2008 American LeMans Series...........

Discuss all the other types of Motorsport

Moderator: Ed

mlittle
Forum Hall of Fame
Forum Hall of Fame
Posts: 11205
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2005 12:51 pm
Location: At the F1 Idiots Bar.............where else?
Contact:

2008 American LeMans Series...........

Post by mlittle » Sat Oct 20, 2007 10:52 am

ALMS officials today at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca unveiled their 2008 schedule......................

Rd. 1} 15 March 2008--Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring/Sebring International Raceway, Sebring, Fla.(Speed Channel)
Rd. 2} 5 April 2008--Acura Sports Car Challenge, St. Petersburg, Fla. Street Circuit(ABC Sports)
Rd. 3} 19 April 2008--Grand Prix of Long Beach, Long Beach, Ca. Street Circuit(ABC Sports)
Rd. 4} 26 April 2008--Lone Star Grand Prix presented by MSR-Houston, Houston, Tx. Street Circuit(ABC Sports)
Rd. 5} 18 May 2008--Larry H. Miller Grand Prix of Utah, Miller Motorsports Park, Tooele, Utah(Speed Channel)
[======traditional break between mid-May to early July for the 24 Hours of LeMans======]
Rd. 6} 12 July 2008--New England Sports Car Challenge, Lime Rock Park, Lime Rock, Ct.(Speed Channel)
Rd. 7} 19 July 2008--Acura Sports Car Challenge, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Columbus, Ohio(NBC Sports)
Rd. 8} 9 August 2008--Generac 500 @ Road America, Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wisc.(Speed Channel)
Rd. 9} 24 August 2008--Grand Prix of Mosport, Mosport International Speedway, Bowmanville, Ontario(Speed Channel)
Rd. 10} 30 August 2008--Belle Isle Grand Prix presented by Bosch, Belle Isle, Mich. Street Circuit(Speed Channel)
Rd. 11} 5 October 2008--Petit Le Mans, Road Atlanta, Hampton, Ga.(Speed Channel)
Rd. 12} 18 October 2008--Monterey Sports Car Championship, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, Ca.(Speed Channel)
The Sci-Fi Station Come by and visit when you get the chance. :)
The Wayward Tarheel I'm even in the blogosphere.... :shock:

mlittle
Forum Hall of Fame
Forum Hall of Fame
Posts: 11205
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2005 12:51 pm
Location: At the F1 Idiots Bar.............where else?
Contact:

Tafel Racing joins the Ferrari gang for 2008........

Post by mlittle » Fri Dec 07, 2007 4:43 am

After campaigning in Porsche 911 GT3-RSR's for the past few years in GT2, Tafel Racing announced earlier this week that they will be switching to the Ferrari 430GT for the 2008 American LeMans Series season, joining GT2 team champions Rizi Competizione and Petersen/White Lightning Racing in flying the Scuderia colors..
The Sci-Fi Station Come by and visit when you get the chance. :)
The Wayward Tarheel I'm even in the blogosphere.... :shock:

mlittle
Forum Hall of Fame
Forum Hall of Fame
Posts: 11205
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2005 12:51 pm
Location: At the F1 Idiots Bar.............where else?
Contact:

Aston-Martin returns to the ALMS in GT2............

Post by mlittle » Sun Jan 13, 2008 9:55 am

While the prototype and GT1 ranks remain as they were, the GT2 ranks will see a familiar color and entry as Aston Martin returns to North American sports-car racing with an Aston Martin customer(....read, privateer!) entry in the form of Drayson-Barwell Racing. The team will compete with Aston Martin's newest racecar, the Aston Martin Vantage GT2, which will make its' debut in the American LeMans Series at Long Beach; the team will use for Sebring and St. Petersburg Aston Martin's DBSR9, currently being used in the FIA GT and British GT championships. According to all reports, the car will run in the familiar British Racing green and will use an E85 ethanol/gas fuel mix.
The Sci-Fi Station Come by and visit when you get the chance. :)
The Wayward Tarheel I'm even in the blogosphere.... :shock:

mlittle
Forum Hall of Fame
Forum Hall of Fame
Posts: 11205
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2005 12:51 pm
Location: At the F1 Idiots Bar.............where else?
Contact:

ALMS announces "Green Racing" initiatives......

Post by mlittle » Wed Jan 16, 2008 7:38 am

Reaffirming its' preminent place as a motorsports leader in green technologies, the American LeMans Series announced earlier today in Detroit during the 2008 North American International Auto Show(NAIAS) that it is parterning with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency(EPA), the U.S. Deptartment of Energy(DOE), SAE International and other industry leaders to incorporate "green racing" principles in its' 2008 season. Along with the historic partnerships with the above groups, the ALMS announced the creation of a "Green Racing Challenge" in an effort to encourage its' manufacturers to produce green automotive technologies that can be taken from the pit straight to Main Street. Quotes from this historic announcement.........................

Scott Atherton, President--American LeMans Series:
The auto manufacturers competing in the American Le Mans Series have made it very clear that this is a direction and an overall intitiative that is important to them. The opportunity to formally align with the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Energy, SAE (and others) makes this very special and unique--to (both) auto manufacturers and, ultimately, consumers. At a time when nearly all of (professional) motorsports has lost its' relevance regarding progressive technologies or any connection from the race track to the showroom floor, the American Le Mans Series stands alone in providing a platform of solutions for our nation's automotive, transportation and energy needs.
Margo T. Oge, Director, Office of Transportation/Air Quality(EPA):
Like never before, America is confronting a nexus of concerns relating to climate change and energy security--among the greatest challenges in America's history. There's no reason the motorsports community shouldn't be a part of this effort. My office, which is concerned with pollution from mobile sources, is all about putting clean, efficient technologies on the 'fast track', which is what this initiative is all about.
Ed Wall, Project Manager--Vehicle Technolgies Office(DOE):
The American Le Mans Series initiative represents a tremendous opportunity to demonstrate and educate consumers about alternative fuels and innovative, efficient automotive technologies in an interesting and dynamic way that captures the public's attention. These subject are driven home and made real and pertinent when customers see some of the fastest racing cars in the world running on E85 or clean-burning diesel. The fact that manufacturers are actively competing with these alternative fuels makes DOE's association with the ALMS a natural fit.
David L. Amati, Ph.D, Director, SAE International:
Partnering with the American Le Mans Series will further allow SAE International to challenge the future of global mobility engineering and the way we all use energy. We look forward to working with the Series to create protocols for the "Green Racing Challenge" that will encourage the development of alternative-fuel technologies and other related innovations by automobile manufacturers--and we're pleased to know that many of them are already competing in the American Le Mans Series.
As part of this historic partnership between the ALMS and the above, the following elements will be considered for the "Green Racing Challenge":
--the use of renewable bio-based fuels
--the use of multiple engines, fuels and drivetrain combinations
--the use of regenerative energy powertrain trechnologies
--the use of well-to-wheel energy analysis and GHG analysis
--the use of emission control strategies and systems

In addition, there will be three different fuels in use during the 2008 ALMS season.....(1)clean-burning, very low sulfur diesel, (2)E10 racing fuel[10 pct. ethanol, 90 pct. gasoline] and (3)E85 racing fuel[85 pct. ethanol, 15 pct. gasoline]
The Sci-Fi Station Come by and visit when you get the chance. :)
The Wayward Tarheel I'm even in the blogosphere.... :shock:

mlittle
Forum Hall of Fame
Forum Hall of Fame
Posts: 11205
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2005 12:51 pm
Location: At the F1 Idiots Bar.............where else?
Contact:

Dyson Racing signs Franchitti form 2008 season..............

Post by mlittle » Sat Jan 19, 2008 6:44 am

After getting gassed from Andretti-Green Racing's LMP-2 effort following the 2007 ALMS season, veteran sportscar racer Marino Franchitti has landed on his feet, landing a ride with Dyson Racing for the 2008 campaign, where he'll share driving duties with another sportscar veteran in Butch Leitzinger; the team will name a third driver for the series' endurance events(Sebring, Petit LeMans and Road America) at a later date.
The Sci-Fi Station Come by and visit when you get the chance. :)
The Wayward Tarheel I'm even in the blogosphere.... :shock:

mlittle
Forum Hall of Fame
Forum Hall of Fame
Posts: 11205
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2005 12:51 pm
Location: At the F1 Idiots Bar.............where else?
Contact:

Bell Motorsports to run w/Aston Martin in GT1 for 2008......

Post by mlittle » Tue Jan 29, 2008 2:21 pm

In the modern era of sports-car racing, one of the more thrilling rivalries took place back in 2006 when Corvette Racing and Aston Martin Racing fought neck-and-neck throughout the course of that year.......although AMR isn't returning to ALMS and the GT1 category, Aston Martin is returning in the form of a privateer team as Bell Motorsports announced today that they will be competing in the GT1 class, which means Corvette Racing and their 2008-spec Chevrolet Corvette C-6R finally have competition for the 2008 season. :lol: :lol: 8) :shock: :shock: :shock:
The Sci-Fi Station Come by and visit when you get the chance. :)
The Wayward Tarheel I'm even in the blogosphere.... :shock:

mlittle
Forum Hall of Fame
Forum Hall of Fame
Posts: 11205
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2005 12:51 pm
Location: At the F1 Idiots Bar.............where else?
Contact:

Post by mlittle » Wed Jan 30, 2008 9:39 am

Test times from the first day of the 2008 ALMS "Wheels Down Winter Test" at Sebring..................

~~Audi Sport North America(McNish, Capello--Audi R10 TDI), 1:43.831
~~Peugeot Sport(Lamy, Sarrazin, Minassian--Peugeot 907 HDI), 1:43.986
~~Penske Racing(Dumas, Bernhard--Porsche RS Spyder), 1:45.155 sec
~~Penske Racing(Massen, Briscoe--Porsche RS Spyder), 1:45.214 sec
~~Highcroft Racing(D. Brabham, Sharp, Johansson--Acura ARX-01B), 1:45.638 sec
~~Risi Competizione(Melo, Salo--Ferrari 430GT), 2:01.902 sec
~~Panoz Team PTG(Auberlen, Hand, Milner, Sutherland--Panoz Esperante GTLM), 2:03.134 sec
~~Bell Motorsports(Aston Martin DBR9; drivers not listed), 2:00.148 sec
The Sci-Fi Station Come by and visit when you get the chance. :)
The Wayward Tarheel I'm even in the blogosphere.... :shock:

mlittle
Forum Hall of Fame
Forum Hall of Fame
Posts: 11205
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2005 12:51 pm
Location: At the F1 Idiots Bar.............where else?
Contact:

Acura adds a fourth team for its' LMP-2 stable.............

Post by mlittle » Wed Jan 30, 2008 4:44 pm

Former open-wheel driver Gil de Ferran is returning to the cockpit as a driver-owner, according to reports from Sebring Tuesday; the 2003 Indy 500 winner and 2-time CART series champion announced that he will be competing in the LMP-2 class in 2008, starting at Long Beach this year with the newly former de Ferran Motorsports team, which will be based in Indianapolis; former Andretti-Green Racing engineer John Anderson(who helped 2007 IndyCar Series and 2007 Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti this past year); the remainder of the driver lineup will be announced at a later date
The Sci-Fi Station Come by and visit when you get the chance. :)
The Wayward Tarheel I'm even in the blogosphere.... :shock:

mlittle
Forum Hall of Fame
Forum Hall of Fame
Posts: 11205
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2005 12:51 pm
Location: At the F1 Idiots Bar.............where else?
Contact:

Post by mlittle » Wed Jan 30, 2008 4:52 pm

Testing times from day 2 of the "Wheels Down Winter Test".....................


Peugeot Sport, 1:42.801 sec(Peugeot 907 HDI), LMP-1
Audi Sport North America, 1:43.693 sec(Audi R10 TDI), LMP-1
Andretti-Green Racing, 1:44.542 sec(Acura ARX-01B), LMP-2
Bell Motorsports, 1:58.442 sec(Aston Martin DBR9), GT-1
Risi Competizione, 2:01.288(Ferrari 430GT), GT-2
Tafel Racing, 2:02.211(Ferrari 430GT), GT-2
Panoz Team PTG, 2:02.801 sec(Panoz Esperante GTLM), GT-2
The Sci-Fi Station Come by and visit when you get the chance. :)
The Wayward Tarheel I'm even in the blogosphere.... :shock:

mlittle
Forum Hall of Fame
Forum Hall of Fame
Posts: 11205
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2005 12:51 pm
Location: At the F1 Idiots Bar.............where else?
Contact:

Celluolosic ethanol to make debut in ALMS..........

Post by mlittle » Wed Jan 30, 2008 6:47 pm

As part of the historic partnership between the American LeMans Series and several different groups(...see post from 15 Jan. 2008 within this thread), the series is partnering with KL Process Design Group out of Rapid City, S.D. on the usage of celluolosic ethanol for use in E85 ethanol/gas racing fuels, which any team(except for the Audi R10's which run on very-low-sulfur diesel) can use; currently, there are two teams which will use the new cellulosic(or bio-mass) ethanol, Corvette Racing w/its' Chevrolet Corvette C-6R in the ALMS and Aston Martin Racing w/its' Aston Martin DBR9 in the LeMans Endurance Series.
The Sci-Fi Station Come by and visit when you get the chance. :)
The Wayward Tarheel I'm even in the blogosphere.... :shock:

mlittle
Forum Hall of Fame
Forum Hall of Fame
Posts: 11205
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2005 12:51 pm
Location: At the F1 Idiots Bar.............where else?
Contact:

Post by mlittle » Sat Feb 02, 2008 3:34 am

Testing times from day three of the Wheels Down Winter Test..................

~~Peugeot Sport(Peugeot 907 HDI), 1:43.771 sec., LMP-1
~~Audi Sport NA(Audi R10 TDI), 1:44.110 sec., LMP-1
~~Penske Racing(Porsche RS Spyder), (1)1:44.610 sec. and (2)1:45.216 sec, LMP-2
~~Lowe's/Fernandez Racing(Acura ARX-01B), 1:45.818 sec, LMP-2
~~Andretti-Green Racing(Acura ARX-01B), 1:46.153 sec, LMP-2
~~Bell Motorsports(Aston Martin DBR9), 1:58.774 sec, GT-1
~~Risi Competizione(Ferrari 430GT), 2:01.493 sec, GT-2
~~Tafel Racing(Ferrari 430GT), 2:01.641 sec, GT-2
~~Panoz Team PTG(Panoz Esperante GTLM), 2:02.979 sec, GT-2
The Sci-Fi Station Come by and visit when you get the chance. :)
The Wayward Tarheel I'm even in the blogosphere.... :shock:

mlittle
Forum Hall of Fame
Forum Hall of Fame
Posts: 11205
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2005 12:51 pm
Location: At the F1 Idiots Bar.............where else?
Contact:

LG Motorsports joins the GT2 fray.............

Post by mlittle » Tue Feb 12, 2008 4:56 am

For years a staple of the Speed World Challenge touring car series in North America, Texas-based LG Motorsports is throwing its' cowboy hat into the ALMS GT2 ring, announcing over the weekend their plans to run a Chevrolet Corvette C-6R1(i.e. an upgraded C-5R) in the GT-2 class this season with engineering assistance from both Pratt & Miller and Riley Technologies. Piloting the LG Motorsports C-6R1 will be team owner/driver Lou Gigliotti and Doug Peterson; both are veterans of multiple touring car and sports car series, including the former Trans-Am Series, SCCA Speed World and Speed GT Series' and the Grand-Am Rolex Series.

Image
The Sci-Fi Station Come by and visit when you get the chance. :)
The Wayward Tarheel I'm even in the blogosphere.... :shock:

mlittle
Forum Hall of Fame
Forum Hall of Fame
Posts: 11205
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2005 12:51 pm
Location: At the F1 Idiots Bar.............where else?
Contact:

Post by mlittle » Wed Feb 27, 2008 9:48 am

2008 American LeMans Series Q & A................................

There have a bunch of questions floating around the ALMS series going into the season opener at Sebring, so I thought I'd take a moment to try and answer them......................

~~What is with the brewing firestorm between Audi Motorsport, the ALMS, IMSA and the Automobile Club L'Ouest(ACO)?
Good question............rumors continue to persist that Audi Motorsport is threatening to run only one R10 this year stateside, due to "philosophical differences" with the ACO and IMSA/ALMS over the incoming '08-'09 rules packages. Put simply, they weren't happy throughout 2007 with having to compete for overall wins with the Porsche RS Spyders' from LMP2. In an effort to alleivate those concerns, the ACO(the overall sanctioning body for LeMans-style sports car racing) put in new rules which placed added weight and engine restrictions on the LMP2 competitors in order to bring back the LMP1 superiority over their little brothers......unfortunately, the ACO allowed its' two component series, the ALMS in North America and the LeMans Series in Europe, to determine how to implement those rules. The result.....the LMS instituted all the rules for 2008, while the ALMS split implementation between 2008 and 2009, which would explain Audi's intrasigencence. My view is that Audi will compete full-time in the ALMS in 2008, but will likely do so complaining to the ALMS at every chance.

~~Are there any plans for Porsche, Acura or any other manufacturer to step up and challenge Audi in LMP-1 this year or next?
Not that I know of.........Porsche has made it clear that they intend to stay in LMP-2 for the forseeable future; Chevrolet, with its' success in GT-1, has also made it clear that they won't step up anytime soon......Acura, on the other hand, has hinted at a possible LMP-1 program as early as 2009; like Porsche, they challenged Audi for overall wins at times last year and HPD, Acura's parent company, would like to expand its' sportscar interests beyond LMP2, and with four teams under their wing, they have the resources to eventually make the jump.

~~With ChampCar's folding, will the ALMS events in Long Beach, Houston and Road America disappear?
Not a chance with regards to Long Beach and Road America; both have several viable support series races at each venue. I also believe that Houston will also be around in 2008, but I also think that the ripples from open-wheel unification will reach the various sportscar and touring car series(ALMS, Grand-Am, SpeedWorld Challenge and Speed GT, Koni Challenge, US Touring Car Championship, etc.) as those venues might need additional support events to fill out the weekend's activities.

~~What are the differences between the Chevrolet Corvette C-6R's that are going to be run in GT1 and GT2 this year?
There's a couple of differences.....................
1--the GT1 'Vette will run with a 7L LS3 small-block, while the GT2 'Vette will run a 6L LS3 detuned about 100hp lower than the GT1
2--the GT2 'Vette bodywork and wing packages will be smaller and more "production-based" than that of the GT1 'Vette
3--the GT2 'Vette will utilize steel-rotor brakes; the GT1 will continue to run w/carbon-fibre brakes

~~Why is the Maserati MC12 not allowed to run in the American LeMans Series?
First, they are allowed to run in the ALMS, albeit with a wieght restriction to equalize performance vs. the heavier-built 'Vettes' and Saleens'. Second, the restrictions on the MC12 came about because, under FIA rules, any GT1 competitor must have a 'road-capable'(read....it must be a vehicle that one can purchase from a car dealership....) version in order to be homologated into the various sportscar regimens(FIA GT, ALMS, etc.). Finally, most everyone in the ALMS and LMS paddocks' consider the MC12 as a prototype-style car and not as a GrandTouring(GT)-style car, which I agree with.....the MC12 was purpose-built for racing, whereas the Corvette C-6R, the Aston Martin DBR9 and Saleen S7R, Maserati's contemporaries, were cars based off of their 'road-capable' companions(Corvette ZO-6, Aston Martin DBR and Saleen S-7).
The Sci-Fi Station Come by and visit when you get the chance. :)
The Wayward Tarheel I'm even in the blogosphere.... :shock:

mlittle
Forum Hall of Fame
Forum Hall of Fame
Posts: 11205
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2005 12:51 pm
Location: At the F1 Idiots Bar.............where else?
Contact:

Open-wheel unification claims ALMS victim..........

Post by mlittle » Tue Mar 04, 2008 10:09 am

Following the unification of American Open-Wheel Racing in the past two weeks, experts have been predicting that there would be fallout.....and the first victim was the ALMS Grand Prix of Houston, which was to co-head a weekend of racing around the Reliant Park street circuit alongside the former ChampCar series...........officials from the GP, ALMS and city of Houston, while disappointed that the event had to be cancelled, have promised to do whatever is needed to return the event to the 2009 racing calendar.
The Sci-Fi Station Come by and visit when you get the chance. :)
The Wayward Tarheel I'm even in the blogosphere.... :shock:

mlittle
Forum Hall of Fame
Forum Hall of Fame
Posts: 11205
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2005 12:51 pm
Location: At the F1 Idiots Bar.............where else?
Contact:

12 Hours of Sebring, Fast Facts-part 1

Post by mlittle » Sun Mar 09, 2008 12:31 pm

Multiple Winners(overall) of the 12 Hours of Sebring..................
~~with 3 wins each................
Mario Andretti, Phil Hill, Olivier Gendebien, Hans Stuck and Frank Biela
~~with 2 wins each................
Al Holbert, Hurley Haywood, Phil Walters, Jacky Ickx, Juan Manuel Fangio, Hans Herrmann, Stefan Johansson, Brian Redman, Bob Akin, Geoff Brabham, Andy Wallace, Andy Evans, Juan Manuel Fangio(II), Fermin Velez, Eric van der Poele, Derek Daly, Rinaldo Capello and Tom Kristensen

Overall Constructors' Wins........................
~~Porsche, 17 wins
~~Ferrari, 12 wins
~~Audi, 5 wins
~~Nissan, 4 wins
~~Ford, 3 wins
~~BMW and Toyota, 2 wins each
~~with 1 overall win each: Jaguar, Oldsmobile*, Chaparral**, Maserati, OSCA, Frazer Nash and Cunningham***
*--Riley & Scott chassis
**--powered by Chevrolet
***--powered by Chrysler
The Sci-Fi Station Come by and visit when you get the chance. :)
The Wayward Tarheel I'm even in the blogosphere.... :shock:

Post Reply