Its more than nine months ahead, but let's be sincere; its bloody exciting so I must say it ... The new LE MANS 24 hours endure is scheduled for June 16-17. It was confirmed on Monday 29 by the Automobile Club de I'Ouest. The race was scheduled one week later than the traditional date.
This clever movement could be the reason that triggered the F1 schedule, so the Canadian Grand Prix is going to be held on June 10 2012, leaving the week after totally free and rescheduling the U.S Grand Prix in Austin for November. This will evade the conflict that was usually generated with the F1 races during the last two years. This time, the FIA has got involved more deeply in the creation of the World Endurance Championship for the 2012; the global sport car championship of 24 hours of speed and resistance. The Idea of the ACO and FIA is to avoid future clashes the next year.
The return of the Le Mans test day was also programmed after two years break; the test drive is now scheduled for June 3, 2012. The test drive was used to be held on April and forcing the American teams and the American Le Mans Series take a forced break for at least three months due to Le Mans activities. The new date solves the problem without any complications - at least for now. The question that remains unanswered is if all teams should take the test day? This year all teams were asked to participate. We will know the full schedule next month.
For the 14th annual Petit Le Mans, 60 cars will battle for the 53 starting positions of the American Le Mans Series. The 1000-mile/10-hour endurance race and part of the intercontinental Le Mans Cup was the dream of 70 competitors, but only 60 will have the right to be there; this is mostly due to track and pit limitations. The race to qualify has been programmed for this coming October 1st, 2011.
The process to be inscribed was made seriously narrow and straight forward; and only giving the chance to those competitors with full-season entrants in the ALMS and ILMC. Full season LMP1, LMP2, GT/GTE-Pro and GTE-Am teams were locked provisionally at the starting field, each of them meeting the minimum driving requirements and qualifying numbers acquired during the race week; 45 cars on the list fall in this category, and the remaining 8 positions are going to be filled with full-season LMPC and GTC teams, depending of their qualifying speeds.
The LMPC and GTC drivers struggle for the remaining starting positions have equal possibilities for each one, and there is a 50% of chance that none of those teams could make into the race if the other class cars fill the requirements to qualify. The competition will be hard; its Le Mans after all, so let's wait for the results and congratulate those who make it.