Alpine Stint Energy Reduced in Only BoP Change for Test Day

The Alpine A480 Gibson has been handed a reduction in the amount of energy it can use over the course of a stint at the 24 Hours of Le Mans test day later this month, according to the latest FIA World Endurance Championship BoP bulletin for the Hypercar class.

Alpine Endurance Team’s ORECA-built grandfathered LMP1 car will have a maximum stint energy allowance of 844 megajoules for the official pre-Le Mans test on Aug. 15, marking a reduction of 74 MJ — around 8 percent — since the last WEC round at Monza.

This is the only change to the Hypercar BoP, with the LMH-regulation vehicles from Toyota Gazoo Racing and Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus unaffected.

The Alpine driven by Matthieu Vaxiviere, Andre Negrao and Nicolas Lapierre will remain at the 952 kg minimum weight that it was first given for round two at Portimao in June.

Its maximum power output of 450 kW (603 hp) is also the same. The lower energy per stint value comes after Alpine’s ex-Rebellion R13 LMP1 car was unable to match the LMH machinery in terms of stint length at the WEC’s opening three rounds.

The Toyota GR010 Hybrids and the non-hybrid Glickenhaus SCG 007 LMHs will take part in the test day conforming to the attributes they had for the two most recent WEC races at Portimao and Monza.

The pair of Toyotas will start Le Mans week at 1066 kg and with a top output of 515 kW compared with 1030 kg and 520 kW for the two non-hybrid Glickenhaus LMH prototypes, which stand at the BoP limit for Le Mans Hypercars in the WEC.

Further BoP changes can be made between the test day and the 24 Hours of Le Mans on Aug. 21-22.

Ferrari Sheds 10 kg Since Last year

The WEC has also issued the Le Mans test day GTE Balance of Performance, which includes a 10 kg weight reduction for the Ferrari 488 GTE Evo since last year’s race.

Ferrari’s two AF Corse factory cars will run at a minimum weight of 1269 kg, according to the GTE bulletin that was attached to the Hypercar BoP table.

The Ferrari’s fuel capacity has also been increased by five liters, along with a raise in turbo boost levels.

Porsche has been given a 1 kg weight break and a one-liter fuel capacity increase, with the 911 RSR-19 now running at 1285 kg and 99 liters respectively. It will also have 0.7 mm added to its air restrictor diameter following last year’s Le Mans edition.

The Chevrolet Corvette C8.R will turn its first laps of the 8.46-mile Le Mans circuit with a minimum weight of 1276 kg, a fuel capacity of 99 liters and a 42.7 mm air restrictor.

The BoP in GTE-Pro is calculated individually for Le Mans and exists outside the automatic BoP system used for the other WEC rounds.

Success ballast does not come into play for GTE-Am at Le Mans, which marks the fourth round of the WEC season.

The GTE-Am minimum weights will be shared by all teams under each manufacturer, with the Ferraris and Porsches running 10 kg heavier than their GTE-Pro counterparts and the Aston Martin Vantage GTEs starting lighter at 1257 kg.