Photo: Aston Martin
Not that long ago, the Automobile Club de l’Ouest announced that the 2020-2021 FIA World Endurance Championship will introduce a significant overhaul of the technical regulations. The top class – currently consisting of LMP1 prototypes – will be phased out in favor of Le Mans hypercars.
Aston Martin immediately announced that it’s going to race the Valkyrie in the WEC starting in 2020, describing the Cosworth-engined land missile as “the world’s most extreme hypercar.” Developed in collaboration with Multimatic and R-Motorsport, the racing car is currently “on hold.”
Wait, what? After all that boasting about winning at Le Mans, the British automaker is inches away from canceling the project? According to a statement published today, Aston Martin isn’t happy with the LMDh prototype category that’s going to be harmonized with the hypercar class from 2021.
Here’s the kicker. “Aston Martin remains open to working with both organizations to find a suitable pathway for any future participation,” referring to the ACO that governs the FIA WEC and the International Motor Sports Association representing the WeatherTech Sportscar Championship.
The higher-ups at the Automobile Club de l’Ouest, FIA Endurance Commission, and FIA WEC aren’t exactly happy. Statements published on the Le Mans website may lead you into believing that everyone is trying to act nice in regard to Aston Martin, but that’s not exactly the case. Reading between the lines, the three parties appear to converge on Aston Martin’s fear of competing against the LMDh hybrid prototype racing cars.
The "Le Mans Daytona" h is more or less DPi 2.0 prototype regulations combined with LMP2 and Le Mans regulations. According to the ACO and IMSA, the top category of endurance racing in the FIA WEC will include both LMDh prototypes and Le Mans hypercars. Without regard to the balancing system that will keep the two categories competitive against each other, Aston Martin decided that a game of chicken with the regulators is the best compromise in hope that the ACO and IMSA will change their minds.
There’s another matter that explains the British automaker’s curiously petty decision, and that’s Formula 1. The regulations are going to change massively in 2021, the year when Racing Point will morph into the Aston Martin works team. Last, but certainly not least, the company’s financial situation isn’t all that great according to chief executive officer Andy Palmer himself.
Wait, what? After all that boasting about winning at Le Mans, the British automaker is inches away from canceling the project? According to a statement published today, Aston Martin isn’t happy with the LMDh prototype category that’s going to be harmonized with the hypercar class from 2021.
Here’s the kicker. “Aston Martin remains open to working with both organizations to find a suitable pathway for any future participation,” referring to the ACO that governs the FIA WEC and the International Motor Sports Association representing the WeatherTech Sportscar Championship.
The higher-ups at the Automobile Club de l’Ouest, FIA Endurance Commission, and FIA WEC aren’t exactly happy. Statements published on the Le Mans website may lead you into believing that everyone is trying to act nice in regard to Aston Martin, but that’s not exactly the case. Reading between the lines, the three parties appear to converge on Aston Martin’s fear of competing against the LMDh hybrid prototype racing cars.
The "Le Mans Daytona" h is more or less DPi 2.0 prototype regulations combined with LMP2 and Le Mans regulations. According to the ACO and IMSA, the top category of endurance racing in the FIA WEC will include both LMDh prototypes and Le Mans hypercars. Without regard to the balancing system that will keep the two categories competitive against each other, Aston Martin decided that a game of chicken with the regulators is the best compromise in hope that the ACO and IMSA will change their minds.
There’s another matter that explains the British automaker’s curiously petty decision, and that’s Formula 1. The regulations are going to change massively in 2021, the year when Racing Point will morph into the Aston Martin works team. Last, but certainly not least, the company’s financial situation isn’t all that great according to chief executive officer Andy Palmer himself.
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