Le Mans 24 Hours - News From The ACO Press Conference 1

Details of the long-awaited 2014 LMP1 regulations were announced today at the annual Le Mans press conference in the 24-Hours museum.

New Automobile Club de l’Ouest President Pierre Fillon introduced the new regulations by saying that "the overall philosophy behind these particularly innovative regulations was elaborated by the ACO in 2009. It was then discussed with the manufacturers who all agreed with the concept. This text has been drawn up in close collaboration between the ACO and the FIA in the context of an on-going dialogue with the manufacturers."

The actual consultations and studies that were undertaken by ACO and FIA began in september 2011. Twelve manufacturers and constructors were part of the working group that was involved in the design of the new regulations and between September 2011 and May 2012 they held several meetings.

Key factor in the new regulations is that the peformance balancing of the various LMP1 cars will be done through a variable fuel allocation which takes into account the type of fuel and the energy recovery system employed on the car. Manufacturers entering the FIA World Endurance Championship cannot run a car not equipped with a hybrid system. The ACO thinks the new regulations will enable each manufacturer to choose the option that best suits his project and budget.

For example a diesel powered car with a 2MJ hybrid system will be allocated 3.93 litres of diesel per lap, where a petrol powered car with the same hybrid system will be allocated 4.8 litres of petrol. The allocation will decrease when the system can recover more energy. An 8MJ hybrid system on a diesel will only be allocated 3.56 litres per lap. These figures are to be confirmed after tests in September.

Other changes to the LMP1 technical regulations are aimed at increasing safety and reducing costs. LMP1 cars will only be allowed to be closed cars only and will be reduced in weight to 830 kg (850 for non-hybrids), with their width reduced from 2.00m to 1.90m. The drivers will be seated higher and further forward in the car to improve visibility and reduce the chance of incidents like the Audi’s suffered here at Le Mans last year. Front bodywork will also be altered, with an adjustable front element to simplify the aerodynamic balance introduced to reduced the need of different sets of bodywork for the various circuits on the FIA World Endurance Championship calendar.

The new technical regulations for the LMP1 category will be in use at Le Mans as well as the FIA World Endurance Championship and the American Le Mans Series from 2014 on.