ALMS will return to Infineon/Sonoma/Sears Point in 2011!

[Purist]

It's hard to say for sure. The ALMS would probably want added run-off in some places, particularly around the corners at the end of the lap. However, the track already added the two "short-cut" bits that should make the lap reasonably quick, and provide a few more fast corners. More importantly, the dragstrip issue was taken care of before the SCCA Run-Offs in 2006.

[TWK]

All very nice, but there's the small item of finding a track willing to pay the sanction fee. And in the case of a street course, the $2 million it will take to launch the first event. In other words you'll need to find some rubes willing to lose their collective a$$e$. (I guess Okie City qualifies.)

[picchiofan]

Originally Posted by TWK

All very nice, but there's the small item of finding a track willing to pay the sanction fee. And in the case of a street course, the $2 million it will take to launch the first event. In other words you'll need to find some rubes willing to lose their collective a$$e$. (I guess Okie City qualifies.)

Denver, Houston and DC are all sitting in the corner and snickering.

[vancecooley]

The nice thing about ALMS is that with all the traffic, they put on a good show pretty much anywhere...
That said.. I miss Belle Isle..
I would love to see them on the same weekend as the ICS next year at Barber.

[Fogelhund]

Originally Posted by vancecooley

The nice thing about ALMS is that with all the traffic, they put on a good show pretty much anywhere...
That said.. I miss Belle Isle..
I would love to see them on the same weekend as the ICS next year at Barber.

Pass on Barber... the track isn't suitable.

[Tim Northcutt]

Originally Posted by Fogelhund

Pass on Barber... the track isn't suitable.

I agree...It is better suited to bikes than sportscars...straights are too short.

[vancecooley]

Originally Posted by Fogelhund

Pass on Barber... the track isn't suitable.

Based on the short straights?

[Fogelhund]

Originally Posted by vancecooley

Based on the short straights?

Correct.

[broadrun96]

Isn't it also a pretty narrow track in many places? Short straights wouldn't help protos get around GTs and could really make passing GT-Cs short of impossible.

[Purist]

The track isn't particularly narrow, but Barber isn't Tilkedrome wide either.

The difficulty is that Barber has a lot of long, medium-speed corners where it's hard to pass anybody, and then all the straights and "straights" aren't that long. Those esses in the back stretch are NOT flat-out. So, you get to those, and blow any run you had on the guy in front, and then it happens again at the next left/right as well.

Barber is an Alan Wilson track, as is Miller. For a track of its length, Miller does NOT have a fast average speed at all, and even the perimeter circuit isn't much quicker. Of course, the advantage of Miller over Barber is that at least you have a couple of flat-out runs of some real length. You don't really get that at Barber.

I'm kind of wondering whether we might see ALMS at Thunderbolt Raceway in New Jersey. That track is plenty quick and has gacilities that are no worse the Miller or Lime Rock. I suppose, if they insisted on shaving that one hill just a bit, I could live with that as long as it would mean they didn't have to use that chicane. If it has suitable infrastructure, I actually would like to see the ALMS try the Lightning Circuit at that same complex.

I wouldn't mind a return to either Houston or DC, and though ALMS never ran there, the Denver street circuit used during this last decade was reasonably good. Could you imagine the inter-class insanity that could have broken out at that absurdly wide hairpin?

All this being said, apart from Long Beach and Vancouver, the US and Canada could be pretty well served with the permanent road courses that are already, theoretically available.

[Birddog07]

Sears point is a welcome addition back to the series. I'd wish they'd drop St. Pete in replacemtent for Belle Isle. What is more American than a race right in the heart of Detroit? Watkins Glen would be amazing if it could replace Lime Rock. Portland would be welcome if they can get their track sorted out. VIR is a nice track too and would be welcomed, but it's used by GA plus it's facilities are on more of a club level. I wouldn't mind another race in Canada aswell, Vancouver would be a welcome race if they can get it all sorted out, or possibly Mont Tremblant. A race at the Rodriguez Brothers Racetrack (Autódromo Hermanos RodrÃ*guez) in Mexico would be nice to see aswell.

Maybe not in 2011, but hopefully 2012 will see the series coming stable once again and seeing a very healthy number of teams and manufactuers. 12 races should be the goal IMO, keeping the 6h Laguna, returning Road America to 500m, all perminent courses 3h all street tracks 2h.

[Fogelhund]

Originally Posted by Birddog07

I'd wish they'd drop St. Pete in replacemtent for Belle Isle.

There is no St. Pete race to drop.

[Purist]

For the racing, St. Petersburg is a better circuit than Belle Isle, and if the scheduling with Sebring is sorted out better in 2011, I could see the Floride street circuit making a return. Also, Detroit is going to have some work to do before it spends money on a street race again.

Yes, GA does run at VIR. Then again, GA also runs at Miller, Lime Rock, and Mid Ohio, and did run at Laguna Seca, all concurrent to when ALMS has run at those venues.

I like Lime Rock, especially if they could just shelve the West Bend chicane for the sportscars. I would like to see the Glen added, but not at the expense of the Connecticut venue.

I'd love to see the ALMS at Mont Tremblant, especially if they didn't use the Turn 1 chicane, though based on markets being covered, Vancouver might be a better idea. And of course, now that the Swine Flu mess has settled down, Mexico City could use a signature event, and it is a good circuit no doubt.

If Sears Point is indeed back, OKC gets worked out, and St. Pete and Sebring are suitably scheduled, we could see 12 events as soon as next season. We'll just have to keep our eyes open.

[NaBUru38]

I guess the Sebring and St. Pete races will keep one week apart of each other. Since we will see more IndyCar drivers racing at Sebring, that weekend will be kept free and the IndyCar will probably keep racing the previous and next week. And IndyCar may take more April weekends for more races, so St. Pete will only be squeezed even more.

[Purist]

I think the squeeze in the Indy Car schedule is more likely to come later in the season. If Motegi cannot continue to be justified, that definitely frees up some room during that part of the year. The last part of the season also could be freed up if Homestead gets the boot.

Sebring is getting late in its cycle. I suspect it may move back the week for 2011, which means, if St. Pete stays where it is, they're back to a two-week gap. And iCS likely can't squeeze any more out of April without putting too much strain on the teams.

[NaBUru38]

Another issue is August. Baltimore wants an ALMS or Grand-Am race too. This year we have Mid-Ohio, Trois-Riviéres, Sears Point / Road America and Chicagoland / Mosport that month. I'd put Baltimore the same weekend as Trois-Riviéres (no clashes, except perhaps Star Mazda or SCCA World Challenge) and move Sears Point to one week apart from Edmonton.