Which is harder to drive, a LMP 2 car or an Indy Car? I bring this up because De Ferran's pole in a LMP 2 Acura would put him 11th on the Indy Car grid.

If the performance envolope of a LMP 2 prototype and an Indy Car are so similar it kind of creates a compelling argument to run in ALMS; there is more factory support sponsor interest and parity between the teams.

You would have to ask a driver who has driven both types of cars to find the true answer. I don't think any of us would know what driving either one is like.

The most likely answer you would get, is that the driver that does well in a certain type of racing car, will say his type of car is harder to drive. It makes him look better.

the indycars have more power and a bit less weight. the prototypes have more downforce, better brakes, tires and traction control. i've heard they're very similar to drive, and to really hustle either one is a bit of work. i would imagine both would require a very aggressive driving style to get the most out of them...

marshallbanana - 09 August 2008 08:53 PM

the indycars have more power and a bit less weight. the prototypes have more downforce, better brakes, tires and traction control. i've heard they're very similar to drive, and to really hustle either one is a bit of work. i would imagine both would require a very aggressive driving style to get the most out of them...

So what your saying is, you have no frigging idea.

no. simon pagenaud and others have said the acura LMP2 is like an open-wheel car with more downforce and less power. and gil de ferran has said that the ideal LMP driver is no longer an ex-open wheel driver who's a tick slower, but smarter and more consistent; but instead is a young open wheel driver in their prime who is very fast and aggressive. so i think what i said is fairly accurate...

well i say an indy car because an indy car is more powerfull and its easyer to crash

There are a lot of variables involved, and there really is no true answer. If you nail the setup for either car, they are very easy to drive, but, if you have the wrong setup, both become very difficult to drive. Also, driver style/preference also plays a role. Certain drivers styles work better in certain cars. Some drivers just prefer one style of car to another.

So, to answer the original question, there is no true answer.

racer-ex - 19 July 2008 09:23 PM

Which is harder to drive, a LMP 2 car or an Indy Car? I bring this up because De Ferran's pole in a LMP 2 Acura would put him 11th on the Indy Car grid.

If the performance envolope of a LMP 2 prototype and an Indy Car are so similar it kind of creates a compelling argument to run in ALMS; there is more factory support sponsor interest and parity between the teams.

Well a few things to consider about ALMS
A)ALMS races in the rain, no matter the race
B)The length of some of races is 24 hours (Sebring, LeMans) and 12 hours at Petit Lemans (Road Atanta)
C)constant traffic with slower classes of cars
D)ALMS does only road courses and street courses and no ovals.
E)Driving at Night, at speed with headlights and only a paritally lit track
F)drive some of the toughest road courses that there are and in the orginal configuration.
G)Shift, brake and accelerate from slow and fast corners, many thousand more times.
H)Ability to nurse a harmed race car, and still be competitive.
I)and the toughest one, driving Lemans at Night, in the rain with headlights only to cut the darkness, on a public road, at 230+ MPH

other than that, once your driving includes road racing and ovals (meaning knowing what a good oval setup feels like), the ability to pilot either one and do it well is about equal.