BRASELTON, GA (Monday, November 29, 2010)\u00a0 — The Automobile Club de l\u2019Ouest (ACO) today confirmed that the two premier races on the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patr\u00f3n 2011 schedule would be featured as part of the prestigious Intercontinental Le Mans Cup championship next season.<\/p>\n
The Series\u2019 season-opener — the 59th annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida (March 19) — will be the first race of the 2011 ILMC championship and Petit Le Mans (October 1) will be the sixth race of the seven event global championship format.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving our two showcase events \u2013 the 12 Hours of Sebring and Petit Le Mans \u2013 as key components to the prestigious Intercontinental Le Mans Cup will raise these two great races even further in stature on the global stage,\u201d said Scott Atherton, President and CEO of the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patr\u00f3n.\u00a0 \u201cWe look forward to the many corporate partner opportunities and renowned race teams that these events will attract as we play a vital role in establishing the ILMC as one of the premier motorsport competitions in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 2011 six-race 2011 ILMC calendar includes<\/em><\/strong>:<\/p>\n 1. Sebring 12 Hours (Florida USA) March 19<\/p>\n 2. Spa-Francorchamps 6 Hours (BEL) May 8<\/p>\n 3. Le Mans 24 Hours (FRA), June 11-12<\/p>\n 4. Imola 6 Hours (ITA) July 3<\/p>\n 5. Silverstone 6 Hours (GBR) September 11<\/p>\n 6. Petit Le Mans (Road Atlanta, Georgia, USA) October 1<\/p>\n 7. 6-Hours race to be organized in China (name defined in relation to circuit) November 12<\/p>\n The inaugural 2010 ILMC season included one race from each of the ACO sanctioned Le Mans series\u2019 –\u00a0 Silverstone (Europe); Road Atlanta\u2019s Petit Le Mans (North America); and Zuhai, China (Asia).\u00a0 Petit Le Mans with record race week crowd in excess of 124,000 saw Peugeot\u2019s Team Total claim the 10-hour\/1,000 mile endurance title among a diverse and prestigious international grid.<\/p>\n Series teams and factory efforts that competed in at least one Intercontinental Le Mans Cup race last year were Drayson Racing, Jaguar\u2019s RSR, BMW\u2019s Rahal Letterman, Ferrari\u2019s Risi Competizione and Porsche\u2019s Flying Lizard Motorsports.\u00a0 In addition, Flying Lizard regular season drivers Patrick Long and Joerg Bergmeister placed best in GT class at Zuhai in Porsche\u2019s 911 GT3 R Hybrid that ran as unclassified due to its hybrid status.\u00a0 Drayson Racing competed in all three events and placed third overall in the ILMC championship.<\/p>\n