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Le Mans Hypercar Power, Weight Reductions Confirmed

LMH regulations altered to bring cars in line with lower LMDh power and weight figures…

Photo: Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus

The FIA Endurance Commission has confirmed that the power output and weight of Le Mans Hypercar vehicles will be reduced to bring them in line with IMSA’s LMDh platform.

It means that both types of sports car, which are set to compete for overall honors in the FIA World Endurance Championship and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship from 2022, will share a maximum output of 670 horsepower and a minimum weight of 1030 kg.

Le Mans Hypercar machinery will therefore need to be made 70 kilos lighter than the minimum weight currently stated in the technical regulations, and will also produce around 100 hp less than previously envisioned.

Last week IMSA president John Doonan told Sportscar365 that a “compromise” had been made to bring the two platforms under the same performance specifications, however neither the FIA nor the ACO would confirm a change to the LMH regulations at the time.

On Monday the FIA clarified where the ACO’s LMH formula, which enables constructors to build their own cars, stands in relation to the LMP2-based LMDh platform.

It cited the ACO’s convergence with IMSA and the need to reduce costs as primary reasons for the tweak in the rules.

In addition to the power and weight going down, LMH aerodynamic performance will also be adjusted to match the performance of the LMDh cars.

“We need to consider the evolution of the economic environment and adopt cost-saving measures to support the efforts of the manufacturers,” said FIA Endurance Commission president Richard Mille.

“With the announcement of the ACO/IMSA outlining the basic details of the LMDh platform and the decision of the FIA Endurance Commission to modify the technical specification of the Le Mans Hypercar category, we are finally moving towards the convergence.

“Having both platforms eligible for the future top class in the FIA World Endurance Championship will allow more diversity in the technical approaches and thus attract more competitors.

“This is something that all parties involved – including the manufacturers committed to the Le Mans Hypercar category, the FIA and the ACO – have been working towards since the beginning.

“This is an important step for the future of endurance racing.”

LMH is set to debut in the WEC next year with the amended regulations, while “mainstream automotive manufacturers” will be able to race their cars in IMSA events from 2022.

On Friday, Toyota suggested that it would make sense to prepare for the technical alignment of LMH with LMDh by running to the new power and weight figures in 2021.

“The ACO and IMSA have now laid solid foundations for convergence allowing the top class of competitors to race in the WEC and in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship,” said ACO President Pierre Fillon.

“LMDh and Le Mans Hypercar will be governed by convergent regulations to ensure similar performance characteristics.

“The technical teams at the FIA and the ACO have worked hard to adapt the LMH regulations and the result has been warmly welcomed by manufacturers.

“We must be proactive to build the future of Endurance. This announcement is further evidence of the constructive collaboration that is crucial to our discipline.”

Daniel Lloyd is a UK-based reporter for Sportscar365, covering the FIA World Endurance Championship, Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, among other series.

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