Three Manufacturers Receive Extra Weight in Test Day BoP

The GTE Balance of Performance tables for this weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans Test Day have been released, with three manufacturers receiving weight increases.

Ford, BMW and Porsche’s cars will each be heavier compared to last year’s GTE-Pro race, while Aston Martin, Corvette Racing and Ferrari have been handed weight reductions.

The biggest change sees Ford’s quartet of Chip Ganassi-entered Ford GTs taking an extra 12 kilos to make a total of 1287 kg.

The pair of MTEK-run BMW M8 GTEs will have an additional 9 kilos taking them to 1280 kg, while 2 kilos have been added to the Porsche 911 RSRs which are now 1271 kg.

Porsche scored a 1-2 in last year’s race with its retro-liveried Manthey cars, ahead of Ford’s No. 68 machine.

Each of the three cars to receive weight breaks – the Aston Martin Vantage GTE, the Chevrolet Corvette C7.R and the Ferrari 488 GTE Evo – will be 7 kilos lighter than last year’s race.

The Corvette is the lightest in the field at 1242 kg, ahead of the Aston at 1251 kg while the Ferrari is 1284 kg.

Weight totals typically change after the Test Day and throughout the Le Mans event, as was the case last year when a BoP update was issued between qualifying and the race.

Elsewhere, BMW has been handed a decrease in turbo boost, while Ferrari and Ford’s corresponding turbo output has been enhanced.

The maximum onboard fuel allowances for the Test Day have yet to be confirmed.

Unlike regular-season FIA World Endurance Championship races, GTE-Pro at Le Mans is not subject to the auto-BoP.

Ford GTE-Am Starting BoP Issued

The Keating Motorsports Ford GT that will be competing in the GTE-Am category will run the Test Day at 1295 kg, making it 13 kilos heavier than its next-nearest competitor.

It means the Am-class Ford will run to a different BoP setting than its GTE-Pro counterpart, both in terms of weight and turbo boost pressure where it has received a three-millibar reduction.

The Ferrari 488 GTE, which has also been handed a three-millibar turbo drop, will change in weight from 1291 kg to 1282 kg compared to the 2018 race, while the Aston Martin Vantage GTE will also be lighter.

The first-gen Vantage, which is set for its final Le Mans appearance next month, is registered at 1249 kg which makes it 4 kilos lighter than last year’s contest and 14 kilos under its total mass for the previous Test Day.

Porsche has not received a weight tweak to its naturally-aspirated 911 RSR which won last year in the hands of Dempsey-Proton Racing.