ICYMI: Our sportscar racing guru gazzasportscars passes his verdict on whether contentious LeMans24 BoP changes were justified by the race we ended up with:
Ferrari wins on its factory prototype comeback. And narrowly so at the end of an intriguing and sometimes thrilling battle with Toyota. All five major car manufacturers involved in Hypercar led at some point or other. The centenary edition of the Le Mans 24 Hours definitely got a race befitting of such a significant moment in its history. There can be no question of that.
That’s why, together with the co-organiser of the WEC, the FIA, the ACO overrode the new BoP system introduced for this season. A system that didn’t allow for wholesale changes ahead of Le Mans. Only a tweak in the balance between LMH machinery and the LMDhs from Cadillac and Porsches was permitted from the start of the season right up until after Le Mans, though exactly when that was possible wasn’t entirely clear.
Who knows what would have happened if Hirakawa hadn’t had his off at Arnage and the winning Ferrari not lost half a minute in the pits with a recurrence of an earlier electronic glitch Porsche’s 963 LMDh was given only three kilogrammes and finally showed some pace in the WEC. The reliability of the thing remained suspect, however, and the German manufacturer failed to get a car home in the top six.
But the philosophy of this new framework was always going to work in Toyota’s favour. In the GR010 it has the proven car, one that has been racing since 2021 and undergone two off-season upgrades within rules that strictly limit performance developments. Of course it was going to be nearer to its potential than the rest.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Autosport Podcast: Epic battle at Le Mans: How Ferrari triumphed over ToyotaToday we dive into the exciting centenary running of the Le Mans 24 Hours, and the extraordinary journey that was Ferrari's triumphant return after 50 years. The team clinched its first overall victory at Le Mans since 1965 with its cutting-edge 499P Le Mans Hypercar.
Read more »
Glickenhaus' Le Mans 24 Hours result "like a dream"Glickenhaus Racing\u2019s sixth and seventh-place finishes in last weekend\u2019s Le Mans 24 Hours were \u201clike a dream\u201d for the small manufacturer, according to its technical boss.\u00a0
Read more »
Introducing the New Rolex Daytona, With Paul Newman-Inspired DialMarking the 100th Anniversary of 24 Hours of Le Mans with a unique watch
Read more »
Lynn: Le Mans podium "really special" after COVID-era 2020 winCadillac\u2019s Alex Lynn said it felt \u201creally special\u201d to celebrate his Le Mans 24 Hours podium in front of a packed crowd after his 2020 GTE Pro win during a closed-door event.
Read more »
Lynn: Le Mans podium "really special" after COVID-era 2020 winCadillac\u2019s Alex Lynn said it felt \u201creally special\u201d to celebrate his Le Mans 24 Hours podium in front of a packed crowd after his 2020 GTE Pro win during a closed-door event.
Read more »
Porsche's Le Mans letdown reflects "brutal reality" - LottererPorsche's failure to land a top result on its return to the top flight at the Le Mans 24 Hours is a reflection of its current 'brutal reality', admits Andre Lotterer.
Read more »