September « 2010 « Baltimore Grand Prix

Archive for September, 2010

Petit Le Mans – from a great pedigree

Posted by Jason on Tuesday, September 28th, 2010

This coming Saturday will play host to the nations premier, most innovative and technologically advanced sport car race of the season! Utilizing five different types of “green” energy while encouraging and motivating teams to compete as environmentally friendly as possible, the American Le Mans Series is the only racing league officially recognized by the EPA, DOE and SAE as a green racing league. …and in 2011, they’ll be racing through the downtown streets of Baltimore!

A little history: (below; 1928 24 Hours of Le Mans)

A loooong time ago an organization called the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO), or Car Club from the West, was good enough to establish the greatest endurance car race of it’s day…and to this day…the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Through the years there’s been many changes to the cars, rules, drivers, teams.. but the passion to contend and glory reaped from even competing at this great event, is as fabulous as ever. Petit Le Mans is a direct descendant of this grand father of racing as a part of the American Le Mans Series.

This 2010 season is different and exciting as it bears introduction of the Petit Le Mans into the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup (ILMC) while remaining an integral part of the ALMS. The ILMC is a three-endurance-race challenge including the 1000km of Silverstone, the 1000km of Zhuhai and the Petit Le Mans, truly solidifying the Petit Le Mans as an international venue. 2011 ILMC plans call for these three races plus the 12 Hours of Sebring, 1000km of Spa, 1000km of Fuji and no doubt..the 24 Hours of Le Mans! If there ever was a global racing league capable of rivaling the likes of F1, this might be it. We can only wait and see what the future may bring. To have a piece of this kind of very prestigious heritage come to our great city is nothing shy of a great honor.

Jason

jschiavone@baltimoregp.com

www.baltimoregrandprix.com

Posted in ALMS | 4 Comments »

Petit Le Mans grid scheduled to be one of the strongest yet!

Posted by Jason on Tuesday, September 21st, 2010

The international 13th annual Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta is scheduled to host the largest field of sports cars in the American Le Mans Series in more than seven years! The largest compilation of full-season cars will be present in addition to multiple international and debuting teams for the prestigious 1,000 mile endurance race. As of today, 45 cars between LMP1, LMP2, LMPC, GT2, GT Hybrid and GTC make up the grid on the 2+ mile Road Atlanta Course. I’ve been told a 45 car field is pretty big for the track at Road Atlanta, so watch out…things might get a little hairy!

The worlds diesel power battle will resume between the Peugeot and Audi LMP1 cars for the first time in North America this season. The diesel powered prototypes seem to be in a class of their own. Hopefully next season we’ll see more of, at least the Audi LMP1 cars throughout the ALMS…inspiring to see run.

We’ll also see the Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid and Panoz Abruzzi run the course for the first time. The Hybrid may be in a class of it’s own but don’t be surprised when it’s leading the pack! Also look out for second-car efforts by Jaguar RSR, Robertson Racing with the Doran-Ford GT and Intersport Racing in LMPC. Two-car teams of course equate to increased expenses but hey…can you really put a price on a good time or better chance at winning! Especially considering how close the points standings are in every class; the championships are there for the taking!

Jason

jschiavone@baltimoregp.com

www.baltimoregrandprix.com

Posted in ALMS | No Comments »

Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid scheduled to compete at Petit Le Mans

Posted by Jason on Tuesday, September 14th, 2010

One of the more significant characteristics of the American Le Mans Series is the perfect platform it presents for manufacturers to develop and test the very automobiles we drive. Through the rigors and perseverance of racing, some of the worlds top auto manufacturers are presented with a very unique opportunity. They’re permitted to compete in a global arena while developing technology to supply you and I with more efficient, safer and better cars….also faster! Take a look below at one of the newest ALMS stars…

This is Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid Race Car! It has two electric motors, each producing 60 kilowatts to supplement the 480hp produced by the naturally-aspirated gas powered engine. It utilizes a highly innovative kinetic energy recovery system (KERS). Power is generated under braking, stored and then supplied to the wheels under acceleration, reducing fuel consumption. What does this mean?…overall reduction in fossil fuel consumption and minimizing environmental impact!

This car is a shining example of how environmentally friendly auto racing can be without sacrificing performance. It effectively demonstrated it’s ability at the 24 hour Nurburgring Race earlier this season as it led the overall classification for 8 hours…very successful!

The Hybrid Porsche will not be the only new-comer at Petit Le Mans. Both the diesel-powered Audis and Peugeots are expected to compete. Ford GT cars, Jaguar RSR’s, and a Judd-powered Pescarolo LMP2 car will be interesting additions as well. The new Panoz Abruzzi “Spirit of Le Mans” is expected to be present in some capacity as well; is it supposed to be racing or just there for show? Either way, it looks awesome! This will undoubtedly be the highlight of the 2010 North American racing season and we can’t wait!

Jason

jschiavone@hotmail.com

www.baltimoregrandprix.com

Posted in ALMS | 2 Comments »

Scott Atherton and the American Le Mans Series part of the Baltimore Grand Prix!!

Posted by Jason on Tuesday, September 7th, 2010

The Baltimore City Inner Harbor was filled with excitement and support last Wednesday! Scott Atherton (CEO of the ALMS), Mayor Rawlings-Blake and Baltimore Racing Development finally made the long awaited announcement that the American Le Mans Series will be participating in the Baltimore Grand Prix!! http://americanlemans.com/primary1.php?cat=news|15233

Mr. Atherton made it clear that he’s very excited about bringing his series to Baltimore for many reasons. Street races, for one, just make for a venue full of spectator thrills to which a road course just can’t compete. As a fan you’ll have an opportunity to see a world class race from just about every perspective. Mr. Atherton also pointed out the great success ALMS and IndyCar have experienced when working together, “this is an example of 1 + 1 equaling 3.” His point was that, comparable to the Toyota Long Beach Grand Prix, when ALMS and Indy race at the same venue, they see a better turn out of fans than either series would see on its own. The reasoning is simple; more people show up if they know they’re going to see at least two feature events as opposed to one. And he’s right! This is one of the primary reasons the Long Beach Grand Prix is going on its 37^th season.

I was also fortunate enough to be able to spend most of the day with Johnny O’Connell; GM/Corvette factory driver, ALMS superstar and 4 time 24 Hours of Le Mans Champion! It’s pretty ridiculous to imagine winning the 24 Hours once, but to do it 4 times….it doesn’t happen! He was awesome, very cool guy, real down to Earth. I gave him a tour of our in-progress street course. He said it looked great. I don’t know that he would have told me it looked boring even if he thought it did, but nonetheless, he sounded very optimistic about the whole thing. “As long as you can get the surface smooth, this will make for a great course.” He also noted, there’s, wide, safe passing areas, some high speed turns, fast straights and even a little elevation change. Not to mention the incredible downtown views! So everyone knows I’m a BMW fan but…I may have to cheer for Johnny at Petit Le Mans as well! You can definitely see more of the afternoon and the press conference video footage on our website.

So not too far from now will be the highlight of the 2010 American Le Mans Series; the Petit Le Mans! October 2nd at Road Atlanta will be the final race of the 2010 American Le Mans Series! The field will be packed with close to 50 cars including the diesel powered Audi and Peugeot LMP1 cars! In the GT class Team and Manufacturers Championships, first place is by no means wrapped up. Porsche has a hair of lead over BMW and Ferrari with Corvette Racing not far behind. They might as well all be tied at this point also considering that whoever wins at Petit Le Mans automatically gets the invite to the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2011! Look for teams to pull out all the stops!