It’s finally here! Today’s the culmination of the inaugural Tudor United SportsCar Championship season with Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta. The year wasn’t without problems and we’re now beginning to hear what 2015 will have in store, but at least we know for sure (at this point) that there will be one. For those who will be tuning in to Fox Sports to watch for the very first time, here’s a rundown on what you’re to expect. The TUSCC features two basic types of cars: prototypes (open wheel and coupes) and GT models. Each type is split into two classes, PRO and PRO-AM, making four classes in all. The PRO classes feature professional drivers only while the PRO-AM classes have a mixed team of amateur and professional drivers.
The number of drivers on a team usually varies depending on a race’s length. To make it easy for everybody to keep track of which is which, the PRO cars have white numbering with a red background, and the PRO-AM cars have white numbering with a blue background. There is a nifty Leader Light System that displays each car’s track position in LED lights. Of course, PRO cars are red and PRO-AM cars are blue.
Now here’s where things get a bit complicated. There are four prototype cars: Daytona Prototype, LMP2, Delta Wing and Prototype Challenge. Thankfully all the Prototype Challenge cars are ORECA FLM09 models and in the PRO-AM class. All the other Prototypes are PRO. Similarly the GT cars are either GT Le Mans (all PRO) or GT Daytona (all PRO-AM). There are a variety of manufacturers represented in the GT classes: Ferrari, BMW, Porsche, Audi, Dodge, Corvette and Aston Martin. The color codes will go a long way to help you keep track of who’s who.
PROTOTYPES
PROTOTYPE CHALLENGE
GT LE MANS:
GT DAYTONA:
A Final Word
The race will be airing live today on Fox Sports 2 from 3:00pm EST and again on Fox tomorrow at 4:30pm EST. You can also stream the race at http://www.foxsports.com/speed/stream/tudor or follow along with the Fox Sports Live Blog. We’ll bring you the entire broadcast as soon as it becomes available on the official YouTube channel. Don’t forget to download the official Petit Le Mans 2014 Raceday Viewing Guide especially since some of the cars have different liveries and Petit Le Mans 2014 Drivers Entry List. You can also connect with the TUSCC via social media on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
