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Le Mans / ALMS
ALMS: Sebring Rules & Regulations FAQ
ALMS and IMSA COO Scot Elkins breaks down the differences in store the combined ALMS/FIA WEC season-opener...
As many as 64 cars could take the green flag for the 60th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, the ALMS and FIA WEC season-opener. (Photo: John Dagys)
With the launch of the FIA World Endurance Championship and the start of the 2012 American Le Mans Series season, the 60th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring is shaping up to be one of the most significant sports car races in modern history.
However, the combined nature of the event, which features a 30-car FIA WEC starting field along with no fewer than 31 ALMS competitors, could cause some confusion, particularly in the rules and regulations for the around-the-clock Florida classic.
To help answer many of the common questions surrounding the event, SPEED.com asked ALMS and IMSA COO Scot Elkins to break down the major differences that will be in store for race, which is set to take the green flag on March 17 at 10:30 a.m. ET.
ENTRIES: How is the entry list determined for ALMS and FIA WEC competitors?
ELKINS: Due to the track homologation per the FIA, we can only start the race with 64 cars. So in order to get to 64 cars, both the FIA WEC and the ALMS entries were limited to only full-season entrants. Due to the combined field of ALMS and FIA WEC entries adding up to nearly 64, we could not accept single-race entries. The entry list will be published respective to each championship.
QUALIFICATION: Will cars have to qualify to start the race like we saw at Petit Le Mans last year?
ELKINS: No, we have been able to remove the qualification criteria for this event by mandating that all ALMS competitors are full-season entrants. This and the amazing expansion of pit lane that Sebring International Raceway just completed means that we will not require any cars to qualify for the event. This is not to say that we will not have to revisit qualifying criteria in the future as after Sebring, as I expect the ALMS car count to increase.
REGULATIONS: Which set of technical regulations will be used?
ELKINS: As in years’ past, IMSA will utilize the FIA WEC (ACO) technical regulations and not just for the 12 Hours of Sebring but for the entire ALMS season. IMSA will have some slight differences from the FIA WEC mainly in the areas of balance for different types of fuels, but the primary technical regulations will be the same for FIA WEC and IMSA cars.
SPORTING CODE: Will the IMSA or FIA WEC sporting code be enforced?
ELKINS: The IMSA sporting code will be used exclusively for this event. We will have respective officials for each championship and we will all work in conjunction when there a question. Both IMSA and the FIA WEC have established procedures that will be outlined in the respective championship’s event regulations that will allow us to cooperatively make decisions for the event.
For example, if there is an issue between an ALMS car and FIA WEC car, it will be resolved by a vote of the combined stewards panels. Ultimately, the IMSA Race Director, Paul Walter, is the Chief Executive of the event but he will have the FIA WEC Race Director next to him for consultation purposes.
CLASSES: Will ALMS and FIA WEC categories be treated separately?
ELKINS: This is a tough question. The race is unique as it’s a combined event but the classes will be treated respective to each championship. We will provide some combined information but it will not be the official documents, as we must keep the official scoring of the two championships separate due to FIA regulations.
Additionally, the ALMS classes this year are named differently. We have dropped the “LM” from the class designations to simplify the names so now LMP1 will simply be P1. This will take effect at Sebring but the classes will be considered the same for the sake of timing and scoring. It is essentially the same specifications but we have done this to help distinguish the FIA WEC from the ALMS.
However, the combined nature of the event, which features a 30-car FIA WEC starting field along with no fewer than 31 ALMS competitors, could cause some confusion, particularly in the rules and regulations for the around-the-clock Florida classic.
To help answer many of the common questions surrounding the event, SPEED.com asked ALMS and IMSA COO Scot Elkins to break down the major differences that will be in store for race, which is set to take the green flag on March 17 at 10:30 a.m. ET.
ENTRIES: How is the entry list determined for ALMS and FIA WEC competitors?
ELKINS: Due to the track homologation per the FIA, we can only start the race with 64 cars. So in order to get to 64 cars, both the FIA WEC and the ALMS entries were limited to only full-season entrants. Due to the combined field of ALMS and FIA WEC entries adding up to nearly 64, we could not accept single-race entries. The entry list will be published respective to each championship.
QUALIFICATION: Will cars have to qualify to start the race like we saw at Petit Le Mans last year?
ELKINS: No, we have been able to remove the qualification criteria for this event by mandating that all ALMS competitors are full-season entrants. This and the amazing expansion of pit lane that Sebring International Raceway just completed means that we will not require any cars to qualify for the event. This is not to say that we will not have to revisit qualifying criteria in the future as after Sebring, as I expect the ALMS car count to increase.
REGULATIONS: Which set of technical regulations will be used?
ELKINS: As in years’ past, IMSA will utilize the FIA WEC (ACO) technical regulations and not just for the 12 Hours of Sebring but for the entire ALMS season. IMSA will have some slight differences from the FIA WEC mainly in the areas of balance for different types of fuels, but the primary technical regulations will be the same for FIA WEC and IMSA cars.
SPORTING CODE: Will the IMSA or FIA WEC sporting code be enforced?
ELKINS: The IMSA sporting code will be used exclusively for this event. We will have respective officials for each championship and we will all work in conjunction when there a question. Both IMSA and the FIA WEC have established procedures that will be outlined in the respective championship’s event regulations that will allow us to cooperatively make decisions for the event.
For example, if there is an issue between an ALMS car and FIA WEC car, it will be resolved by a vote of the combined stewards panels. Ultimately, the IMSA Race Director, Paul Walter, is the Chief Executive of the event but he will have the FIA WEC Race Director next to him for consultation purposes.
CLASSES: Will ALMS and FIA WEC categories be treated separately?
ELKINS: This is a tough question. The race is unique as it’s a combined event but the classes will be treated respective to each championship. We will provide some combined information but it will not be the official documents, as we must keep the official scoring of the two championships separate due to FIA regulations.
Additionally, the ALMS classes this year are named differently. We have dropped the “LM” from the class designations to simplify the names so now LMP1 will simply be P1. This will take effect at Sebring but the classes will be considered the same for the sake of timing and scoring. It is essentially the same specifications but we have done this to help distinguish the FIA WEC from the ALMS.
Monterey
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