FIA WEC/IMSA, Hypercar/GTP: who, where and when?

RIO DE JANEIRO – It’s official: BMW Motorsport announced this Tuesday (26) its return to the World Endurance Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans as a new manufacturer within the LMDh/Hypercar regulations adopted as a technological merger between WEC and IMSA. The Bavarians, who yesterday tested the prototype of the BMW M Hybrid V8 at the Autodromo Riccardo Paletti in Varano de Melegari, near the Italian city of Parma and served as a test track for Dallara, on which the new car was assembled on the podium, confirmed their presence. in the competition here until two years – in 2023, they start in IMSA.

In this way, the blog A Mil Por Hora will present to you the wonderful panorama that lies ahead for the world and the American series from next year, with the change in the regulation of IMSA, which changes the DPi to the LMDh platform – there, it is. will be known as GTP. In the WEC, everyone will be called a Hypercar, regardless of build.

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Cure
Model: ARX-06C
Platform: Oreca
Control: LMDh
Engine: Acura (power plant not specified) + Bosch/Williams/XTrac hybrid systems

Acura, read Honda, made the first kilometers of the new ‘toy’ in Magny-Cours, France, the country where Oreca maintains its base. The ARX-06C follows the same philosophy as the DPi model built on the basis of the 07 LMP2 model, a double champion with Penske and which is still fighting for the IMSA title this year, 2022. The brand will have the same team as the last two seasons. as customers. : Wayne Taylor Racing (WTR) and Meyer-Shank Racing (MSR). No Le Mans or constructor’s WEC – it will be two cars in IMSA.

BMW
Example: M Hybrid V8
Stage: Dallas
Control: LMDh
Engine: BMW 4 liter biturbo V8 + Bosch/Williams/XTrac hybrid systems

BMW begins its trend within the new model integration rules in IMSA only. In 2023, the team of Bobby Rahal, David Letterman and Mike Lanigan will have two full-season cars in the GTP series with the new M Hybrid V8, with the same engine used a few years ago in the DTM cars. The following year, they will ‘attack’, as said in the opening of the post, in the WEC and Le Mans.

Will Acura continue to speak for itself? It seems…

how much
Example: The codename has not yet been revealed
Stage: Dallas
Control: LMDh
Engine: Cadillac V8 DOHC 5.5 liter + Bosch/Williams/XTrac hybrid systems

The American manufacturer continues on two fronts already in 2023 and at least three cars and two teams were announced: Chip Ganassi Racing represents Cadillac in IMSA and also in WEC, with a model in each series and Action Express is only in the USA and more. car at least – the possibility of Caddy in the Michelin Endurance Cup races is not excluded, but at the same time it is not reasonable to think that this can only be in 2024.

Ferrari
Example: The codename has not yet been revealed
Chassis: Ferrari
Control: LMH
Engine: Ferrari (power plant not specified) + Hybrid systems

Ferrari launched its Hypercar at Fiorano, its test track, with drivers from the Ferrari GT Competizione program under the responsibility of Antonello Coletta. Driving will be done by AF Corse, owned by Amato Ferrari. There will be two full-season cars in the WEC in 2023, a year which marks the return of the Italians and the factory team to the 24h of Le Mans in the main class of the competition after half a century.

Glickenhaus
Example: SCG 007 LMH
Chassis: Podium Engineering
Control: LMH
Engine: Pipo Moteurs 3.5 liter biturbo V8 – without hybrid systems

Glickenhaus, which surprised the 6h Monza with a pole position in practice and the strong speed of its Hypercar without hybrid systems – lives with a lack of funds, which will prevent the team from appearing in the 6h Fuji this year. For 2023, the prediction is that the team will be partially registered in the WEC, depending on the financial contribution. At the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the forecast is to book two SCG 007 LMH chassis.

Isotta Fraschini
Example: An undisclosed codename
Chassis: Michelotto
Control: LMH
Engine: Isotta Fraschini 6-cylinder with no specified displacement or architecture, designed to handle hybrid systems.

The DailySportscar.com page raised the rabbit: Isotta Fraschini, a brand that dates back to the 19th century and was founded by Cesare Isotta in collaboration with the brothers Antonio, Oreste and Vincenzo Fraschini – later they disappeared a century later and were taken over by Fincantieri. the group in Bari – would have plans to join the FIA ​​​​WEC in 2023 within the Hypercar regulations and a model that would already be built in the workshop of Michelotto, for many years responsible for creating the Ferrari of the Gran Turismo competition. For now, without a signed agreement, everything is nothing but speculation.

Peugeot
Example: 9X8
Chassis: Peugeot
Control: LMH
Engine: Peugeot 2.6 liter biturbo V6 + Hybrid systems with power transmission through the front axle

The innovative 9X8, with small rear wings instead of a ‘normal’ plane, is Peugeot’s bet for the recent 6h of Monza conflict with the aim of the full-time WEC and the 24h of Le Mans in 2023 Absence. long race after almost twelve years, the French threw all their chips into the concept of chassis construction where all the advantage of reducing power is concentrated on the floor of the model. For the first time, they are going with two official cars in the WEC next year – but an unofficial car is perfectly acceptable.

Porsche
Example: 963
Platform: Multimatic
Control: LMDh
Engine: Porsche 4.6 liter biturbo V8 + Bosch/Williams/XTrac hybrid systems

Porsche is likely to be, among the announced manufacturers, the one with the biggest burden of developing new cars for next season. The 963 prototype has been in testing for the longest time and the car was officially launched at the end of June. Team Penske represents the Stuttgart brand as a factory team with four cars – two in WEC and two in IMSA.

There will also be individual teams, and two have been confirmed so far: JDC-Miller Motorsports in IMSA and JOTA Sport, with the support of Hertz, in the WEC. Eight cars are planned for 2023, with the second privateer Porsche 963 in the US likely to end up in the hands of AJ Foyt Racing, while in World Endurance the latest rumors rule out Dempsey-Racing Proton as a customer team – Porsche would prefer not to bring a team another for LMP2 and none for LMGTE-AM for the job.

Toyota
Example: Hybrid GR010
Chassis: TMG
Control: LMH
Engine: Toyota 3.5 liter biturbo V6 + Hybrid systems with power transmission through the front axle

Dissatisfied with the performance of the Hybrid GR010, which despite several modifications does not dominate the 2022 season as it did last year, when the Hypercar principle came into force to replace the defunct LMP1, Toyota would consider radically changing the concept of its LMH and. to replace the current model with a new model – but this should only happen in 2024. Until then, Toyota continues with two cars and is the only manufacturer to compete in all WEC seasons since 2012, although that year the debut was at the stage of 3 Le Mans.

“Vanwall”
Example: An undisclosed codename
Chassis: Kodewa
Control: LMH
Engine: Gibson GK458 4.5 liter V8 – no hybrid systems

The ByKolles of the sinister Colin Kolles has been testing the development of his Hypercar which, basically, was christened Vanwall – thus bringing the first F1 world champion manufacturer back in 1958 to the international scene of motorsport in more than half a century.

But there is a bigger problem than the lack of homologation of the car, which led to the veto of the team’s presence in the WEC in 2022: the issue with using the Vanwall name is that it holds fast and a lot behind the scenes. There is an ongoing process at the European Union Intellectual Property Office and these problems may lead to the project being limited. Tom Dillmann drove – for now – the Vanwall LMH in tests at the EuroSpeedway in Lausitz, Germany. If the imbroglio is resolved, they must come with a car.

From 2024:

alpine
Example: A500 (preferably following the brand standard)
Platform: Oreca
Control: LMDh
Engine: Alpine (powerplant not specified) + Bosch/Williams/XTrac hybrid systems

Representing the Renault group, Alpine benefits from System 1 and includes the largest investment in Endurance with a view to the 2024 season – next year, the Dieppe brand should ‘fall’ to LMP2 and make a transition year, as the French Hypercar in recent years is the old LMP1 ‘on steroids’ in 2018 and for four seasons behind it – it was the Rebellion R18 which became the Alpine A480 with ACO/FIA approval.

Alpine’s LMDh should come to the tracks with the code name A500 and be mounted on the Oreca platform – similar to Acura – however, without the proven engine and hybrid systems standard according to the IMSA / ACO / FIA integration rule. It is possible that the car will also participate in the USA, but in the name of Nissan – another brand of the group and very popular in the North American market and the representative of Alpine will be Andretti – in the WEC it will be Signatech, with Philippe Sinault.

Lamborghini
Example: The code name is not defined
Platform: Ligier
Control: LMDh
Engine: Lamborghini (powerplant not specified) + Bosch/Williams/XTrac hybrid systems

Owned by the Volkswagen Auto Group (VAG), Lamborghini will fill Audi’s gap in Endurance – since the brand with the four rings, along with Porsche, will go to Formula 1 within the technical regulations that will apply from 2026. The investment that will be placed in LMDh was passed on the desire for a long-term entry of the Wolfsburg brand into the top division, through its two subsidiaries, with Audi taking on what is today Alfa Romeo (read Sauber) and Porsche in a technological partnership. with the Red Bull group.

Back to Endurance, Lamborghini enters only in 2024 in the control of LMDh on the platform of the French Ligier, with aerodynamic and mechanical developments made by the engineers of the house of Sant’Agata and in two directions – WEC and IMSA – and the team still. explained. The brand’s Squadra Corse confirmed that the car’s development tests will be handed over to Italians Andrea Caldarelli and Mirko Bortolotti – both must be assigned to one of the two races. Audi had Nico Müller and René Rast, currently in the LMP2 teams, on the radar – it is not clear if both will be used later in this program, as the Ingolstadt house will return to Endurance with the latest models.