DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 9, 2015) – After eight months’ work and a two-month selection process, the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO), the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) and the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), have chosen the four constructors who will supply chassis for the cars that will compete in the Le Mans Prototypes 2 category in ACO- and FIA-governed series and the Prototype class of the IMSA-sanctioned TUDOR United SportsCar Championship beginning in 2017, when the category’s new regulations come into force.
The four constructors are: Dallara (Italy-United States), Onroak Automotive (France), Oreca (France-United States) and the joint-venture Riley Tech/Multimatic (USA, Canada and the United Kingdom), subject to validation of the regulations by the World Motor Sport Council on July 10.
On June 11, 2015 the main guidelines of the 2017 LM P2 regulations were unveiled during the Automobile Club de l’Ouest’s press conference. The aim of these regulations is to ensure long-term success for this category thanks to a reduction in costs, the guarantee of stability in the regulations and the intention to bring the performance of the cars in the category closer to those of the current LM P1s. They will be applicable in the Le Mans 24 Hours, the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), the Asian Le Mans Series (Asian LMS), the European Le Mans Series (ELMS) and in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.
In ACO- and FIA-governed series, LM P2 cars will be powered by a single engine manufacturer to be selected this September.
In the TUDOR Championship, Prototypes will be powered by engines from a variety of manufacturers and the chassis will include manufacturer-specific styling elements. Announcements on participating manufacturers will be made as programs are confirmed.
The process we followed with our partners at the ACO and the FIA to select these four chassis constructors was unprecedented in its level of professionalism and collaboration among three major governing bodies in international motorsport. It was the most thorough and detailed selection process we’ve ever seen in the sport. – Scot Atherton, IMSA President
The target horsepower for cars in all series is approximately 600bhp, and an Adjustment of Performance process will be used to ensure competitive balance. The ACO, FIA and IMSA also will select a single electronics supplier for all cars this September.
TUDOR Championship Prototype teams will be eligible to use the same engines and chassis they race with in the United States at the Le Mans 24 Hours and in ELMS events, providing they utilize the constructor-specific bodywork as used in all championships outside North America. Likewise, all LM P2 teams will be eligible to race in all TUDOR Championship events using the same chassis and engine configuration they use in their home championship.
The first provision to achieve the stated objectives and make these LM P2 regulations viable and workable was to select four chassis constructors including at least one from North America.
The tender was launched on May 13, 2015 and closed on June 10. The selection committee, which included three representatives from the ACO, IMSA and the FIA, has drawn up the list of the four constructors selected.
They were selected according to the following criteria:
• Experience and reputation;
• Industrial and engineering capacity, management of the supply chain;
• Financial situation;
• Investment devoted to the program;
• Quality of the service to clientele;
• Constructors based in Europe and the United States with an undertaking to provide quality backup in Asia and throughout the world;
• Quality of the project and the car;
• Provisions of the project aimed at reducing running costs and the annual budget of the entrants.
The Dallara, Onroak Automotive, Oreca and Riley Tech/Multimatic teams now will join the technical working group jointly managed by the ACO, the FIA and IMSA to define the final details of the regulations. One of the main objectives of this working group is to optimize all of the parameters to ensure the most economically viable set of rules for the teams.
The final set of provisions of the LM P2 regulations will be adopted by the World Motor Sport Council in December of this year, and the timetable will respect the following five stages:
• January 1, 2016: validation of the safety structures/monocoque;
• April 1, 2016: validation of the bodywork and the mechanical components;
• June 1, 2016: validation of the crash test;
• September 1, 2016: presentation of the draft homologation sheet;
• From December 1-15, 2016: inspection and final validation of the car;
The cars must be homologated by, and available for use in January 2017 for the Rolex 24 At Daytona, the first race at which the new TUDOR Championship Prototype / LM P2 category regulations will be applied.
IMSA
