New regulations being discussed by OEMs could allow the forthcoming mid-engine Corvette C8.R race car to compete in the top class at Le Mans.
Automakers, along with the FIA and the ACO, the organizers of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, are currently attempting to open a new set of rules for the top class in the FIA World Endurance Championship, with LMP1 waning in team and manufacturer support due to costs.
So-called ‘hypercar’ regulations had previously been brought forth, which would replace the LMP1 class with production-based and purpose-built race cars with wild supercar-like looks. This rule set was unpopular with manufacturers, however, as it would still be similarly expensive to LMP1 and may result in slower machinery.
Now the manufacturers have returned to a previous idea that had been levied: allowing upgraded versions of GTE cars to race in the top class in the WEC and at Le Mans. This rule set, unofficially dubbed ‘GTE Plus’, would give the current GTE cars an extra 200 horsepower, along with more downforce and other performance upgrades. This would enable the cars to achieve a sub-3m 30s lap time at Le Mans – which was the target the ACO had previously set for the new top class.
For comparison’s sake, the GTE Pro class pole time for the 2018 24 Hours of Le Mans was a 3m 47.504s, while the LMP1 pole time was a 3m 17.270s.
According to Sportscar 365, the “majority of the current GTE manufacturers are on board with the concept,” of GTE Plus, however, they have not yet made an official proposal to the FIA or the ACO.
It’s not clear if Chevrolet is among those who support GTE Plus. The automaker is currently developing a brand new mid-engine Corvette C8.R car to compete in the GTLM class in the IMSA WeatherTech Championship and GTE Pro class at Le Mans for 2020.
Manufacturers with naturally aspirated engines have allegedly expressed concern over the GTE Plus regulations, which would allow for engine outputs of over 700 hp. Because it’s easier to make this much power with a forced induction engine, manufacturers with N/A motors, such as Porsche, may need to re-engineer their cars quite a bit to meet GTE Plus regulations. The Corvette C8.R is believed to be turbocharged, based on a spy video that surfaced of it testing at Sebring.
It’s not clear if the current GTE Pro and GTE Am classes would remain unchanged if the FIA and ACO were to give the green-light to the faster GTE Plus category. If they did, this would seemingly give Chevrolet a choice between racing the C8.R in GTE Pro or the new GTE-based top class.
The new regulations for the top class are expected to be in place for the 2020 24 Hours of Le Mans, so it seems as though Corvette Racing has some time to work with the FIA and ACO on a decision.
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Source: Sportscar365
Comments
Anything to make sure the Corvette team is not to competitive!!! Do you remember the commercial years ago explaining why the Corvette was forced to detuned so the other cars could keep up!!!
This type of racing is just pathetic. Best race team with the best car should win. Not politics, BOP, or TV ratings!!!
No TV no sponsored and then no race teams then finally no race.
Racing today is not a passion it is business and marketing. Yes much of the fun has left but like it or not BOP is what is keeping MFG involved.
With out the BOP IMSA would cost F1 prices and everyone would pull out.
There are two worlds the one we want and the one that is.
GM has a great team in Pratt And Miller. They know what it takes to win no matter the rules.
To be honest the BOP has kept the Vette alive in the series till they get the new car.
BOP has taken speed away from the C7R, yes at times they have over done it and had to give the C7R some more of that speed back. Through out the GT1 C5R and C6R years they have slowed down the GT1 Corvettes so that other teams can keep up with them and yes Corvette racing was still winning. Though really this has to do with Corvette racing exploiting the rules as they limited horsepower but not torque, so large displacement engines had an advantage over small displacement engines. This is why the 8.0L Viper and later 7.0L Corvette dominated, that all changed when GT1 died and Corvette racing went into GT2 which had a 6.0L displacement cap (one year after the move that dropped to 5.5L). Another advantage that Corvette racing has had comes down to the OHV engine as pointed out by corvette racing both Porsche and Ferrari has tried to get banned due to an unfair advantage. It is a lighter engine with a lower center of gravity, which is a benefit in road racing.
you are correct that a part of the rules in the GT2 (now GTE) class comes down to keeping cost to compete down otherwise you would have rich teams winning and poor teams leaving. If that happens like some want to happen then the series can die (happened to Can Am), and I don’t think that this is a good thing for the series.
B0P is no different than bracket racing, giving lengths at the starting line in drag racing. Because the car is to fast! It’s just pathetic, in the Olympics they dont make Bolt run with a 50 pound vest to make the race close. And the ratings dont tank!!! If fact they are off the charts for the 100/200 meter dash.
When Jimmie Johnson won five cup titles in a row the ratings were threw the roof. Now a different guy wins every year and ratings and ticket sales are weak.
These teams can afford it stop making excuses for them. Just because the cam am series tanked doesn’t mean they all will. Taking care of the little guy is something I dont care about!!! The biggest and the baddest should be the only teams racing in this series!!!
Actually they have slowed the Corvette in the past but today they have taken weight away and gave it more speed.
When the C8R arrives I am sure they will get a weight penalty.
The real advantage is the Pratt and Milker team. Their work is by far the best and strategy has won more races than any other.
They are going for 100 wins at Mid zoning and I will be there in hopes of seeing this.
Also Dan Binks the crew chief is the real ace in the hole. The team has changed cars and drivers but Dan is the link that holds it all together.
That’s sad that anybody would even dare to defend this type of racing. This is not supposed to be spec racing, this is supposed to be factory backed bring your best stuff to the party racing. And they neuter these teams so that the teams that cant compete dont get their feeling hurt. This is not a money issue this is a pride issue. These high end teams dont want to be beat by a company that they look down on. They look down on GM, and they know that they could spend every dollar and still not beat the Corvette teams.
This is why they do it. So GM does show up the exotics car companies. Cars costing 100k more on the street getting beat by the race versions of those same cars on the track!!!
Make the series legit and say if you dont want to compete then dont show up and the field will be nothing but Corvettes!!!
Bryan it is not defending it is just called playing with reality.
I work in the racing world and have seen series come and go so often due to unrestrained costs and lack of MFG support.
It already happened in IMSA once where the Corvette was a series of one team and two cars before IMSA died the first time.
In the real world there is only so much money a company will spend to racing and even then they want and measure a return they get from it. Few teams and MFGs are unlimited outside F1.
No one looks down on anyone. They all are just trying to get racing series that showcase their products in a positive light and draws in viewers to see it.
Right now Indy and IMSA are doing well to increase viewers and gathering teams. .
NASCAR today is a steaming heap. They have not been able to get the series to where it holds much interest anymore with the Chase and stages. The reality is not every race is a barn burner just as Mario Andretti recently said. Trying to create that for every race has killed the sport over all.
Brian read up on the history of Can Am. It is a good representation of unregulated and over regulated racing. It has come and gone several times and killed itself. It truly was the best and worst of racing.
Like I said the Corvette today is only competitive due to Pratt and Miller and the BOP. They are handicapped by an old car in a series of Mid Engine cars. That will soon change.
I dont care where you work and I dont want to hear excuses. This is not a money issue it’s a pride issue, manufacturers want a level playing field so they dont get embarrassed by a perceived lower brand. They do look down on the competition, these manufacturers have plenty of money to run what ever rules that they come up with. They just choose not to because they get tired of getting their asses handed to them.
It’s easy to claim money but it take a smart individual to dig deeper to see the real problem. You may not want to see one team or manufacture win all the time but see nothing wrong with it. It means that they are setting the bar and the rest need to catch up. Which takes hard work, but now there is zero work to make cars competitive. Just adjust HP, weight, aero and bam your just as fast.
This is not racing!!! This is little league baseball where they make sure all teams have equal talent. The best car with the best team should win everytime. Now that’s racing!!!
Pride don’t pay the bills. Time to leave La La Land and join reality. Racing today is contracts, budgets and business.
Pride and racing for the sake of racing left when sponsors names went on the bodies.
You’re an idiot Brian – it’s 100% “a money issue”
[I posted this yesterday, but it appears to not have gone through]
Ugh. What? No. Why??? Why are you even pretending?????
But seriously. It’s an IMSA GTE/LM. The daydreamed “new regulations” [that are never going to happen] that you are referencing were released this past week – the C8.R has been in development for over a year. Why/how would GM/P&M have access to horsesh!t regulations [that will never exist] more than a year in advance of them not existing in the first place.
But mostly, CORVETTE DOESN’T EVEN RACE [FULL TIME] IN THE WEC!!!! The C8.R is built to be raced in America where they sell the cars around IMSA regulations, and IMSA will not be adopting the new ACO regulations until 2022, if at all ever. And even if they do Cadillac is running in the top class. What are they going to do, have two GM brands race each other so a Chevy can beat a Cadillac, or move Cadillac to a lesser class???? Because we all know GM wants you to think Chevrolet is the superior brand to Cadillac. OH, WAIT. This was a poor piece of clickbait to help the Boomers try and get it up without a prescription.
Go home Sam, you’re drunk.
Something peculiar with this entire situation. Corvette used to build cars and go racing in whatever series or classes were available at the time or not bother. Now it appears they will build cars to race in a series or class that may or may not even exist. Build a car to beat the Ford GT that costs how much and sells how many? Beat Porsche so Porsche owners will switch to Corvette? How many Corvette owners bought their cars because of racing results? My current car is a C7 Grand Sport convertible with a manual and I love it even though Corvette races nothing like it. The C8 will appeal to magazine writers, auto engineers and race car drivers. I wonder how many will actually buy one and how many Corvette owners will not.
It is about marketing. The series they are in has changed names and series but it always pops up some place.
While it may or may not change owners of the German car to. Or Vette it does win new buyers entering the sports car market especially when they can not afford the $150k for a GT3
Many owners also own for other reasons. Image, pleasure driving, racing be it what ever.
The future car will sell in numbers greater than the C7 as the new platform will attract many. The top will drop just as the car you have so you would enjoy the same drive in a better car.
A manufacturers dispute over regulations almost killed INDY, and it will surely kill WEC !