14: The shape of the ALMS to come: Part 5 of 7

As promised here is the Serpent's outlook for the future of the Prototype divisions in the ALMS:

As a quick recap... 2011 will be a year of glorious change for P1. P1 in 2011 will basically be our current P2 (an oversimplification but as far as the casual ALMS fan is concerned... it all looks the same after a few beer). Today's P1's will go way of the dodo. Be excited. This will be greater than anything sports car fans could ever imagine.

What of Audi and Acura the P1's?

A tough situation so I will address it first. The answer, dear fans, is "It depends."

Option 1: Audi and Acura milk their current P1 cars for all they are worth. If they both come knocking on the door for a full season next year... expect them to bring $$$ (i.e. music to cash starved ALMS ears). We all know money talks, so expect rules to keep them on top of the prototypes. The good side of this is that Acura vs: Audi would make for good racing, even if it is only 4 cars. Just remember that these cars are going way of the dodo. Next year may be their last horrah unless they can use their money and influence to change a few minds.

Option 2: Only one of the above returns. If this is the case, the carrot to keep them/attract them will be a promise of performance superiority. BUT, to keep things interesting for fans, there will effectively be one prototype division as far as the actual races go. P1 cars will still have the edge, but they will be reigned back (think 2008).

Option 3: Audi and Acura don't return to P1. This is a worse case scenario, but actually makes a lot of sense given the rule changes for 2011, and current economic conditions. I think this option will make grown men cry on the forums. The casual sports car fans won't notice the difference however. (As if the simpleton casual fan would notice the lack of the fancy silver cars with the Olympic rings. I also doubt they would notice the time difference when they watch the race on TV, Monday morning, at 2am, a week after the actual race.) I would expect a few P2 Acuras to remain as they are good little cars and should be easy as my grandmother's pear-pie recipe to convert to 2011 regulations. Just a few year-to-year upgrades. No Biggie. Expect a resurgence of the Porsche Spyder in privateer hands for similar reasons.

In summary:

My prediction? I don't expect a huge economic recovery, but a gradual improvement next year. As a result, I would not be surprised to see factory P1's go the way of the dinosaur next year in the ALMS. Expect the remaining P1's to be corralled towards 2011 P1 specs/performance. Next year, today's P2's will take the spotlight race to race (that means more $$$). Don't worry though, the factory P1 dino's will arrive for the larger “Intercontinental Cup" type races in the US. Also, expect the Challenge class to reach it's full potential and open up to entries outside of the Patron 911's. GT1 will stay dead in 2010 and be replaced by the more economical P2 class in 2011 (unless Nissan lights a fire...).

Maybe not an ideal picture, but a Porsche/Acura/Mazda three-way would not be so bad, especially if they can attract more funding now that they would be the premiere class. Throw in a couple of neutered R15's and we have a horse race again.

You are Welcome.