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GRAND-AM
SPORTS CAR: Top 10 Stories Of 2012
SPEED.com ranks the top storylines from the 2012 sports car racing season...
The historic merger between the American Le Mans Series and GRAND-AM ranks as one of the sports car stories of the decade, let alone 2012. (Photo: Brian Cleary/GRAND-AM)
1. ALMS/GRAND-AM Merger — Arguably the sports car story of the decade, and revealed in a SPEED.com exclusive, GRAND-AM’s acquisition of the American Le Mans Series to create a unified North American championship rocked the headlines during Labor Day weekend, with the historic announcement coming on Sept. 5. While continuing to operate as separate series next year, a single series will begin in 2014, with further details on class structure expected by the end of this month.
2. Peugeot’s Shock Withdrawal — Jan. 18, 2012 will live in infamy for being the day Peugeot abruptly pulled the plug on its factory LMP1 program that was to compete in the new FIA World Endurance Championship. While having faced financial issues, there was little warning on the shock move by the French automaker, which put a serious dent in first-year WEC, and effectively accelerated Toyota’s factory effort in order to save the series.
3. DeltaWing Debuts — After months of anticipation and buildup, the revolutionary Nissan DeltaWing made its debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, running as an unclassified entry. While having crashed out early in the race after contact with a Toyota, the Highcroft Racing-entered car returned to action at the Petit Le Mans, recording an impressive fifth place overall finish in its North American race debut. It was announced the car will be eligible to run classified inside a a yet-to-be-determined existing ALMS category for 2013.
4. Starworks‘ Dream Season — From winning the FIA World Endurance Championship, GRAND-AM North American Endurance Championship, to victories at Sebring, Le Mans, Indianapolis and Watkins Glen, as well as coming less than six seconds away from overall honors at the Rolex 24, Starworks Motorsport enjoyed an incredible 2012 season. The level of success reached by the Peter Baron-led team, in both America and aboard, may very well never be achieved again by a single team in a single season, making this story even more remarkable.
5. Lola’s Financial Crisis — Battling financial crisis, Lola Cars International went into administration (U.K. equivalent of bankruptcy) in May, causing much uncertainty over the future of the famed British constructor and customer support for its various prototypes racing worldwide. By October, Administrators were unable to find a suitable buyer and laid off the remaining workers, although efforts continue behind the scenes for a group to acquire the company’s assets and intellectual property in order to provide continued support.
2. Peugeot’s Shock Withdrawal — Jan. 18, 2012 will live in infamy for being the day Peugeot abruptly pulled the plug on its factory LMP1 program that was to compete in the new FIA World Endurance Championship. While having faced financial issues, there was little warning on the shock move by the French automaker, which put a serious dent in first-year WEC, and effectively accelerated Toyota’s factory effort in order to save the series.
3. DeltaWing Debuts — After months of anticipation and buildup, the revolutionary Nissan DeltaWing made its debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, running as an unclassified entry. While having crashed out early in the race after contact with a Toyota, the Highcroft Racing-entered car returned to action at the Petit Le Mans, recording an impressive fifth place overall finish in its North American race debut. It was announced the car will be eligible to run classified inside a a yet-to-be-determined existing ALMS category for 2013.
4. Starworks‘ Dream Season — From winning the FIA World Endurance Championship, GRAND-AM North American Endurance Championship, to victories at Sebring, Le Mans, Indianapolis and Watkins Glen, as well as coming less than six seconds away from overall honors at the Rolex 24, Starworks Motorsport enjoyed an incredible 2012 season. The level of success reached by the Peter Baron-led team, in both America and aboard, may very well never be achieved again by a single team in a single season, making this story even more remarkable.
5. Lola’s Financial Crisis — Battling financial crisis, Lola Cars International went into administration (U.K. equivalent of bankruptcy) in May, causing much uncertainty over the future of the famed British constructor and customer support for its various prototypes racing worldwide. By October, Administrators were unable to find a suitable buyer and laid off the remaining workers, although efforts continue behind the scenes for a group to acquire the company’s assets and intellectual property in order to provide continued support.
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