(Detroit, June 17, 2009) Motorsports has been no more immune to the faltering world economy over the past 12 months than any other business segment. Financial pressures have caused both automakers and sponsors to curtail racing efforts in 2009. The resulting shrinking fields have series organizers around the world scrambling to respond. Scott Atherton, CEO of the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) discusses the state of sports car racing and how it is attempting to stay relevant in a changing automotive and financial landscape.

At the North American International Auto Show in January 2008, Atherton announced the launch of the "Green Challenge" which debuted at the Petit Le Mans race in October 2008. ALMS officials have collaborated with the US Department of Energy and the Society of Automotive Engineers to develop a formula and scoring system that takes into account a combination of fuel efficiency, on-track performance and well to wheel carbon dioxide emissions based on the type of fuel being used.

The ALMS uses rules based on those written by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO), the organizers of the 24 Hours or Le Mans. The ACO has been at the forefront of encouraging the development of alternative fuels and powertrains in motorsports and the current competition includes more different types of fuels and engines than any other major racing series. Nowhere else can diesel prototypes be found racing against prototype and GT cars running on E10 (10 percent ethanol/gasoline blend), cellulosic E85, and even hybrids.

Over the last several years, the ACO's take on the rules has evolved somewhat based on its experience with the diesel cars from Audi and Peugeot. When the ACO first wrote the rules that allowed diesels, the cars were included in the existing prototype classes with predetermined equivalency formulas. As the first company to build a diesel racer, Audi looked at the rules and built the R10 TDI specifically to take the best advantage of those rules.

Even though the diesel powered racer was heavier than some of its competitors, it was able to take advantage of its fuel efficiency to run as many three more laps at Le Mans between fuel stops on each tank. Given the 8.5 mile length of the track and the amount of time spent fueling the vehicles, this gave Audi a significant advantage allowing the R10 to dominate at both Le Mans and the ALMS.

Since then the ACO has adjusted its policies and now allows new vehicle types to initially run unclassified. Once some competition data is available, the organizers can then make any necessary adjustments to the rules to provide equitable competition. Atherton explains that the ALMS is even more intent on promoting alternative powertrain vehicles. As such the series is allowing cars like the Corsa Motorsports Zytek hybrid to run classified (in this case as an LMP1 car) but without limits for now. Once the car is further developed and running competitively, IMSA officials will re-evaluate what limits may need to be applied to such vehicles. Atherton sees his series as "the canary in the coal mine" for alternative powertrains and fuels.

Atherton tells GFF that the ACO will soon be holding a summit meeting with manufacturers and competitors. "In order to make things more competitive, they (the ACO) are going to have to re-adjust those diesel rules." The meeting will include current and potential future participants to "crystalize the 2010 regulations that will include hybrid and more importantly to absolutely confirm the new regulations that come into effect in 2011."

Atherton describes the ACO as being good at drawing in data points before making a decision, "it's not rule making by democracy, it's rule making by informed decision." "I would be surprised if there isn't at least one if not more than one manufacturer that competes at Le Mans next year with a hybrid technology."

Hybrid technology is of course not new to sports car racing. A decade ago in the debut season of the ALMS, Panoz built a hybrid version of its GTR-1 racer in cooperation with Zytek. That car just missed out in qualifying for Le Mans that year but finished second in the GT1 class at the inaugural Petite Le Mans later that year. Zytek is also involved in the development of the new Corsa hybrid prototype. 

Following the switch to narrower rear tires and wings and lower boost this year, Atherton expects further adjustments to the diesel cars for 2010 with little or no change to the LMP2 and GT classes. For 2011, the current LMP2 engine rules are expected to be enforced on LMP1 cars with the P2 cars moving to a formula using production based engines. That would mean P1 cars running 3.4-liter normally aspirated or 2.0-liter turbocharged engines at the current 900 kg minimum weight. The goal is to slow down the cars without obsoleting all of the current chassis technology in order to constrain costs. One thing that the ACO won't be doing is mandating that prototypes be either open or closed roof. Instead the organizers have decided to leave this configuration choice up to car builders just as it does with powertrains.

In the production based GT ranks, Atherton expects the current GT1 class to eventually disappear as teams move to GT2. The last major factory GT1 team was Corvette Racing and it ran its final race at Le Mans this year. Beginning with the Mid-Ohio ALMS race in August, the team will run a new GT2 car, still fueled by cellulosic ethanol. The Corvette team was the first to use the second generation biofuel in early 2008 and several other teams have since adopted it. 

The GT2 class by contrast which is closer to its production base, has "never been stronger" according to Atherton. Teams are running Ferraris, Porsches, Panoz and soon a new Jaguar XK in addition to the Corvettes. With Ferrari expected to include some sort of hybrid or kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) in the F430 replacement in 2010, a similar system may appear on the next generation race car. Jaguar, BMW and Porsche are all developing production hybrid systems as well and something along those lines may also come to the race cars.

Atherton tells GFF that "hybrid technology is not currently part of the GT rule-book and that's a conversation we've just had with the ACO. I think it's not a question of if but when a full set of technical regulations for GT cars are also part of the ACO rule-book. Right now the FIA is becoming the global authority, they are the clearing house for all things GT. They will homologate the cars, they will set the technical regulations, and the ACO has agreed to embrace those."

As for timing of GT hybrid rules, "our goal selfishly for the American Le Mans Series is sooner would be better than later. We think there is going to be an opportunity as soon as 2010 to enable manufacturers to use the American Le Mans Series as a racing platform. Think about the opportunity here. You can demonstrate to the entire population that you can have a smaller displacement engine that produces all of the same performance criteria that you've come to know and love from the likes of Ferrari and Porsche and Aston Martin. But you can do it in a much more environmentally responsible way. You can demonstrate that in a very dynamic racing environment that has an absolute link right back to the showroom."

Asked whether any manufacturers have expressed interest to ALMS or ACO about competing with a hybrid GT2 car, Atherton answered in the affirmative but would not identify who. Atherton also confirmed that with GT1 disappearing, ALMS would consider possibly adding GT3 of GT4 classes to allow for lower cost cars to expand the field further.

While the FIA still supports the concept of the larger displacement, high horsepower GT1 cars, the ACO is less enthusiastic. ACO has said that if there are a sufficient number of high quality GT1 cars racing somewhere (such as Europe, Asia or North America) they will recognize the class at Le Mans. If not GT2 will be the premier production based racers. Atherton tells GFF "we are completely comfortable going forward with a single GT class which as of today will be referenced as GT2."

One of the success stories for ALMS this year has been the launch of the Michelin Green X Challenge. All of the cars are assigned a point score that is derived from a formula that combines fuel consumption, overall carbon footprint and the petroleum displacement of the team including the fuel that is used and on-track performance. The Le Mans organizers don't yet have the monitoring system developed by ALMS for doing the full calculation of the green challenge formula. However, there was an award given for pure full efficiency and Atherton expects the ACO to adopt the full Green Challenge formula going forward.

Atherton praised the tire maker for its efforts to promote the Green Challenge and make fans more aware of what it is all about. "We're seeing the early signs of people who are following it," and Atherton expects that to become a more popular aspect of the sport.

Rising costs are a major concern for all motorsports organizations. With Formula One on the verge of splitting up over the issue of cost containment, Atherton addressed the issue for sports car racing. F1 teams and the FIA are battling over the whether to restrict spending to 40-100 million Euros annually, Atherton tells GFF that "on their most ambitious, aggressive form of accounting they are probably a fraction of that" referring to the highest spending teams in ALMS, which are probably Audi and Acura.

Even with the emphasis on developing alternative power-plants, the costs are much lower and Atherton doesn't see a need at this time for mandatory cost controls. Managing such a cost control regime would require a massive expense in itself to do all the auditing. Instead he sees the "industry self-regulating" based on a good "price-value equation" which ALMS hopes to provide by making the series a proving ground for relevant future technology.

Atherton acknowledges that the auto industry has been affected more than any other business segment by the current global economic recession. At the same time Atherton notes that "the fact that they are still prepared to and are actively involved in motorsports, speaks volumes for where motorsports lines up in their list of priorities."

This does not necessarily apply to all motorsports however, as General Motors recently announced a major scaling back of its support for NASCAR as it goes through bankruptcy proceedings. So far the automaker has given no indication of cutting its Corvette racing program in ALMS.

Atherton highlighted the relevance of sports car racing by pointing to a speech given by Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo at a luncheon prior to the start of the 2009 Le Mans race. According to Atherton Montezemolo said "We recognize the relevance of the rule book here and it's very interesting to us." This came just days after Ferrari announced that the F430 successor would include a hybrid drive system.

Atherton sums up with "America's iconic sports car is out there competing on cellulosic ethanol. That is the catalyst in my opinion of what will spark the flame for a much more widespread embrace of alternative fuels, alternative powertrains. Take technology and demonstrate it without compromise, that you can retain the performance, you can retain the thrill, the joy of driving. All the things that people have come to appreciate. Individual independence and mobility. You don't have to sacrifice that if you take this approach."