American Le Mans
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| Country | United States, Canada |
|---|---|
| Inaugural season | 1999 |
| Folded | 2013 |
| Prototype Classes | P1, P2, PC |
| GT Classes | GT, GTC |
| Drivers | Varies over season |
| Teams | Varies over season |
| Tyre suppliers | Michelin, Dunlop, Falken, Yokohama, Bridgestone |
| Last Drivers' champion | LMP1: Klaus Graf & Lucas Luhr GT: Jan Magnussen & Antonio García LMP2: Scott Tucker LMPC: Mike Guasch GTC: Cooper MacNeil & Jeroen Bleekemolen |
| Last Teams' champion | LMP1: Muscle Milk Pickett Racing GT: Corvette Racing LMP2: Level 5 Motorsports LMPC: CORE Autosport GTC: Flying Lizard Motorsports |
| Last Makes' champion | LMP1: HPD-Honda GT: Chevrolet |
| Official website | http://www.alms.com |
The American Le Mans Series (ALMS) was a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada. It consisted of a series of endurance and sprint races, and was created in the spirit of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The American Le Mans' headquarters was in Braselton, Georgia, adjacent to Road Atlanta.
In 2014, the series merged with the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series to form the United SportsCar Championship.
The series was created by Braselton, Georgia-based businessman Don Panoz and ran its first season in 1999. Panoz created a partnership with the Automobile Club de L'Ouest (ACO), the organizers of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, to begin a 10-hour race in the spirit of Le Mans, dubbed the Petit Le Mans. The inaugural Petit Le Mans took place in 1998 as a part of the Professional SportsCar Racing series, in which Panoz was an investor. For 1999, the series changed its name to the American Le Mans Series, and adopted the ACO's rulebook.
The partnership with the ACO allowed ALMS teams to earn automatic entries in the Le Mans 24 Hours. This was a practice that began with the inaugural Petit Le Mans, a practice that continues today, where 1st and 2nd place teams in each class earn entries to the next year's 24 Hours. The ALMS race at Adelaide in 2000 also received automatic entries. Invitations were extended to the series champions beginning in 2003, for the 2004 race. The ACO has always given high consideration to teams competing in ALMS races, and many ALMS teams have seen success in the 24 Hours.
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