf/Lucas Luhr/Alex Brundle

Two-time ALMS champion Muscle Milk should be up there with a proven driver line-up and chassis-engine combo. The team's unfamiliarity with the package could count against it.

OAK Racing
Morgan-Nissan LMP2
#42 Olivier Pla/Roman Rusinov/Gustavo Yacaman/Oliver Webb

OAK's one-two in P2 at Le Mans in 2013 prove that its Morgan-Nissan is both fast and reliable. The French team's lack of knowledge about Daytona and US racing
raises question marks.