[alms] Laguna Seca

Final race of the season, 4 hours at Laguna Seca, starting tonight (Saturday) at 22:15 GMT.
During the race live timing here, live radio here

The Zytek of Shimoda/ Chilton starts from pole, in the LMP2 class the Maassen/ Luhr Porsche was fastest in qualifying (5th overall). Not bad for the car's debut


...a great looking car it is too

In my opinion alms seems to have gone downhill since the early part of this centurary with audi and panoz fighting week in week out.

I would have thought the FIA and organisers of alms and LMES join together to form a year long championship taking part all over the world that includes extra points for the le mans 24 hours, sebring etc would be much more popular to everyone especially now peguot and audi are building prototypes as i think it could do the world of sports car racing a huge lot of good.

I don't think many teams would find the money to get the equipment shipped around the world all year long.
I really like the current state, with regional championships that all provide slots for Le Mans. Maybe in a few years, if ALMS, LMES and that new Japanese series are established someone could plan a worldwide championship for interested teams, kinda like what BPR was.

i can see your point about money but wouldnt it be good for the manufactureres and then have the private teams entering the races in there area therefore keeping up a reasonable grid?

Actually that's similar to what is happening atm although on an unofficial basis with the likes of Aston entering just the big races such at Sebring, Le Mans and Petit. I guess it's possible that these could be combined with a couple of other european races and one or two in japan to form a world championship. Actually I initially thought that was in the ACO's mind when they formed the LMES as they seemed to have deliberately left Europe out of the series' title although I'm not so sure now with it going back to just 4 races next season.

Back on Laguna, fantastic laps from Chilton to get the pole by such a margin but as always expect the Audi's to be stronger over a race distance. Times upto qually have been pretty similar so we could be in for a great race.
Expecting a good fight between the Porsche and Intersport Lola with only 2 tenths between them in all sessions before qually, reckon the Porsche will have a few teething probs mid race enabling the Lola to take the class win.

Also possible ACEMCO win in GT1?

Just looking at the photos of the cars going through the corkscrew, I want to be there.

“Not even JJ can pass on the outside of a hairpin (referring to turn two here at Laguna – the “real first corner”)" - Tom Chilton

But maybe Butch Leitzinger can lol

Oh and I forgot that Graham from dsc was co-commentator for this race.

Hell yeah I'm all pumped up now

EDIT: Viper spun, FCC.
As for the first 15 minutes, whoah.

Ben Devlin off, 2nd FCC

Amazing racing so far, still got 3 1/2 hours to go

The Spyder keeps up to the LMP1's.

ACEMCO lost power steering (again) after a couple of laps.

Acemco fully up to pace again, good news. But Van der Steur prototype off again, FCC

the americans really do know how to ruin the looks of a porsche.

Nice, Porsche in 3rd now.

EDIT: 2nd after the final round of pit stops

JJ off!

It is certainly not what I was expecting the livery to look like but I like it.

Bernhard off in the Alex Job GT2 lead Porsche, FCC

Hit by Pedro Lamy's Aston apparently