24 Hours of Le Mans
The ACO confirms the 2009/2011 regulations
The 2009 set of regulations defined by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest has already come out; it contains the technical regulations for all entrants in the LM P1 and LM P2 prototype categories and LM GT1 and LM GT2 grand touring car categories.
This year it is accompanied by the initial measures adopted for the 2011 season regulations.
All races run under the Le Mans label in 2009 (Le Mans 24 Hours, American Le Mans Series in the USA and the Le Mans Series in Europe) will be governed by a single set of ACO regulations. This is why it is so important to publish them well before the first events of the 2009 season so that the entrants can prepare their cars according to the technical specification.
These regulations include the guidelines announced by the ACO at the Silverstone press conference on 13th September: level playing field, safety, cost reductions and sustainable development.
It consists of 5 documents: LM P1 and LM P2 technical regulations, LM GT1 technical regulations, LM GT2 technical regulations, supplementary technical regulations and sporting regulations.
The main outlines of the 2011 regulations
The technical definitions for the 2011 Le Mans 24 Hours concern 4 precise points:
- LM P1 and LM P2 engines: reduction of power, and cubic capacity reduction in LM P1 (diesel, 3.7-litre twin turbo 8 cylinders maximum instead of 5.5 litres, petrol, normally aspirated 3.4-litre 8 cylinders maximum instead of 6 litres, petrol, 2.0-litre turbo 6 cylinders instead of 4.0 litres), in LM P2 (diesel, 4.0-litre turbo 8 cylinders, petrol, 4.0 litres prepared on the basis of 2010 GT2, petrol, 4.5-litre series production). The minimum weight in LM P1 remains at 900 kgs and is increased from 825 to 900 kgs in LM P2.
- Hybrid systems aimed at reducing fuel consumption (free development in compliance with precise rules).
- Fuel tank capacities (75 litres instead of 90 litres for petrol engines, and 68 litres instead of 81 litres for diesels).
- Wheel dimensions unchanged in relation to the 2009 regulations).
Download the ACO regulations from: www.lemans.org
- 2009 Sporting Regulations
- 2009 “Le Mans” Prototype - “LM”P1 & “LM”P2
- 2009 “Le Mans” Grand Touring “LM”GT1
- 2009 “Le Mans” Grand Touring “LM”GT2
- 2009 Appendix A, B et C
- 2011 regulations Engines & Hybrid systems
(Direct links to the ACO website)
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Like I said Lemans/Endurance Racing is the best racing out there period. When are they going to combined ALMS,LMS,FIA-GT into one racing Calender?
they’ll never combine them. Different organizers. And if they do many LMS and FIA GT teams will go out of business.
At least they made P2 cheaper by increasing the engine size. Easier to tune and get power.
Now that P1 engine is at 3.4 that makes acura’s job easier they could just tweak the engine for P1 power now.
I think Zytek will become a major engine supplier. Their now old 3.4liter P2 engine was a solid rock. Just tweak it for more power now.
This will change things around. The P1 acuras, Pescorolos and Orecas are coming for the diesels.
I wonder if P1 cars with GT1 engines get to keep them? The Lola Aston might win LeMans if they do. Well with the right drivers.
I heard that Aston Martin is building a new LMP1 for 2010,But it would be awesome that Aston buys that Lola LMP1 and put the three drivers in the 009 DBR9 along with GULF Sponsor.In the US Acuras are very fast and reliable just wondering if they are open or closed Prototypes, and Audi has a new LMP1 for next year called R15 don’t know if it is Diesel or Petrol.
Stop dreaming already.
I really don’t care what they do with engines and such, I am worried about the race itself. Its Euro racing there will be enough technology to make any car geek happy.
I don’t understand the limits on tires and tire warmers, so you want gentlemen drivers out there with cold hard slicks????
You should have left the pit stop rules alone, they always sort themselves out, you balance speed with fuel consumption and that determines how many times you make a pit stop for fuel and tires.
Putting limits on this is silly. They think by increasing the time of pit stops will encourage people to double and triple stint tires, which gives the advantage automatically to teams using Michelin rubber, something they were already doing anyway, I guess they didn’t understand how Tafel won at Long Beach and how AGR won at Detroit…. which was on TIRE WEAR!
In the LMS everybody but Audi and “The Lion” was at least a half a second slower per lap. Any chances in pits stops wouldn’t help them anyway.
What you need is to ask a company like Bridgestone to come join the fun and level out the competitive tire playing field.
I see some of this as moving forward combined with at least one step backwards.
Bridgestone seems to enjoy spec series (F1 and now MotoGP for 2009).
Dunlop won the GT2 championship with Virgo Motorsport in the 2007 and 2008 Le Mans Series.
So the ACO wants less tire changes, but the smaller fuel tanks will bring the cars into the pits more often. They had better not mandate spec tires for 2010 or ever do that.
In LMP1, why are the twin-turbocharged diesels given more displacement (3.7 liters) than 2.0 liter single tubo’d six cylinders and 3.4 liter normally aspirated engines?
In contrast, in the 2011 LMP2 class, both series production 8 cylinder diesels have the same 4.0 liter displacement as 2010 GT2 4.0 liter engines.
Why are the diesels again given more displacement in LMP1 versus turbocharged LMP1 engines?
I hope the IndyCar Series gets their engine/chassis formula right for the 2011 season.
Diesels get more displacement because it takes some mad engine tuning to make diesels competitive. Case in point street cars. They don’t compare well to petrol driven ones. That’s why they have more displacement.
Don’t let their pace fool you. Audi and Peugeot are allowed to be fast because they are waaaay ahead of their times. That’s the only way the ACO can convince them to keep blowing their money in these series and continue research.
At the americanlemans website said that Porsche has withdrew their factory LMP2 Spyders, and Penske Racing are racing somewhere else, and Dyson Racing might be buying the B-K Motorsports Lola Coupe and take out the Mazda engine and replace it with a Acura V8.Does anyone else know about this also.
No joke. This is juicy news, but also shocking. A squad like Dyson is what can make the Mazda shine. BK just didn’t have the manpower, and experience.
Would it be too much to speculate that Porsche might go to GT1. After all they do have a new street car. The 911 GT2.
Or they might simply take all their great talent back to GT racing.
Or…P1….???? The new P1 engine size makes it perfect for Porsche to compete. They are specialists in making engines with those displacements.
So sad for Lowe’s Fernandez. If they don’t get a top flight contender in P2 they will end up being what the Corvettes were in GT1.
This is dramatic news.
Does anyone heard when the new Audi R15 will start tesing for the 2009 season