Le Mans Hypercar class takes first official step
FIA approves ACO's proposals, including unlimited testing for new racers ahead of 2020 start
Remember the Le Mans Hypercar class that’s supposed to succeed the World Endurance Championship’s LMP1 category in just under a year? After dropping off the radar for a bit, it’s just been given official approval by the FIA, so future entrants Toyota, Aston Martin and Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus can now develop their cars with newfound certainty. The Hypercar class teams – which will also include Peugeot from 2022 – have been granted unrestricted testing mileage for the "first year of homologation" of each car, too, meaning we’re potentially only a few weeks away from seeing regular on-track Hypercar action in the run up to the 2020-2021 season. Finally.
So far, only Toyota has publicly announced the testing of its upcoming machine. The 2018 and 2019 Le Mans-winning team will field a prototype based on its future GR Super Sport road car, which was last seen testing on track in the summer. By contrast, rival SCG has so far only shown its 007 racer in a series of renderings, while Aston Martin’s Valkyrie-based machine is yet actually to break cover. You could say that’s of little surprise, though, given the secrecy of racing car development; only those involved will accurately know how far along the development line each of these cars is.
It's true that Peugeot will start development of its racing car later than its future rivals, but the French brand will also be granted unlimited testing mileage, as it applies to all new entrants for their opening season. The French brand only received support to enter the category from its parent, PSA, last month, but it also knows a thing or two about developing Le Mans-winning racers...
While the regulations will present teams with much development freedom when it comes to their racers’ bodywork, they will have to conform to a set few performance limitations. Each Hypercar class entrant will have to weigh at least 1,040kg and use a hybrid powertrain with no more than 750hp of combustion engine power and 270hp of electric grunt. The intention is for the fastest cars to lap the Circuit de la Sarthe in three and a half minutes, which would make them around 10 seconds slower than 2019’s polesitter time, set by Toyota’s TS050 Hybrid. To ensure the competition is hot, the WEC will extend the GTE’s Balance of Performance system into its new top category. If recent history is anything to go by, that alone should produce as much controversy as it does close racing.
It seemed a bit messy from previous info whether they had to be based on a road legal car or you could also enter with an all out prototype.
What design limits are there in terms of size, shape etc? Even with BOP it seems odd you can have something designed to be capable of road use but others using something designed as an all out racing car.
I hope it works for the sake of the LM24 event. I want to see multiple manufactures fighting for the win. Whether it turns out to be cheaper making a competitive ‘hypercar’ prototype rather than an LMP1 remains to be seen.
I just missed out on the last GT1 era, so hope we end up with amazing homologation specials.
Basically a ceiling power of 750hp, 1100-odd kg, optional hybrid with a max power of 270hp. BoP will mean they target a 3m30s race laptime at Le Mans.
I am so excited about this. Different technical approaches, unique cars, hopefully the BOP rules create some equality between them. Can’t wait!
Instead, let's have a maximum weight requirement and a fixed engine and motor size combined with limited fuel and battery capacities and a limit on refueling/recharging.
I know Formula E is flavour of the month but did you watch the ecologically great race in the petrochem state of Saudi recently? Not exactly exciting.
Le Mans hypercar seems ideal for the Mercedes AMG Project One. Er, if it can ever see the light of day.
I am so excited about this. Different technical approaches, unique cars, hopefully the BOP rules create some equality between them. Can’t wait!
So now we have these rules which I guess at one level are designed to limit chequebook winning. But why bother? Why have the absolute best of the best (hypercars), and then knacker them? BoP may see teams shrug their shoulders and say "why bother."
I hope I'm wrong. But one series after another has come and gone, and I struggle to remain interested. About the only thing I really loved was Group A racing, and that was because the cars racing could actually be bought, and yet we still had tight racing. Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday. Or so it went. Look at whats available now. Silhouette racing. Uggh.
BoP means you never know if the race is real or not, which for me means I can’t watch it.
Personally I enjoy watch a Ford GT fight a Corvette fighting a Ferrari which is fighting a BMW M8, all the cars have strengths and weaknesses but BOP keeps it balanced.
BoP means you never know if the race is real or not, which for me means I can’t watch it.
Personally I enjoy watch a Ford GT fight a Corvette fighting a Ferrari which is fighting a BMW M8, all the cars have strengths and weaknesses but BOP keeps it balanced.
I hope the Hypercar idea works - the LMP1 and LMP2 (plus DPi in IMSA) hold no interest for me. Yes, the machinery and engineering is amazing (even more so than F1, I think) but the cars leave me cold. LMP2/DPi is just a load of look-a-likes going round a track and I can hardly tell what is what. The GTE category has always been the most interesting recently. Corvette, Ford, Ferrari, Porsche, Aston and BMW - brilliant. The WEC/Le Mans needs a bit more of that in the top category, IMHO.
As it's sportscar racing, I'd still like to see the cars have two fully-accessible seats, an accessible luggage compartment (not under the car, Nissan) and a minimum build number for road cars to qualify for the OEMs. It would be ideal if the likes of Bykolles and Glikenhaus got get a way in too,
One thing is certain - Sportscar racing needs to change direction if it is to survive. Apart from Le Mans 24h the series aren't huge crowd-pullers, and both WEC and IMSA should have an agreed platform so race teams can challenge for both (Ford and McLaren both wanted this). LMP1 is dead - let's hope Hypercar (I hate the fking term) is a way forward.
The ACO is just a national thing yet because they have the 24hrs they seem to think they had some God given right to dictate to the FIA
The ACO is just a national thing yet because they have the 24hrs they seem to think they had some God given right to dictate to the FIA
Instead, let's have a maximum weight requirement and a fixed engine and motor size combined with limited fuel and battery capacities and a limit on refueling/recharging.
I limit on fuel usage would result in exactly the same outcome, those with bigger budgets making better faster more efficient race cars.
I think an equaliser would be unlimited power, retain the minimum weight and have tyres width restrictions to limit grip. I would have though that would result in close racing between the teams of different budgets.
Problem with max power limits, is most engines have a peak power band of a few 100 rpm. With turbo cars and big budgets the top teams can give their cars 90% peak power band that cover half the rev range.
Personally I enjoy watch a Ford GT fight a Corvette fighting a Ferrari which is fighting a BMW M8, all the cars have strengths and weaknesses but BOP keeps it balanced.
But I agree there is a fundamental existential problem for motorsport and sportscar racing in particular. The only alternatives appear to be spec racing (just as bad), near spec racing (LMP2 or arguably FE & Indy) or ludicrously expensive ‘prototype’ racing. Practically the only categories that are still racing genuine prototypes are F1 and - as of now - LMP1 - though even that has been ruined by success ballast.
Might just have to watch old races on YouTube. Or just accept that racing as I knew it is dead and will from now on be a series of WWF events or gimmicky PR stunts like the 917 Evo.
I’m not even *that* old...
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