A new dawn for US sportscar racing
US sportscar racing's new order kicks off this weekend with the Daytona 24 Hours, surrounded by a lot of uncertainty. GARY WATKINS analyses what to expect from United SportsCar
US sportscar racing fans have had 16 years of schism and a further 16 months of anticipation after Grand-Am's buyout of the American Le Mans Series was revealed.
The new order of the United SportsCar Championship finally begins this weekend with the Daytona 24 Hours. That much is fact, but the uncertainty that has plagued this merger since its announcement in September 2012 will continue into the inaugural race. Which is a mixture of good and bad.
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Gary Watkins has, for reasons best known to himself, devoted all his working life to covering sportscar racing. This season is his 33rd as a motorsport journalist, during which time he has reported on major long-distance events on four continents and approaching 80 24-hour races. He reckons a degree in political philosophy makes him well qualified for covering the sometimes Machiavellian world of international sportscars.
Gary, who also writes for Motor Sport, Autocourse, RACER and others, lives in Surbiton close to the former workshops of the Cooper Formula 1 team but spends more time on the road than at home for most of the year.
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