FIA Mandates Manufacturer-Linked Entries for Hypercar Class

Photo: James Moy/Toyota

Privately-built Hypercars not attached to an automotive brand will be prohibited from competing in the top class of the FIA World Endurance Championship, it has been revealed.

The change of the regulations, which initially allowed independent constructors to build cars to the new-for-2020 ruleset, was confirmed in Wednesday’s FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting in Paris.

According to a statement from the FIA, competitors “must enter a homologated car under the name of an automotive brand”, which could rule out privateer efforts from the likes of ByKolles or potentially others that had been evaluating Hypercar programs.

A WEC spokesperson told Sportscar365 that the definition of a manufacturer is subject to the approval of the FIA Endurance Commission through the car’s homologation process.

However, a competitor must have a letter co-signed by the car manufacturer’s representative and be “fully and legally entitled” to do so by their parent companies. 

Toyota, Aston Martin and Peugeot have been the first three OEMs to commit to the new formula, with both ByKolles and Glickenhaus having announced intentions of joining the grid in the launch season.

It’s understood Glickenhaus would be defined as an “automotive brand”. 

There has been a contradiction over whether a manufacturers’ or teams’ world title would be awarded to the top class, meanwhile.

The FIA confirmed Wednesday a World Manufacturers’ Championship, with ACO announcing Thursday morning that it would be classified by teams instead, calculated by the highest placed car from the team in each race.

World championships titles will be awarded for Hypercar drivers, as well as both drivers and manufacturers in GTE.

The ACO also confirmed the name of the new-for-2020 class as ‘Le Mans Hypercar’.

Hypercar teams will be limited to a maximum of 40 “operational staff” or 43 members for those cars homologated with a hybrid system, while testing will not be restricted for the first year of homologation for each entrant.

This has been made in order to give “adequate opportunity” for manufacturers and teams to develop their cars.

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