The ALMS-Grand Am Merger

When Pilote began making tenative plans to attend the ALMS round at Road America next year, little did he know he'd be attending a wake.  Yesterday Speed.com reported that ALMS will merge with Grand Am in 2014.  Today they reported that "the class structure is to be decided, especially as it relates to the LeMans classes."  And it seems clear enough from the reporting that Don Panoz "is selling what is left of ALMS," as Dave Despain put it, to the France family interests, not merging.  If there is a consolidated 18-race schedule Stateside, it is hard to imagine the teams taking a month off to prepare for Le Mans.  Bye-bye Le Mans GT rules.

This is sad news.  Apparently we'll have a sort of Trans-Am running with Daytona Prototypes.  I'm guessing three classes: small bore and big bore GT's, and Daytona Prototypes.  Farewell BMW and Ferrari, most likely.  The US is Corvette's biggest market, so they're in, even if it takes a new car (which will probably be cheaper and simpler to build anyway).  The next gen Mustang is rumored to have independent rear suspension, so hello Mustang.  Porsche seems to be able to come up with a 911 for any occasion, so they're probably in.

I get antsy when the NASCAR influence gets anywhere near the racing I love.  It's never about technology and courses; it's always about "parity" enforced with a heavy hand and "the show."  It says something about both series that ALMS couldn't get a TV contract and Grand Am couldn't get spectators at its events.  Watching ALMS on ESPN3 has been delightful: really good race and color announcing.  I've never had the slightest desire to watch a Grand Am race in person.

I suppose Grand Am will try to bury Sebring with the 24 Hours of Daytona, and for me personally, Sebring would be no great loss.  (Panoz retains ownership of Sebring and Road Atlanta.  Maybe Sebring will hobble on with the European teams using it as a tune up for Le Mans, as they always have.)  Not that Daytona has ever been a great race: it's just a long one on a mickey-mouse course.  Some suggest that dual bills with IndyCar are possible for the "great" courses like Road America.  (Watkins Glen is a natural fit with its NASCAR connection.)  But IndyCar runs dumb street courses 33% of the time and ovals another 33%.

My fear is that pro sports car racing will lose some great courses, like Lime Rock, Mosport, and Road Atlanta, and gain some turkeys like Belle Isle, Homestead, and New Jersey Motorsports Park.  And that we'll lose the high-tech variety in ALMS, and gain "spec" GT racers.  And, "for the sake of the show" (and the TV contract), races longer than 2 hours will disappear.  The long ALMS races are the best ones.

The merger makes perfect economic sense.  There's no more room in North America for two front-rank pro sports car series than there was for two front-rank open wheel series.  But I'm glad I'll get to see two ALMS races on two of the great courses before it disappears.  

Would you cross the street to see one of these race?  I wouldn't.

That's more like it...  Hail and farewell, ALMS GT