2016! How did it get here so fast! But here we are in Braselton, GA! Starting in 1998, the Petit Le Mans is the premier event of the American Le Mans Series.  Sports car teams plan for years to compete in this 10 hour endurance race held at Road Atlanta in North Georgia. This year is clearly a record breaking spectator attendance, likely almost 115,000 people!

“The American Le Mans Series as the most innovative, relevant and exciting form of motorsport in the world,” says Scott Atherton, Series President and CEO. “… spectators turned out in numbers never before seen at Road Atlanta.”  Road Atlanta is internationally regarded as one of the finest road courses in the world. The track is 2.54 miles in length with 12 left and right-hand turns, up and down with major elevation changes!

Scott Atherton is also the President and Chief Executive Officer of Panoz Motor Sports Group which includes the American Le Mans Series, racing schools and Elan Motorsports Technologies. He has executive duties with the sanctioning body IMSA and the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO), the controlling entity of Le Mans. He is credited with leading the huge expansion of sport car track race attendance in recent years!

The 2017 Petit is set for October 4-7 and is to be the 20^th Anniversary!  Us fans will see marques from around the world lined up to compete; Porsche, Corvette, Lamborghini, Lexus, Acura, BMW, Ford, et al!  Did you know that class winners here at Road Atlanta get an automatic invitation to the next year’s 24 hour race at Le Mans?  Very, very cool!

Photo team credits: Jason Cole and JP Brady