If Audi shows up, Peugeot will. But if Audi can't get the R15 ready for Sebring because of the ACO's piddling with the rules, what incentive does Peugeot have-after all, Audi and Peugeot can do 12 Hours simulations at Sebring about any time they want to, since it's now a permanent circuit.

^ Well that is just down right unfortunate. Bummer.

Basically, this new series makes both LMS and ALMS look like bad investments for any serious effort, and that hurts everyone else because of less press, less interest, smaller fields ...

Audi and Peugeot (and any other LMS teasm) will not come over for any races except PLM. Teams can win an "International Championship" by only running six races, most of them close to home, in Europe.

Since Audi and Peugeot were certain for Le Mans (and Audi announced for Spa) they only have to run four other races in Europe and be pretty much guaranteed first or second.

Any other Euro team that wants to compete at the highest level will run the same races as Peugeot and Audi. The rest of the season ... almost certainly fan turnout and TV/press coverage will be lessened, because the big guns won't be showing.


As for ALMS ... At least for this season, Sebring will Not be an internationally important race, as it has been for the last 57 years. Between ACO scheduling testing a week later, and the race not being part of the International Series, it will no longer matter to anyone but ALMS teams.

ALMS now means almost nothing. Patron Highcroft and Lowes-Fernandez get Le Mans invites or cars they no longer run. The only race which has transatlantic significance in PLM. Less reason for sponsors to pay as much, less reason for media to cover as completely.

Acura is gone, not really replaced by HPD. Porsche is gone. Audi is gone. Peugeot will only show for PLM. Patron Highcroft will have the most money and the best car in P-class, with maybe only two or three other teams fielding cars. P-class is internationally irrelevant.

One of the few big attractions for ALMS were Sebring and PLM, because everyone wanted to see the new Euro cars. Already some ALMS fans are planning to skip Sebring (based on posts on other boards.) Anything that hurts Sebring hurts the whole ALMS season, because potential sponsors will be looking at turnout, TV numbers, and potential return on their investment.


If P class is a lame parade, with one reliable Highcroft Acura, and occasionally the Cytosports car, the Dyson car, maybe the Field car ... none of which are well-funded or reliable ... Maybe Lord Drayton's Aston-Lola, which is pretty much entirely a mystery ... why would a sponsor spend money on P-class?

And with GT shrinking, and teams figuring int makes more sense financially to run in Grand-Am than ALMS ... Suddenly ALMS is running more filler cars(LMPCs and Porsche Cup) than its premier classes.

And who is going to race in LMPC as a "stepping stone" to a full-fledged P-ride when P-class is almost dead, and LMPC isn't looking too good (two chassis sold, as far as I have heard.)

The new International Series isn't the death blow for ALMS, or even the series' greatest illness. It is more a kick in the throat to a person who is already choking with a lung ailment.

Silly me to think that something that the ACO thought of would be good for anyone outside of France.

Maybe, just maybe it is time for ALMS to say adios to LeMans and just do what they think is best for themselves. Kinda like IMSA in the late 1970s/early 1980s. The cars weren't exactly legal at LeMans, but with fairly strong fields, nobody really cared.

Yes, kick the ACO connection to the curb, please. Its long since past due.

Actually, the biggest threat to Audi not having plans to run at Sebring wasn't the ACO or IMSA-it's Peugeot! Dr. Ullrich stated that unless IMSA or the ACO grant Audi a waiver to run a hybrid 2009/2010 R15 at Sebring, the chances aren't good that they'll run Sebring because of Peugeot's year long whine-fest, and that Peugeot has already requested that the R15 not race at Sebring unless it's to full 2010 specs.

I'd say that Peugeot's running scared is what'll likely screw us out of a great race at Sebring-just hope that the ACO or IMSA grants Audi a waiver and overules Peugeot and they don't cry to the FIA(now being run by ex-Peugeot Sport boss Todt), or IMSA goes it their way and forces some draconian penalties on Peugeot.

The US round should be rotated then with Sebring being the event for 2011. I understand this Intercontinental cup might expand to 6 races, which I don't agree with because it almost becomses yet another "series". If this indeed expands to 6 races, make 2 North American races mandatory. Of course that is just me talking, we know it probably won't happen.

Anyone who thinks the ACO would postpone announcing its rules changes until Audi no longer had time to adapt their car, in order to favor Peugeot, is ... well, pretty smart, I'd say. Just like ACO gave diesels and unbeatable edge when Audi, and then Peugeot, promised long and deep investments so long as they were the only teams allowed to win.

I do have hopes (silly me) that ICC will add Sebring for 2011, but there will be so many changes in 2011 it is hard to know what might happen. For one thing, the diesel rules are changing ... oh, because VW AG is swapping Porsche for Audi, and Porsche doesn't have a TDI line. Cubic dollars FTW yet again.

I am hoping, with the rules possibly stable for a few years (assuming thee ACO is capable of something that clever) we might see more prototypes; though ACO still demands that P2 cars have to be second-rate, to make sure the big spenders get the podium.

I would assume that any manufacturer that wants to race prototypes will race only ICC, because it is the most cost-effective use of marketing .... um, racing, dollars. I further assume that VW AG would not oppose adding Sebring, because they sell so many cars in the U.S.

I pity the ACO. They are caught between greed and nationalistic bias. VW AG has more money, but Peugeot is French. Which way should they unfairly bias the rules?

Mr. Panoz ought to impose rules and sanctions that would favor his own currently mothballed Panoz LMP 1 cars. Screw the French.