ALMS and Grand AM to merge!
#46
Rennlist Member
^^^
Fishey, you've roundaboutly demonstrated my worst fears for the series. If the new owners at NASCAR have the myopic view that ALMS doesn't matter, and the purchase was a land grab bottom feeding scheme to kill off a competing series and secure some top venues as a place to run their series under GA rules with a facade of ALMS...the whole thing goes in the toilet.
The whole reason I liked GA is it provided more racing and different racing than ALMS... But ALMS provided better more interesting and colorful racing with the bredth and history of a world class series. GA while good and fun is no comparison and can't even begin to replace it. I hope to god somebody within NASCAR realizes it before American road racing is mexican wrestlers in clown cars at your nearest roval....which coincidentally looks alot like Jim France's DP driving history...
Why would I worry?...
Fishey, you've roundaboutly demonstrated my worst fears for the series. If the new owners at NASCAR have the myopic view that ALMS doesn't matter, and the purchase was a land grab bottom feeding scheme to kill off a competing series and secure some top venues as a place to run their series under GA rules with a facade of ALMS...the whole thing goes in the toilet.
The whole reason I liked GA is it provided more racing and different racing than ALMS... But ALMS provided better more interesting and colorful racing with the bredth and history of a world class series. GA while good and fun is no comparison and can't even begin to replace it. I hope to god somebody within NASCAR realizes it before American road racing is mexican wrestlers in clown cars at your nearest roval....which coincidentally looks alot like Jim France's DP driving history...
Why would I worry?...
#47
Well, if an American Series can capture the American crowd it will be far better success then ALMS has been or Grand-Am has been to this point. The ALMS series is not relevant based on 2 races a year. No one in europe gives 2 craps about ALMS racing outside of those events. I am pretty sure going by the foundation of Grand-Am who will be the controlling body. It will continue to be an Grand-American Series not a world based series. Also, how is that ELMS doing? From what I can see who do they have running P1? Seems like P1 is done for even in Europe.
http://www.europeanlemansseries.com/....php?news=2203
So yea, that series sounds relevent.
http://www.europeanlemansseries.com/....php?news=2203
So yea, that series sounds relevent.
Unless you can put together a series that attracts first rate drivers AND entrants on a regular basis, the public will lose interest. NASCAR drivers are public property, how many ordinary folk in the US know who the drivers are in Grand-Am?
ALMS has been of considerable interest to European entrants and drivers in the past, and it could be again with appropriate schedules and rewards. Teams learn a lot contesting the ALMS races.
R+C
#48
Nordschleife Master
^^^
Fishey, you've roundaboutly demonstrated my worst fears for the series. If the new owners at NASCAR have the myopic view that ALMS doesn't matter, and the purchase was a land grab bottom feeding scheme to kill off a competing series and secure some top venues as a place to run their series under GA rules with a facade of ALMS...the whole thing goes in the toilet.
The whole reason I liked GA is it provided more racing and different racing than ALMS... But ALMS provided better more interesting and colorful racing with the bredth and history of a world class series. GA while good and fun is no comparison and can't even begin to replace it. I hope to god somebody within NASCAR realizes it before American road racing is mexican wrestlers in clown cars at your nearest roval....which coincidentally looks alot like Jim France's DP driving history...
Why would I worry?...
Fishey, you've roundaboutly demonstrated my worst fears for the series. If the new owners at NASCAR have the myopic view that ALMS doesn't matter, and the purchase was a land grab bottom feeding scheme to kill off a competing series and secure some top venues as a place to run their series under GA rules with a facade of ALMS...the whole thing goes in the toilet.
The whole reason I liked GA is it provided more racing and different racing than ALMS... But ALMS provided better more interesting and colorful racing with the bredth and history of a world class series. GA while good and fun is no comparison and can't even begin to replace it. I hope to god somebody within NASCAR realizes it before American road racing is mexican wrestlers in clown cars at your nearest roval....which coincidentally looks alot like Jim France's DP driving history...
Why would I worry?...
#49
Nordschleife Master
I would certainly like to see better and more varied technology in Grand Am, but I think its hard to fault the actual racing. There have been lost of epic battles including, with on of my favorites being David Murray's last lap of the season "flying Porsche" re-pass on Andy Lally to secure the championship. The two things I do hate in GA is the random yellows that come out for "debris", and the lack of consistency in assessing penalties.
#50
Administrator - "Tyson"
Lifetime Rennlist
Member
Lifetime Rennlist
Member
From the DeLorenzo article:
"First of all, this is anything but a merger. In fact Grand-Am is buying the ALMS lock, stock and barrel in a straight-up cash deal (I know the number but I’m choosing not to reveal it now),including Road Atlanta and Sebring International Raceway, the two road racing facilities the ALMS owns."
"First of all, this is anything but a merger. In fact Grand-Am is buying the ALMS lock, stock and barrel in a straight-up cash deal (I know the number but I’m choosing not to reveal it now),including Road Atlanta and Sebring International Raceway, the two road racing facilities the ALMS owns."
Then again.....seeing the Cup Cars bounce around Sebrings could be entertaining.
#51
Nordschleife Master
#52
I jumped into ALMS just last year and don't really follow GA, so I may have a unique perspective here. I don't know much about "glory days", but I do know that GT has been extremely exciting while I've been paying attention on a race-by-race basis, 10% of the time we have a margin of victory of ~.1 second, and the PC points race last year ended in a tie through all official tiebreakers. Perhaps this isn't as good as it was back in the day, but I think asking for more (aside from the number of prototypes on track) is a bit greedy. ALMS has been very entertaining for me in the past 18 months and I would hate to see something break that.
I am very disheartened by this news, especially the speculation that NASCAR is buying ALMS outright. Perhaps most frustrating is the fact that this merger could genuinely be good for the sport, but I would be very surprised if the end result is not pandering down the lowest common denominator, most widely appealing money-making formula they can come up with. As even most American "car guys" don't care about Le Mans or international motorsports, I don't see the strong links the ALMS currently has to these being terribly important. But that link is one of the biggest draws for me, along with the prestige that comes with it. The fact is that Le Mans is the pinnacle of sports car racing, and as Porsche enthusiasts do we not demand the best and nothing else? If NASCAR makes this link a priority, I think we'll be alright. But that's a big, nasty if.
I would also argue that people DO care about ALMS outside of North America. Do they make a stream of their races available for free to the rest of the world for fun? Is it broadcast in Europe because there just isn't anything better to watch? I know that Europeans in some of my other online communities enjoy and follow ALMS.
I am very disheartened by this news, especially the speculation that NASCAR is buying ALMS outright. Perhaps most frustrating is the fact that this merger could genuinely be good for the sport, but I would be very surprised if the end result is not pandering down the lowest common denominator, most widely appealing money-making formula they can come up with. As even most American "car guys" don't care about Le Mans or international motorsports, I don't see the strong links the ALMS currently has to these being terribly important. But that link is one of the biggest draws for me, along with the prestige that comes with it. The fact is that Le Mans is the pinnacle of sports car racing, and as Porsche enthusiasts do we not demand the best and nothing else? If NASCAR makes this link a priority, I think we'll be alright. But that's a big, nasty if.
I would also argue that people DO care about ALMS outside of North America. Do they make a stream of their races available for free to the rest of the world for fun? Is it broadcast in Europe because there just isn't anything better to watch? I know that Europeans in some of my other online communities enjoy and follow ALMS.
#54
Drifting
I was at the Baltimore Grand Prix yesterday. Low car count. WTF?! Why were there not 2x or 3x as many cars? This was a joke. 5 classes running together because there simply are not enough cars on the track. And the winner was not from the highest level... maybe because there were only 3 cars entered. Snoozer.
To me this Baltimore Grand Prix seemed a lot like a PCA club race. Just a bunch of rich dudes having fun spending a ton of money. Boring.
I have been to a few NASCAR races at Richmond, Dover, Rockingham, and Martinsville. With one singular exception the fan experience at NASCAR blows away that of ALMS. The exception was the lack of security around the paddock for the race teams - that was pretty cool to walk right in to their tents and trailers and when the race was over we walked right up to all the winning cars while they were doing the post-race inspection -- which, again, gave me that PCA club race feeling - is this for real? lol see picture
NASCAR is a business that is in the money-making business. ALMS certainly is not - just a playground for rich dudes (where else can you pay $100k and get to be one of the drivers in a race on TV? You gotta be kidding me that I am watching a supposedly PROFESSIONAL race with amateurs with big $ playing racecar driver). Looking forward to a exclusively "professional" and serious road racing series in USA.-- and hopefully MUCH LARGER car counts.
To me this Baltimore Grand Prix seemed a lot like a PCA club race. Just a bunch of rich dudes having fun spending a ton of money. Boring.
I have been to a few NASCAR races at Richmond, Dover, Rockingham, and Martinsville. With one singular exception the fan experience at NASCAR blows away that of ALMS. The exception was the lack of security around the paddock for the race teams - that was pretty cool to walk right in to their tents and trailers and when the race was over we walked right up to all the winning cars while they were doing the post-race inspection -- which, again, gave me that PCA club race feeling - is this for real? lol see picture
NASCAR is a business that is in the money-making business. ALMS certainly is not - just a playground for rich dudes (where else can you pay $100k and get to be one of the drivers in a race on TV? You gotta be kidding me that I am watching a supposedly PROFESSIONAL race with amateurs with big $ playing racecar driver). Looking forward to a exclusively "professional" and serious road racing series in USA.-- and hopefully MUCH LARGER car counts.
Last edited by GT3DE; 09-03-2012 at 02:28 PM.
#55
Perfect Angel
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
GA is full of paying drivers. Very very few drivers are actually paid to drive these days
What appeals to me in ALMS vs GA/Nascar is the top tier of factory motorsport efforts are present in ALMS/LMS competition. There is nothing innovative about GA/Nascar. For god's sake they just began using fuel injection! We can see the technology tested and eventually in the road cars. Nascar and Grand-Am are the exact opposite of ALMS.
What appeals to me in ALMS vs GA/Nascar is the top tier of factory motorsport efforts are present in ALMS/LMS competition. There is nothing innovative about GA/Nascar. For god's sake they just began using fuel injection! We can see the technology tested and eventually in the road cars. Nascar and Grand-Am are the exact opposite of ALMS.
#57
Perfect Angel
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
Maybe the DP guys can run LMPC and let LMPC open up engine manufacturers to keep Ford and BMW in the series. While I grudgingly admit that the Corvette DP car is a huge improvement in looks I think the DP program is a little silly as a whole.
#59
With the new rumor out that GA is outright purchasing ALMS I doubt they will be too concerned about preserving ALMS as we know it. I hope this is incorrect as the LMP cars are far more exciting (though suffering from low car counts) and I fear the loss of the GT3 RSR racing in America if the classes adhere to more GA rules. That means we as a country do not have anymore teams going to LeMans. Not going to get a GA Camaro to go to race in France are we?
Maybe the DP guys can run LMPC and let LMPC open up engine manufacturers to keep Ford and BMW in the series. While I grudgingly admit that the Corvette DP car is a huge improvement in looks I think the DP program is a little silly as a whole.
Maybe the DP guys can run LMPC and let LMPC open up engine manufacturers to keep Ford and BMW in the series. While I grudgingly admit that the Corvette DP car is a huge improvement in looks I think the DP program is a little silly as a whole.
#60
Nordschleife Master
I'm still pensive on how all of this will play out. It could be catastrophic if it's not handled properly. But I personally think that the manufacturers and the teams themsevles weild enough power to make this a good thing once all the bugs off it are sorted out.
What I would personally like to see is 2 separate races. One race that contains 3 prototype classes and one race that contains 2 or 3 GT classes. With the two series merged, there will be enough cars to run 2 races per weekend in just "Rolex" not even counting the street stock production class cars down in the Conti series.