ALMS kicks off run-up Petit LeMans

The Michelin Man greets kids at Utah event

The American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patr¢n kicks off activities for its October 2 Petit Le Mans powered by MAZDA2 in Greenville, SC on Thursday with the inaugural “Motorsports on Main".

The event is organized by Michelin – whose North American headquarters is located in Greenville – will feature a day-long festival on the downtown streets of one of America’s most electrifying and revitalized business districts. The event runs from 1 to 9 p.m. ET.

“I could not think of a better place to kick off activities for the 13th annual Petit Le Mans powered by MAZDA2," said American Le Mans Series President and CEO Scott Atherton. “The business and technical development occurring in and around Greenville in the automobile and transportation industry with the likes of Michelin, BMW and Clemson University’s International Center of Automotive Research, just to mention a few, clearly demonstrates this to be one of the leading areas in the country for automotive innovation – and an ideal fit for the ALMS."

Activities will begin at 11:15 a.m. with a press conference recognizing the American Le Mans Series, Michelin and the Greenville-Spartanburg area for its contributions to technical innovation within the automotive sector. “Motorsports on Main" will open to the public and feature activities for all ages, including the ability to visit with many of the teams who will compete at Road Atlanta on October 2. Teams participating include defending LMP class champion Patr¢n Highcroft Racing, Corvette Racing's Chevrolet Corvette C6.R, Muscle Milk Team CytoSport's Porsche RS Spyder, Mazda’s Dyson Racing, Robertson Racing's Ford GT, Patr¢n’s Extreme Speed Motorsports with its Ferrari and Green Earth Team Gunnar. Additional manufacturers represented include BMW and Panoz with the new Panoz Abruzzi “Spirit of Le Mans".

Drivers on hand will include Patr¢n Highcroft’s Marino Franchitti, Rahal Letterman’s Tommy Milner, Corvette Racing’s Johnny O’Connell, ESM’s Scott Sharp and Guy Cosmo, GETG’s Gunnar Jeannette, Benjamin Leuenberger from Panoz, and David and Andrea Robertson of Robertson Racing. Tickets and merchandise to Petit Le Mans will be available.

The American Le Mans Series, regarded as the Global Leader in Green Racing, also will have a “green" racing simulator available for fans to “test drive". Developed by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory, it demonstrates the features and scoring applications of the MICHELIN® GREEN X® Challenge, a competition held within each race that scores all race cars on overall performance, fuel efficiency and emissions. All cars in the Series race on one of five forms of alternative fuel or energy – clean diesel, cellulosic E85, E10, Isobutanol, or E10-electric hybrid.

Other family-friendly activities are set as well. For additional info on Motorsports on Main go to michelinalley.com.