Asian Le Mans Series

[Deleted]

In the ACO conference they said - on top of two of the events being linked with WEC - that Sepang final in (IIRC?) December is going to be 'longer'. What would that mean, just some random hour added or something grander?

It could be a support race (not that they'd admit to call it that) for SRO-assisted Sepang 12 hour's new date I guess, since they're both happening at that the same time of the year. Integrating the two to form bigger spectacle would be too wise of course

Also the two AAI cars got both of theirs auto entries in, so ACO does seem to award loyalty. Which is strange considering that they were running non-ACO GT3 cars, yet the Taisan Ferrari year earlier was ACO GTE but was only initially slotted to reserves despite the auto entry. So ACO's mood ranges...

[Juntos]

It is a end of year championship now. Don't say anything you're going to regret but this new calendar is even more depressing than before.

[Hawkwood]

Well it is just meant to be a transition year.
We'll just have to wait and see what they've got planned for 2016.

[Jam3s]

Transition year is no excuse though, there's no reason they couldn't have done something better year 1. It should have been a winter series beginning in Dec and finishing Feb, you would attract ELMS and Asia GT teams and probably have a half decent series on your hands but instead they have scheduled it so that ELMS and Asia GT won't compete and that leaves...well probably less cars than last season and certainly no LMP2's.

[Juntos]

Originally Posted by Hawkwood

Well it is just meant to be a transition year.
We'll just have to wait and see what they've got planned for 2016.

They say history repeats itself.

[Deleted]

Race Performance apparently is looking at running after not doing anything in Europe, but I would rank that happening about as realistic as seeing Pegasus Racing in USCC

While the shared weekends do make more sense than the idiotic standalones of 2013-2014 (the Sepang weekend held one week from Christmas and separate from 12h does not), it's gonna look pathetic when this series has it's own 5-10 car race on Saturday and then WEC has it's ~35 car race for same sort of format the next day

[Juntos]

Last year Mark Thomas went to the ball. Mark Thomas had a great fall.
Sometimes it's hard to see the lines we've drawn. Until we cross them. That's when we rely on the ones we love to pull us back. And give us something to hold on to.Perhaps ACO will do WEC's Warm-Up during the first hour of Asian Le Mans Series race to fill up the grids.

[Jam3s]

They have made a new calendar announcement:

1 – Fuji (Japan) – October 10th 2015 – 1 x 2h race (WEC event)
2 – Shanghai (China) – October 31st 2015 – 1 x 1h20 race (WEC event)
3 – Buriram (Thailand) – January 10th 2016 – 1 x 3h race
4 – Sepang (Malaysia) – January 24th 2016 – 1 x 3h race

Improved but they are still making a mistake imo. The Fuji event is 1 week before the ELMS finale, ruling out all teams competing there and as a result possibly discouraging them from bothering to enter for the remaining 3 races since the championship will be more or less out of reach (unless no one shows up to the first round).

Should be a Late Nov - Early Feb series, that way ELMS and WEC teams can come and compete. At least they are not clashing with GT Asia, there will be entrant possibilities from there.

For the future they need to disallow 2017 spec P2's as well because it will allow AsLMS to become a good market for the current spec P2 cars which the teams would otherwise struggle to sell.

Anyway, at least it is moving in somewhat of a direction.

[toledo47]

Calendar change for the Asian Le Mans Series
LeMans, June 2nd 2015


Since the recovery of the organisation of the Asian Le Mans Series, the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) is investing at every level in order to gradually build the best possible and most attractive platform and thus, confirms its ambition to become the reference operator for Endurance racing in the region.

Within that context and in order to compensate for the track time situation of the second round of the season (i.e. 1h20 race in Shanghai), an alternative solution has been sought.
The Asian Le Mans Series, after consulting and in accordance with the teams, is now able to announce that the Shanghai (China) event scheduled on November 1st 2015 is going to be replaced by a round in Sepang (Malaysia) on November 8th 2015 with a 3H race.

The 2016/2017calendar which will count five events (each with a 3H race minimum), will include a round in China which still remains a strategic and ‘must have’ destination for the ACO.

This new date will not only offer more track time but also allow additional teams to join the series and significantly reduce the competitors’ freight expenses.


The full 2015/2016calendar will include four events, as follows :
Fuji (Japan) 10/11 October 2015 - 2H race (WEC event)
Sepang (Malaysia) – 7/8 November 2015 - 3H race
Buriram (Thailand) – 8/10 January 2016 - 3H race
Sepang (Malaysia) – 23/24 January 2016 - 3H race

As a result of this calendar change, it has also been decided to extend the Early Bird rate’s registration period until Monday June 22nd 2015. The deadline for the full season entries remains on August 15th 2015 and for the race-by-race entries, it stands fixed at three weeks prior to each event.

The three invitations to the 2016 Le Mans 24H will be awarded (with no minimum entries condition) to the teams that have participated in all rounds and are winners:
- Of the LMP2 class, invited in LMP2
- Of the LMP3 class, invited in LMP2 (or in GTE subject to the Le Mans 24H selecting committee
- Of the GT class, invited in GTE


Cyrille Taesch Wahlen, Asian Le Mans Series Operations Director:
« With this change made in total partnership with the teams, the Series is now gearingup to start the second phase of its revitalisation plan. Our ambition is that the Asian Le Mans Series soon becomes the synonym for Endurance Racing for Asia ».

Dato'Razlan Razali, Chief Executive Officer, Sepang International Circuit:
« It is an honour for Sepang International Circuit to host the Asian Le Mans Series race in November. Le Mans has a faithful following amongst motorsports enthusiasts who love the rawness of the race. And Sepang Circuit being the onlyF1 Circuit in the region and the hub of Southeast Asian motor sports, are always looking at bringing in world-class races and events to keep all motorsports fans enthralled. We welcome the Asian Le Mans Series back to race at the Sepang Circuit

[Deleted]

No-one seems to know the length of the first event. In the above press release it says 2 hours, in recent interview with Murphy Prototypes they say it's 90 minutes, and now in Tuesday's most recent interview with Taesch it says 3 hours

Anyway I love these lines from this ACO man

"The current interest shown by race teams and for those that have already committed certainly looks very promising, we will definitely have full roster of teams and drivers in about one and half months, deadlines for registration close in mid August."

Doesn't that sound VERY FAMILIAR to last year? And the year before?

June 2014 Charles Davison on Speedcafe
"We are very confident of 16 on the grid which is a 100 percent increase on last year."

June 2013 Mark Thomas on Autosport
"We have 12 confirmed entries and, from what I know right now, we will finish on 16 for the full season. We are happy with that. We will have one or two additional entries for some of the races, but 16 is a good number for our first year."

Lolz

[Giba]

Although the AsLMS hasn't ever had many entries, at least it has had some quality entries in Oak racing and KCMG over the years.

[Deleted]

I wonder if they out of blue allowed LMP1 privateers, would anyone show up anywhere. Basically free wins for anyone and the same I've been suggesting with ELMS, but on smaller scale in these shambles. No-one here shouldn't even protest it like they are with ELMS for some reason, it's not like there's some grand existing P2 field or something, and the classes are rarely consisting more than 2 or 3 entries anyway so even one car lead category wouldn't harm anything. And it's not like anyone watches the races anyway so why not. (I know what ACO would answer, they would veto on *pyramid of endurance* blah blah, but that's their pride issue)

Suspect Rebellion sending one car would be kinda safe bet for while because they want those overall wins, and later SARD if they actually show up. The ex Zytek refugees, maybe

[Juntos]

Allowing LMP1 cars sounds a great idea to me. Granted podiums and wins! Good sale. That could have come from the brilliant mind of Mark Thomas. Isn't he supposed to be on a tropical beach where no one pays capital gains tax?

Back to topic. The stakes are high this time.

Algarve Pro Team joins in http://www.endurance-info.com/fr/alg...m-p2-europeen/

Eurasia aims return http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/g...ason-to-learn/

Race Performance facebooked an entry http://www.dailysportscar.com/wp-con...97688972_n.png

DSC promises 6 LMP3 http://www.dailysportscar.com/2015/0...attention.html

At least we shall count with 30 cars + in the grid! And this year's best dish is going to be served by yours truly, the ACO.

[Deleted]

I refer to post #285 again when it comes to "promises" with this series... we'll see

Anyway If you actually look at the list of eglible cars

LMP2 Dumbed down
LMP2 Current grandfathered until 2019
LMP3
CN
GT2
GT3
GT300
Challenge/Cup/Trofeo etc one make machinery

The only major things missing from that are LMP1, GT500 and GT4. Out of those the only class that ACO would have real (well "real") reason of not allowing is the GT500, because as awesome as it would be it would make the ACO cars look laughably slow

[Deleted]

Race Performance has done nothing this year, but their old Oreca is now entered for this
http://www.dailysportscar.com/2015/0...mp2-entry.html

There's also new PR video that's okay, but filled with the usually annoying over dramatic music that they're so much in love with it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9FB6As5oq8

[Juntos]

What happened to no meddling this season?! A lot of small talk on that PR Video. They could have find someone with passion to commentate the video not a random street moron. Different people, same crap.

[Deleted]

Yeah the voiceovers with so so accents get irrirating. And if you listen to what Mark Thomas and rest of the talking heads gang said in the 2013 race "highlights", and then in 2014, and now in these prepping up videos, it all sounds very much the same. These 5 minute informercials are good for showing sponsors or whomever... but not for public. I also don't think we need to be reminded 126th time why the Asian market is so important to the ACO or who their partners are

I suspect 45 second video with some instrumental beat music mixed with fast flashes of cars would work, saying (with the package they actually have):

THE BIGGEST RACE IN THE WORLD, THE 24 HOURS OF LE MANS
MEET IT'S ASIAN GATEWAY - THE ASIAN LE MANS SERIES
THE 2015-2016 WINTER SERIES IS HERE
NEW LOOKS, NEW CHARACTERS, NEW CHALLENGES
SEE THE WIDEST ARRAY OF SPORTS CARS CATEGORIES "LM PROTOTYPE 2 - LM PROTOTYPE 3 - CN PROTOTYPES - LM GTE - FIA GT3 - SUPER GT300 FROM JAPAN - ONE MAKE GTS"
ENDURANCE EVENTS IN JAPAN - MALAYSIA - THAILAND
CHECK YOUR LOCAL SPORTS TV LISTINGS AND OUR YOUTUBE PAGE FOR COVERAGE
COMING SOON

[Pontlieue]

If they get a halfway decent grid, I would watch the races. But only if they have full coverage. I don't like watching highlights.

[Deleted]

Nothing is live.

If they paired and shared the bills with other series' Asian campaign using exclusive TV contracts, like WTCC, they could probably negotiate for some kind of small Eurosport or whatever explosure. Like they did with Okayama 1000km 6 years ago

I doubt series such as AutoGP would've never got coverage in the past if it wasn't for the tie up weekends

[Pontlieue]

Originally Posted by Chiana

Nothing is live.

If they paired and shared the bills with other series' Asian campaign using exclusive TV contracts, like WTCC, they could probably negotiate for some kind of small Eurosport or whatever explosure. Like they did with Okayama 1000km 6 years ago

I doubt series such as AutoGP would've never got coverage in the past if it wasn't for the tie up weekends

I don't expect any sort of TV coverage, but even the African 6h had live streaming earlier this year. It is a bit pathetic for an ACO-run series to have no option of getting full live coverage.

[Giba]

I think the only positive of the AsLMS last year was the hour long highlights package. That they could make single digit entry, multi class endurance races seem interesting was a miracle

[Deleted]

I guess they could've have made the sight of 5 cars in 3 classes rolling across the line to start the race even worse than what actually did materialize, but...

No, the best thing about last year was the brief appearance of 'Ferrari China Team' on one of the entry lists. It was amazing.

All the rest was

[Deleted]

As with ELMS, WEC and NAEC, I now also have ongoing entry tracking table for ACO's (more recent) AsLMS campaigns. The wildly swapping and disappearing micro categories make it somewhat more annoying to follow I suppose

edit: noticed it mistakenly says Bur'15 and Sep'15-2 but I'll switch them around to '16 whenever I update this the next time

[Deleted]

From series site

The full season entries dateline is 15th Aug 2015 and race by race entries dateline is three weeks prior to each round.

This is stupid. I don't understand why series, especially this so desperate in entries would do such a thing. There should be zero deadlines to anything, Lamborghini Trofeo car or whatever competing in support race should be able to say midway through their free practice session "hey let's do that Le Mans race thingy as well". Also it's gonna lead to phantom half-promise entries that are registered weeks in advance, but don't ultimately show up like last year and the year before.

Also, "dateline"

[Deleted]

So the entry deadline is this Saturday. Then they should be announced at point X.

Let's have a prediction. How many cars will they have
A) On the initial full season list
B) Actually appearing at Fuji paddock

Closest right answer to each will get positive feedback points from me, free of charge :P