ALMS and Grand-Am will merge in 2014

In 2013, the two American sportscar championships will evolve each on their own, as is currently the case, before a common championship is created in 2014. The Grand-Am, which belongs to the Nascar, will be the new manager of this discipline, since the championship which will see the light of day will be chaired by Jim France, founder of Grand-Am and President of Nascar. Don Panoz, founder of the ALMS, will assist him as Vice-President. Scott Atherton (CEO of ALMS) and Ed Bennett (CEO of Grand-AM) will be part of the executive committee.

“This merger will strengthen motor racing beyond what our organizations could have achieved separately, explains Panoz. The American Le Mans Series was created for the fans and I am sure they will benefit from the work we will do with Grand-Am to place this sport at the level it should be in North America and in the motorsport landscape international. »

Scott Atherton adds: “This merger will blend the best strengths and attributes of each organization in terms of technical regulations, marketing, communications, personnel, planning and dissemination. The result will be one of the most competitive, strongest and most powerful platforms in the world. »

Ed Bennett, CEO of Grand-Am, agrees with his counterpart's comments: “This announcement will transform motor racing on this continent, with involvement in the global industry. With the organizations involved, everyone wins: the drivers, the teams, the manufacturers, the sponsors, the circuits and above all, the fans. This new approach is revolutionary, as we take the best components of two great entities, combine them, and we will mutually benefit from the considerable resources that both parties will bring to the table. This is a bold attempt at long-term growth in proto sport. »

Both parties felt that it was still too early to talk about the categories that will be accepted in this new championship and the calendar that will be put in place from 2014. But we are already talking about 12 rounds.