Scott Atherton, President of the ALMS and future operations director of United SportsCar Racing.

The American Le Mans Series is in the final few weeks of its life. Next year, it will give way to United SportsCar Racing, in which cars of the 24 Hours of Le Mans will always be accepted (LM P2 and GTE). Before turning the page on the story of ALMS, President Scott Atherton back on the highlights of an adventure in which he became a partner in August 2000. The ALMS, born in 1999, initiated the creation of other competitions held under ACO regulations. In particular, it inspired cousins such as the European Le Mans Series (since 2004) and the Asian Le Mans Series (since 2013), but also the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup (2010-2011) that was the precursor of the FIA World Endurance Championship (since 2012).

How would you sum up your 13 years of presidency in the American Le Mans Series?
Scott Atherton : "First, I would say it was a humbling experience, but also one of the most rewarding jobs that I have ever done. Undoubtedly, this was the most difficult task I have ever been given, but I would not trade one minute of the time spent in this position. There is a long list of people who contributed to every step of the way, but the list too long to quote, and I could forget and leave someone out."

What is your proudest moment ?
"It is very difficult to choose only one example , but if I had to, it would be a long process of negotiations that led to the participation of Honda ( Acura ) at the highest level . It was the culmination of many years of preparation and countless meetings at auto shows and at headquarters. In the end, we brought in one of the most important automotive brands with a full commitment to the American Le Mans Series. We had three leading teams in LM P2, all coupled with major sponsors and represented by well known professional drivers. The project included development towards the LM P1 class with a view to dethroning Audi and others at Le Mans. Everything was in place and planned, but the economic situation in 2008 changed all these plans so that Acura and Honda remained in America. Still, it was a remarkable achievement for all those involved."

And do you have any regrets?
"I guess I'll quote what my father said long ago : 'The only thing I regret is what I did not do.' Seriously though, there are many choices that we could have made differently, but we have always been convinced of the merits of our decisions at the time."

What do you remember about your early days ?
"I have had a jacket with the embroidered logo of the American Le Mans Series hanging in my closet since 1999. It has survived many closet clear outs and I think it will be with me for the rest of my days as a sweet memory of the early days of the ALMS ."

Scott Atherton in parachute suit at ALMS prizegiving in 2012.	The involvement of Acura (Honda) in endurance racing is the proudest moment of Atherton under his tenure as ALMS President.

Julien HERGAULT/ ACO