The American Le Mans Series is well-known for its green racing effort, being among the first top-tier series to embrace use of a range of alternative fuels--the diesel-powered Audis and Peugeots chief among them. But soon, it will play host to the next step in green racing: a hybrid. Specifically, the Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid.
The 911 GT3 R Hybrid's debut in ALMS racing will come at the Petit Le Mans, held at Road Atlanta. Because the GT3 Hybrid isn't classed for Le Mans competition by the ACO, however, it will run unclassified.
The hybrid racer's first outing was at the 24 Hours of the Nurburgring, where it lead for 22 hours before succumbing to a failure on the combustion side of the powertrain. Because the Petit Le Mans is a "mere" 10-hour/1,000-mile event, the GT3 Hybrid should be able to make the distance with ease.
The Petit Le Mans, which runs the weekend spanning September 29-October 2 this year, is the only North American stop on the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup tour, which crowns an Intercontinental champion on the basis of the results from three races: one in Europe, on in Asia, and the third at Petit Le Mans.
[American Le Mans Series]
