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<\/a>Anyone want to sit on my boat?<\/p><\/div>\n
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Clearly, the basis for Formula One is more greed than sport; a fact that might sadden and frustrate F1\u2019s fans and true believers, but reality nevertheless. The sandbox that is sports car racing is perhaps less obviously based on greed. However, it too is financially driven these days as manufacturers increasingly are turning to it as a viable marketing tool not only to promote what is built now, but the technologies of the future which will reshape not only the sport, but the automotive industry itself.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Heavy Metal<\/p><\/div>\n
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America, where Detroit continues to try and rebound from the monetary crisis of 2008, there is less emphasis on performance than there has been in the past, the U.S. public more concerned with gas mileage than horsepower. Nevertheless, the real issue facing the Michigan-based manufacturers is their size and influence within the industry itself. With Chrysler now owned by Fiat, and General Motors having been forced to cut its brands down to just three to survive; only Ford remains a true global automotive powerhouse. However, there\u2019s no need to worry for there is another global giant building up a head of steam in Europe, name Volkswagen.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Flying Start<\/p><\/div>\n
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Conceived by Hitler to provide Beetles to the German masses, the Volkswagen Group now embraces such prestigious brands as Bugatti, Porsche, Audi and Bentley, not to mention Lamborghini in its portfolio. And, it is this wealth which, friends and neighbors, leads us to the motorsports dilemma now facing VAG.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Racing Green?<\/p><\/div>\n
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Although the Italian nameplate has not won Le Mans\u2019 Holy Grail, the other four marques have. Moreover, three of the remaining four could be in the running to do so again. However, those notorious bean counters are unlikely to allow Audi, Bentley and Porsche to compete for the same prize at the Sarthe, much less run against each other for a whole season. So, who goes where? That is the unanswered question.<\/p>\n
<\/a>When We Were Kings<\/p><\/div>\n
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Normally, it would be an interesting, maybe even a somewhat humorous discussion. However, in this case the future of the sports car competition universe could well hang in the balance. The reason for that is simple: the retrenchment by many of the participants on which the enclosed bodywork set of depended, particularly among the Japanese car makers, has drastically reduced the number of potential players down to just a few.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Vive La France<\/p><\/div>\n
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For the moment, only Peugeot appears committed to the sports car scene, with BMW perhaps moving to join the French manufacturer.\u00a0 Two other likely candidates, Mercedes and Renault, are far more focused on F1, and will probably remain so. That leaves VAG\u2019s Audi, Bentley and Porsche camps as the only resources for the two seat scene to draw on. But, what about Ferrari, you say? The Italians, in this case, likewise appear to want make F1 the mainstay of their motorsports efforts, providing only privateers oriented GTs machinery for the sports car arena.<\/p>\n