Two weeks ago in Baltimore, the world of
sports car racing was rocked by the news that the American Le Mans Series and
Grand Am Road Racing were “merging,” before details were revealed that showed
this was one of those “don’t-call-it-a-buyout” buyouts. In the short time
since, countless experts – including a few who actually know enough to speak
intelligently on the subject – have weighed-in on what it all means; for the
combined series promoters, for the teams and manufacturers, the sponsors, and
the fans.
The dust still has yet to settle, and the
chatter remains: Is it good news? Is it bad news? The press conference on
September 5th left open far more questions than it answered, but the
inside line suggests this much: Come what may, the combining of the two series
was probably the eventual outcome with the least amount of fallout (both
economically and politically) for all those involved, as both groups had spent
some 13 years fighting over a decreasing slice of the motorsports pie. NASCAR
Holdings simply took the textbook corporate approach: If you can’t beat ‘em,
buy ‘em. No matter your take on the acquisition, it’s just one big wait-and-see
for the next year or so – and there’s lots of racing to be done before the end
of 2013.
This brings us, of course, to this weekend’s
first-ever appearance of the ALMS at Virginia International Raceway, quite
possibly the most astute definition of the word “bucolic” as you’ll find applied to an American racing circuit. The track is
wrapped in Southern charm, and proudly bills itself what the late Paul Newman
described as “heaven on Earth.” In basic terms,
VIR is 3.27 miles of rolling hills, fast straights, one big beautiful oak tree,
and as many turns as Sebring. It’s hard to ignore the red clay and down-home
feel reminiscent of Road Atlanta – albeit with some uncommonly swank trackside
accommodations for the “coffee on the balcony overlooking a motoring paradise”
set.
With ALMS, of course, comes a huge crowd. By
Saturday morning, overflow parking was loading up, and several track workers
and local volunteers around the circuit were overheard stating “I’ve never seen
so many people in all my life!” Not “people at the track,” but “people.” For a
group putting on what had to be by far its biggest show ever, the friendly
staff at VIR did a commendable job of keeping things moving along.
As has been the case for a few years now, the
real show in ALMS is the absolutely fierce competition in GT class – and
Corvette Racing was able to use the four-hour event to lock up the manufacturer
and driver’s championships for the year, while class-winning driver Oliver
Gavin celebrated his 100th series start: “For me, my 100th race,
to win the race and win the championships, driver’s,
team, and manufacturer, I don't think there is anything else I could have done
today… We made our own luck. We clambered and put our self in the right
position. We executed that 4 times this year, that’s why we won the
championship.”
The series’ LMP1 class is set to enter the final round of
the season at Petit Le Mans with the title still undecided. Greg Pickett’s
Muscle Milk Racing Honda once again had the speed, and without the tight course
and concrete barriers of Baltimore’s street circuit, Lucas Luhr and Klaus Graf
were able to keep the nose clean and sprint to victory. The two-car Dyson
Racing Lola/Mazda team, however, were never quite up to speed. Dyson used the
VIR race to debut it’s “Flybrid” KERS system, which with the season nearing its
end and the championship still within reach, seems quite a gamble. The KERS “works
efficiently,” according to Chris Dyson, “when
it’s working.” He added that the system is
still in the early stages of development, and that it will return in the car at
Petit Le Mans.
The grid at Petit, of course, has been hurt by the loss of
the WEC sanction – though it’s also being bolstered somewhat by the addition of
some entries coming over from the now-cancelled (or “on hiatus”) European Le
Mans Series – which was utterly decimated by Euro-based teams flocking to the
FIA-sanctioned series. To anyone who just plain loves sports car racing,
however, Petit Le Mans is the last race of the year that matters.
That’s it for now; I’ll see you at the next pit stop.
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