LeMans adopts ALMS lights

This year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans will have even more of an American Le Mans Series flavor when cars hit the famed circuit on Wednesday for practice and qualifying. For the first time, the field for the 75th running of the world’s premier auto race will feature the innovative Leader Lights system developed by the Series and IMSA.

“The American Le Mans Series always has prided itself on allowing our manufacturers the platform to display its leading-edge technology. But that does not apply solely to our partners," said Series President and CEO Scott Atherton. “We as a Series have been at the forefront of many innovations that have revolutionized sports car racing in North America. One of the programs that we are most proud of is our Leader Lights system, which has been one of the most popular and fan-friendly features ever developed in motorsport."

As at each Series event, all cars at Le Mans will have three electronic lights mounted on each side that will allow fans to keep track of the top three cars in the four sports car classes. In addition, the lights also identify which class cars are competing in by color – red for LMP1, blue for P2, green for GT1 and yellow for GT2.

The Series first introduced the Leader Lights system in 2002.

“We could not be more pleased to see the ACO recognize the contribution the Leader Lights system has made to the American Le Mans Series and sports car racing," Atherton said. “We know it will aid in the enjoyment and experience of the tens of thousands of spectators that will be attendance at Le Mans and the Le Mans Series events.

“The original idea and motivation for the Leader Lights system actually came from one of our fans," Atherton added. “At the time the technology didn’t exist so the original examples were truly prototypes. Today the system has become an icon of the Series and is a true testament to the ‘For the Fans’ approach the American Le Mans Series is known for."

The 75th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans is scheduled for 3 p.m. CET (9 a.m. ET) on Saturday, June 16 from the Circuit de la Sarthe. SPEED will provide 17.5 hours of coverage in North America starting at 8:30 a.m. ET on June 16. MotorsTV will air week-long coverage throughout Europe. Live coverage can be found on Radio Le Mans through americanlemans.com.

The next race for the American Le Mans Series is the American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix, set for 3 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 7 at Lime Rock Park. CBS Sports will televise the race at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 8. American Le Mans Radio will have live coverage at americanlemans.com, which also will feature IMSA Live Timing & Scoring.