ALMS - Grand Am 'merger'

[Grand_Fromage]

An American perspective on the ALMS - Grand Am mash-up series.

http://www.autoextremist.com/fumes1/

It would be a pity (to my mind anyway) if the Grand-ALMS does turn into just-another-tedious-GT-series as so many American voices seem to want. Panoz and the ALMS brought Le Mans to America, but now it seems that America can no longer afford it. If that is really the case then mothball the whole ALMS idea until it can be done properly again. Please don't do the watered-down cheapskate DTP version, or just pretend that prototypes don't exist and go the GT route. "Yeh, we're going to have a Le Mans series... but just the GT class", is like Saying we're going to have an F1 race but only allow GP2 cars.

[Boorish Grobian]

Agree, would hate to see it turn into a GT only series.  Like I've said, my plan would be a purpose built for racing silhouette class, and a seperate GT class.  I'm convinced it would work, but what do I know, just an enthusiast on the outside looking in.  And when I refer to silhouette, I don't men DTM, or something along those lines.  From my understanding DTM regs are pretty restrictive, I'd like to see something a little wilder.  I refer to a later day Group 5 as something I would to see.
But I agree with his assessment that they need to ditch the current prototypes, both LMP1&2, and DP.  There's just no interest there.
Fax

[Brad Zarse]

I don't understand your downer on LMP1?  Two mega manufacturer trading massive blows currently, with a third due to enter the fray shortly..... if all three teams enter 2-3 cars, you're into the realms of the 80's glory days.....

[Boorish Grobian]

Don't get me wrong, I love prototypes, especially spyders, nothing makes me more warm & fuzzy than the thought of a Ferrari 312PB, Matra 670, Alpine Reanault A442, or Porsche 936.  I'm basing my opinion on what I think will work in the North American market, not what I find sexy.  This market has lost its appetite for pure protos.  The manufactures haven't helped the ALMS prototype cause with their policy of showing up for one or two races a year, snatching up the hardware, and then blowing off the rest of the schedule.
Fax

[Nordic]

Share your love for gp5 type racers. Nothing finer than a 935 or M1, but in reality that was all there ever was, nothing could touch a 935 over a long-distance race.

I really can't see any manufacture putting money into yet another type of racer. I think the only way it would work would be to have a common set of regs with an existing series. Your right the dtm is a shadow of its former self, the japanese gt would be a better fit I think. The thought of an international series for them would I think tempt Porsche and others.

[Boorish Grobian]

Yep Nordic, give me a 935, or a fire breathing 320, enormously spectacular cars, and there's much of my point.  I get the technology of prototypes, and appreciate how mind blowingly quick they are, but I'm not at all representative of the average, Joe Blow, US racing fan.  Your typical casual racing fan here wants to see something really spectacular, and honestly the current protoypes, especially the oil burners are uninspiring to watch.  My wife is probably more typical of the average casual fan, and she finds them boring as hell, as she's says "when racing cars go past, you should feel the noise in your beer, and the concusion in your chest, they should look fast as well as being fast".  Its why discplines like NASCAR and NHRA meets are so popular, they're something that you walk away from thinking "Christ! that was something else!"
One other thing that may be most important of all, that the new series needs to do?  Finally break the common perception that sporstcar racing is just for the spoiled, entitled, moneyed, few.  Many racing fans here love to refer to the sportscar scene as "the Wine & Cheese crowd".  And its not a compliment!  And it isn't helped by a often condescending attitude by the teams and fans alike toward other disciplines of the sport.  Sportscar fans should try to embrace fans of other types of racing, and turn them into converts, instead of alienating them with pompous attitudes.
Fax

[Grand_Fromage]

I agree about the 'stealth' diesels. They just don't have the same appeal as they should. I remember photographing the Audi's the first time out at Sebring, and they were so much harder to shoot in some locations because you couldn't hear them coming! They also caught out the TV guys in the pitlane for the same reason.

If only race cars all had to look and sound like this...

[Nordic]

http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/gt-dtm-super-gt-join-forces/

Wonder what would happen if the new USA series adopted these regs?

With Audi, bmw,  merc,  plus all the Japanese already making cars and the USA a big market for all of them it would be a shortcut to a large grid of cars that the punter can relate too.

[Boorish Grobian]

I think your onto something here Nordic, could very well be the dircetion to go in.  Simply adopt the same regs, and presto!  Full field of cars.
Fax

[geoffd]

I think your onto something here Nordic, could very well be the dircetion to go in.  Simply adopt the same regs, and presto!  Full field of cars.
Fax

hhhmmm...  Half of which are saloon cars, not my idea of GT/Endurance racing, but each to his/her own I guess.

[Grand_Fromage]

Quite so!

The Bimmers looked terribly out of place at Le Mans. I'd draw the line right there. Otherwise we will end up with the de facto Autotrader definition of 'sports car' :-).

Le Mans 'feeder' series need comply with ACO regs, that is a no-brainer. If you mess around with regs you distance your series from the 'gold standard' event in June. If Le Mans is now irrelevant to racing in the USA then so be it, but I think that might ultimately end the long heritage of Americans in La Sarthe, which would be a great pity, and would de-value Le Mans too.

I think your onto something here Nordic, could very well be the dircetion to go in.  Simply adopt the same regs, and presto!  Full field of cars.
Fax

hhhmmm...  Half of which are saloon cars, not my idea of GT/Endurance racing, but each to his/her own I guess.

[Kristof]

DTM cars will easily outpace the DP's, so I don't think they'll allow those in.   The current GT's are nearly slower than the DP's.
I agree with GF, the 'feeder' series should comply with the ACO rules.   

[Boorish Grobian]

I think it's safe to say that you can forget idea of this new series being a "feeder" for anything.  You know how NASCAR thinks, the idea of a series of theirs, being a feeder for a another sanctioning body, is ridiculous as far as they're concerned.
My gut feeling is they could care less about the "Big Race" in June.
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[Grand_Fromage]

Some wisdom from JB...

http://www.doubledeclutch.com/?p=5028

Well worth the click.

[Nordic]

Very insightful piece. Also proves that every era has its problems.

At a time when there were site many teams wanting to race, so many cars available and a buoyant financial situation the world of sport car racing still throws it all away.

With regard the dtm/japaness tie up, agreed the European cars are designed to look like touring cars, don't forget they are pretty much just bodyshells.

The realty is that the reborn us series will want its own Id so will most likely be different from anything else and purely a USA series with only the production based gt's having a common background.