Asian Le Mans Series

[rich07]

Well Dirk Muller will be driving with Team AAI in their BMW Z4 GT3 for at least the first two races.

http://www.dailysportscar.com/2015/0...lms-races.html

[Deleted]

13 cars on full season entry list
http://www.endurance-info.com/en/201...season-update/

Almost all of them are just standard GT3s, apart from (usual number of) two LMP2s and two LMP3s if I got it correctly. No CNs or other eglibles

Now you might think yourself "well that doesn't look too bad I guess and there seems to be even more teams coming in later and also on race-by-race basis" or some shiz, making it seem fairly positive particularly when comparing to 6 and 8 car fields of the past, but last year the so-called pre full season entry list had 15 cars...

[Ephaeton]

at some point ELMS got a turnaround, too, let's just hold a finger it's the same case here.

[Deleted]

Yeah but existing customer base, established market and familiar format was already there for the LMS, it was just that for 2012 LMS

a) WEC robbed more Euro teams than ILMC (and they also didn't come to integrate)
b) LMP1 had just been killed off so bye bye those numbers
c) LMPC Europe was already dying fast
d) There were no other filler classes like now (well not until GT3 was allowed midway)
e) Patrick Peter and gang presented seemingly unattractive proposition of events
f) Not sure if effected, but Ratel and probably others had pulled out from shareholders recently
g) International GT Open was seemingly on the (false) rise at the time = GTE loss

The AsLMS never had bases and demands in the first place

We'll see if its 5, 10, 15 or 20 at Fuji...

[rich07]

What are ARC Bratislava running? I'm guessing Porsche.

[Jam3s]

Perhaps if they hadn't scheduled it in a manner where only ELMS teams with access to a second car could enter Fuji, they would have found themselves in a better position. But as usual, "we are the ACO".

[Deleted]

Cyrille Taesch-Wahlen says that at least Algarve Pro and Eurointernational WILL be on Sepang grid. Why? They will pretty much lose the championship by not doing Fuji because of the stupid scheduling issue. Unless ACO again later throws in the "worst result will be dropped" -card like before when in panic. Which is always so great for the few teams already having committed for all

[Coach Ep]

Any unknown (or lesser known), obscure, non Tilkedrome track on the calendar? Loved the footage from the Okayama event a couple of years ago (well, 2009 actually so a long way back already...)!

[Deleted]

No after Inje was dropped from last year, every single track in all of AsLMS/ELMS/WEC is Grade 1 (apart from Sarthe of course), and in AsLMS it's fully Tilke's design office now. They will readd China next year but it's 99% gonna be just Shanghai again, not Zhuhai or some other.

Yes Okayama was awesome. My second fav in all of Japan (/Asia) after SUGO. Too bad no international series go there still not even the freaking WTCC.

[Coach Ep]

Ok, no need to follow this, ahem..., series then.

Edit: ELMS rounds at Imola, Red Bull Ring and Estoril are still enjoyable even though they're grade 1 as well ( I guess they're the exceptions to the rule), funny how they are able to put 3 of the better tracks in Europe into their compact, 5-races-only-calendar!

[Deleted]

Actually having mentioned the WTCC, there is much higher chance for them to rehit Okayama or some another exotic location sooner than these ACO series, since those vaccuum cleaner cars recently switched Suzuka to Motegi, and of course the late Nordschleife switch which came out of nowhere too. Though I guess no-one particularly cares about this fact

But yes if these "pyramid of endurance" bottom slot regional series were visiting tracks the royal WEC rolls its eyes over, they would have much more going for them, right?

[Akrapovic]

With AsLMS now being fully ACO operated, I'm hoping it'll pick up. If it does, more races in Japan and Australia would be popular.

[Hawkwood]

Originally Posted by Akrapovic

With AsLMS now being fully ACO operated, I'm hoping it'll pick up. If it does, more races in Japan and Australia would be popular.

What other traks are there in the region that could host races?
I know of Japanese and Chinese tracks, but what about somewhere like Sentul, Indonesia? Is that still in use and up-to-date?
And could Korea and India host a round?

Are there any others that could host a race?

[Deleted]

All of these but obviously the pool is now starting to drop with ACO favoring Grade 1 board wide

Grade 1
Fuji (--)
Suzuka
Sepang (--)
Chang (--)
Korea
Singapore
Shanghai
Buddh
Istanbul
Dubai
Losail
Bahrain
Yas Marina

Grade 2
SUGO
Okayama
Motegi
Autopolis
Tokachi
Chengdu
Zhuhai
Ordos
Inje

Grade 2 = LMP minimum
Grade 3 = LMGT minimum but obviously they aren't racing them separately

Sentul, some sources (old and new) say it's Grade 2, some 4. Here there's something about Tilke coming to town again ands Grade 1 butchering and whatever http://mobilinanews.com/post/hermann...s-fia-grade-a/

[Ephaeton]

Originally Posted by Hawkwood

What other traks are there in the region that could host races?
I know of Japanese and Chinese tracks, but what about somewhere like Sentul, Indonesia? Is that still in use and up-to-date?
And could Korea and India host a round?

Are there any others that could host a race?

Let's assume at least any grade one or grade two track qualifies, that would currently mean:
Grade 1:

• Albert Park (AUS)
• Bahrain (BHR)
• Buriram (THA)
• Dubai (ARE)
• Fuji (JPN)
• Istanbul (TUR)
• Korea (KOR)
• Moscow raceway (RUS)
• New delhi (IND)
• Qatar (QAT)
• Sepang (MYS)
• Shanghai (CHN)
• Singapore - marina bay (SGP)
• Sochi (RUS)
• Suzuka (JPN)

Grade 2:

• (Abu dhabi, more configurations)
• Autopolis (JPN)
• Chengdu (CHN)
• Inje (KOR)
• Korea (other configs - KOR)
• Moscow raceway (other configs - RUS)
• Okayama (JPN)
• Ordos (CHN)
• Sugo (JPN)
• Suzuka (east course - JPN)
• Taupo (NZL)
• Tokachi (JPN)
• Twin ring motegi GP (JPN)
• Zhuhai (CHN)

Assuming others that are currently grade 3 might actually pay for a reclassification of 2 upwards, there's more potential, obviously... a rerun of the millenium ALMS trip to australia (race of a thousand years on the adelaide street circuit)..

...of course Chiana beats me to it, but I listed more tracks, hah!

[Deleted]

Originally Posted by Ephaeton

...of course Chiana beats me to it, but I listed more tracks, hah!

Australia, New Zealand and (European considered part of) Russia don't count as Asia

They should retitle it Asian-Pacific Le Mans Series, like the stillborn early 2000's Don Panoz Project, if they wanted to go further. But they don't really

[Ephaeton]

other sports happily throw oceania into asia. Where the demarcation line runs through russia is flexible (depending on your need to tag russia either as asian or european whereas russia clearly is russian and nothing else ) as well. Istanbul is riiiiight across the "asian" border but could easily be considered european... doesn't matter though. I'm not going to complain about an AsLMS making a trip to istanbul and adelaide, for example.

[TF110]

Was this talked about at all? https://twitter.com/johndagys/status/634087007602520064

[Jam3s]

David Cheng's P3 project joined by Jackie Chan?

[Jam3s]

Actually I see he's entering under DC Racing. I can't imagine it would be Pu Jun Jin, hmm.

[Deleted]

Isn't it interesting that once the series clocked the totally-genuine 250,000 likes on Facebook within short interval a year ago, they've only gained around 300 further likes since then Maybe now with ACO in charge they don't attempt such low measures for headline grabbings again.

I wonder if series headquarters being located in the midst of everything else ACO has, far away from the market zone has any drawbacks.

Asian Le Mans Series
AUTOMOBILE CLUB DE L’OUEST
Circuit des 24 Heures
CS 21928
72019 Le Mans Cedex 2
France

[Juntos]

Originally Posted by Chiana

Isn't it interesting that once the series clocked the totally-genuine 250,000 likes on Facebook within short interval a year ago, they've only gained around 300 further likes since then Maybe now with ACO in charge they don't attempt such low measures for headline grabbings again.

Mark Thomas once said here "it certainly reflects one of the strengths of myself and the team, I’m from a brand marketing background and that has really helped in an area where other Series have struggled."

Originally Posted by Jam3s

David Cheng's P3 project joined by Jackie Chan?

At best, David Cheng is a mediocre driver. Jackie Chan wouldn't be so far of his pace.

[Deleted]

http://www.dailysportscar.com/2015/0...ards-fuji.html

Big no to GT500 here as well, to surprise of none

They themselves seem surprised not to have CNs. Even though their hence man have criticized the category in public, and it's essentially worthless anyway since you cannot get LM auto entries even if you won everything

[Asa]

http://www.racer.com/wec-le-mans/ite...ng-toward-fuji

With the opening round of the 2015-'16 Asian Le Mans Series drawing closer, DailySportsCar.com catches up with series operations manager Cyrille Taesch Wahlen

[Pontlieue]

13 cars are on the entry list for Fuji - 2 LMP2, 3 LMP3, 7 GT3 and one Porsche Cup car. A little growth, at least, but if you have multiple categories racing, a minimum of 20 cars should be the target.

http://www.mariantic.co.uk/lmp/images/untitledalms.png