With so many different racing programs to juggle, Wesoloski is forced to remian focused at all times. (Photo: GM) » More Photos

Where the immediate concerns of a 2008 program dominate Wesoloski's action items, the proposed future direction of the ACO/ALMS LMP category for 2010, a hybrid of closed-top prototypes wrapped in semi-GT1 body styles, was met with mixed (if we define the word 'mixed' as: "a combination of open-mouthed befuddlement and deeply rooted concerns") reactions when revealed by the ACO at Le Mans earlier this year. To GM's displeasure, the ACO chose to the Corvette C6R as their presentation model.

Now a few months after the announcement, I was curious if the adventurous direction for the future of LMP racing had been considered within the hierarchy of GM's road racing division. "It's certainly one of the options that we're going to continue to look at very heavily; it's very intriguing to think...the possibility of taking an American car and winning overall at Le Mans is a very interesting opportunity. We've got to make sure that the price to do that doesn't get out of hand, and it's certainly a concern. We always get the question, 'Why doesn't GM go Formula 1 Racing?' Well, if McLaren can afford a hundred million dollar fine and still be back next year racing, GM can't afford to race in Formula 1. That doesn't make sense to us. So we're on a couple orders of magnitude lower than that as where we'd like to operate, but we can't let that get out of hand even as it is.

Unfamiliar territory for Wesoloski and Corvette Racing. A return to Le Mans with renewed vigor in 2008 is guaranteed. (Photo: GM) » More Photos

"Marketing budgets are not infinite, so we've got to stay within some parameters here and to be able to cover our bases, but yeah, we're looking at the future of the American Le Mans series and the future of Le Mans. Does that mean that the top prototype category is right for GM? Does that mean staying in GT1 with the cars that are very relevant to production? What does it all mean? Where is the right spot for us? It's an ongoing study, for sure."

That seems to be the take home point; whether it was the Chevy Intrepid GTP of IMSA's golden era, or more recently, the Cadillac LMP1 prototypes, the lack of immediate relevance of those cars to what GM sells in their dealerships is something we've seen GM keep firmly in mind when choosing racing programs for the past five years. Committing fifty million dollars to a GM prototype program with the hopes that fans can draw the dotted lines behind the badge they see on the track and then run out to fork over $25,000 for a street car with the same badge isn't something I'd expect anytime soon.

NASCAR aside, everything else GM spends money on to road race--an ALMS Corvette, Rolex Pontiac G6, Koni Chevy Cobalt, WTCC Chevy Lacetti, V8 Supercar Holden Commodore, SCCA Club Pontiac Solstice, or SCCA World Challenge Cadillac CTS-V reveal, to varying degrees, their production car roots. It would take a massive change in GM's culture to imagine Corvette Racing pushing for a prototype in 2010.

"Well, that's where our relationship with the ACO comes into play. We hope we can help them hedge out a path that doesn't end up with...you know, they certainly don't want everything to look generic like the Daytona Prototypes. They also don't want everything to look wildly exotic like the Peugeot. They're looking to go back towards the days of the late '80's, early '90's where it was easily identifiable as, 'Oh, that's a McLaren, not a Porsche.' You know, these are cars that, while they're exotic supercars, you could see that they were related to something you could buy for the street, and that's really where I think they want to get back to- to get away from the prototypes that all you can... the only reason you can tell the car brand is the stickers on the side. Now, contrary to that, I think Audi has done a fantastic job of taking the technology from the R8 and R10 and putting it on the street. So, yeah, the car doesn't look like it and it's a real stretch to say that they're related, but man, their engine technology is directly related, and they do a great job of using that to promote their products through racing."

As plans and directions emerge for these pillars of the American Le Mans series, the health of the GT1 category in 2008 will be known. Should they elect to limit their racing to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, I'll be the first to book a ticket to witness another epic GT1 battle at La Sarthe as Wesoloski and the Corvette Racing team attempt to wrest the crown back from Aston Martin.

Now where's my travel agent's number...

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Marshall Pruett is Automotive Editor for SPEEDTV.com. Pruett also covers Sportscar racing and provides other features and commentary. Marshall grew up at "Pruett's Olde English Garage," his father's shelter for abused foreign cars, and spent his childhood being dragged across the West Coast to help with his dad's amateur racing exploits. A rather predictable fascination with cars and working for racing teams soon followed.

He's since retired from that career in motorsports, but continues to build street cars and race cars for a variety of auto manufacturers. He can be reached at marshall.pruett@speedtv.com