American Le Mans Series heads to Long Beach
One of the races this weekend that leads up to the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach features the American Le Mans Series, a favorite for fans of exotic race cars and souped-up versions of such production sports cars as the Porsche 911.
The series' race is Saturday, and its drivers use the same layout on the city's seaside streets that the Izod IndyCar Series will use for Sunday's grand prix.
The ALMS is divided into different classes, though all the cars race at the same time. The LMP class, for instance, features exotic prototype cars such as the one co-driven by David Brabham and Simon Pagenaud of Patron Highcroft Racing.
The GT class, meanwhile, features Chevrolet Corvette ZR1s, Porsche 911s, Ferrari F430s and Jaguar XKRs, along with BMW M3s such as the one co-driven by veteran Bill Auberlen of Redondo Beach for the BMW Rahal Letterman team.
-- Jim Peltz
Photo: Dyson Racing's Chris Dyson, left, in an LMP prototype leads Cory Friedman in a Porsche 911 in the American Le Mans Series' 12 Hours of Sebring race March 20 in Sebring, Fla. Credit: Steve Nesius / Associated Press
