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 10th July.
On 11th June 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 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.
