My ALMS/Grand-Am Class Structure

The recent announcement of the merger of the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) with the Grand American Road Racing Series (Grand-Am ) beginning in 2014 was the event that has moved me to begin this blog. Endurance sports car racing has a long history, dating back to at least the first Le Mans 24-hour race in 1923. The core fan base of the sport (we are commonly known as "anoraks") are aware of this history and are generally quite knowledgeable about the cars, teams, drivers and venues of the sport. So, when a major change to "my" sport occurs, such as this merger, I am concerned that nothing is done to damage it. Since I have no real voice in the matter, I feel the need to put my opinions on the record somehow, hence this blog.

Presently (Sept. 2012) the ALMS has 5 separate classes of cars competing at the same time: LMP1, LMP2, GT (herein referred to as GTE to distinguish it from Grand-Am GT), LMPC, and GTC. Grand-Am has two classes: DP, and GT. In addition, Grand-Am has previously announced a new GX class for next year and at the merger press conference it was stated that the Deltawing was to be included in some way. That is too many classes. Obviously, things will have to change come 2014.

It has been suggested that LMP2 and DP be combined in a single class and that GTE and GT be similarly combined, then the performance be adjusted on the cars within each class. That would be a total mess and not easily done. The reason that different classes of race car exist is to provide rules for a level playing field: cars adhere to a common rule-set guiding their construction. Creating a combined class where the rules guiding construction are bifurcated is unfair and ill-advised. The common methods of “Balance of Performance” (BoP) (weight, intake restrictors, RPM limits) were intended for within-class BoP, not to balance separate classes, which LMP2 and DP certainly are. It would be unfair to have the DP compete against the faster LMP2 cars. An overweight, strangled LMP2 would not be very exciting. A pumped-up DP would still have major aerodynamic disadvantages to overcome. I propose to keep them separated into their own classes and perhaps evolve them into a single class in the future.

At the press conference announcing the merger it was stated that one priority was to keep a relationship to the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO, the sanctioning body of the 24 Hours of Le Mans) and a pathway to the Le Mans 24 open, at least for some classes. Another priority was to leave the highly competitive GTE (and ACO compliant) class largely as it is. If the new combined series organizers are serious about this, then it would not make sense to change the rules that allow that pathway for the LMP2 and GTE cars. This would also argue against combining GTE with GT as any BoP impacting the GTE cars would likely either make them non-compliant with ACO regulations or place and undue burden on the GT cars. The argument for keeping these classes separate is the same as the case for keeping LMP2 and DP separate: classes are there for a reason, you can't just throw BoP at them; it would endanger good-will among the teams and piss off the core fan base. Each class is in it's own race, let it go at that.

LMP1, the top class in the ALMS, WEC and Le Mans, is really only for factory teams. The ACO has deliberately structured it that way. Unless and until things change (factories sponsor multiple teams, rules change etc.) it doesn't seem to make any sense to keep them in this new series. Much as I love these cars, they just don't make much sense for privateers under the rules proposed for 2014, although both Porsche and Honda have expressed interest in producing cars for those rules along with Audi and Toyota. LMP1 car counts in the ALMS have fallen drastically (only two teams, three cars, as of this writing) since the current rules went into effect in 2010. Unless there is sufficient interest by the participating teams, I would eliminate LMP1 from the North American grid; the WEC can remain their playground. My hope is that someday LMP1 will return to North America.

The LMPC and GTC classes in the ALMS are recent additions to boost car counts. Both classes include spec cars and spec tires. They are viewed as developmental classes for prototype and GT class racing respectively. They have provided exciting racing and have served their purposes, but something has to give. To make room on the grid for the expanded North American series (I do wish it had a name), I would eliminate both of these classes or move them into a support series.

Here is my proposed preliminary class structure for 2014:

Le Mans Prototype: This class would track the LMP2 regulations as defined by the ACO to retain eligibility to run in the Le Mans 24 and the World Endurance Championship (WEC). This class would keep its Pro-Am driver restriction and open tire formula.

Daytona Prototype: Since this class is currently only supported in Grand-Am racing, it can evolve any way the sanctioning body wishes. Currently this class utilizes a spec tire from Continental.

Le Mans Grand Touring: This class would track the GTE regulations as defined by the ACO to retain eligibility to run in the Le Mans 24 and WEC. This class would keep an open tire formula.

Daytona Grand Touring: This class would include the current Grand-Am GT cars. While it currently includes both modified production cars and tube-frame silhouette cars, the class is unique to this series and uses a spec tire. It could evolve in any way the sanctioning body chooses.

The Deltawing is a single car and doesn't fit in any existing class. The GX class is currently undefined; the only particular known facts are that Mazda will supply their Skyactiv Diesel engine for it and  that Mazda will also supply that engine for the 2013 ALMS LMP2 campaign with Dempsey Racing. I'll pass on categorizing GX and the Deltawing for now, although I do have some ideas on those subjects.

Tires are often the single most important performance variable on any race car. The suspension and chassis are tuned to work with a particular tire or set of tires. Beyond performance, tire company sponsorship is a very important source of funding. Using a “spec” tire deprives teams of sponsorship opportunities. It can actually increase costs for a team that would otherwise be sponsored by a tire company. If a team aspires to race at Le Mans or in the WEC, they need to be as competitive as possible and car development is greatly dependent on their tires. Cars in development benefit greatly from collaboration with tire engineers that provide feedback to tire manufacture. For these reasons the Le Mans eligible classes should keep their open tire formula.

Beyond 2014 rules can change and the classes could evolve to further simplify the class structure. The GT class could become a more formal FIA GT3 class for example. There is some pull in that direction already. The teams currently running DP cars  may decide that they might be interested in Le Mans and switch to LMP2 machinery. There is some evidence that it costs less to run a cost-capped LMP2 car than a third generation DP car. The classes that run today should change over time; this first cut at merging two different series should take into account that racing is ever evolving, nothing remains static for too long.