Conceived by entrepreneur Don Panoz and based on the format and
rules of the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans, the American Le
Mans Series has become the world’s premier sports car series in
just 12 years.
What Makes it Unique?
The American Le Mans Series, like the 24 Hours of Le Mans, has
multiple classes of cars racing on the track at the same time,
making for exciting passing and confrontations throughout the
race.
Each car has two drivers (three for the longer endurance races)
who can switch during the course of the race.
Lucas Luhr and Klaus Graf won here for the second straight year,
Corvette Racing took a nail-biter in GT, and two classes saw
last-lap passes for victory in the American Le Mans Series
presented by Tequila Patrón on Saturday.
Neel Jani won his second straight pole position in the American
Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón on Friday with a lap
of1:13.429 (109.722 mph) in Rebellion Racing’s No. 12 Rebellion
Timepieces/Lemo Connectors/Speedy Garage Toyota-powered Lola
coupe. On his first ALMS trip to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Jani
went 0.377 seconds quicker in qualifying for Saturday’s American
Le Mans Monterey than Dyson Racing’s Guy Smith in the No. 16
Mazda/Thetford/Norcold Mazda-powered Lola.
Rebellion Racing turned the quickest lap in Thursday’s two-hour
test session at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in preparation for
Saturday’s American Le Mans Monterey, the third round of the 2013
American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón.
It’s never too early to look at the championship picture in the
American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón. Through two
rounds, all five classes have points battles that feature close
margins – razor-thin in most cases.
Next week’s American Le Mans Monterey at Mazda Raceway Laguna
Seca will go a long way toward further determining this year’s
championship contenders. Because of the extended duration of the
race on Saturday, May 11 – four hours – the contest features two
additional championship points per position. Here’s a quick
glance at the battles so far…
A group of North America’s top sports car talent heads to one of
North America’s premier road courses for the next round of the
American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón. The
four-hour American Le Mans Monterey features 35 ALMS prototype
and GT cars racing into twilight at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and
through the iconic Corkscrew turn.
Klaus Graf and Lucas Luhr won for the third straight year at Long
Beach as Muscle Milk Pickett Racing cruised to its first victory
of the season in the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila
Patrón on Saturday. Graf beat Rebellion Racing’s Nick Heidfeld by
36.329 seconds in the P1 class of the Tequila Patrón American Le
Mans Series at Long Beach.
Nick Heidfeld’s first look at the Long Beach street circuit
apparently pleased his eye. He set the quickest lap in today’s
two-hour practice for the American Le Mans Series presented by
Tequila Patrón at the renowned southern California circuit.
Driving the No. 12 Rebellion Racing Lola-Toyota coupe, Heidfeld
posted a best lap of 1:14.708 (94.833 mph) during the lead-up to
Saturday’s Tequila Patrón American Le Mans Series at Long Beach.
DeltaWing Racing Cars, in its first full season in the American
Le Mans Series, will make its inaugural appearance at Mazda
Raceway Laguna Seca in the American Le Mans Monterey race weekend
May 9-11.
The revolutionary open-top DeltaWing premiered in 2012 at two
races – the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Petit Le Mans at Road
Atlanta in October, where it finished in fifth place overall.
By nature, sports car street races are unpredictable affairs with
so many more variables than a regular road course. That has been
especially true for the American Le Mans Series presented by
Tequila Patrón at the historic Long Beach street circuit. As a
result, multiple victories have been hard to come by in any ALMS
class on the streets of southern California.
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca is offering free exhibit space to local
businesses that would like to showcase their services to the
35,000 fans that are expected to pack the race track over three
days for the American Le Mans Monterey race, May 9-11.
To qualify for free exhibitor space, the business must be
headquartered in Monterey, Santa Cruz or San Benito County, have
less than 500 employees and can not be a food or beverage
company.
With uniqueness and modernity at the forefront, the new United
SportsCar Racing platform was revealed (#TheReveal) today at
Sebring International Raceway, resulting from the merger of
GRAND-AM Road Racing and the American Le Mans Series presented by
Tequila Patrón.
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca will kick off the 2013 race season with
the American Le Mans Monterey May 9-11. Last year’s champions and
Northern California based team Muscle Milk Racing will return to
defend their title against challengers and 2011 champs, Dyson
Racing.
GRAND-AM and the American Le Mans Series recently revealed the
class structure for their unified Series schedule to debut in
2014.
The majority of classes from both ALMS and Grand-Am Rolex Sports
Car Series were retained. The only exception was ALMS’ P1
prototype class which was not included.
With individual class names to be determined, here is a look at
the planned structure:
With a merger of the two finest in sports car racing series on
tap for 2014, their separate return to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
next year will surely be a treat for race fans. The American Le
Mans Series will compete May 9-11 and GRAND-AM Road Racing will
race September 7 and 8 with two competitive series, Rolex Sports
Car Series and Continental Tire Challenge, within the Continental
Tire Sports Car Festival, powered by Mazda event.
Muscle Milk Pickett Racing cruised to its second straight victory
in the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón on
Friday at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. But another thrilling GT
battle stole the show as Corvette Racing’s Oliver Gavin and Tommy
Milner also took their second consecutive class win.
A home race for Muscle Milk Pickett Racing will see the team
start on pole position. Klaus Graf was the fastest qualifier for
the American Le Mans Monterey presented by Patrón on Friday with
a lap of 1:13.573 (109.508 mph) in his Honda Performance
Development ARX-03a prototype.
Less than a week after it hit the track for the first time,
Dempsey Racing’s Lola-Judd prototype finished Thursday’s test for
the American Le Mans Monterey presented by Patrón with the
third-fastest time in P2. Hollywood star Patrick Dempsey, fellow
team co-owner Joe Foster and Jonny Cocker each got time in the
two-hour test at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
The trio’s best lap was a 1:19.698 (101.092 mph) effort in the
lead-up to the third round of the American Le Mans Series
presented by Tequila Patrón. That was good enough for fifth
overall among the 35-car entry.
One round removed from its first victory of the season in the
American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón, Muscle Milk
Pickett Racing set the fastest time Thursday in testing for the
American Le Mans Monterey presented by Patrón. Lucas Luhr posted
a best lap of 1:16.88 (104.788 mph) in the Honda Performance
Development ARX-03a prototype he shares with Klaus Graf for
Saturday’s six-hour race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
The glitz and glamour of Hollywood is not on actor Patrick
Dempsey’s mind when he is on the race track. His focus is
completely on the task at hand – racing for the win – and with a
new addition to his race team he is more determined than ever to
capture the checkered flag.
Dempsey Racing took delivery of its new Judd-powered Lola B12/80
LMP2 coupe chassis just two weeks ago and with plenty of long
hours and recent testing at Miller Motorsports Park, they are
ready to compete at the American Le Mans Monterey, presented by
Patron May 11-12 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
It’s another six hours into the sunset at famed Mazda Raceway
Laguna Seca when the American Le Mans Series returns for the
American Le Mans Monterey, presented by Patrón May 11-12.
Adrian Fernandez has just about done it all in racing: Motocross
rider, Formula Ford, Indy Lights, Champ Cars, IndyCars, NASCAR,
LMP2 and LMP1 driver; team owner in CART, IRL and ALMS.
This year finds him in the midst of yet another chapter in his
varied and successful career: driving Aston Martin’s Vantage GTE
in the FIA World Endurance Championship and selected races in the
American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón.
There are some interesting story lines developing for this year’s
battle for drivers’, and manufacturers’ honors in the Pirelli
World Challenge Series as it returns to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
for the Cadillac Sports Car Grand Prix. A large, 43 car field is
set to race May 11 as part of the American Le Mans Monterey,
presented by Patrón race weekend.
In his return to the Pirelli World Challenge Series after having
won the driver’s championship last year, Patrick Long clinched
victory Saturday at at Miller Motorsports Park. Having won pole
position, Long fell to second at the start, to the charging
Cadillac of Johnny O’Connell. Long and O’Connell gapped the rest
of the field for the first six laps before Long was able to pass
the Cadillac into turn one, and once at the front of the race,
checked out to win by 3.032 seconds over championship leader
O’Connell.
Thirty-four of the world’s top sports cars take on the renowned
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca circuit next week in the American Le
Mans Monterey presented by Patrón. This six-hour enduro in
Monterey, Calif., offers a heartier points payout and, with the
Le Mans break on the horizon, represents a pivotal moment in the
2012 season.
Acting has opened a lot of doors for Patrick Dempsey, “Dr.
McDreamy” of the ABC TV show Grey’s Anatomy and star of a number
of motion pictures. But he has put in some long hours and plenty
of hard work to turn the dream of being a professional race
driver into reality.
This year’s American Le Mans Monterey presented by Patrón is the
14th race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for the American Le Mans
Series presented by Tequila Patrón. A number of drivers and teams
seem to find Monterey as a home away from home given their amount
of success at the 2.238-mile, 11-turn circuit.
Who should you watch during the six-hour endurance race on May
12? Here are a couple of names…
Project Libra is pleased to announce it will enter a Radical SR9
in the American Le Mans Series’ next race, the American Le Mans
Monterey Presented by Patrón, on May 10-12 at Mazda Raceway
Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif.
Open-wheel standouts Andrew Prendeville and Rusty Mitchell (a
graduate of the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear)
plus one other driver yet to be determined will drive the car,
which will compete in the LMP2 class in the 6-hour endurance
race.
We’ve teamed up with KSBW-TV for a special contest.
Upload photos and video of your mom and tell us why she’s so
special and you could win two VIP passes to the American Le Mans
Monterey, presented by Patron.
The Sweepstakes entry period begins April 23, 2012 AT 1200AM and
ends May 06, 2012 AT 12AM (“Entry Period”). All times in these
rules refer to Pacific Standard Time.
The American Le Mans Monterey, presented by Patrón is providing
an opportunity for VW car owners/clubs to unite and join in on
the fun and racing action May 11-12.
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca’s VW Car Corral experience includes a
two-day general admission and paddock ticket with open grandstand
seating, one souvenir program and preferred parking with other
VWs, all for just $90.
“We’ve put this offer together so VW enthusiasts can enjoy a VIP
experience as part of our world-class event,” says Gill Campbell,
CEO/general manager of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
Some may only take steps to be green around Earth Day (April 22),
but the American Le Mans Series is green year-round and it brings
its unique, eco-conscious style of racing back to Mazda Raceway
Laguna Seca May 11-12.
There are plenty of rivalries and Northern California fans will
have to choose their favorites at the American Le Mans Monterey,
presented by Patrón, May 11-12, 2012 with at least nine regional
drivers competing.
The American Le Mans Monterey, presented by Patron is a six-hour
endurance race that features multiple classes of high-tech sports
cars competing together with constant passing and on-track
battles throughout. The race takes competitors from daylight to
dusk and into the darkness, pushing drivers’ and crews’ mental
and physical abilities.
The 2012 race will feature Northern California natives:
Townsend Bell (San Francisco) calls Mazda
Raceway Laguna Seca the birthplace of his inspiration to become a
driver. In 1996 he attended a three-day Skip Barber Racing School
class and said from the moment he was buckled in, a light switch
went on, and he knew what he wanted to do with his life – race –
and he hadn’t event started up the engine. This year he will
co-pilot Alex Job Racing’s new Lotus Evora in the American Le
Mans Series.
Ken Dobson (Carmel Valley) grew up just over the
hills from Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, worked as an instructor at
the Skip Barber Racing School and probably knows the racetrack
better than most. Today he drives in the American Le Mans Series
with Butch Leitzinger and Rudy Junco in the No. 52 PR1 Mathiasen
Motorsports ORECA FLM09.
Memo Gidley (Novato) grew up on the Pacific
Ocean between Mexico and Northern California, living as “anchor
outs” with his family in the San Francisco Bay, before moving to
dry land and the town of San Rafael. His first foray into racing
was with motorcycles, but a trip to the CART race at Mazda
Raceway Laguna Seca convinced Gidley to pursue open-wheel racing.
Gidely climbed his way up the ladder to Champ Car where he
recorded three podium finishes with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2001.
Gidley pilots the #5 Muscle Milk Pickett Racing ORECA FLM09 and
comes into the 2012 ALMS season with four starts, three top-5 and
two top-3 finishes.
Michael Guasch (Pleasant Hill) brings a lengthy
and diverse resume to the Muscle Milk Pickett Racing lineup.
Guasch’s racing background includes 2011 LMPC victory at Sebring
with Genoa Racing, and a long history in IMSA support series and
FIA GT3 competition.
Joey Hand (Sacramento) is in the midst of his
busiest season yet, racing in both the American Le Mans Series
stateside and German Touring Cars (DTM) in Europe. Hand is on a
mission to defend his 2011 GT drivers’ championship that he
shared with co-pilot Dirk Mueller in the No. 56 BMW E92 M3. He is
a two time 12 Hours of Sebring GT winner (2011 and 2012) and a
winner of the 24 Hours of Daytona (2011).
Seth Nieman (San Francisco) is a driver and team
principal for Flying Lizards Motorsports piloting the No. 44
Porsche 911 GT3 RSR. Now in its ninths season of competition,
Flying Lizard Motorsports won GT championships in 2008 and 2009.
Greg Pickett (Alamo) leads Muscle Milk Pickett
Racing and their new Honda-powered P1 entry. Since entering the
American Le Mans Series in 2008, the team has seven wins and has
been runner-up in the championship the past two seasons.
Henri Richard (Los Altos Hills) returns to the
Prototype Challenge class (PC) with Dempsey Racing. Last year he
competed in the PC class with PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports, prior to
which for drove with TRG Porsche in GT Challenge (GTC). Richard
is a former Ferrari Challenge competitor who got his start racing
125cc motorcycles and rallies in his native France.
Johannes van Overbeek (Oakland) is consistently
a championship contender in the American Le Mans Series,
returning for his third season with Extreme Speed Motorsports in
the GT class driving a Ferrari F458 Italia with team owner Scott
Sharp. Van Overbeek has posted race victories with both Porsche
and BMW in his career and won the 2007 Porsche Cup, which is
presented annually to world’s top independent Porsche driver.
Advance purchase general admission is $60 for a two day pass.
Children 12 and under are free with paying adult. There is
complimentary parking and VIP parking available for $30.
Hospitality options start at $250 per person.
With fast cars, interactive displays, fireworks, autograph
sessions and so much more, there is ample action for spectators
during the American Le Mans Monterey, presented by Patron May
11-12, both on and off the race track.
Featuring multiple classes of high-tech sports cars competing
together, the American Le Mans Series sees constant passing and
on-track battles throughout each race. The six hour endurance
race takes competitors from daylight to dusk and into the
darkness, pushing drivers’ and crews’ mental and physical
abilities.
Intent on recapturing the form that made it sports car racing’s
dominant GT force in the early days of the ALMS, SRT Viper will
return to the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón
this season. SRT Viper Racing is set to debut its
competition-ready SRT Viper GTS-R later in 2012, Chrysler Group
officials announced today at the New York Auto Show.
Dempsey Racing principals and co-drivers Patrick Dempsey and Joe
Foster confirmed today the team’s entry into the American Le Mans
Series (ALMS) P2 division with a partial schedule of races this
year, fulltime competition in future seasons, and a return to the
24 Hours of Le Mans, possibly as soon as 2013.
Two-time sports car racing champion and experienced Ferrari
driver Jeff Segal has joined the Tequila Patrón-sponsored Extreme
Speed Motorsports (ESM) team for this weekend’s 60th Anniversary
Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.
From the 14-year-old who snuck into a Sports Car Racing
Association of the Monterey Peninsula (SCRAMP) volunteer barbecue
to the well-respected race car driver he is today, Townsend Bell,
will be a welcome sight as he returns to his home track at the
American Le Mans Monterey, presented by Patrón May 11-12, 2012.
MONTEREY, Calif., February 23, 2012 – Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
kicks off its 55th season with the American Le Mans Monterey,
presented by Patrón, an exhilarating six hour endurance race, May
11-12.
Featuring multiple classes of high-tech sports cars competing
together, the American Le Mans Series sees constant passing and
on-track battles throughout each race. The six hour endurance
race takes competitors from daylight, to dusk and into the
darkness, pushing drivers’ and crews’ mental and physical
abilities.
The 2011 American Le Mans Series Championship was secured, with
one race to go, at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca last fall by Dyson
Racing who won the LMP1 Drivers and Team Championships. At that
same race Mazda won the Engine Manufacturer title and Dunlop the
Tire Championship. Dyson Racing wrapped up the Michelin Green X
Challenge championship for the year at the season-ending Petit Le
Mans.
A notable new entry to the 2012 American Le Mans Series is Lotus
Alex Job Racing. This is the first time a factory backed Lotus
has participated in the Series and they couldn’t have chosen a
better partner; Alex Job Racing is the longest competing and most
successful team in the American Le Mans Series. IndyCar veteran
Townsend Bell and ALMS Founders Cup winner Bill Sweedler are the
team’s drivers.
The Mazda MX-5 Cup, Unlimited Racing Championship, Cooper Tires
Prototype Lites powered by Mazda, Cadillac Pirelli World
Challenge and IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge by Yokohama support races
provide on-track activity throughout the weekend. Off-track
offerings include driver autograph sessions, grid walk, race
simulators, tech talks, and of course, plenty of food, beer, wine
and Patrón.
Advance purchase general admission is $60 for a two day pass.
Children 12 and under are free with a paying adult. There is free
parking and VIP parking available for $30. Hospitality options
start at $250 per person.
On behalf of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, welcome to our
world-renowned road racing facility. Our communications
department is standing by to provide you with prompt, accurate
and helpful assistance to make your job easier and your
experience memorable.
To ensure a safe working environment, certain policies and
guidelines have been established, which are discussed below.
Individuals requesting a media credential must be currently
working on assignment and fully complete the online application
form.
There is so much to see and do when visiting Mazda Raceway Laguna
Seca, whether it’s making a quick overnight stop to see a race,
or if you’re making a weekend of it and checking out all the cool
attractions in the Monterey County area.
One of the best ways to immerse yourself in the experience of any
racing event at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca is to stay overnight in
the Laguna Seca Recreation Area campgrounds.
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca offers some of the coolest apparel in
all of motor racing, from wind-breakers and sweatshirts, to ball
caps and jackets. Be sure to visit the track souvenir store
and make your choice.
There are numerous ways to get your brand noticed through a
marketing and advertising program with Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca,
either through a custom-built official partnership all the way up
to an event title sponsorship.
See what’s happening at the track all year ’round. Whether
you’re looking to rent our facility for an event or just attend
something cool, this is the place to look.
