User:SmackJam/sandbox/Championnat AXA Alpine

The Championnat AXA Alpine is a fictional sports car racing series based in France and organized by the Association for Worldwide Motorsport (AWM). The series was formed as a result of a partnership between French car manufacturer Automobiles Alpine and the AWR. The series began its inaugural season in 2020, and with sponsorship from insurance firm AXA became known as the Championnat AXA Alpine.

The season consists of five races, beginning at Circuit Paul Ricard and ending with its premier race, the Four Hours of Le Mans.

History
In early 2019, the AWM had set in place plans for a multi-class spec-manufacturer series to be hosted throughout Europe. After discussing terms with such manufacturers as Audi, BMW, and Ferrari, the AWR came to terms with French manufacturer Alpine to run exclusively their automobiles in the series.

In November 2019, French insurance firm AXA signed on as the title sponsor for the 2020 season, also securing title sponsorship for the inaugural 4 Hours of Le Mans.

Prior to the 2020 season, the series announced all races would be streamed live via YouTube TV. In February 2021, the series was renewed for a second season.

Class Structure
There are three classes present, featuring one sports prototype class and two grand tourer classes:

Sports prototypes:

 * Le Mans Prototype (LMP): The top class of the series, featuring Alpine A470 prototypes, built to recent LMP2 regulations.

Grand Tourers:

 * Grand Touring (GT): The secondary class of the series, featuring Alpine A110 models built to GT4 regulations and supplied by the manufacturer.
 * Stock (STO): The Stock class harbors completely stock Alpine models, such as the A110. The only modifications teams are allowed to make are wraps and paint depicting sponsors and numerals, and racing tires, alongside safety modifications to conform with FIA safety regulations. The class was known as Production during the 2020 season.