The elimination of LMP1 in North America, meanwhile, would also likely have a profound effect on the global sports car racing scene. Porsche’s new factory LMP1 car was earmarked to debut at the Twelve Hours of Sebring next year, with a likely season-long campaign in the ALMS. Instead, the German manufacturer will now focus entirely on the WEC, the only remaining championship that will embrace the top-tier Le Mans prototypes come 2014.

Greg Pickett has already declared his Muscle Milk team will not switch to Daytona Prototype racing in 2014. (Photo: John Dagys)

And then there’s Audi, a ten-time Sebring winner, which plans to enter the Florida endurance classic this year for the final time with its venerable diesel-powered machine as a “chance to say goodbye” to the American fans, according to Head of Motorsport, Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich.

While the WEC plans to have an annual stop at the new Circuit of The Americas in Austin, still maintaining a crucial U.S. presence, ACO-spec LMP1 machinery will no longer be able to compete in two of America’s crown famed enduros, which arguably comes as a step backwards, rather than a step forward, in the ever-changing landscape.

There’s no doubt LMP1 has been through challenging times as of late, but a focus towards a more cost-effective, spec-style set of prototype regulations could spell disaster for some of the sport’s loyalists.

Just as it’s being billed as a merger, the future of sports car racing in America should be about taking the best of both worlds. And with the essential extinction of LMP1 cars on U.S. soil, one does have to wonder what the future may really hold?

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

The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEED.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or SPEED