No Ferraris @ Long Beach IMSA?

Risi is the only Ferrari in GTLM and GTD isn't racing in Long Beach. There are a few 488s in GTD normally. It is a good thing GTD isn't there this year as they made the race an absolute cluster**** last year!

Risi has only committed to a few events this year.

 

At least there will be three Ferraris in Pirelli World Challenge:

http://files.world-challenge.com/events/2018-04-lbgp/2018-PWC-LBGP-EntryList.pdf

 

Ferrari already has waiting lists for all their current models, so who needs a "marketing bonanza"? They'd probably be better off running Maseratis!

 

Risi (not Ferrari) runs IMSA as a privateer with a Ferrari. The program does get some technical assistance from Ferrari but it is primarily a privately funded effort and they choose whatever events they want to run at. Reality is that Ferrari could care less for the 'marketing bonanza' and I don't blame them either as their product has no problems selling to capacity.

 

I think Risi is NAEC only this year.

 

I think it's just a bit of "hey, don't forget about us", plus the fact that Ferrari's reputation is as a company that races. If they were really serious they would have a full factory team like their competitors.

 

On a slightly different note, I would love to see Aston Martin bring it's GTE car to GTLM.

 

+007

 

[QUOTE="David Lind, post: 145923811, member: 73728 miss a marketing bonanza like the LBGP. [/QUOTE]

LBGT, marketing bonanza??? No mas.

The rest are in for the long haul (full season). 'Already budgeted.

 

Ferrari Challenge is a totally different beast. FC is a one make championship controlled by the factory and its network of dealers. The concept is for wealthy owners to have the opportunity to race a Ferrari and a Challenge car and race program becomes just another product to sell to a customer. That is the incentive and they do very well at it.

 

Ferrari Challenge and Corse Clienti are fully funded by the company. At present, GT racing is not, although the successes of the GT cars are still trumpeted in the annual yearbooks!

 

I do not believe it is accurate to refer to Ferrari Challenge and Corse Clienti as funded by the company. Both of those initiatives are very much products/services that are for sale by the company with an aim of making a direct profit from them. The 'racers/drivers' pay to be there and it is that money that finances the whole deal.

A factory funded race program is just that. The factory will finance either an internal program or outsource a specialist race team and everyone on that program is an employee of it and not paying to be there. The aim of such a program is to generate publicity, develop technologies, increase brand awareness, or a combination of these and other factors. The initiators may partially or fully (almost never fully) offset the running costs of such a program by taking on a series of commercial sponsors but in the end it is them that are responsible for making sure the bills are paid. Outside of F1 Ferrari has not had anything like this for a very very long time.

 

Probably since the 1973 World Championship for Makes....

 

Hmmmmm... I gotta go with Gator on this one. I still think the PB was it as the 333 was Moretti's doing and they were all customer cars, no? (let alone the vast majority being Dallaras, I don't consider the licensed built "962"s real Porsches either...)

 

You do understand that the IMSA GTD class that normally has the Spirit of Race and Scuderia Corsa entries isn't invited to Long Beach, right?

 

Eeeaaasssyyy big boy. Methinks he's referring to GTLM.

 

If that's the case then he's also missing the point that Risi is a privateer, has already blown the budget by replacing a chassis not too long ago, spends 60% of the budget for the season at the first 2 events, and receives no financial backing from Ferrari - except, perhaps, the occasional "sponsorship" from Ferrari financial services some years back.
As for any WEC entrants you were not going to see them coming over for the shortest race of the season and an event known for eating cars.

 

PS: forgot to mention that the ELMS teams are at Le Castelet this weekend as another factor in there being no Ferrari involvement at Long Beach.

 

DL wasn't missing that point. Therefore the original post (#1):

All doesn't matter to me in the end. My local FOX affiliate ran infomercials instead anywho. Ah...the dollar talks, the race walks....