ALMS And Grand Am Announce Plans To Become Most Confusing Thing In The World

[zako85]

ALMS And Grand Am Announce Plans To Become Most Confusing Thing In The World



One thing I do like about Rolex Sport Car series is that they only have two classes: Daytona Prototype and GT*. Looks like the next year, the merged series will have two prototype classes (the merged DP/P2 class, and LMPC) and two GT classes (the ALMS GT and Grand Am's GT). I hope this is only for a transition period.



*As of now I view the new GX class merely as a curiosity/demo class.

[Corvettian]

Hopefully by the end of the first season they'll have realized that just how confusing it really is, and will have (or will be planning to) rationalize the classes. Only die-hard fans will be able to tell the difference between the different GT classes, for example, and that's no good if they want to attract new fans.

[zako85]

Wikipedia has a minor blurb about the United SportsCar Racing Class structure:

United SportsCar Racing - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

My understanding there will be four main classes for now. Two for prototypes and two for GT cars.

Prototype (P): A class that merges the Grand Am Daytona Prototypes and ALMS P2 (LMP2) Classes into one class.

Prototype Challenge (PC): A spec class for prototypes just like it used to be in ALMS. It's meant to be cheap junior prototype class. I guess kind of like what GP2 is to Formula 1.

GT Le Mans (GTLM): ALMS GT Class as it used to be. Cars are compatible with 24 Hours of Le Mans race.

GT Daytona: The Grand-Am GT class (which contained all sorts of cars, like GT3, tube frame cars, etc) merged with Porsche Cup cars from the ALMS GTC class.

The ALMS P2 class cars are much faster than the grand-am Daytona Prototypes. They will need to be equalized in performance. I don't know if this will be accomplished by placing more restrictions on P2 cars to slow them down or less restrictions on DP cars. The PC cars are also quite fast and supposedly almost as fast or faster than DP cars. Being a more "junior" class, I assume PC cars will have to be slowed down if the next year's P class cars are not fast enough.

I am a fan of having two GT classes that consist of cars that look almost the same. It probably would be nice to have them merged or perhaps slowly merge the GT Daytona teams into GT Le Mans. I personally haven't been a huge fan of Daytona's GT rules allowing tube frame cars in the GT competition.

[Jamez99]

well I did some research and also discuss this with some of my friends and after that we conclude the result there is possibility to change some way of working with this situation is no classes

[bugeyedgomer]

Fox Sports to Broadcast USCR
IMSA and FOX Sports Announce Five-Year Multi-Media Rights Deal | American Le Mans Series[/QUOTE]

[FormerFF]

It's really not that confusing. There are two prototype classes and two GT classes. Sports car racing traditionally has multiple classes, and watching the prototypes carve up through the slower cars is one of the attractions to this form of the sport.

LeMans also has four official classes, plus "Garage 56" which would include cars like the DeltaWing.

[zako85]

I understand the multi-class racing thing. What makes the next season truly fascinating (or despicable, depending on the perspective) is the true trainwreck of many different classes. In the main prototype class, there will be the ALMS LMP2 cars and Grand Am's DPs. Supposedly DPs are cheaper to run, but slower. Something will be done to speed up the DPs to be competitive with LMP2 cars. The prototype field will be huge. It will be interesting how all that pans out, and who comes on top.

[jimclark]

"ALMS And Grand Am Announce Plans To Become Most Confusing Thing In The World"
Easily confused, are you?

P.S.:

well I did some research and also discuss this with some of my friends and after that we conclude the result there is possibility to change some way of working with this situation is no classes

Huh???????


I guess I am too...

[zako85]

"ALMS And Grand Am Announce Plans To Become Most Confusing Thing In The World"
Easily confused, are you?

P.S.:

well I did some research and also discuss this with some of my friends and after that we conclude the result there is possibility to change some way of working with this situation is no classes

Huh???????


I guess I am too...

Please don't scare him away. That post was cute ;p

[Doc Austin]

I liked the Grand American's two class format. It kept things simple and all the fans had a basic understanding of what was going on. I've never liked apples and oranges racing, performance adjustments, etc. I like a straight up fight where the rules are the same for everyone.

I'de imagine what GA is doing now is making it possible for everyone who has a car to race, and they will streamline things down later when they see how it plays out.