Endurance Racing Discussion Thread - WEC, ELMS etcSports Cars 

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Well the whole idea of those images is a "what if" so I would hope the names wouldn't be taken seriously.

It's a joke, on the poor pick of names.


Sorry if I don't share you same excitement on a vague set of rules, that have yet to actually be explained on what hypercar/gtp means in the view of WEC.
 
Right but this is a hypothetical in a real future.

The whole thing is hypothetical since we don't even know if any of the recent hypercars will even fit whatever regulations they come up with (Not to mention that unless they have BoP it won't be competitive if they all use existing models). No brands have actually committed and if they do there is no guarantee they will enter with the models used for those renderings.

Using a person in an unknown state seems a minor thing in the big picture.
 
The name of the forthcoming "hypercar" class will be decided by popular vote.
  • No restrictions on engine selection - consumption rules will ensure fair competition
  • 2 seater, larger cockpit
  • 4WD hybrid with KERS
  • Minimum weight of 980kg
  • 3:20:00 lap of Le Mans, with limited fuel
A new top class will be launched for 2020-2024: sleeker prototypes with more marque cachet. While these racing cars will cut quite an imposing figure, they will also retain the usage of a hybrid system while leaving free the choice of combustion engine at a predetermined and fixed cost. The name of the new class will be chosen by popular vote.

The 2020-2024 plan will usher in a new era of endurance racing with an ultramodern style of prototype called.... whatever the fans of the discipline decide! Super Sportscar, GTPrototype, Le Mans Supercars or Le Mans Hypercars? The choice is the fans’!

The regulations, devised by the ACO and the FIA, focus on the appearance, style and lines of the cars in the new premier league. Team and car diversity in endurance racing is one of the discipline’s foremost trademarks, never truer with the emergence of these stylized yet muscular cars, veritable racing beasts in the spirit and image of endurance. They will take on circuits like Le Mans, Spa, Silverstone, Fuji and Sebring in the day and night, rain or shine, in hot weather as in cold. That calls for a tough prototype, one as imposing as it is ingenious and technological. One that turns heads, like hypercars, supercars, prestigious GTs and concept cars do on the street or at any given motor show. So, why not draw inspiration from those machines to build endurance racing cars? Consider it a done deal.

Aerodynamics cannot take precedence over aesthetics.

Being the top class, these new prototypes must be technologically powerful and compelling in design and will therefore remain hybrid, with a KERS system in front and 4WD to ensure energy efficiency. This technology will become more and more popular as the KERS system developed by some constructors will have to be used on production cars at a pre-defined price.

These new prototypes will have an alluring design and incredible pace. The regulations seek excellence: 3:20.00 per lap at Le Mans with limited fuel.
The other priority is cost. They will be remarkable, competitive, innovative and affordable - requiring a quarter of current budgets. Costly developments will be kept in check by a new homologation procedure and technical rules that will naturally reduce budgets.

However, there will be no restrictions on engine selection. Consumption rules will ensure fair competition between different systems.
The new regulations will take effect for 2020-2024.

Jean Todt, FIA President: “The new regulations for the FIA World Endurance Championship, which come into effect for the 2020/21 season, are the result of hard work between members of the FIA, ACO, manufacturers and teams. This will provide endurance racing with a long term, stable platform, while continuing to offer a cost-effective stage to showcase future technologies.”

Pierre Fillon, President of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest: “Crafting these regulations was particularly satisfying as very quickly it sparked interest and gained the support of competitors or potential competitors. A new era will dawn in 2020 for endurance racing. On paper it has enormous potential. Le Mans 2018, 2019 and 2020 will each be outstanding editions, but now I can’t wait for the start at the 2021 24 Hours of Le Mans.”

Richard Mille, President of the FIA Endurance Commission: “What has been announced today is the first step in a new direction for the premier class of the FIA World Endurance Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The new regulations are a framework that will be attractive to more manufacturers and teams, while at the same time retaining the excitement of endurance racing for existing fans to enjoy and to attract a new generation of spectator to the sport. The proposals announced today include cost limiting measures, making hybrid power more affordable and building a future for endurance with renewable energy. From 2020 the front of the grid will look very different and it is an exciting prospect that we are all looking forward to seeing.”

Gérard Neveu, CEO FIA World Endurance Championship: “The direction for the new regulations announced today jointly by the ACO and the FIA is a supremely positive one. The 2020-24 regulations are, for competitors, both technically interesting and sustainable, with the controlled budgets being a key factor. We are confident that we will welcome an increased number of world-class manufacturers and international teams to the WEC and that all the elements are in place for them to be able to compete at the highest level, with the pinnacle of course being the 24 Hours of Le Mans.”

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The new regulations feels like we back to 90's again when GT1 class still exist though. And I don't mind for that tbh as long it doesn't affect the factor on what makes Le Mans and entire WEC series interesting in the first place.
 
The new regulations feels like we back to 90's again when GT1 class still exist though. And I don't mind for that tbh as long it doesn't affect the factor on what makes Le Mans and entire WEC series interesting in the first place.
I don't find it interesting at all in it's current state. These new rules have piqued my interest though.

Just call it 'GT prototype', all those other names sound terrible
I vote for just calling them GT1 again. Maybe GT1-H or GT1-P.
 
I'm really interested to see if Ford bite, what they'd come up with.
A more extreme version of the GT? Maybe something similar to the JAF-style cars in Super GT, where the overall form of the car is pressed as far down as possible, if that can even be done with the GT. Lighter and more powerful of course.
 
A more extreme version of the GT? Maybe something similar to the JAF-style cars in Super GT, where the overall form of the car is pressed as far down as possible, if that can even be done with the GT. Lighter and more powerful of course.
It's pretty close to looking like a prototype. Especially what pinched midsection. Wo dee if they'd do a clean sheet road car for the new regs.
 
It looks like a spec chassis with manufacturer bodywork on it to me. Like DTM and SuperGT. Except faster. From an entertainment perspective that's good. From a Le Mans perspective, it sucks. Massively.
 
It looks like a spec chassis with manufacturer bodywork on it to me. Like DTM and SuperGT. Except faster. From an entertainment perspective that's good. From a Le Mans perspective, it sucks. Massively.
They never said anything about a spec chassis.
 
Really?

They never said anything about a spec chassis.

A new top class will be launched for 2020-2024: sleeker prototypes with more marque cachet. While these racing cars will cut quite an imposing figure, they will also retain the usage of a hybrid system while leaving free the choice of combustion engine at a predetermined and fixed cost. The name of the new class will be chosen by popular vote.

The 2020-2024 plan will usher in a new era of endurance racing with an ultramodern style of prototype called.... whatever the fans of the discipline decide! Super Sportscar, GTPrototype, Le Mans Supercars or Le Mans Hypercars? The choice is the fans’!

The regulations, devised by the ACO and the FIA, focus on the appearance, style and lines of the cars in the new premier league. Team and car diversity in endurance racing is one of the discipline’s foremost trademarks, never truer with the emergence of these stylized yet muscular cars, veritable racing beasts in the spirit and image of endurance. They will take on circuits like Le Mans, Spa, Silverstone, Fuji and Sebring in the day and night, rain or shine, in hot weather as in cold. That calls for a tough prototype, one as imposing as it is ingenious and technological. One that turns heads, like hypercars, supercars, prestigious GTs and concept cars do on the street or at any given motor show. So, why not draw inspiration from those machines to build endurance racing cars? Consider it a done deal.

Aerodynamics cannot take precedence over aesthetics.

Being the top class, these new prototypes must be technologically powerful and compelling in design and will therefore remain hybrid, with a KERS system in front and 4WD to ensure energy efficiency. This technology will become more and more popular as the KERS system developed by some constructors will have to be used on production cars at a pre-defined price.

These new prototypes will have an alluring design and incredible pace. The regulations seek excellence: 3:20.00 per lap at Le Mans with limited fuel.
The other priority is cost. They will be remarkable, competitive, innovative and affordable - requiring a quarter of current budgets. Costly developments will be kept in check by a new homologation procedure and technical rules that will naturally reduce budgets.

However, there will be no restrictions on engine selection. Consumption rules will ensure fair competition between different systems.
The new regulations will take effect for 2020-2024.

Notice they talk about freedom of engine more than once and NEVER once say anything about freedom of chassis?
 
It looks like a spec chassis with manufacturer bodywork on it to me. Like DTM and SuperGT. Except faster. From an entertainment perspective that's good. From a Le Mans perspective, it sucks. Massively.

Or as previously said by those who weren't glossed over with dreams of GT1 returning, DPi but in P1 guise. Which is smart, because it actually helps cost control if they do a spec chassis or give spec chassis choices, and then spend their money on body work that conforms to the manufacture of build. As well as manufactured engines by chance or to be cheaper do what Joest/Mazda has done in IMSA.
 
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