[ELMS] ELMS 2016

[TheMightyM]

The schedule for 2016 has been released and it features an additional race (!):

April 15-16— Silverstone
May 13-15 — Imola
July 15-17 — Red Bull Ring
Aug. 26-28 — Paul Ricard
Sept. 23-25 — Spa-Francorchamps
October 21-23 — Estoril

All races except for Silverstone will be three day events, with a Friday practice session, addition practice plus qualifying on Saturday, and the race on Sunday.

Support series include Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup and Renault Sport RS01 Trophy next year. (Link)

[isynge]

Originally Posted by TheMightyM

The schedule for 2016 has been released and it features an additional race (!):

April 15-16— Silverstone
May 13-15 — Imola
July 15-17 — Red Bull Ring
Aug. 26-28 — Paul Ricard
Sept. 23-25 — Spa-Francorchamps
October 21-23 — Estoril

All races except for Silverstone will be three day events, with a Friday practice session, addition practice plus qualifying on Saturday, and the race on Sunday.

Support series include Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup and Renault Sport RS01 Trophy next year. (Link)

Scope for another trip to Spa? Not going to grumble about that at all.

Although suspect it's time to have fleece and goretex packed.

[Coach Ep]

That looks like a well balanced calendar (although it might not give some of the ELMS much room to join in a WEC event or two). Anyway, adding Spa is huge.

I'm a little mystified about the pre-season test dates as they are on a Tuesday + Wednesday.

Edit: the addition of 2 former Renault World Series support series (Eurocup FR 2.0 + Renault Trophy) is another (big) plus but the extension from 2 days to 3 days weekend are not going by the initial reaction of the teams (or at least such is hinted at here).

N.B. I always thought a joint weekend with BES would make a lot of sense too...

[TheMightyM]

One thing the 2016 schedule does that’s a big positive is cut down the time between the races after Le Mans. This year, there's an eight week gap between the Red Bull Ring and Paul Ricard and then another six break after that until Estoril. That's just too long.

The 2016 schedule has a six week gap between Red Bull Ring and Paul Ricard and then races every four weeks after that, which is better.

[Giba]

Originally Posted by Coach Ep

I'm a little mystified about the pre-season test dates as they are on a Tuesday + Wednesday.

Maybe so that the WEC entries have enough time to set up for their test later in the week at the same track?


Great set of circuits for a series to visit and as has been mentioned above well spaced throughout the year.

Thought that they might move the series finale forward so that teams could do the full AsLMS as well next year if it follows the same calendar format by the AsLMS having a support race at Fuji (again if Fuji is the same time of year in 2016), after some complaints that teams couldn't.

Also I hope that the 3 day weekends don't impact on the gentleman drivers who can't take too much time off too much as they are a key part of the championship.

[Deleted]

I don't care for Spa (wish it had been Zolder if you go to Belgium), and particularly not when it needs to be on separate weekend from WEC for some reason, but the two really great things

- Agonizing gaps in the calendar shortened
- Actual support series / shared events during the weekens again with the two Renault series, have they seen my texts?

The preseason Ricard test in the middle of week has been like that for few years now

[TheMightyM]

Originally Posted by Chiana

I don't care for Spa (wish it had been Zolder if you go to Belgium), and particularly not when it needs to be on separate weekend from WEC for some reason, but the two really great things

- Agonizing gaps in the calendar shortened
- Actual support series / shared events during the weekens again with the two Renault series, have they seen my texts?

I’ll agree that the decision to add Spa is a bit curious. The WEC races there in May and presumably the WEC will also be keeping the Nürburgring, which isn’t that far away, with an (I suppose) August date. It might be hard to get much of a crowd the third time around in the same general area. OK, I get that the ELMS business model isn’t exactly built around attracting paying fans, but I think there would be other markets that might work better for them over the long run. Might it be that the support series are driving the schedule selection process in this case?

[Deleted]

I don't think the Renault series have had issues running among themselves in the past so prob not, it is bigger gain for ELMS to have others around than for riches of Renault to have others

Maybe WEC is ditching Spa for Monza and "throwing" the circuit for ELMS.

[isynge]

Originally Posted by TheMightyM

I’ll agree that the decision to add Spa is a bit curious. The WEC races there in May and presumably the WEC will also be keeping the Nürburgring, which isn’t that far away, with an (I suppose) August date. It might be hard to get much of a crowd the third time around in the same general area. OK, I get that the ELMS business model isn’t exactly built around attracting paying fans, but I think there would be other markets that might work better for them over the long run. Might it be that the support series are driving the schedule selection process in this case?

I'd be amazed if the ticket prices for Spa were high, and it's possible to do London-Spa in a day trip, especially with a four hour race rather than six hours - so the catchment area's pretty big.

Zolder would have been nice for a bit of variety - but between the two? Spa's got it every day of the week. I guess there's a bit of me that would have liked a bit more diversity, so maybe Brno or Mugello being put into the mix, but I'm not going to carp about what we've got for 2016.

Closing up the schedule gaps is highly appreciated too.

[Ospi]

Great calendar, spa now the best circuit on the calendar and I'm glad they aren't having to play second fiddle to WEC. The 3 day weekend is good too though will inevitably increase costs a little but nothing major. Should be a good season then.

[Deleted]

Zolder was on the original 2012 calendar until it got canned and thrown to bin, but that wasn't due to the circuit's fault but million other reasons that year.

Had ELMS gone to Zolder now it would've been circuit's biggest event of the year (the 24 hour event today has sunk too low to be considered major), or at least tied with BSS (even they are low with grids now), at Spa they are just one of the rest in the mass. Maybe they could have even made some kind of a deal with the 24 and run as support race earlier in the Sat morning, shortened 3 hour race. You know, even WTCC was fair enough to act as support for N24, why not this one?

Well at least even with Spa, the support series make it more of an event than just running themselves like now...

Will FR2.0 guarantee free audience entry, or is that just FR3.5?

[bella]

the first paragraph of the renault press release to complement the elms one goes thus:

Renault Sport and the European Le Mans Series are proud to announce their collaboration beginning in 2016. Working for many years to make motor racing accessible to the general public, the two organizations will join forces to offer increasingly Fast, Free & Fun race weekends for the following three years.

so yeah, i think you can extrapolate from that that it's likely to remain free of charge. good news for both parties - elms has been free of charge for 2 seasons (except paddock entry) and wsr still brings in near-wec sized crowds.

it's a huge shame the hungary round hasn't survived, both for the circus and for the big local crowds that turn out.

[J Jay]

Maybe, just maybe, the teams wanted to go to Spa but not as guest entrants of another series? Occam's Razor and all that. I'd have to put my hat in for the "Spa over Zolder" camp as well.

Track discussion aside, an extra race, free support series and a sensible gap post-LM is warmly welcomed.

[Akrapovic]

I like Zolder, great track. But I'll take Spa every day. Maybe we should just have both and everyone would be happy. Drop Paul Ricard, the horrible stripey mess it is.

[Pontlieue]

Originally Posted by Akrapovic

I like Zolder, great track. But I'll take Spa every day. Maybe we should just have both and everyone would be happy. Drop Paul Ricard, the horrible stripey mess it is.

That's a good suggestion. Paul Ricard makes my eyes hurt.

[bella]

absolutely not. the world series by renault binned ricard off for le mans this season, and the idea of being in the damp concrete monstrosity that is le mans without the 24 hours (you know it's true) instead of the lovely warm, breezy, bright paul ricard is really not putting a spring in anybody's step.

zolder is fine for little cars, but anything bigger than a two litre formula renault or a touring car just seems a little awkward out in the trees. and if they'd just put moats with crocodiles and 3 foot metal spikes instead of tarmac runoffs or whatever everyone wants at spa then it'd be back in fashion again.

spa > zolder. it's an great calendar. only someone with a screw loose would rather race at zolder than spa.

[isynge]

Originally Posted by Akrapovic

I like Zolder, great track. But I'll take Spa every day. Maybe we should just have both and everyone would be happy. Drop Paul Ricard, the horrible stripey mess it is.

I'd go for that, hell reincarnate Nivelles and have three rounds in Belgium and I'm not going to grumble.

[Akrapovic]

Originally Posted by bella

absolutely not. the world series by renault binned ricard off for le mans this season, and the idea of being in the damp concrete monstrosity that is le mans without the 24 hours (you know it's true) instead of the lovely warm, breezy, bright paul ricard is really not putting a spring in anybody's step.

zolder is fine for little cars, but anything bigger than a two litre formula renault or a touring car just seems a little awkward out in the trees. and if they'd just put moats with crocodiles and 3 foot metal spikes instead of tarmac runoffs or whatever everyone wants at spa then it'd be back in fashion again.

spa > zolder. it's an great calendar. only someone with a screw loose would rather race at zolder than spa.

I've never been to Ricard, but I've never considered Le Mans a damp concrete monstrosity. And on TV, Le Mans is far far better to look at than the horrific Gran Turismo test track.

Like you I've always wondered if Zolder would really take LMP2s well.

[bella]

have you been to le mans for a non-24 hours event? it's pretty grim, especially nowadays when a lot of the main circuits have been refreshed in terms of pit buildings and stands. ricard is a very pleasant place to spend a few days, even the depths of winter are british summer time calibre...

i don't think the foresty bit at zolder would handle the constant lapping involved in elms races. not with 30 cars on track.

[TheDude]

Barwell with Huracans?

sportscar365.com/gt/barwell-to-run-lamborghini-huracan-gt3s-in-2016/

[TF110]

Lambo getting their cars out there! TUSC will have some, ELMS and Brit GT!

[Speed-King]

Originally Posted by bella

i don't think the foresty bit at zolder would handle the constant lapping involved in elms races. not with 30 cars on track.

10 years ago Belcar did just fine with 40+ cars and a field that included everything from GT1-Corvettes to 2-Liter-BMWs... Now, a P2 is a bit faster than the old GT1s, so things would be slightly different, but with Zolder being very Start-Stop and having not much in the way of fast sweepers, even that advantage could be relatively small.

[Coach Ep]

P2 ELMS (and more) silly season:

http://www.dailysportscar.com/2015/0...-catch-up.html

[Ospi]

Hmm well it's promising when teams are looking to expand and not disappearing into thin air.

[TheMightyM]

One reduction to next year's car count: As S365 reports, “Marc VDS Racing Team Ceases Car Racing Activities.”