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<body> <Table Width="550" border="0" style="border-collapse: collapse" cellpadding="0"><TR><TD Width="35"><IMG SRC="//www.totalmotorsport.com/images/spacer.gif" WIDTH="35" HEIGHT="1"></td><td> <CENTER><Table border="0" width="100%"> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="5">AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="left"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="2">24/11/2000</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="4">Next Year</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="3">Testing & Speculation</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="1">  </FONT></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="left"><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="2"> The concrete news for this item is that Gabriele Rafanelli’s European arm will be testing the Gunther Blieninger Riley & Scott and an Ascari at Misano Adriatico in Italy from November 27 – 29. It is known that he is planning to transfer his F3000 team to European sportscar duties in 2001, but a choice of car or cars seems not to have been made (although the Pole Team R&S is expected to be part of the outfit). No choice of car has been made for the ALMS either, as far as is known. Ascari didn’t venture to South Africa for the final SRWC race, and this test seems to explain why. Is he aiming to enter the FIA Sportscar Championship?<BR> <BR> Who will be looking after the ‘privateer’ Audi R8s in 2001? Which series will they race in? Stefan Johansson was thought to be the favourite for this task, but it is rumoured that Richard Lloyd has moved into the frame. His Apex Motorsport will be running the Bentleys at Le Mans, so if his team also runs the Audis, that will blur the distinction between these two marques. ELMS for the Audi R8s?<BR> <BR> Saleen R7(s) to be run in Europe (ELMS – there’s no alternative apart from the Privilege Championship in the UK) by Franz Konrad? Presumably he would race at Le Mans too, where Saleens are expected to have three cars running.<BR> <BR> The Dave Sims-run Panoz operation in 2001 is expected to utilise a pair of Roadster ‘S’ models in the early part of the season, then switch to at least one new LMP07 for Le Mans. Known as Lanesra Racing, this team is a partnership between Sims and Jay Cochran. Sims is quoted in Autosport as saying that, “the plan is to do all of the ALMS, and then try and fit in as many European series rounds as we can in between.”</FONT></TD></TR> </TABLE><BR> </CENTER> <BR><CENTER><font size="1" color="#808080" face="Tahoma">Copyright ©2000-©2023 TotalMotorSport</font></CENTER> </td> </tr> </table> </body>