Saw that they're going to merge in '14, should be intresting, especially if the rules are going to be split
http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/ ... ng-merger/
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What I would really like is if the DP cars (particularly that nice Chevy Prototype) were allowed to boost up to LMP2 tech. Perhaps a LMP3 class?WilliamsF1 wrote:LMP cars are too fast for the daytona 24 hr race. This is one of the reasons DP cars were introduced in 2002.
GRAND-AM: US-Based DTM Series Confirmed
It's official: GRAND-AM and NASCAR will partner on a US-based DTM championship starting in 2013.
The DTM is officially headed for the United States.
The 12-race US-based championship for the extreme DTM cars will begin in 2013 -- one year after GRAND-AM's flagship Daytona Prototype class undergoes a serious remodeling project -- that will serve as a sprint racing support show for GRAND-AM, NASCAR Sprint Cup and the NASCAR Nationwide Series.
“Only days after BMW officially announced its commitment to the DTM from 2012, this is more good news concerning the future of the DTM”, said Hans Werner Aufrecht, chairman of the ITR group that runs the DTM.
“Internationalisation has been our goal, in order to ensure that cars to DTM regulations can be used in more countries all over the world. We have had very constructive talks with the GRAND-AM organisation and we are very excited with this new partnership.”
GRAND-AM president Tom Bledsoe says he expects the new venture with the DTM to serve as a major boost for his series.
“We are proud to forge these new relationships with the many manufacturers choosing to embrace the DTM vision, and we look forward to welcoming these exciting cars to the USA. With these announcements, we can begin planning with our media partners, race tracks and teams. The addition of a DTM-style sprint race will increase the attraction for our fans and help grow all GRAND-AM series.”
Many questions (and doubts) have surfaced about the DTM+GRAND-AM+NASCAR partnership, with this author receiving a steady stream of correspondence on the topic. Most of those inquiries centered on the belief that this new partnership is the first step by NASCAR to launch a Sprint Cup series in Europe, but SPEED.com has learned that the initial contact between the parties came from the DTM reaching out to GRAND-AM, and not from NASCAR to the DTM.
Mazda's Robert Davis thinks a US DTM series will only add to the quality of GRAND-AM events, delivering a second form of GT racing to go with the Mazdas, Camaros, Corvettes, BMWs and Fords in Rolex GT. (Marshall Pruett)
The main question to be answered now is how the US DTM series will be populated. Through discussions with parties involved with the 2013 series, we understand the most likely scenario involves factory involvement from Audi, Mercedes-Benz and BMW, with an undetermined number of existing DTM teams running satellite programs in the USA on behalf of the DTM manufacturers.
The German DTM series currently serves as a playground for Audi and Mercedez-Benz (BMW will join for 2012), where full factory racing teams fight for the championship while a number of privately owned teams campaign DTM cars with some level of factory assistance. The same model is expected for the 2013 US DTM series, giving the three marques the chance to battle each other on American soil while completing the rest of the grid with US-based teams.
Details are still somewhat vague, but the opportunity appears to exist for GRAND-AM teams to expand into the US DTM series provided they reach an agreement with Audi, Mercedes-Benz or BMW.
Whether the US DTM series would be open to teams outside of GRAND-AM and NASCAR is unknown, but the fact that the DTM organizers expect to see the new series share the 2013 calendar with the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series could draw the interest from more than just sportscar and stock car entrants.
Chip Ganassi, owner of a two-car NASCAR Sprint Cup team and the 2010 GRAND-AM Rolex Series Daytona Prototype-championship winning team, says that running a DTM program could be of interest to teams in a variety of different series.
"I would think you will get some cross pollination from teams. The good news is that they are trying to get more factory involvement around [GRAND-AM]."
Robert Davis, head of Mazda's North American motorsports programs, believes the inclusion of a DTM sprint series alongside the Rolex Series would benefit everyone involved with GRAND-AM.
"I look at this announcement as a way to grow the overall image and impact and marketability of GRAND-AM. Having Audi and Mercedes and now BMW running on the same weekends with us is not going to hurt GRAND-AM at all. If anything, it will bring out more people who are passionate about our kind of racing. The guys at GRAND-AM are pretty smart about thinking those kinds of things through from the beginning. We don't know a lot about this partnership yet -- it's still early days -- but I think you'll see [GRAND-AM] is going to take care of its entrants while they add something exciting like the DTM to the calendar."
Davis, whose factory Mazda RX-8s claimed the 2010 Rolex GT manufacturer and driver championships, says that concerns about the DTM taking the spotlight away from GRAND-AM are premature.
"If it's good for GRAND-AM, it's good for us. Any way to make road racing a higher profile sport in America is what we need. I watch all of the DTM races and they are well attended, well run and are presented like a premier organization. Those are only positives to be associated with GRAND-AM. Bring 'em on."
LMP and DP in one class in the USA
04/01/2013 - Auto News - AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES
In the USA, Le Mans Prototypes and Daytona Prototype will be united in one class in 2014. This was the main information in a press conference today.
The American press gathered this afternoon (local time) at the Daytona Speedway as part of a conference on the future regulations of the series that will unite the American Le Mans Series and Grand-Am in 2014. Both these series have been in place for more than a decade, and until now have raced with totally different regulations, so one of the challenges of the merger will be to adjust the classes so that they can coexist.
This first conference was therefore to define the main direction of future technical regulations :
• The existing LM P2 (ALMS) and Daytona Prototype (Grand-Am) will race in the same class. To do this, LM P2 performance will be sightly reduced. Also, the organizers ensure that LM P2 cars can be easily brought into conformity with the ACO regulations, so that the teams will be able to participate in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
• The existing LM PC category is unchanged and will be a second prototype class.
• The GT class of ALMS (GTE for the ACO) is unchanged, and the Grand-Am GT will form a second Grand Touring class.
Finally, although comparative tests have been done, more will be completed before January 2014 so that performance equilibrium can be confirmed.
- GRAND-AM’s DP and the ALMS’ P2 classes will combine into one, headlining prototype class that also will include the revolutionary DeltaWing prototype, with performance of - the cars balanced to maintain close competition.
I think the Deltawing will be fastest, would be interesting if there is more than one Deltawing entry.wesley123 wrote:That they merged wasnt really a problem to me. But LMP and DP together in one class? that is just stupid, really really stupid. Expect a DP to win the championship
http://www.f1technical.net/forum/viewto ... =5&t=10189 
At the moment all evidence points to a re-designing of a DP to match LMP2 speeds with more aero... Honestly that sounds like a good deal to me as it's about time the DP stop being a Trans-am GT pretending to be a prototypewesley123 wrote:That they merged wasnt really a problem to me. But LMP and DP together in one class? that is just stupid, really really stupid. Expect a DP to win the championship