[WEC] WEC 2019/20 season

[chernaudi]

New Porsche 911 RSR:

https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/...s-new-911-rsr/

SC365 is the only website that has photos of the car, which Porsche claim is 95% new compared to the previous version.

[Mike E]

Originally Posted by chernaudi

New Porsche 911 RSR:

https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/...s-new-911-rsr/

SC365 is the only website that has photos of the car, which Porsche claim is 95% new compared to the previous version.

More pics here, and a video embedded in the tweet.

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

[MaskedRacer]

Originally Posted by Mike E

More pics here, and a video embedded in the tweet.

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

Is that their WEC race livery too?

[chernaudi]

Sounds like it per DSC, and one car will have a flip-flopped color scheme to set it apart from its teammate.

[nobster]

https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/...s-to-six-cars/

LMP1 almost dead for next season, No SMP, maybe only 1 Rebellion and question marks remain over 2 Ginettas.......

[Deleted]

Rebellion vs SMP was the one good fight...

It'll be a terrible season now but then again so will be the next following ones with Bop-Hypercar, so it'll be "easier" transition into awfulness and not so sudden

Anyway my guesses for entries:
Silverstone - 2x Toyota, 2x Ginetta, 1x Rebellion
Fuji, Shanghai, Bahrain, Interlagos, Sebring - 2x Toyota, 1x Ginetta, 1x Rebellion
Spa, Le Mans - 2x Toyota, 2x Ginetta, 2x Rebellion, 1x ByKolles

[Peter Mallett]

Trouble is that with Ford and BMW pulling the pin the overall grid is reduced by eight cars. Recognizing that LMP1 is dominated by one team (two cars), who will fill the gaps?

[S griffin]

Well it wouldn’t surprise me if we have numbers in single figures in one or two classes. The main thing is to make sure they get enough entries for 2021

[Deleted]

Originally Posted by Peter Mallett

Trouble is that with Ford and BMW pulling the pin the overall grid is reduced by eight cars. Recognizing that LMP1 is dominated by one team (two cars), who will fill the gaps?

Spec Orecas and GTE-AM Porsches and Ferraris

[Peter Mallett]

Originally Posted by Chiana

Spec Orecas and GTE-AM Porsches and Ferraris

Yes, which is going to be a bit tedious IMO.

[Akrapovic]

Not a surprise is it. Get to spend a lot (for a privateer) of money to maybe finish third. With backmarkers in most series and classes there's always the argument for trying harder, but with LMP1 they're regulated that no matter how well they do, they'll only ever be third at best.

Last time LMP1 dropped this low in numbers Rebellion moved down to LMP2. Granted it was because LMP2 got a power boost and would possibly match the R-One, but still.

[gert]

Originally Posted by Akrapovic

Not a surprise is it. Get to spend a lot (for a privateer) of money to maybe finish third. With backmarkers in most series and classes there's always the argument for trying harder, but with LMP1 they're regulated that no matter how well they do, they'll only ever be third at best.

... and little or no prospect at things getting better.

They were unlikely to build their own Hypercar, and even if they got someone like Dallara to build one from them, it isn't that hard to understand that the SMPDallara Hypercar will not be able to challenge the Toyota and/or Aston Martin ones (and even the Glickenhaus?)
Even finishing 3rd would probably be out of reach.

[chernaudi]

And this is also a problem with the regs being in flux. Why waste time and money when new rules are due to be phased in next season anyways? Even worse is that Toyota might (I haven't heard much about this since like April or March) have an evo package for the TS050. That shows why even with BOP you can't beat OEMs unless they trip up.

Same thing with GTE regs. Right now, only Porsche are firmly invested in it in GTE Pro with the new 911 RSR. Ferrari will probably keep running the 488 until they have to replace it with the F8 (which is basically a re-bodied 488 and shares its chassis and basic powertrain), and it seems that AMR with the Vantage will be hoping for BOP help, as well as some R&D to get the car competitive (I've heard that Prodrive and AMR did pay Michelin for new tires to be developed for the FR Vantage vs the MR 911 and 488).

And an evo of the GTE rules is due in a year or two as well. We probably won't see any new cars until then aside from the new 911 RSR and the C8R Corvette. We do have to remember that Ford didn't do an evo program for the Ford GT, citing BOP. Also, with the WEC season being staggered the way it was vs IMSA, it didn't make much sense since the program would be over by the end of the 2019 IMSA season anyways.

[Deleted]

Dallaras on LM grid

2017 - 3
2018 - 6
2019 - 5
2020 - 1 confirmed... Likely no-one else

[canaglia]

Originally Posted by chernaudi

And this is also a problem with the regs being in flux. Why waste time and money when new rules are due to be phased in next season anyways? Even worse is that Toyota might (I haven't heard much about this since like April or March) have an evo package for the TS050. That shows why even with BOP you can't beat OEMs unless they trip up.

Same thing with GTE regs. Right now, only Porsche are firmly invested in it in GTE Pro with the new 911 RSR. Ferrari will probably keep running the 488 until they have to replace it with the F8 (which is basically a re-bodied 488 and shares its chassis and basic powertrain), and it seems that AMR with the Vantage will be hoping for BOP help, as well as some R&D to get the car competitive (I've heard that Prodrive and AMR did pay Michelin for new tires to be developed for the FR Vantage vs the MR 911 and 488).

And an evo of the GTE rules is due in a year or two as well. We probably won't see any new cars until then aside from the new 911 RSR and the C8R Corvette. We do have to remember that Ford didn't do an evo program for the Ford GT, citing BOP. Also, with the WEC season being staggered the way it was vs IMSA, it didn't make much sense since the program would be over by the end of the 2019 IMSA season anyways.

Agree. Next year will be another successful season for porsche since 488 will keep the current evo specs and even if vantage AMR improved during late 2018 - early 2019, simply lacks of pace consistency.

Pole position at le mans -------> out of leading group just after 2 hours of races.


About ford gt lifespan, well.... maybe I see conspiracy everywhere, but it's the only car that without an evolution/update improved about 6 seconds in a track like spa and about 3 seconds at le mans, despite a not so friendly bop in last 2 LM. It's basically like a 430GTC debuting in 2006 becoming faster than a GT1 car in 2009....


while others struggle to improve their cars, ford effort was to hide at best ford GT OP performances since the very beginning

[TF110]

Think back to 2017 they had two Porsche's and two Toyota's in lmp1. Rebellion was gone and the only private car was ByKolles who showed up only rounds 1-4. Lmp2 had 10 entries and GTE had 8. It's not the best grid next season but there's been worse for quality and quantity when you look at the history.

[Akrapovic]

There's been lower quantity, but this is for sure the worst quality.

2017
LMP1 - Toyota v Porsche
LMP2 - Rebellion, Jota, G-Drive, Signatech, TDS (and I suppose Manor!)

2017 was peak LMP2 quality in terms of the teams and drivers entered. GTE was doing fine before the 2018 BoP disaster. Am was...Am. It doesn't really evolve lol.

[Deleted]

It'll be the worst quality since 19XX for sure but still preferable to what is to come before the launch of Zero Emission.

[Adam43]

Originally Posted by Chiana

It'll be the worst quality since 19XX for sure but still preferable to what is to come before the launch of Zero Emission.

Blummin’ ‘eck, there have been some pretty poor years since 2000.
Oh, when I think of all those hours I’ve wasted following this sport and it is only going to get worse.
Really, when will the organisers realise?
Excitement, is it a thing of the past?

[chernaudi]

Found something earlier on the Porsche website about the 911 RSR-19. This page features full tech specs and a 360 viewer of the car. On the 360 viewer, check out the shot into the rear diffuser. Now that's probably the most extreme of the current gen GTE/GTLM rear diffusers I've seen, also counting GT3 cars, too:

https://www.porsche.com/internationa.../911-rsr-2019/

[Mike E]

The new season starts in 14 days. 30 cars confirmed for the Prologue at Barcelona.

The main points of interest will be Ginetta's pace against Rebellion and Toyota, and how the new Porsche compares to the previous version in Am and against the Pro Aston and Ferrari.

http://www.dailysportscar.com/2019/0...gue-entry.html

[canaglia]

Originally Posted by Mike E

The new season starts in 14 days. 30 cars confirmed for the Prologue at Barcelona.

The main points of interest will be Ginetta's pace against Rebellion and Toyota, and how the new Porsche compares to the previous version in Am and against the Pro Aston and Ferrari.

http://www.dailysportscar.com/2019/0...gue-entry.html

yeah only hope is that rebellion will have 2 cars all season long and ginetta's will get competitive as SMP were.

Too many gte-am.... few gt-pro with 911RSR likely able to shredding any other gte.

[Deleted]

4x 2 hour sessions... Is there point to this thing, other than FIA excuse opportunity to reset BoP and organize media photoshoots. It's not like anyone is bringing out anything new either

Anyway... The ELMS night race should be semi interesting I guess

[Mike E]

Originally Posted by Chiana

4x 2 hour sessions... Is there point to this thing, other than FIA excuse opportunity to reset BoP and organize media photoshoots. It's not like anyone is bringing out anything new either

Anyway... The ELMS night race should be semi interesting I guess

It's clearly more useful to some teams than others.

Ginetta need all the track time they can get.
Nederland are switching from Dallara to ORECA.
The new Porsche is probably pretty good, but it's still new.
Seat time will be useful for Hartley in the Toyota.
etc

But Dempsey-Proton or Jota banging round in a car they know inside out? Not so much.

[Peter Mallett]

Going back to the point about a paucity of cars, back in 1984 we had a number of 956s all run by different teams, plus marques such as Rondeau; Group 44 Jaguar etc. Then there were the remains of the Group 5 cars such as the Kremer 935 etc.

So there was little varaiety in those days yet the racing was pretty good. I think the only thing "spoiling" the current format is the difference between technology v Old fashioned engines. This is why the loss of the Fords and BMWs is important, since the GT classes appear to be where the best racing is to be had at the moment.

Granted there are a fair number of LMP2 cars but I get the feeling they are there to bolster numbers even though it appears to be a competitive class.