Porsche leads Ford at the 2009 Petit Le Mans. Photo credit: Rick Dole for Michelin North America

The climax to the 2010 American Le Mans Series season occurs this Saturday at Petit Le Mans, the ninth and final round of the championship.

Held at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Ga. since 1998, the event is one of the stars of the ALMS — and a dream realized for series founder Dr. Don Panoz. Winning the 1,000-mile or 10 hour event, whichever comes first, can make a season.

Panoz’s latest creation, the Abruzzi “Spirit of Le Mans,” is among 17 cars in the GT2 class competing for the class win. Some of the other stars include entries from Corvette, Porsche, Ferrari, BMW, Jaguar and Ford.

Entering Petit Le Mans, Joerg Bergmeister and Patrick Long have a 22-point lead on Gianmaria Bruni for the class driver’s championship. Things are much closer in the manufacturer’s and team’s standings with Porsche one point ahead of BMW (139-138) entering the race.

The following are a series of previews in advance of the event on michelinracingusa.com.