RE: ACO and IMSA merge endurance race regulations

RE: ACO and IMSA merge endurance race regulations

Friday 24th January 2020

ACO and IMSA merge endurance race regulations

European and American racing authorities create LMDh class for competition on both sides of Atlantic



Europe's Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) and North America's International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) have agreed on a new class of endurance racing that will allow the same car to compete on both sides of the Atlantic. The newly formed class is called LMDh after the crowning 24-hour events of Le Mans and Daytona, for which it allows the same prototypes to compete in for the first time in decades. The new class will essentially combine the rules regulating both the World Endurance Championship's Hypercars and LMP2 classes, with IMSA-like exteriors to allow prototypes to resemble road cars.

In the WEC, the new class will share the track with the upcoming Hypercar class, using rear-mounted kinetic-energy recovery hybrid powertrains but with LMP2 chassis created by the four existing class suppliers: Dallara, Ligier, Multimatic and Oreca. This may mean the LMDh cars will not quite be on the pace of the top, closed-roof and fully bespoke Hypercars at first - but with Balance of Performance enforcement to close the gap, expect racing in the category to emulate the days when GT1 and LMP1 cars shared the track.

It's not yet known if Hypercar class entrants - which are set to include Toyota, Aston Martin and Peugeot, among others - will be able to sell their engines to LMDh entrants. It seems likely, although we won't know for sure until full details of the new class are revealed in March at SuperSebring. Either way, it's a big development for manufacturers, because with one car to fit two championships, execs will no doubt now find it much easier to justify the enormous investment required to build a racing car. Things are certainly shaping up very nicely for a return to form in endurance racing's premiere category....

Author
Discussion

Fishy Dave

Original Poster:

1,024 posts

244 months

Friday 24th January 2020
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Excellent news, I for one won't mourn the loss of LMP1, I'd much rather see GTE type hypercars at the front end.

Maldini35

2,913 posts

187 months

Friday 24th January 2020
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At last!

Racing run for the majority of manufacturers not just the two or three with the deepest pockets.


bobo79

293 posts

148 months

Friday 24th January 2020
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Contrary to what this article suggests there is currently no suggestion that Hypercars will be able to run in the US series. The way the article suggests that Hypercar manufacturers could supply engines to DPi 2.0 teams indicates they don’t understand the regs - DPI 2.0 teams need to be works backed - why would a manufacturer spend all the money on a Hypercar only to supply the engine to a DPI 2.0 team.

And what is the incentive for any manufacturer to bother making a Hypercar entry now when they can just buy an off the shelf LMP2 Oreca and make some look-a-like on brand body work. Why spend more when it’s all balanced via BoP anyway. Aston Martin and Toyota must be furious. No way will Peugeot bother with a Hypercar now when they can go for a spec chassis and be guaranteed a chance due to BoP. And what of Glick...

This may make for some cool looking grids but frankly it’s end of proper prototype racing and quite probably GTE as well - again far cheaper to run an LMP2 in drag and let BoP so the hard bit...

virgilio

418 posts

144 months

Saturday 25th January 2020
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bobo79 said:
This may make for some cool looking grids but frankly it’s end of proper prototype racing and quite probably GTE as well - again far cheaper to run an LMP2 in drag and let BoP so the hard bit...
Totally agree. And the „hypercar“ hype is similarly silly: after all they are spec-cars with silhouette hypercar bodies all neutered by bop.

The only one with the right idea for sports car racing was James Glickenhaus: the only rule should be that the car must be fully street legal, and that‘s it. Unfortunately manufacturers are too coward to take on such a challenge.

Gandahar

9,600 posts

127 months

Saturday 25th January 2020
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I think joining the series up is a good idea, also hypercars are the way forward rather than just Toyota doing LMP1 after VW ran away from it and then got blamed for staying the course.

For me LMP2 never really excites me, I look from LMP1 to GTE AM and pro.


So I am still confused as seems others are by this LMP2 / D class which might actually be quicker than the hypercars considering they are based on racing chassis and not road chassis???? That seem to be a road car in "drag" confused

We need cars from multiple manufacturers that are based on road cars.

Hyper cars Pro ( need to sell 100 road cars ) no BOP

Hyper cars AM ( need to sell 100 road cars, drivers are proper AM drivers ) no BOP.

GTE Pro as per current rules with BOP.

GTE AM as per current rules but NO BOP, the BOP is the drivers skill or lack of it considering AM.


That would make for some interesting racing.





bobo79

293 posts

148 months

Sunday 26th January 2020
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virgilio said:
Totally agree. And the „hypercar“ hype is similarly silly: after all they are spec-cars with silhouette hypercar bodies all neutered by bop.
Hypercar regs allow for either custom made racing car (Toyota have gone this route, basing the looks (but not chassis etc) on a forthcoming road going super car, while Aston Martin are basing it on a road car. Hypercar is many things (BoP effectively making it a lobbying competition more than a racing one) but the cars are at least not silhouettes (though these new IMSA prototypes effectively are).

virgilio said:
The only one with the right idea for sports car racing was James Glickenhaus: the only rule should be that the car must be fully street legal, and that‘s it. Unfortunately manufacturers are too coward to take on such a challenge.
Even he has decided to build a different car to actually race though; there will be a similarly styled road car but it won’t be the same thing. Suspect we may see some Alfa Romeo styling on it due to the tie up with them supplying the engine...

And as for Kolles? As ever we have zero idea.

bobo79

293 posts

148 months

Sunday 26th January 2020
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Gandahar said:
So I am still confused as seems others are by this LMP2 / D class which might actually be quicker than the hypercars considering they are based on racing chassis and not road chassis????
They won’t be quicker than Hypercars - BoP will be used to ‘balance’ the performance. Which will be a bad joke obviously and some manufacturers will threaten to quit until they get their ‘fair share’ of wins. I bet Peugeot (who have already said their previously Hypercar entry will now be a DPI entry as they will save millions in development and of course it will be ‘balanced’ to ensure they are competitive) will have a more favourable ‘balancing life from the ACO than the others, as per usual.