Motorsports ALMS

The American Le Mans Series and Grand-Am have decided on a name for their newly-merged series, United SportsCar Racing, and will become official when the two organizations begin racing together in 2014.

With the recent debut of the Z4 GTE race car, a replacement for the M3 GT in the American Le Mans Series, BMW is now showcasing the new model in a stunning video.

BMW has revealed its Z4 GTE race car that will compete in the 2013 ALMS season, replacing the BMW M3 GT car that is retiring from competition.

Two factory backed SRT Viper GTS-Rs will be competing at this year’s 24 hours of Le Mans, marking the return of the brand to the iconic French race.

When the Rolex 24 at Daytona kicks off in 2014, American Le Mans Series (ALMS) and Grand-Am will be running under one banner for the first time in history.

Aston Martin has announced its U.S. plans for the 2013 race season, teaming up with The Racers Group (TRG) to bring 10 new race cars for the upcoming motorsport season.

BMW has confirmed that it will return to the American Le Mans Series in 2013 with a new GTE-class Z4, scheduled to debut at the Twelve Hours of Sebring in March 2013.

Mazda is no stranger to motorsports, and following the recent unveiling of the Diesel Mazda6, the company announced that it will be taking its midsized diesel sedan to the racetrack during the 2013 Grand-Am series.

Nissan’s DeltaWing racecar and the victory that almost wasn’t.

Despite suffering a nasty crash yesterday, the Nissan DeltaWing will run this weekend at Road Atlanta. 

Nissan’s experimental race car just crashed again, this time while preparing for this week’s Petit Le Mans race at Road Atlanta. 

One of the main concerns with the recent American Le Mans Series (ALMS) and Grand-Am merger was the involvement and relationship with the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO), which is the organizing entity behind the 24 Hours of Le Mans. That can be put to rest however, as the organizations met with one another to find a way to put it all together.

Corvette Racing capped off a very successful 2012 American Le Mans Series (ALMS) campaign with a victory at Virginia International Raceway.

After an unfortunate accident took the Nissan Delta Wing out of the running at 24 hours of Le Mans back in June, the company has announced that the next race for the experimental race car will be at Petit Le Mans, held every year at the Road Atlanta race course. 

Fans of the American Le Mans Series and motorsports in general may be weary of Grand Am’s acquisition of ALMS, but if there’s any hope to be had that top quality motorsports will remain on the North American continent it’s that automakers are supporting the merger.

Later today, details of the Grand-Am and ALMS series merger will be official, with the two series racing under one banner starting in the 2014 season.

The biggest news in motorsports this weekend is not the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix or NASCAR, but reports that the American Le Mans Series and the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series will merge shortly, combining both series under a single race banner. 

This probably wasn’t the way SRT was hoping its third ALMS race would go. After the Vipers got a weight break and a larger air restrictor, the two car team was looking forward to an improved race weekend.

For decades, Dindo Capello and Audi have terrorized the race tracks, claiming victory after victory, but the 48-year-old Italian driver has decided to step down from prototype racing.

We are probably more excited than SRT is for the Viper’s return to the American Le Man Series, but the brand and its race team has finally announced that the GTS-R will make it highly anticipated race debut at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge from August 2 through 4.

Earlier in April, SRT revealed its Viper GTS-R race car that is destined to return to the American Le Mans Series this year and now we know when.

When the SRT Viper debuted, automotive enthusiasts worldwide had huge smiles on their faces. But when the SRT Viper GTS-R debuted alongside the production model, racing enthusiasts worldwide had to pick their jaws up off the floor.

Patrick Dempsey, known for his acting role on the medical drama television show Grey’s Anatomy, is set to compete in his first American Le Mans Series race this weekend at Laguna Seca raceway.

Dyson Racing, reigning American Le Mans Series (ALMS) LMP1 champion team, will take possession of the first production Caterham SP/300.R over a year after it was revealed in partnership with Lola Racing.

Final assembly of the SP/300.R will take place at Dyson Racing’s facility in New York, where they are also the official U.S. distributor for Caterham Cars. The first production model will be used as the company’s demonstration cars with several more production models heading to America in a few weeks.

Dyson Racing played a pivotal role in developing the SP/300.R race car, sending former Le Mans 24 hour winner Guy Smith and its technical director, Peter Weston, out to Caterham’s test sessions during product development. The goal of the Caterham race car is to mirror the technology and appearance of the Lola Le Mans prototype, but in a more affordable fashionable.

“Like many of our customers, we can’t wait to get our hands on the SP/300.R. As in the UK, the popularity of track day driving is rocketing and the new vehicle is ideal for anybody who wants a reliable and cost-effective vehicle with very serious but accessible performance,” said Chris Dyson, Dyson Racing Team Vice President and Sporting Director.

Check out two videos on the Caterham SP/300.R after the break.

Yes, the Viper is back and with its debut SRT boss Ralph Gilles announced another surprise: it’s returning not just to the street, but also to the race track.

It is easily the most winning American sports car, having clocked wins on national and international circuits. Corvette’s have been particularly competitive at the 12-Hours of Sebring race. Since its first race outing in 1956, 231 Corvette’s have competed at Sebring, 24 of which have won class or outright victories at this track.

Everyone loves free stuff, especially when it’s a free car. It’s even better when that car is a brand new 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera. To kick off the 2012 ALMS season, Falken Tire launched a giveaway on its Facebook page where you simply have to “Like” the company and then compete on a Falken-branded racetrack in CityVille for a chance to win the 911.

The next generation of Chevy Corvette C6.Rs will make their racing debut at the upcoming 12 Hours of Sebring race. The newest C6.R race car will feature a widebody based on the ZR1, but will be powered by a naturally-aspirated 5.5-liter V8.

Originally designed to be an innovative replacement for the IZOD Indy Car race series, this futuristic race car seems to have a found some new life. Originally, it was rejected by the Indy Car series, who opted to go with the tried and tested (boring) choice of the old Dallara chassis, but Nissan Europe has given us new hope.

Soon Toyota, Nissan and Porsche came up with their own Le Mans GT1 contenders. However, the rules at the time said that in order to participate in this category, the manufacturer must build 25 road-going examples of the race cars they are competing with. Toyota and Nissan found out their race car wasn’t fast enough to win, so didn’t bother making any road cars (although Nissan did produce two R390 super cars for the streets).

Porsche headed out to Sebring Raceway in Florida to put its new 2012 911 GT3 RSR race cars to the test ahead of their scheduled racing debut at the 60th Anniversary Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.

North of the border automotive retail giant Canadian Tire has announced a long-term partnership with Mosport International Raceway. The famed motor racing circuit located near Bowmanville, Ontario, east of Toronto, hosts the only Canadian round of the American Le Mans Series (shown above).

For its return to North American racing, Aston Martin has teamed up with Multimatic Motorsports, which are based in Toronto, Canada. The lead car in this endurance race will be driven by Scott Maxwell and Joe Foster, while the second car will be piloted by Hollywood star Patrick Dempsey, who has proven over the years that he is a very accomplished racing driver. For this inaugural event, Dempsey will be teamed-up with Chriss Porritt, Aston Martin’s chief engineer, who is very experienced with the Vantage GT4.

Porsche has put to motion an international Youth Development Programme to foster young drivers as the German automaker prepares an expansion of its racing involvement and its entry into the LMP1 class at Le Mans for 2014.

Porsche is determined to improve their hybrid technologies and the best place to do that is on the race track. For the 2012 race season, Porsche has further developed its 911 GT3 R Hybrid race car, and will be putting it to the test once again. Exactly where or when, however, has not been revealed.

Audi‘s LMP team is coming back to the United States, debuting the R18 TDI in American soil for the first time and challenging for victory at the Petit Le Mans race at Road Atlanta.

Porsche‘s updated GT3 R Hybrid made its North American debut this weekend at the American Le Mans Series race at Laguna Seca and the folks at Porsche couldn’t be happier. Well, that’s not exactly true. They’d be a lot happier if the car had been racing for points.

Any Lotus enthusiast will tell you that the brand would be wise to stop pumping resources into Formula 1 and IndyCar, an instead get more heavily involved in road racing. After all, in many respects it represents a better bang-for-the-buck for the marketing folks, with a direct correlation between the cars that race and the cars sold through dealers.

Porsche is about to unleash a very different type of hybrid on the residents of California, announcing plans to have the GT3 R Hybrid race car take part in the American Le Mans Series race at Laguna Seca on September 17th.

The bright yellow Corvette Racing C6.Rs may have raced to victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but the team’s efforts at home have been met with less spectacular results. To be fair, Corvette Racing cars have landed a spot on the podium twice this season, but the team has also suffered some major setbacks in other races. As perhaps a sign that Corvette Racing may reclaim some of its former glory the No. 4 car of Oliver Gavin and Jan Magnussen finally clinched the top spot on the podium at the Grand Prix of Mosport over the weekend.

This is the only race series around the world in which four different types of fuels are being used, namely E10, E85, diesel and isobutanol. Also, apart from the result of championship points given to teams and drivers respective of their finish in the race, ALMS also awards a championship within a championship to the greenest team on the grid.

“The partnership between ALMS and SCCA is a very natural one,” said Scott Atherton the president and CEO of ALMS. “The majority of ALMS fans are auto enthusiasts, many of them wondering how they can become more involved in motorsports at a grassroots level; the SCCA is the ideal place to start that journey. Similarly, we believe SCCA members have a deep appreciation for our sport and hope all of them will take full advantage of the fan-centered opportunities the ALMS offers.”

On their Twitter and Facebook pages, you’ll be able to get real-time video and telemetry of the race as it happens, so fans can feel closer to the action, even if they weren’t able to travel to France in time for this weekend’s race. Fans can tune into www.twitter.com/Audi__Sport and www.facebook.com/AudiSport to get all the action. Plus the free “Audi Sport” iPhone app will offer a live ticker.

Michael Waltrip is said to be racing at Le Mans this June, becoming the latest in a succession of stock car drivers to try their hand at the grueling 24 hour race.

One of the leading teams in the American Le Mans Series has published a tactful but strongly worded essay taking the ALMS to task for failing to secure a proper live television deal for the 2011 season, when the race series has previously been able to secure such a contract.