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ALMS: Pruett’s Friday Detroit Blog
Written by: Marshall Pruett   
08/29/2008
Detroit, MI
 
Porsche's hopes for glory at Mosport, like the hopes of many other LMP2 cars, ground to a halt prematurely thanks to a devious bit of strategery... (Photo: Marshall Pruett) ยป More Photos


Sportscar Strategery

Let’s delve into a bit devious strategery from Mosport that had me shaking my head in disbelief all week long.

Mosport 2008 will go down in history as possibly the worst collective execution of fuel strategy in recent memory. Most of the drama was reserved for the LMP2 category with de Ferran running half a lap short and handing victory to Brabham, Penske pulling in the #7 car of Dumas for the shortest splash-n-go ever running out in sight of the finish line, the # 7 running out of fuel before that finish despite their splash-n-go, and Andretti-Green adopting their own logic defying ‘let’s not pit when it makes sense’ plan.

Contrary to popular belief, half the P2 field running out of gas or stopping for a splash at the end of the Mosport race wasn't a stroke of bad luck caused by IMSA waiting an extra second to throw the white flag—the race leaders decided to flex their strategical muscles and set a plan in action that would leave their rivals starving for fuel.

The team in question has a small software application they wrote that sits on their telemetry screen and delivers an active, predictive readout of when they'd get the white flag based on their lap times and the amount of time left in the race. Most of the top teams have a similar, if not identical piece of software they use to predict the same exact thing. But where the story spins out of control is when the team with the race leading car noticed many of the LMP2 cars had pitted a perilously long time ago and would be forced to coast across the finish line at the current race pace.

This is the point in the story where things turn dark: the leading team, knowing many of the P2 cars were counting on making it to the finish on the lap their software predicted the white flag would be displayed, they thought it would be fun to call to their
driver (whose car was topped up and prepared to go flat out to the checkered) and ask him to spend the last thirty minutes clocking laps that were close to qualifying pace.

That driver, somewhat bemused and not understanding why he was being asked to turn up the wick when he had the overall win so easily in hand, did as he was asked and attacked the track at maximum speed for the remainder of the race.

His efforts, you see, would help to speed up the pace of the race, and if he could string together enough fast laps, the little software tool in their pits said he could possibly force the race to go one more lap than anyone else had planned. For the lot of P2 cars already concerned about finishing on their shrinking fuel supply, the leading team’s efforts to extend the race by one lap worked to perfection.

IMSA was forced to hold the white flag as the leading car just nipped under the starter’s stand and a number of faces on pit lane went completely white as their worst nightmare came true. The images of stationary P2 cars on the ‘extra final’ lap were a surprise to everyone in pit lane and to those watching at home. who were the only people not the least bit shocked to see the race unfold in such dramatic terms?...the architects that put the plan into motion without anyone knowing it.

Boxers say the one punch you never see coming is the knockout punch. It’s now almost a week after the Mosport race and I still don’t think many teams know they were dropped to the canvas by a rival team; most reports have placed the blame on the flagger whom they believe simply held the white flag too long. Get out the smelling salts, P2 teams…those of you that ran out of fuel did so because another team wanted to embarrass you.

That, my friends, is a true tale that belongs in the annals of devious sportscar strategery.


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