The American Le Mans Series And Its Demographics

By Author: Sandra Mitchell
Total Articles: 162
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While not as popular as NASCAR or Formula One racing in the United States just yet, the American Le Mans Series is a very exciting brand of motor sports that is growing in popularity. For many racing fans, the road course style of racing is more exciting than the simplicity of oval-track racing found in NASCAR. In fact, the popularity of the series is beginning to develop its own brand identity, with ALMS (American Le Mans Series) aficionados increasingly showing their allegiance through unique race clothing and memorabilia affiliated with their favorite teams. Entire families are even getting into the act now with parents dressing up their little ones in baby racing suits.

Another key difference between the American Le Mans Series and other popular racing circuits is the length of the races. A typical motorsports race might run for 500 miles and a few hours time. However, the ALMS features races like the "12 Hours of Sebring" which, you guessed it, runs for 12 full hours of racing. During a typical season, races take place at well-known racing venues such as Daytona International Speedway, Sebring International Speedway, ...
... the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Mazda Raceway at Laguna Seca, and Road America in Wisconsin.

The race teams, like in other motor sports, rely on sponsorship dollars, and most have marketing relationships with their car manufacturers, such as Porsche. To leverage these marketing relationships, many race teams offer a huge selection of merchandise now. Branded items can be purchased from beanies, to wall calendars, to toy cars, to socks, to backpacks, to sweatshirts, to jackets, to pullovers, and just about any other kind of race clothing you can imagine.

Like an good branding endeavor, these teams are trying to build an closer bond with their core fan base that meshes their passion for ALMS racing with the general trends of the demographic. The typical ALMS fan is not the same as the average NASCAR fan for better or worse. Therefore, you probably won't find American Le Mans Series baby racing suits for your little guys at Wal-Mart next to the Clint Harvick ashtrays, but you will more than likely find a stylish pair of branded sunglasses a stylish jacket through an online retail affiliate of one of the teams.

TV and media coverage for the American Le Mans Series is not huge at the moment, but with the increasing popularity, and ability to reach a more upscale demographic is gradually piquing the interest of more and more sponsors and TV bigwigs. Keep an eye out for the next ALMS race coming to a city near you, or at least to your TV screen.

Sandra Mitchell is a big American Le Mans Series fan, and proudly wears her ALMS race clothing and dresses up her 6-month old in a baby racing suit.