[WEC] LMP Future Regulations (was Le Mans EVO rules - now hypercar rules)

[Deleted]

Originally Posted by TF110

There's bop, but it seems like they'd use bop for whatever the new top class is anyway.

They only announced it being a bop class last March, at Sebring's panic-held press conference, it never really was the original intention - even Beaumesnil said he doesn't like bop. So I don't think so, it seems like more of a pleaser for Aston Martin and others

[deggis]

Would GM/Caddy accept 2.0L inline 4 turbo engine? The biggest obstacle to Class One in IMSA?

[Willmaz223]

Interesting watching a vid on Youtube of the 720s GT3 testing recently at Monza but with what sounds like a different engine. Looks and sounds quicker so could be testing a hypercar engine possibly.

Also they were not using the 1st chicane aswell which seems quie suspicous.

At least thats what the comments sections seemed to think.

[PascaLM]

Originally Posted by Willmaz223

Interesting watching a vid on Youtube of the 720s GT3 testing recently at Monza but with what sounds like a different engine. Looks and sounds quicker so could be testing a hypercar engine possibly.

Also they were not using the 1st chicane aswell which seems quie suspicous.

At least thats what the comments sections seemed to think.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3kaxNJSdWg

[Willmaz223]

Originally Posted by PascaLM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3kaxNJSdWg

Cheers for adding link to vid.

[deggis]

Video description:

In the last days McLaren was in Monza for a private 2-days test session with a 720S GT3. Well, I don't know if it was really a GT3.. or better, if the twin-turbo V8 engine underneath the bonnet was in GT3-spec. The car seemed really fast and powerful as soon as it came out from the pit lane. It had a very different sound compared to the one I heard at Goodwood last July and in other videos on Youtube. It should sound pretty similar to a 650S GT3 or even the P1 GTR, with the V8 having some kind of deep growl (for example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73ODtT3XpII).
But in this video you can hear a different pitch that is quite the same as on the street-legal car but a lot louder, with a very noticeable whiff/whistle coming from the turbo's wastegates (probably) under accceleration. Even upshifts sound different compared to a normal 720S GT3. Maybe that's just a personal useless fixation, but who knows... Curiously at the end of both days, they did some laps cutting the first chicane, heading straight to Curva Grande (Turn 3).

That unusual track configuration was usually used by Audi, Peugeot and Porsche during their LMP1 tests in order to lengthen Monza's main straight by about 400 meters and enter turn 3 flat-out at over 320 km/h. This was useful since they could test their Le Mans "low drag" aero packs, having similar speed conditions to the ones of the French track.

Unfortunately this is the first time I record the 720 at Monza or it would have been great to do some footage comparisons from the same spots to see if there were really some performance differences. What do you think guys? Was it just a standard GT3 with a different exhaust, an Evo version for the 2020 season or some kind of "unrestricted" test mule for an upcoming race car?

[TF110]

Seems it's just testing for a track-day car according to Mr. Goodwin on twitter.

[deggis]

Michelin confirmed as the single-tyre supplier.

https://www.autosport.com/wec/news/1...hypercar-class

[Willmaz223]

The new Brabham BT62 sounds incredible. First ever race today at Brands driven by David Brabham and Will Powell.

Possible WEC entry looking good.

[Juntos]

Originally Posted by Willmaz223

Possible WEC entry looking good.

Garage 56?

[Deleted]

Garage 56 is only for new technologies, not regular bop cars

[Deleted]

https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/...ce-notebook-5/
WEC CEO Gerard Neveu said he has no concerns over the lack of announcements surrounding Aston Martin’s Hypercar program, stating that he envisions having at least six cars on the grid next season, taking into account the previously announced privateer efforts from ByKolles and Glickenhaus.

Six cars... that can be achieved and passed without AMR being there at all

Toyota
Toyota
Glickenhaus
Glickenhaus
Kolles
Rebellion slowed P1
Rebellion slowed P1
Ginetta slowed P1
Ginetta slowed P1

[Coach Ep]

6, very impressive. Same for the names listed. Well done WEC!

[hondafan37]

Toyota Open to DPi 2.0 Integration into WEC’s Top Class.

https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/...ecs-top-class/

[Coach Ep]

No brainer at this stage.

And some warming words for John Doohan as well - might we finally see the Mazdas return to LM?

[Juntos]

Originally Posted by Coach Ep

And some warming words for John Doohan as well - might we finally see the Mazdas return to LM?

After firing the Joest gang, it is more unlikely.

[chernaudi]

Well, if AMR's LMP1 plans fall apart, it does free up Multimatic to bring Mazda back to LM, and from what I've heard and read, Multimatic started playing a bigger role in Mazda's IMSA resurgence than even Joest were last season.

[deggis]

Originally Posted by Willmaz223

The new Brabham BT62 sounds incredible. First ever race today at Brands driven by David Brabham and Will Powell.

Possible WEC entry looking good.

Originally Posted by Juntos

Garage 56?

GTE or hypercar.

http://www.dailysportscar.com/2019/0...gulations.html

Hypercar almost sounds more plausible.

[deggis]

Originally Posted by Juntos

After firing the Joest gang, it is more unlikely.

Apparently I'm out of the loop?

edit: oh right: https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/j...after-sebring/

[broadrun96]

Originally Posted by deggis

Apparently I'm out of the loop?

edit: oh right: https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/j...after-sebring/

If you believe MP it's been Multimatic for much of the last 2 seasons. And both cars engineered by Multimatic staff this season. And he ends the article with:

“If there’s any golden nugget in any of our success, it’s Multimatic and the engineering support, the investment they’ve made, the simulation, the vehicle dynamics, the testing,” Doonan said. “They’ve just crushed it out of the park in terms of helping this program be successful. In looking at Monterey, throughout the year last year, we had those oh-so-close moments, and the more we’ve involved ourselves with Multimatic, the more success we continue to have.”

https://racer.com/2019/11/12/pruett-...ip-with-joest/

[Akrapovic]

Might as well allow DPi in now. I love DPi, but I was against DPi as a top class at LM because I didn't want BoP top class, and I wanted faster cars. (But I absolutely wanted DPi invitational class).

But since the ACO is BoPing and the cars are being slowed, they're just making a bad version of DPi now. So just make it DPi. IMSA already made it, and it's very good. So if we're using the same philosophy then just use the same cars.

[chernaudi]

Yeah, I do have to agree. Toyota are backing such a measure now. The ACO and IMSA need to get their crap together and get on the same page. I agree that lot of the glory days of both IMSA and LM were when the same basic cars were able to run with each other at the major enduros.

[carbsmith]

Everyone on the WEC side seems willing to do it if the lap times are the same anyways, feels to me like the hold up is more on IMSA deciding what the heck their new rules will be and getting reciprocation to be able to run hypercars in the US.

[Coach Ep]

Originally Posted by carbsmith

Everyone on the WEC side seems willing to do it if the lap times are the same anyways, feels to me like the hold up is more on IMSA deciding what the heck their new rules will be and getting reciprocation to be able to run hypercars in the US.

IMSA's new DPi II (2022) ruleset is expected to be made public at next year's Rolex 24 event so only a few months from now. That's roughly 2 years before the rules come into play. And - if both parties can agree such move - might open the door the new DPi's to compete at LM that same year. But 2023 (as part of the WEC 2022-2023 season) seems a more likely scenario.

They don't have to wait for IMSA's new ruleset btw - if Hypercar doesn't get more manufacturer commitment early on, current DPi cars might be allowed into the top class, provided a DPi manufacturer brings enough 'support' to the ACO, like the current WEC ones (Toyota, Aston, Porsche and - probably to a lesser degree - Ferrari) do. Unlikely, I agree, but not impossible.

Edit: never mind, just saw the Peugeot announcement, that'll return the ACO/FIA/WEC to their old arrogance levels and bail on the DPi inclusion. Ow well, it was a sweet thought for a day or two!

[TF110]

Well, with Peugeot's announcement, do we see DPi with the same leverage? I don't think so. I think now the ACO has as many manufacturers signed on to hypercar as there is in DPi. I still hope they converge though.