Bon Voyage LMP1...Bonjour LMPH!
The 2020 and 88th running of Le Mans and this time in COVID-19 guise (Mask included). The 250,000 + army of fanatical religious disciples that usually descend upon the Loir Valley in every conceivable mode of transport including an ambulance the time I was there, missing and reduced to watching parts of the race from the discomfort of their own home, taking camera phone shots of their TVs and tagging their favourite drivers on Instagram (I should know as I was one of them). It, however, is the last time we’ll see the running of the LMP1 category which is now officially heading quickly into retirement. Don’t think we’ll see them on Gumtree, however. They’ve been given the boot to make way for the new Hyper Class called ‘LMPH’ with the ACO (The Dudes that make the rules) deciding that a change is needed, opting for cars that are closer to their road-going versions compared to the space ships the LMP1 category has fielded.
Full disclosure, this has been a long time coming. First Audi pulled the plug on their efforts then Porsche left the party with their 919, leaving Toyota in a weird situation where it was always theirs to lose and boy, did they come close a few times too. They may have won the gruelling test 3 times since but without much competition. Strangely though, 2016 was the contest the fans deserved despite the gut-wrenching heartbreak of that last lap drama. I may have shed a tear either for that or that I was going to miss my flight to Barcelona that day or was it a 51:49 split between both events. I digress.
‘LMPH’, brothers & sisters, has arrived and the promise is sincere and there’s a few things you should know as we move through this transition moment. The previous top tier was expensive. We’re talking “200-million-dollars-per-annum-in-some-cases” expensive. And if you haven’t caught on by now, motorsport has been largely a customer lead endeavour. If you don’t believe me, remove all but the factory teams in any series and see what’s left? Forget the fact that the Volkswagen group are pulling out of fossil fuel racing at every apex. This rule change is said to result in a quarter of the current costs or at least that is what the aim is. Still Rules me out though.
How’s this for a cruel twist in the tail? Rotary engines will be allowed back for the first time since 1992. Ask me for my opinion in a dark alley at night and I’ll tell you that it’s bittersweet for Mazda who after being banned from the party all this time, are eventually told that they’re cool enough for the party now. Will they dust off the saki stained blueprints for the 767B and take the bait? We hope so.
But hey, this is 2020 which has proved to be one of those years where anything is possible and nothing is questioned. If this sees an injection of excitement as promising as what the hyper class could produce then we’re in for a bumpy but good time and as motorsport fans, this is something we deserve.
Whether or not this is the resurgence of super road-going GT1 class and the reason for many grown men to be reduced to tears even still today, I certainly hold high hope in the merit of such sentiment. But like everything, ideas are horrible and execution is everything. So let’s wish them luck and hope for the best.
If you haven’t seen the class of 2021/22 then let’s get you acquainted…
