So, nearly all Le Mans Prototypes Class 1 (LMP1) manufacturers have pulled out over the last few years, because of the ACO and FIA non-sense. It's why Toyota went unchallenged at the 86th running (since '23, it's 96th year -- 10 years lost '40-49 because of the war) -- of the 24 hours of Le Mans.
There's not only more than just F1 and NASCAR, but sports car is where most 'innovations' have come from that go into your daily driver, let alone super and hypercars, not F1. It was also first with hybrid cars, not F1. Endurance races where man and machine has to last 6, 12, 24 ... even 48 hours, not just a couple. It's why companies like Brembo have to make their brakes completely different for LMP (and GT) than F1. That's why I get tired of people who don't know anything about sports car racing.
So the ACO and FIA 'got smart' and are pulling out the old '82 playbook, and bringing back the era of Group C, when LMP races had as many spectators as F1. No more 'restrictors' and most other 'rules' ... just X amount of gas, with Y laps required.
And to give everyone 'taste' of this, the Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo -- unrestricted LMP -- has been hitting the tracks. Understand the 919 LMP has a top speed of only about 367kph (228mph) too --a much lower top speed than the late '80s Group C cars (that were >400kph/>250mph).
Porsche's Unrestricted Le Mans Prototype Is Faster Than An F1 Car
Porsche's Unrestricted Le Mans Car Beat A 35-Year-Old Nürburgring Lap Record By Nearly A Minute
There's not only more than just F1 and NASCAR, but sports car is where most 'innovations' have come from that go into your daily driver, let alone super and hypercars, not F1. It was also first with hybrid cars, not F1. Endurance races where man and machine has to last 6, 12, 24 ... even 48 hours, not just a couple. It's why companies like Brembo have to make their brakes completely different for LMP (and GT) than F1. That's why I get tired of people who don't know anything about sports car racing.
So the ACO and FIA 'got smart' and are pulling out the old '82 playbook, and bringing back the era of Group C, when LMP races had as many spectators as F1. No more 'restrictors' and most other 'rules' ... just X amount of gas, with Y laps required.
And to give everyone 'taste' of this, the Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo -- unrestricted LMP -- has been hitting the tracks. Understand the 919 LMP has a top speed of only about 367kph (228mph) too --a much lower top speed than the late '80s Group C cars (that were >400kph/>250mph).
Porsche's Unrestricted Le Mans Prototype Is Faster Than An F1 Car
Porsche's Unrestricted Le Mans Car Beat A 35-Year-Old Nürburgring Lap Record By Nearly A Minute