It’s official! Today the ALMS cars have again hit the track for the 2011 season – this time in their Sebring Winter Test at Sebring International Raceway in Florida.

This two-day test session is in preparation for next month’s Twelve Hours of Sebring, that will run the weekend of March 16th – 19th, and is a great preview of what we should expect for the year ahead.

To see the dates for all the events, please visit our page:
2011 Schedule of the American Le Mans Series.

With the 2010 season of the American Le Mans Series now in the books, it’s time to look at the final standings. This report will only include the top-10 drivers from each class, but you can see the full standings with drivers points by following the link at the bottom of this post.

LMP
1. David Brabham
1. Simon Pagenaud
2. Klaus Graf
3. Jonny Cocker
4. Chris Dyson
5. Paul Drayson
6. Guy Smith
7. Marino Franchitti
8. Greg Pickett
9. Sascha Maassen
10. Clint Field

LMPC
1. Scott Tucker
2. Gunnar Jeannette
3. Elton Julian
4. Christophe Bouchut
5. Kyle Marcelli
6. Christian Zugel
7. Andy Wallace
8. Mark Wilkins
9. Ricardo Gonzalez
9. Luis Diaz
10. David Ducote

GT
1. Jörg Bergmeister
1. Patrick Long
2. Gianmaria Bruni
3. Bill Auberlen
3. Tommy Milner
4. Jaime Melo
5. Oliver Gavin
6. Jan Magnussen
7. Dirk Müller
7. Joey Hand
8. Olivier Beretta
9. Johnny O’Connell
10. Scott Sharp
10. Johannes van Overbeek

GTC
1. Timothy Pappas
1. Jeroen Bleekemolen
2. Shane Lewis
3. Andy Lally
4. Henri Richard
5. Bill Sweedler
6. Romeo Kapudija
7. Robert Rodriguez
7. Galen Bieker
8. Lawson Aschenbach
9. Juan Gonzalez
9. Butch Leitzinger
10. Bret Curtis
10. James Sofronas

Click here for the full 2010 Season ALMS Points Standings

The 2011 race schedule of the American Le Mans Series was released earlier today, with a few changes to shake things up. Though most of the venues look familiar, some of their dates do not.

Notable changes include Mosport International Raceway’s Mobil 1 presents the Grand Prix of Mosport, which will be run a month earlier from July 22nd – 24th, and Mazda Raceway’s American Le Mans Series Monterey presented by Patron, which will return to the fall, racing the weekend of Sep 15th – 17th.

Added to the schedule this season includes the ALMS’ first running of the Baltimore Grand Prix. Running along the city’s Inner Harbor should make a great backdrop for what’s bound to be a great weekend of racing.

2011 ALMS Schedule:

February 9-10: Sebring International Raceway’s Winter Test
March 19: Sebring International Raceway
April 16: Long Beach Street Circuit
July 9: Lime Rock Park
July 31: Mosport International Raceway
August 6: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
August 21: Road America
September 3: Baltimore Street Circuit
September 17: Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
October 1: Road Atlanta

A more detailed 2011 ALMS Schedule can be found here.

This week’s American Le Mans Series event took the racers to Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah, where the #66 of Gil de Ferran and Simon Pagenaud came up first overall for the second consecutive race. In fact, the top three finishers earlier today were a direct repeat from the last event in Long Beach (1. #66 P1 Acura – Gil de Ferran and Simon Pagenaud, 2. #9 P1 Acura – Scott Sharp and David Brabham, 3. #15 P2 Acura – Luis Diaz and Adrian Fernandez), giving Acura another podium sweep as manufacturer.

Luis Diaz and Adrian Fernandez once again won class honors in the P2 division. This marks their fourth class win of the season, in just as many races. Coming up short to the line was Marino Franchitti and Butch Leitzinger in their #20 Mazda Lola B08 machine.

GT1 was again missing in action with the Compuware Corvettes sitting out another race, but to fill the void, the new Challenge class was added to the mix, bringing in another five entries – all Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars. Of the five, two teams suffered mechanical issues (#02 Carl Skerlong and Nick Parker / #36 Bob Faieta and Wesley Hoaglund), two teams were disqualified due to ride height (#47 John Baker and Guy Cosmo / #08 Ed Brown and Bill Sweedler), and one team managed to complete the race – the #57 entry of Melanie Snow and Martin Snow who took the class victory.

As for the GT2 class, the #45 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR of Jörg Bergmeister and Patrick Long took the checkered flag for a third consecutive class win. Close behind were fellow Porsche drivers, Marc Lieb and Wolf Henzler in their #87 entry.

The top finishers included:

Pos   No  Class  Car                  Drivers
  1  #66     P1  Acura ARX-02a        Simon Pagenaud
                                      Gil de Ferran

  2   #9     P1  Acura ARX-02a        Scott Sharp
                                      David Brabham

  3  #15     P2  Acura ARX-01B        Luis Diaz
                                      Adrian Fernandez

  4  #20     P2  Mazda / Lola B08     Marino Franchitti
                                      Butch Leitzinger

  5  #37     P1  Lola B06             Jon Field
                                      Clint Field
                                      Chapman Ducote

  6  #16     P2  Mazda / Lola B09     Chris Dyson
                                      Guy Smith

  7  #45    GT2  Porsche 911 GT3 RSR  Jörg Bergmeister
                                      Patrick Long

  8  #87    GT2  Porsche 911 GT3 RSR  Marc Lieb
                                      Wolf Henzler

  9  #62    GT2  Ferrari 430 GT       Pierre Kaffer
                                      Jaime Melo

 10  #21    GT2  Panoz Esperante      Ian James
                                      Dominik Farnbacher

Related Links:
American Le Mans Series: Schedule, Standings, Latest News, Videos

Today’s Tequila Patron American Le Mans Series race at Long Beach was won by Simon Pagenaud and Gil de Ferran – the drivers of the No. 66 XM Radio/Panasonic Acura ARX-02a. Though the pair had lead for a good portion of the race, the margin of victory remained only 1.016 seconds ahead of fellow Acura drivers, Scott Sharp and David Brabham in the No. 9 Patrón Spirits Company machine.

P2 honors went to the third Acura entry – the No. 15 Lowe’s sponsored car piloted by Luis Diaz and Adrian Fernandez. This strong finish secured all three steps of the overall winner’s podium for Acura.

In GT1, the Compuware Corvettes returned for mixed results. The No. 4 of Olivier Beretta and Oliver Gavin took the class victory and finished 6th overall. The No. 3 sister entry driven by Johnny O’Connell faced mechanical issues and was forced to drop out of the race after only 42 of the total 76 laps.

A wide range of manufacturers made the podium in GT2, with Porsche taking over the top step with the No. 45 entry of Patrick Long and Jörg Bergmeister. Second in class went to the No. 62 Ferrari’s Pierre Kaffer and Jaime Melo, with the No. 92 BMW’s Tommy Milner and Dirk Müller gracing the third step.

The top finishers included:

Pos   No  Class  Car                  Drivers
  1  #66     P1  Acura ARX-02a        Simon Pagenaud
                                      Gil de Ferran

  2   #9     P1  Acura ARX-02a        Scott Sharp
                                      David Brabham

  3  #15     P2  Acura ARX-01B        Luis Diaz
                                      Adrian Fernandez

  4  #16     P2  Mazda / Lola B09     Guy Smith
                                      Chris Dyson

  5  #20     P2  Mazda / Lola B09     Butch Leitzinger
                                      Marino Franchitti

  6   #4    GT1  Chev Corvette C6-R   Olivier Beretta
                                      Oliver Gavin

  7  #37     P1  Lola B06             Jon Field
                                      Chapman Ducote
                                      Clint Field

  8  #45    GT2  Porsche 911 GT3 RSR  Patrick Long
                                      Jörg Bergmeister

  9  #62    GT2  Ferrari 430 GT       Pierre Kaffer
                                      Jaime Melo

 10  #92    GT2  BMW E92 M3           Tommy Milner
                                      Dirk Müller

Related Links:
American Le Mans Series: Schedule, Standings, Latest News, Videos

The appropriately named Acura Sports Car Challenge of St. Petersburg provided an excellent showcase for two of the Acura teams in the American Le Mans Series this weekend. The The Patrón Spirits Acura of Scott Sharp and David Brabham took the overall win, with the Lowe’s Acura of Luis Diaz and Adrian Fernandez coming in a close second, only 32 seconds behind and still on the lead lap. The strong finish also allowed Diaz and Fernandez to snag the top honors in the P2 class.

St. Petersburg also marked the departure of the series’ current GT1 class, with the two remaining Corvette C6Rs pulling out in favor of future GT2 action instead. The Compuware Corvettes are expected to return to the track for the next event in Long Beach on April 18th, 2009.

In GT2, the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR driven by Patrick Long and Jörg Bergmeister grabbed a class victory, finishing in the 5th position overall. By the checkered flag, the team had gained a two lap lead over their nearest GT2 competitors, Tommy Milner and Dirk Müller in their BMW E92 M3 entry.

The top finishers included:

Pos   No  Class  Car                  Drivers
  1   #9     P1  Acura ARX-02a        Scott Sharp
                                      David Brabham

  2  #15     P2  Acura ARX-01B        Luis Diaz
                                      Adrian Fernandez

  3  #16     P2  Mazda / Lola B09     Chris Dyson
                                      Guy Smith

  4  #20     P2  Mazda / Lola B09     Marino Franchitti
                                      Butch Leitzinger

  5  #45    GT2  Porsche 911 GT3 RSR  Patrick Long
                                      Jörg Bergmeister

  6  #37     P1  Lola B06             Chapman Ducote
                                      Jon Field
                                      Clint Field

  7  #92    GT2  BMW E92 M3           Tommy Milner
                                      Dirk Müller

  8  #21    GT2  Panoz Esperante      Ian James
                                      Dominik Farnbacher

  9  #28    GT2  Chev. Corvette C6    Lou Gigliotti
                                      Eric Curran

 10  #44    GT2  Porsche 911 GT3 RSR  Seth Neiman
                                      Darren Law

Related Links:
American Le Mans Series: Schedule, Standings, Latest News, Videos

Allan McNish, Dindo Capello, and Tom Kristensen snagged the overall honors at the MOBIL 1 12 Hours of Sebring in their No. 2 Audi R15 TDI earlier today. The team lead the field eight times throughout the event, registering in the first position for 155 of the total 383 laps. The fastest qualifying P1 entry – the No. 66 Acura of Gil de Ferran, Simon Pagenaud, and Scott Dixon, suffered from mechanical problems, forcing them to complete only 246 laps.

Only one P2 class entry remained on the track as the checkered flag waved, bringing the No. 15 Lowe’s Acura of Luis Diaz and Adrian Fernandez to their first class win of the year. Despite being the only P2 left in the race, the team continued their hard charge right up until the final moments of the race, turning their fastest lap of the event with just one to go.

With only one team entered in GT1, the two sister Corvette C6Rs were racing for little more than team bragging rights. In the end, the No. 3 machine driven by Jan Magnussen, Johnny O’Connell, and Antonio Garcia, edged out the No. 4 entry piloted by Oliver Gavin, Olivier Beretta, and Marcel Fässler. Both teams finished in an impressive 6th and 7th overall.

GT2 saw 13 cars start the race, allowing for some serious competition throughout the day. In the end, the No. 62 Ferrari 430 GT of Mika Salo, Pierre Kaffer, and Jaime Melo, celebrated their victory coming to the line two laps ahead of their closest competitors – the No. 95 Ferrari of Gianmaria Bruni, Mathias Russo, and Luis Companc.

The top finishers included:

Pos   No  Class  Car                  Drivers
  1   #2     P1  Audi R15 TDI         Allan McNish
                                      Dindo Capello
                                      Tom Kristensen

  2  #08     P1  Peugeot 908 HDI FAP  Franck Montagny
                                      Stephane Sarrazin
                                      Sebastien Bourdais

  3   #1     P1  Audi R15 TDI         Mike Rockenfeller
                                      Marco Werner
                                      Lucas Luhr

  4  #15     P2  Acura ARX-01B        Luis Diaz
                                      Adrian Fernandez

  5  #07     P1  Peugeot 908 HDI FAP  Pedro Lamy
                                      Nicolas Minassian
                                      Christian Klein

  6   #3    GT1  Corvette C6R         Jan Magnussen
                                      Johnny O'Connell
                                      Antonio Garcia

  7   #4    GT1  Corvette C6R         Oliver Gavin
                                      Olivier Beretta
                                      Marcel Fassler

  8  #62    GT2  Ferrari 430 GT       Mika Salo
                                      Pierre Kaffer
                                      Jaime Melo

  9  #95    GT2  Ferrari 430 GT       Gianmaria Bruni
                                      Mathias Russo
                                      Luis Companc

 10  #21    GT2  Panoz Esperante      Dominik Farnbacher
                                      Ian James

Related Links:
American Le Mans Series: Schedule, Standings, Latest News, Videos

It was all Audi at Laguna Seca this weekend with the two entries from Audi Sport North America taking the top two spots on the podium. The race marked the final event in the American Le Mans Series 2008 season.

Coming out with the win was the Number 2 Audi driven by Lucas Luhr and Marco Werner, while the Number 1 Audi of Emanuele Pirro and Christijan Albers finished close behind.

Leading the field in P2 was the Acura of Andretti Green Racing driven by Franck Montagny and Tony Kanaan. The GT1 victory went to Corvette Racing’s Oliver Gavin and Olivier Beretta, while the GT2 class was won by Mika Salo and Jaime Melo in their Risi Competizione Ferrari.

Full results from the race are available at:

2008 ALMS Monterey Sports Car Championships at Laguna Seca Results

The updated final standings can be found here:

2008 American Le Mans Series Final Standings

The #1 Audi of Dindo Capello, Allan McNish, and Emanuele Pirro won the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta earlier today. Other class leaders included Penske Motorsports’s Ryan Briscoe and Helio Castroneves in P2; Corvette Racing’s Johnny O’Connell, Jan Magnussen, and Ron Fellows in GT1; and Risi Competizione’s Mika Salo and Jaime Melo in GT2. This race marked the second last American Le Mans Series race of the 2008 season.

The full results from this race are available at:

2008 ALMS Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta Results

The updated standings can be found here:

2008 American Le Mans Series Standings

The overall victory honors for Detroit’s American Le Mans Series race went to Franck Montagny and James Rossiter of Andretti Green Racing. This marked yet another overall victory for the P2 class. Surprisingly, the leading P1 that was driven by Intersport’s Clint Field, Jon Field and Richard Berry finished well back in the field in the 22nd position. This came to be after the leading P1 (an Audi Sport North America entry – that had originally been flagged as the race winner) was disqualified for coming in underweight in the post-race inspections.

Leading the way in GT1 was the No. 4 and No. 3 Corvettes driven by Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin and Johnny O’Connell/Jan Magnussen respectively. The two Flying Lizard Porsches came out on top in the GT2 class. They were the No. 45 driven by Jorg Bergmeister and Wolf Henzler and the No. 46 driven by Johannes van Overbeek and Patrick Pilet.

Full results from the race are available here:

2008 ALMS Detroit Sports Car Challenge Results

Updated ALMS standings have been posted here:

2008 American Le Mans Series Standings – As of Aug. 30, 2008 Detroit