Later today, details of the Grand-Am and ALMS series merger will be official, with the two series racing under one banner starting in the 2014 season.
For over a decade, the two motorsport series have been competing head-to-head, but all that will change with this highly anticipated merger. While nothing has been made official yet, several rumors have surfaced surrounding the merger, including that both series will run separately for the next season despite ownership changes.
Some of those ownership changes include the sale of the Panoz Motor Sports Group (ALMS) to Grand-Am/NASCAR Holdings LLC. The rumored number for the sale is in the eight-figure range and includes the sale of Road Atlanta and a long-term lease of Sebring International Raceway in Florida. It is believed that Grand-Am co-founder and NASCAR Vice Chairman/Executive Vice President Jim France will serve as the Chairman of the new series while ALMS founder Don Panoz will act as Vice Chairman. Scott Atherton, ALMS President and CEO, could serve on the board of directors.
The official merger won’t take place until 2014 due to current television and commercial contracts. Unfortunately, we probably won’t hear much about the classes that the unified series will be running until closer to the start of the 2014 season.
Tune in on Wednesday to watch a live stream of the merger announcement at 10:00am ET.
[Source: Speed TV]
Tags: ALMS, alms grand am merger, alms merger, american le mans series, grand am, Grand-Am Rolex Series
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