American Le Mans Series
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Official website | http://www.alms.com |
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The American Le Mans Series (ALMS) was a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada. It consisted of a series of endurance and sprint races, and was created in the spirit of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The American Le Mans' headquarters was in Braselton, Georgia, adjacent to Road Atlanta.
In 2014, the series merged with the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series[1][2] to form the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.[3]
History
The series was created by
The partnership with the ACO allowed ALMS teams to earn automatic entries in the Le Mans 24 Hours. This was a practice that began with the inaugural Petit Le Mans, a practice that continues today, where 1st and 2nd place teams in each class earn entries to the next year's 24 Hours. The ALMS race at Adelaide in 2000 also received automatic entries.[5] Invitations were extended to the series champions beginning in 2003, for the 2004 race.[6] The ACO has always given high consideration to teams competing in ALMS races, and many ALMS teams have seen success in the 24 Hours.
The series began with eight races in
The series was the first motorsport racing series in North America to be recognized by the
In 2010 the American Le Mans Series signed its first title sponsorship agreement, with Tequila Patrón becoming a presenting sponsor for three seasons.[8]
On September 5, 2012, the series announced that they would fully merge in 2014 with
Overview
The American Le Mans Series used essentially the same rules as the
Each car is driven by multiple drivers (2 or 3, depending on the length of the race), and all cars compete together simultaneously. P1 generally contains factory teams while P2 contains privateer teams. In ACO-sanctioned racing all of the drivers are professional in GTE-PRO, while in GTE-Am, 1 or 2 amateurs are allowed to race with a professional driver in support. However, since ALMS uses only one GTE category and combines the PRO/AM classes, there are no limitations for drivers.
The two "Challenge" classes were
The team points champions and runners-up in each class at the end of the season received an automatic invitation to the next year's 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Michelin Green X Challenge
In January 2008, the American Le Mans Series announced it would hold its first "Green Challenge" competition during Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta in October, ahead of the Challenge being implemented at all ALMS races during the 2009 season. In conjunction with the
The Challenge measures "Green" (based on fuel-type and other factors influencing emissions), "Speed" (overall speed), and "Efficiency" (based on fuel-economy). A formula is used to produce a score based on the three categories. The car with the lowest score at the end of the race wins the Challenge for that race.
Television
The series' first season in 1999 was covered by
In 2013,
Champions
See also
- European Le Mans Series (current)
- 2001 European Le Mans Series
- Radio Le Mans
- List of Le Mans Prototypes
References
- ^ "Welcome to the Future of Sports Car Racing!". American Le Mans Series. Archived from the original on 2013-03-21. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
- ^ "The Reveal: Save the Date". American Le Mans Series. Archived from the original on 2013-03-12. Retrieved February 28, 2013.
- ^ "Grand-Am, ALMS to become 'United SportsCar Racing' series in 2014". Autoweek. Archived from the original on 2013-05-24. Retrieved 2013-07-21.
- ^ Perez, A.J. (2007-08-30). "Le Mans series showcases prototype race cars". USA Today. Archived from the original on 2011-10-25. Retrieved 2008-08-20.
- ^ Motorsport.com: News channel Archived 2011-06-06 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Motorsport.com: News channel Archived 2011-06-06 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "ALMS Official Website: Green Challenge Rules and Regulations Set". ALMS. 24 June 2008. Archived from the original on January 22, 2009. Retrieved 2008-06-25.
- ^ "Simply Perfect: Series announces Tequila Patron as Presenting Sponsor". American Le Mans Series. 2010-02-23. Archived from the original on 1 March 2010. Retrieved 2010-02-24.
- ^ "GRAND-AM: ALMS Merger Made Official". Auto-racing.speedtv.com. 2012-09-05. Archived from the original on 2012-11-23. Retrieved 2013-07-21.
- ^ "ALMS News-Sports Car Racing News, Articles and Blogs - American Le Mans Series". Americanlemans.com. Retrieved 2013-07-21.
- ^ "SAE International". Archived from the original on 2011-02-26. Retrieved 2018-12-11.
- ^ Green Racing Initiative Archived 2009-06-03 at the Wayback Machine US Environmental Protection Agency website Retrieved 2009-12-14
- ^ "ALMS 2012 Racing Schedule - American Le Mans Series". Americanlemans.com. Archived from the original on 2012-02-28. Retrieved 2013-07-21.
- ^ "ALMS 2013 Racing Schedule - American Le Mans Series". alms.com. Archived from the original on 2013-06-29. Retrieved 2013-07-21.