WEC: News and Discussion Thread
06-20-2019, 04:21 PM
#81
Moderator
https://www.motorsport.com/lemans/ne...ussen/4478119/
Max Verstappen wants to race in the Le Mans 24 Hours with his father Jos and thinks it is possible to contest the event while still racing in F1.
The Dutchman’s F1 employer Red Bull helped design the Aston Martin Valkyrie that will race at Le Mans in the new Hypercar class that will represent the World Endurance Championship’s top tier.
While Verstappen said he and Red Bull “haven’t talked about” him racing the Valkyrie at Le Mans, the five-time grand prix winner said: “My desire is to do Le Mans one day. When it happens, I don’t know.
“I’m talking to my dad as well, so he needs to train a bit! If I want to do Le Mans, I would like to do it with my dad.”
Verstappen has not raced in any car-racing category other than single-seaters since stepping from karts to Formula 3 in 2014.
However, his extensive sim-racing experience has given him a taste of round-the-clock racing and Verstappen says he is a big fan.
“I’ve watched it [Le Mans] a lot, I’ve been there when my dad was driving,” said Verstappen, whose father won the LMP2 class in the event in 2008 and raced the Lola-Aston Martin in the main class the subsequent year. “It’s a very cool race.
“What I like is that you have so many different cars and categories that going through the traffic and stuff, especially in the night, I find it’s really amazing to drive.
“I’ve done one myself, online. It’s a lot of fun.”
The 2019 Le Mans 24 Hours was won by a trio of ex-F1 drivers – Toyota’s Sebastien Buemi, Kazuki Nakajima and Fernando Alonso, who also won the event when he raced for McLaren in 2018.
Verstappen says Nico Hulkenberg’s experience, having won it in a Porsche in 2015 while racing for Force India in F1, shows it is realistic to target Le Mans while racing in F1 “if it doesn’t clash”.
“Nico did it and he won it,” Verstappen said. “I always want to win, but of course you need to be a bit… there’s luck involved, it’s such a long, crazy race.”
Another second-generation F1 driver, Kevin Magnussen, also has his eye on Le Mans.
Magnussen’s father Jan has been a Le Mans regular since 1999, only missing the 2015 edition because his Corvette was withdrawn after a qualifying crash.
Haas driver Kevin said: “I’ve always said I’d love to do a race with my dad and with these Hypercars, who knows what factories are going to commit to that and get into that.
“I would love to do that with my dad. I think that’s the dream for me.
"If it wasn’t for him probably I would be focusing only on F1. Not because I wouldn’t like to do it, just because I’ve chosen this path and would be more focused on this.”
While Verstappen said he and Red Bull “haven’t talked about” him racing the Valkyrie at Le Mans, the five-time grand prix winner said: “My desire is to do Le Mans one day. When it happens, I don’t know.
“I’m talking to my dad as well, so he needs to train a bit! If I want to do Le Mans, I would like to do it with my dad.”
Verstappen has not raced in any car-racing category other than single-seaters since stepping from karts to Formula 3 in 2014.
However, his extensive sim-racing experience has given him a taste of round-the-clock racing and Verstappen says he is a big fan.
“I’ve watched it [Le Mans] a lot, I’ve been there when my dad was driving,” said Verstappen, whose father won the LMP2 class in the event in 2008 and raced the Lola-Aston Martin in the main class the subsequent year. “It’s a very cool race.
“What I like is that you have so many different cars and categories that going through the traffic and stuff, especially in the night, I find it’s really amazing to drive.
“I’ve done one myself, online. It’s a lot of fun.”
The 2019 Le Mans 24 Hours was won by a trio of ex-F1 drivers – Toyota’s Sebastien Buemi, Kazuki Nakajima and Fernando Alonso, who also won the event when he raced for McLaren in 2018.
Verstappen says Nico Hulkenberg’s experience, having won it in a Porsche in 2015 while racing for Force India in F1, shows it is realistic to target Le Mans while racing in F1 “if it doesn’t clash”.
“Nico did it and he won it,” Verstappen said. “I always want to win, but of course you need to be a bit… there’s luck involved, it’s such a long, crazy race.”
Another second-generation F1 driver, Kevin Magnussen, also has his eye on Le Mans.
Magnussen’s father Jan has been a Le Mans regular since 1999, only missing the 2015 edition because his Corvette was withdrawn after a qualifying crash.
Haas driver Kevin said: “I’ve always said I’d love to do a race with my dad and with these Hypercars, who knows what factories are going to commit to that and get into that.
“I would love to do that with my dad. I think that’s the dream for me.
"If it wasn’t for him probably I would be focusing only on F1. Not because I wouldn’t like to do it, just because I’ve chosen this path and would be more focused on this.”
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Chief F1 Fan (07-16-2019)
07-08-2019, 04:08 PM
#83
Moderator
https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/...s-to-six-cars/
SMP Racing won’t return to the FIA World Endurance Championship for the 2019-20 season, with the Russian team confirming its surprise departure from the LMP1 ranks.
In a statement released on Monday morning, SMP founder Boris Rotenberg revealed that he feels that the team made the most of a difficult situation in LMP1 during the 2018-19 ‘Super Season’.
“Our goal has always been only a victory, and we believe that we achieved this victory with the highest possible result in the given circumstances,” he said.
“After the final race at Le Mans we decided that SMP Racing will leave the FIA WEC. Our team will not race in 2019-2020 season.”
It’s understood the team was dissatisfied with the returns of its investment to fight for overall wins last season, with Toyota finishing 1-2 in all but two of the eight races.
The news comes as a surprise with SMP having placed two entry requests for the 2019-20 campaign, which gets underway at Silverstone in September following the Prologue later this month.
It had two BR Engineering BR1 AERs on the provisional full-season entry list, released last month at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The team’s highlight came with its third-place finish at Le Mans last month, where it finished as the best-placed non-hybrid team.
“For us it was a difficult season,” added Rotenberg. “We worked a lot on our BR1 prototype.
“As a result, we were able to show and prove to everyone that the Russian team, Russian drivers and the Russian car are capable of achieving the highest results in the most difficult world championships and in such a prestigious race as the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
“This is a well-deserved success of everyone who participated in this ambitious project – drivers, SMP Racing and ART GP, BR Engineering and Dallara.”
The withdrawal of SMP’s entries reduces the LMP1 field to six cars, with two-car program each from Toyota Gazoo Racing, Rebellion Racing and Team LNT.
Rebellion CEO Calim Bouhadra told Sportscar365 that his team could scale back to a single-car entry for the full season, with a second car being added just for Le Mans.
The status of LNT’s entries is unclear, meanwhile, with little word on the Ginetta LMP1 program since the demise of the CEFC TRSM program last year, although it’s believed the LNT program is likely.
In a statement released on Monday morning, SMP founder Boris Rotenberg revealed that he feels that the team made the most of a difficult situation in LMP1 during the 2018-19 ‘Super Season’.
“Our goal has always been only a victory, and we believe that we achieved this victory with the highest possible result in the given circumstances,” he said.
“After the final race at Le Mans we decided that SMP Racing will leave the FIA WEC. Our team will not race in 2019-2020 season.”
It’s understood the team was dissatisfied with the returns of its investment to fight for overall wins last season, with Toyota finishing 1-2 in all but two of the eight races.
The news comes as a surprise with SMP having placed two entry requests for the 2019-20 campaign, which gets underway at Silverstone in September following the Prologue later this month.
It had two BR Engineering BR1 AERs on the provisional full-season entry list, released last month at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The team’s highlight came with its third-place finish at Le Mans last month, where it finished as the best-placed non-hybrid team.
“For us it was a difficult season,” added Rotenberg. “We worked a lot on our BR1 prototype.
“As a result, we were able to show and prove to everyone that the Russian team, Russian drivers and the Russian car are capable of achieving the highest results in the most difficult world championships and in such a prestigious race as the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
“This is a well-deserved success of everyone who participated in this ambitious project – drivers, SMP Racing and ART GP, BR Engineering and Dallara.”
The withdrawal of SMP’s entries reduces the LMP1 field to six cars, with two-car program each from Toyota Gazoo Racing, Rebellion Racing and Team LNT.
Rebellion CEO Calim Bouhadra told Sportscar365 that his team could scale back to a single-car entry for the full season, with a second car being added just for Le Mans.
The status of LNT’s entries is unclear, meanwhile, with little word on the Ginetta LMP1 program since the demise of the CEFC TRSM program last year, although it’s believed the LNT program is likely.
07-08-2019, 04:22 PM
#84
Senior Moderator
Imagine the interest if Jos and Max teamup in a Red Bull Aston Martin at Le Mans. Make it happen!
07-15-2019, 06:44 PM
#86
Race Director
Thread Starter
07-31-2019, 08:21 AM
#87
Moderator
https://www.motorsport.com/wec/news/...eupen/4504264/
Toyota is aiming to give its new hypercar challenger for the 2020/21 FIA World Endurance Championship season a June 2020 track debut.
The Japanese marque is one of two manufacturers to have signed up to produce a car for the new regulations alongside Aston Martin
While the British brand will produce a car based on its road-going Valkyrie, Toyota is opting for an all-new bespoke hybrid-powered prototype to replace the TS050 Hybrid.
"We will have a car on track in June next year at the earliest,” Toyota team boss Rob Leupen told Motorsport.com at the WEC Prologue test in Barcelona. "Then we probably have a Prologue in August, so we have five or six weeks to go testing.”
Leupen also ruled out using a mule car until the new hypercar makes its testing debut next summer, adding: "We don’t really use a mule car that often anymore.
"A lot is done digitally, modelling the car and then developing it in the simulator. Our GR Sports Concept doesn’t have a lot to do with our race car."
After a lengthy process the new regulations, which will replace the current LMP1 class for a five-year period, were finally announced ahead of last June’s Le Mans 24 Hours.
The repeated delays in getting a set of regulations across the line has even caused a large manufacturer like Toyota a few headaches - with Leupen himself describing the hold-up as "ridiculous" earlier this year.
"We would have liked to see it happen earlier,” the Dutchman said. "It’s very late, but I'm glad we finally got there. We’ve worked on many concepts.
"Often they had to be changed because the rules went in a different direction. With our concepts we tried to support that process, although it cost us a lot of money.”
The FIA and WEC promoter the Automobile Club de l’Ouest projected an annual budget of 30 million euro to compete in the new top class based on a five-year commitment.
Leupen doesn't believe that number is a realistic benchmark for Toyota with its split operations in Europe and Japan, but says the hypercar regulations will still be significantly cheaper for the Cologne-based outfit than the current LMP1 rules.
"I’m not going to compare [our budget] to the budget the ACO put on the table," he said. "That’s not possible because you’re working in different countries.
"We are not extremely cost-efficient because our powertrain comes from Japan and we’re based in Cologne. If you’re very efficient you’re doing everything in one place.
"We’re not a great reference, but the new rules are significantly cheaper. We’re talking about [savings of] over 50 percent. We used to build a new monocoque every year. If that’s 10 million euros every year, then now you can write that off over a period of five years.
"We do get some freedom to develop bits here and there, but there’s also a Balance of Performance. Those are massive savings. That’s what they wanted and we agree with that."
While the British brand will produce a car based on its road-going Valkyrie, Toyota is opting for an all-new bespoke hybrid-powered prototype to replace the TS050 Hybrid.
"We will have a car on track in June next year at the earliest,” Toyota team boss Rob Leupen told Motorsport.com at the WEC Prologue test in Barcelona. "Then we probably have a Prologue in August, so we have five or six weeks to go testing.”
Leupen also ruled out using a mule car until the new hypercar makes its testing debut next summer, adding: "We don’t really use a mule car that often anymore.
"A lot is done digitally, modelling the car and then developing it in the simulator. Our GR Sports Concept doesn’t have a lot to do with our race car."
After a lengthy process the new regulations, which will replace the current LMP1 class for a five-year period, were finally announced ahead of last June’s Le Mans 24 Hours.
The repeated delays in getting a set of regulations across the line has even caused a large manufacturer like Toyota a few headaches - with Leupen himself describing the hold-up as "ridiculous" earlier this year.
"We would have liked to see it happen earlier,” the Dutchman said. "It’s very late, but I'm glad we finally got there. We’ve worked on many concepts.
"Often they had to be changed because the rules went in a different direction. With our concepts we tried to support that process, although it cost us a lot of money.”
The FIA and WEC promoter the Automobile Club de l’Ouest projected an annual budget of 30 million euro to compete in the new top class based on a five-year commitment.
Leupen doesn't believe that number is a realistic benchmark for Toyota with its split operations in Europe and Japan, but says the hypercar regulations will still be significantly cheaper for the Cologne-based outfit than the current LMP1 rules.
"I’m not going to compare [our budget] to the budget the ACO put on the table," he said. "That’s not possible because you’re working in different countries.
"We are not extremely cost-efficient because our powertrain comes from Japan and we’re based in Cologne. If you’re very efficient you’re doing everything in one place.
"We’re not a great reference, but the new rules are significantly cheaper. We’re talking about [savings of] over 50 percent. We used to build a new monocoque every year. If that’s 10 million euros every year, then now you can write that off over a period of five years.
"We do get some freedom to develop bits here and there, but there’s also a Balance of Performance. Those are massive savings. That’s what they wanted and we agree with that."
11-13-2019, 11:27 AM
#88
Moderator
https://racer.com/2019/11/13/peugeot...-wec-hypercar/
Peugeot Sport has announced that it will join the FIA World Endurance Championship’s ‘Hypercar’ top class from 2022 onwards.
The French marque made this short announcement via social media, stating simply that it will enter with a ‘Hybrid-Powered’ Hypercar, followed by “More news to come at the beginning of 2020.”
This announcement marks the return to the top of endurance racing and the Le Mans 24 Hours for Peugeot, after eight years away. It was last seen back in 2011, where it competed in the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup (including the Le Mans 24 Hours) with diesel-powered 908 LMP1 cars.
“Superb news from Peugeot!” FIA WEC CEO Gerard Neveu said in reaction to the news. “We can’t wait for you to rejoin the FIA WEC family!”
The brand was due to enter the FIA WEC in its inaugural season back in 2012 to compete against Audi and Toyota with a hybrid-powered 908 (Hybrid4), but pulled the plug on its program just weeks before the season opener at Sebring for financial reasons.
Peugeot stated that the “cost savings permitted by the WEC’s new Hypercar regulations and the confirmation that the series will feature hybrid power units led the Groupe PSA Executive Committee to approve the Peugeot brand’s proposal to participate in the world’s premier endurance racing championship from 2022.”
“I am very excited at the prospect of channeling the skills and passion of my team into this project,” said PSA Motorsport Director Jean-Marc Finot “It is a new challenge and I know our experts will rise to it with another demonstration of their will to win with teams financed by the Group’s brands, fueled by their long experience of top-flight FIA championships and hunger for success.”
Peugeot Brand Director Jean-Philippe Imparato added: “The changes that the FIA WEC is introducing fit now with the transition we are undergoing ourselves with the electrification of our range and the launch of high-performance products, developed in close association with PSA Motorsport and foreshadowed by the Concept 508 Peugeot Sport Engineered. These initiatives are completely in tune with Peugeot’s ‘Motion and E-motion’ brand signature.”
Peugeot Sport last won the Le Mans 24 Hours back in 2009, where it beat Audi Sport with a three-car effort with the 908.
The announcement means that three major OEMs have signed up to Hypercar programs for the FIA WEC’s new top class. Thee other two are Toyota and Aston Martin, both of which are set to enter cars for the new ruleset in its inaugural season, beginning next year. American specialist brand Glickenhaus and former LMP1 team ByKolles have also stated publicly that they intend to compete in the Hypercar Prototype class.
It is not yet clear when Peugeot will begin racing its Hypercar. The 2022 calendar year is likely to feature the end of the 2021/22 FIA WEC season (with the Le Mans 24 Hours the season finale in June) and the beginning of the 2022/23 FIA WEC season.
The French marque made this short announcement via social media, stating simply that it will enter with a ‘Hybrid-Powered’ Hypercar, followed by “More news to come at the beginning of 2020.”
This announcement marks the return to the top of endurance racing and the Le Mans 24 Hours for Peugeot, after eight years away. It was last seen back in 2011, where it competed in the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup (including the Le Mans 24 Hours) with diesel-powered 908 LMP1 cars.
“Superb news from Peugeot!” FIA WEC CEO Gerard Neveu said in reaction to the news. “We can’t wait for you to rejoin the FIA WEC family!”
The brand was due to enter the FIA WEC in its inaugural season back in 2012 to compete against Audi and Toyota with a hybrid-powered 908 (Hybrid4), but pulled the plug on its program just weeks before the season opener at Sebring for financial reasons.
Peugeot stated that the “cost savings permitted by the WEC’s new Hypercar regulations and the confirmation that the series will feature hybrid power units led the Groupe PSA Executive Committee to approve the Peugeot brand’s proposal to participate in the world’s premier endurance racing championship from 2022.”
“I am very excited at the prospect of channeling the skills and passion of my team into this project,” said PSA Motorsport Director Jean-Marc Finot “It is a new challenge and I know our experts will rise to it with another demonstration of their will to win with teams financed by the Group’s brands, fueled by their long experience of top-flight FIA championships and hunger for success.”
Peugeot Brand Director Jean-Philippe Imparato added: “The changes that the FIA WEC is introducing fit now with the transition we are undergoing ourselves with the electrification of our range and the launch of high-performance products, developed in close association with PSA Motorsport and foreshadowed by the Concept 508 Peugeot Sport Engineered. These initiatives are completely in tune with Peugeot’s ‘Motion and E-motion’ brand signature.”
Peugeot Sport last won the Le Mans 24 Hours back in 2009, where it beat Audi Sport with a three-car effort with the 908.
The announcement means that three major OEMs have signed up to Hypercar programs for the FIA WEC’s new top class. Thee other two are Toyota and Aston Martin, both of which are set to enter cars for the new ruleset in its inaugural season, beginning next year. American specialist brand Glickenhaus and former LMP1 team ByKolles have also stated publicly that they intend to compete in the Hypercar Prototype class.
It is not yet clear when Peugeot will begin racing its Hypercar. The 2022 calendar year is likely to feature the end of the 2021/22 FIA WEC season (with the Le Mans 24 Hours the season finale in June) and the beginning of the 2022/23 FIA WEC season.
11-13-2019, 11:27 AM
#89
Moderator
11-13-2019, 11:32 AM
#90
Senior Moderator
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00TL-P3.2 (11-13-2019)
11-13-2019, 02:36 PM
#91
Senior Moderator
This is excellent news. The 905 and 908 are two of the best looking prototypes to ever race at Le Mans.
11-26-2019, 03:27 PM
#92
Moderator
https://www.motorsport.com/wec/news/...y-t50/4602969/
Murray also explained that the company has received interest from customers wanting to race a car billed as the spiritual successor to his McLaren F1, which in GTR form won Le Mans in 1995.
"The people who run the series are very interested in having us back after our history at Le Mans with the F1 GTR — I spoke to the ACO and the FIA back in February this year," Murray told Motosport.com.
"Subsequently we have had some customers who are very interested in racing the car. We are all racers here, so we are very interested in racing it, too. It is in our DNA.
"We are about to announce very soon a tie-up with an F1 team for the use a wind-tunnel in the development of the T.50, so we are a step closer to racing already
Murray stressed that no decisions have been made about racing the T.50 and revealed that he planned to meet with GT racing boss Stephane Ratel so that he can "understand what the general thinking is on the direction of sportscar racing".
Deliveries of the 100 T.50 road cars, which will be powered by a bespoke four-litre V12 built by Cosworth, will take place through 2022, but Murray didn't rule out having a hypercar racer out on track earlier.
This would be allowed under the hypercar rules, which call minimum production run of 20 cars completed within two years of the car starting racing.
"If we do it, it would be done by a separate team and done in parallel to the road car, and we have got a unit to do special vehicle operations already."
Murray conceded that the active aerodynamics of the T.50 road car comprising a six-mode electric fan almost certainly wouldn't be allowed on a race version.
"I don't think they'd let us use the fan; I don't think I'd get away with that one again," he said in reference to his 1978 Brabham-Alfa Romeo BT46B F1 'fan car
Murray also expressed reservations about the 1100kg minimum weight for the hypercar class.
The T.50 road car will weigh 980kg, while a track day version of which 25 examples will be built is due to hit the scales at 890kg.
"A racing version of the T.50 would probably come out at about 900kg, so bolting in a couple of hundred kilogrammes of ballast doesn't appeal," he said.
"But because the new rules are based on performance balancing, hopefully there would be some way for us to run lighter but with less power."
Murray explained that he also had interest in a one-make series for the T.50.
"If it turns out that we don't really fit into the hypercar class or any other category, we have the option of a one-make series with our track day car," he said.
"Imagine a grid of 20 cars revving to 12,000rpm - that would be fun."
GMA was established as the sister company of Gordon Murray Design in 2017 with the intention of building a new supercar in the spirit of the McLaren F1.
The T.50 was formerly launched in June of this year on the unveiling of the car's specification and the opening of the order book.
The styling and aerodynamics of the car are about to be signed off after which detail design will begin.
GMA intends to have the first development cars running next summer in time for 18 months of testing prior to the first deliveries of road cars.
Legendary Formula 1 designer Gordon Murray is evaluating an entry into the FIA World Endurance Championship's hypercar class with his new T.50 sportscar.
The former Brabham and McLaren technical guru has revealed that Gordon Murray Automotive, the company set up to produce the £2 million T.50, has already met with WEC promoter and Le Mans 24 Hours organiser the Automobile Club de l'Ouest and the FIA.Murray also explained that the company has received interest from customers wanting to race a car billed as the spiritual successor to his McLaren F1, which in GTR form won Le Mans in 1995.
"The people who run the series are very interested in having us back after our history at Le Mans with the F1 GTR — I spoke to the ACO and the FIA back in February this year," Murray told Motosport.com.
"Subsequently we have had some customers who are very interested in racing the car. We are all racers here, so we are very interested in racing it, too. It is in our DNA.
"We are about to announce very soon a tie-up with an F1 team for the use a wind-tunnel in the development of the T.50, so we are a step closer to racing already
Murray stressed that no decisions have been made about racing the T.50 and revealed that he planned to meet with GT racing boss Stephane Ratel so that he can "understand what the general thinking is on the direction of sportscar racing".
Deliveries of the 100 T.50 road cars, which will be powered by a bespoke four-litre V12 built by Cosworth, will take place through 2022, but Murray didn't rule out having a hypercar racer out on track earlier.
This would be allowed under the hypercar rules, which call minimum production run of 20 cars completed within two years of the car starting racing.
"If we do it, it would be done by a separate team and done in parallel to the road car, and we have got a unit to do special vehicle operations already."
Murray conceded that the active aerodynamics of the T.50 road car comprising a six-mode electric fan almost certainly wouldn't be allowed on a race version.
"I don't think they'd let us use the fan; I don't think I'd get away with that one again," he said in reference to his 1978 Brabham-Alfa Romeo BT46B F1 'fan car
Murray also expressed reservations about the 1100kg minimum weight for the hypercar class.
The T.50 road car will weigh 980kg, while a track day version of which 25 examples will be built is due to hit the scales at 890kg.
"A racing version of the T.50 would probably come out at about 900kg, so bolting in a couple of hundred kilogrammes of ballast doesn't appeal," he said.
"But because the new rules are based on performance balancing, hopefully there would be some way for us to run lighter but with less power."
Murray explained that he also had interest in a one-make series for the T.50.
"If it turns out that we don't really fit into the hypercar class or any other category, we have the option of a one-make series with our track day car," he said.
"Imagine a grid of 20 cars revving to 12,000rpm - that would be fun."
GMA was established as the sister company of Gordon Murray Design in 2017 with the intention of building a new supercar in the spirit of the McLaren F1.
The T.50 was formerly launched in June of this year on the unveiling of the car's specification and the opening of the order book.
The styling and aerodynamics of the car are about to be signed off after which detail design will begin.
GMA intends to have the first development cars running next summer in time for 18 months of testing prior to the first deliveries of road cars.
11-26-2019, 03:52 PM
#93
Senior Moderator
Sure looks like an F1 GTR.
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Chief F1 Fan (11-27-2019)
12-02-2019, 03:40 PM
#94
Moderator
https://racer.com/2019/12/02/cota-ba...ours-canceled/
The FIA WEC 6 Hours Sao Paulo next February has been canceled and replaced by a race at Circuit of The Americas later in the month.
This change has been made due to the Brazilian event promotor being unable to meet contractual obligations to the FIA WEC, forcing it to find a replacement venue.
COTA, in Austin, Texas, is therefore back on the calendar for the first time since the 2017 season. It also becomes the first of two WEC races in the USA during the 2019/20 season, as the championship is set to race at Sebring in March once again.
The dates for the meeting are Feb. 22-23, pushed to later in the month to avoid a clash with the Super Bowl on the first weekend in February and the Formula E race on Feb. 14-15. This date does clash, however, with the Asian Le Mans Series race at Buriram in Thailand
Today’s news comes after team managers were told in a briefing during the FIA WEC’s trip to Shanghai last month that they should prepare for the Brazilian race to be canceled or moved.
This new event will be a two-day meeting, featuring a six-hour Lone Star Le Mans race.
In a document seen by RACER, the teams have been told that this change will reduce freight costs significantly, between Bahrain and COTA.
“Compared to the initial freight budget, we estimate an economy of these two legs of approximately 50%,” the note reads.
The teams were also briefed that the issues that have led to the Sao Paulo round being cancelled “is not concerning the link with the city of Sao Paulo or the circuit itself, it is strictly with the promotor”.“First, we must thank Bobby Epstein and the Circuit of The Americas for accommodating us at relatively short notice,” said Gérard Neveu, CEO of the FIA World Endurance Championship. “It is an excellent venue, and our fans, competitors and media are now assured of excellent racing in North America — not once, but twice in two months.”
“Of course, it is very unfortunate to find ourselves in this position. The WEC very much regrets this situation and feels very sad for the city of São Paulo and the many thousands of Brazilian motorsport fans. Our main concern was our competitors and partners, and we have worked very hard to find a solution which offered the least disruption possible.
More details on the Lone Star Le Mans race will be available in the coming days. This new set of dates is still subject to approval by the FIA World Motor Sport Council.
This change has been made due to the Brazilian event promotor being unable to meet contractual obligations to the FIA WEC, forcing it to find a replacement venue.
COTA, in Austin, Texas, is therefore back on the calendar for the first time since the 2017 season. It also becomes the first of two WEC races in the USA during the 2019/20 season, as the championship is set to race at Sebring in March once again.
The dates for the meeting are Feb. 22-23, pushed to later in the month to avoid a clash with the Super Bowl on the first weekend in February and the Formula E race on Feb. 14-15. This date does clash, however, with the Asian Le Mans Series race at Buriram in Thailand
Today’s news comes after team managers were told in a briefing during the FIA WEC’s trip to Shanghai last month that they should prepare for the Brazilian race to be canceled or moved.
This new event will be a two-day meeting, featuring a six-hour Lone Star Le Mans race.
In a document seen by RACER, the teams have been told that this change will reduce freight costs significantly, between Bahrain and COTA.
“Compared to the initial freight budget, we estimate an economy of these two legs of approximately 50%,” the note reads.
The teams were also briefed that the issues that have led to the Sao Paulo round being cancelled “is not concerning the link with the city of Sao Paulo or the circuit itself, it is strictly with the promotor”.“First, we must thank Bobby Epstein and the Circuit of The Americas for accommodating us at relatively short notice,” said Gérard Neveu, CEO of the FIA World Endurance Championship. “It is an excellent venue, and our fans, competitors and media are now assured of excellent racing in North America — not once, but twice in two months.”
“Of course, it is very unfortunate to find ourselves in this position. The WEC very much regrets this situation and feels very sad for the city of São Paulo and the many thousands of Brazilian motorsport fans. Our main concern was our competitors and partners, and we have worked very hard to find a solution which offered the least disruption possible.
More details on the Lone Star Le Mans race will be available in the coming days. This new set of dates is still subject to approval by the FIA World Motor Sport Council.
12-02-2019, 03:41 PM
#95
Moderator
Anyone done WEC at COTA? I imagine it's a much cheaper weekend than F1.
12-02-2019, 09:19 PM
#96
Senior Moderator
Didn't say why Sao Paulo got cancelled, but not a good sign for the F1 race.
12-03-2019, 09:48 AM
#97
Moderator
Just says 'contractual obligations'They did mention many times during the F1 weekend about it possibly being the last race at Interlagos. IIRC, it's partly down to the Brazilian president wanting to move it to Rio instead.
12-04-2019, 08:14 AM
#98
Senior Moderator
Also because of money. Sao Paulo apparently doesn't pay a sanctioning fee to Liberty. That won't end well for Sao Paulo. Which is unfortunate if we get another boring race track in Rio.
12-04-2019, 10:52 AM
#99
Moderator
https://www.motorsport.com/wec/news/...ercar/4606642/
Rebellion's current LMP1 programme will be merged into Peugeot Sport's operation based in Satory near Paris, where the 908 HDi FAP programme was run from 2007 until the French marque's withdrawal from sportscar racing in early 2012.
No mention was made of Rebellion's existing chassis partner Oreca, which had previously been linked to a role in a potential Peugeot hypercar programme.
PSA motorsport boss Jean-Marc Finot commented: “The programme will kick off in 2022 and we are extremely happy to be teaming up with one of endurance racing’s big names.
"Rebellion Racing’s experience of the FIA WEC will be a big asset as we put together the strongest possible team for our programme, and this was corroborated by the team’s recent victory in Shanghai.
"The roles will be divided as a function of our respective competencies but we will form a single entity working out of Versailles-Satory."
The news follows Rebellion's first on-the-road outright victory in the WEC last month in Shanghai with its Oreca-built R-13.
With Peugeot's hypercar contender not expected to race until the 2022/23 season, it raises the prospect of the R-13 continuing beyond the conclusion of the current 2019/20 campaign as a grandfathered LMP1 against new machinery from Toyota and Aston Martin.
Rebellion owner Alexandre Pesci commented: “I believe that the passion of our two companies speaks for us as a common and simple language.
"Together, we are going to build a car and team to compete in what promises to be a fiercely-contested championship as we seek to begin a successful record together.”
Peugeot will join forces with existing LMP1 outfit Rebellion Racing for its forthcoming hypercar project in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
The announcement follows the news last month that Peugeot will return to the top flight of sportscar racing in 2022 with a hybrid-powered contender with which it will bid for a fourth victory in the Le Mans 24 Hours.Rebellion's current LMP1 programme will be merged into Peugeot Sport's operation based in Satory near Paris, where the 908 HDi FAP programme was run from 2007 until the French marque's withdrawal from sportscar racing in early 2012.
No mention was made of Rebellion's existing chassis partner Oreca, which had previously been linked to a role in a potential Peugeot hypercar programme.
PSA motorsport boss Jean-Marc Finot commented: “The programme will kick off in 2022 and we are extremely happy to be teaming up with one of endurance racing’s big names.
"Rebellion Racing’s experience of the FIA WEC will be a big asset as we put together the strongest possible team for our programme, and this was corroborated by the team’s recent victory in Shanghai.
"The roles will be divided as a function of our respective competencies but we will form a single entity working out of Versailles-Satory."
The news follows Rebellion's first on-the-road outright victory in the WEC last month in Shanghai with its Oreca-built R-13.
With Peugeot's hypercar contender not expected to race until the 2022/23 season, it raises the prospect of the R-13 continuing beyond the conclusion of the current 2019/20 campaign as a grandfathered LMP1 against new machinery from Toyota and Aston Martin.
Rebellion owner Alexandre Pesci commented: “I believe that the passion of our two companies speaks for us as a common and simple language.
"Together, we are going to build a car and team to compete in what promises to be a fiercely-contested championship as we seek to begin a successful record together.”
12-04-2019, 07:00 PM
#100
Senior Moderator
It's good to see Rebellion finally having factory backing.
12-05-2019, 09:39 AM
#101
Moderator
https://www.motorsport.com/wec/news/...-2020/4607027/
WEC promoter the Automobile Club de l'Ouest had insisted that no decisions had been made about the name of the class and said it would consult fans of the series before making a decision.
The rules allow for prototypes that look like hypercars and racing versions of road-going machinery to race together from the start of the 2020/21 WEC next September.
The WMSC also revealed a shift in the rules that will mean Le Mans Hypercar competitors "must enter a homologated car under the name of an automotive brand".
The rules outlined at the Le Mans 24 Hours this year allowed for independents to enter the category with a prototype car, while the rules for road-going machinery demand a minimum production run of 20 cars within two years of the car beginning racing.
The text of the draft rules states that a competitor "may enter the homologated car under the name of a car brand", but it is understood that this wording will be changed to "must" at the next WMSC council in March.
It's also understood there will be a teams' title awarded for the Le Mans Hypercar class rather than a manufacturers' crown, despite the wording of the WMSC statement.
Restrictions on testing in the top class of the WEC will be removed for the first season of the Le Mans Hypercar category. These will be re-introduced for season two.
There will be a limitation, as in LMP1, on the number of personnel allowed by Le Mans Hypercar teams at the race track. This has been set at 40 for a two-car team of non-hybrid machinery and 43 if the cars are hybrids.
The power of the one-make Gibson V8 normally-aspirated engine will be reduced by 30kW or 40bhp from approximately 600bhp to ensure that lap times for the P2s are slower than those of the new Le Mans Hypercars.
There will also be a single tyre supplier for the first time in LMP2, where Michelin and Goodyear both currently compete against one another.
Michelin has already been announced as the tyre suppler of the Le Mans Hypercar division.
The new top class of the FIA World Endurance Championship will be known as 'Le Mans Hypercar' (LMH) when it comes into force for the 2020/21 season.
The hypercar name was billed as a working title when ideas for the replacement for LMP1 were first outlined in June 2018, but has now been formally adopted with a decision of the FIA World Motor Sport Council in Paris on Wednesday.WEC promoter the Automobile Club de l'Ouest had insisted that no decisions had been made about the name of the class and said it would consult fans of the series before making a decision.
The rules allow for prototypes that look like hypercars and racing versions of road-going machinery to race together from the start of the 2020/21 WEC next September.
The WMSC also revealed a shift in the rules that will mean Le Mans Hypercar competitors "must enter a homologated car under the name of an automotive brand".
The rules outlined at the Le Mans 24 Hours this year allowed for independents to enter the category with a prototype car, while the rules for road-going machinery demand a minimum production run of 20 cars within two years of the car beginning racing.
The text of the draft rules states that a competitor "may enter the homologated car under the name of a car brand", but it is understood that this wording will be changed to "must" at the next WMSC council in March.
It's also understood there will be a teams' title awarded for the Le Mans Hypercar class rather than a manufacturers' crown, despite the wording of the WMSC statement.
Restrictions on testing in the top class of the WEC will be removed for the first season of the Le Mans Hypercar category. These will be re-introduced for season two.
There will be a limitation, as in LMP1, on the number of personnel allowed by Le Mans Hypercar teams at the race track. This has been set at 40 for a two-car team of non-hybrid machinery and 43 if the cars are hybrids.
LMP2 gets single tyre, power reduction
The WMSC also confirmed the means by which LMP2 machinery will be slowed for the 2020/21 WEC season and subsequently in the European and Asian Le Mans Series.The power of the one-make Gibson V8 normally-aspirated engine will be reduced by 30kW or 40bhp from approximately 600bhp to ensure that lap times for the P2s are slower than those of the new Le Mans Hypercars.
There will also be a single tyre supplier for the first time in LMP2, where Michelin and Goodyear both currently compete against one another.
Michelin has already been announced as the tyre suppler of the Le Mans Hypercar division.
12-13-2019, 10:18 AM
#102
Moderator
https://jalopnik.com/a-tiny-rule-cha...man-1840398656
In 1991, a rotary-powered Mazda won the 24 Hours or Le Mans. By 1992, rotary engines were no longer allowed to race there. But for the 2021 season, 30 years after the fact, the organizers behind the biggest race in the world of sports cars have allowed rotaries back in.
This doesn’t come with a big announcement. Don’t look for news articles on the Le Mans or FIA websites heralding the return of the engine that goes hmmm. Don’t look for anything on Mazda’s site either. Nothing there.
But tucked away in a subsection of the recently released revised 2021 regulations is a little line about rotaries. I didn’t notice it until race car tech super-knower Craig Scarborough tweeted about it off a linked article from Sportscar365:
NSU even gets a shout-out:
Rotaries were initially banned out of Le Mans as Group C in the 1980s transitioned into the 1990s to share the same engine regulations with Formula 1. That meant naturally-aspirated 3.5-liter piston engines.
Doing so killed Group C.
Not the best.
But now rotaries are allowed in again. Here’s every line about them from the new regs:
1.13 Engine cubic capacity
The volume swept in the cylinders of the engine by the movement of the pistons. This volume shall be expressed in cubic centimetres. In calculating engine cubic capacity, the number Pi shall be 3.1416.
In the case of a rotary engine, the engine cubic capacity is the volume determined by the difference between the maximum and minimum capacities of the combustion chambers.
[…]
1.33 Rotary engine
Engine of the type covered by the NSU Wankel patents.
[…]
5.2.2.1 Bespoke engine:
• Variable geometry devices are not allowed except for rotary engines.
• Engine must not have more than two inlet and two exhaust valves per cylinder.
- Only reciprocating poppet valves with axial displacement are permitted.
- The sealing interface between the moving valve component and the stationary engine component must be circular.
- Electromagnetic and hydraulic valve actuation systems are forbidden.
5.2.2.2 Engine of the make:
The engine of the make is a series engine. that meets the following conditions:
• At least 25 identical engines identical to the ones destined for a series production car homologated for road use equipped with this engine must have been produced;
5.8 Engine fuel systems
5.8.1 No fuel injectors are permitted downstream of the exhaust valves or of the exhaust port inlet on a rotary engine.
[…]
5.9 Ignition systems
5.9.1 With the exception of rotary engines, the ignition is only permitted by means of a single ignition coil and single spark plug per cylinder. No more than five sparks per cylinder per engine cycle are permitted.
The use of plasma, laser or other high frequency ignition techniques is forbidden.
[…]
5.14 Materials and construction – Components
5.14.1 Pistons must respect Article 5.13. Titanium alloys are not permitted. Rotor seals on rotary engines may be manufactured from a ceramic material.
Will Mazda actually come back? Who knows, but I do have my fingers crossed for NSU.
This doesn’t come with a big announcement. Don’t look for news articles on the Le Mans or FIA websites heralding the return of the engine that goes hmmm. Don’t look for anything on Mazda’s site either. Nothing there.
But tucked away in a subsection of the recently released revised 2021 regulations is a little line about rotaries. I didn’t notice it until race car tech super-knower Craig Scarborough tweeted about it off a linked article from Sportscar365:
NSU even gets a shout-out:
Rotaries were initially banned out of Le Mans as Group C in the 1980s transitioned into the 1990s to share the same engine regulations with Formula 1. That meant naturally-aspirated 3.5-liter piston engines.
Doing so killed Group C.
Not the best.
But now rotaries are allowed in again. Here’s every line about them from the new regs:
1.13 Engine cubic capacity
The volume swept in the cylinders of the engine by the movement of the pistons. This volume shall be expressed in cubic centimetres. In calculating engine cubic capacity, the number Pi shall be 3.1416.
In the case of a rotary engine, the engine cubic capacity is the volume determined by the difference between the maximum and minimum capacities of the combustion chambers.
[…]
1.33 Rotary engine
Engine of the type covered by the NSU Wankel patents.
[…]
5.2.2.1 Bespoke engine:
• Variable geometry devices are not allowed except for rotary engines.
• Engine must not have more than two inlet and two exhaust valves per cylinder.
- Only reciprocating poppet valves with axial displacement are permitted.
- The sealing interface between the moving valve component and the stationary engine component must be circular.
- Electromagnetic and hydraulic valve actuation systems are forbidden.
5.2.2.2 Engine of the make:
The engine of the make is a series engine. that meets the following conditions:
• At least 25 identical engines identical to the ones destined for a series production car homologated for road use equipped with this engine must have been produced;
- At least 25 identical series production car
homologated for road use equipped with this engine are produced by the end of the year of the first season this engine is competing in. - At least 100 identical series production car homologated for road use equipped with this engine are produced by the end of the year of the second season this engine is competing in.
- The series engine is homologated with FIA/ACO.
- One complete engine is deposited with the
FIA/ACO.
5.8 Engine fuel systems
5.8.1 No fuel injectors are permitted downstream of the exhaust valves or of the exhaust port inlet on a rotary engine.
[…]
5.9 Ignition systems
5.9.1 With the exception of rotary engines, the ignition is only permitted by means of a single ignition coil and single spark plug per cylinder. No more than five sparks per cylinder per engine cycle are permitted.
The use of plasma, laser or other high frequency ignition techniques is forbidden.
[…]
5.14 Materials and construction – Components
5.14.1 Pistons must respect Article 5.13. Titanium alloys are not permitted. Rotor seals on rotary engines may be manufactured from a ceramic material.
12-18-2019, 03:28 PM
#103
Moderator
https://www.motorsport.com/lemans/ne...0-aco/4614744/
The 24 cars that make it through to this shootout session will be allowed one run because they will not be permitted to return to their pit during the 30 minutes. Teams will have free choice of tyres within the existing allocation for qualifying and the race.
Wednesday qualifying will take place between 23:15 and 00:00, while the Hyperpole procedure will run from 21:00 and 21:30 the following day.
Pierre Fillon, president of Le Mans organiser the Automobile Club de l'Ouest, explained that the new format was aimed at "guaranteeing two exciting sessions for both drivers and spectators, where all the focus will be on sheer speed in a quest for the perfect lap".
"Adrenalin, suspense and concentration will be at a max for every team out there," he said. "It will be a thrilling prelude to the ensuing 24-hour battle on our iconic 13km track.
"Le Mans will once again be a celebration of racing that goes on for several days, and not just a weekend.”
The new Hyperpole procedure replaces the previous format that involved six hours of qualifying in three two-hour sessions across Wednesday and Thursday.
Free practice will now begin at 15:30 on Wednesday with a session lasting four and a half hours and will continue with another short session before first qualifying.
Two further practice sessions will sandwich Hyperpole qualifying on Thursday.
The start time of the race itself has been changed to 16:00 on Saturday, an hour later than it has been in recent years, a change that was announced in October.
15:30–20:00: Free practice
22:00–23:00: Free practice
23:15–00:00: Qualifying
Thursday, June 11
17:00–19:00: Free practice
21:00–21:30: Hyperpole
22:00–00:00: Free practice
A new qualifying format dubbed 'Hyperpole' will set the top positions on the grid for next year's Le Mans 24 Hours.
The top six cars in each of the four classes during a 45-minute qualifying period on Wednesday will go forward to half-hour Hyperpole session on Thursday ahead of next year's FIA World Endurannce Championship finale on June 13/14.The 24 cars that make it through to this shootout session will be allowed one run because they will not be permitted to return to their pit during the 30 minutes. Teams will have free choice of tyres within the existing allocation for qualifying and the race.
Wednesday qualifying will take place between 23:15 and 00:00, while the Hyperpole procedure will run from 21:00 and 21:30 the following day.
Pierre Fillon, president of Le Mans organiser the Automobile Club de l'Ouest, explained that the new format was aimed at "guaranteeing two exciting sessions for both drivers and spectators, where all the focus will be on sheer speed in a quest for the perfect lap".
"Adrenalin, suspense and concentration will be at a max for every team out there," he said. "It will be a thrilling prelude to the ensuing 24-hour battle on our iconic 13km track.
"Le Mans will once again be a celebration of racing that goes on for several days, and not just a weekend.”
The new Hyperpole procedure replaces the previous format that involved six hours of qualifying in three two-hour sessions across Wednesday and Thursday.
Free practice will now begin at 15:30 on Wednesday with a session lasting four and a half hours and will continue with another short session before first qualifying.
Two further practice sessions will sandwich Hyperpole qualifying on Thursday.
The start time of the race itself has been changed to 16:00 on Saturday, an hour later than it has been in recent years, a change that was announced in October.
2020 Le Mans practice and qualifying schedule:
Wednesday, June 1015:30–20:00: Free practice
22:00–23:00: Free practice
23:15–00:00: Qualifying
Thursday, June 11
17:00–19:00: Free practice
21:00–21:30: Hyperpole
22:00–00:00: Free practice
12-20-2019, 10:18 AM
#104
Moderator
https://www.motorsport.com/wec/news/...sible/4613913/
Should a McLaren LM Hypercar class entry materialise, it will come in addition to its long-standing Formula 1 team and a full-fledged IndyCar programme, which will be run in collaboration with Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsport from 2020.
Asked if it is sustainable for McLaren to run three programmes in parallel, Brown said: “Yes. But right now we’ve only got two and we’d only do the third if it was sustainable and that’s why we haven’t jumped in right now under the rules that exist today.
“We are not comfortable we can make that fiscally work. IndyCar is a good business, we can make that work. We made that work. Believe it or not, we made that work this year, even with the fiasco of not qualifying [for the Indy 500].
“Formula 1 we are losing lots of money, but new cost cap is coming in, sponsorship is going really well. We see the trajectory of Formula 1 becoming sustainable, so that’s why we are now looking at sportscars.
“If we can get a business model that works then we would enter, but what we are not going to do is enter another racing series, any racing series that isn’t fiscally responsible.”
Brown has urged WEC to keep manufacturer spending under control when the new hypercar class comes into force in 2020/21.
“I think Toyota is going to spend north of $40 million,” Brown said. “I don’t think you have to spend north of $40 million, I think you can maybe spend half of that.
“But I think one who has the biggest cheque book we know historically is who wins. I think they need to come up with a formula where it becomes increasingly difficult to throw more money at it.
“So the $20-40 million range is where things sit and we want to be towards the lower end of that. But we need to be confident we can be competitive with that spend level.”
Toyota and Aston Martin have confirmed their participation in the first season of the LM Hypercar class, while Peugeot announced its return to top flight of endurance racing last month and is targeting an entry sometime in 2022.
McLaren will not expand to a third top-tier motorsport programme if it is “fiscally irresponsible” for the British sportscar manufacturer, CEO Zak Brown says.
McLaren has long been evaluating an entry into the FIA World Endurance Championship’s new top class, but Brown revealed such a move would be dependent on convergence with IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship’s DPi 2.0 concept after stating that a building a bespoke hypercar will be out of McLaren’s financial reach.Should a McLaren LM Hypercar class entry materialise, it will come in addition to its long-standing Formula 1 team and a full-fledged IndyCar programme, which will be run in collaboration with Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsport from 2020.
Asked if it is sustainable for McLaren to run three programmes in parallel, Brown said: “Yes. But right now we’ve only got two and we’d only do the third if it was sustainable and that’s why we haven’t jumped in right now under the rules that exist today.
“We are not comfortable we can make that fiscally work. IndyCar is a good business, we can make that work. We made that work. Believe it or not, we made that work this year, even with the fiasco of not qualifying [for the Indy 500].
“Formula 1 we are losing lots of money, but new cost cap is coming in, sponsorship is going really well. We see the trajectory of Formula 1 becoming sustainable, so that’s why we are now looking at sportscars.
“If we can get a business model that works then we would enter, but what we are not going to do is enter another racing series, any racing series that isn’t fiscally responsible.”
Brown has urged WEC to keep manufacturer spending under control when the new hypercar class comes into force in 2020/21.
“I think Toyota is going to spend north of $40 million,” Brown said. “I don’t think you have to spend north of $40 million, I think you can maybe spend half of that.
“But I think one who has the biggest cheque book we know historically is who wins. I think they need to come up with a formula where it becomes increasingly difficult to throw more money at it.
“So the $20-40 million range is where things sit and we want to be towards the lower end of that. But we need to be confident we can be competitive with that spend level.”
Toyota and Aston Martin have confirmed their participation in the first season of the LM Hypercar class, while Peugeot announced its return to top flight of endurance racing last month and is targeting an entry sometime in 2022.
12-26-2019, 09:07 AM
#105
Moderator
https://www.autosport.com/wec/news/1...after-wec-test
Corvette exile Jan Magnussen is eyeing a full-time switch to the World Endurance Championship for the 2020/21 season after the ex-Formula 1 driver tested an LMP2 car in Bahrain.
Magnussen lost his Corvette IMSA SportsCar Championship seat at the end of the 2019 season after 16 years with the manufacturer.
He was replaced by Jordan Taylor, while the team also dropped 2013 DTM champion Mike Rockenfeller in favour of sportscar regular and Hyundai World Touring Car Cup driver Nicky Catsburg for 2020.
Magnussen sampled Danish squad High Class Racing's Michelin-shod ORECA 07 in the one-day test after the Bahrain World Endurance Championship round earlier this month, setting the 10th-fastest time in the LMP2 class.
"With all these years in GT cars you get quite comfortable with feel, the little bumps in the track, you can take a lot of kerbs without knocking yourself out in the car whereas these things are a lot more brutal in terms of when you do something wrong, there is a big penalty," he said.
"But I really enjoyed this experience."
Magnussen has always maintained that the test is a precursor to a potential Le Mans outing with High Class Racing in 2020.
It hinges on High Class securing a second entry for the race, which Magnussen could share with two yet-to-be-determined Danish drivers.
But the 46-year-old is already looking beyond Le Mans and has set his sights on entering the full 2020/21 WEC season, though not necessary with High Class.
"At the moment all I have is touring cars in Denmark [the new-for-2020 TCR Denmark series], which is a pretty good programme," he said.
"I'm quite looking forward to that and then I'm working on different one-off races, still looking at long races in both the US, Le Mans obviously.
"It's important to get back to Le Mans and this is the best option I believe.
"And then I'm working on coming back to the WEC full-time from next season."
Magnussen said sharing a Le Mans entry with his son Kevin remains "very, very high up on the wishlist", though the clash between the 24 Hours and F1's Canadian Grand Prix means that will not be possible in 2020.
"Unfortunately not," said Magnussen, when asked if his son could join him at Le Mans next year.
"Obviously I have a dream that I share with Kevin that one day we'll do Le Mans together in the same car.
"Unfortunately that cannot happen next year because there's a clash with Canada I believe. So that's unfortunate.
"But maybe in the future if I can build something good with the prototype here, people keep inviting me back [then] absolutely."
Magnussen lost his Corvette IMSA SportsCar Championship seat at the end of the 2019 season after 16 years with the manufacturer.
He was replaced by Jordan Taylor, while the team also dropped 2013 DTM champion Mike Rockenfeller in favour of sportscar regular and Hyundai World Touring Car Cup driver Nicky Catsburg for 2020.
Magnussen sampled Danish squad High Class Racing's Michelin-shod ORECA 07 in the one-day test after the Bahrain World Endurance Championship round earlier this month, setting the 10th-fastest time in the LMP2 class.
"With all these years in GT cars you get quite comfortable with feel, the little bumps in the track, you can take a lot of kerbs without knocking yourself out in the car whereas these things are a lot more brutal in terms of when you do something wrong, there is a big penalty," he said.
"But I really enjoyed this experience."
Magnussen has always maintained that the test is a precursor to a potential Le Mans outing with High Class Racing in 2020.
It hinges on High Class securing a second entry for the race, which Magnussen could share with two yet-to-be-determined Danish drivers.
But the 46-year-old is already looking beyond Le Mans and has set his sights on entering the full 2020/21 WEC season, though not necessary with High Class.
"At the moment all I have is touring cars in Denmark [the new-for-2020 TCR Denmark series], which is a pretty good programme," he said.
"I'm quite looking forward to that and then I'm working on different one-off races, still looking at long races in both the US, Le Mans obviously.
"It's important to get back to Le Mans and this is the best option I believe.
"And then I'm working on coming back to the WEC full-time from next season."
Magnussen said sharing a Le Mans entry with his son Kevin remains "very, very high up on the wishlist", though the clash between the 24 Hours and F1's Canadian Grand Prix means that will not be possible in 2020.
"Unfortunately not," said Magnussen, when asked if his son could join him at Le Mans next year.
"Obviously I have a dream that I share with Kevin that one day we'll do Le Mans together in the same car.
"Unfortunately that cannot happen next year because there's a clash with Canada I believe. So that's unfortunate.
"But maybe in the future if I can build something good with the prototype here, people keep inviting me back [then] absolutely."
01-24-2020, 11:31 AM
#106
Senior Moderator
https://racer.com/2020/01/24/imsa-an...nce-agreement/
Huge news. ACO and IMSA signs agreement to allow Hyper Cars and the next generation of Daytona prototypes to race each other through BoP. FIA still needs to ratify it, but it appears to be a done deal.
Huge news. ACO and IMSA signs agreement to allow Hyper Cars and the next generation of Daytona prototypes to race each other through BoP. FIA still needs to ratify it, but it appears to be a done deal.
01-27-2020, 10:25 AM
#108
Moderator
https://www.motorsport.com/lemans/ne...eturn/4676749/
Last year, Penske told Motorsport.com that a return to Le Mans was “a target” – but warned “we've got to go with the right stuff” to compete for victory. Following Friday’s announcement at Daytona, Penske said that common rules between the North American and global sportscar championships was exactly what he wanted to compete for overall honours.
“We have been asking for this for a number of years,” Penske told Motorsport.com. “We can run here [at Daytona], we can run Petit Le Mans and we can run Sebring.
“Le Mans is one of the things we’ve never won. I have been there twice. We need to go and be able to race there and race to win.
“Ironically, when you look at this weekend, coming here to the 24 Hours of Daytona, we’ve got six [DPis] to race [against]. We need to have 20 cars in the prototype category. Le Mans doesn’t need to have three Toyotas, two Peugeots and four Porsches. They need 25 cars.
“So this convergence is going to allow these world-class events to have that kind of competition. The OEMs don’t have to spend $300 million to go to Le Mans and race each other. They can take that down many, many times and we can have people with cars coming from the U.S. and other parts of the world enter these big races. I think it’s great.”
Legendary American motorsport chief Roger Penske says that the new agreement between the FIA World Endurance Championship and IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar series – that will lead to a common LMDh headline class – opens the door for him to make a return to the Le Mans 24 Hours.
Penske has raced twice at Le Mans: once as a driver in 1963 (starting from pole position with teammate Pedro Rodriguez), and then as a team owner in '71 – running Ferraris on both occasions.Last year, Penske told Motorsport.com that a return to Le Mans was “a target” – but warned “we've got to go with the right stuff” to compete for victory. Following Friday’s announcement at Daytona, Penske said that common rules between the North American and global sportscar championships was exactly what he wanted to compete for overall honours.
“We have been asking for this for a number of years,” Penske told Motorsport.com. “We can run here [at Daytona], we can run Petit Le Mans and we can run Sebring.
“Le Mans is one of the things we’ve never won. I have been there twice. We need to go and be able to race there and race to win.
“Ironically, when you look at this weekend, coming here to the 24 Hours of Daytona, we’ve got six [DPis] to race [against]. We need to have 20 cars in the prototype category. Le Mans doesn’t need to have three Toyotas, two Peugeots and four Porsches. They need 25 cars.
“So this convergence is going to allow these world-class events to have that kind of competition. The OEMs don’t have to spend $300 million to go to Le Mans and race each other. They can take that down many, many times and we can have people with cars coming from the U.S. and other parts of the world enter these big races. I think it’s great.”
01-31-2020, 01:05 PM
#110
Senior Moderator
I'm going to speculate that Hypercar is dead now.
With the rules convergence between ACO and IMSA, ORECA has backed out of the Peugeot/Rebellion Hypercar project to focus on LMDh. Peugeot/Rebellion still might go Hypercar, but it now seems shaky.
The other two factory backed Hypercar programs are Toyota and Aston Martin. Toyota's is just a repackaged TS050, while there is really no solid information on the Aston Martin.
So now with Aston Martin going F1, I doubt there will be any money left for a super expensive Hypercar. This might leave Toyota as the only factory left, which is exactly where WEC is at right now.
With the rules convergence between ACO and IMSA, ORECA has backed out of the Peugeot/Rebellion Hypercar project to focus on LMDh. Peugeot/Rebellion still might go Hypercar, but it now seems shaky.
The other two factory backed Hypercar programs are Toyota and Aston Martin. Toyota's is just a repackaged TS050, while there is really no solid information on the Aston Martin.
So now with Aston Martin going F1, I doubt there will be any money left for a super expensive Hypercar. This might leave Toyota as the only factory left, which is exactly where WEC is at right now.
02-03-2020, 11:10 AM
#111
Moderator
https://www.motorsport.com/lemans/ne...-imsa/4679635/
But the marque has been absent from the top class of Le Mans since 1992 and its last entry in any category was in 1996, although it has since occasionally supplied engines to teams.
It currently competes with the Riley/Multimatic-based RT24-P in IMSA’s top-tier DPi category, which will make way for the new LMDh division in 2022.
New Mazda North America motorsport director Nelson Cosgrove, who replaced now-IMSA President John Doonan in the role, labelled the announcement from the WEC's promoter the Automobile Club de l'Ouest and IMSA made at the Rolex 24 at Daytona as "really cool".
"Obviously it would be great to bring the Mazda brand back to the Le Mans 24 Hours with a factory programme," he continued.
"LMDh would be a great opportunity to get back if it makes sense, but there is a lot of work to do to understand if we could be successful in a programme like that."
The other two manufacturers currently active in DPi gave a more lukewarm response to the IMSA/WEC rules convergence news.
General Motors' director of racing, Mark Kent, whose remit encompasses the Cadillac DPi programme, said that the brand "congratulates IMSA and the ACO on their announcement of a convergence of the top class of prototype racing".
He added: "We are encouraged at the prospect of an international formula for the future of prototype racing. Once we obtain further details, we will evaluate if our participation aligns with our company's future."
Acura, meanwhile, stressed that it was "early to talk about the future" prior to the announcement of further information on the LMDh regulations, which is expected to come during the Sebring 12 Hours weekend in March.
"The regulations need to be finalised, and once they are all done, we will take a look at them," he said. "It is something more for the distant future, to consider if it fits with our strategy and what we want to achieve from a marketing point of view."
BMW has been linked to an expansion from GT Le Mans into the top class of the IMSA series, but Marquardt stressed that the chance to go for overall victory in the WEC with the same car would not lead to an "automatic change" in its evaluation of the world championship.
The German marque withdrew from the WEC after a single season in 2018/19, citing a lack of return on investment, but its M8 GTE challenger races on in IMSA's GTLM class.
Porsche factory motorsport boss Pascal Zurlinden meanwhile called the alignment "good news for the industry", before adding: "Does it mean that Porsche is coming? We can't comment because we don't know the regulations."
The two manufacturers committed to running LM Hypercars in the WEC from the start of the 2020/21 season both offered guarded enthusiasm for the announcement.
Aston Martin said it was "pleased to note that the future of sportscar racing's top class has been secured". It added that it would be "working closely with all parties to ensure that the hypercar vision retains its proper position within global sportscar competition".
A spokesperson for Toyota simply said: "If this move brings more manufacturers to the top level of endurance racing, we welcome it, while waiting to see more details."
Mazda says the announcement of the new IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship/FIA World Endurance Championship LMDh division presents a “cool opportunity” to return to the Le Mans 24 Hours.
Mazda is one of the only two Japanese manufacturers to have taken outright victory in the French endurance classic, the other being Toyota, with its sole win coming in 1991 with the iconic rotary-powered 787B (pictured top).But the marque has been absent from the top class of Le Mans since 1992 and its last entry in any category was in 1996, although it has since occasionally supplied engines to teams.
It currently competes with the Riley/Multimatic-based RT24-P in IMSA’s top-tier DPi category, which will make way for the new LMDh division in 2022.
New Mazda North America motorsport director Nelson Cosgrove, who replaced now-IMSA President John Doonan in the role, labelled the announcement from the WEC's promoter the Automobile Club de l'Ouest and IMSA made at the Rolex 24 at Daytona as "really cool".
"Obviously it would be great to bring the Mazda brand back to the Le Mans 24 Hours with a factory programme," he continued.
"LMDh would be a great opportunity to get back if it makes sense, but there is a lot of work to do to understand if we could be successful in a programme like that."
The other two manufacturers currently active in DPi gave a more lukewarm response to the IMSA/WEC rules convergence news.
General Motors' director of racing, Mark Kent, whose remit encompasses the Cadillac DPi programme, said that the brand "congratulates IMSA and the ACO on their announcement of a convergence of the top class of prototype racing".
He added: "We are encouraged at the prospect of an international formula for the future of prototype racing. Once we obtain further details, we will evaluate if our participation aligns with our company's future."
Acura, meanwhile, stressed that it was "early to talk about the future" prior to the announcement of further information on the LMDh regulations, which is expected to come during the Sebring 12 Hours weekend in March.
European manufacturers react
BMW Motorsport boss Jens Marquardt described the rules convergence as a “positive step”, but stressed that it would be premature talk about the prospects of BMW signing up for the new class ahead of more news on the rules."The regulations need to be finalised, and once they are all done, we will take a look at them," he said. "It is something more for the distant future, to consider if it fits with our strategy and what we want to achieve from a marketing point of view."
BMW has been linked to an expansion from GT Le Mans into the top class of the IMSA series, but Marquardt stressed that the chance to go for overall victory in the WEC with the same car would not lead to an "automatic change" in its evaluation of the world championship.
The German marque withdrew from the WEC after a single season in 2018/19, citing a lack of return on investment, but its M8 GTE challenger races on in IMSA's GTLM class.
Porsche factory motorsport boss Pascal Zurlinden meanwhile called the alignment "good news for the industry", before adding: "Does it mean that Porsche is coming? We can't comment because we don't know the regulations."
The two manufacturers committed to running LM Hypercars in the WEC from the start of the 2020/21 season both offered guarded enthusiasm for the announcement.
Aston Martin said it was "pleased to note that the future of sportscar racing's top class has been secured". It added that it would be "working closely with all parties to ensure that the hypercar vision retains its proper position within global sportscar competition".
A spokesperson for Toyota simply said: "If this move brings more manufacturers to the top level of endurance racing, we welcome it, while waiting to see more details."
02-07-2020, 09:37 AM
#112
Moderator
https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/...two-wec-races/
Corvette Racing has confirmed that Jan Magnussen and Mike Rockenfeller will drive for the team in the next two FIA World Endurance Championship races.
The pairing will represent the factory GM operation in both the Lone Star Le Mans six-hour race on Feb. 23 and the 1000 Miles of Sebring in late March.
They will co-drive a predominantly yellow version of the new mid-engine Chevrolet C8.R which competes full-time in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
Magnussen and Rockenfeller’s surprise return, which was first reported on Monday for the COTA round, comes after both drivers were released from their roles with the Corvette program at the end of last year.
Magnussen exited the team’s full-season WeatherTech Championship lineup last October while Rockenfeller departed from the extended IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup squad.
The duo shared a Corvette C7.R with Antonio Garcia in last year’s 1000 Miles of Sebring.
It’s understood that the current plan is for Magnussen and Rockenfeller to compete as a pair without a third co-driver at both Circuit of The Americas and Sebring.
“These two events provide us the opportunity to obtain further learnings on the new Corvette C8.R while competing against world-class competition,” said Chevrolet motorsport director Mark Kent.
“Having experienced Corvette drivers such as Jan and Mike in the car will provide us a good opportunity to contend for the win in the very competitive FIA World Endurance Championship.”
It’s not currently known if Magnussen and Rockenfeller will appear for Corvette in races beyond the two American WEC events that they have been confirmed for.
The pairing will represent the factory GM operation in both the Lone Star Le Mans six-hour race on Feb. 23 and the 1000 Miles of Sebring in late March.
They will co-drive a predominantly yellow version of the new mid-engine Chevrolet C8.R which competes full-time in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
Magnussen and Rockenfeller’s surprise return, which was first reported on Monday for the COTA round, comes after both drivers were released from their roles with the Corvette program at the end of last year.
Magnussen exited the team’s full-season WeatherTech Championship lineup last October while Rockenfeller departed from the extended IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup squad.
The duo shared a Corvette C7.R with Antonio Garcia in last year’s 1000 Miles of Sebring.
It’s understood that the current plan is for Magnussen and Rockenfeller to compete as a pair without a third co-driver at both Circuit of The Americas and Sebring.
“These two events provide us the opportunity to obtain further learnings on the new Corvette C8.R while competing against world-class competition,” said Chevrolet motorsport director Mark Kent.
“Having experienced Corvette drivers such as Jan and Mike in the car will provide us a good opportunity to contend for the win in the very competitive FIA World Endurance Championship.”
It’s not currently known if Magnussen and Rockenfeller will appear for Corvette in races beyond the two American WEC events that they have been confirmed for.
02-12-2020, 09:43 AM
#113
Moderator
https://www.motorsport.com/wec/news/...mages/4684037/
Having released an updated set of renders last September, the American manufacturer has now issued a press release with new images and more information about the project.
Glickenhaus is one of four organisations aiming to be ready for the 2020/21 WEC season, which kicks off at Silverstone in September, along with Toyota, Aston Martin and ByKolles, with Peugeot also due to join the category at some point in 2022.
The SCG 007 is slated to weigh in at 1100kg and be powered by a bespoke three-litre twin-turbo engine developing 840bhp, to be supplied by an as-yet unknown external partner.
Italian-based organisation Podium Advanced Engineering, which is also involved in the running of the Glickenhaus VLN squad, has been charged with designing the new machine.
A timeline has been established for the creation of the car, with the build scheduled for August and a first shakedown in September, the same month in which the 2020/21 season is due to begin - casting doubt on whether the team will be on the grid at Silverstone.
Several key personnel for the project have been named, including Luca Ciancetti, who will serve as team principal and currently acts as the head of Podium Advanced Engineering's Automotive Engineering and Motorsport arms.
He will work "side by side" with the company's eponymous founder Jim Glickenhaus and his son Jesse, the managing director.
Matteo Cavedoni, who joined Glickenhaus's VLN project in 2018, will act as team manager, while former Toro Rosso Formula 1 chief designer Mark Tatham will be the chief engineer.
Glickenhaus is also working on another car that will make its debut this year, the SCG 004C (pictured below), which will replace the SGC 003 as the marque's Nurburgring 24 Hours challenger this year.
Like its predecessor, which took a shock pole for the German enduro in 2017, it will compete in the SP-X class for non-homologated cars built to the FIA's GT3 regulations.
SCG 007
SCG 004C
Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus has revealed new renders of the hypercar with which it hopes to contest the FIA World Endurance Championship and the Le Mans 24 Hours.
Boutique sportscar maker Glickenhaus, whose main racing efforts up to now have been in the Nurburgring 24 Hours and the VLN series, first revealed its intentions to be part of the WEC's new hypercar era with the SCG 007 back in the summer of 2018.Having released an updated set of renders last September, the American manufacturer has now issued a press release with new images and more information about the project.
Glickenhaus is one of four organisations aiming to be ready for the 2020/21 WEC season, which kicks off at Silverstone in September, along with Toyota, Aston Martin and ByKolles, with Peugeot also due to join the category at some point in 2022.
The SCG 007 is slated to weigh in at 1100kg and be powered by a bespoke three-litre twin-turbo engine developing 840bhp, to be supplied by an as-yet unknown external partner.
Italian-based organisation Podium Advanced Engineering, which is also involved in the running of the Glickenhaus VLN squad, has been charged with designing the new machine.
A timeline has been established for the creation of the car, with the build scheduled for August and a first shakedown in September, the same month in which the 2020/21 season is due to begin - casting doubt on whether the team will be on the grid at Silverstone.
Several key personnel for the project have been named, including Luca Ciancetti, who will serve as team principal and currently acts as the head of Podium Advanced Engineering's Automotive Engineering and Motorsport arms.
He will work "side by side" with the company's eponymous founder Jim Glickenhaus and his son Jesse, the managing director.
Matteo Cavedoni, who joined Glickenhaus's VLN project in 2018, will act as team manager, while former Toro Rosso Formula 1 chief designer Mark Tatham will be the chief engineer.
Glickenhaus is also working on another car that will make its debut this year, the SCG 004C (pictured below), which will replace the SGC 003 as the marque's Nurburgring 24 Hours challenger this year.
Like its predecessor, which took a shock pole for the German enduro in 2017, it will compete in the SP-X class for non-homologated cars built to the FIA's GT3 regulations.
SCG 004C
02-12-2020, 08:37 PM
#115
Senior Moderator
I like it. But it's DOA.
02-13-2020, 08:18 AM
#116
Senior Moderator
Swiss watch brand Rebellion announced this morning that it will step away from all of motorsport activities following the 2020 Le Mans 24 Hours, meaning the team’s FIA WEC LMP1 program has just four races remaining.
The announcement implies, but doesn’t categorically state, that Rebellion will no longer be a part of the forthcoming Peugeot Sport FIA WEC hypercar effort. Said Rebellion CEO Calim Boudhadra: “I am convinced that the Peugeot Brand’s challenge in WEC will be a great success in the future, which I regret not being able to attend.”
This ends a 13-year run of involvement, racing as a privateer team at the highest levels of sportscar racing, as a front-running privateer team in the FIA World Endurance Championship and the Le Mans 24 Hours. The team has also competed in Dakar.
The announcement implies, but doesn’t categorically state, that Rebellion will no longer be a part of the forthcoming Peugeot Sport FIA WEC hypercar effort. Said Rebellion CEO Calim Boudhadra: “I am convinced that the Peugeot Brand’s challenge in WEC will be a great success in the future, which I regret not being able to attend.”
This ends a 13-year run of involvement, racing as a privateer team at the highest levels of sportscar racing, as a front-running privateer team in the FIA World Endurance Championship and the Le Mans 24 Hours. The team has also competed in Dakar.
Huge news. One of the biggest privateer team closes shop. And after finally getting factory support with the tie-in with Peugeot.
FWIW, Peugeot is still committed to returning with a factory effort.
https://racer.com/2020/02/13/rebelli...t-wec-program/
But is this another nail in the coffin for Hypercar???
02-13-2020, 02:08 PM
#117
Moderator
Maybe WEC goes back to the older formula of more road oriented cars; not that the Ford GT40 & Ferrari 330 were road cars as much as the typical 60s road cars.Would be interesting to see the current GT cars as the pinnacle, though would take some of the glamour out of it, I suppose.
02-18-2020, 09:54 AM
#118
Moderator
https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/...-of-wec-debut/
The Balance of Performance for the Chevrolet Corvette C8.R has been established ahead of its FIA World Endurance Championship debut this weekend at Circuit of The Americas.
Confirmed in a bulletin from the FIA Endurance Committee, the mid-engined GTE car will run with a 41.3 mm air restrictor and at a minimum weight of 1240 kg.
Additionally, the Jan Magnussen and Mike Rockenfeller-driven entry will have a 102-liter fuel tank and run with a declared minimum lambda of 0.88.
It compares to a larger 44.3 mm air restrictor and 1260 kg minimum weight given to the Corvette for its competition debut in last month’s Rolex 24 at Daytona under IMSA’s Daytona-specific BoP, which saw all GTE-spec cars have increased power levels compared to that seen in the WEC.
The WEC utilizes an automatic BoP system for GTE-Pro, which has seen no changes since the last round in Bahrain, including to the GTE-Am class.
Corvette Racing is set to be present for three of the next four WEC races, with Magnussen and Rockenfeller also confirmed for the 1000 Miles of Sebring, which is a prerequisite for the team’s participation in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June.
No. 83 AF Corse Ferrari Heaviest GTE-Am Car for COTA
The No. 83 AF Corse Ferrari 488 Evo will head into Sunday’s Lone Star Le Mans as the heaviest car in the GTE-Am class, following the latest round of success ballast implemented since Bahrain.
Emmanuel Collard, Francois Perrodo and newly minted Ferrari factory driver Nicklas Nielsen are tied for the lead of the class championship with the No. 57 Team Project 1 Porsche 911 RSR of Ben Keating and Jeroen Bleekemolen.
The Ferrari’s weight has been reduced by 10 kg to 1280 kg while the Project 1 Porsche will run at 1269 kg after getting a 20 kg penalty for its first class win of the season in the Middle East.
Gulf Racing, which claimed its maiden podium in Bahrain, meanwhile, gets 5 kg added to its Porsche, while the two Aston Martin Vantage GTEs sees weight reductions of 30 kg (TF Sport) and 15 kg (Aston Martin Racing), respectively.
Confirmed in a bulletin from the FIA Endurance Committee, the mid-engined GTE car will run with a 41.3 mm air restrictor and at a minimum weight of 1240 kg.
Additionally, the Jan Magnussen and Mike Rockenfeller-driven entry will have a 102-liter fuel tank and run with a declared minimum lambda of 0.88.
It compares to a larger 44.3 mm air restrictor and 1260 kg minimum weight given to the Corvette for its competition debut in last month’s Rolex 24 at Daytona under IMSA’s Daytona-specific BoP, which saw all GTE-spec cars have increased power levels compared to that seen in the WEC.
The WEC utilizes an automatic BoP system for GTE-Pro, which has seen no changes since the last round in Bahrain, including to the GTE-Am class.
Corvette Racing is set to be present for three of the next four WEC races, with Magnussen and Rockenfeller also confirmed for the 1000 Miles of Sebring, which is a prerequisite for the team’s participation in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June.
No. 83 AF Corse Ferrari Heaviest GTE-Am Car for COTA
The No. 83 AF Corse Ferrari 488 Evo will head into Sunday’s Lone Star Le Mans as the heaviest car in the GTE-Am class, following the latest round of success ballast implemented since Bahrain.
Emmanuel Collard, Francois Perrodo and newly minted Ferrari factory driver Nicklas Nielsen are tied for the lead of the class championship with the No. 57 Team Project 1 Porsche 911 RSR of Ben Keating and Jeroen Bleekemolen.
The Ferrari’s weight has been reduced by 10 kg to 1280 kg while the Project 1 Porsche will run at 1269 kg after getting a 20 kg penalty for its first class win of the season in the Middle East.
Gulf Racing, which claimed its maiden podium in Bahrain, meanwhile, gets 5 kg added to its Porsche, while the two Aston Martin Vantage GTEs sees weight reductions of 30 kg (TF Sport) and 15 kg (Aston Martin Racing), respectively.
02-18-2020, 09:48 PM
#119
Senior Moderator
A major blow has been dealt to the ACO and FIA World Endurance Championship’s plans with the cancellation of Aston Martin Racing’s Hypercar program utilizing its new Valkyrie road car.
RACER has learned a formal announcement is imminent. Reached Monday, a brand representative declined to comment on the topic.
Termination of the racing project for the 6.5-liter V12-powered machine comes on the heels of a major investment into the financially beleaguered British auto manufacturer led by Canadian Lawrence Stroll, who owns the Racing Point Formula 1 team, and will become Aston Martin’s executive chairman along with aligning the company with his F1 team in 2021.
RACER has learned a formal announcement is imminent. Reached Monday, a brand representative declined to comment on the topic.
Termination of the racing project for the 6.5-liter V12-powered machine comes on the heels of a major investment into the financially beleaguered British auto manufacturer led by Canadian Lawrence Stroll, who owns the Racing Point Formula 1 team, and will become Aston Martin’s executive chairman along with aligning the company with his F1 team in 2021.
02-19-2020, 09:50 AM
#120
Moderator
https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/...hypercar-lmdh/
Peugeot would consider switching from Le Mans Hypercar to an LMDh program depending on the outcome of the latter’s forthcoming technical regulations announcement, according to PSA Motorsport director Jean-Marc Finot.
The French manufacturer announced last November that it would be entering the FIA World Endurance Championship with a hybrid-powered Hypercar, although the sports car racing landscape has changed dramatically since then.
January’s confirmation of an accord between WEC organizer the ACO and IMSA to create the LMDh common platform has led to a reconsideration from Peugeot.
LMDh would still enable Peugeot to compete in the WEC but with an externally-supplied base chassis and a series of other common parts, rather than bespoke elements.
Finot told Sportscar365 that development work has started on the original Hypercar project but Peugeot is now waiting for more technical details on LMDh before committing either way.
These details are set to be presented by the ACO and IMSA technical teams during the ‘Super Sebring’ weekend on Mar. 18-21.
“Currently, our project is on the Hypercar regulations, but we are looking at LMDh which could be interesting,” said Finot.
“There are, of course, some conditions for us to [commit to] these regulations.
“First of all, it’s important to have equity in the Balance of Performance, so it’s mandatory to have the same aerodynamics, weight and power on both sets of regulations.
“Of course, we will choose in this frame the regulation for which we have the best chance of winning, as we are competitors. After, we will look at marketing efficiency and costs.”
Finot suggested that Peugeot, under certain terms, would be willing to accept the LMDh formula’s cornerstone principle of a shared hybrid system between marques.
“It’s not an issue for us if the components are designed by one of our suppliers or designers,” he said. “What we want is to make the powertrain manageable.
“Even if components are on the shelf or proposed by IMSA, it’s not an issue.
“For a car manufacturer, the main thing is not to develop the finer electronics. It’s to ensure the powertrain management and to optimize the efficiency of the powertrain.”
However, Finot also highlighted the importance of electric and hybrid technology to the Peugeot brand.
Peugeot has a growing presence in the electric vehicle road car market with two full EVs and three plug-in hybrid cars in its current product portfolio.
It even developed a hybrid version of its 24 Hours of Le Mans-winning 908 LMP1 car but the project was abandoned before the start of the 2012 WEC season.
“Our strategy for Peugeot Sport is the energy transition from a pure ICE to electrified vehicles,” said Finot.
“Our proposal is to demonstrate that low emission vehicles can still offer the fun and pleasure of driving. We will do that with the Peugeot Sport engineering line.
“In another iconic way of demonstrating this, we have decided to do a hybrid for the [sports car] program.
“In this way, it’s not mandatory for us to develop all components but it’s mandatory to demonstrate how, as on the road car, we are able to manage the control-command of the electrified powertrain.”
The eligibility of LMDh cars in both the WEC and IMSA does not appear to be central to Peugeot’s decision between the common platform and Le Mans Hypercar.
Even following January’s convergence announcement, the manufacturer has continually referred to its venture as a WEC program.
“It would be interesting to race in America but it’s not a topic that will form our decision [on Hypercar or LMDh],” explained Finot.
“Our decision will be made on the equity of the Balance of Performance and marketing efficiency.
“It could be an opportunity, but currently it’s not in the frame of our program. If possible, it would be welcome, but it’s not a way of making our decision.”
The French manufacturer announced last November that it would be entering the FIA World Endurance Championship with a hybrid-powered Hypercar, although the sports car racing landscape has changed dramatically since then.
January’s confirmation of an accord between WEC organizer the ACO and IMSA to create the LMDh common platform has led to a reconsideration from Peugeot.
LMDh would still enable Peugeot to compete in the WEC but with an externally-supplied base chassis and a series of other common parts, rather than bespoke elements.
Finot told Sportscar365 that development work has started on the original Hypercar project but Peugeot is now waiting for more technical details on LMDh before committing either way.
These details are set to be presented by the ACO and IMSA technical teams during the ‘Super Sebring’ weekend on Mar. 18-21.
“Currently, our project is on the Hypercar regulations, but we are looking at LMDh which could be interesting,” said Finot.
“There are, of course, some conditions for us to [commit to] these regulations.
“First of all, it’s important to have equity in the Balance of Performance, so it’s mandatory to have the same aerodynamics, weight and power on both sets of regulations.
“Of course, we will choose in this frame the regulation for which we have the best chance of winning, as we are competitors. After, we will look at marketing efficiency and costs.”
Finot suggested that Peugeot, under certain terms, would be willing to accept the LMDh formula’s cornerstone principle of a shared hybrid system between marques.
“It’s not an issue for us if the components are designed by one of our suppliers or designers,” he said. “What we want is to make the powertrain manageable.
“Even if components are on the shelf or proposed by IMSA, it’s not an issue.
“For a car manufacturer, the main thing is not to develop the finer electronics. It’s to ensure the powertrain management and to optimize the efficiency of the powertrain.”
However, Finot also highlighted the importance of electric and hybrid technology to the Peugeot brand.
Peugeot has a growing presence in the electric vehicle road car market with two full EVs and three plug-in hybrid cars in its current product portfolio.
It even developed a hybrid version of its 24 Hours of Le Mans-winning 908 LMP1 car but the project was abandoned before the start of the 2012 WEC season.
“Our strategy for Peugeot Sport is the energy transition from a pure ICE to electrified vehicles,” said Finot.
“Our proposal is to demonstrate that low emission vehicles can still offer the fun and pleasure of driving. We will do that with the Peugeot Sport engineering line.
“In another iconic way of demonstrating this, we have decided to do a hybrid for the [sports car] program.
“In this way, it’s not mandatory for us to develop all components but it’s mandatory to demonstrate how, as on the road car, we are able to manage the control-command of the electrified powertrain.”
The eligibility of LMDh cars in both the WEC and IMSA does not appear to be central to Peugeot’s decision between the common platform and Le Mans Hypercar.
Even following January’s convergence announcement, the manufacturer has continually referred to its venture as a WEC program.
“It would be interesting to race in America but it’s not a topic that will form our decision [on Hypercar or LMDh],” explained Finot.
“Our decision will be made on the equity of the Balance of Performance and marketing efficiency.
“It could be an opportunity, but currently it’s not in the frame of our program. If possible, it would be welcome, but it’s not a way of making our decision.”