Ginetta Planning to Continue LMP1 Program in 2020-21

Ginetta is planning for its LMP1 car to be grandfathered in competition against Le Mans Hypercar machinery during next season’s FIA World Endurance Championship.

The British constructor’s chairman Lawrence Tomlinson told Sportscar365 that Ginetta wants to extend the lifespan of the non-hybrid G60-LT-P1 AER, which is now midway through its first full season campaign.

The WEC released separate 2020-21 technical regulations for the Le Mans Hypercar and LMP1 formulas – split into hybrid and non-hybrid – earlier this week.

These different cars will be allowed to race against each other in the top class of the WEC for at least the first season before LMP1 is phased out at a yet-to-be-defined date.

“I think it would be great if it’s grandfathered in,” said Tomlinson, in reference to the G60.

“If the [Aston Martin] Valkyrie comes and the Toyota [GR Super Sport] comes… the last time Aston did a brand-new car for Le Mans [the AMR-One] was a straight-six which I remember in the top class, and everyone failed within an hour and a half.

“I see it as a great opportunity. 2020 Le Mans is a good opportunity for us, but 2021 is also a good opportunity depending on what happens.”

Tomlinson confirmed that he is aiming to attract a customer to run the G60 next season.

When it became clear that Ginetta wouldn’t have a customer ready to be on the grid for the current campaign, Tomlinson took the running of the race project in-house with his own LNT outfit.

While Tomlinson believes customers could still be attracted to running a grandfathered LMP1, he said that LNT would be open to continuing as the race program operator in the absence of a buyer.

“It would be better for a customer team because the customer team running it would be able to make it quicker than us anyway,” he explained.

“We’re not weekend warriors, but we’re the lads building the cars and not a race team. We’re enjoying it and having fun, but if necessary, we’ll probably run it again next year.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for someone like an LMP2 team that is not sure where it’s going to step up to LMP1, because the package is proven to be fast and reliable so why wouldn’t you want to have a crack at the title?

“It would probably cost somebody about as much money to do LMP2 as LMP1 with our car, there or thereabouts. The actual package isn’t that much more expensive.

“Even if you’re the slowest guy in WEC [Hypercar] you’re still going to be quicker than everybody else. We definitely want to do 2020 Le Mans and then the 2020-21 season.”

When asked about the potentially high costs of LNT running two Ginettas again in the case of a customer not coming on board, Tomlinson said: “everything is relative.”

“Some people race LMP2 and we race LMP1, but fundamentally all of the investment is already in the car, already done.

“You could argue that it would be stupid not to do it rather than expensive.”