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Le Mans / ALMS
ALMS: P2 Reborn
After a season that saw a single team run uncontested, the ALMS P2 class is on the rise for 2012...
The P2 category in the American Le Mans Series receives a boost with the addition of new competitors, including Black Swan Racing. (Photo: John Dagys)
It’s amazing the difference a year can make in the world of prototype racing. Last March, a mere four LMP2 entries took the green flag at the Twelve Hours of Sebring, which marked the kick-off of the ACO’s new-cost capped prototype formula in the American Le Mans Series and Intercontinental Le Mans Cup.
Fast forward 12 months and the LMP2 car count at Sebring has more than tripled, including a significantly larger ALMS P2 grid, with both Conquest Endurance and Black Swan Racing joining defending class winners Level 5 Motorsports, which ran unopposed in last year’s championship.
“We were disappointed about last year but it wasn't any fault of the series,” said Level 5 team owner Scott Tucker. “It's just there were guys telling the series that they were coming and [they didn't]. That's why we came out strong early with a commitment to let everyone know that we were here with two cars.”
While juggling its ILMC program alongside the ALMS schedule, which saw them miss a handful of races, Level 5 still cruised to the P2 championship. But with the prospect of no significant competition on the horizon, it left the two-time ALMS champion rethinking his plans for 2012.
“There always has to be the first guy who puts his foot in the water,” Tucker said. “The first year of any new class is always tough. We were disappointed none of that materialized but it didn’t discourage us. It made me realize that it needed a little help and that's what I kind of did.”
Tucker took matters into his own hands, working vigorously during the off-season to help place prospective P2 teams with cars. With all three of Level 5’s 2011-spec Lola-Hondas having sat idle, he reached out to a number of team owners, including Black Swan Racing’s Tim Pappas, who was eyeing a move to the prototype ranks.
By December, Pappas reached an agreement to lease Tucker’s Le Mans podium-finishing Lola B11/80 Honda for 2012 and the two-time GTC champions were off and running with their P2 endeavor.
“To me, it feels like P2 has been on a lot of people's minds and there was a big 'wait and see' attitude,” Pappas said. “We decided to take the plunge and we're sort of doing the same thing. If it's good, it's good. If it's not, it's not. We'll just have to wait and see. I think the more people that come out, the better likelihood that this becomes a really good class.”
While Black Swan’s Lola-Honda, which will debut this weekend with Pappas, Bret Curtis and two-time GRAND-AM champion Jon Fogarty at the wheel, is one of the few remaining “grandfathered” P2 cars around, the new cost-capped formula has been one of the major selling points for new teams entering the class on both sides of the pond.
Under ACO rules, the sale of each P2 chassis is capped at $450,000, with an engine selling for no more than $75,000. With powerplants derived from either GT race cars or production cars, coupled with only a single evolution of bodywork allowed per season for each manufacturer, the long-term running costs are significantly cheaper than seen in recent years.
“When you look at these cars and the parts and pieces, it's a real, proper race car,” Pappas said. “With the lifeing and the mileage, you don't have to take the car in two years and scrap it. You'll do aero updates, but the core chassis is good for a lot of miles of racing. All of the suspension components and the wearing of parts last for a long time. Yeah, they're more expensive up front, but they have so much more durability.”
Fast forward 12 months and the LMP2 car count at Sebring has more than tripled, including a significantly larger ALMS P2 grid, with both Conquest Endurance and Black Swan Racing joining defending class winners Level 5 Motorsports, which ran unopposed in last year’s championship.
“We were disappointed about last year but it wasn't any fault of the series,” said Level 5 team owner Scott Tucker. “It's just there were guys telling the series that they were coming and [they didn't]. That's why we came out strong early with a commitment to let everyone know that we were here with two cars.”
While juggling its ILMC program alongside the ALMS schedule, which saw them miss a handful of races, Level 5 still cruised to the P2 championship. But with the prospect of no significant competition on the horizon, it left the two-time ALMS champion rethinking his plans for 2012.
“There always has to be the first guy who puts his foot in the water,” Tucker said. “The first year of any new class is always tough. We were disappointed none of that materialized but it didn’t discourage us. It made me realize that it needed a little help and that's what I kind of did.”
Tucker took matters into his own hands, working vigorously during the off-season to help place prospective P2 teams with cars. With all three of Level 5’s 2011-spec Lola-Hondas having sat idle, he reached out to a number of team owners, including Black Swan Racing’s Tim Pappas, who was eyeing a move to the prototype ranks.
By December, Pappas reached an agreement to lease Tucker’s Le Mans podium-finishing Lola B11/80 Honda for 2012 and the two-time GTC champions were off and running with their P2 endeavor.
“To me, it feels like P2 has been on a lot of people's minds and there was a big 'wait and see' attitude,” Pappas said. “We decided to take the plunge and we're sort of doing the same thing. If it's good, it's good. If it's not, it's not. We'll just have to wait and see. I think the more people that come out, the better likelihood that this becomes a really good class.”
While Black Swan’s Lola-Honda, which will debut this weekend with Pappas, Bret Curtis and two-time GRAND-AM champion Jon Fogarty at the wheel, is one of the few remaining “grandfathered” P2 cars around, the new cost-capped formula has been one of the major selling points for new teams entering the class on both sides of the pond.
Under ACO rules, the sale of each P2 chassis is capped at $450,000, with an engine selling for no more than $75,000. With powerplants derived from either GT race cars or production cars, coupled with only a single evolution of bodywork allowed per season for each manufacturer, the long-term running costs are significantly cheaper than seen in recent years.
“When you look at these cars and the parts and pieces, it's a real, proper race car,” Pappas said. “With the lifeing and the mileage, you don't have to take the car in two years and scrap it. You'll do aero updates, but the core chassis is good for a lot of miles of racing. All of the suspension components and the wearing of parts last for a long time. Yeah, they're more expensive up front, but they have so much more durability.”
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