Porsche to quit LMP1 ?

I think it has gotten better as the season has gone on. It wasn't even close at Daytona and Sebring. The JDC Miller Motorsports P2 has been really close at the last couple of races. They could easily have a couple wins under their belt.

 

Caddy DPi's have swept the season. before that, Daytona Prototypes went from being significantly slower than ALMS P2's to winning 70% of the races from 2014-2016. can't claim that IMSA isn't giving GM powered cars an advantage.

 

Anyone else unable to watch more than a few mins of Formula E? And for that matter the Porsche GT 3 cup series too. No variety of sound.

 

Well, the Bykolles Team's ENSO CLM P1/01-Nissan is still there, and Ginetta has announced a LMP1 car: Ginetta :: Ginetta Announce New LMP1 Chassis For 2018 FIA World Endurance Championship.

Perhaps other teams will give it a try too?

 

People don't come to Le Mans attracted by Bykoles and Ginetta.
The spectators want to see a race among famous sports cars brands they can identity with: Porsche, Ford, Ferrari, Aston, jaguar, Audi, Lamborghini, etc

What's the point of LMP2; the cars are all Oreca or Ligier.

 

in its current iteration, FE is unwatchable...the sound, mostly on crappy temporary street circuits, cars aren't pretty (not like F1 or Indy is), they run on treaded tires not slicks, drivers aren't very compelling.

hopefully all the manufacturer $$$ pouring into the series right now improves the series, or else it's going to be a giant disaster for the car makers.

I like GT3 Cup as a driver development series, sometimes it's a great show (especially SuperCup and the German and UK Cup Series)

 

I see your point, and personally, I would have loved to see a Maserati entry at Le Mans (why not LMP1?), but several of those marques will actually be there, but in other classes. And, when was the last time Ferrari raced at Le Mans with a prototype? Has Lamborghini ever done that?

 

I think manufacturers will abandon the LMP1 class completely and focus on GT Pro. VW were destined to stop with Audi and Porsche the minute they realised just how big the dieselgate fines were going to be.

VW spending $500m per year on two programs was never going to happen. Take a single year's Porsche LMP1 budget and they can race in Formula E and GT Pro for a decade.

Its sad but it should come as a shock to no one.

 

I think VW leaving the class makes it more interesting to others. I don't think Porsche's budget has to be the norm.

 

I bet the Toyota budget is a lot more than the Porsche budget. I think LMP1 will be dead soon anyway, but they will try to keep it alive another year if Toyota stick around and they find a poor sucker to race against them

 

Officially announced by the press this morning (at 9:00 local time here in France): Porsche is quitting WEC at the end of this season.

Rgds

 

Maybe if lmp is abandoned, the gt class can be the next top class and ferrari can fight for overall win..it would be cool

 

Unlikely, but yes.

People come to Le Mans to see a fight among sports cars and constructors, not to watch a procession of ORECA-Gibson. There is more show in GTE than in LMP.

The ACO, once more, shot itself in the foot by making endurance rules too specific that only work teams can compete for victory.

Well, now they are deserting !!

I told you so ....

 

Maybe the ACO should re-introduce a silhouette category: anything goes under a road car shape.

The Porsche 935 was terrific ...

 

turning GTE Pro into GT1 really is the best alternative right now.

 

Agree, and those cars would look awsome, far more beautifull than the ugly lmps of our days...

 

But get rid od BOP then

 

or at least remove the restrictors and let them run at the same power level as the road car version.

 

Yes, GT1 would have to become much faster cars...

 

As a top category, yes.

But also allow some road car prototypes, and some supercars: Ferrari Enzo, .Bugatti Veyron, Pagani Zonda, Aston Walkyrie, McLaren P1, Porsche 918, that sort of cars.

Le Mans should be ROAD CARS BASED, and not disguised pseudo-F1.

Also, any car entered should be for sale to the public at a ceiling price.

 

+1


If GT1 becomes the top category in endurance, the BOP can be relaxed, because the cars don't have to respect the imposed ACO ranking : LMP1>LMP2>GTE Pro> GTE Am.

At the moment, the GTE Pro driven by professionals are restricted not to appear to be faster than the LMP2 which are often pedalled by amateur drivers.

It's the ACO stupidity.

A GTE Ford, Ferrari Porsche or Corvette could easily reach 600hp, but they are restricted to 450hp. It's very lame.

 

I do wonder if the WEC will introduce a hard cost cap for whatever becomes the premier class. Allowing manufacturers to spend whatever they want has been at the very root of why so many manufactures have abandoned the WEC.

They drive up the costs in the name of innovation (Porsche reportedly spending 250m euros a year) and then at the first sign of trouble use those same monstrous spending habits as a reason to stop.

Interesting times for the WEC.

 

Sounds like a great idea. Perhaps a new lease of life for the Maserati MC12, which is actually a car that has been raced in the GT1 class....

 

Well they can use the P1 GTR, which is basically a useless garage ornament at the moment unlike the original F1 GTR. The FXXK actually gets used not infrequently through Clienti and that would be pretty cool to see in endurance racing, but Ferrari would never let it happen.

 

Yes, absolutely.
These supercars should have been given a platform long time ago, instead of being ignored by the rule makers.