Sportscar racing 2010 (ALMS/LMS/LeMans)

[wvallwheeldrive]

Well the F1 thread for next year is already up and running so here is the Sportscar thread.

Here are the schedules for ALMS, LMS and Le Mans

Rnd Race Length Circuit Date
1 12 Hours of Sebring 12 Hours Sebring International March 20
2 Long Beach 1 Hour 40 Minutes Long Beach April 17
3 Monterey Sports Car Championships 6 Hours Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca May 22
4 Utah Grand Prix 2 Hours 45 Minutes Miller Motorsports Park July 10
5 Northeast Grand Prix 2 Hours 45 Minutes Lime Rock Park July 24
6 Sports Car Challenge of Mid-Ohio 2 Hours 45 Minutes Mid-Ohio August 7
7 Road Race Showcase 2 Hours 45 Minutes Road America August 22
8 Grand Prix of Mosport 2 Hours 45 Minutes Mosport International Raceway August 29
9 Petit Le Mans 1,000 mi (1,600 km) or 10 Hours Road Atlanta October 2




Official Test Session Circuit Paul Ricard March 7–8
1 1000 km of Paul Ricard Circuit Paul Ricard April 11
2 1000 km of Spa Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps May 9
3 To Be Determined To Be Determined July 18
4 1000 km of Silverstone Silverstone Circuit September 12
5 To Be Determined To Be Determined November 21

2010 24 Hours of Le Mans will be the 78th Grand Prix of Endurance, taking place on June 12-13, 2010

[wvallwheeldrive]

The automatic entry's for 2010 24 hours.

Lmp1
3 Peugeot (Lemans 1st and 2nd, Petit 1st)
1 Aston Martin (LMS champion)
1 Pescarolo (LMS 2nd)
Patrón Highcroft Racing (Alms Champion)
Sora Racing (AsLMS Champion)

Lmp2
Team Essex (LeMans 1st)
3 Speedy Racing Team Sebah (2nd LeMans, LMS 2nd, 1st in the LMS Green X Challenge)*
Quifel ASM Team (1st LMS)
Dyson Racing Team (1st Petit)
Lowe's Fernández Racing (1st ALMS)
OAK Racing (1st AsLMS)

* Speedy Racing Team Sebah earned second in the Le Mans Series LMP2 championship and first in the Michelin Green X Challenge in the same race. However Speedy Racing Team Sebah is limited to two entries and it remains up to the ACO to decide which invitation will be transfered to a runner-up team.

GT1
Corvette Racing (1st LeMans)
2 Luc Alphand Aventures (2nd LeMans, 1st LMS)
Larbre Compétition (2nd LMS)
JLOC (1st AsLMS)
Vitaphone Racing Team (1st FIA GT)
Pekaracing (2nd FIA GT)

GT2
2 Risi Competizione (1st LeMans, 1st ALMS)
BMS Scuderia Italia (2nd LeMans)
Team Felbermayr-Proton (1st LMS)
JMW Motorsport (2nd LMS)
Flying Lizard Motorsports (1st ALMS)
Hankook Team Farnbacher (1st AsLMS)
AF Corse (1st FIA GT)
Prospeed Competition (2nd FIA GT)


Automatic invitations are given to the winner and second place of previous years 24 Hours of Lemans, the champion and runner up of the LMS championship, and FIA GT championship, and the champion of ALMS, AsLMS and the LMS Green X Challenge in the LMS.

LMS= Le Mans series
ALMS= American Le Mans series
AsLMS= Asian Le Mans series

[wvallwheeldrive]

And a few snippets from Dailysportscar.com

Mixed Fortunes Ahead For French Manufacturers? (Updated)

L'Equipe this week has had contrasting tales of French Endurance manufacturers.

A story yesterday sugests that Peugeot Sport may be discussing the placement of a 908 HDI FAP with either Patron Highcroft or de Ferran Motorsport for both the ALMS and the 2010 Le Mans 24 Hours. There has certainly been precious little thus far from either squad in confirmation of their 2010 season plans.

Pescarolo Sport of course ran a customer Peugeot at Le Mans this year but the second significant story from L'Equipe suggests potential trouble for the team, now owned of course not by Henri Pescarolo, but instead by Sora Composites, Pesca himself fulfilling a supporting role nowadays.

L'Equipe's story is focused on the absense of Pesca, and of Philippe Leblanc (MD of Sora Composites), from Okayama last weekend.

Supported by a brief quote from Sora's President Jean Py there seems to be the distinct possibility that one of the longest running supporters of the Le Mans Series might dramatically turn down the wick of their sporting programme for the season to come for economic reasons. A near throwaway line though seems to suggest that whilst relations between Pescarolo and Sora are currently good, any stepping back from the race programme might see him move elsewhere to a new team.

Py though is quoted extensively in Friday's Le Maine Libre where he makes it clear that the team is focussed on the Le Mans Series (and Le Mans) but requires a firm ( 4 million Euro) budget to do so.

Py also confirms that Leblanc has left the race team after failing to find new budget sources for the team. Py takes his place on the commercial front. He denies strongly though that there are currently disagreements with Henri Pescarolo himself, again repeating that the current issues are all on the commercial / economic front.

Py also refers to current contacts with parties that "wish to buy our chassis" though is is not clear whether that refers to purchase of the cars raced by Pescarolo Sport in 2009 or a new run of Pescarolo tubs.


Luc Alphand Aventures Confirm BMW Talks

We hinted at this during the Silverstone LMS round but Philippe Poincloux, Luc Alphand Aventures's team-manager, confirmed to Le Maine Libre on Friday that his popular French team in in talks with BMW:

"We are indeed in talks with BMW about racing at Le Mans, as we have two automatic entries, and in Le Mans Series. It's our priority."

And if the BMW deal isn't made?

"We would go back in GT1 with Corvette, a more costly programme because of the distance of the manufacturer."

Regarding the drivers, talks are ongoing with Goueslard, Jousse, Clairay and Grégoire at present. The team will stay meanwhile at Le Mans, in the Technoparc.

Luc Alphand himself of course had a successful racing relationship with BMW previously, driving a BMW X5 in the 2004 Dakar rally, finishing 4th overall and 1st in the diesel class.

[wvallwheeldrive]

So which one of you will take up this offer?

from Dailysportscar.

Drive Available In 2010 ALMS GT Challenge Class

Tim Pappas's Black Swan Racing are set to return to the American Le Mans Series In 2010.

The team has committed to purchase and campaign a pair of 2010 Porsche Cup cars in the new ALMS GT Challenge Class.

Black Swan is searching for one driver that wants to advance their driving to the next level and join the program.

Funding requirement is $450,000 USD (not including crash damage insurance TBD) for the full season, all 9 races, which includes Sebring 12 Hour, Laguna Seca 6 Hour, and Petit Le Mans 10 hour, as well as 6 sprint races of 2 hours 45 minutes.

The program will provide a brand new 2010 Cup car and everything else you need, even your own pro co-driver. All you need to do is bring your gear and your passion for racing. Interested parties with proper budgets or sponsors can call Peter McCarthy for details at +1.978.580.6667.