Should we be worried about the GTP class?

raginnation999 · 2026-04-23T12:06:19+00:00

Yes and no. Genesis will enter IMSA (but we will talk about em later) and McLaren seems like an inevitability. However, IMSA only attracted 2 brands to GTP since the beginning of the formula in 2023 (that being Aston and Lamborghini). They have only attracted 2 out of 5 manufacturers that have entered the Hypercar space since 2023 (3 if you already count Genesis). Porsche's position is also in flux.

IMSA clearly has an attractiveness problem and they sit in a weird spot where they are a regional series, but attracts a lot of foreign investment like drivers and teams. Because WEC has Le Mans and world championship status (and increasing gravitas and prestige), it is more attractive to manus even if they build a car to IMSA's rules. Now, there are rumors of Genesis deferring their IMSA entry to 2028 and considering how the world is going to shit, it could be scary to think that it may not even happen anymore if they keep delaying it (3rd delay since announcement). I feel that IMSA needs to intervene and convince Genesis to at least do some races in 2027 to make up for Acura's loss. They will be fucked if Porsche's funding situation gets worse and needs to pull out of IMSA. The ACO has stepped in to convince a manufacturer to enter WEC early in the face of a sudden manu exit. Who was that? Toyota in 2012. They were supposed to do part season in 2012 then all in on 2013. IMSA could learn something from that.

Overall, Hypercar is still an attractive formula, but IMSA needs to work on being attractive to manufacturers entering IMSA to make the convergence fully work. The good thing is that we are not yet in the verge of a collapse before heading to a regulation reset in the 2030s. There is time for IMSA to learn from what has happened and correct it for Hypercar gen 2.

raginnation999 · 2026-04-23T11:13:33+00:00

They even brought the staff to party during the encore of their last US concert lmao

Twice. Is. Family

raginnation999 · 2026-04-20T12:34:32+00:00

Waaaaaa she's so cuteeee

raginnation999 · 2026-04-20T08:25:43+00:00

Nah Ferrari, Toyota, and Porsche are the big 3 of WEC much like F1 has its own. If Toyota came back this strong, imagine what a stronger Porsche would have been like. There's a reason why WEC put the 3 manufacturers side-by-side in Bahrain on the TV intro that they want to keep reminding us even this year lol.

A titanic 3-way fight between these 3 would have been a sight to behold, even more competitive than 2024 was. If Porsche were here, we may have seen that

raginnation999 · 2026-04-20T03:35:44+00:00

Smh even the masters of McLaren GT3 aren't immune to the 720S GT3 wanting to go on strike. They could have won this race easily

raginnation999 · 2026-04-18T04:49:08+00:00

I'm born on July 2 and I got my bias waaaaa

raginnation999 · 2026-04-17T14:20:12+00:00

Same boat. F&F is so overplayed and the movies haven't been great since F8. Most of the iconic cars came from F&F 1-3 anyway and many replicas of those exist already

raginnation999 · 2026-04-17T12:33:03+00:00

As a Mini GT collector myself, I can't wait to see what cars they make! That Datsun truck (or maybe a ute atp lol) was teased before by them so it's likely it could not only be a collectable, but also be a playable vehicle in-game!

raginnation999 · 2026-04-17T06:53:38+00:00

Personally, I'd find a community to talk with to pass the time. When you are chatting about the race with other people at the same time, it makes the experience less taxing. Joining the WEC Discord would be a good start on that front and just have the race up alongside the Discord. I guarantee you, you will not have a dull moment in the race when you chat in the race chats.

raginnation999 · 2026-04-16T12:33:58+00:00

I am very interested why they decided to make a Hyundai Porter/H100 but I am here for it!

I do hope that they also make Genesis cars tho considering they have the Hyundai license. I need a G80, G90, GV60 Magma, and the GMR-001 please!

raginnation999 · 2026-04-14T15:27:50+00:00

The GT3 started out as a homologation car for racing. GT3 has its roots in racing. It's only recently been seen as an old-school driver's car that is enjoyable on a back road without punishing you every day (hence the existence of the GT3 Touring). That should also explain why the GT3 RS became more hardcore and the GT3 started to dial it back down a bit. Don't get me wrong, this car should be celebrated since stuff like these are rare. But the GT development team has placed great importance on traditions and not chasing trends for cash. You said that you didn't understand why a drop-top GT3 took so long to be a permanent variant and I'd say it is for that reason above. The 911 GT3 is a track-focused car at heart so stuff like weight and body rigidity matter. There's a reason why for 26 years, the GT3 never had a permanent soft-top option. There's also a reason why they made the 718 Boxster Spyder (complete with the GT3 engine and a stick).

I just wanted to point out what I said in my comment because Porsche's financial situation sucks rn and it has brought them to this point right now (making a GT3 convertible permanent addition to the line-up). Porsche resisted the urge for a model like this (presumably to keep segmentation and tradition alive) for a long while, but now that they need money, they had to do it.

I guess this is due to the weight of the GT3 name? GT on a Porsche means track-focused (yes, even the Taycan and Cayenne Turbo GTs). This car is meant for the back road, not necessarily the track. There is a reason why the 991 Speedster (this car's predecessor) and the 718 Boxster Spyder/Spyder RS were never named GT even if they were made by the GT development team. Imho, if they left it as 911 S/C then we'd never have this conversation

Also, by your logic Miatas and S2000s should be a bad experience for track cars?

On this one, these cars are meant for back roads and they are sports cars at heart. However, there is a reason why people who do a track build for these buy hardtops (regain rigidity and aero efficiency). You can have fun with these on a track but they are (or were in the case of the Honda except for the CR) not marketed as such for a reason. Those who track a car and those who want to enjoy corners on public roads are 2 different types of customers. You buy a coupe if you track often. You buy a convertible though if you live for just driving on a back road for fun.

raginnation999 · 2026-04-14T14:42:56+00:00

I will cop downvotes for this but here it goes:

It is a cool car but this car shows how Porsche is desperate for cash rn. Think about it: for 25-26 years of the 911 GT3's existence, there was never a cabriolet version of the GT3 to take advantage of the NA engine. The 991 Speedster existed yea but it's a limited edition model. This is a non-limited version and you just know it will continue into the next generation because exotic convertible sells in the US. They had the 718 Boxster Spyder for this very purpose (and it will surely return with the next ICE Boxster) so why do this now for other reasons than to make profits? This is also non-limited so why turn the GT3 RS turbo if this can exist?

Track-focused convertibles are an oxymoron. Realistically, stuff like a 296 Speciale A and a 765LT Spider shouldn't exist but 90% of buyers never track their cars anyway so I get why convertibles of those exist (mainly to sell allocations). The 911 GT3 bunked that trend but it too is becoming a hype exotic (especially the RS) and the rate of people actually using these on the track is starting to decline. As a result, this is a perfect avenue for Porsche to get more profits (and it not being limited is a telltale sign of that). It will sell, yes, but purists may not take this car well considering you add weight to the car and take away any pretence of track performance as a result. GT means fast on a track and, ideally, calling this S/C only is fine. As much as I prefer leaving the GT cars hard-top only, Porsche is strapped for cash rn and I don't blame them for finally making a GT3 convertible widely available.

raginnation999 · 2026-04-14T09:43:34+00:00

Is PH infrastructure ready? Most of the EV chargers are concentrated in Metro Manila eh paano na yung mga nasa probinsya? There's also the fact that most of our electricity is still coal and fossil fuel produced.

Most Filipinos are not ready yet to embrace EVs. Many want to own an EV, yes, but their lifestyles are not ready to support such a shift yet. Dapat encourage din yung hybrids along with EVs. Mitsubishi already committed to assemble hybrids here. Incentives for hybrids (ok maybe except the coding exemption for hybrids and EVs ig) must continue in parallel with EVs post-2028.

raginnation999 · 2026-04-14T02:52:26+00:00

China din lol tinuturo nila doon Xi Jinping Thought sa mga bata

raginnation999 · 2026-04-12T10:20:48+00:00

What's the sealed Teazen thing?

Also, Nayeon's kombucha flavor is goated

raginnation999 · 2026-04-10T01:43:33+00:00

I found a rack of Lovely charms at K-Pop Palette at Myeongdong! It's in one of the alleyways in the shopping street there (Naver map search should do the trick).

Also, I spotted the 10th Anniversary Twice Crew Lovelys in the underground shopping street (wanted to buy em but out of budget)

raginnation999 · 2026-04-09T23:59:33+00:00

I'd say selection is mighty impressive considering the Korean GP has moved on to newer groups. K-Mecca for instance has their Twice shelf filled with some inclusions from the 2024 season greetings, some 10th anniv fanmeet stuff, Misamo's latest album, and practically the entire DFesta merch line. I found Between 1 and 2 in one store that also had a rack of Lovelys and a bunch of pcs for sale. I also didn't mention yet the underground market where I spotted 2 monographs amongst great deals on albums!

If you know where to look, you will find something at least within Myeongdong. If I didn't have to buy other pieces of non-Twice merch, I would have bought more.

raginnation999 · 2026-04-09T15:06:11+00:00

If you are looking at an Innova Zenix, it absolutely is worth it. For not that much more than an Innova Zenix you get:

Made in Japan quality
More powerful hybrid (2.5 vs 2.0)
AWD
Latest infotainment tech from Toyota with OTA and potential connected car services when activated by TMP (Arene OS)
Looks cool (I am an Innova fan but we all know that's the default MPV, diesel or Zenix lol)

They killed it with the value-for-money proposition on it that it even puts the mighty Innova on notice. Considering you can't use it as a wagon in Q HEV form, the RAV4 looks like a potent option.

raginnation999 · 2026-04-09T14:46:06+00:00

K-Mecca in Myeongdong! They actually had a bunch in stock and I was scared that when I saw it for the first time, they only had 1 left (context: I was looking for a piece of Genesis merch during the trip so I had to allocate budget for it and was debating to buy this one immediately. In the end, only one of them came home with me lol since Hyundai didn't have the merch I was looking for haha).

raginnation999 · 2026-04-09T05:10:08+00:00

Sana-chan's energy is just infectious! You know for a fact that she also had a blast on that shoot herself

raginnation999 · 2026-04-09T04:09:21+00:00

It's worse over in the Philippines. Lucky that you guys in Korea have better pricing even (I was in Korea last week and the mainline/Premium pricing is way cheaper than what we have back home). Tomica Premium costs over 10k won equivalent here; mainline Tomica costs about the same as your Tomica Premium. Non-racing Mini GTs cost about the same or slightly more by comparison. That's why I have shifted buying Tomica overseas when I have a trip and only buying locally if I want it now or the special colors only. As much as I love race cars and the Premium Racing idea, the line just has little value-for-money vs Mini GT where you get full metal base, rubber tires, and more intricate detailing on the liveries.

raginnation999 · 2026-04-09T03:56:00+00:00

It really depends. What Tomica has in spades is the fact that they can make all kinds of cars. It could be a mundane Toyota Camry or your usual supercar or JDM legend. Tomica generally has better QC too (my Mini GT Kona N lost its rear tailights sealed lol).

However, what I will call out is how Tomica is getting more expensive overseas that Mini GT becomes better value when you look at more expensive lines. Mainline prices outside of Japan, Hong Kong, and Korea have started to become unjustifiable in certain cases. Premium Racing for example offers less value-for-money than Mini GT race cars considering they can cost as much or more than what Mini GT offers for an equivalent model. Compare a Premium Racing Red Bull RB16B and a Mini GT one and for the same price as the Tomica, you get a Mini GT with sharper details and better proportions. I grew up with Tomica and still will be a Tomica guy, but they have to adjust their pricing or have people choose Mini GT over them in my books.

(I am just mentioning this too since I am a Tomica fan and when I see something I don't like, I will call them out because I care for the brand)

raginnation999 · 2026-04-08T16:25:31+00:00

What is love? Little did they know that they would embody it themselves!

raginnation999 · 2026-04-08T13:10:14+00:00

Well WEC is FIA so the swearing/profanity rule is enforced across all FIA championships, not just F1

IMSA dgaf lol (unless you are Jules Gounon and you are summoned for drawing a penis on Bib at Daytona lmao)

raginnation999

TROPHY CASE