Round Black Rubber Things....

The American Le Mans Series has long promoted a no-spec philosophy when talking about the advantages of racing in the World's premier sports car organization. It's a noble philosophy, to-be-sure, but is it the right philosophy given the current economic climate?

Now... don't start throwing your arms running around in circles and spewing out to me how it promotes competition and yada-yada-yada. You're preaching to the choir. I understand... and, I agree.

However, it seems the tire situation as escalated to the point where perhaps (PERHAPS - please note this is just a consideration) one manufacturer's dominance could raise the question, "should the ALMS have a spec tire?"

When times were good... you know, before the 3 trillion dollar deficit and before Wall Street began looking like a State Fairgrounds dirt oval run by Bernie Madoff..., the premier tire supplier in the ALMS supplied roughly 22 of 28 teams. Four of those teams walked away with class Championships. Coincidence? I think not. Sure, you could argue that it only worked out that way because the numbers were stacked in their favor, but it's a known fact that those tires are faster and stay faster longer. A pretty tough combination to beat.

Now.. make no mistake about it, GOOD FOR THEM. They've done their homework, they've built a superior product and they're getting the job done. They deserve to reap the benefits for their efforts. But, is this good for the ALMS and, just as important, is this good for the competitors in the ALMS?

When we had 28 teams, supplying 22 of them is a pretty dominant ratio. You can't argue that. So why not supply all 28. Let's face it, no other tire manufacturer is "showing up." In other words, they might be there.... but they're phoning it in at best. Sure, the new BMWs are being supplied tires and support from a competing manufacturer, but before they've even turned a wheel under competitive conditions, rumor has it that BMW is already politicking for concessions in the rules. It's tires.

Getting back to the current conditions, we need all the competitors we can get. We don't have 28 cars on the grid. After Sebring, when the Audis and Peugeots head back over the pond and the challenge of Sebring is put to rest for another year, we'll be lucky to see 16 cars at St. Pete. And, by rough count, 12 of those teams will have the tire of choice. So the dominance will continue.. count on it.

So.... aren't we already running a spec tire? At least for some? And, if you're not one of the "chosen" competitors, do you really stand a chance? As a team, does it really make sense to spend your resources, or your sponsor's resources running in a race you have no chance of winning... or even being competitive?

We've lost teams... hell, we've lost a whole class (GT1). I'm not saying it's due to an un-level playing field, but if a level playing field were ever need, it's now. In this economic climate and given the prospect of a shrinking grid that isn't done shrinking, it would seem some form of pro-active measure couldn't hurt.

Maybe a compromise? Let the prototypes have at it with mixed and experimental efforts... let them continue to throw massive amounts of money at the battle. But let's do something to preserve and encourage the fierce competition in GT2.

It's time to take the tire out of the equation so manufactures and privateers alike feel they have a fighting chance. We can't afford to have some teams excluded. We're asking these teams to spend small fortunes to show up and race... we need to let them know this is a place where they are treated fairly and not excluded from the mix. Let's face it, the way things are looking, we're going to need every team we can get.

Again... PERHAPS. This is only food for thought.

Attached Thumbnails