PEACE IN OUR TIME OR DEATH OF A SOLDIER: US SPORTSCAR RACING TO ‘MERGE”

The Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO), organisers of the Le Mans 24 Hour classic and the World Endurance Championship, have welcomed the planned "merger" between American sportscar groups GRAND-AM and the American Le Mans Series. In a statement issued today The Automobile Club said that the merger, "will increase the already large audience for endurance racing in North America and at the same time boost its international impact." In its role as creator and organiser of the Le Mans 24 Hours since 1923 and promoter of the FIA World Endurance Championship, the ACO will play an active role in the development of this new championship. The ACO has been a major player in endurance on the North-American continent and it launched the ALMS with its partner Don Panoz in 1999, after the creation of the Petite Le Mans race in 1998 on the Road Atlanta circuit in Georgia. In 2013, the American Le Mans Series and GRAND-AM will continue to run separately like in previous seasons. The details of this unified series under the same banner will be announced later on by the promoters of this new championship. It will begin with the 52nd Rolex Daytona 24 Hours in 2014.

ALMS RIP 1999 - 2013

A news conference at Daytona Beach this Thursday morning Australian time, looks set to signal the end of the American Le Mans Series. Although reported as a merger, the announcement will see NASCAR take total control of the ALMS including the purchase of their two main racetracks, Sebring and Road Atlanta. The new combined series is expected to kick off in 2014 to give ALMS teams time to sell their current cars and to fulfil an existing contract with the ACO, organisers of the Le Mans 24 hour race. It is believed that the new series will see the lower tech Daytona Prototypes replace the International LMP cars as the series leading class. Some sort of merger involving the successful GTE class from the ALMS will see those cars continue to race, possibly alongside Grand-Am's existing GT class. Grand-Am officials recently attended the World Endurance Championship round at Silverstone for talks with WEC and ACO officials. The death of the American Le Mans series is sad day for lovers of international sportscar racing, the series brought some of the world's best cars and teams to North America, and races like the Sebring 12 hour race and the Petite Le Mans have become major International events in their own right.

GAS A NATURAL FIT FOR PATRICK RACING

Taking the next big step to bringing natural gas to the American Le Mans Series, Patrick Racing has chosen Michigan-based Katech Engineering as its engine builder for the American Le Mans Series Prototype Challenge Class (LMPC) cars starting in the 2013 season. "This is a key step forward for the program," said Patrick Racing's Jim McGee, who is heading the technical and engineering management for the historic program. "Katech offered us exactly what we needed, drawing on their expertise with the ALMS series, its teams, owners and demands. As the builders of the Chevrolet LS3 engine currently used in the LMPC cars, Katech brings a level of knowledge that offers a perfect match to partner with us for this new class of natural gas-powered engines." Stephen Chue, President and Technical Director of Katech, welcomed the announcement and looks forward to his team taking on the project. "We are honored to be a part of this historic initiative," said Chue. "As consumers struggle with heightened fuel prices and being held hostage by off-shore suppliers, the move to natural gas is going to be significant--and our Katech team is ready to prove its viability and reliability. Our mission is to illustrate the relevance of developing natural gas applications in motorsports to what we drive every day."

THE OTHER 24 HOURS OF LE MANS

The Le Mans 24 hours may be over for another year but the sound of racing engines will once again fill the air around the Circuit d ‘le Sarthe this weekend with the Le Mans Classic. Organised biennially, ‘Le Mans Classic’ is one of the highlights of the international historic motorsport calendar. More than 400 cars appear [...]

LE MANS 2012 AUDI’S, AUSSIES AND SHAKA PONK

Audi have created motorsport history by becoming the first manufacturer to take a hybrid powered car to victory in the world's leading sports car race, the 24-hour of Le Mans. The team's number one R18 e-tron quattro driven by Andre Lotterer, Marcel Fassler and local driver Benoit Treluyer won the classic event for the second year in a row. They finished one lap ahead of team-mates Alan McNish, Tom Kristensen and birthday boy Dindo Cappello. It was  perfect one, two, three finish for the German marque with the non-hybrid R18 Ultra  of Oliver Jarvis, Marco Bonanomi and Mike Rockenfeller completing the podium. For Audi Motorsport boss Dr. Wolfgang Ulrich, the podium lockout was another significant milestone in his team's remarkable Le Mans history.

AUSSIE SPORTSCAR MAKES A SPLASH AT LE MANS

Among the many incredible sights and sounds of the 2012 Le Mans 24-hour race is one that you might not expect to see. Hidden away in the support paddock where only the bravest and most dedicated race fans dare to tread, is a car very familiar to most viewers of In Pit Lane. Western Australian driver and well-known historic racing enthusiast Paul Stubber has brought one of Australia's most famous and successful sports racing cars to the most famous sports car race in the world. The Veskanda dominated Australian Sportscar racing in the 1980's to the point that it effectively killed off the category down under. The car gained international attention when it ran at the ill-fated Sandown round of the world Endurance Championship where it took on the might of Mercedes, Porsche, and Jaguar. Built by South Australian company K&A engineering, best known for their Sports Sedan construction, the Chev powered coupe has been a well-known feature of local historic racing for several years. For Stubber, the chance to race this little piece of Aussie racing history at the world's most famous race circuit, was an opportunity far too good to miss.

MARTIN READY FOR LE MANS ASSAULT

Australian Driver John Martin will compete in the World's most prestigious motor race the Le Mans 24 Hours on June 16-17. The Queensland driver will join a surprisingly large number of Australians who have competed at the famous circuit in Western France. Names like Peter Brock, John Goss, Rusty French, and race winners Vern Schuppan (1983), Geoff Brabham (1993) and David Brabham (2009). “I’m really looking forward to racing at Le Mans." said Martin. "It hasn't really sunk in that I will be racing at one of the world's largest motorsport events." Martin, who celebrated his 28th birthday on June 8, just a week before the race, will team with Tor Graves and and the experienced Jan Charouz for the ADR-Delta team of expatriate Australian Alan Docking.

TEST DAY ACTION FROM LE MANS: Unoffical

AUDI STILL ON TOP BUT TOYOTA TEAM IMPRESSES

Alan McNish has set the fastest time at the  Le Mans test day, but Audi will leave the circuit with plenty to think about after several niggling mechanical problems and a crash to McNish late in the day. With a fastest lap of of 3m 25.927s, the Scotsman was half a second quicker than team-mate Andre Lotterer in the second Audi R18 e-tron quattro, which recorded a 3m26.468s. With the Hybrids on top in the intra team fight for the fastest lap it was Loic Duval who was the fastest non hybrid car with a 3m26.561. Again the main talking point in the second session was the speed of the new Toyota TS030 Petrol Hybrid. The car, driven by Alexander Wurz split the Audi R10 Ultras with a 3m27.204 in what was a most impressive debut.

TESTING TIMES AT LE MANS

The Le Mans 24 Hour race may still be some three weeks away, but the countdown to the World's most iconic Sportscar race begins in earnest this weekend with the annual ACO test day at the famous circuit. While Audi is expected to totally dominate the race with its twin pronged attack of the new Audi R18 e-tron quattro hybrid, and the more conventional R18 Ultra, most of the media attention at this year's race will focus on Japanese manufacturers. Toyota's return to the track after more than a decade has raised more questions than answers. The new TS030 is a Petrol Hybrid powered by a 3.4 litre normally aspirated V8. The engine is a proven quantity serving time in the rear of the Rebellion team LMP1 Lolas, and the hybrid system is also well developed, as used in the Lexus LFA which took a class victory in this year's Nurburgring 24 hour race.