Beaumesnil “Really Confident” on Hypercar BoP System

Image: ACO

ACO sporting director Vincent Beaumesnil says he’s “really confident” in the newly developed Balance of Performance system that will be implemented in the Hypercar class for the two distinctly different platforms of cars.

Announced on Friday, the FIA and ACO will move forward with its Hypercar plan that will see prototype-based cars race alongside production-based hypercars in a single class through a BoP system that’s largely based on what’s currently utilized in GTE-Pro.

“For sure the BoP will be one of the challenges,” Beaumesnil said.

“I think we have demonstrated with GTE-Pro that when you put the people around the table and a common target we can make it.

“I think everyone agrees that the [GTE] system works very well so we want to have the same approach with [Hypercar] and to build this performance management system with the parties with a similar philosophy.

“In the end, what we want to have a more automatic system we can have with the minimum human decision in the BoP.”

Beaumesnil admitted that success ballast, initially announced for the class last year, may no longer be necessary in the revised regulations as a result of the ACO’s yet-to-be-detailed system.

A final decision, however, has yet to be taken by the organizers. 

“With the new BoP system we have, which will be a kind of automatic system, I think this is clearly taking the place of a success ballast system,” Beaumesnil said.

“At the moment we’ve not erased the success ballast as we will work with the manufacturers. We will still see if it makes sense or not.

“A BoP system can also take into account the results and the performance. It’s not success ballast but it’s the same philosophy.”

Hybrids and non-hybrids will be balanced through newly established ‘deployment thresholds’ that will see the the hybrid systems only activated at speeds above 120 km/h in the dry.

The deployment threshold for wet weather hasn’t yet been fully defined but Beaumesnil said he expects it to be in the 140-160 km/h range.

Beaumesnil, however, stressed that non-hybrid hypercars, which have now since been allowed, will still be “competitive” with hybrid-powered machinery.

“We’re not completely removing the incentive to make a hybrid system but even if you consider this, the two-wheel drive cars will be competitive,” he said.

“This has been simulated and evaluated by very high level technical people, so I’m confident.”

Hypercar Level of Interest “Very Encouraging”

Beaumesnil said the level of interest in the yet-to-be-named class is “very encouraging” despite reports of the entire platform having been on the brink of being canceled as late as last month.

Sportscar365 understands that the official go-ahead was only given once Aston Martin made it’s formal commitment in May, with the FIA and ACO having explored backup plans that included ‘Super GTE’ and IMSA’s DPi formula.

Beaumesnil downplayed the critical stage the technical committee had reportedly been in just a few weeks ago.

“We had some rules, we needed to make the final adjustments and we have the confidence that we have some people joining in,” he said.

“I think now, obviously, in what [was announced today], there are a lot more people in contact with us.

“Then it’s always a question of timing.”

A specific target number of manufacturers or Hypercar entires has not been established for the launch 2020-21 season, beyond the already announced programs from Aston Martin, Toyota, ByKolles and Glickenhaus.

“I was not so worried [about the future] because I’m really confident this concept is quite innovative, it will bring very exotic and sexy cars on the grid that I hope the fans and media will enjoy,” Beaumesnil said.

“I hope it will also bring close performance and allow budgets to be controlled.

“We have a tool that will provide a good incentive for manufacturers and new brands to come. Fans want to see brands racing and we have a tool to attract new brands.”

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John