LMDh Cars Eligible for Pre-Homologation Entries This Year

LMDh cars will be allowed to enter FIA World Endurance Championship rounds on a “race-by-race” basis this year ahead of their homologation for the 2023 season.

The LMDh platform is not due to arrive in the Hypercar class until next year; however an FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting on Saturday approved the possibility for the new spec-hybrid prototypes to appear in 2022 WEC events.

Any entries will not be eligible to score Hypercar world championship points.

No upcoming LMDh manufacturers have announced plans to join the WEC grid this season, with Porsche so far being the only brand to have performed track testing.

Acura, Cadillac and BMW are also working on LMDh cars that are scheduled to debut in 2023.

Porsche has tested at its own Weissach facility and at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, and has an intensive track program planned for the coming months.

Sportscar365 has contacted Porsche to clarify whether it would be ready to enter a WEC race with its LMDh this year, considering it appears to have the most advanced development schedule out of the committed manufacturers.

The WEC announced a capacity grid ahead of this season but Peugeot is yet to arrive with its new Hypercar-class hybrid prototype built to the LMH regulations.

A 36-car field contested the 1000 Miles of Sebring season-opener as Peugeot opted to miss the event and GR Racing withdrew its GTE-Am Porsche entry.

The FIA World Motor Sport Council statement in full: “In order to ensure the seamless introduction of cars built to LMDh technical regulations in 2023, the council has approved those cars in the Hypercar class of this year’s FIA World Endurance Championship on a race-by-race basis, meaning they won’t be eligible to score points in 2022.”