Gordon Kirby has a new article out on last weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. He concludes that:
Praise be to the [Automobile Club de l’Ouest] and [American Le Mans Series] for encouraging the development of new technology in racing. As we know, the likes of NASCAR, IndyCar and the Grand-Am have turned their backs on new technology and persist in living in the past. The sport’s future appears to be invested almost exclusively in the Le Mans 24 Hours and the ALMS and it will be interesting to see if any other sanctioning body is capable of responding over the next few years to the changing times.
What sorts of new ideas are we talking about? Delta Wing, hybrids of two different sorts — one of which was Le Mans’ overall winner this year, diesel engines. And coming in 2015, new rules based upon a fuel consumption formula. Automotive technology is not static; the way to capture people’s imagination is through embracing new ideas. As Kirby says, that’s not something NASCAR seems capable of and for which it may well suffer.
