Part IV:New Direction Needed for IMSA-ALMS
Could common rules with FIA GT3 help save the ALMS The 2011 American Le Mans Series season will (likely) widely be remembered as the one with two very successful events, Sebring and Petit Le Mans, a very questionable television/broadcast package with ABC, ESPN2 and ESPN3.com that fans and some media are very critical of and other than the ALMS serious fan, some other races. What’s this you say? Have you lost your mind? The season is only two... [Read More...]
The Ally Becomes a Rival
Part III of IV on the ALMS Off Broadway to Broadway could describe the exodus from ALMS to ILMC Rocked by a sour economy, decimated by manufacturer defections and a TV deal that has been panned by fans and the media (“It’s About the Content Not the Medium”) the American Le Mans Series is in damage control mode. Yet the biggest blow to the ALMS may end up being the one thrown by its partner, the Automobile Club de l’Ouest. The ACO are... [Read More...]
Where Do We Go Now, O’Sweet Child of Mine
Could Axel & Flash Fire Up The ALMS The original working title of Part II of this series on the ALMS was “Out Manuvered and Out in the Cold.” Following a couple of press releases, one on the 2013 Oklahoma City race (exactly what we need, another processional street race, but that’s another story) and the return of “a” P1 team at Lime Rock, I kept wondering where are they going. What better theme for the ALMS today than Axel... [Read More...]
Part 1 Season of Discontent
“The best we get is fuzzy internet and (a) highlight show at the same time as an Indy broadcast. Come on man, that’s (expletive) shit” says one ALMS Team Manager on condition of anominity. A business/media manager for a front-running GT team tells me “you can’t sale it, none of us can now, they (expletive) tied are hands”. The “can’t sell” is there’s no high-dollar sponsor value for the current ESPN3.com and ESPN2-ABC offers.... [Read More...]
Flying Lizards Going for Long Beach Hat Trick
The Flying Lizard Porsche team heads into Long Beach as one of, if the not favorite in the GT field. Drivers Joerg Bergmeister and Patrick Long have won the last two years and hope to score the hat trick this year. While Sebring is unlike any other circuit on the ALMS calendar, the Porsche teams seemed a bit off the pace. A few tweaks to the IMSA Regulations between races and the Porsche’s should be mixing it up with BMW, Ferrari and Corvette teams... [Read More...]
It’s About the Content, Not the Medium: The ALMS Gamble
Readying for Long Beach, the brain trust at ALMS are still wringing their collective hands over the negative fan backlash and media criticism of the ABC-ESPN3.com Sebring coverage. Even some of the teams are questioning the series organizer. After all, it wasn’t supposed to be like this. They, the ALMS, hyped their new ABC-ESPN Network package and world-wide, live coverage of their races via the web as groundbreaking. They were venturing into... [Read More...]
Pescarlo Team Wins Le Castellet 6 Hours
Pescarlo Team Wins Le Mans Series Opener The LMP1 Pescarlo Team of Emmanuel Collard, Christophe Tinseau and Julien Jousse win the opening round of the Le Mans Series in the Le Castellet 6 Hours at Paul Ricard. The Pescarlo-Judd started last on the grid following a technical infraction after qualifying second Saturday. It was the first race for Team Principal Henri Pescarlo’s team after being away from racing for a year. Rebellion Racing’s... [Read More...]
Rebellion Racing Lola on Pole for LMS Paul Ricard
Neel Jani put the Rebellion Racing Lola B10/60 Toyota on pole for Sunday’s 6-Hours of Le Castellet at Paul Ricard for round one of the Le Mans Series. The TDS Racing Oreca 03 Nissan took top honors in LMP2 class. GTE-Pro field did not disappoint. AF Corse’s Gimmi Bruni repeated his Sebring pole, this time in AF’s Ferrari 458. Bruni’s pole was more dramatic as the car barely made qualifying following a serious crash earlier. Four out... [Read More...]
Audi R18’s Complete Test
Two Audi R18 “Evolution 2” racers made their first public appearance following the 12 hours of Sebring. All ten Audi drivers were involved in the four day test and the R15 was used to set test benchmarks. According to Audi all three cars generated “thousands of test kilometers to generate important findings relating to vehicle setup, aerodynamics, tires, cooling, and reliability.” The R18’s were scheduled to arrive at Audi Sport in Ingolstadt,... [Read More...]
BMW Announce ILMC GTE Contenders
BMW Team Schnitzer will contest the European and China rounds of the ILMC. Drivers for the Team Schnitzer No. 55 BMW M3 GT are Augusto Farfus (BR) and Jörg Müller (DE). ALMS BMW Team RLL driver Dirk Werner (DE) will join them at Le Mans. Lead driver for the second Team Schnitzer (No. 56) BMW M3 GT will be three time world touring car champion Andy Priaulx (GB). Priaulx will be reunited with his Sebring winning teammates, Dirk Muller and Joey Hand... [Read More...]
