2009 American Le Mans Series Thread

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Vancover, Mont-Tremblant, or Montreal would be great to see the ALMS series at.
 
I personally would like to see the ALMS race at Circuit de Gilles Villeneuve. Recently the paper in the town next mentioned they are thinking of doing street race in High Point. It would be called the furnitureland classic and they hope draw either ALMS or the Rolex boys. I personally hope they bring ALMS. I having race in my neck of the woods would be great.
 
North Carolina... what kind of racing do most North Carolinians like more than anything? NASCAR. It's going to be tough to woo High Point with either ALMS or Rolex. But more than likely, the NASCAR-owned (or France owned) Rolex series would work. A lot more convincing will need to be done to get the ALMS reason to get people excited about sportscar racing in North Carolina. There was even a plan in 2001 to race on the Charlotte Motor Speedway's infield road course. But I think thanks to September 11th or something, it wasn't raced there.


Any more Canadian venues of interest? Do you want to preview Detroit? Any more responses on the prospect of a street course at High Point? All I know about High Point is that there was a planned road course to be made in that area. And I also know it as the home of non-football school, High Point University.
 
I'm thinking Werner and Luhr will continue dominating now that its a street circuit(they seem to love those for some reason).
 
JohnBM01
North Carolina... what kind of racing do most North Carolinians like more than anything? NASCAR. It's going to be tough to woo High Point with either ALMS or Rolex. But more than likely, the NASCAR-owned (or France owned) Rolex series would work. A lot more convincing will need to be done to get the ALMS reason to get people excited about sportscar racing in North Carolina. There was even a plan in 2001 to race on the Charlotte Motor Speedway's infield road course. But I think thanks to September 11th or something, it wasn't raced there.


Any more Canadian venues of interest? Do you want to preview Detroit? Any more responses on the prospect of a street course at High Point? All I know about High Point is that there was a planned road course to be made in that area. And I also know it as the home of non-football school, High Point University.
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Yeah I know that most folks around here LUV NASCAR but I think they could draw I nice crowd here.The man in charge used to be a sportcars racer and he designs race tracks now. He was quoted as saying the High Point is ideal for a street race, nice wide streets and nice elevation changes. I mean NOPI does pretty well when it comes in town. I predict another AUdi win (p1 & overall) and one of the Acura teams in P2
 
Ryan Briscoe to join Long this weekend

CORSA, ZYTEK BRINGING HYBRID PROTOTYPE TO GRID

And now comes the most exciting one ever:

ACURA ANNOUNCES MOVE TO LMP1 FOR 2009

americanlemans.com
Fulfilling plans set two years ago when it entered the American Le Mans Series, Acura Motorsports announced that it will move to LMP1 in the 2009 American Le Mans Series. De Ferran Motorsports and Patrón Highcroft Racing each will field prototypes in the Series' highest classification starting with the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in March.
The two teams will each field an Acura ARX-02a prototype sports cars, developed by Honda Performance Development (HPD), in the most advanced and technically challenging class of the American Le Mans Series.
In addition, Lowe's Fernandez Racing will continue to campaign an Acura in LMP2 for 2009
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This unfortunately may mean that Andretti Green Racing will not be returning to ALMS in 09 and with the inconsistantcy they've had(Change or drivers and bad finishes), it most likely gonna happen.
 
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Yeah, but could this be an effort to maybe combine P1 and P2 as a new class? I know the Audis aren't coming back. I don't think the prototype classes have enough stability to sustain great racing in a competitive environment. Then again, you can say the same for the GT1 and GT2 classes.

A Corvette win at Belle Isle will certainly make GM happy across the water in downtown Detroit. I'd like to see Risi Competizione win in Detroit to show that they've gotten everything together now. Why not make a message heading into Petit Le Mans and the Laguna Seca finale? I probably won't see it because I'll have to go out with my parents around town. Detroit's going to get all the racing it can handle on the streets of Belle Isle.
 
JohnBM01
Yeah, but could this be an effort to maybe combine P1 and P2 as a new class?.
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Where did you get that idea? There hasn't been anything on combining the two classes, just that Acura now is fulfilling its goals.
 
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I have to give Acura credit they have been coming on pretty strong lately. Feel bad for the Audi team having to forfeit their class win.
 
Looks like Acura finished 1-2-3. Heading into the P1, they may well be the favorites to win in P1 for next year. I didn't see any of the other winners since the emphasis is usually on who wins outright. I think Corvette did that company across the water (GM) proud with a win in GT1. Pretty sad that a Porsche prototype would spin out a Porsche GT2 car. Not very much justice for the Stuttgart boys.

So up next is the final major endurance of the year- Petit Le Mans. This should be fun.
 
JohnBM01
So up next is the final major endurance of the year- Petit Le Mans. This should be fun.
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I still need to order my ticket. The hotel has been booked since November of last year, though.
 
Next year P1 in the ALMS will be great, Audi has a new R15 P1, Acura are moving to P1, Corsa will run two factory Zytek Hybrid P1's, and a number of P1 deals in the works.

P2 will revert to a customer class, while Corvette and BMW will enter GT2.
 
JAGUAR1977
Next year P1 in the ALMS will be great, Audi has a new R15 P1, Acura are moving to P1, Corsa will run two factory Zytek Hybrid P1's, and a number of P1 deals in the works.

P2 will revert to a customer class, while Corvette and BMW will enter GT2.
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So, then GT1 will be dead? Or is the GT2 Corvette going to be run by a different team than Chevrolet?
 
JAGUAR1977
Next year P1 in the ALMS will be great, Audi has a new R15 P1, Acura are moving to P1, Corsa will run two factory Zytek Hybrid P1's, and a number of P1 deals in the works.

P2 will revert to a customer class, while Corvette and BMW will enter GT2.
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According to this months issue of Racer those Zytek hybrids can run the same time on Nurburgring in electric, hybrid, or full gas modes.

Now, I know rule changes regarding the Diesel fuel capacity were made to kind of even up the different engine types, but how on Earth do you regulate that when they can snag an extra lap (or four on normal tracks) despite fuel capacity?

Reventón;3145164
So, then GT1 will be dead? Or is the GT2 Corvette going to be run by a different team than Chevrolet?
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In the same racer article this month there is talk of combining GT into one class, but how that could work without running off the privateer teams. Of course, the only GT1 team right now is Corvette and their factory support is up in the air until GM addresses their race support in their budget, which they have said they are going to re-evaluate. I doubt they will cut NASCAR, so ALMS may be the one to get cut if any do.
 
FoolKiller
According to this months issue of Racer those Zytek hybrids can run the same time on Nurburgring in electric, hybrid, or full gas modes.

Now, I know rule changes regarding the Diesel fuel capacity were made to kind of even up the different engine types, but how on Earth do you regulate that when they can snag an extra lap (or four on normal tracks) despite fuel capacity?


In the same racer article this month there is talk of combining GT into one class, but how that could work without running off the privateer teams. Of course, the only GT1 team right now is Corvette and their factory support is up in the air until GM addresses their race support in their budget, which they have said they are going to re-evaluate. I doubt they will cut NASCAR, so ALMS may be the one to get cut if any do.
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I don't know about you guys, but during the Road America race, it was mention that they were running 2009 Le mans spec Aero on the cars. That may suggest that they will still be there, if not the series possibly Le Mans.
 
RACECAR
I don't know about you guys, but during the Road America race, it was mention that they were running 2009 Le mans spec Aero on the cars. That may suggest that they will still be there, if not the series possibly Le Mans.
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Well, they never said Corvette Racing would go under, just that they would lose factory support. How the team itself would decide to go forward without factory support is still undecided.

The point is more that if there was no factory support then they wouldn't risk running off privateers.
 
I wouldn't think GT1 would be dead if Corvette Racing pulled out, it would just mean a heap of privateers would jump in.
 
For any of you who missed the race, it airs at 11:00 AM today in its entirety.
 
Reventón;3145164
So, then GT1 will be dead? Or is the GT2 Corvette going to be run by a different team than Chevrolet?
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P&M have a budget for 2009 and will run the factory GT2 car after Le Mans, Aston Martin have already finished with GT1.

Ratel of FIA GT wants to keep GT2, and create a new GT1 class.

The manufacturer's in Le Mans GT racing want to retain a single GT2 class.
 
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FoolKiller
According to this months issue of Racer those Zytek hybrids can run the same time on Nurburgring in electric, hybrid, or full gas modes.
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The Zytek uses a KERS system that adds 40bhp.

10 seconds of braking gives 8 seconds of acceleration.

The V8 officially produces 625bhp (more likely 650bhp), then add 40bhp from KERS.
 
JAGUAR1977
P&M have a budget for 2009 and will run the factory GT2 car after Le Mans, Aston Martin have already finished with GT1.

Ratel of FIA GT wants to keep GT2, and create a new GT1 class.

The manufacturer's in Le Mans GT racing want to retain a single GT2 class.
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The ACO have said that they want to keep the four class system, hence the LMP EVO proposition, but everything is pretty much speculation now. We will get a closer hint by the 15th of september, and a final ruleset in november.

Ratel (SRO) doesn´t actually have anything to do with the rulemaking, since that is done by the FIA, ACO and WMSC in cooperation with the manufacturers.
ACO has proposed that the current GT3 cars become GT2, and that they also can become GT1 with a few aero-tweaks and some additional power.
 
LMP EVO is LMP1, it won't be a different class.

Ratel doesn't make the rules, but he and the FIA are the driving forces behind GT, with the ACO running the prototype side.

GT2 will remain almost unchanged, but Ratel is pushing for a new GT1 class, possibly based on GT3.

He wants half of the GT3 manufacturer's to join GT1, with wider cars and lots of radical aero to differentiate them.

That was reported today in an Endurance Info interview.
 
JAGUAR1977
LMP EVO is LMP1, it won't be a different class.

Ratel doesn't make the rules, but he and the FIA are the driving forces behind GT, with the ACO running the prototype side.

GT2 will remain almost unchanged, but Ratel is pushing for a new GT1 class, possibly based on GT3.

He wants half of the GT3 manufacturer's to join GT1, with wider cars and lots of radical aero to differentiate them.

That was reported today in an Endurance Info interview.
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LMP1 and LMP EVO were intended to be different, with EVO being more of what GT1 was in 1998, ie basically prototypes wich resembles roadcars, but I have no idea if the EVO rules are still alive.
The ACO are the organizers of Le Mans, and being so, they have a major say-so about the GT classes aswell, and currently both GT classes run under ACO rules, which ofcourse have been developed in cooperation with the FIA.
SRO - wich is the racepromotor of FIA GT - have basically nothing to do with the rulemaking. All Ratel can do is wish for things to go his way, but in the end, if the ACO wants four classes at Le Mans, it will be so.

I have read Ratels proposals, and I actually think they are pretty good and well founded.
Looking at the current speed of the GT3 cars, they are only a few seconds short of GT2, and with simply factory rubber and pro drivers, they would be on par with GT2. Give them rights to use a carbon roof, polycarbonate windows, 50-80 more bhp, better aero and hey presto! - GT1 cars that are probably right on with the current GT1 cars!

You don´t happen to have a link to that interview, do you?
 
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I can't do a link right now, but search for Endurance Info on google, it's a French site.

The FIA basically allow Ratel to run the GT side, but any of his proposals still have to be passed by the FIA, the ACO will also be consulted. The ACO can go their own way, but a few years back they came to an agreement with the FIA to use their GT rules, with the ACO taking care of the prototype side.

LMP1 EVO was going to be a variation of LMP1, with both competing side by side. EVO proposals such as GT1 engines are now allowed in LMP1, some seem to believe LMP1 will 'evolve' into LMP1 EVO over time, others still believe LMP1 EVO will be a totally different class, albeit both competing for overall wins.

Manufacturer's like Acura and Audi have been designing new LMP1's for sometime, so I would think the rules will not change greatly, slow evolution, along the lines of the GT1 engine change. Acura afterall held back their LMP1 program until they knew future rules were stable.
 
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JAGUAR1977
P&M have a budget for 2009 and will run the factory GT2 car after Le Mans, Aston Martin have already finished with GT1.

Ratel of FIA GT wants to keep GT2, and create a new GT1 class.

The manufacturer's in Le Mans GT racing want to retain a single GT2 class.
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I'm more or less referring to ALMS, alone. Every other racing series seems to have a pretty good GT1 class when I keep track.
 

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