WEC

ACO Announces Regulation of 'Hyper-Cars'

The Automobile Club de L'Ouest announced this morning details of the new regulations of the 2020 Endurance World Cup, the so-called 'hyper-cars' that will become the top class of endurance races.

The new cars will have to resemble their manufacturer, and construction and development costs will have to fall to about 25% of current values, which according to ACO estimates, will be around 25- 30 million euros, this for a team with two cars.

The rules will apply from 2020, with the first 24 Hours of Le Mans with the new regulations will be those of 2021. This regulation is expected to run until 2024, and a new regulation is scheduled for the following year.There are aspects that still remain open, such as the architecture of the engine, the possibility of being accepted several cylinder numbers, turbo, naturally aspirated engines, in fact, there are still many unknowns at this level, because basically what is being 'close' is now the path, the details of which will be settled in the near future.

In any case, there are 'closed' things, such as the minimum weight of the cars, 980 kg, the weight distribution will have a strict definition as well as the fuel flow, other technologies are expected to be controlled to allow that costs remain at the desired level.It is planned to include an electric motor, in the front axle, with a fixed performance of 200 kW, which will give total traction to the cars. The goal for maximum engine performance will be 520 Kw.

The cars will have two seats, cockpits larger than the LMP1 chains, one for larger breezes and a roof if it resembles more road cars.Builders will be required to make their systems available to private teams by renting cars at reasonable prices, and each builder can develop their hybrid system.The Le Mans performance goal for these cars will be around 3m20s, slightly slower than the current LMP1 hybrids.

The category name has not yet been decided, but the ACO launches into the 'discussion' names like Super Sportscar, GTPrototype, Le Mans Supercars and Le Mans Hypercars. The final choice will be by vote.

José Luis Abreu-Sportauto, de Portugal