-
Home
-
Latest Headlines
-
- TV Shows
-
TV Schedule
-
SPEED Showcase
-
- NASCAR
-
Formula 1
- Auto Racing
- Moto Racing
- Cars
- Bikes
- Store
- Social
- Games
- Mobile
- Deals
- Videos
- Photos
- Home
- TV Shows
-
TV Schedule
-
SPEED Showcase
-
- NASCAR
- Formula 1
- Auto Racing
- Moto Racing
- Cars
- Bikes
- Store
- Social
- Mobile
- Deals
- Videos
- Photos
GRAND-AM
DAGYS: Sports Car Unification, A New Beginning
Many of us have been dreaming of a unified sports car series in North America...
History was made Wednesday when officials from GRAND-AM and ALMS announced a landmark merger for 2014. (Photo: Brian Cleary/GRAND-AM)
Similar to what’s been seen in open-wheel, many of us have dreamed of a unified sports car series in North America. Some thought it never would happen, while others envisioned it ending in tears, with one championship crumbling and the other rising to the top in the survival of the fittest.
Instead, Wednesday’s announcement officially linking GRAND-AM and the American Le Mans Series, bitter rivals for more than a decade, brought tears of joy to some top-ranking automobile executives and team principals, in what’s no doubt the biggest thing to happen to the national sports car racing scene in nearly 15 years.
The merger, which sees the sale of Panoz Motor Sports Group, including the ALMS, its sanctioning body IMSA, Road Atlanta, Chateau Elan and the long-term lease of Sebring International Raceway, to a new entity owned by NASCAR, will result in a single, yet-to-be-named professional sports car championship beginning in 2014.
There have been mixed reactions from longtime followers, with some calling ALMS founder Don Panoz and President and CEO Scott Atherton “sellouts” and their fear of losing the link with the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Others, meanwhile, have voiced concerns over a possible direction change that could see reduced technological advancement and the increased presence of single-spec machinery.
However, after sitting through Wednesday's landmark press conference at Daytona International Speedway and speaking with the leaders of the soon-to-be unified series afterwards, I get the sense that this is far from being a hostile takeover and liquidation of all things ALMS as the doomsayers were predicting.
Instead, it appears to rather be a genuine merger of the two championships, taking the best of both worlds and coming up with a new plan that, if executed correctly, could be a game-changer for North American sports car racing.
With less than 16 months before the drop of the green flag at the 52nd annual Rolex 24 at Daytona, the first scheduled race of the unified championship, there is still much to be done. That includes working out some of the fundamental aspects of the series, with class structure arguably the most critical in determining if this merger will be a true success.
For years, both series struggled for car count, particularly in its premier prototype categories. The ALMS has seen three full-season entries in P1, while an average of nine DPs have turned up in regular season Rolex Series races this year. Escalating costs for P1 machinery has not helped matters, either, while the cost-capped P2 class has seen steady growth in America.
An easy solution would simply be to merge P2 and DP together, through a speed increase for the tube-framed prototypes, and drop P1 all together. While no easy task with creating a proper Balance of Performance, a combined category would showcase both of the series’ top-level prototypes and give them equal chance of overall victory.
However, if both DP and P2 run in a combined category, where does that leave the gentlemen drivers? An enforcement of Pro-Am driver lineups, as currently seen in the ALMS P2, PC and GTC categories, could be crucial in the long-term success of either class. But would that then mean separating DP and P2, and one category enforcing driver categorizations?
A similar mix of existing classes from both series could be achieved in the production-based ranks. The ultra-competitive ALMS GT category, featuring factory involvement by more than a half-dozen manufacturers, has already essentially been confirmed as part of the class structure. Adding a Pro-Am version of the current Rolex Series GT class, which has seen recent spike in GT3-based machinery, would provide a relatively low-cost entry level category for teams.
But one must also take technological innovation into consideration. The elimination of P1, featuring the most sophisticated and advanced prototypes in the world, could have a profound effect on the view of the series, especially from an international perspective. P2 cars come equipped with fewer bells and whistles compared to their big brothers, but on the other hand offer a more cost-effective way to go prototype racing.
While ALMS GT(E) is a diverse and rapidly developing playground for some of the world’s top automakers, the platform has seen a recent drop-off in Europe, in favor of the burgeoning GT3 formula, which has yet to fully take off in America. Keeping both platforms in the mix, along with open specification tires, at least in the manufacturer-populated ALMS GT ranks, would be another crucial step in maintaining competition among brands.
Another point of contention is where alternative technologies would fit in. Would they be placed in existing categories, according to their speed, or in a separate class, similar to what GRAND-AM plans to do with its GX category for next year? A perfect example is the DeltaWing, which debuted as an unclassified entry at Le Mans this year but has already gotten assurances of a place in the new unified series. But the question is where?
It’s clear the unified championship will not share the same level of support from the ACO as seen with the ALMS. But keeping at least two categories (one LMP, one GT) in compliance with the technical regulations would not only guarantee a link to Le Mans, but also for prospective European and Asian teams wanting to complete in the blue-ribbon American events such as the Rolex 24, Twelve Hours of Sebring and Petit Le Mans.
If the powers-to-be can correctly achieve such a class structure, with three or four categories in total, while maintaining ACO regulations for P2 and GTE cars, it could end up being a home run for manufacturers, teams and drivers alike.
Instead, Wednesday’s announcement officially linking GRAND-AM and the American Le Mans Series, bitter rivals for more than a decade, brought tears of joy to some top-ranking automobile executives and team principals, in what’s no doubt the biggest thing to happen to the national sports car racing scene in nearly 15 years.
The merger, which sees the sale of Panoz Motor Sports Group, including the ALMS, its sanctioning body IMSA, Road Atlanta, Chateau Elan and the long-term lease of Sebring International Raceway, to a new entity owned by NASCAR, will result in a single, yet-to-be-named professional sports car championship beginning in 2014.
There have been mixed reactions from longtime followers, with some calling ALMS founder Don Panoz and President and CEO Scott Atherton “sellouts” and their fear of losing the link with the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Others, meanwhile, have voiced concerns over a possible direction change that could see reduced technological advancement and the increased presence of single-spec machinery.
However, after sitting through Wednesday's landmark press conference at Daytona International Speedway and speaking with the leaders of the soon-to-be unified series afterwards, I get the sense that this is far from being a hostile takeover and liquidation of all things ALMS as the doomsayers were predicting.
Instead, it appears to rather be a genuine merger of the two championships, taking the best of both worlds and coming up with a new plan that, if executed correctly, could be a game-changer for North American sports car racing.
With less than 16 months before the drop of the green flag at the 52nd annual Rolex 24 at Daytona, the first scheduled race of the unified championship, there is still much to be done. That includes working out some of the fundamental aspects of the series, with class structure arguably the most critical in determining if this merger will be a true success.
For years, both series struggled for car count, particularly in its premier prototype categories. The ALMS has seen three full-season entries in P1, while an average of nine DPs have turned up in regular season Rolex Series races this year. Escalating costs for P1 machinery has not helped matters, either, while the cost-capped P2 class has seen steady growth in America.
An easy solution would simply be to merge P2 and DP together, through a speed increase for the tube-framed prototypes, and drop P1 all together. While no easy task with creating a proper Balance of Performance, a combined category would showcase both of the series’ top-level prototypes and give them equal chance of overall victory.
However, if both DP and P2 run in a combined category, where does that leave the gentlemen drivers? An enforcement of Pro-Am driver lineups, as currently seen in the ALMS P2, PC and GTC categories, could be crucial in the long-term success of either class. But would that then mean separating DP and P2, and one category enforcing driver categorizations?
A similar mix of existing classes from both series could be achieved in the production-based ranks. The ultra-competitive ALMS GT category, featuring factory involvement by more than a half-dozen manufacturers, has already essentially been confirmed as part of the class structure. Adding a Pro-Am version of the current Rolex Series GT class, which has seen recent spike in GT3-based machinery, would provide a relatively low-cost entry level category for teams.
But one must also take technological innovation into consideration. The elimination of P1, featuring the most sophisticated and advanced prototypes in the world, could have a profound effect on the view of the series, especially from an international perspective. P2 cars come equipped with fewer bells and whistles compared to their big brothers, but on the other hand offer a more cost-effective way to go prototype racing.
While ALMS GT(E) is a diverse and rapidly developing playground for some of the world’s top automakers, the platform has seen a recent drop-off in Europe, in favor of the burgeoning GT3 formula, which has yet to fully take off in America. Keeping both platforms in the mix, along with open specification tires, at least in the manufacturer-populated ALMS GT ranks, would be another crucial step in maintaining competition among brands.
Another point of contention is where alternative technologies would fit in. Would they be placed in existing categories, according to their speed, or in a separate class, similar to what GRAND-AM plans to do with its GX category for next year? A perfect example is the DeltaWing, which debuted as an unclassified entry at Le Mans this year but has already gotten assurances of a place in the new unified series. But the question is where?
It’s clear the unified championship will not share the same level of support from the ACO as seen with the ALMS. But keeping at least two categories (one LMP, one GT) in compliance with the technical regulations would not only guarantee a link to Le Mans, but also for prospective European and Asian teams wanting to complete in the blue-ribbon American events such as the Rolex 24, Twelve Hours of Sebring and Petit Le Mans.
If the powers-to-be can correctly achieve such a class structure, with three or four categories in total, while maintaining ACO regulations for P2 and GTE cars, it could end up being a home run for manufacturers, teams and drivers alike.
Road Atlanta
LATEST HEADLINES: AUTO-RACING
-
GRAND-AM: Valiante Joins 8Star For Mid-Ohio
Daytona Prototype ace to sub for Stephane Sarrazin in next month's… -
MILLER: My Annual Indy 500 Quiz
It’s time for Robin Miller's annual Indy 500 quiz. -
INDYCAR: Miller's Mailbag, 5.23
It's time for SPEED.com's weekly IndyCar Q&A with Robin Miller's… -
INDYCAR: HIPPINO.com To Sponsor Kanaan At Detroit
Just a few weeks after announcing the KV Racing-SH Racing entry of… -
PHOTOS: Indy 500 Practice & Qualifying 2013
Enjoy a huge collection of photos from practice and qualifying while… -
LE MANS: BoP Adjustments For GTE Announced
GTE-Pro Aston Martins handed extra weight, larger restrictor for… -
LE MANS: Jim France Named LM24 Starter
GRAND-AM founder and NASCAR Vice Chairman to wave tri-colour flag… - More News
