2022 FIA WEC Season

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FIA WEC: Who Goes Where For 2022? Part 1, Prototypes

Hypercar and LMP2

In common with the exercise DSC conducted together with our friends and colleagues from Endurance Info at Portimao at the European Le Mans Series season finale, we’ll now take a look at the intentions of the 2021 FIA WEC teams for the coming season:

Hypercar:

Toyota Gazoo Racing

Set to return with a pair of GR010 Hybrids for the full season, with Kazuki Nakajima stepping away from the factory driver squad the way looks clear for Ryo Hirakawa to step in as a full-season member of the factory team.

Alpine Endurance Team

It will be the final year for the Rebellion R13-derived Alpine A480 with no plans for anything more than a single car entry at present.

Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus

The most likely scenario at present for the SCG 007s is a season encompassing Sebring, Le Mans and most, if not all of the European races with a two-car effort preferred though WEC sources are making noises that full-season (mandatory in the Hypercar class) means full-season. Watch this space!

Prospective 2022 additions 

Peugeot

Peugeot’s 9X8 hybrid LMH programme is reported to be on schedule for their as-yet-unannounced planned debut race date in the 2022 FIA WEC. The first roll-out test is still due in this calendar year.

An initial batch of 10 of the car’s V6 bi-turbo – 90° angle – 2.6L engines have been built for testing purposes both on the dyno and in its initial test phase.

ByKolles

Promising a 2022 race debut for their LMH spec, non-hybrid car, ByKolles’ stated schedule should have seen the car track testing in the last couple of weeks.

The rebadged Gibson V8-powered car is all-new (aside from the engine), ByKolles have suggested that they are targeting a two-car entry.

DragonSpeed

See below!

LMP2  

Team WRT:

The 2021 ELMS, FIA WEC and Le Mans 24 Hours winning squad’s preferred programme 2022 is apparently a two car effort in LMP2 in FIA WEC, some sources suggest team are targeting the addition of a Pro-Am effort with a new customer for the team.

A single car effort in ELMS also possible as the team ramp up for a long-term effort in prototype racing, confirmation of their status as Audi’s LMDH service provider in FIA WEC looks closer still after a stellar 2021!

JOTA

Close to confirming a two-car LMP2 return in 2022 as the teamwork hard in the background on pulling together the framework for a HyperCar class entry beyond that.

There’s potential for an additional ELMS LMP2 car in 2022 but that is far from confirmed.

JOTA will also continue to market its engineering prowess with other teams, as they did with TF Sport’s Racing Team Turkey effort in 2021.

United Autosports

Have confirmed their intention to field a two-car LMP2 effort alongside a likely single car effort in LMP2 in ELMS.

Beyond that the Yorkshire, UK-based team are pushing very hard to be on the Hypercar grid but, in common with the vast majority of current LMP2 squads, may not be in the top class by 2023.

Richard Mille Racing

Signatech-operated team set to return to FIA WEC with a single all-female crewed LMP2 effort next season, most likely with a new-look driver squad.

DragonSpeed

With Henrik Hedman stepping away from full-season racing in the ELMS and WEC the team’s plans are not currently clear.

The team are looking for customers for either ELMS and/ or WEC in LMP2 but the prospect of a HyperCar entry with their somewhat unloved LMP1 BR1 reported elsewhere can only be described as somewhat fanciful.

DSC believes news is imminent though of an LMP2 effort in the USA, likely with Hedman in at least the early season enduros.

TDS Racing

A dominant force in LMP2 Pro-Am this year, negotiations with their current customers are ongoing. They are understood to have other options too.

Racing Team Nederland

The 2021 Pro-Am Champions are believed to be happy with TDS Racing and are known to have evaluated both the WEC and IMSA, they confirmed to DSC that their decision on a 2022 programme would be made immediately post-season, and that there would be one full-season programme only.

Ironically the WEC title may well have sealed a decision in IMSA’s favour!

RealTeam Racing

Also have yet to declare whether they will return in 2022, a repeat programme with TDS, a switch of team, or a decision to stop the programme are all understood to be currently on the table from Esteban Garcia though the current vibe appears to see the team return, though not particularly with TDS.

Inter Europol Competition

Set to return with their increasingly impressive single car LMP2 effort with Kuba Smiechowski and Alex Brundle already confirmed.

Are set too to add a second LMP2 effort in ELMS alongside their long-standing LMP3 efforts. Little doubt that the eventual target is LMDH for the ‘Racing Bakers’

High Class Racing

Look set to depart the WEC after the 2021 season with plans set to be announced imminently for 2022 – those look to include LMP2 efforts on at least two continents plus potentially an entry in one Series in an additional class for the Danish-owned, Barcelona-based outfit.

They’ll continue their successful GT2 programme too with the link to the emerging Brabham GT2 programme looking set to be consolidated.

ARC Bratislava

The Slovakian team wish to return with an LMP2 Pro-Am effort in 2022, the most likely scenario at present being a collaboration with Algarve Pro Racing (see below) as a two-car entry alongside an APR-branded effort.

AF Corse

Already confirmed is the switch from GTE Am to LMP2 Pro Am for now three-time WEC GTE Am class Champion Francois Perrodo with a single Oreca which Perrodo will share with 2021 co-champions Alessio Rovera and Nicklas Nielsen.

The effort will double up with an entry in the ELMS too, Perrodo attracted back into LMP2 by the addition of a Pro-Am classification for teams featuring a Bronze-ranked driver in their line-up.

Prema Powerteam

Also confirmed is the addition of another additional team in LMP2, Single seater junior formulae giants Prema Powerteam will bring a single entry Oreca 07 apiece to both the WEC and ELMS in 2022, the operation set to be handled by partners Iron Lynx alongside their continuing GTE programmes.

There is no doubt whatsoever that the team are targeting an early entry into the WEC Hypercar class and that the preferred route would be with Ferrari machinery.

That looks unlikely to be available in 2023 though, much will depend on the business plan for the Prema/ Iron Lynx structure in determining whether they are content to wait for an opportunity to field a Prancing Horse, or they look elsewhere if a 2023 entry is required.

Penske

As exclusively detailed by Marshall Pruett on Racer.com Penske will prep for their 2023 entry into the FIA WEC with the factory Porsche LMDh effort with a single car run at a part season in the 2022 FIA WEC, including the Le Mans 24 Hours. The effort is set to start at Sebring with the likelihood that some late season races will be missed as the team ramps up off-track preparations for the 2023 campaign.

Algarve Pro Racing

The triple Asian Le Mans Series Champion will not compete in the UAE this winter, instead, using the time to plan a multi-Series effort.

Part of that plan should see a single LMP2 in the FIA WEC, potentially to operates as a two-car effort alongside ARC Bratislava.

That should join a two car LMP2 effort in ELMS and a two car Rolex 24 Hours effort too, with a plan to leave one Oreca in the USA for a run at the four IMSA enduros.

Duquiene Team 

The French team are working up plans to enter the FIA WEC with a single LMP2 and to double up with an entry in the ELMS Pro-AM LMP2 category.

Panis Racing

The Le Mans podium finishers and ELMS race winners are currently evaluating the possibility of graduating their LMP2 effort into the FIA WEC, if not they will again race a single Oreca in ELMS in 2022.

Ultimate 

The first-time LMP2 effort in ELMS in 2021 is another that could graduate to the Pro-AM class in FIA WEC in 2022.

The team will continue with a single Oreca and an unchanged full-season line-up. If the WEC programme does not come to fruition they will return to the ELMS.

https://www.dailysportscar.com/2021/11/ ... types.html