An Semi-World's Championship in 2011???

First Mid-Week Motorsport's Sportscar Review is required listening - http://audio.mpix.org.uk/mwm2009/mwm4-49.mp3

Graham Goodwin of DSC has been saying for awhile the goal of ACO short term is a World Championship.

Here's the proposed schedule -

1) Sebring 12hrs (with ALMS)
2) Paul Ricard 1000km
3) Spa 1000km
4) Le Mans 24hrs
5) Monza 1000km
6) Nürburgring 1000km
7) Silverstone 1000km
8) Petit Le Mans 1000km
9) Japan or China (Asian Le Mans Series)
10) Dubai or Aubu Dudai (Asian Le Mans Series)

Connected Championships -

Asian-Pacific Le Mans Series
American Le Mans Series
Le Mans Endurance Series
FIA World GT Championship
FIA European GT2 Championship

2-7 would make up the LMS*
1 and 8 are apart of the ALMS
9 and 10 are apart of the Asian Le Mans Series

FIA World GT would effectively have two 24 hour races (Spa and Le Mans)

I totally agree this is the WAY forward. It connects all the series together, we have basically ONE SET OF RULES.

This makes the for three specularity LARGE events with Sebring, Le Mans, Petit, with some classic well attended events like Spa and Silverstone.

We could build a far STRONGER championship this way and make all the connected series stronger by connecting it all together with web sites, internet TV and World Wide Feed for some of the series.

We as fans should all push for this format...

agreed. id love this. although, we might as well call it the World Sports Car Championship, we badly need a championship like that back! this is definatly the way foward, now we just need the ACO to scrap those stupid rules that will basically mean coupes arent viable!!

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Originally Posted by UltimateDanGTR

agreed. id love this. although, we might as well call it the World Sports Car Championship, we badly need a championship like that back! this is definatly the way foward, now we just need the ACO to scrap those stupid rules that will basically mean coupes arent viable!!

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What the ACO largely does with rules as much to do with what OEM's want. I think Audi since they built both and found because of how the rules were built a roadster. Peugeot looking to connect back to the street cars built a coupe for the same reasons they wanted to take advantage of the rules as well.

Toyota I believe has no interests in building a roadster either and when they return (not if) it will be a Coupe and they will tell the ACO as much.

I am not really concerned about the current rules package as this is a lame duck season upcoming. The big changes are to come next year or as the economic situation improves (ie: more car sales).

I think the schedule rolls out quite well and I don't care what you call it, it strikes the perfect balance with importance and unlike NASCAR, Indy Car and F1 in which you really only have ONE signature event (Monaco, Indy 500, Daytona 500), with this you would have three -

Sebring, Le Mans and Petit and you would largely have many of the same players in at all three events.

This keeps large events well attended and keeps over interest in all series up by offering to fill holes in other schedules. For instance, after Sebring there is no race for up to 4 weeks, but the LMS run Paul Ricard in that time frame and the FIA World GT has a race in that time frame as well.

After that, there's roughly a race every 2-3 weeks somewhere in all three series. The Asian series if proven well attended (as Super GT has problems with car counts) could see an expansion of schedule by 2012 or 2013 which might bring its race number up to 5-6.

The downside however is that major manufactures might opt to only follow the European series as it would cut down on cost, but the lure of double points at Sebring and Petit would bring them to America and further incentive to enter the Asian series would bring them to Japan/China/Middle East.

They then would avoid most of the LMS and ALMS until fortunes improved (car sales). From there they might have "Satellite" teams in the US and Europe for the rest of those series but I don't think that will happen until 2012 or later.

I have a few objections. One...lol..Mosport didn't make the list. Two, one race every 3 weeks isn't really keeping the racing on the radar of anyone but hardcore fans. I would like to see maybe a 15 race run with a cluster of events running almost every week during the summer. Three....I just doubt the ability of the manufacturers to really support this series and stay involved in LMS, AsianLMS and the ALMS. Will they support the subseries and this superseries? Or will they concentrate on one or the other.

A major sponsor, maybe some incentives to stay involved would be great, but this economy wont make that likely, and since manufacturers are in this for the marketing, not the money, not sure there is any incentive for anyone but the privateers if there was a major sponsor.

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Originally Posted by Mark in Oshawa

I have a few objections. One...lol..Mosport didn't make the list. Two, one race every 3 weeks isn't really keeping the racing on the radar of anyone but hardcore fans. I would like to see maybe a 15 race run with a cluster of events running almost every week during the summer. Three....I just doubt the ability of the manufacturers to really support this series and stay involved in LMS, AsianLMS and the ALMS. Will they support the subseries and this superseries? Or will they concentrate on one or the other.

A major sponsor, maybe some incentives to stay involved would be great, but this economy wont make that likely, and since manufacturers are in this for the marketing, not the money, not sure there is any incentive for anyone but the privateers if there was a major sponsor.

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I never said it was perfect..lol

Mosport is later in the season, you would have to move it. I'm fine with...

I too agree you need to have races at least every 2 weeks, as Cup races every week and has all the rumor and drama to go with it from Monday to Saturday to keep fan interest HIGH.

Not saying attention spans are short, I just believe people in America and elsewhere are use to their sports during the season being on every single week or every other week, not every 3-4 weeks or have 3-4 or more gaps between events.

That is complete nonsense a professional team can not turnaround a car car run at Sebring in less than 2 weeks. White Lighting not only got a new Ferrari after St Pete, they had it decal'ed and ready to race by Long Beach 10 days later and won 2 weeks later at Utah...

The relaxed pace in the schedule to be honest is to accommodate people that don't race for a living. Well if you can't be there for every race there are plenty of talented drivers to take your place.

ALMS I think will be 10 races in 2011 (Detroit) and maybe 12 races by 2012

Not sure how we would get to 15, but until they get a package that's on almost every weekend....

Why not just scrap the (in my opinion silly) idea of having all these series and just have one massive world championship...the Le Mans Series.

My concern with having these proposed 10 world championship races is that I would no longer see the motivation for any teams to run the entire ALMS schedule (or any others). I would be affraid to see what the entry list would be like fora race like Lime Rock...a 10 race world championship warrents the other series shut down to form one big international championship.

My proposed new Le Mans Series would be something like this:

12 Hours of Sebring
4 hours Road America
6 hours Laguna Seca
4 hours Mosport
Petit Le Mans
12 hoursNürburgring
8 hours Spa
4 hours Silverstone
6 hours Monza
2 races from the Asian Le Mans Series
24 hours of Le Mans

I wish it would happen, but there is no force driving all of the worlds of Sportscars together. The old championship of makes idea is one I would endorse...

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Originally Posted by Mark in Oshawa

I wish it would happen, but there is no force driving all of the worlds of Sportscars together. The old championship of makes idea is one I would endorse...

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Well, Stephane Ratel thinks much the same way — http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/81812

Having two 1 Hour races is most certainly not the way to go. Big mistake, methinks. GT and Endurance go together......

Apart from the Spa 24 Hours, the rest of the races should be over 3 hours/500km. And really, I'd prefer GT2 cars to be the top class.

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Originally Posted by Mark in Oshawa

I have a few objections. One...lol..Mosport didn't make the list.

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Absolutely. Sportscars should in my view go to circuits like Mosport, Road America and Phillip Island. Ones that are brilliant but that F1 would never go to without butchering.

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Originally Posted by Mark in Oshawa

I have a few objections. One...lol..Mosport didn't make the list.

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Why did IMSA shorten the races in the 1980s?

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Originally Posted by AndyRAC

Having two 1 Hour races is most certainly not the way to go. Big mistake, methinks. GT and Endurance go together......

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I basically agree. I can see Ratel's point absolutely, but while shorter races are fine in formulae where the racing is close and exciting, GTs or other forms of sportscars are another matter.

I'm for anything that raises the profile of sports car racing globally, and especially in the U.S. I'm not sure if or when this will be seen in the U.S. (please, let it not be on Versus!), but maybe the FIA GT1 World Championship will be a good start.

Of course, my only (major) gripe is that Jaguar isn't in the mix. :p : But from the list, it looks like there will be some very interesting vehicles in there.

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Six manufacturers and twelve teams will line-up to contest the inaugural season, Aston Martin, Corvette, Ford, Lamborghini, Maserati and Nissan will each supply two private teams with two cars, making up a grid.of 24 GT1 super-cars. The series will be the FIA's only world championship aimed soley at private teams, a move designed to keep control of costs.

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FIA launch GT1 World Championship

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Originally Posted by wedge

Why did IMSA shorten the races in the 1980s?

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TV....and costs. IMSA runs all the ALMS events outside of Sebring and Petit to fit in a 3 hour TV window at 2:45. THAT ensures a lead in show and the winner's circle at the end. When you are buying TV time, extra hours cost money AND the teams also know the extra hours are expensive, and you see only 2 long events on the sched for that reason.

For most sportscar events, I think 3 hours is a fine distance.....but I do like the idea of 2 to 4 events like LeMans, Sebring, Petit, and maybe a 6 hour race some place.

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Originally Posted by Mark in Oshawa

TV....and costs. IMSA runs all the ALMS events outside of Sebring and Petit to fit in a 3 hour TV window at 2:45. THAT ensures a lead in show and the winner's circle at the end. When you are buying TV time, extra hours cost money AND the teams also know the extra hours are expensive, and you see only 2 long events on the sched for that reason.

For most sportscar events, I think 3 hours is a fine distance.....but I do like the idea of 2 to 4 events like LeMans, Sebring, Petit, and maybe a 6 hour race some place.

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Ah, I've wondered why the short races are run 2hr 45mins.

It's a good mix of race distances. I would love to see a 6hr race at Millers.

I don't care what the schedule is or how it gets done, only that it gets done. Le Mans NEEDS a world championship, and the sooner it gets done the better!