ALMS to shrink

[elan]

I think taking the ALMS to ovals is a mistake. There are other road courses in the U.S. And while not a fan of street courses, would prefer them to the ovals. Just don't thing the Bud swillin', Sloal chewin' fans of Nascar in Charlotte would appreciate or understand this series. Probably would think the R-8 is a sissy car. I understand Dr. Don is trying to create a fan base and alliances with track owners. But Road America, and Mid Ohio should kick out the, Yawn, Grand Am am present the best, most exciting cars in the world to their customers. Even here in Atlanta while there are radio and TV spots for the Petite, There is little press coverage or big time promotion. Would love to see the Panoz Roadster fly down Peachtree Street. Eddie Cheever did that in his IRL car a few weeks ago. The Audi did it in Miami. Austrailia, you guys are in for a treat!!!!

[BMWRacerITS]

Originally posted by elan
I think taking the ALMS to ovals is a mistake. There are other road courses in the U.S.

But Road America, and Mid Ohio should kick out the, Yawn, Grand Am am present the best, most exciting cars in the world to their customers.

Yeah, but the problem with those other road courses is a safety issue. Much of the other road courses in America aren't set up for cars that run so fast. Thats the reason that Road Atlanta has been restructured and added so many concrete barriers. At such high speeds, these barriers and gravel traps are a must to protect fans, or else they would be forced to sit a large distance from the track.

And as far as kicking Grand Am out?? No way! Thats a GREAT series in my opinion. The budgets are much, much smaller and allow privateers to compete. Sure, the ALMS is great to watch, but I love seeing guys out there who enjoy the sport so much and are willing to spend quite a large amount of cash on a hobby. If I ever have the cash once I'm out of school, I sure hope that Grand Am is alive and well. I'd love to drive a nice GT3 E46 M3 and run a few of those P-car GT3R's into the ditch!

[Heeltoe6]

Wait a minute, garra runs Road America and Mid Ohio; they can't be [i]that[/] much slower than an alms lmp. Safety is not the real issue. It's $$$$$$$$. I heard that garra charged Trois Riviers no sanctioning fee for the race there, you gotta think the same(or very little charge) is being done at Mid Ohio and Road America. Plus, are lmp's faster than champcars around those circuits? I mean, cause even if they are faster, they still have a lot more sheetmetal to absrob the impacts, so I don't buy the safety angle keeping alms out of those tracks. Maybe others like brainerd, vir, firebird, or something, but not RAm and MO

As for garra, I don't care for it. It's not abour racing at all. It's about the frances and haivng races at thier tracks and making a power play at sportscar racing.

[BMWRacerITS]

Yeah, I do see what you are saying about those tracks.

And, as far as the safety issue, it's usually more for the fans than for the cars. Gravel traps to slow cars down, but they also tear them up. And concrete, well, we can all agree that hitting anything BUT concrete would be less dangerous to the driver. The concrete and gravel traps are mostly to allow fans to be able to view the track from a close vantage point without fear of a car leaving track and entering the stands.

As for, GARRA. They probably aren't as fast as ALMS, because the cars are far less developed and the drivers are either less experienced or just not on level with those driving for factory teams. GARRA will never compete with ALMS, as Panoz simply has too much money for promotion and the essential tie to The LeMans. I just like the idea of being able to drive world class cars in a series without needing to be hired by a factory team...although that wouldn't be so bad either.