Aston Martin, Toyota & ByKolles Commit to 2020 HyperCar Regulations

[Paul Jeffrey]

The new for 2020/21 'Le Man Endurance Hyper Car' rules have been confirmed - with key players already committing to the new top level endurance regulations.

Having seen a steady and sad decline of the LMP1 category of endurance racing in recent years, the Automobile Club de l'Ouest have confirmed the long known shift to new and exciting 'hyper car' regulations will indeed come into effect for the 2020/21 FIA WEC season and Le Mans 24 Hours - ushering in a new era of top level endurance racing.

Gone for the 2020/21 season will be the prototype category of racing, replaced by hypercar regulations that open the door for some seriously impressive racing machines derived from the awesome road going supercars currently built by a wide range of top tier manufacturers..

With the new regulations only formally announced today, already Aston Martin and Toyota have confirmed their participation in the first season of these cars, with ByKolles Racing also suggesting they will be present in the new top tier of endurance racing.

Aston Martin Valkyrie

Aston Martin Vice President and Chief Special Operations Officer, David King:

“The FIA World Endurance Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans represent the ultimate challenge for the Aston Martin Valkyrie – the world’s most extreme hypercar. Designed and built with the purpose of pushing boundaries on the road, it’s natural to conclude that the next stage in its development would be to measure its capabilities on the track. I can think of no better way to do that than to compete in a world championship and the most prestigious and famous race of all.”
​

Aston Martin Lagonda President and Group CEO, Andy Palmer:

“We have always said that we would one day bring Aston Martin back to Le Mans with the intention of going for the outright win when the time was right – now is that time. David Brown came here in 1959, with a car and a team of drivers capable of winning. We intend to do the same in 2021. The Aston Martin Valkyrie is primed for such a challenge and sits perfectly within the ACO’s new ‘hypercar’ rule framework. Bringing to bear all of our previous experience and knowledge of competing at the top levels of motorsport, we embark on this most ambitious project with the necessary ingredients for success. What could be more evocative than the wail of an Aston Martin V12 leading the charge into the night on the Mulsanne straight? ”
​

Toyota GR Super Sport

Shigeki Tomoyama, GAZOO Racing Company President:

“I am pleased to confirm that TOYOTA GAZOO Racing will continue its challenge in endurance racing beyond the current regulations. Thank you to the ACO and FIA for their hard work in finalising these regulations, which we hope will bring about a new golden age of endurance racing, with several manufacturers fighting for Le Mans and the FIA World Endurance Championship. For TOYOTA GAZOO Racing, this new era of competition is a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate our credentials not only as a race team against some of the best in the business, but also as a sportscar manufacturer. I am sure I join fans and competitors in welcoming the new regulations and looking forward to an exciting era of competition in WEC and at Le Mans.”
​

Alongside commitments from Aston Martin and Toyota, it is understood that current LMP1 privateer outfit ByKolles are also planning an assault on the series for the 2020/21 season, with the squad confirming they plan to sit out next year in order to focus preparations of the new car.

All told, this is excellent news for the WEC and Le Mans, and a much needed boost to the series that has seen progressively more manufacturers pull out of the category in the last few years - potential endangering one of the few remaining top level endurance championships in the world.

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[BrettSinclair1]

Another series decided by Balance of Performance. It is great to see at least two teams in the top class at Le Mans again.
But is there no space in this world for a series - outside of F1 - where a team builts the best car and is not penalised for being the best at their job?
Series with BoP are pure show rather than pure sport.

 

[Alex Townsend]

My take is that BoP allows closer racing and brings other teams and drivers into the mix during race weekends. It also spices up the championship fight, as more drivers are in contention for more points. The BTCC have done it for years and it's one of the closest, unpredictable series out there currently.
People running away with championships in the first half of the year due to having more budget and resources isn't really that much fun to watch on track as a spectator...
All imho of course.

 

[T04STY]

Another series decided by Balance of Performance. It is great to see at least two teams in the top class at Le Mans again.
But is there no space in this world for a series - outside of F1 - where a team builts the best car and is not penalised for being the best at their job?
Series with BoP are pure show rather than pure sport.

And you would end up with the same mess you're having right now. Privateers unable to compete, factory teams dominating, costs exploding. What's the point.

 

[Nick Hill]

These cars look rad.

As far as BoP, I dunno what to say - racing just isn't what it used to be, at some point I think you just have to be thankful we've got something to watch.

Without BoP, you have an expensive arms race with one or, if you're lucky, two teams beating everyone else's brains out while the fans all bitch about being bored. I just described F1! (And I'm an F1 fan, so I'm allowed to say this )

Manufacturers, investors, teams - they want no part of this. So, you create a series with BoP and hope teams/fans show up.

 

[antirussia81]

"ByKolles are also planning an assault on the series for the 2020/21 season"
Toto Wolf may soon receive some very disturbing email with a demand to reveal the
Mercedes-AMG F1 M10 EQ Power+ design plans...

 

[Knoxstar]

I think some of the comments are spot on with regard to BoP. With it there will be less of an inclination to sell the country to finance the team. It's salary cap of a sort without enforcing one. I'm curious how the prototype vs. supercar will play out as Toyota have already said they'll build a prototype. Would one be cheaper? Building a new prototype gives you freedom in design/aero that a homologated supercar won't have unless car companies are building it with Le Mans in mind.

 

[bosco lam]

Behold...the New Era of Le mans...
Hypercars!!!!

Soooooo excited!!!!!!!

 

[liby88]

just can get better in the fastest class

 

[Sky]

meh

 

[AngryWolfCorey]

So does this mean boutique outfits like Koenigsegg or Glickenhaus might be able to enter a car?

 

[ATSSHD]

Another series decided by Balance of Performance. It is great to see at least two teams in the top class at Le Mans again.
But is there no space in this world for a series - outside of F1 - where a team builts the best car and is not penalised for being the best at their job?
Series with BoP are pure show rather than pure sport.

Why you hate bop? It adjusts everything needed. Look at the Blancpain GT, almost everyone can win, and the whole filed is really really tight. Amazing races all the time.

 

[Brownninja97]

Rebellion and SCG have also commited to joining which is great.

 

[Matt Y]

Why are prototypes and road cars competing in the same class?

 

[Eckhart von Glan]

... Look at the Blancpain GT, almost everyone can win, and the whole filed is really really tight. Amazing races all the time.

Yep, but if one can come up with stronger cars as tightly bunched as Blancpain GT3 cars, one might run into some serious safety issues. Already those GT3 cars behave like touring cars at times and it is really scary, and personally, I don't want to see three of those hypercars going down the straight side by side. receipe for disaster.

 

[falster]

Why are prototypes and road cars competing in the same class?

Did you even read it?

 

[bastien berraho]

So does this mean boutique outfits like Koenigsegg or Glickenhaus might be able to enter a car?

yes the last tweet form glickenhaus :
Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus‏ @Glickenhaus 21 hil y a 21 heures
We welcome the final @FIAWEC Hypercar Rules. After our 8th 24 race @nuerburgring we’ll gear up for the WEC 2020/21 season. We welcome @AMR_Official and we invite any and all other manufacturers of hypercars to join too. For us, if it can’t race for 24 Hours, it’s not that hyper.

 

[AccAkut]

Well for Glickenhaus the initial aim was always Le Mans, the 24h Nür was just the first playground that let him use his cars in competition (and over the last 8 years he sure grew to become a part of it).

 

[PuRe_AdDicT]

At least BoP will keep MB dominance away.

 

[Fat-Alfie]

I agree that BoP might make for closer racing, but am I the only person who feels that a victory only when the opposition have been hindered is somewhat of a hollow victory?

I want to see one manufacturer become dominant and rise above the others, but I would then love to see the other teams catch up fairly, through hard work and determination, rather than artificially through BoP.

I guess that's when costs start to spiral out of control, though