Posted: September 24 2004 at 11:46am | IP Logged

      
      Cyber Motorsports Chats with Butch Leitzinger
      by Earl Cook
      September 30, 1998

      Butch Leitzinger is currently America's hottest driver in prototype sports
      car racing. In the last three years, Butch has won 12 races including the
      1997 24 Hours of Daytona and the 1998 Grand Prix of Atlanta. Butch drives
      a Ford-powered Riley & Scott Mark III Can-Am / World Sports Car for the
      Dyson Racing team. Butch was the 1997 Professional Sports Car Racing WSC
      Driver's Champion and this year came in a very close second to teammate
      James Weaver in the 1998 USSRC Can-Am Driver's Championship.
      In the photo above, Butch has just gotten out of the Ford R&S Mk III after
      his win with co-driver James Weaver at Road Atlanta in June. In the
      sweltering heat, other drivers looked as if they were about to drop in the
      heat after the race, while Butch looked like he had barely begun to sweat.
      
      Cyber: Butch, you have had a lot of victories in the past few years. Is
      there one victory that stands out as the best or the most exciting?
      BL: My favorite victory was at the 1997 Rolex 24 at Daytona. To have a
      race that is 24 hours long go down to the last lap is amazing and
      exhausting. I know that we took a lot of ribbing because we used 7 drivers
      to do it, but that is part of what made it special. Everyone on the team
      knew how badly Rob Dyson wanted that win, and we all did everything that
      we could to give it to him.
      I had started the race in the #16 with James Weaver, Andy Wallace, and
      John Paul, Jr. We led the race until the around half way, when the engine
      blew. John Paul and I then transferred to the #20 car, which was several
      laps back because of some early problems. We drove flat out through the
      night to gain time, all the while fighting overheating problems. When
      Wayne Taylor's engine blew, we were vaulted into the lead.
      At dawn, Rob got in the car, and drove one of the best stints I have seen
      him drive under heavy pressure. By this time, James and Andy arrived after
      a sleep (and a few beers, no doubt!), saw that we were in the lead, and
      got in line to drive. And naturally, when you have two drivers as fast as
      they are, you don't let them sit on the bench.
      After James got out of the car with 3 hours remaining, I asked him how the
      car was. He gave me a worried look and said, "Not good, mate. It feels
      like it's about to let go." Andy finished his stint, and I got in the car.
      For the first half, everything was fine, but then the electronic dash went
      out. This was a problem, as we could not longer monitor the water temp,
      which was running at 109 degree C. To make matters worse, with an hour
      remaining, we dropped a cylinder. We now barely had enough speed to pass a
      GT3 car on the banking.
      I spent the rest of the race convinced that each lap would be my last, to
      the point that I had my hand on the gearshift on the banking on the last
      lap so that I could kick it into neutral and coast to the checkered flag
      if I felt the engine start to tighten up. The sense of jubilation and
      relief as we crossed the line was wonderful.
      The only downside was that I fell asleep as we were celebrating at a bar
      afterwards.
      Cyber: I know that you have done extremely well in the R&S Mk III, but is
      there any other car out there, besides the Riley & Scott, that you would
      like to have a chance to drive?
      BL: The Riley-Scott is a wonderful car to drive. It is very friendly at
      the limit, which makes it easier for the driver over a race distance. I
      have to say that I would like to drive one of the Ferraris, just to see
      what the differences are between the two. A few years ago, the
      conventional wisdom was that we were better on the twisty tracks, but I
      think that Ferrari has improved their car to the point that we are pretty
      even.
      Cyber: What do you think of the new generation of GT cars that are pushing
      the envelope like the Mercedes CLK LM, Porsche 911 GT1-98 and Toyota
      GT-One?
      BL: In my view the GT1 cars are wonderfully tragic. They show how creative
      designers can be when they are given no limits. But they also showcase the
      short term thinking that has always been prevalent in sports car racing.
      For a series to be successful, the costs involved have to be less the
      benefits received. This does not happen when the rules are too vague, and
      a new interpretation of them renders the rest of the field obsolete. Even
      their staunchest supporters concede that they will go away in a couple of
      years. So, how can you build a series based on that? It comes down to a
      question of whether you want a couple of exotic GT cars running, or if you
      want a full field of (still exotic) WSC cars racing each other?
      Cyber: Of all the tracks that you have driven on, which turns are your
      favorites? Least favorites?
      BL: A list of my favorite tracks, with my favorite turns, in no particular
      order are:
      Lime Rock (downhill turn)
      Watkins Glen (last turn)
      Mid Ohio (jump on back part of course)
      Road America (hurry downs)
      Mosport (first turn)
      favorite infield road course: Homestead (turn off of back straight)
      favorite street course: Columbus (kink on back straight)
      
      My least favorite tracks, in no order:
      Sebring (all of the good turns are gone, except turn one)
      Road Atlanta (the chicane is a disaster)
      Pikes Peak (the oval part was fun, but the infield was junk)
      Cyber: Looking back into history at the glorious sports cars of the past,
      is there one car and one particular time in sports car history that you
      would of liked to have been driving in?
      BL: I would like to drive just about any vintage race car, but some that I
      would most love to drive are:
      Gulf Porsche 917
      Lotus Elan 26R
      ANY Mercedes Benz Grand Prix car
      Cyber: We want to keep you in sports cars, but is there a racing series
      that you would like to try other than sports cars?
      BL: Sports cars are my love, and I don't really have any intention of
      leaving, unless it continues to get more ridiculous. I'd love to drive a
      CART car, but I don't realistically have a chance to do that. I've enjoyed
      the races that I've done in NASCAR, and I would like to do more on the
      weekends that I'm not racing in sportscar.
      Cyber: With the current divisions that are occuring in sports cars, from
      your perspective, is there anything that can be done to bring all the
      sides together to get sports car racing back on track?
      BL: I think that for the two sides to come together, GT1 needs to be
      abandoned. We have wasted this entire year in pursuit of a mythical
      equivalency formula between GT1 and WSC, and in so doing we have chased
      WSC teams away, and not attracted more than two quality teams in GT1
      (three at Daytona). As I said earlier, the GT1 cars are just not realistic
      in America and not really in Europe, either.
      When you look at every other successful series, such as F1, CART, NASCAR,
      each has one primary class. If a team decides that they wish to compete at
      the top level, they know what they will run. But in sportscar, it is very
      ambiguous. If a team wishes to compete for the overall victory, do they
      buy a WSC or a GT? What would you do? The wisdom in having both classes
      compete for the win was that you would then have more teams at the front.
      But instead, participation has dropped. At the end of 1997 we had 18-22
      car fields for the WSC. Now we struggle to have a ten WSC/GT cars.
      Ambiguity rarely leads to success.
      All that you have to do is look at where the new cars are coming from.
      Audi, Nissan, Lola, BRM, McLaren, Ferrari, Dallara and others are rumored
      or confirmed to be building WSC cars. Who is building GT1 cars?
      Some people point to the WSC cars as being "low-tech". I've always been at
      a loss to understand what exactly they mean by this. I guess it is because
      the Riley-Scott and Ferrari have been around for a few years. But that is
      the beauty of the rules. By keeping the rules stable, and not allowing
      tunnels or diffusers (areas which demand much development and therefore,
      expense), a good designer is able to create a car which has a lifespan of
      a few years, can be sold in greater numbers, spread the cost out over more
      customers, and result in larger fields, giving the fans better racing.
      I've strayed a little bit from the question, but the point that I am
      trying to make is that in order for Sportscar racing to become a success,
      the rulers must think long term. There must be a clear system of classes,
      each with very stable rules. WSC cars should race for the overall win. GT2
      cars should showcase the performance cars from the factories. GT3 should
      be the domain of the privateer in endurance racing.
      The thing that we must stay away from, at all costs, is the tendency that
      we have had to radically change the rules every time that we get impatient
      for the rewards of success. I would never have believed it at the time,
      but in 1996 sportscar racing was dramatically better off than it is now.
      If we could finally rid ourselves of GT1, there would really not be much
      standing between the two series, and I think that it would be possible for
      a unification.
      Cyber: at one time, it was thought that Road Atlanta would be Ferrari's
      track due to its high revving engine and the long backstretch, but the
      Dyson Ford R&S Mk III team has won the last three out of four races.
      Obviously, Dyson has a good team and you and the other drivers are superb
      racers. But, is there something about the Ford engine or the Riley & Scott
      chassis that is well-suited to the track?
      BL: I think that the Riley-Scott Ford is well suited to Road Atlanta
      because it makes terriffic downforce. It is not the car to have for one
      qualifying lap, but in a race, we are able to carve up the traffic much
      better than the Ferraris.
      Cyber: As you approach the premier event of the Petit Le Mans, what are
      your thoughts as you prepare to race with Transatlantic Racing, Henry
      Camferdam and Scott Schubot?
      BL: I think that my main goal for the weekend will be to come out of the
      race with some points. It will be a very long and tortuous race, and I
      think that if we can get through it with no major problems, we should be
      in the top five overall.
      I'm confident in the Transatlantic team, and their ability to give us a
      good car. Likewise, Henry Camferdam and Scott Schubot will be good, solid
      co-drivers.
      As for the race itself, I can't say that I have much feeling for it. I
      don't much care for all of the gimmickry that is surrounding it, but I
      guess if that is what it takes to bring people in, then so be it.
      Cyber: Butch, I thank you for your time and I wish you the best. Good luck
      at the Petit Le Mans.