
The2009 American Le Mans Series season was the 39th season for theIMSA GT Championship, with it being the eleventh season with theAmerican Le Mans Series moniker. It began on March 21, 2009, and ended on October 10, 2009 after ten events. The series was composed ofLe Mans Prototypes (LMP) andGrand Tourer (GT) race cars divided into four classes: LMP1, LMP2, GT1, and GT2. A fifth category, known as the Challenge class, was also added for select races and featuredPorsche 997 GT3 Cup cars from theIMSA GT3 Cup Challenge.[1] 2009 was also the final year for GT1, with Corvette Racing abandoning the class after Long Beach and switching over to much more competitive GT2 (renamed GT) class.
This was the first time that theMichelin Green X Challenge championship was used throughout a full ALMS season after its initial introduction at the2008 Petit Le Mans. Two champions were determined by the entry which is the most efficient over the season within the LMP and GT categories.[2]
PatrónHighcroft Racing duoDavid Brabham andScott Sharp won the main LMP1 standings, holding offDe Ferran Motorsports pairingGil de Ferran andSimon Pagenaud at the final round of the season atMazda Raceway Laguna Seca.Adrián Fernández andLuis Díaz won the LMP2 title, in the final season ofFernández Racing, who closed at the end of the 2009 season. In GT2,Flying Lizard Motorsports'Patrick Long andJörg Bergmeister won six races en route to the championship title. Husband-and-wife Martin and Melanie Snow won the inaugural GT Challenge class title, that ran at half of the season's ten races.
The 2009 schedule remained mostly identical to the 2008 schedule, although the season was shortened in length. This was done to allow teams from the American Le Mans Series to participate in events for the newAsian Le Mans Series in November.[8] On December 18, 2008, it was announced that the Detroit race would be canceled.[9]
The Challenge class of cars only participated in five rounds in 2009: Utah, Lime Rock, Mid-Ohio, Road America, and Laguna Seca.[1][10]
| Rnd | Race | Length | Circuit | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 57thMobil 112 Hours of Sebring | 12 Hours | Sebring International Raceway | Sebring, Florida | March 21 |
| 2 | AcuraSports Car Challenge of St. Petersburg | 1 Hour 55 Minutes | Streets of St. Petersburg | St. Petersburg, Florida | April 4 |
| 3 | American Le Mans Series at Long Beach | 1 Hour 40 Minutes | Long Beach Street Circuit | Long Beach, California | April 18 |
| 4 | Utah Grand Prix | 2 Hours 45 Minutes | Miller Motorsports Park | Tooele, Utah | May 17 |
| 5 | Northeast Grand Prix | 2 Hours 45 Minutes | Lime Rock Park | Lakeville, Connecticut | July 18 |
| 6 | AcuraSports Car Challenge of Mid-Ohio | 2 Hours 45 Minutes | Mid-Ohio | Lexington, Ohio | August 8 |
| 7 | Time Warner CableRoad Race Showcase | 2 Hours 45 Minutes | Road America | Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin | August 16 |
| 8 | Grand Prix of Mosport | 2 Hours 45 Minutes | Mosport International Raceway | Bowmanville, Ontario | August 30 |
| 9 | Petit Le Mans | 1,000 mi (1,600 km) or 10 Hours | Road Atlanta | Braselton, Georgia | September 26 |
| 10 | Monterey Sports Car Championships | 4 Hours | Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca | Monterey, California | October 10 |
| Team | Chassis | Engine | No. | Drivers | Rounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Porsche RS Spyder Evo | Porsche MR6 3.4 L V8 | 6 | 6–7, 9–10 | ||
| 6–7, 9–10 | |||||
| 9 | |||||
| Acura ARX-01B | Acura AL7R 3.4 L V8 | 15 | All | ||
| All | |||||
| Lola B09/86 | MazdaMZR-R 2.0 L Turbo I4 | 16 | All | ||
| All | |||||
| 1 | |||||
| Lola B09/863 Lola B08/867 | 20 | All | |||
| All | |||||
| 1, 9 | |||||
| Radical SR9 | AER P07 2.0 L Turbo I4 | 19 | 5–6, 8–9 | ||
| 5–6, 8–9 | |||||
| 9 | |||||
| Sources:[11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] | |||||
| Team | Chassis | Engine | No. | Drivers | Rounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chevrolet Corvette C6.R | Chevrolet LS7.R 7.0 L V8 | 3 | 1, 3 | ||
| 1, 3 | |||||
| 1 | |||||
| 4 | 1, 3 | ||||
| 1, 3 | |||||
| 1 | |||||
| Sources:[11][13] | |||||
| Team | Chassis | Engine | No. | Drivers | Rounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Porsche 997 GT3 Cup | Porsche M97/76 3.6 L Flat-6 | 02 | 4–7, 10 | ||
| 4 | |||||
| 5–7, 10 | |||||
| 36 | 4–7, 10 | ||||
| 4–7, 10 | |||||
| Porsche 997 GT3 Cup | Porsche M97/76 3.6 L Flat-6 | 05 | 7, 10 | ||
| 7, 10 | |||||
| Porsche 997 GT3 Cup | Porsche M97/76 3.6 L Flat-6 | 08 | 4–7, 10 | ||
| 4–7, 10 | |||||
| 47 | 4–7, 10 | ||||
| 4–7, 10 | |||||
| Porsche 997 GT3 Cup | Porsche M97/76 3.6 L Flat-6 | 38 | 10 | ||
| 10 | |||||
| 88 | 6 | ||||
| 6 | |||||
| Porsche 997 GT3 Cup | Porsche M97/76 3.6 L Flat-6 | 57 | 4–7, 10 | ||
| 4–7, 10 | |||||
| Porsche 997 GT3 Cup | Porsche M97/76 3.6 L Flat-6 | 69 | 10 | ||
| 10 | |||||
| Sources:[14][15][16][17][20] | |||||
Overall winner inbold.
Note that the GT1 class only competed in two rounds.Johnny O'Connell,Jan Magnussen, andAntonio García won the12 Hours of Sebring forCorvette Racing, whileOliver Gavin andOlivier Beretta won for Corvette atLong Beach.
Points were awarded to the top ten cars and drivers which either finish the race or complete 70% of the winner's distance, except in the ALMS Challenge category where cars and drivers only have to complete 50% of their class winner's distance. Teams with multiple entries only scored the points of their highest finishing entry in each race. Drivers were required to drive a minimum of 45 minutes to earn points, except for the Long Beach event which required only 30 minutes. The GT1 category was only used for two events and no championships were awarded in that category.
| Points System | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race Distance | Position | |||||||||
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | |
| Less than three hours | 20 | 16 | 13 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Between four and eight hours | 25 | 21 | 18 | 15 | 13 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 |
| More than eight hours | 30 | 26 | 23 | 20 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 |
Teams with full entries were awarded points in the team championships. Teams which participated in partial season or on a race by race basis were not counted as part of the championship.
| Pos | Team | Chassis | Engine | Rd 1 | Rd 2 | Rd 3 | Rd 4 | Rd 5 | Rd 6 | Rd 7 | Rd 8 | Rd 9 | Rd 10 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Acura ARX-02a | Acura AR7 4.0 L V8 | 18 | 20 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 20 | 20 | 16 | 21 | 179 | |
| 2 | Acura ARX-02a | Acura AR7 4.0 L V8 | 0 | 13 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 16 | 16 | 12 | 25 | 162 | |
| 3 | Lola B06/10 | AER P32C 4.0 L Turbo V8 | 0 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 8 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 116 | |
| 4 | Lola B06/10 | AER P32C 4.0 L Turbo V8 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 13 | 18 | 59 | ||
| 5 | Ginetta-ZytekGZ09HS | Zytek ZJ458 4.5 LHybrid V8 | 10 | 13 | 10 | 10 | 15 | 58 |
| Pos | Team | Chassis | Engine | Rd 1 | Rd 2 | Rd 3 | Rd 4 | Rd 5 | Rd 6 | Rd 7 | Rd 8 | Rd 9 | Rd 10 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Acura ARX-01B | Acura AL7R 3.4 L V8 | 30 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 16 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 26 | 25 | 217 | |
| 2 | Lola B09/86 | MazdaMZR-R 2.0 L Turbo I4 | 0 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 20 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 30 | 0 | 143 |
| Pos | Team | Chassis | Engine | Rd 1 | Rd 2 | Rd 3 | Rd 4 | Rd 5 | Rd 6 | Rd 7 | Rd 8 | Rd 9 | Rd 10 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Porsche 997 GT3-RSR | Porsche M97/74 4.0 L Flat-6 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 10 | 8 | 18 | 25 | 181 | |
| 2 | Ferrari F430 GT | Ferrari F136 GT 4.0 L V8 | 30 | 0 | 16 | 13 | 16 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 30 | 0 | 137 | |
| 3 | BMW M3 GT2 | BMW P65B40 4.0 L V8 | 0 | 16 | 13 | 4 | 13 | 13 | 20 | 2 | 26 | 11 | 118 | |
| 4 | Porsche 997 GT3-RSR | Porsche M97/74 4.0 L Flat-6 | 13 | 4 | 1 | 16 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 10 | 23 | 18 | 102 | |
| 5 | Panoz Esperante GT-LM | Ford 5.0 L V8 | 23 | 13 | 6 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 12 | 15 | 95 | |
| 6 | Chevrolet Corvette C6.R | Chevrolet LS7.R 6.0 L V8 | 16 | 13 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 90 | ||||||
| 7 | Ford GT-R Mk. VII | FordRoush-Yates 5.0 L V8 | 14 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 42 | |
| 8 | Dodge Viper Competition Coupe | Dodge Viper 8.3 L V10 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 14 | |||
| 9 | Porsche 997 GT3-RSR | Porsche M97/74 4.0 L Flat-6 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 8 |
Gruppe Orange tied on points for the ALMS Challenge Team Championship, but Snow Racing broke the tie by having three wins over the season compared to Gruppe Orange's one.
| Pos | Team | Rd 1 | Rd 2 | Rd 3 | Rd 4 | Rd 5 | Rd 6 | Rd 7 | Rd 8 | Rd 9 | Rd 10 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | 10 | 20 | 20 | 0 | 70 | ||||||
| 2 | 0 | 20 | 13 | 16 | 21 | 70 | ||||||
| 3 | 0 | 16 | 16 | 10 | 25 | 67 | ||||||
| 4 | 18 | 18 | ||||||||||
| 5 | 0 | 13 | 13 | |||||||||
| 6 | 10 | 0 | 10 |
Drivers who participated in races but failed to score points over the course of the season are not listed.
| Pos | Driver | Team | Rd 1 | Rd 2 | Rd 3 | Rd 4 | Rd 5 | Rd 6 | Rd 7 | Rd 8 | Rd 9 | Rd 10 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1= | 30 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 16 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 26 | 25 | 217 | ||
| 1= | 30 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 16 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 26 | 25 | 217 | ||
| 3= | 0 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 20 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 30 | 0 | 137 | ||
| 3= | 0 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 20 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 30 | 0 | 137 | ||
| 5 | 16 | 13 | 23 | 21 | 73 | ||||||||
| 6= | 0 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 55 | ||||
| 6= | 0 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 55 | ||||
| 8 | 16 | 13 | 0 | 21 | 50 | ||||||||
| 9 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 30 | |||||||||
| 10 | 23 | 23 | |||||||||||
| 11= | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | ||||||||
| 11= | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
Driver points were awarded collectively, with all the drivers who have driven for a team being awarded the same number of points.
| Pos | Drivers | No. | Team | Rd 1 | Rd 2 | Rd 3 | Rd 4 | Rd 5 | Rd 6 | Rd 7 | Rd 8 | Rd 9 | Rd 10 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | #57 | 20 | 10 | 20 | 20 | 0 | 70 | |||||||
| 20 | 10 | 20 | 20 | 0 | ||||||||||
| 2 | #02 | 0 | 13 | 8 | 16 | 21 | 58 | |||||||
| 13 | 8 | 16 | 21 | |||||||||||
| 0 | ||||||||||||||
| 3 | #47 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 10 | 25 | 51 | |||||||
| 0 | 0 | 16 | 10 | 25 | ||||||||||
| 4 | #36 | 0 | 20 | 13 | 13 | 0 | 46 | |||||||
| 0 | 20 | 13 | 13 | 0 | ||||||||||
| 5 | #08 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 15 | 39 | |||||||
| 0 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 15 | ||||||||||
| 6 | #69 | 18 | 18 | |||||||||||
| 18 | ||||||||||||||
| 7 | #05 | 0 | 13 | 13 | ||||||||||
| 0 | 13 | |||||||||||||
| 8 | #88 | 10 | 0 | 10 | ||||||||||
| 10 | ||||||||||||||
| 0 |