Should the American Le Mans Series Be Cancelled?
Should the American Le Mans Series Be Cancelled?
The American LeMans Series CANCELLED? –It’s really for the good of the sport. The... Read More
- N/ALEADERBOARD RANK
- 1ARTICLES CONTRIBUTED
- 0COMMENTS POSTED
Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid at Petit Le Mans, Road Atlanta, October 2010
Also See
-
2012 Chrysler 300 SRT8 Priced From $47,995
-
Clint Eastwood Stars In Chrysler’s 'Halftime'...
-
2010-11 Jaguar XJ Recalled Due To Faulty...
See more video »
The American LeMans Series CANCELLED? –It’s really for the good of the sport.
The American LeMans Series finale for 2010 is a reminder to me why this series should be scrapped and not allowed to continue in its present form.Sure, this year’s Petit Le Mans drew the same Audi and Peugeot prototypes that slugged it out back in June at 24 Hour race itself. Since PLM is now part of the new Intercontinental Le Mans Cup the factory prototypes were in attendance. Sebring will join its sister track and become one of the seven ILMC events scheduled for 2011. The famed Florida twelve hour enduro, which would probably draw fifty thousand intoxicated party goers just to watch a pedal car contest, will be treated to these two juggernaut manufacturer teams as well as all of the other international LMP1 squads who are planning to compete in next seasons newly minted world sports car circuit.
It all sounds pretty darn good, don’t it? So why would I send the current ALMS to the garbage and most of the management packing?
Well, aside from Sebring and PLM - the ALMS makes Le Mans sports car racing look badly. It is a joke to many Europeans- and rightly so. There are currently more LMP1 cars on display in the Audi museum than one might find at the typical ALMS event. The few prototype sports cars that are currently there usually just get in the way of what should be the focus for the series- the relatively well subscribed Grand Touring class.
Big bore drivers in small bore cars.
The ALMS prototype car count has gotten so bad that (aside from the big Sebring and Petit races) the rules have been adjusted to allow the lower horsepower LMP2 cars compete with the LMP1’s so that they can have more than three prototype cars running for the overall win. To help fill the field the Braselton brain trust introduced even lower horsepower LeMans Prototype Challenge spec racers (with mostly amateur drivers on board) that have been allowed to take to the track as well. The purists and most diehard ALMS supporters have greeted the new Challenge class with disdain. Many sports car racing fans wonder what is to become of the series they love.
The last decade of North American sports car racing malaise was brought to you by the Volkswagen-Audi Group.
Who says that a Le Mans series has to have prototypes? Despite the fact that I personally have liked the sleek LMPs more than any other kind race car, there aren’t enough of them to have a North American racing series. Heck, there never were enough LMP1 cars in the ALMS. It was always just an exhibition of what big bunches of corporate dollars can produce. Every time I saw Audi proclaiming their superiority in the ALMS it reminded me more than a little of Poland in September of 1939.
To their credit, the R18’s were underdogs at LeMans this year. Against the odds they managed prevail and brought home a podium sweep. Audi beat Peugeot with reliability and can crow about it all they like. I hope we see more sports car racing battles like that in the future, but the ALMS victories and multiple titles mean nothing in my opinion. In fact, talking about them is like bragging about beating the crap out of some girl. OK, maybe she was a really good softball player back in high school, but it’s not something that you should be proud of.
How about ALMS for the “poor”?
Instead of hoping that Audi comes back to running a full time mega D Mark effort in the ALMS, maybe people should focus on the one strength the series has going for it: GT cars
Connect with Facebook
Related Articles
-
German Government Ousts Nurburgring Operator
-
Toyota's 2012 Le Mans Hybrid Race Car Breaks Cover
-
Lee Iacocca's Ferrari F40 Is Auction-Bound
-
New Details Emerge On The Porsche 918 Spyder Hybrid Supercar
-
Inside Hollywood's Range Rover Obsession
-
Follow Us
On Facebook
2013 Ford Shelby GT500: First Drive 
2013 BMW 4-Series Coupe Spy Shots 
Next-Gen Mazda MX-5 To Spawn New Alfa Romeo Spider: Official 
2014 BMW X5 Spy Shots 
Have an opinion?Join the conversation!
By Brett Harrington Posted: 10/29/2010 9:34am PDT
Audi ran R15', unless you are coming back from the future.
By John Wilcox Posted: 11/1/2010 8:10am PDT
By George Neill Posted: 12/27/2010 7:03am PST
As one of the readers above pointed out, it might be worthwhile as part of your investigative responsibility as a journalist (which I highly doubt you have credentials to be) to get your facts straight *before* writing an editorial. The car that won Le Mans was indeed an R15, not an R18, which is the closed top coupe that will be race this year. And as far as making sportscar racing look "badly"... I think the ALMS has done more to further technology and innovation in motorsports than we have seen since the introduction of seat belts and disc brakes since the 1940s, 50s and 60s. As any fan has come to appreciate by now, sportscar racing in the U.S. has an ebb and flow to it that changes it's face constantly. What we are seeing now is not unlike the IMSA days of the 1970s before the Group C/GTP cars came along where GT cars are being embraced, as they are more relevant from a manufacturer standpoint, cheaper and give more "bang for the buck."
Additionally, I might ask, have you seen the finishes over the past 3 ALMS seasons? Bergmeister and Melo at Sebring? Bergmeister and Magnussen at Laguna Seca? Pagenaud and Fernandez at Long Beach? Surely the Series gets some credit for the great action it puts on the track.
By George Neill Posted: 12/27/2010 7:03am PST
My point is thus: In a time when economies are hurting everywhere and businesses and manufacturers are struggling to get by without losing their identities, why should the American Le Mans Series be held to a different standard? Their goals are unique, based on their relationship with their fans, sponsors and teams, just as Grand-Am is driven by it's own. A political debate it is not. A source for racing other than go fast and turn left - it is.
By Kurt Maxwell Posted: 12/29/2010 3:37am PST
Yes,I am obviously guilty of having typed "R18" when I meant to say "R15". Worse yet,I caught the mistake while proof reading this piece and yet somehow failed to correct it before sending it off.
That said,there is is a silver lining to every black cloud. In this case it is your interesting response to what I wrote. But for my mistake you might not have had the impetus you needed to write what you did. You are clearly one of the last die hard ALMS fans -and at this point it takes courage to defend that series.
Though the beginning of your reply was rather pedantic,it did provide you with an opportunity to attempt to discredit the writer and what had been written about "your" series. Stating opinions(i.e. "I think the ALMS has done more to further technology")instead of admitting to the quantifiable facts (i.e. low LMP count-almost from the start.) was very Atherton like and is probably worthy of a ticket for your wife to the "Green Park" at Sebring.
Although I never said anything about Grand Am in my article, your follow up post was proof that you are a true believer in the ALMS. The parting shot about "A source for racing other than go fast and turn left-it is." was powerful, even if it was a bit of out of context.
All in all it was a "World Class" defense of the American Le Mans Series and about what I have come to expect from people of your ilk.
-KJM
By Kurt Maxwell Posted: 12/29/2010 3:49am PST
The whole "Green" thing IS political,IMO. It has no place in motor sports. I didn't bring them in to begin with, I am simply responding to what I find offensive. It would be the same if it was from the "other side" as I am a libertarian.
The "style over substance",lack of results, questionable statements and lack of credibility from both men are just too similar for me to ignore.
-KJM
By Kurt Maxwell Posted: 12/29/2010 4:11am PST
Ferrari and Lamborghini are super cars,right? Get rid of the few prototypes ruining the show,(except the classics: Sebring and PLM) replace those cars with another Gallardo,a couple more 458's and a few GT-E McLaren MP4-...whatever they are.(Wait,I don't want to be hammered and discredited by Pedantics R Us again...uh is it -12C? Anyway,it's the car they will race in GT3 before possibly selling them in GT-E form.) -and it will be what I have called for since meeting with the previous head of the ALMS some twelve (12? really?)years ago down in Indy.
-KJM
By Nick Ergle Posted: 2/21/2011 2:23pm PST
By Kurt Maxwell Posted: 3/6/2011 4:19pm PST
The fact that the mainstream media ignores the series says it all. Despite your anecdote concerning your PC background most people don't care about the ALMS.
My point is that if the embarrassing handful of LMP cars were eliminated and GT cars were the focus there might be more interest.
It's all moot now. By next year, aside from the Intercontinental Sebring and PLM events,it should be all over given the way things are going.
Have an opinion?Join the conversation!