FUMES

March 21, 2012

American sports car racing at a crossroads. Again.

By Peter M. De Lorenzo

(Posted 3/20, 9:30 a.m.) Detroit. You didn't have to go far last weekend to know that despite the usual crowd in the orange groves for the 12 Hours of Sebring that something was amiss for the American Le Mans Series (you can read A.J. Morning's account in this week's "The Line" - WG). Sure the crowd was there and yes, the car count was up thanks to the World Endurance Championship entries, but the fact of the matter remains that the entire WEC, as pushed by the FIA, is a self-serving mess foisted down the throats of the ALMS, and it will not sustain the series. As a matter of fact, it only postpones the inevitable.

And what is the inevitable? The American Le Mans Series needs to aggressively move to secure an American road racing series that not only stands on its own, but thrives on its own without bowing to the whims and wishes of the FIA. And that doesn't mean offering up that jumbled mess of racing classes at Sebring and calling it good. The additional WEC entries didn't improve The Show, they confused The Show. There's a big difference.

Was the GT racing still superb? Yes, as I've stated often it's the best road racing in the world and has been for quite some time. But it got lost in the WEC shuffle at Sebring. And watching the Audi intramural battle was good for, oh, 20 minutes or so and then the stark realization took over that the vaunted Audi team had no competition and was basically conducting a test for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Nice to see them run, but ultimately it was too boring to contemplate.

(And to make matters worse, the "highlight package" of the race on ABC was a garbled mess, a two-hour disjointed disaster of a broadcast that captured none of the spirit and soul of the event. The fact that there was no "live" coverage of America's premier sports car race is inexplicable but that's another column for another day. For now, my memory of the broadcast will forever be one of seeing one of the Audi R18's in the pits with the type-super calling it a Corvette. And this was a pre-packaged broadcast. Incredible and inexcusable.)

I'm tired of seeing the ALMS and America's premier sports car race being pushed and pulled by the FIA at their whims. Don Panoz and Scott Atherton need to move aggressively to improve the ALMS car counts on their own. Allowing the WEC to roll in, get their points and move on does nothing for the ALMS on any level.

There are rumors of some Grand-Am teams exploring the ALMS waters and that's all well and good. But for American sports car racing to survive and eventually thrive there will have to be much bolder moves than that. I've given up on an "official" burying of the hatchet between ALMS and Grand-Am, because the egos involved will never allow it. But informal accommodations that will give road-racing enthusiasts in this country something to sink their teeth into must be made. Because being offered up the "privilege" of seeing the WEC cars on this soil just isn't going to cut it.

We all have to understand and get beyond the fact that settling for the usual platitudes bandied about like, "Sebring was great" or "Wow, another great 12-Hour of Sebring race!" is not going to solve the long-term issues facing American sports car racing. The manufacturers and enthusiasts who support American sports car racing deserve better than to be tossed about like a pawn by the FIA and their ever changeable definition of what constitutes good racing and a great show. Much better.

There once was a time when the world turned to America for real direction in sports car racing. And I will retain the (relentlessly naive) opinion that it can happen again.

Publisher's Note: As part of our continuing series celebrating the "Glory Days" of racing, we're proud to present another noteworthy image from the Ford Racing Archives. - PMD

(Courtesy of the Ford Racing Archives)
Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant, St. Jovite, Quebec, Canada, September 8, 1966. Dan Gurney (No. 30 All American Racers Lola T70 Mk. 2 Ford) lines up for practice for the Players Quebec Can-Am race with John Surtees (No. 3 Team Surtees Lola T70 Mk.2 Chevrolet). Mont-Tremblant was the opening round of the new road racing series and a star-studded field showed up with big names (in addition to Gurney and Surtees) like Bruce McLaren (No. 4 McLaren Elva Mark IIB Chevrolet (Oldsmobile), Chris Amon (in the No. 5 McLaren team car), Parnelli Jones (No. 198 John Mecom Racing Lola T70 Mk. 2 Ford), Mark Donohue (No. 16 Penske Racing Lola T70 Mk.2 Chevrolet), George Follmer (No. 116 John Mecom Racing Lola T70 Mk. 2 Ford), Jerry Grant (No. 8 All American Racers Lola T70 Ford), Sam Posey (No. 22 Auto Dynamic McLaren Elva Mark II Ford), Lothar Motschenbacher (No. 96 Dan Blocker Motor Racing McLaren Elva Mark II Oldsmobile) and Masten Gregory (No. 88 Pacesetter McLaren Elva Mark II Chevrolet). Surtees would take the win from pole followed by McLaren and Amon. Gurney did not start after losing an engine in practice. Watch a fantastic swingin' 60s video of the event here.

Publisher's Note: Like these Ford racing photos? Check out www.fordimages.com. Be forewarned, however, because you won't be able to go there and not order something. - PMD

See another live episode of "Autoline After Hours" with hosts John McElroy, from Autoline Detroit, and Peter De Lorenzo, The Autoextremist, and guests this Thursday evening, at 7:00PM EDT at www.autolinedetroit.tv.

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