Grand-Am and ALMS press conference

Here's probably the most important thing said at today's press conference regarding the Grand-Am/ALMS merger:

"I have been a sports car fan my entire life."

That was said by Jim France. He started Grand-Am and will head the new group. He was joined on the podium by Dr. Panoz, Scott Atherton (president and CEO of ALMS) and Ed Bennett (president and CEO of Grand-Am). I'd call the mood very positive. The room was packed, too, with delegates from teams and several manufacturers: Mazda, Porsche, GM, etc.

Some other things said today:

Merging the two groups is the first stage in a long process. The new group's name, rules and schedule to be announced later. They expect a 12-race 2014 schedule that retains the best events currently on their cards: Daytona, Sebring, Road Atlanta, Watkins Glen, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Indy, etc. (Atherton added that 12 races works well for a TV package and also works well with most teams' logistics/budgets.)

Regarding the cars we'll see at the 2014 Rolex 24 At Daytona, we given a hint: The cars we saw on display would be back for 2014. What was there today? ALMS GT (factory Viper and Corvette), ALMS LMP2 (Dempsey Racing), Daytona Prototype (Spirit of Daytona). The group acknowledged that the ALMS GT formula is a winner and needs to be retained.

Bennett said that they don't want to obsolete any hardware. The Rolex GT cars will be part of the new program, too. Panoz added that not as much emphasis will be placed on LMP1-type cars since they hinge so much on very expensive, factory-backed efforts. Future cars like the DeltaWing will be part of the new series.

Said Dr. Panoz: From the outset, Jim France insisted that relations with LeMans continue. Panoz stressed that this is an American series, but relations will continue with France (the country, not the family). Panoz said they would like to have a schedule that allows teams to run LeMans without conflict.

During the Q&A session, someone asked a good question: What do both organizations have in common? Jim France's answer: “We both have a passion for sports car racing.”

The official release has been posted here: http://www.grand-am.com/News/GA_News/tabid/141/Article/52370/grand-am-road-racing-american-le-mans-series-announce-historic-merger.aspx?cid=6383&sid=1

Interesting footnote found in that release that's often overlooked: IMSA was founded in 1969 by John Bishop and then-NASCAR President Bill France Sr.

I just hope we don't see similar results to CART(ChampCar) and IRL merging two 20car fields and getting one 20car field...
Glad it is happening!

I am not sure what I think about this but I love the ALMS GT racing and they insist that isn't going anywhere. I'm also glad to see they cited some of the best tracks in the country and didn't say "Streets of Baltimore" or Tampa at all. Mixed classes on a street circuit is painful.

In any case - done deal so here is hoping for the best.

I REALLY hope it all works out, and that they keep Mid Ohio on the schedule.

So they would be getting rid of P1 all together? Would love to see Audi/Toyota duke it out on the banking of Daytona

While P1 cars at Daytona would be way cool, I don't think you can build a series on them. As we have seen, those programs can totally disappear in the blink of an eye. Then what do you do?

Very true. One side of me sees that Daytona 24 would be one that Audi or Toyota would like to claim. The other side of me thinks that they (meaning the ACO/FIA) will deem Daytona as "unsafe", also they will ditch the idea of P1 cars there

Well, some of the proposed 2014 changes to P2 will already bring it down in speed quite a bit- so there's some potential to get those in line with the DP cars.

GT's will be interesting. GA had already made some adjustments to add Audis and Ferraris (to the point that a NASCAR team went LeMans with a ALMS GT Ferrari). And the tube cars are slowly going away.

I'm not really liking the 5 class racing that's already in ALMS- 3 would be a lot better, but understand that LMPC and GTC are there to fill the field.

Hm.

While I may be a set of eyeballs that will watch, I'm not one who spends big $$ going to races. So I'm not sure what kind of "appeal" my opinions mean.

David S. Wallens wrote: Interesting footnote found in that release that's often overlooked: IMSA was founded in 1969 by John Bishop and then-NASCAR President Bill France Sr.

Which was an alternative to the SCCA.

My old time Alfa buddies have some very strong opinions of John Bishop. Very strong.

Has to do with the Giulia Ti Talledaga, and how that program turned out. Not sure how much was true, but it sure made big impressions....

Sorry about the highjack.

They still didn't answer how WEC will play into this with Sebring and Petit other than they want to continue to work with the ACO.

Anywho, as David said, you can't build a series around P1 because of the unpredictability. So I anxiously await what Sebring 2014 is going to be like.

Could P1 be an invitation type gig to certain races? Certainly Daytona, Sebring is probably too rough, but then maybe Petit? Even if the big factory ELMS guys only come out 1-3 of the races, it has to be worth it.

Anti-stance wrote: They still didn't answer how WEC will play into this with Sebring and Petit other than they want to continue to work with the ACO. Anywho, as David said, you can't build a series around P1 because of the unpredictability. So I anxiously await what Sebring 2014 is going to be like.

I'm wondering about Daytona! Will it be like it used to be- one event would demonstrate some endurance, Sebring would illustrate the toughness, and between the two, you had a better idea of LeMans?

hm.

(apparently, I'm fascinated by this change. no real stong opinions good or bad, just fascinated)

Keep the P1 class and whomever runs it runs it, keep LMP2, have DP replace LMPC, and have GT2 unchanged, then have rolex's GT as GTC.

And for the love of god create an endurance race at IMS.....12hr there would be entertaining with 4-5 classes

A couple of other points came out: The series would be scheduled as much as possible on "owned" tracks so that means mostly International Speedway Corporation owned tracks (Daytona, Watkins Glen, etc...) with the addition of the Panoz owned tracks of Sebring and Road Alanta (he sold Mosport). It is also important in the balance of power that Grand Am bought out ALMS.. not really a true merger.

I'm going to take a wait and see approach to this. I originally preferred ALMS, but when some of the top teams and sponsors left, I was a little less interested. Then Grand Am re-designed their DP's into what I think are now beautiful cars. I was more familiar with a lot of the drivers and teams there, so now I prefer Grand Am, but watch both. I have to admit that I like the idea of one series, but am apprehensive about what that series will end up being. I'm cautiously optimistic.

Anti-stance wrote: They still didn't answer how WEC will play into this with Sebring and Petit other than they want to continue to work with the ACO. Anywho, as David said, you can't build a series around P1 because of the unpredictability. So I anxiously await what Sebring 2014 is going to be like.

They did discuss the WEC. It sounded like it wasn't their most important issue at the time. I guess I can see that. Sure, some WEC teams might come here to visit, but how many are going to run the entire U.S. schedule?

Argo1 wrote: A couple of other points came out: The series would be scheduled as much as possible on "owned" tracks so that means mostly International Speedway Corporation owned tracks (Daytona, Watkins Glen, etc...) with the addition of the Panoz owned tracks of Sebring and Road Alanta (he sold Mosport). It is also important in the balance of power that Grand Am bought out ALMS.. not really a true merger.

They did discuss the benefits of running your own tracks, too. That has to be nice when the odds are small that you'll get bumped off a schedule.

Whether it's a merger or acquisition, to be honest, I don't personally care. I'm more excited that the circus will now start in Daytona and then move to Sebring.

Side benefit to all of this: Just heard that a European team is looking to set up a shop here in the Daytona area so they can run this new series.

But ermahgah NASCAR!!!!

Seriously though, as stated in the other thread, I really look forward to Daytona much as alfa and how much cooler it will be. I could see there being some changes to the rules to bring the big money P1 cars there after P2 and GT2 cars get their collective foot in the door.

David S. Wallens wrote: Side benefit to all of this: Just heard that a European team is looking to set up a shop here in the Daytona area so they can run this new series.

wow.

(kind of makes a statemet about the ELMS)

Maybe they can allow the P1 cars at Daytona, Sebring, and Road Atlanta for an American Endurance Cup or something like that. They already show up for Sebring as a test for LeMans.

In reply to CGLockRacer:

I forgot about the winter test. Good point.

alfadriver wrote: wow. (kind of makes a statemet about the ELMS)

You know, I've really been thinking about this a lot. The FIA over there is a flounder out of water what with killing off GT fields and generally flopping back and forth to the whims of LeMans. Without LM, the Euro series is essentially dead. The thing, for us, it wouldn't matter. Daytona and Sebring are more popular over here anyways, and if you really wanted to argue it, you could even say that either/or both of them are as significant as LM itself. Who in the road racing world doesn't want to win the Daytona 24?!?

So really, I see this combining of all the US roadracing as a really good thing, and really we (as in IMSA/GrandAm/whatever it will be called) should just write our own rules and get on with it. LM (who is it that runs that race, the ACO?) might even just jump into our basket and tell the FIA to bugger off.

All I know is 2014 should be epic and I need to go to Daytona and watch.

David S. Wallens wrote: They did discuss the WEC. It sounded like it wasn't their most important issue at the time. I guess I can see that. Sure, some WEC teams might come here to visit, but how many are going to run the entire U.S. schedule?

In recent years, what WEC teams have come over to run Lime Rock or Mid Ohio? Its only been ALMS teams as far as I know. I just want to see the WEC teams come here for the 2 or 3 events that matter. Daytona, Sebring, and maybe Road Atlanta. Leave the rest of the season for the new Grand Am.

Or maybe, just maybe, as Javelin pointed out, we could bring the ACO to its knees and follow our rules. An ELMS team relocating to Florida? I wanna know more about whats going on behind closed doors. The past 96 hours or so has been very interesting.

Hearing Scott Atherton say that the ACO had some initial shock to the news makes it sound like the new Grand Am has the upper hand.

In reply to Javelin:

I think you are going in the right direction, but that's just speculation based on what's going on...

FIA can't figure out endurance racing at all- they have a poor history, and have always had problems with the ACO. And the ACO is sorta like IRL, but LeMans is far more important than Indy is- by a wide margin. Well, it seems like it, since manufacturers make more adjustments for LeMans than anyone seems willing to do for Indy, and FIA always has to adjust their rules to match LeMans. That, and AFAIK, ELMS is governed by the ACO, not the FIA. It's a really wierd situation, and has been for a long time.

As for making our own rules- nobody should forget the 80's. That was a decade of IMSA having rules and the ACO having rules, and not much crossover. Close enough, but not the same- the 80's is the period Jack Roush dominated GT racing with that period Trans Am cars, which bore no resemblance to GT cars at all. And we had the 962, not the 956. That was a banner decade for BOTH IMSA and LeMans, and shared little to none.

It's a matter of making sports car rules sensical enough that someone will want to spend the investment to make them. GT cars- that's almost like falling off a log- even I could do that. I'm even ok with abandoning the Sports cars, and making them more production based (aka 935 era).

It's so very interesting to follow right now.