Source>>ALMS announces entry for Sebring Winter Test - Racer.com

2010 American Le Mans Series Winter Test, scheduled for Feb. 22-23 at Sebring International Raceway will feature a total of 27 cars – a record for the sanctioning body's annual official test sessions. In all, 10 different manufacturers will be on hand at the Florida circuit. The list includes:

• Aston Martin Racing's Lola-Aston Martin prototype, with Adrian Fernandez as one of the drivers.

• Last year's LMP1 champion Patrón Highcroft Racing and its HPD ARX-01c with the trio of David Brabham, Simon Pagenaud and Marino Franchitti

• 11 entries in GT2 from the likes of BMW, Ferrari, Ford, Porsche – including defending class champion Flying Lizard Motorsports - and Jaguar

• Five of the new ORECA FLM09 prototypes for the new Le Mans Prototype Challenge class

• Six Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars for the Grand Touring Challenge class.

• Intersport Racing running its FLM09 alongside its Lola B06/10-AER for LMP1

• Porsche entries in three of the five classes – Porsche RS Spyder in LMP2, four 911 GT3 RSRs for GT2 and the six GTC entrants

__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ _____________

Source>>Planetlemans.com | Twenty-seven entries for Sebring Winter Test

A healthy grid of 27 cars will be in action in two weeks time at the official American Le Mans Series Sebring Winter Test at the Sebring International Raceway. Two LMP1s, three LMP2s, eleven GT2s, five LMPCs and six GTCs will test at the Florida race track before kicking off its season at the same track one month later.

In LMP1 Jon and Clint Field will field the Lenco Mobile sponsored Intersport Racing Lola B06/10 AER and the Aston Martin Racing Lola Aston of Chris Buncombe, Harold Primat, Adrian Fernandez and Stefan Mücke will join them for the two days of testing. Peugeot nor Audi will be present during the official test days.

Patrón Highcroft Racing will enter its ‘new’ HPD ARX-01c for its three drivers: David Brabham, Simon Pagenaud and Marino Franchitti. Greg Pickett and Klaus Graf are back in action with the Muscle Milk Team Cytosport Porsche RS Spyder, the only Porsche RS Spyder in competition this year, while Chris Dyson and Guy Smith will run the Lola B09/86 Mazda for Dyson Racing Team.

In the GT2 class there are several unconfirmed drivers on the entry list. Flying Lizard Motorsports will run both the #44 and #45 Porsche 997 GT3 RSR, but no drivers are named yet. And also at BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team we still have TBAs on the both cars.

Next to the two Lizard Porsches there will be two other Porsches in action during the test days. Bryan Sellers and Wolf Henzler will race the brand new Team Falken Tire car, while Tim Pappas and newly-signed Jeroen Bleekemolen will make their first laps around Sebring in the Black Swan Racing car.
Three Ferrari F430 GT2s will also join in. Jaime Melo is the only confirmed driver on the Risi Competizione entry, while Scott Sharp, Johannes van Overbeek, Ed Brown and Guy Cosmo will be behind the wheel of the Extreme Speed Motorsports cars.

Jaguar RSR will bring one car to Florida for the Winter Test, but four drivers will be taking part. Tomy Drissi will join the already confirmed Paul Gentilozzi, Marc Goossens and Scott Pruett. Robertson Racing is also expected to be at Sebring with its regular line up of David and Andrea Robertson as well as David Murry. Corvette Motorsports will not join the test days.

The new LMPC and GTC classes will see five and six cars. Primetime Race Group, Genoa Racing, Level 5 Motorsports, Intersport Racing and Green Earth Team Gunnar will all enter their Oreca FLM09 cars, while in GTC P7 Racing will enter 1 car, GMG Racing will enter two cars and Kelly-Moss Racing will run three Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars.

LMP1
37 // Intersport Racing // Lola B06/10 AER // Field - Field
009 // Aston Martin Racing // Lola Aston Martin // Buncombe – Primat - Fernandez-Mücke

LMP2
1 // Patrón Highcroft Racing // HPD ARX-01c // Brabham – Pagenaud - Franchitti
6 // Team Cytosport // Porsche RS Spyder // Pickett - Graf
16 // Dyson Racing Team // Lola B09/86 Mazda // Dyson – Smith

GT2
17 // Team Falken Tire // Porsche 997 GT3 RSR // Sellers – Henzler
33 // Jaguar RSR // Jaguar XKRS // Gentilozzi – Goossens – Pruett – Drissi
40 // Robertson Racing // Doran Ford GT // Robertson – Robertson – Murry
44 // Flying Lizard Motorsports // Porsche 997 GT3 RSR // TBA – TBA
45 // Flying Lizard Motorsports // Porsche 997 GT3 RSR // TBA - TBA
54 // Black Swan Racing // Porsche 997 GT3 RSR // Pappas – Bleekemolen
62 // Risi Competizione // Ferrari F430 GT2 // Melo – TBA
90 // BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team // BMW E92 M3 // TBA – TBA
92 // BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team // BMW E92 M3 // TBA - TBA
01 // Extreme Speed Motorsports // Ferrari F430 GT2 // Sharp – van Overbeek
02 // Extreme Speed Motorsports // Ferrari F430 GT2 // Brown – Cosmo

LMPC
11 // Primetime Race Group // Oreca FLM09 // Feinberg – Marcelli
36 // Genoa Racing // Oreca FLM09 // Connor – TBA
55 // Level 5 Motorsports // Oreca FLM09 // Tucker – Bouchut
89 // Intersport Racing // Oreca FLM09 // Pagerey – Wong
99 // Green Earth Team Gunnar // Oreca FLM09 // Zugel – Jeannette – Julian

GTC
32 // GMG Racing // Porsche 997 GT3 Cup // Curtis – Sofronas
33x // Kelly-Moss Racing // Porsche 997 GT3 Cup // LeSaffre – TBA
44x // GMG Racing // Porsche 997 GT3 Cup // Holden
65 // Kelly–Moss Racing // Porsche 997 GT3 Cup // Walton
69 // P7 Racing // Porsche 997 GT3 Cup // Rodriquez – Bieker
92x // Kelly-Moss Racing // Porsche 997 GT3 Cup // Carlisle - TBA

 

What's the deal with LMP-C?

While it's really cool to see Aston Martin racing in LMP1 now, it's a shame there won't be much competition for them from the likes of Audi, Peugeot, and Acura.

GT2 should be really competitive this year and hopefully there will be more cars racing in that class too like the Panoz Esperante GTs and Aston Martin Vantages.

 

LMPC is the new Le Mans Prototype Challenge.

All of the rules/regs can be found on IMSA's website:
:: IMSA - International Motor Sports Association ::
ALMS
http://www.imsaracing.net/2010/ALMS/...t%202-8-10.pdf

Source>>Road Atlanta News

SIX LMPC PROTOTYPES FIND HOMES IN THE AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES

Set to debut with the American Le Mans Series on some of the most demanding road courses and street circuits in North America, the ORECA-Courage FLM09 arrives ready for the 2010 season.

The FLM09 was introduced in 2009 as part of the Le Mans Series in Europe through the collaborative effort of the ACO and ORECA/DPPI. In August, IMSA, the sanctioning body for the American Le Mans Series, announced the LMPC class and the FLM09 would be part of the full nine-race schedule.

The prototype is a highly sophisticated race car with a full carbon fiber chassis, carbon brakes and an Xtrac sequential gearbox with paddle shifting. It has a minimum weight of 900 kilograms and a horsepower of 450 hp, and will run on single-supply Michelin tires.

The six entries scheduled to debut on the American Le Mans Series grid at the 58th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida include:

Intersport Racing, which was one of the first teams to commit to the class, will compete with Mitch Pagery, a former 2009 Velox Racing GTC contender, and 2009 Patron GT3 Challenge by Yokohama standout Brian Wong in the cockpit.
Genoa Racing, with a recent history in Indy Lights and Atlantics, will feature Larry Connor in the No. 36 entry.
Green Earth Team Gunnar, in its first year as an organization, will be led by Series veteran Gunnar Jeannette, alongside Christian Zugel and Jay Cochran.
Primetime Race Group, the 2009 championship entry in IMSA Lites and GT2 competitor, enters its new No. 11 LMPC car with team owner/driver Joel Feinnberg and Kyle Marcelli.
Level 5 Motorsports, recently claiming the third place at the 24 Hours of Daytona, will compete with driving duo Scott Tucker and Christophe Bouchut.
PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports, formed from two former Formula Atlantic Championship top-tier competitors, will run all nine races with its driver lineup soon to be announced.
For more information about these new entries, visit:

Intersport Racing - Intersport Racing - Intersport Racing | Clint Field | American Le Mans Series
Green Earth Team Gunnar - GetItRacing.com
Primetime Race Group - Primetime Race Group
Level 5 Motorsports - Level 5 Motorsports
The American Le Mans Series will open its 12th season with America's greatest sports car race, the 58th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida from March 17-20. The green flag will fall at 10:35 a.m. on Saturday, March 20 with live coverage on SPEED. Visit the American Le Mans Series' schedule page for ticket and accomodation information.

The annual American Le Mans Series Winter Test is scheduled for February 22-23, also at Sebring International Raceway. American Le Mans Series cars will be on track from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m. both days. Tickets are $10 per day with no public paddock access or overnight camping. Live Timing & Scoring will be available on americanlemans.com.

 

Thanks for the great information, Misha!

 

Misha you changing your avatar daily???

Thanks for the info..

 

ADD with cars is a bit*h...haha. I'll keep this one for a while! Anytime, Bryant!

With Formula 1 and ALMS, 2010 auto racing will be a blast! Here's some more info on class chages for ALMS in '10, if anyone's interested.

Source>>American Le Mans Series consolidates racing classes for 2010 — Autoblog

The American Le Mans Series is responding to economic conditions and the decline in the diversity of racing machinery on the grid by changing up the racing classes in its ranks for next season. Rather than imposing spending caps that would be tough to enforce, the series is adding new classes that are closer to production machinery.

Starting in 2010, the two-tier LMP1 and LMP2 categories will be merged into one LMP class, while a new LMP Challenge class will be added starting with the inclusion of Oreca's lower powered Formula Le Mans cars. However, the old system will remain in place for the Sebring 12 Hours and Petit Le Mans races so as to allow European teams to compete in the series' premier American races.

In the GT categories, GT2 class will be remade as GT in the wake of GT1's decline, with a new GT Challenge mirroring the LMP Challenge class for Porsche 911 GT3s. ALMS CEO Scott Atherton has left the door open to other GT3 competitors if they are interested, so hopefully we'll soon see the Audi R8GT4 get the necessary mods to run in the GTC class.

The revised classifications should amount to more direct competition between challengers – provided the standings don't get too convoluted by the premier event exceptions.

[Source: American Le Mans Series]

press release

SERIES ANNOUNCES REVISED CLASS STRUCTURE FOR 2010
Four classes going forward but addition of LMP, GT Challenge groups

In a progressive step designed to keep ahead of the rest of the industry, the American Le Mans Series today announced plans to overhaul its four-class structure beginning with the 2010 season. The four classes will be Le Mans Prototype (LMP), Le Mans Prototype Challenge (LMPC), Grand Touring (GT) and Grand Touring Challenge (GTC).

Scott Atherton: "We are the first movers to embrace a value-based new set of classes while at the same time retaining the core elements of what has made the American Le Mans Series the benchmark professional sportscar racing series in modern times."
"In today's changing environment, choosing the status quo over evolution is a potentially serious mistake," proclaimed American Le Mans Series President and CEO Scott Atherton. "Our sport has always been about evolution, and our plans for 2010 and beyond reflect it.

"We intend to stay ahead of the rest of the industry. We are the first movers to embrace a value-based new set of classes while at the same time retaining the core elements of what has made the American Le Mans Series the benchmark professional sportscar racing series in modern times. The automotive industry is going through radical changes, and the same can be said for most of the motorsports industry. With today's announcement we are adding value-based opportunities that expand accessibility to a broader base of competitors, manufacturers and teams."

The announcement is supported by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO), the organization that operates the 24 Hours of Le Mans and establishes the rules and regulations for Le Mans style racing worldwide.

LMP1 and LMP2 cars will compete as a single LMP class in 2010 with exception of the endurance classics - the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring and Petit Le Mans Powered by MAZDA6 - that will continue to adhere to the ACO technical rules for LMP1 and LMP2. Among the LMP race cars eligible worldwide will be the Acura ARX-02a, Acura ARX-01b, Ginetta-Zytek 09HS (hybrid), Lola B09/86 Mazda, Lola B06/10, Radical SR9, Porsche RS Spyder, Audi R15 TDI, Peugeot 908, Aston Martin Lola and Pescarolo.

LMP Challenge, an exciting new class, was introduced earlier this year as part of the Le Mans Series in Europe and at the 24 Hours of Le Mans through the collaborative efforts between the ACO and ORECA/DPPI. In Europe, the ORECA Courage FLM09 that comprises the class has a minimum weight of 900 kilograms similar to its LMP brethren, but its horsepower is 450 hp which is considerably less than the LMP cars which range from 500-700 hp. The LMP Challenge car is a true Le Mans prototype, but represents an affordable "value engineered" entry to Le Mans prototype racing. The FLM09 is a very sophisticated race car with a full carbon fiber chassis, carbon brakes, and an Xtrac sequential gearbox with paddle shifting. All LMPC cars will race on single-supply tires.

LMP Challenge, a car built by ORECA, will debut in the American Le Mans Series in 2010.
LMP Challenge cars will make their debut this fall with a display during this year's Petit Le Mans weekend. On September 27, the Sunday following the race, IMSA will provide an opportunity to test the LMPC ORECA-Courage LMF09 at Road Atlanta. It is currently taking reservations from qualified teams and drivers. The LMPC class is expected to debut at the American Le Mans Series' opener in 2010, the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring (March 20).

The GT class will follow specifications of the existing ACO / Le Mans GT2 class. Current manufacturers and models competing include Corvette C6.R, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, Ferrari F430 GT, Jaguar XKR, BMW M3, Panoz Esperante, Ford GT, and Dodge Viper.

The GT Challenge class was introduced earlier this year at Miller Motorsports Park near Salt Lake City. Currently, Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race cars from the Patrón GT3 Challenge by Yokohama are eligible. In 2010, competition will be open to other versions of the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars as well. Other manufacturers are likely to be added in the future.

LMP1 and LMP2 cars will compete as a single LMP class in 2010 with exception of the endurance classics - the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring and Petit Le Mans Powered by MAZDA6.
The class restructures are not unprecedented. After the 2003 season, the ACO and American Le Mans Series modified the LMP classes. At that time the two prototype classes were recognized as LMP900 and LMP675 in a reference to the minimum weights in both classes. Both classes competed equally for the overall win at Le Mans. In 2004 those minimums changed along with class designations to LMP1 and LMP2. The last time the GT class was modified was in 2005 when Grand Touring classes went from GT and GTS to GT1 and GT2. The ACO-spec GT1 class has essentially come to an end as manufacturers have elected to compete in the ultra-competitive and technology-relevant GT2 category, which will be known simply as "GT" in the American Le Mans Series beginning in 2010.

"The new format for 2010 will create more opportunities for more teams and manufacturers to participate in the American Le Mans Series, while at the same time providing fans with the chance to see new cars, teams and drivers in both prototype and GT competition," said Atherton.

"There is no question that developments in the economy - and especially the auto industry - have changed the business environment now and for the foreseeable future. For any organization to remain 'status quo' is a likely death sentence. The global economic situation has created a new paradigm that is requiring all businesses to take innovative approaches to how they must operate going forward. We believe we have implemented changes that will enable the Series and our participants to thrive," continued Atherton.

"The Challenge class that was created in GT competition this year has been a great success so far," added Paul Ritchie, President of Porsche Motorsport North America. "We wholeheartedly endorse the American Le Mans Series expanding on the concept and creating a legitimate, top-level development opportunity for teams and drivers in multi-class competition. We know from experience that with the guidance of IMSA we will have a very strong, cost effective and competitive platform for the big step up to endurance racing."

In the end, noted Atherton, the new class structure is designed to retain the core attributes of what has made the American Le Mans Series the most successful professional sports car racing series around the world - world class Le Mans prototypes and GT cars - while also adding new high-value opportunities that expand the accessibility of this platform to new participants.

All classes of cars will continue to race on alternative fuels or powertrains such as low sulfur clean diesel, E85 cellulosic ethanol, E10 and E10/gas-electric hybrid. Recognized as the Global Leader in Green Racing, the American Le Mans Series continues to work with the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, SAE International and the Series' automobile manufacturers to develop innovative fuel efficient cars that excel in overall performance, fuel efficiency and environmental impact. The American Le Mans Series is the only racing series that meets all the green racing protocols set by the EPA and DOE.

"As I have said previously," Atherton concluded, "I think the American Le Mans Series is ideally positioned to benefit from the current and future focus of all auto manufacturers. Recent announcements by major auto manufacturers and our government leaders confirm that racing series which provides opportunities to showcase and develop relevant new technologies - with an emphasis on the environment - are the future. We have never been more confident in our positioning and look forward to expanding our green racing initiatives to better serve the teams and manufacturers competing with us."

 

Car-to-car at 2010 Sebring Winter Test-Part 1

YouTube - Car-to-car at 2010 Sebring Winter Test-Part 1

Car-to-car at 2010 Sebring Winter Test-Part 2

YouTube - Car-to-car at 2010 Sebring Winter Test-Part 2

 

I'm really digging that Patron F430.

 

Looks very cool, doesn't it!

Pics by Old Boone -
Sebring Winter Test 2010

 

Thanks for the post Misha. I'm really looking forward to the new classes this year, especially GTC. I know some think that these car don't deserve to be out there, but I beg to differ.