Photo: Focus Pack Media
The Automobile Club de l’Ouest has outlawed tire warming for next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, opting not to bring them back for the FIA World Endurance Championship’s marquee event in 2024 after granting an exemption permitting its use this year.
WEC CEO Frederic Lequien said last month that a repeat of this year’s decision to lift the tire warmer ban exclusively for Le Mans was under consideration, but that a decision had not yet been reached.
However, Article 6.5.5. of the supplementary regulations for the French endurance classic, released last week, state that “any process that involves a direct or indirect attempt at modifying the temperature of a tyre (compared to the ambient temperature) is forbidden.”
When approached by Sportscar365, an ACO spokesperson confirmed that this also applies to tire warmers, thus bringing the rules on the pre-heating of tires in line with the full WEC season.
Generated-powered tire warming ovens were banned at the start of the 2023 season on sustainability grounds, but the new rule drew particular criticism after the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, where cold tires led to multiple cars having off-track moments.
As a result, the ACO implemented a one-off exemption that gave teams permission to pre-heat tires at this year’s French classic, but that position will not be retained in 2024.
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