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Le Mans / ALMS
ALMS: BAR1 Rules Out P2 Effort
Brian Alder-owned team to focus on two-car ALMS Prototype Challenge program in 2013; P2 future still uncertain...
BAR1 Motorsports team principal Brian Alder has ruled out an expansion to the ALMS P2 category for 2013. (Photo: John Dagys)
While having explored the possibility of fielding an Oreca 03 Nissan in the American Le Mans Series, BAR1 Motorsports has ruled out a full-time or even partial-season P2 effort for 2013.
Team owner Brian Alder confirmed to SPEED.com Friday that plans were shelved shortly after last month’s class structure announcement, which confirmed that Prototype Challenge cars will remain part of the unified championship through at least 2015.
Alder’s Ohio-based team will focus its efforts on a pair of Oreca FLM09s, as the only expected two-car team in the competitive spec prototype category this year.
"We were trying to structure a three-race deal with a P2 car, for possibly the Downs [brothers] to drive. But it just got too late in the game,” Alder said. “We just can't take away from the PC championship effort. We don't want to get too thin.”
Alder, who formerly ran Intersport Racing’s effort, which claimed the 2004 ALMS P2 title as well as a class victory at Le Mans, was looking to lease a car from ORECA, in efforts to help boost the French constructor’s presence in North America. BAR1 had been in negotiations with another P2 team to potentially run the car as a joint effort.
However, lack of competition, along with a focus on its PC championship-seeking efforts, has seen Alder shelve his P2 hopes for now.
"We could have done it, and done it well, but growing too quickly can sometimes hurt you,” Alder added. “A P2 car would be another full-on effort. It would have been a big undertaking, even for the three events. You really have to be ready and can’t just show up.”
The latest development comes as another setback for the struggling category in North America, which is now unlikely to see a single full-season entrant. It’s believed, however, that there could be as many as three to four P2 entries for Sebring, including the already confirmed Zytek Z11SN Nissan for Greaves Motorsport.
John Dagys is SPEED.com’s Sportscar Racing Reporter, focusing on all major domestic and international championships. You can follow him on Twitter @johndagys or email him at
Team owner Brian Alder confirmed to SPEED.com Friday that plans were shelved shortly after last month’s class structure announcement, which confirmed that Prototype Challenge cars will remain part of the unified championship through at least 2015.
Alder’s Ohio-based team will focus its efforts on a pair of Oreca FLM09s, as the only expected two-car team in the competitive spec prototype category this year.
"We were trying to structure a three-race deal with a P2 car, for possibly the Downs [brothers] to drive. But it just got too late in the game,” Alder said. “We just can't take away from the PC championship effort. We don't want to get too thin.”
Alder, who formerly ran Intersport Racing’s effort, which claimed the 2004 ALMS P2 title as well as a class victory at Le Mans, was looking to lease a car from ORECA, in efforts to help boost the French constructor’s presence in North America. BAR1 had been in negotiations with another P2 team to potentially run the car as a joint effort.
However, lack of competition, along with a focus on its PC championship-seeking efforts, has seen Alder shelve his P2 hopes for now.
"We could have done it, and done it well, but growing too quickly can sometimes hurt you,” Alder added. “A P2 car would be another full-on effort. It would have been a big undertaking, even for the three events. You really have to be ready and can’t just show up.”
The latest development comes as another setback for the struggling category in North America, which is now unlikely to see a single full-season entrant. It’s believed, however, that there could be as many as three to four P2 entries for Sebring, including the already confirmed Zytek Z11SN Nissan for Greaves Motorsport.
John Dagys is SPEED.com’s Sportscar Racing Reporter, focusing on all major domestic and international championships. You can follow him on Twitter @johndagys or email him at
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