Le Mans Series
Le Mans Series announces 2011 calendar
The Le Mans Series organisers have announced the 2011 Le Mans Series calendar. Once more the series will have five races and an official test weekend. All races will be held in Europe again and three of the five races will be part of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup.
In 2011 the Le Mans Series will race in France, Belgium, Italy, Great Britain and Portugal. The 1000 KM of the Hungaroring will not return in 2011, but instead the series will be going back to Italy. In 2008 the 1000 KM of Monza was the final Italian round of the Le Mans Series, 2011 will see a 6 hours of Imola in July. All races will be in a six hour format instead of the ‘old’ 1000 KM long races.
The series will kick off with its traditional official test days at the Paul Ricard circuit in France (on March 11-12). Three weeks later the 6 Heures Du Castellet are scheduled (April 1-2-3).
On May 6-8 the teams will go to Belgium to race at the famous Spa-Francorchamps circuit, this race will be part of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup.
After the Le Mans break a classic name returns: Imola. For the first time in over 25 years – the FIA World Sportscar Championship visited Imola back in 1984 – the sportscars will have a long-distance race on the Italian circuit. The Imola round will take place on July 1-3.
Silverstone will take its traditional date on the second weekend of September (9-11) but unlike recent years it will not be the season finale. That season finale is set to take place in Portugal on September 23-25. Interesting to note here is that the circuit is yet to be confirmed. Even though it is expected that Portimao will be the final round it is therefore still possible that the Le Mans Series will end its season on a different Portuguese venue.
The 2011 Le Mans Series calendar:
-. Official Tests Le Castellet (FRA) 11-12 March 2011
1. Le Castellet 6 Hours (FRA) 3 April 2011
2. Spa-Francorchamps 6 Hours (BEL) 8th May 2011
3. Imola 6 Hours (ITA) 3rd July 2011
4. Silverstone 6 Hours (GBR) 11th September 2011
5. Portugal 6 Hours (POR) 25th September 2011 – circuit to be confirmed
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This sounds like a pretty cool calendar. I wonder where Portugal will be raced at.
@Dylan
No much of a choice: Portimão or Estoril.
Hope the fact that Silverstone isn’t the final won’t reduce the number of teams there… I know it’s in the ILMC, but still…
Seems the ACO is still opting for long races (6hr or 1000km) instead of a more TV friendly format, which tells me -
We’ll once again get highlighted coverage (90 mins) of the LMS races.
No TV deal has been announced for the ILMC which I wonder for a FIA approved World Championship, I don’t see how they can show stunted, truncated, highlighted coverage when they don’t do that for any other series but maybe WRC Rally since Stages aren’t usually followed by cameras in stationary positions but mounted to a helicopter.
Anyway, there’s a bit of a clash with the International GT Open and I know both AF Corsa (Who won the Drivers Title) and IMSA/Matmut run both series. I wonder if they run both again in 2011.
If we get all the media nonsense worked out, 2011 much like this year thanks to RU, will be a busy season for Sports Car fans.
Anthony wrote>
> No TV deal has been announced for the ILMC which I wonder for a FIA approved World Championship
Except it’s not actually a “FIA approved World Championship” — hence the absence of both “World” and “FIA” (and, come to that, “Championship”) in the series title!
The ILMC *is* FIA *supervised*, but then ACO must apply for such to run an event or series internationally, and FIA must in turn allow such so long as the tournament complies with the applicable criteria. And that it’s an “Intercontinental” Cup might perhaps be a statement of intent but, not so long ago, ACO were entirely *un*concerned about running without the FIA WC tag, and might yet still be so.