Mont-Tremblant race tentative

BRASELTON, Ga. (February 27, 2001) -- The August 25 event for the American Le Mans Series at Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant in Canada could be in jeopardy, ALMS officials have announced. Lawrence Stroll, owner of the road racing circuit located in Mont-Tremblant Village, Quebec, has recently communicated to the ALMS an inability to comply with the terms of the event agreement reached with the ALMS prior to last September's announcement of the race. "We are very disappointed to have to make this announcement," said Scott Atherton, President and COO of the Panoz Motor Sports Group, which includes the ALMS. "And we sincerely hope Mr. Stroll and his team sort out their issues. Knowing that many of our fans and race teams have already made travel plans and other arrangements, we felt it was best to inform everyone of the questionable status of the race as soon as we became aware." Atherton indicated that the ALMS expects a confirmation of the status of the event in the near future, but that it should be considered tentative for now. He added that the series is exploring options to potentially replace the event if that becomes necessary, but that options would be limited due to limited time remaining for planning and execution of a replacement event. "Mont-Tremblant has a lot of history and is going to be an excellent facility when the renovations are complete," said Atherton. "We look forward to confirming the opportunity to bring the American Le Mans Series there for a major event." The Aug. 25 event at Mont-Tremblant is the second event of a Canadian summer swing for the ALMS in 2001. The series competes at Mosport International Raceway in Bowmanville, Ont., on Aug. 19.

-ALMS-