[WEC/IMSA] 2021 - 2024 Hypercars LMH/LMDh (all Hypercar cars untill now)

[erwin greven]

Bottom post of the previous page:

Some footage of their two-day test at Monza.

[erwin greven]

Monza Test Days 16,17/5/2023- Isotta Fraschini Tipo 6 LMH, Oreca 07 LMP2, Ferrari 488 GTE

[Everso Biggyballies]

Alpine Racing general director Bruno Famin talks about the newly launched Alpine A424_B LMDh car.

Obviously we were aware of the Alpine brand getting involved for some time now, but here is I guess an update of the progress they are making ready for next year. Le Mans is obviously a good place to launch anything newsworthy given the world of Motorsport is so focussed on the event.

Set to be on the grid next year the car is based on the next-generation ORECA LMP2 chassis. It will be powered by a 3.4-litre, single-turbo V6, bolstered by the standard rear-axle hybrid system common to all LMDh cars developed by Bosch, Xtrac and Williams Advanced Engineering.

The type number follows Alpine's traditional three-digit beginning with a '4', with the '24' signifying the date it will make its race debut.

Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi of course was at the event getting in the way no doubt, but spouting the PR guff....

"Today we unveil the Alpine A424 Beta, the forerunner of our Hypercar designed to challenge the best competitors starting next year.

"True to our values, this new prototype takes the A-arrow brand into the future; while following in the footsteps of our creations, beginning with Alpenglow [concept race car] and the A290 Beta [concept road car].

"The Alpine A424 Beta is racy, elegant and distinctive with its iconic and emblematic design.
It embodies both our present and our future thanks to the involvement and investment of our designers in its development."

Anyway, the video and launch, held at Le Mans.

[MonteCristo]

Nice. The more the merrier. Good to see they're keeping to schedule.

[MonteCristo]

Was watching the David Land Le Mans video, and he said there's a rumour that Le Mans was the last race for Glickenhaus.

Would be sad if true .

But I think I said last year that I'd be surprised if all of the teams were still running programs come 2024. Attrition has to come in at some point.

Hopefully the newcomers of Alpine, Isotta Fraschini, BMW, Lambo (anyone else?) more than make up for it. Oh, and one or two more customer cars would also be lovely.

Edit: Forgot about De Tomaso. But I think that'll be vapourware.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Was watching the David Land Le Mans video, and he said there's a rumour that Le Mans was the last race for Glickenhaus.

Would be sad if true .

Indeed it would... hopefully the beating of the works Porsches at 'the big one' will make Jim Glick dig deep once more.

It might mean nothing as entries can be pulled at anytime, but he has one car (#708) entered for the upcoming Monza 6 hour race. Only Dumas nominated to drive atm, with 2 x TBA's but it is better news than no entry yet logged..
https://www.fiawec.com/en/race/show/4793

[Everso Biggyballies]

WRT has started testing with its BMW M Hybrid V8 Hypercar

In the wake of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, WRT began testing with its Hypercar prototype.

In a week, Team WRT will be concentrating on the 24 Hours of Spa with its four BMW M4 GT3s. The other part of the team (its LMP2 division) is on the Hypercar dossier with the first run of the BMW M Hybrid

The first kilometers of the prototype meeting the LMDh technical regulations had taken place at the BMW base in Germany just before the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Belgian team has now gotten to the heart of the matter on a Spanish circuit.

WRT's competitive debut in the Hypercar category is scheduled for 2024 in the WEC with the entry of two cars in parallel with a probable presence in LM GT3 with BMW.

Hypercar program drivers will be announced at a later date.
Before that, there is an LMP2 world title to go for.
https://www.endurance-info.com/auto/art ... 8-hypercar

[Everso Biggyballies]

Cadillac Set To Continue Racing In Hypercar in WEC Next Season

Cadillac Racing is set to continue racing in the FIA WEC’s Hypercar class in 2024.
(In parallel with GM's planned LMGT3 presence...)



Laura Wontrop Klauser, GM’s sports car racing manager, told DSC that the US brand plans to continue competing with the V-Series.R on the world stage for a second season, in parallel with its forthcoming customer LMGT3 effort with the Z06 GT3.R.

“We (Cadillac) intend to be in the FIA WEC next year,” she told DSC. “How many cars and all that stuff hasn’t been announced, but the intent is to continue.”

This significant extension to its WEC commitments is a key part of GM’s motorsport expansion in Europe.

In addition to Cadillac Racing’s new home in Stuttgart, Germany, GM is also planning to set up a permanent base in Europe as it expands its customer GT3 operation. The location and scale of this new base have yet to be decided.

“We’re still exploring what we want to do in Europe,” she added. “For the WEC we are going to have a specifically 2024-only support that we are working with our (LMGT3) team on. In Europe, we want to do a proper job, we want to make sure we have a set-up that will likely include some type of headquarters that we can run parts in and out of.”

Cadillac’s extended commitment to the FIA WEC for 2024 has two major benefits.

It allows GM to have a second shot at an overall Le Mans victory, after tasting major success with its podium finish in this year’s 24 Hours. It will also help ensure that Corvette is awarded space for two cars in the new WEC LMGT3 class, which is a priority for the new-look Corvette Racing going forward as it moves from operating as a factory team to managing a global customer programme.

“The ACO knows our interest to bring a two-car effort to WEC to make sure Corvette is represented,” Wontrop Klauser continued. “Having the Cadillac here (in the FIA WEC) is helpful for that.

“They (the WEC selection committee) are considering history and heritage. Corvette has been coming to Le Mans for 20-plus years, and we’ve been coming to WEC for full seasons now. We know there are no guarantees so we want to ensure the risk is low.”

The customer team for Corvette Racing’s FIA WEC programme has not yet been named, though it is understood by DSC to be a significant player in the current GT racing marketplace.

“You can expect official announcements to come in the next couple of months,” Christie Bagne, the Corvette Z06 GT3.R program manager explained to DSC. “We’re looking forward to doing that when it is the right time for everyone.”

Beyond the Cadillac Hypercar programme in the FIA WEC and the two-car customer effort in LMGT3, Wontrop Klauser told DSC that Corvette is unlikely to file for additional GT3 entries for Le Mans to continue Corvette Racing’s factory racing tradition at La Sarthe.

“I don’t think we will have the additional entries (at Le Mans), I think we will be grateful to have two cars in the FIA WEC for the full season,” she said. “They are pushing traditional factory support into Hypercar and that’s where they want to see that type of backing.

“I foresee just the two cars at Le Mans that we have for the full season.”

https://www.dailysportscar.com/2023/06/ ... eason.html

[Everso Biggyballies]

Lamborghini readies LMDh prototype for Goodwood

Speaking to the BBC, WEC boss Frederic Lequien, said: "It's a return to the history of Ferrari competing against Peugeot, Porsche and Cadillac. We have the best car manufacturers in the world. Never in history has endurance racing been so bright."

He would say that, of course - but when even the likes of Lamborghini are readying an LMDh car for Le Mans 2024, you know that the pinnacle of endurance motorsport must be doing something right.

The firm announced that it was working on the development of a Hypercar late last year; now it has confirmed that the as-yet-unseen race car will get its public debut at Festival of Speed next month.

While not mentioning any specifics - the full details of the LMDh car remain under wraps - we can only hope that this sentiment applies to the LMDh car’s twin-turbo V8. Lamborghini has already identified the new engine as the first developed in-house by Squadra Corse, and, alongside the obligatory Energy Recovery System, it effectively (spiritually, certainly) replaces the familiar V10 which has been deployed elsewhere in the firm’s race cars. Coincidentally (or not), a hybridised twin-turbo V8 is widely thought to be the powertrain of choice for the next generation of Huracan, which is due to be revealed next year.

An excerpt from an article here: https://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-eur ... wood/47356

When is Goodwood you might ask....Thu, Jul 13, 2023 - Sun, Jul 16, 2023

[Everso Biggyballies]

More BMW Testing news...


BMW’s new WEC team completes first test with M Hybrid V8 at Aragon

The team which will field BMW’s entry in next year’s World Endurance Championship has completed its first test run with the M Hybrid V8 LMDh.

Six of the team’s works drivers took the wheel of the BMW M Hybrid V8. It is powered by a four-litre twin-turbo engine producing around 640bhp, as defined by the regulations, and a specification 50kW (67bhp) LMDh hybrid drive system.
The car was originally shaken down at BMW’s Dingolfing facility in Germany by Nick Yelloly. It then spent several days running at the Motorland Aragon circuit in Spain.


BMW M Team WR drivers Jesse Krohn, Maxime Martin, Sheldon van der Linde, Dries Vanthoor, Dan Harper and Max Hesse shared the BMW M Hybrid V8 in Spain. The car was also entrusted to some of its Junior Team drivers.

BMW M Motorsport chief Andreas Roos said the team made “a very good start” to its programme ahead of the new WEC season in Qatar next March.

The car has already raced in America’s IMSA series. BMW scored its first win with the it in last weekend’s race at Watkins Glen after the on-the-road winner was penalised for a technical infringement.

“The BMW M Hybrid V8 ran smoothly during the first test drives and provided our engineers and the team with the opportunity to gain a wealth of insights right from the start,” Roos continued. “Of course, the experiences we have gathered together with BMW M Team RLL in the IMSA series races have also contributed to this.

“At the beginning of the LMDh programme, we deliberately chose to compete exclusively in the IMSA series first and later in the FIA WEC. We are now benefiting from this approach. Although the start was successful, there is still a lot of work to be done on the way to the first races. We are all highly motivated for the work throughout the rest of the year.”

.https://www.racefans.net/2023/06/26/pic ... at-aragon/

[Everso Biggyballies]

BMW to Race 20th Art Car at 2024 Le Mans


It seems a bit early to be posting such news but BMW have already confirmed their 2024 Le Mans BMW M Hybrid V8 entries will be run with an "Art" car livery. Thought that it was a bit early to have a 2024 LM 24 thread so posted here as it refers to an LMDH Hypercar that has been in the news of late in this thread....

BMW will team up with artist Julie Mehretu to create a BMW M Hybrid V8 Art Car for next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Mehretu, an Ethiopian-born, New York-based artist, was unanimously chosen by a panel consisting of museum directors and curators to create the car’s livery for next year’s edition of the French endurance classic.

The collaboration between Mehretu and BMW was announced at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City, with an all-carbon M Hybrid V8 on display.

BMW’s V8-powered LMDh car will make its debut at Le Mans in 2024 with BMW M Team WRT.

“I’ve loved cars for most of my life, as toys, as objects, as possibilities,” said Mehretu.

“It is from that space that I’m really excited to be working on the next BMW Art Car more than anything.

“The thrill of the speed, the 24 Hour race of Le Mans and what is possible to invent in hybrid and fully electric vehicles as future modes of play and pushing ahead into new terrains of transportation and motorsports.”

Mehretu will be responsible for the 20th art car, carrying on a tradition that started with a livery designed by American artist Alexander Calder on a BMW 3.0 CSL for the 1975 24 Hours of Le Mans.

More recent examples include John Baldessari’s BMW M6 GT3 designed for the 2016 Rolex 24 at Daytona, Cao Fei’s “digital” design for the 2017 FIA GT Cup at Macau and the Jeff Koons BMW M3 GT2 that competed in the 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The last time one of the manufacturer’s top-class prototypes was selected to become an Art Car was in 1999, when BMW revealed a Jenny Holzer-designed V12 LMR.

”The BMW Art Car Collection is a central element of our global cultural commitment, which has been in place for more than 50 years,” said Ilka Horstmeier, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG for Human Resources and Real Estate.

https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/bmw ... 4-le-mans/

[MonteCristo]

In the pretty LMH thread someone said they look pretty cookie cutter.

At least the BMW grille looks like a BMW grille.

Pity the grille is ugly .

[Everso Biggyballies]

Glickenhaus: Funding to pay for Upgrades Needed to Continue into 2024

Sadly Glickenhaus could disappear from the WEC grid after the end of this season, if not before.... if the team fails to secure additional sponsorship to fund the much needed upgrades for its Le Mans Hypercar. Jim Glick has confirmed his team needs “substantial budget” to develop, upgrade and test its LMH car for next year, adding that he has ‘no desire to be cannon fodder’ in the WEC’s growing Hypercar class.

Certainly the Glickenhaus, one of the first to arrive on the scene some two years ago is suffering from a lack of development and upgrades which becomes more apparent with the arrival of so many new later spec cars and manufacturers, all with the benefit of seeing what has worked and what has not..

Hopefully he can muster up the support he needs because I for one have enjoyed watching the car, from its appearance and look right through to seeing the underdog beat some of the factory cars, as they did only recently at Le Mans.

Sadly Jim G cant even guarantee being at Bahrain or Fuji at the end of the year. Hopefully he can pull some irons out of the fire, because much as its nice to see all the factory Toyotas, Porsches, Peugeots, Cadillacs, Ferraris (and more in the pipeline) its always great to have a capable underdog in amongst them.

In Jim G's words re continuing into next year..... from Sportscar365.com

“A lot of that’s going to depend on exactly what our program would be with a sponsor,” he said.

“This car is three years old. To be competitive, it would need a serious Evo [upgrade]. It would need a lot of testing. It would need a substantial budget.

“We feel that if we had that, we could be very competitive. It’s amazing that our three-year-old car, up against the best and the brightest, newest cars is still relatively in the ballpark.

“The idea that at Le Mans we beat Porsche is incredible. To beat Peugeot is also incredible and we certainly weren’t a joke.”

While ideally wanting to continue in the world championship next year, Glickenhaus admitted he could settle for ending the program altogether if additional sponsorship is not found.

“It’s really if we get sponsors that would enable us to develop the car and keep going, that would be exciting and valuable,” he said. “And if we don’t, it’s not a problem.

“We have no desire to come up and be cannon fodder. Here’s the thing: racing does sell cars, but the economics of WEC versus the size of our company and the number of cars that we would be capable of producing makes absolutely no sense.

“It makes sense for the big manufacturers who are selling millions of cars a year. In the case of Ferrari, 13,000-20,000 cars a year.

“Or Lamborghini, but I don’t think that for a small private team, it makes any economic sense.”

“We’re hopeful that we’re going to be able to decide that in a positive way,”

“The WEC is a lot different than when we signed on.When we signed on, we were told that if we built a car within the rules, we could do a 3:30 in Le Mans, if that’s what we needed to be.

“There were a lot of rule changes and a lot of things that were swapped around to try to make some kind of convergence.

“Also, I think the spirit of it changed a little bit. When we signed on, we believed that a private team with a budget that was estimated to be a lot more reasonable than an LMP1 team could have a chance.

“But now we’re up against gigantic corporations [with] unlimited spending. It’s a much different situation.”

He says that the end of the year (Fuji iand Bahrain) is not confirmed as yet. He needs to hurry up and decide given, although the events are not until mid Sept (Fuji) and November for Bahrain, that the WEC’s sea-freight containers in which teams put their cars and equipment in are due to leave shortly.

A WEC spokesperson said that freight for the overseas journey will be loaded on July 17-18, with the boat departing for Japan a day later.

that Glick can find some generous sponsorship.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Lamborghini to launch LMDH Car Today at Goodwood

Lamborghini will reveal its LMDh race car at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed. The car will compete in the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship and the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship Endurance Cup, battling in the Hypercar and GTP classes. We’ll see it race in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, 12 Hours of Sebring, 24 Hours of Daytona, and more.

They will officially reveal the car on Thursday, July 13.(ie later today We learned last year that Lamborghini’s race car will use a hybrid-assisted, twin-turbocharged V8 engine. The LMDh class has a maximum output of 671 horsepower, and this will be the first racing engine fully developed by the automaker’s Squadra Corse competition division.

Other LMDh rules limit the cars’ weight to 2,271 pounds (without the driver or fuel) and top speed to 211.3 miles per hour. Cars must also use a chassis supplier – Lamborghini picked Liger, with a Bosch motor generator unit and a Williams Advanced Engineering battery pack.

Lamborghini will begin racing next year, competing alongside the Alpine A424 _β, the Porsche 936, the BMW M Hybrid V8, the Acura ARX-06, the Ferrari 499P, and the Cadillac V-LMDh. Piloting Lamborghini’s car will be former Formula 1 driver and current IndyCar racer Romain Grosjean.

While the brand’s LMDh endeavors don’t begin until next year, Grosjean started racing in a Lamborghini in January. He ran the Huracan GT3 EVO2 with Iron Lynx, which Lamborghini is partnering with for its LMDh campaign, at the 24 Hours of Daytona. The team placed 24th overall.

https://www.motor1.com/news/675568/lamb ... ill-climb/

The best rendered / leaked image I could find. Presumably pics of the real thing will be everywhere later today

[MonteCristo]

Would be sad to see the Glick go. Maybe they'd sell the cars?

But adding BMW, Lambo, Isotta Fraschini, and Alpine will more than offset it.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Lamborghini to launch LMDH Car Today at Goodwood

Lamborghini will reveal its LMDh race car at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed.

All I have seen so far is a video launch, but here is that video just released. Itt seems to me to be as much a launch of the project, much of which is PR Guff, but you fdo get to see the car. At least it isnt renders but looks at the car are often glimpses. There are some full shots though.

Looks better than the renders we have seen so far thats for sure.. It is the official video released by Lamborghini Squadra Corse




It was sort of known but they do confirm the 4 drivers for next year as Grosjean and Kvyat plus Mirko Bortolotti and Andrea Cordorelli