Ferrari
IMOLA, ITALY—After a break of fifty years, Ferrari is returning to top-level endurance racing with a brand new hybrid prototype race automobile. It is known as the 499P, and in 2023 Ferrari will marketing campaign a pair of automobiles within the World Endurance Championship, a sequence with the 24 Hours of Le Mans as its crown jewel.
As I’ve written earlier than, 2023 goes to be an thrilling time for followers of prototype racing. After the cubic megabucks-era of LMP1h collapsed beneath the load of unsustainable budgets, the highest class of the World Endurance Championship has spent a number of years within the doldrums as Toyota confronted minimal opposition from a lot smaller groups. However the Vehicle Membership de l’Ouest (which runs the Le Mans race) has a brand new ruleset now, known as LMH (Le Mans Hypercar), designed to draw the curiosity of automakers by conserving prices sane—€30 million versus the €80-200 million that LMP1h value—and, with much less reliance on aerodynamic downforce, permitting for a more in-depth visible hyperlink to their road-going merchandise.
And thus far, it is working. Toyota was first to LMH with its GR010, adopted by boutique producer Glickenhaus, then this yr noticed Peugeot ease its manner again into to endurance racing with its new 9X8—nonetheless not sporting a rear wing—forward of a full marketing campaign in 2023. However none of these manufacturers have fairly the identical magic as Ferrari. Regardless that it final received Le Mans outright in 1965, it nonetheless has extra of these general wins (9) than Toyota (5) and Peugeot (three) mixed, trailing simply Audi (13) and Porsche (19).
The truth that the brand new ruleset has introduced Ferrari again to the game means it ought to be thought of successful already, although the Formulation 1 value cap may need performed a component as the corporate discovered itself with assets it might not make use of in direction of that championship.
Sorry, however that is about to get sophisticated
Now, it would not actually be sportscar racing if it wasn’t needlessly sophisticated, and so along with LMH, there’s one other new ruleset for hybrid prototype endurance race automobiles written for the Worldwide Motor Sports activities Affiliation’s championship right here in North America known as LMDh.
LMDh is extra technically proscriptive; every automaker is required to make use of one in every of 4 accepted carbon fiber chassis or spines as their place to begin, and the gearbox, electrical motor, and battery are all spec parts. However like LMH, there’s a lot much less reliance on aerodynamic downforce and so the automobiles can look extra like those you would possibly discover in a showroom. It too has labored, with new automobiles racing in 2023 from Porsche, BMW, Acura, and Cadillac. Audi’s deliberate return has been shelved in favor of a Formulation 1 program, however Lamborghini will arrive in 2024.
Two competing units of sportscar rules normally works out badly for everybody, however fortunately on this case the ACO and IMSA are permitting each LMH and LMDh automobiles to enter their races, with efficiency balancing to make sure as stage a enjoying subject as potential.
