PCM Pull the plug on ALMS campaign

[SALEEN S7R]

Source:www.pcmracing.com

Pacific Coast Motorsports withdraws from American Le Mans Series

Oxnard, California (September 01, 2005) – Pacific Coast Motorsports (“PCM”) has announced today its withdrawal from the 2005 American Le Mans Series (“ALMS”) with immediate effect. The team contested the first seven rounds of the ALMS campaigning the #5 Menards-Yokohama Corvette C5-R in the GT1 class but has decided to cancel its program prior to the end of the season.

The Oxnard-based team, the reigning Toyota Atlantic Champions, will use the time gained by not concentrating their time and efforts on the three remaining ALMS events to evaluate its on-track options for 2006 and beyond.

The decision to leave the ALMS, where the team scored its first GT1 podium finish with Alex Figge and Ryan Dalziel in Portland at the end of July, is based purely on the desire to channel the resources available to the independent team into a more competitive racing program.

Team Director Tyler Tadevic explains, “Put simply ‘You can’t fight City Hall!’ As a privateer team we just don’t have the resources to continue to compete in the ALMS and hope to win races against the factory-backed entries.”

“Our decision to leave is in no way a comment on the series, we’ve absolutely loved running in the ALMS but we’re a team used to winning and as a privately funded organization we can’t hope to run as competitively as the teams in the series who enjoy manufacturer backing.”

He continued, “I’m delighted that we’ve been able to represent General Motors and the Corvette brand by extending the life of the C5-R chassis into the 2005 season. I’m proud that as a team we were able to join Corvette Racing on the podium in July and our thanks go to Doug Fehan and Gary Claudio for their encouragement and for the support from Pratt and Miller and Katech Motors as well as from Art Michalik and Cheech Yamauchi at our tire partner Yokohama.”

“There are no hidden politics behind our decision to leave the ALMS,” Tadevic said. “We just believe our resources, and those of our corporate partners, will be better served competing in a series where we can utilize our skills and experience to maximum effect! I’m delighted that Menards and Ironclad have supported us throughout the year and we look forward to further developing our relationships with them. The lead time we’ve now established to prepare for 2006 will keep the team together and hopefully increase our ability to be competitive come the start of our next campaign.”

Alex Figge will continue to race with PCM while his ALMS team-mate, Scotland’s Ryan Dalziel, also has an offer to continue his relationship with the squad into 2006.


Reflecting on PCM’s time in the ALMS Tadevic concluded, “Don Panoz and Scott Atherton have put together a first rate organization and it goes without saying that if we had the opportunity to return to the series with manufacturer support then we’d jump at the chance. Our decision to leave is based purely on the resources we have available to us and the responsibility we have to our corporate partners to be competitive – we race to win it’s as simple as that.”

PCM’s Corvette C5-R chassis is for sale immediately, interested parties should contact the team for further information.

ENDS – www.pcmracing.com

Bad news for the ALMS. Still, fortunatly there should be a 2nd MC12 on the grid soon to replace the now vacant spot PCM will create and will hopefully be a lot more competitve too! Good news on the horizon too IMO with the news that Aston Martin will enter the ALMS with a works team if no customers can be found for 2006. A shame to lose PCM but IMO it does smell a little bit of sour grapes, they had a old chasis, 006 which is a 2001/2002 car? The team were reportedly dissapointed that GPLK were choosen over them to have a 2004 spec C5R.

Slightly off topic but today Autosport Magazine reports that GPLK have put in a order to Pratt and Miller for 2 C6R's that they intend to run in next years FIA GT championship.

[JAG]

Lets face it, the ALMS is on life support, and Atherton and co need to do something FAST.

I'm struggling to see a future for top class sportscar racing in the US.

Or am I just over reacting?

'Slightly off topic but today Autosport Magazine reports that GPLK have put in a order to Pratt and Miller for 2 C6R's that they intend to run in next years FIA GT championship'

If all was well with the ALMS you would have thought a US team would have already put in an order for a C6.R!

[Joe Taylor]

I thought that the problem with PCM was that they wanted to order a C6 but couldn't

[FCYTravis]

That is the problem.

Apparently Pratt and Miller have no problem selling their cars to teams they won't compete against on another continent... but to have competition here at home? Nope, can't have that... can't have someone showing up the factory in their own car, can we?

[BSchneiderFan]

Which is strange, because I seem to recall that at the beginning of the Corvette programme GM were saying that the factory Pratt & Miller team would only be around for a couple of seasons, to showcase the Vette to privateers. That was seven seasons ago...

[Fogelhund]

Originally Posted by SALEEN S7R

Still, fortunatly there should be a 2nd MC12 on the grid

.... that requires someone to BUY or FULLY fund it. Hey, have you heard the story about the new entry... it just needs funding.

[FCYTravis]

I'm planning to enter a pair of Lola B01/60s, three Aston Martins and a BMW M3-GTR.

Sponsors or funded drivers wanted.



Seriously, if every entry that was ever announced with great fanfare made it to the grid, every series in the country would be turning away cars DNQ.

[JAG]

Originally Posted by Fogelhund

.... that requires someone to BUY or FULLY fund it. Hey, have you heard the story about the new entry... it just needs funding.

I see I'm not the only one getting a little weary about these phantom entries.

The fans have done enough flag waiving for the series, they ALMS now needs to give a little back.

A Porsche P2 entry alone is not enough.

[awegrzyn]

Jag,

You're for sure not the only one. I typed a sentence or two here regarding the state of ALMS. Right a way ALMS staff send me few emails to my personal email box regarding my opinions. I have been a true fan of ALMS way before those "pumpers" started working for the series, so I have a right to express my opinions here in the way I desire. Anyway, you're correct they need to do something, and for the start this is what they have to do:

Stop pumping the series with fake positive information. This leads to financial losses by investors. Instead show us positive facts, for example: new entries, larger grids, factory commitment. I'm tired of hearing "The series is growing" for 7 years now. Tired of hearing "if I only could tell you who is coming next year" and things along these lines. The fact is that no one is coming and the series is not growing, the teams are leaving and the series is going South.

Do not get me wrong I love ALMS for it's type of racing and cars. It is my favorite series. I go every year to see the races even if I have to drive 10 hours to see a race. The problem sits at the base of the equation. If we like it or not, we are tied to the ACO.
We are trying to make everybody happy, be able to comply with "Le Mans" regulations and still keep maximum number of cars running. There are regulation changes every year. Where ever there are changes, there are costs. Sports car racing at that level is very expensive when you compare the costs to the returns that you get from few people following this kind of racing. It's by no means moneyland.

I admire current teams that managed to hang on till now. They are very successful and should be able to hang on longer. Not everything is negative. ALMS TV coverage is great. Cars are beautiful and the random chicks at random events catch up for the lack of cars.

I wish them best, but they need help no doubt.

Andrzej

[tblincoe]

Originally Posted by awegrzyn

Jag,

You're for sure not the only one. I typed a sentence or two here regarding the state of ALMS. Right a way ALMS staff send me few emails to my personal email box regarding my opinions. I have been a true fan of ALMS way before those "pumpers" started working for the series, so I have a right to express my opinions here in the way I desire. Anyway, you're correct they need to do something, and for the start this is what they have to do:

Stop pumping the series with fake positive information. This leads to financial losses by investors. Instead show us positive facts, for example: new entries, larger grids, factory commitment. I'm tired of hearing "The series is growing" for 7 years now. Tired of hearing "if I only could tell you who is coming next year" and things along these lines. The fact is that no one is coming and the series is not growing, the teams are leaving and the series is going South.

Do not get me wrong I love ALMS for it's type of racing and cars. It is my favorite series. I go every year to see the races even if I have to drive 10 hours to see a race. The problem sits at the base of the equation. If we like it or not, we are tied to the ACO.
We are trying to make everybody happy, be able to comply with "Le Mans" regulations and still keep maximum number of cars running. There are regulation changes every year. Where ever there are changes, there are costs. Sports car racing at that level is very expensive when you compare the costs to the returns that you get from few people following this kind of racing. It's by no means moneyland.

I admire current teams that managed to hang on till now. They are very successful and should be able to hang on longer. Not everything is negative. ALMS TV coverage is great. Cars are beautiful and the random chicks at random events catch up for the lack of cars.

I wish them best, but they need help no doubt.

Andrzej

Since you felt the need to post the same message twice in different threads, I will do the same:

Andrzej, I emailed you (I am in no way affiliated with the ALMS) asking about the "insider information" you claimed to have regarding the imminent demise of the ALMS which in the end you did not have. I didn't write you for the claims you posted here and my email to you was anything but hostile. If you continue to claim so I will post my message to you here on the boards.

[Fab]

Sad news... I hope that some privateer could buy the car to enter the LMES, though, or even a national serie (BGT, Belcar, FFSA-GT, etc...).

More generaly, the $$$ issue seems to reach all the series, beyond SC/GT...

[Bramzel]

Originally Posted by FCYTravis

Apparently Pratt and Miller have no problem selling their cars to teams they won't compete against on another continent... but to have competition here at home? Nope, can't have that... can't have someone showing up the factory in their own car, can we?

Those teams do get old chassis', the only team getting the newer chassis' apparently is GLPK because of the backing of the European Corvette importer.

[JAG]

I think I'm going to sit back for a few months and see what pans out in the ALMS.

I believe there is demand in the US for such a series, and I've heard of many positive developments for 2006.

These are not phantom cars but real, genuine interest.

If they come off the ALMS will be fine, if not I see little future for the series.

The only option would be to involve Sebring, PLM, Laguna for example into the LMES schedule in some shape or form.

I do watch GA, but consider it more of an oddity as I did with Trans Am and IMSA GTO a few years back, certainly not a replacement for the ALMS.

[tblincoe]

I think I might just do the same JAG.

[SALEEN S7R]

And me. The future is beginning to generally speaking look brighter for the ALMS though IMO, next year Aston Martin will be in the series if no customers for the DBR9 can be found for the 2006 season and Porsche is coming back with its LMP 2 too so thats 4 additional entries that we havent had this year so far. Yes PCM have left but Risi will hopefully be running a 2nd competitve MC12 so that IMO cancels out the loss of the PCM C5R.

Then of course we have all the LMP 1 hybrids that are running in the LMES this year, after 2005 they will be redundant in the LMES but still egliable to run in the ALMS. Id not mind betting that a few of the hybrids will filter down into the ALMS for 2006, the question is will the cars go to new teams or will existing teams simply switch classes? Hopefully not the latter. Dont forget though that there should be the new Riley on the grid next year, not sure whos intending or running it however.

[Tom V]

Originally Posted by Kicking-back

I'm increasingly thinking Grand-Am provides the United States with the type of SportsCar racing it wants and can sustain. Big grids there.

Correction, G/A provides the US with the type of car racing the US wants, these so called "Prototypes" have nothing to do with sportscar racing.

And yes they have bigger grids but look at what expense, the cars just look ridiculous.

[SALEEN S7R]

Originally Posted by Tom V

Correction, G/A provides the US with the type of car racing the US wants, these so called "Prototypes" have nothing to do with sportscar racing.

And yes they have bigger grids but look at what expense, the cars just look ridiculous.

Exactly, Grand Am IMO isnt really sportscar racing either. The "Prototypes" if you can call them that look ugly IMO and are indeed slower than a current day GT2 car, thats why the GT2 class got banned remember? The Porsches beating the DP's at the 24hrs in 2003 didnt make the DP's look very good did it. Now the series has heavily handicapped GT3 cars as a support class, I beleive that the cars in the GT3 class have signifcantly less power than the GT3 cars have in say the Porsche Carerra cup which is around 400bhp.

Grand Am has big grids yes, but the series isnt really a threat to the ALMS IMO.

[tblincoe]

Exactly right Tom V, there is nothing "sportscar" about DP's.

[SALEEN S7R]

Perhaps a moderator could create a poll about whether or not in peoples opinions is a DP a sportscar or not? That way we could settle this old arguement once and for all.

[TheNewBob]

I'm agreeing that DPs are ugly. It's ok having some decent grid sized and some racing but how do u advertise a series which runs such slow cars (in a country where 200mph racing is commonplace) and such ugly brutes to the neutral? I don't know what to call them if they're not "prototypes" - but I wudn't call them sports-prototypes. Part of the appeal of sportscar racing is their appearance - big stunning looking machines which make enough beautiful noises to shake down the surrounding countryside. I've not really known that happen from DP's...

However, that's just my opinion, so since another thread has started getting so personal, I do ask that nobody should critisize for a personal preference, because someone having an interest in something different to another person is NOT being wrong or ignorant/stupid, but merely looking for what makes them (and them alone) tick...

[billnchristy]

(in a country where 200mph racing is commonplace)

The only cars in America that consistantly go over 200mph is IRL...and nobody likes them either!!

[TheNewBob]

doesn't NASCAR approach those speeds? Anyways - NASCAR, IRL, Champ Car, F1, ALMS - all reach pretty high speeds and feature in US racing. OK not so much F1, and I'm not sure how fast LMP1's ever reach in the USA, but they're certainly capable of nearing 200mph at Le Mans...?

[SALEEN S7R]

Originally Posted by billnchristy

The only cars in America that consistantly go over 200mph is IRL...and nobody likes them either!!

Actully Champ cars top 200mph several times during the course of a season, AMA get pretty damn close too, 195mph at some circuits.

[cmk]

Originally Posted by Bramzel

Those teams do get old chassis', the only team getting the newer chassis' apparently is GLPK because of the backing of the European Corvette importer.

I was thinking about this issue and the whereabouts of chassis newer than 6, 7 and the GLPK car (11?) when I noticed the demo C6-R at the Chevy display in the Mosport paddock today. I was reminded of reports that much of the overwinter C6-R testing was actually performed using C5-R chassis modified with new bodywork or components. Does anyone know if this was true? If so, could this be one of the reasons why newer cars weren't available to PCM this year?

[Bramzel]

Originally Posted by cmk

I was thinking about this issue and the whereabouts of chassis newer than 6, 7 and the GLPK car (11?) when I noticed the demo C6-R at the Chevy display in the Mosport paddock today. I was reminded of reports that much of the overwinter C6-R testing was actually performed using C5-R chassis modified with new bodywork or components. Does anyone know if this was true? If so, could this be one of the reasons why newer cars weren't available to PCM this year?

Can't believe that, the pictures GLPK released when they had got their Corvette also showed pictures of it in the Corvette workshop, and there were at least 2 other chassis' in the back of that workshop. Can't imagine those are all old chassis.