With allowing Don Panoz to bring the rules and racing formulas of the 24 Hours of Le Mans to North America with the creation of the Petit Le Mans in 1998, Don Panoz attempted to build up a series to be based around Petit Le Mans.
2005 Panoz/Honda driven by Danica Patrick, the first female driver to lead a lap during the Indianapolis 500
For the 2007 American LeMans season, Panoz has contracted longtime BMW Motorsport partner Prototype Technology Group to campaign the GTLM in the ALMS and Le Mans.
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Panoz began by making their own car, the Esperante GTR-1, and have since acquired other manufacturers, including famous Formula Ford builders Van Diemen and Indy Racing League constructor G-Force Technologies.
For an engine, Panoz attempted to keep the American theme by using a Ford V8 engine similar to the one used in his Esperante.