ajcjr

Ok i am probably taking the short way out by asking this question but i dont have time to sit and go through rule books!!!

I dont know if any of you saw Windtunnel on Sunday but Dave asked one of the guests about the merger of ALMS and Grand Am. I am a big ALMS fan and love the cars that are raced. I am starting to like Grand Am racing a little more everyone time i watch it. So i have these questions:

What if any are the differences between GT2/ALMS vs Gt in Grand Am?

Are the Daytona Protypes simliar and to the ALMS LMP2 cars? And besides chassis design or the motors different.

I like the open cockpit of the LMP2 cars over the lolas etc... what do you prefer?

Potomac-Greg

I'm pretty sure the DP cars are radically different from the LMP2s. The DPs are made for driver safety, hence the bulbous, huge cockpit; and they are much less complex than the LMPs. DPs have decent HP, but nothing crazy. To merge the two, you'd probably need to do away with LMP2 (merge LMP1 and 2); or do away with DP. You'd then have three categories running different speeds. But part of ALMS's goal is to synchronize with European LeMans, so they may not want to lose LMP2 if that class is going to run in Europe. Maybe they find a way to merge DP with GT1?

ALMS needs to find someone to race in GT1. It's ridiculous to have a whole series of races between two team Corvettes.

ajcjr

[QUOTE=
ALMS needs to find someone to race in GT1. It's ridiculous to have a whole series of races between two team Corvettes.[/QUOTE]

yeah that does seem weird.

SeaCay

There has been some discussion here, with links to, lap times around some tracks ALMS v Grand Am. ALMS beats Grand Am in lap times P2 v. DP and GT2 v. GT. Wide margin in prototypes, not as wide in GT.

DrJupeman

Hmm, I thought I posted this earlier, but LMP2 is so far and away faster than DP it is a joke. The DP cars are about as fast as GT1 in ALMS...

Now, I would be up for a combination of LMP1 & 2 and make LMP2 the DP cars, but it would look funny compared to the GT1 cars.

Fwiw, I far prefer ALMS, but do think the racing is great in Rolex.

earlyapex

I like the existence of both series.

GA Rolex for the "budget" minded.

ALMS for the bigger "budget" minded.

There is now real racing in ALMS, Audi versus Porsche versus Acura/Honda, and Porsche versus Ferrari. This is good for us, the fans.

GA has always had tighter races, as governed by their rules. I think DP cars are really ugly.

ECS

Definitely an ALMS fan over GA. ALMS offers the best sports cars in the world by class bar none. And, the last couple of years the racing has actually been good in numerous classes. Plus, like everyone else here I just can't stand the GA DP cars. Just plain ugly.

mklaskin

ALMS GT1 is faster than DP.
Consider the pecking order:
LMP1
LMP2
GT1
DP
ALMS GT2
G-A GT
I used to think the racing in G-A was more exciting, but with the emergence of the LMP2 competition between Acura and Porsche, and with the Ferrari-Porsche battles getting better in GT2, I'm not so sure.

38D

The cars in ALMS are far superior in basically every way... I wish with the fields were larger like in Grand Am.

ajcjr

i love the porsche spyder lmp2, id love to take that thing for a ride.

I think ALMS has the best racing out of all of the north american sanctioning bodies.

Thanks for the info.

f8vr993

ALMS RULES here!!!
I was at ALMS Long Beach and that was fun race to watch!
On the other hand, Grand Am was really boring at Daytona...

Bryan Watts

In other words, they are superior in every way except the ability of teams to actually afford to run them.

J richard

ALMS is the american version of the european series, and the mix of LMP1&2 with the GT1 (although it is currently a one horse race) and GT2 makes for a pretty cool and interesting series.

Grand Am started with very similar prototype sportscars like lolas, nissans, guys like (weaver/dyson now run spyders in ALMS) mixed up with all classes of sportscars, GT1&2 and the like...it was pretty damn cool racing. The early races at PHX had over 40 cars. Now the DP's got frumpy and ugly, (fabcar? oh my gawd...could it get uglier?) and with the involvement of NASCAR ownership, it has almost become a spec series, and now they've separated the sportscars from the DPs, which makes it closer and closer to the roundy round boys....(you think their getting ready for road racing interest to overtake ovals?)

Anyway GA is road racing and thats good, but spend 12 hours at lePetit is a pretty amazing time, particularly when after all that time it comes down to the last lap for both classes...and Bergmeister and Melo rubbing fenders to the finish....

But then I think the best racing at F1 is the Cup race....

DrJupeman

It is!

pat056

I want both! I enjoy both for different reasons.
Plus I want all Koni Challange races televised. Plus I want as much club racing televised as possible, including NASA national championships. We can just cut out the NASCAR stuff to make room. Then let the NASCAR team/drivers put together new teams for ALMS and GA.
Yeah...that ought to work!!!