Super Weekends in ’13: ALMS with GRAND-AM at Road America

  Super Weekends in ’13:
ALMS with GRAND-AM
at Road America            

Planning partnership
with FIA WEC in Austin

Braselton, Ga. (Sept. 28, 2012) – The first pieces of the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón’s 2013 schedule are coming into place. The ALMS joins the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series for a doubleheader race weekend at Road America in August. Plans also are under way to pair the ALMS alongside the FIA World Endurance Championship in September at the new Circuit of The Americas near Austin, Texas.

The ALMS’ complete 2013 race schedule will be announced in the near future.

Road America, in Elkhart Lake, Wis., will see the ALMS race Sunday, Aug. 11, with GRAND-AM competing the previous day. Although the recently merged ALMS and GRAND-AM organization will not compete as a unified series until the 2014 season, the 2013 shared weekend at Road America represents what ALMS President and CEO Scott Atherton called “an opportunity to create a truly special event where fans will experience the scope of North America’s premier sports car racing on two consecutive days at one iconic venue.”

“This Road America event with GRAND-AM will be a super endurance weekend and will provide sports car racing fans an advance look at what will be the best of the best when our two series become one in 2014,” he added.

Likewise, Atherton said he envisions the Texas event as another super endurance weekend with separate, long-distance races for the ALMS championship on Saturday, Sept. 21, and the WEC the next day.

“Even though the event is not fully confirmed, we are working in close cooperation with WEC leadership and with the CoTA promoters to create a thrilling experience for fans of sports car racing at a spectacular new circuit,” Atherton said. “Our proposal includes IMSA and ALMS providing services such as safety, timing and scoring, and TV production for the WEC race. Our intention is to make the best and most efficient use of our resources in support of one fantastic, world championship-caliber motorsports weekend, which will serve as a marquee prelude to the ALMS’ premier season finale at Petit Le Mans.”

Atherton also revealed that the WEC’s 2013 calendar reflects an agreement that no WEC event will be scheduled 30 days before or after the 2013 Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida – the opening round of the ALMS championship.



The final race of the 2012 American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón is Petit Le Mans powered by Mazda. The 1,000-mile/10-hour race from Road Atlanta is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. ET on Saturday, Oct 20. ABC's broadcast begins at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, Oct. 21. Full, live coverage starts at 11:15 a.m. ET on ESPN3.

The Series' website offers additional content such as live in-car cameras, and timing and scoring for all users around the world. Viewers outside the U.S. can watch Petit Le Mans and all ALMS races live on ALMS.com.

Visit ALMS.com for current and future event information including tickets and area accommodations. Follow the Series on Twitter (#ALMS, #PLM12), Facebook and YouTube.

Dusty Brandel

President of the American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association, Inc. Worked with Mike Hollander since Tapsis, Compuserve, etc. and has posted to the website since the beginning. First Female photo-journalist to be given a garage and pit pass for the NASCAR garage, 1972 at Ontario Motor Speedway. One of first seven female writers, photographers given access to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway garage and pits in 1971. Past President of Greater Los Angeles Press Club, 1992-96, and first female editor of the 8-Ball publication for the Press Club

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Volume 2012, Issue 9, Posted 7:54 PM, 09.29.2012