Texas Event Offers Double Privateer Points to ALMS Teams
CLEARWATER (February 8, 2001) -- Professional Sports Car Racing, Inc. (SPORTS CAR) announced today that the points awards for the Privateer Points Fund for the first AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES race in 2001 will be doubled. SPORTS CAR managing director, Doug Robinson said, "we are taking this step in recognition of the special effort required by ALMS Teams to complete early preparation necessary to compete in the season-opening Leather Center Grand Prix of Texas on March 4."
The Privateer Points Fund, which reached $1.6 million in 2000, was created by ALMS founder Don Panoz as a way of financially rewarding non-factory supported racing teams that compete in the series. A percentage of each race purse goes into the fund as does any prize money that is not paid in each race. Factory-supported teams do not receive prize money in the series, and the money that would have been won by those teams is transferred into the Privateer Point Fund.
Teams in all classes
are eligible to earn points in ALMS races. A special point system is
used to keep standings. For the 2001 season, the ALMS year-end
Points Fund will accrue 10% of the posted race purse per race plus any
unpaid "Factory Team" prize money. Designed to encourage
independent "Privateer" teams, the program rewards participation
rather than on-track performance. Points are awarded for the
percentage of the race that a team's race car completes as follows:
for taking the green flag 15 points
for completing 25% of the laps of the class winner 5 points
for completing 50% of the laps of the class winner 5 points
for completing 75% of the laps of the class winner 5 points
for taking the checkered flag 5 points
Total points available per car per race = 35 points
To be eligible to receive year-end award
payment from the Privateer Points Fund, an Entrant must enter an eligible
car which is invited to and competes in at least eight (8) American Le
Mans Series races.
Two (2) European Le Mans Series races (Donington and Jarama) are optional for ALMS Entrants and while participation in both is permitted, only one may be counted toward the ALMS Privateer Points Fund and ALMS Driver, Team and Manufacturer Championships.
At the end of the year, the Fund will be distributed as follows:
Total money ÷ Total points = Dollar value of each
point
Dollar value of each point x Number of points earned by each car = Total
pay out to each team
Ticket information for the Leather Center Grand Prix of Texas is available online at www.texasmotorspeedway.com, or by phone at (817) 215-8500.
The Leather Center
Grand Prix of Texas will be televised live by the Speedvision Network and
the broadcast of the ALMS Radio Web can be heard at www.americanlemans.com.
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CONTACT: Professional Sports Car (727) 533-0503; Andy Hall, Director
of Media & Communications, American Le Mans Series (317) 295-3500,
ext. 31.