From the 2024 season, the FIA World Endurance Championship will consist of just two categories, eliminating the LMP2 class.
The news had been in the air for some time now and we were only awaiting the official announcement, which arrived this morning at Le Mans when the new calendar expanded to eight events was published, in which Imola enters instead of Monza.
The classifications will therefore see only the presence of the Hypercar prototype category – for LMH and LMDh – and LMGT3, leaving the LMP2 on the grid only in the European Le Mans Series and Asian Le Mans Series championships, plus in the IMSA SportsCar Championship.
Only at the 24h of Le Mans will the LMP2 be able to participate together with the protagonists of the World Championship, with 15 places available and priority to the ELMS teams. As always, the results obtained on the track will count to be admitted and the invitations, also for the GT3, will be made on selection by the dedicated Commission in order to make the presence of the brands more versatile and broader.
#63 Prema Racing Oreca 07 – Gibson: Doriane Pin, Mirko Bortolotti, Daniil Kvyat
Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images
This choice became necessary given the entry of new manufacturers such as Lamborghini, Isotta Fraschini, BMW and Alpine, in addition to the already numerous cars of Toyota, Ferrari, Porsche, Cadillac, Glickenhaus and Vanwall, with registrations open from October to December.
Among other things, on the LMGT3 issue, the Automobile Club de l’Ouest also specified that the Manufacturers of the Hypercar Class will also have priority in joining this category, where two different teams can be chosen to manage a maximum number of two cars per brand.
The exact number of competitors admitted has yet to be defined, also because much will depend on how much the number of the Hypercar class will increase.
“We have had to make choices as a result of the success we have had and LMP2, which is important to us, will remain our primary Class in ELMS and Asian LMS,” explained Pierre Fillon, ACO President.
Ford Mustang GT3
Photo by: Ford Performance
FIA WEC manager Frédéric Lequien added: “It is important for us to underline that the LMP2 counts and we also take care of them. This is why they will remain in the main category of the European and Asian Le Mans Series.”
Richard Mille, President of the FIA Endurance Commission, went on to explain: “The GT is at the heart of Le Mans, so we will highlight the gentlemen drivers, who are key in the WEC. The GT3 platform is the most successful customer racing category in the FIA, so it’s excellent for the championship.”
“Hypercars are increasingly important and we wanted to focus on the car manufacturers that produce them, so that they could intervene in the GT3 category, but we are also open to other brands that are not part of the category.”
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