Winning a championship takes maximizing the result at every event. How critical is capturing every possible point? Consider that the 2011 ALMS season saw the LMP Challenge class championship end in a tie all the way down to the fifth tiebreaker.

The 2010 GT manufacturer and team titles were decided on the final lap of the final race.

Amidst all the variables, there are two islands of single specification cars. Identical cars, engines, tires, and fuel reduce costs and even the playing field in the two ALMS classes that pair pro and sportsman drivers.

The nine-car LMP Challenge class is especially competitive this year, with new prototype teams from Muscle Milk Pickett Racing, Dempsey Racing and RSR Racing challenging second-year teams PR 1 Mathiasen Motorsports, Performance Tech Motorsports and CORE autosport and the reconstituted Merchant Services pair.

Identical “spec” cars tend to travel at a similar pace, resulting in tight battles, bold moves to attack or defend positions and the variables of traffic, caution periods, and race strategies.

A similar scenario unfolds in the GT Challenge class, where seven identical Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars will conduct their own private battles while trying to avoid being trampled by the fleeter cars engaged in their own battles.

The journey to the 2012 ALMS championships may have started in Sebring, but the streets and concrete walls of Long Beach may well decide who ultimately prevails in the championship battles.