Le Mans BoP Confirmed; New Refueling Regulations

Photo: Porsche

The FIA Endurance Committee has confirmed the Balance of Performance for next weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans in GTE-Pro and GTE-Am, while also revealing a new refueling procedure.

The Le Mans-specific BoP sees only minor changes compared to last year’s version, with the Aston Martin Vantage GTE and Ferrari 488 GTE Evo remaining at the same minimum weights of 1246 kg and 1279 kg, respectively.

However, the Aston has been given a slight increase in turbo boost across all RPM levels compared to its configuration in the 2019 race, along with a 1-liter increase in fuel capacity.

Porsche’s 911 RSR-19, which will be making its Le Mans debut, has been given a minimum weight of 1286 kg with a 30.0 mm air restrictor.

It is a 20 kg increase and 0.3 mm reduction in power compared to the previous-gen Porsche that competed at Le Mans last year but is similar in weight and comparative power output in the 2019-20 FIA World Endurance Championship races, which utilizes an automated BoP system.

The GTE-Am class sees a 10 kg increase in minimum weight across the board for the Porsche, Ferrari and 2019-spec Aston Martin, which makes its class debut at La Sarthe.

Success ballast, introduced at the beginning of the 2019-20 season, does not apply to the class for Le Mans.

New Refueling Procedure for GTE

Also confirmed is a new method for the calculation of refueling times in both GTE classes, following fuel-related infractions that resulted in several excluded cars in recent years.

The FIA has determined a new formula, which has been presented and accepted by all GTE manufacturers, that takes into account partial fuel fills.

The minimum refueling time for a 14-lap full fuel stint in GTE-Pro will be 35 seconds, with GTE-Am set at 42 seconds meaning that each lap a car completes equates to 2.5 seconds (GTE-Pro) and 3 seconds (GTE-Am) to hold time in the pit for fuel.

Equations depending on stint length, the timing of the stop and Full Course Yellows are detailed below:

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