Ferrari Announces LMH Factory Program!

Note to IMSA...when journalists and manufactures aren't sure what to call the new cars...you have made it too confusing!

 

Yup calling the first Mulsanne straight chicane Daytona and the Daytona road course bus stop Le Mans is a nice symbolism but they have a lot more ducks to get in a row; understandable simple rules and classes are vital.

 

What's the point in fielding an expensive LMH effort when it will be "bopped" to match the performances of low cost LMDh cars?

 

Time will tell, I guess, but on paper, it doesn't make much sense.
Aimed mostly at Le Mans and the WEC, the LMHs will be only raced by factories in selected events, I guess,
The most versatile and "cheaper" LMDhs will be sold to private teams, and may eventually replace the actual LMP2 category.
It's significative that Porsche, always focused on customers, chose the later category, AUDI shares the same philosophy it seems.

 

None. LMDhs were admited just because only Toyota had a LMH after Aston Martin, Porsche and Ferrari torpedoed the rulebook trying to enter road cars just to chicken out at the last moment. Later Peugeot and Ferrari made LMHs, so now both classes have to coexist.

If ACO wants to be fair, at least for some years they should BOP down the LMDh to justify the expense of making LMHs. I guess that IMSA will favour LMDhs, as many of their teams are not even interested in doing Le Mans. And we´ll have the usual situaton where the same car is faster depending on wich side of the pond is racing.

 

That's what LMDh teams could fear; we know how the ACO maipulates the BoP since it administers the WEC !

 

For once I´d agree with them. Audi, BMW and Porsche should be ACO´s whores after letting them stranded with the LMH regulations. I think LMDhs would be great as grid fillers for privateers, but nothing more. Although I doubt that Porsche and Audi would have entered the compeition if ACO hadn´t promised them a good BOP.

I´d bet that Ferrari´s initial intention was running a LMDh with their own chassis through a special dispensation or something, but ACO told them with good reason to **** off and build a LMH.

 

Whenever I see or hear "BoP", "equalize", "level the playing field", and the like, I get the shivers and then shed a tear for "auto racing".

 

I used to share that reaction, but not anymore. Now, I see BoP as an alternative to a specs series.
I know it may sound sacrilegious at first, but it's just common sense.
Without BoP as an equaliser, there would be less makes participating, and that's a fact.
The only way to attract carmakers to join and stay in a series is to give them a fighting chance to compete honorably.
If not, most carmakers would go home and lick their wounds after one season, and only the 2 or 3 dominant designs would stay.

I don't know in the States, but if I take the SRO series here, they have Ferrari, Porsche, Aston Martin, Lamborghini, Audi, Mercedes, McLaren, BMW, Chevrolet, Nissan, Lexus, and Ford competing against each other with widely different cars. That's already 12 carmakers ! Maserati and Lotus will join, we are told.
That can only be achieved if they all get a fighting chance. You can't keep that sort of diversity without some gerrymandering.
Without BoP, I guess only 2 or 3 manufacturers would compete, and spend $millions to develp their cars through the seasons, and private teams wouldn't have a look. As it is, a BoP series attract many privaters, and provides a good market for some constructors (Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche, Aston and Audi at least).
That's why I follow the different GT series in Europe NOT the ELMS (equivalent to IMSA), where the LMP2 category is just a specs series (ORECA Gibson).

Now, it maybe that the LMH and LMDh cars will also be subject to some sort of BoP in future.
With interest already shown by so many parties, I won't be surprised.

 

BOP means sand bagging, politics and manufacturers whining because they're not happy with their BOP. I could understand that it' s necessary in GTs, because not everybody has a mid engine car, but in prototypes it could be avoided.

 

I get it. Better basketball teams should have higher, smaller baskets for scoring. Faster runners must wear ankle weights. Horses require lighter or heavier jockeys for leveling race to race.
Any of your (or our) football teams too good? No problem....take a player or two off the field 'til it's tied back up.....'hell of a show.......proving jack sheet tho'.

Regarding auto racing? How do you know who the better drivers/cars are vs. the best/luckiest/sand baggiest BoPing?
May as well just be spec. At least there's no pretense.

I was always under the impression sports were contests to prove the best under a set of rules......not who's luckiest at the moment 'til the next adjustment "equalizes". What did I know?

 

All I was saying is that if you remove BoP, you will simply have many type of cars unfit to compete by design, and therefore the number of competitors will be greatly reduced.

Taking the list of GT cars I mentioned, only the Ferrari 488, the Lamborghini Huracan, Audi R8, the McLaren and perhaps the Corvette C8 will be competitive.
They are all mid-engine cars, with a small cross section, low centre of gravity, relatively light, etc ... If BoP didn't exist, they would be the only cars to have.
After a few races, only one of them would come on top, and everybody would need to have one if they are serious about winning. Case of the Ferrari GTO in the early 60s; nobody could compete against it.

Present cars like the Aston Martin Vantage, the Mercedes-AMG GT, the BMW M4/6, the Lexus or the Bentley Continental GT are hampered by their design, being more or less 4 seaters, front engine, with a larger cross section, heavier cars too, etc ... Therefore without BoP they would be totally uncompetitive, and nobody would race one! Not very good from a commercial point of view. Is that what you wish ?

BoP manages to reduce the performance gap between cars with a different design philosophy, allowing more models of cars to race. This sounds positive to me.

As for determining how to BoP the various cars, that has to be done rigorously.
The performance of different cars should be evaluated by independent testers, checking the speed and accelaration, the maximum G forces substained, the power delivered, the fuel consumption, the weight, the rate of tyre wear, the braking distances, etc ... and from these comparisons a sliding scale can be established as a basis for BoP. Sandbagging shouldn't come into it. Remember, cars are evaluated by an independant laboratory ! And scruninised regularly too.

The problem comes when some parties want the handicap to be altered during the season. Often this is done, wrongly based on the performance of the drivers, and not the cars!

 

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Again, you're elsewhwere. All the above is true. Let's go to watch a movie.

This is supposed to be the sport of auto racing. Not a scripted show to entertain the masses.

They are racing cars. Not street cars in a movie.

A set of rules/regulations. You decide which vehicle you can turn into a winner; and then through competition, we see which teams/drivers are best. Not your "equalising" to put on a show which proves notta in regard to who's the best..

 

You are too much of a purist, that's your problem. I am a pragmatic and never swim against the tide.

Motor racing exists nowadays to serve commercial interests, so better go along with that, or you won't have a sport to watch anymore.

If you are not interested in "entertaining the masses", you condemn racing to go back to an obscure amateur sport.

BTW, Handicaping has existed for a long time in horse racing.

 

The thing is no cars = no races. And there aren't many facturers willing to build GTOs.

 

"Problem"? william? I don't have one. While I participated in numerous forms of racing (running, bicycles, slot cars, karts, cars, and r/c cars) we never wanted to, and never did, wish for help.....or would never have accepted any, in the way of BoPing..
We thought that was what competition was about; exhibiting your ability to succeed.....or not. Not just to "dance in step" with everyone else by "choreography" (BoP and such).
Guess what? It was about achieving, not just entertaining.

I don't have a pro sport to watch now (I still catch club racing), as you indicated (well, F1 still hangs by a thread, which is well frazzled I'm ashamed). As you stated, all that's left is the advertising parades (shows) you're so endeared to.
(btw, my sympathy to you for following. Myself? I will never wear a bull ring, thank you very much.)

F1, WSC, Indy cars, and many other venues, were "obscure amateur"? I wasn't aware of that. Thanks for the info.
They were all entertaining for many, and didn't punish the strong or prop up the weak.

I know they're handicapped. Admittedly, a poor example, but I assumed you would get the gist (silly me, eh? ).

 

In the 80's and 90's F1, CART, IMSA GTP, WSC, and NASCAR all had their eras of legitimate, pure racing.

That changed as television demanded more interesting races, where more artificial passing was created. NASCAR went first, with the IRL being formed as an alternative to CART. The various sports car series collapsed from WSC to ALMS, CART went bust, and NASCAR is a parody of legitimate motorsports now, functioning more a the WWE on wheels.

F1 joined the "racertainment" genre in 09-10' with KERS and DRS gimmicks. We should be thankful F1 has stopped there.

Let's face it. Us purists don't pay the bills. We don't bring in the TV contracts. Do I miss the purity (or near purity) of what racing was? Oh yeah. But it's different now, and isn't turning back. There was a time when the people who grew up with USAC champ cars, F5000, and Can Am bitched about what racing was becoming in the 80's. Where not the first to see racing move from our principles some, and we won't be the last.

 

This is what I had hoped for when it was announced...... F1 has really gotten their act together. I hope Lemans does also.

Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro on the track ahead of the Bahrain GP - YouTube

 

That is what I had envisioned Hypercar to be...that isn't what we have so far. It doesn't help that the Hypercars were 2 seconds slower at Sebring than DPi...and GTP is supposed to be faster than DPi. I think even the IMSA spec LMP2 cars were faster than the Hypercars.

 

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hi res https://i.imgur.com/YKmzzr1.jpg

 

That looks hot but not very realistic.