Petit Le Mans Preview

Well, it is almost upon us, the final race of the American Le Mans Series.

Petit Le Mans will continue in the future, under the banner of the new Tudor United Sports Car Championship. However, the upcoming 16th running of the event at the classic Road Atlanta circuit will be the final time cars run under the American Le Mans banner and at least for the foreseeable future, will be the last opportunity to see the LMP1 prototype cars in action.

Lucas Luhr will be going for his 50th American Le Mans race win in the Muscle Milk Honda which has dominated the 2013 season – an incredible victory total. Even though the LMP1 Championship has been long decided, there are still hot driver and manufacturer championship battles to settle in the other classes running at Petit Le Mans.

Spectators at Road Atlanta will also get to see the unusual and competitive Deltawing Coupe, a fitting tribute to the forward thinking and vision of series founder Don Panoz, without whom we would not have had the pleasure of seeing the many outstanding world class cars and drivers who have participated in the American Le Mans Series throughout the years. Mr. Panoz truly created a series “for the fans” and if you happen to see him at Road Atlanta during Petit Le Mans, please go up to him and thank him for all that he has done for the sport through the years.

As a matter of fact, it is questionable whether professional sports car racing in the US as we now know it would even exist today had not Don Panoz founded the American Le Mans Series in 1998.

Since then we have seen many classic races at classic circuits and had the opportunity to see some of the best drivers and cars in the world. Fans of the series have had the opportunity to rub shoulders with their favorite drivers and see their favorite cars up close and personal, thanks to the fan friendly atmosphere that was the hallmark of the American Le Mans Series. It would be impossible to name another sport where the fans have had such access. In the American Le Mans Series, fans were not just part of the background, they were a vital and welcome part of the series. Drivers in the series will tell you that there was nothing like the ALMS anywhere else in the world.

This year’s Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta is a fitting way for the American Le Mans Series to end it’s run. With the end of this era, we are looking forward to the new era of the Tudor United Sports Car Championship and hope that the fan friendly ways of the ALMS continues into the future.

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