Karl Koenigstein, Michelin ALMS technical team leader. Photo credit: Rick Dole for Michelin North America

The divide between the first and second American Le Mans Series races in terms of preparation and on-track time is as wide as the gap from Sebring, Fla. to now at Long Beach, Calif.

ALMS has only three on-track sessions this weekend. The first at 7:15 a.m. for two hours, and is also the first for all the series competing on the 1.968-mile street course, so the cars are basically million-dollar street sweepers.

“We are the first cars on track for the weekend,” said Karl Koenigstein, Michelin ALMS technical team leader. “The track is cold and dusty, so the first 30 minutes or so everyone will be struggling for grip. There will be dust everywhere as we literally sweep the street with half million dollar race cars. Gradually the cars get the surface cleaned up and start picking up some grip toward the end of the session.”

By qualifying Friday afternoon, the track will have had several different types of rubber laid down and will be drastically different. It should be warmer too.

“The track surface will be very different for qualifying,” Koenigstein said. “There will have been a lot of cars on track from all the other events. The track will have evolved and the racing line started to emerge. The sun usually bakes the track during the afternoon, but shadows will start to appear to cool the track during qualifying.”

Rolling off the transporters with a strong package and a good setup is especially key at Long Beach, the first of two street courses on the 2011 calendar.