Quote:
Originally Posted by JAG
Much of the prototype manufactuer support has already been lost, if a manufactuer like Audi can no longer justify a season long ALMS campaign, who else is going to step up?
Sebring and PLM will always draw a grid, just as Daytona did, particularly if they are part of a series, whether that be the LMIC, the ALMS, or both.
I don't see what the alternative is, manufactuer's have withdrawn from both the LMS and ALMS, the programs were fragmented, which must have limited the ROI, and ultimately threatened the programs as a whole.
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We are talking about what should have been a
temporary manufacturer loss, and financial support for the ALMS. The LMS has been run under a different financial model, and it is less relevant for them.
These pull backs should not have been permanent, but with the introduction of the LMIC, there is an alternative, rendering the need to compete in a full series irrelevant, unless there is a specific marketing need to compete full time in North America.
What do you believe Jag will happen, if revenues continue to decrease for the ALMS, and they decide not to continue?
1. A group/individual could come in and purchase the assets of the series and sanction.
2. A group/individual could come in and purchase the tracks properties/lease deal.
3. NASCAR could purchase the series assets, and run DP's instead.
4. NASCAR could just purchase the tracks, or rights to some tracks and the series would be dead.
Under any of these scenarios, it is probable that LMIC races cease to come to North America, and you essentially have a couple of races in Europe and in Asia as your "world championship". Frankly, a farce.
Sebring and PLM would not be part of LMIC, and could under any of the 4 scenarios above be run under entirely different rules than what the ACO does. The timing for the LMIC couldn't have been worse. It should be introduced at a time when the sanctions were at a strength, when manufacturer (financial) support was at a strength. Foolish timing, but then the ACO's thinking hasn't been much short of foolish the last few years anyway.
The alternative was to wait until the series, and events were strong already. Then introduce the LMIC, in a manner than enhanced, not weakened the existing series events.