Editing IMSA (section)

=== IMSA Renault Cup ===
{{Essay-like|section|date=March 2009}}

The [[Renault]] Cup was a [[one-design|one-make]] racing series that ran between 1982 and 1985. There was an East Coast (1982–1985) and West Coast series (1983–1985) as well as an overall championship. The series began with the [[Renault 5|Renault Le Car]] for two seasons on the East Coast until its discontinuation in the US. The last two seasons, the East Coast Series ran the [[Renault Encore]]. The West Coast Series started after the first successful year on the East Coast, but ran the [[Renault Alliance]] which had just been introduced.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20000304191621/http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Downs/6402/mrrh.htm My Renault Racing History<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://michronicleonline.com/2014/01/15/reflections-life-is-for-living/page-d-1/|title=Page D-1|date=15 January 2014|access-date=2 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160912024949/http://michronicleonline.com/2014/01/15/reflections-life-is-for-living/page-d-1/|archive-date=2016-09-12|url-status=live}}</ref>

The genesis of the series was an association of drivers, [[Associated Road Racers]] (ARR), founded by Steve Coleman of Raleigh, North Carolina. The association's objective was to start an inexpensive but competitive series with large car counts. The main prerequisite requirement was a series that would allow drivers who had regular jobs and a life to compete with at least a chance to win the championship without having to travel coast to coast, as was the case with other similar series such as the [[VW Bilstein Cup]]. The preference was to have a roughly ten-race schedule, with each driver's best six finishes counting toward the Championship.

ARR's members were mostly [[Showroom Stock]] racers from the Southeast and Northeast [[Sports Car Club of America]] (SCCA) regions. All members put up a bond to ensure they would participate if it came to fruition so that a sanctioning body and a sponsor would be assured success from the start. In the beginning an outline of series rules was drawn up to attract like-minded drivers to join in the effort. Once the association was formed, a final version was to be drafted with all the members' input. The rules along with the association's proposed plan to organize and launch the series, were sent to several manufacturers soliciting sponsorship, including [[Mazda]], [[Toyota]], [[Nissan Motors|Nissan]], and Renault. All except Renault either rejected the proposal or did not respond.

Renault not only responded, it jumped at the chance, since it was quite familiar with the concept of a one-make series. ARR and Renault negotiated to finalize a format competing with the Le Car R5. Due to classic concerns of track owners and sanctioning bodies, Renault was reluctant to agree to the drivers' points system. Their counterproposal was to run an East Coast series in lieu of nationwide. Since most of the interested drivers were from the East Coast, and the amount of travel required was somewhat limited, this was accepted by the drivers.

Once Renault was on board, John Bishop, President of IMSA, was approached to sanction the series. He was very skeptical at first. A meeting was held on {{#dateformat:April 4, 1981}} at [[Road Atlanta]] between Bishop, B Clar, the US Competition Director of Renault, and Coleman representing the drivers. Renault offered a major support program and ARR would guarantee a minimum of twenty-five entrants for the first race. Bishop, still skeptical, agreed to sanction the series. Coleman even suggested there might be as many as fifty, if Renault and IMSA didn't revise the proposed series rules to a point the majority of drivers would pull out before then. Still skeptical he agreed, convinced by Renault's commitment and the driver's assurances of a full field for the inaugural race. Exactly one year to the date on April 4, 1982, the inaugural race was held at [[Road Atlanta]]. 51 Le Cars started the race.{{citation needed|date=February 2018}}

One notable driver to come from the series was [[Parker Johnstone]]; he took runner-up spot on his debut season in 1984 and would virtually dominate the series following that.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ktsmotorsportsgarage.com/quiz/quiz16.html|title=Parker Johnstone - A Sponsors Dream Driver<!-- Bot generated title -->|access-date=2 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071022014147/http://www.ktsmotorsportsgarage.com/quiz/quiz16.html|archive-date=2007-10-22|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theautochannel.com/news/date/19980419/news011530.html|title=INDYLIGHTS: Parker Johnstone Teams With Dorricott Racing|website=www.theautochannel.com|access-date=2 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303190933/http://www.theautochannel.com/news/date/19980419/news011530.html|archive-date=2016-03-03|url-status=live}}</ref>
{{Expand section|date=May 2008}}