GM Racing - Winston Breakfast Club transcript

 
NOTES AND QUOTES;  WINSTON CUP - DAYTONA;
WINSTON BREAKFAST CLUB;  FEB. 16;  

STEVE SHANNON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR - MARKETING SERVICES, NORTH AMERICAN
VEHICLE SALES, SERVICE & MARKETING, GENERAL MOTORS
 (INITIAL THOUGHTS ON SPEEDWEEKS)  "I think it's been a good week. I think
GM, in general, is a company with incredible momentum and that applies,
certainly, to racing, in general and NASCAR in particular. We were very
pleased with the way we ended up last season. I think with the exception of
the Craftsman Truck Series manufacturers' [championship], we pretty much won
every driver [title], every manufacturer's [title] and every rookie of the
year [title], so we're excited to be back this year with both our Pontiac
and Chevrolet [brands] with some great teams.
 "Maybe just one point on the rules:  first of all, ultimately we're after
the same thing NASCAR is, which is good, close racing, great entertainment
and a great show. We are absolutely totally aligned with them on that. By
the same token, probably the No. 1 thing that a manufacturer wants in any
series, besides the sort of marketing and brand benefits, is some rules
stability. Obviously, that has been a little bit more challenging, here of
late. We'd like to get to a more stable [situation], which I think we will
endeavor to work toward."
 (ARE THE RULES CHANGES WE'VE SEEN JUST FOR TV?)  "I don't think so. We'd
like to think as, generally, the biggest spender, we'd like to think that
always goes in our favor, but maybe this is a clear example of how it
doesn't. I think good, close racing is what we want, year-in year-out,
track-in track-out. I wouldn't overplay the theory that whoever buys the
most TV spots gets the most support. I don't really think that is the case.
I don't agree with that necessarily."
 (WOULDN'T YOU RATHER BEAT THE COMPETITION ON THE TRACK INSTEAD OF IN THE
INSPECTION BAY?)  "Absolutely. This is both important because it does make a
difference - you heard about a quarter of an inch that makes a significant
difference. So, on one hand, it's important for us to work on this, but at
the same time it's a little bit of a sideshow to the real race. At least to
the competitors in the group, we just want to get out and race. We'll hope
that we can work on [rules] stability over time, but at the end of it all we
have to go and race and that is what we'll focus on."
 (IF EVERY CAR IN THE WINSTON CUP SERIES WAS EXACTLY ALIKE, WOULD GM BE
INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATING?)  "We're in this to build our brands, to sell
cars and to create a positive reputation for GM. Clearly the more GM
content - either hardware or intellectual capital, so to speak, in engine
design or in wind tunnel consulting - the more that is in that in real
terms, the more interested we are in participating.

 
NOTES AND QUOTES;  WINSTON CUP - DAYTONA;
WINSTON BREAKFAST CLUB;  FEB. 16;  PAGE 2

STEVE SHANNON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR - MARKETING SERVICES, NORTH AMERICAN
VEHICLE SALES, SERVICE & MARKETING, GENERAL MOTORS
"We don't know where the common template thing is going to go, but over
time, as we understand what the exact implications of that are - if you run
it out all the way to what is a spec car, I think you'd be safe to say that
we would not be interested or nearly as interested in it as we are today.
But no one quite knows what the definition of 'common template' is.
 "We talk a lot about making comparisons between the production car and the
race car. Some of those are tenuous. But the fact that there is an awful lot
of GM engineering, technical competence - Doug [Duchardt] and his team, wind
tunnel guys, engine guys - that are contributing to teams and helping make
that win is critically important to us. We know consumers believe that and
understand that. Last year, as an example, we won more races in more
different kinds of racing - from '24 hours' to '4.7 seconds - that's a very
compelling idea for consumers. What we discover is that you don't even need
to torch your data and you don't need to point to one widget on the race car
and one widget on the production car. There is an overall understanding of
technical competence that helps you win and how that technical competence is
part of the culture of the company and helps your production car, in one
form or fashion, be better.
 "It's a long answer to say that we're not interested in a spec series.
Having real, added value in a series does interest us. To that extent, we'll
have to wait and see how the common template unfolds, just what that means."
 (DO YOU EVER SEE A POINT WHERE THE RULES CHANGES WOULD FRUSTRATE YOU ENOUGH
THAT GM WOULD LEAVE THE SERIES?)  "I sure don't. I don't want to understate
some of the concerns that we have about [rules] stability, but I think we're
a long, long way from that kind of anxiety or frustration. Hopefully, all of
this can be worked out among reasonable people to both give consumers and
fans the kind of close racing and safe racing that is critical, but at the
same time, preserve some of the kinds of stability that we need, that our
teams need. But, I think we're a long ways from that sort of 'doom and
gloom' scenario, I hope."




NOTES AND QUOTES;  WINSTON CUP - DAYTONA;
WINSTON BREAKFAST CLUB;  FEB. 16;  PAGE 3

BOB KRAUT, BRAND MANAGER,
PONTIAC GRAND PRIX, FIREBIRD AND BONNEVILLE:
 (WHAT IS THE STATUS OF THE NEW PONTIAC DESIGN?)  "We can confirm that we
are working on a car. It's too early to talk about the details of that, but
we will have a car at this time next year to run in Daytona if everything
goes OK with the NASCAR officials."
(HOW DOES PONTIAC FEEL ABOUT ONLY HAVING FIVE WINSTON CUP TEAMS?)  "We could
add teams. We could add 'B' teams and 'C' teams, etc., but that is not what
we're about. We want to have a good, core team of people that can win on any
given day. We've chosen to take a path of quality over quantity. The
question really is less [so] for us, but more-so a question to teams as they
are shopping us because we're going to have a new race car in '03."

DOUG DUCHARDT, NASCAR GROUP MANAGER, GM RACING:
 (ON THE STRENGTH OF THE GM CARS AND THE RULES CHANGES WE'VE HAD THIS WEEK)
"Obviously it's been a unique week.  in my time in this sport I've never
seen anything like it during Speedweeks.  A lot of you have been here longer
than I have.  It's probably been unique for you too, I imagine.  I feel
strongly that our teams -- we have the best teams -- and I also know that
2000 put a burr under everyone's saddle when we were
embarrassed out here.  We had two issues in 2000.  We had an aerodynamic
issue, which was very well documented.  We also had an issue under the hood.
We didn't have the proper amount of power and those things you find caused
us to have some difficulty in 2000.  So, a lot of things have changed since
then, and a lot of things happened after that Daytona 500 caused those
things.  I know one of our organizations, DEI, after that chassis dyno test
said that's enough, we're going to put someone full time on restrictor-plate
engines, and that's all they do all year.  They don't worry about it now and
in late March worry about Talladega.  They're all year working on that
stuff.  The other observation I'll make is that when they changed the rules
to the spoiler on the top of the car and the gurney flap in Talladega of
2000 a lot of you noted that every race that we raced under those rules was
won by a RAD car.  And there's a lot of gnashing of teeth that the Chevy had
the advantage and they whacked away last year at the Ford spoilers until the
last Talladega race we went to the wind tunnel after that race the Ford was
the best car but yet again Dale Jr. won that race.  And now we come down to
Speedweeks with a new set of rules and the RAD cars are strong again, the
Hendrick cars are strong, and I think that the RAD organization is one
that's unique in the sport.  I don't know of any other organization that has
three teams working together to develop their cars.  I think that's paying
dividends.

 
NOTES AND QUOTES;  WINSTON CUP - DAYTONA;
WINSTON BREAKFAST CLUB;  FEB. 16;  PAGE 4

DOUG DUCHARDT, NASCAR GROUP MANAGER, GM RACING:
 "At a point you ask yourself as an engineer looking at wind tunnel numbers
and chassis dyno numbers, which, as I mentioned yesterday, every GM car was
better than any Ford or Dodge.  I'm not going to get into who works harder
than who.  I don't think that's one to talk about in this
garage area, I know everyone works hard.  But we've certainly had a
concentrated effort to get better.  And at some point when is enough enough.
I think that was too much yesterday.
(YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE COMMON TEMPLATE?  ARGUING BETWEEN THE TWO OR THREE
CAMPS)  "It's interesting that we have a Dodge guy here right now, because
the 'common template' cars have a half inch different spoiler on the back.
They're very, very close.  If there's an eight of an inch difference that
would be a lot between those two lone templates that I know of.  The other
thing is if you take the wind tunnel results from Monday, the rules change
Monday, the quarter inch after the Bud Shootout, made the Ford as good as
any car out here in the wind tunnel.  And now we take another quarter off of
them.  I'm still not understanding the complaint from that camp when they've
gotten more than they asked for.  As far as the common template (goes), last
year (it was the) same thing. You go to the downforce tracks -- we had the
Ford and the Dodge run through the year the same -- and all of a sudden we
jerk the Dodge out two inches on the kick going into the Brickyard.  Either
you have 'NASCAR' templates that you keep them the same and race that way or
you don't.  As soon as you start changing one, you change the whole system
and it's not going to work."
(IS THERE SUCH A THING AS RULES STABILITY?  YOU HAVE A SET OF RULES YOU
SHOULD STICK BY IT.  ARE WE MANAGING THIS THING AS AN ALAN GREENSPAN-ESQUE
MANNER?  "That's probably a better question for Mike Helton or John Darby, I
guess.  I know that there was a lot of discussion after the Talladega race
that we had from the drivers that we need to change these rules in the way
these cars drive and get them out of the pack.  We did that.  Then NASCAR
says that they told all the teams that they had the right to change the
rules all during Speedweeks to get it to where they thought it was correct.
So that was set.  Now the question is when do you need to make the change
and what data and what are you using to make that change.  I guess I don't
want to comment much more on that."
(TALK ABOUT DIFFERENT WAYS TO MEASURE DIFFERENT ASPECTS:  "Well, I think the
templates are a complex 3-D puzzle, if you think about it.  If you put all
22 of them up in the air and figure out how the cars go under them.  My
understanding of the C-pillar template is that all the makes templates are
the same width, so depending on the geometry of their greenhouse they come
down further than other makes.  And that was my explanation from the series
director.  So, if you need more clarification I'd go to Darby on that."

 NOTES AND QUOTES;  WINSTON CUP - DAYTONA;
WINSTON BREAKFAST CLUB;  FEB. 16;  PAGE 5

DOUG DUCHARDT, NASCAR GROUP MANAGER, GM RACING:
 (YOU WERE UPSET EARLIER IN THE WEEK WITH THE RULES CONCESSIONS TO THE OTHER
MANUFACTURERS, AND NOW YOU SEEM TO BE NOT SO UPSET.  DID YOU JUMP THE GUN ON
YOUR REACTION?  "That's a good question because the initial wind tunnel
results from Talladega were done with cars after the Talladega race so we
had cars built with the old package, and they took that old package off. And
when they took that old package off they ran all four makes.  And then they
asked all the manufacturers what changes do you think we should make to make
these things right.  And there were two common things that came out of those
suggestions.  GM sent in suggestions, Ford sent in suggestions, and Dodge
sent in suggestions.  One common thing was (to) leave the Pontiac alone.  At
six and a half inches.  The other common thing was you need to cut the Chevy
a quarter of an inch.  Because the Chevy was the worst car in the wind
tunnel at that test.  So, if you take the numbers from that test and you
take what happened to us in 2000,  and even after we got the kick out on the
July race here, there was a 1-through-5 sweep, then we come down here.  What
has happened I think is they have changed the way they've inspected the rear
of the cars this year, and the effect of that was an unknown, to me and to
the teams.  So when I sat back as an engineer and looked at the wind tunnel
data from Talladega and I looked at the results of the last time we ran
these races, going 1 through 5 in both Daytona races in 2000, I was very
concerned.  We didn't know where we were engine-wise.  We had made more
gains than I thought we had.  I think one of the unknowns, and it hasn't
been written about much this week, is what has the effect been of the new
weight rules of engine components across the board, because that has
affected restrictor-plate engines for sure.  There's a minimum weight for
pistons, rods, pins, and I think that may have an effect on some of the
competition too.
"I didn't say anything after the quarter-inch on Monday because I was down
in Homestead with Cadillac."
(WHAT EXACTLY DOES THE QUARTER-INCH DO AND ARE SOME OF THESE TEAMS GOING TO
SANDBAG IN PRACTICE TODAY TO NOT LET ANYBODY SEE WHAT THEY HAVE?)  "I'm not
going to address any sandbagging questions anymore.  No.  But this quarter
inch is worth about, in the wind tunnel, seven drag horsepower, which is a
10th to 15 hundredths of a second.  But the concern is with the Ford. The
latest change was never tested in the NASCAR wind tunnel test.  So, they've
tested that car at a six-inch spoiler, but they never tested it at a 5 and
3/4 and what we don't know is if the change is a linear change.  That for
each quarter of an inch is it always about 7 or at some point is it more or
is it less.  I don't know the answer to that.  So, the 5 and 3/4 is somewhat
of an unknown.  It is a change for them to have to address.  Obviously, not
being in the Ford camp, I'm not hearing that that's going well or not."

 NOTES AND QUOTES;  WINSTON CUP - DAYTONA;
WINSTON BREAKFAST CLUB;  FEB. 16;  PAGE 6

DOUG DUCHARDT, NASCAR GROUP MANAGER, GM RACING:
 (WHAT IS THE STATUS ON THE NEW PONTIAC?)  "NASCAR rules state that we have
to have our car submitted by July 1. So, the car is in progress, and we'll
talk more about that at some other time. I hope everyone understands that
the NASCAR process is a very sensitive one and we don't want to get into a
lot of public discussion until we get it approved. We have a lot of talented
teams to work on it, and I think it's going to be fine."
(KNOWING WE'D HAD TWO CARS COME FROM THE SAME TEMPLATE, AND THAT IN ADDITION
TO THE 2003 PONTIAC, THERE IS GOING TO BE A NEW FORD IN 2004, WHAT IS THE
PLAN?)  "In the long-term, is this the plan all the cars are going to be
under? That's a good NASCAR question. As these cars roll out, what exactly
is the plan? I had a 1980 Monte Carlo. That wouldn't fit under these
templates very well. So the shapes of these cars are going to evolve. So
what's the long-term plan? There is going to be a cadence of new cars from
every manufacturer. Are we going to still have a 2000 NASCAR Taurus as the
template defining the shape?"
(IN ANALYZING THE WIND TUNNEL TESTS AFTER THE BUD SHOOTOUT, WHERE EXACTLY
ARE THE MANUFACTURES IN TERMS OF THE INDIVIDUAL TESTS?)  "In the wind tunnel
they'll test the car straight ahead, which is a good test for drag typically
because you go down a straight-away straight ahead. When you turn into a
corner, the car tends to, what we call, yaw. They usually test at three
degrees yaw. That's where we usually gauge how much downforce we have
because that's where you're turning the car. So, what's the total package to
get around the track? The best car would be one as you went into yaw, you
didn't gain much drag but a bunch of downforce. What we saw after the Bud
Shootout was.... Straight-ahead the drag between a Ford, a Pontiac and a
Chevy was within 4 drag-horsepower, which is very close. I don't have all
the yaw numbers down, but in general the Chevrolet gains more drag in yaw
than other cars. That's just the characteristic of the car. It's been that
way since we've had it. (So,) I don't know that there's necessarily an
advantage for Chevy in that."
(SO ARE THE FORD'S GAINING A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF DOWNFORCE?)  "Ford had
the most downforce in the wind tunnel.
(IN YAW?)  "Yes. Now, we've whacked the spoiler a couple of times (since
that test.) So I don't know what that does. We have not tested this (new)
configuration in the wind tunnel. They (Ford) may have, but NASCAR has not."
(WHEN ARE WE GONG TO SEE A COMMON-TEMPLATE CHEVROLET?)  "I can't comment on
that. That would suggest when a new (production) car would be coming out. I
can't do that at this time."

 NOTES AND QUOTES;  WINSTON CUP - DAYTONA;
WINSTON BREAKFAST CLUB;  FEB. 16;  PAGE 7

DOUG DUCHARDT, NASCAR GROUP MANAGER, GM RACING:
 (IT SEEMS AS THOUGH A MANUFACTURER BUILDS A CAR FOR NON-RESTRICTOR PLATE
VENUES, AND THEN YOU HOPE NASCAR MAKES ENOUGH CONCESSIONS TO MAKE YOU
RACEABLE AT DAYTONA AND TALLADEGA?)  "It's difficult because 32 of the races
are downforce tracks, or non-restrictor plate tracks. Certainly if you would
have gone off how things were handled in 2000 and 2001, you wouldn't count
on anything. And now that has all changed. This has been a unique week - one
I can't ever remember anything like this. I think we need to see how this
plays out in the long-term to understand that."
(DO YOU THINK THE NEW PONTIAC TO COME IN 2003 WILL TRAVEL THE SAME PATH?)
"With the NASCAR templates, it's difficult to get too far off that. It goes
back to the question as to why there is a half-inch difference between the
template cars, I guess.

KURT RITTER, GENERAL MANAGER, CHEVROLET:
(IS THERE A POINT WHERE THE PROBLEMS OF A COMMON TEMPLATE SYSTEM MIGHT MAKE
YOU THROW UP YOUR HANDS AND SAY BRAND IDENTITY IS OUT?)  "Well, certainly
the Monte Carlo having all horizontal surfaces here on the racetrack and in
the showroom helps us leverage the brand. The people who buy Monte Carlo
really understand that. So if that was not there, the brand becomes less
leveragable, less identifiable to the consumer and our success in the
showroom would depend on things other than racing. We'll have to go other
ways to make the promise work for the customer."