Ginetta Announce LMP1 Car for 2018 WEC

[Paul Jeffrey]

The British Ginetta sportscar brand have announced their intention to design and build an LMP1 World Endurance Championship specification prototype in readiness for the 2018 FIA WEC season.

With a strong pedigree in many disciplines of motorsport, not least of which is founding member status of the LMP3 classification launched in 2015, the Leeds based marque have confirmed today that they intend to produce a minimum of 10 customer specification chassis built to the new LMP1 regulations. With a strong in house design team already, the manufacturer have also confirmed they have enlisted the aid of technical genius Adrian Reynard to lead aerodynamic development and Paolo Catone, who previously designed the Le Mans winning Peugeot 908, will also be heavily involved in Ginetta LMP1 design.

Ginetta have confirmed the new LMP1 machine will be designed and built entirely from scratch, with interest in the new machine expected to be high amongst both its existing customer base and teams looking to step up to the premier class of prototype endurance racing. It has been rumoured that current G57 customers PRT Racing and ARC Bratislava are already showing an interest, with testing due to begin shortly after this years showcase 24 hour race at Le Mans in June.

“I’m hugely thankful to the ACO for the opportunity to run at the front and challenge for overall podiums" said Ginetta Chairman Lawrence Tomlinson.

"The Ginetta design team’s ability has already been proven by the class dominating Ginetta LMP3 and G57. With Adrian and Paolo on board, the performance of the Ginetta LMP1 is going to be amazing. We are now offering a genuine ladder for our customers all the way from first race to Le Mans which is incredibly exciting for me.”​

Ginetta has further confirmed they are in advanced talks with engine supplier MECACHROME as well as gearbox manufacturers Xtrac for the drive train. The car will be around 60kg lighter than a P2 and have up to 200BHP more. Accompanied with the huge downforce that their new aerodynamic team will develop, Ginetta is confident this will be a class-leading car.

Pierre Fillon, ACO President had the following to say on todays announcement:

“More great news for endurance racing! Ginetta has proven its expertise in creating successful high performance chassis in G57 and Ginetta LMP3 categories and entering LMP1, the top tier category of endurance racing, appears now to be an obvious move for Ginetta as it moves forward. The valued expertise of Ginetta’s partners for this programme is also very promising for the 2018 FIA World Endurance Championship.”​

With the World Endurance Championship struggling somewhat in the wake of Audi Sport withdrawing at the end of the previous season, the announcement will no doubt come as a boost to the championship as they look to increase participation in an LMP1 class that looks to contain just Porsche and Toyota for 2017.

Ginetta will not be running a factory team but will be looking to build ten chassis to support three, two-car teams run by customers.

You can catch more FIA World Endurance Championship news and discussions by visiting our WEC sub forum right here at RaceDepartment. Pop over and get yourself in on the conversation today!

Are you happy to see Ginetta step up their design capacity and create a vehicle for the LMP1 class in WEC? How do you think the car will fare against works teams such as Porsche and Toyota? Let us know in the comments section below!

 

[Vincent.C]

With the World Endurance Championship struggling somewhat in the wake of Audi Sport withdrawing at the end of the previous season, the announcement will no doubt come as a boost to the championship as they look to increase participation in an LMP1 class that looks to contain just Porsche and Toyota for 2017.

Ginetta will not be running a factory team but will be looking to build ten chassis to support three, two-car teams run by customers.

Are you sure LMP1 "just" contain Porsche and Toyota in 2017 ? Where are Rebelion and CLM ?
As Ginetta will not be running a factory team, they will challenge Rebelion and CLM, nor Porsche and Toyota, i'm wrong ?

But it's a good news. We need more and more LMP1 cars. So sad for Audi :/

 

[TheReaper GT]

Ginetta is a bold and very true to their goes company. Their products are reliable and beloved by anyone who ever came in contact with them. I have a friend who owns two GT4 G55's in the US and he absolutely love those things. I assume the car will not be an hybrid, so will compete only with Rebellion (R-One AER) and Bykolles (CLM P1/01 AER). It's a very good move for the sport, though....

 

[Ole Marius Myrvold]

Are you sure LMP1 "just" contain Porsche and Toyota in 2017 ? Where are Rebelion and CLM ?
As Ginetta will not be running a factory team, they will challenge Rebelion and CLM, nor Porsche and Toyota, i'm wrong ?

But it's a good news. We need more and more LMP1 cars. So sad for Audi :/

Rebellion are in LMP2, they didn't want to be in a class with just 1 opponent. ByKolles... well, he'll probably be able to show up and take the title this year, but afaik, nothing is announced.

 

[Andrew Harper]

Unless they change their mind there will be only one LMP1 Privateer in '17 (Bykolles CLM) Rebellion left LMP1 at the end of the year.

Yes it's aimed at privateers, but I'm slightly worried about the costs for this. Rebellion were spending millions and that's why they stepped back to LMP2. If the sums are done right then a field of maybe five privateer LMP1's would be great.

But please ACO call it something else like LMP-H for the top cars and LMP-1 for the privateers (don't shoot me just an idea). The viewers at Silverstone when I went last April were getting confused thinking all of the LMP1's were in the same category when of course they simply aren't. They are casually referred to as works and privateer and I feel they should be classed that way.

 

[Andy 'Mars Bar' Graham]

But please ACO call it something else like LMP-H for the top cars and LMP-1 for the privateers (don't shoot me just an idea). The viewers at Silverstone when I went last April were getting confused thinking all of the LMP1's were in the same category when of course they simply aren't. They are casually referred to as works and privateer and I feel they should be classed that way.

I'm pretty sure the Privateers have their own championship, but race as an LMP1 entrant like Porsche and Toyota. So they kind of have their own class?

 

[Grand Tourist]

Are you sure LMP1 "just" contain Porsche and Toyota in 2017 ? Where are Rebelion and CLM ?
As Ginetta will not be running a factory team, they will challenge Rebelion and CLM, nor Porsche and Toyota, i'm wrong ?

But it's a good news. We need more and more LMP1 cars. So sad for Audi :/

Having doubts too about the potential of the car...I dont read any hybrid implementation? Sure fabric makes Toyota and Porsche will profit from their experience and fabric perks. Though I encourage new teams in LMP1 and love a Ginetta design every time they introduce one, I can not but be sceptical about its potential. Is LMP1 going to be divided into class Hybrides and class Fuel or is this already a fact? Surely one cant call them competitive.
Hoping the Ginetta will be a stronger new kid on the block than Nissan's experimental failure. The car certainly looks dashing

 

[Andrew Harper]

I'm pretty sure the Privateers have their own championship, but race as an LMP1 entrant like Porsche and Toyota. So they kind of have their own class?

Yes they do but I find it slightly frustrating as I feel that it would be better for new fans of the sport if the two types of car were classified separately rather than together under the LMP1 banner. I agree it's only a small point but just one that I feel would help people understand the differences more between the cars

 

[Lorenzo Bonder]

What a purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrdy looking car peeeeeeeelopes!

 

[Andrew Harper]

Having doubts too about the potential of the car...I dont read any hybrid implementation? Sure fabric makes Toyota and Porsche will profit from their experience and fabric perks. Though I encourage new teams in LMP1 and love a Ginetta design every time they introduce one, I can not but be sceptical about its potential. Is LMP1 going to be divided into class Hybrides and class Fuel or is this already a fact? Surely one cant call them competitive.
Hoping the Ginetta will be a stronger new kid on the block than Nissan's experimental failure. The car certainly looks dashing

Yes, Ginetta are trying to be financially viable with this project. It's not a works effort as such. They supply the chassis, up to the team to supply the engine. That way Ginetta are not putting themselves at financial risk.

Yes the LMP1 category is split between Hybrid and non-hybrid but are still classified under the same type of car (hence my point above )

I seriously doubt Porsche or Toyota will share engines, there's just too much they want to keep secret with those powerplants.

 

[Vincent.C]

Having doubts too about the potential of the car...I dont read any hybrid implementation? Sure fabric makes Toyota and Porsche will profit from their experience and fabric perks. Though I encourage new teams in LMP1 and love a Ginetta design every time they introduce one, I can not but be sceptical about its potential. Is LMP1 going to be divided into class Hybrides and class Fuel or is this already a fact? Surely one cant call them competitive.
Hoping the Ginetta will be a stronger new kid on the block than Nissan's experimental failure. The car certainly looks dashing

Nissan car engaged on Le Mans was not the fastest car but it had a "perfect" and "quiet" air-conditoning system!

Edit: ty, i did not know that Rebellion left LMP1.

 

[Andrew Harper]

Edit: ty, i did not know that Rebellion left LMP1.

Yes it was surprise to a lot of people and a shame as their car package was very quick. However I think they were spending so much that they decided to take a step down rather than go into financial meltdown and I totally understand that (and admire them for it).

 

[Grand Tourist]

Yes, Ginetta are trying to be financially viable with this project. It's not a works effort as such. They supply the chassis, up to the team to supply the engine. That way Ginetta are not putting themselves at financial risk.

Yes the LMP1 category is split between Hybrid and non-hybrid but are still classified under the same type of car (hence my point above )

I seriously doubt Porsche or Toyota will share engines, there's just too much they want to keep secret with those powerplants.

So depending on the team acquiring the chassis, we might see different engines/hybrides of that same Ginetta model?

 

[Vincent.C]

Racing costs are unbelievably huge in LMP1. I have already read figures like that:
- Porsche are rumored to have spent between $100m-$120m (they had to build a wind tunnel and a building just for the LMP program at Weissach)
- Audi €70m
- Toyota more than €50m

About LMP2 and GTE, I read 3 to 5 million $ per car so it's safe to go down on LMP2 (even if I imagine Rebellion don't spend money like Hybrid monster brands).

 

[Andrew Harper]

So depending on the team acquiring the chassis, we might see different engines/hybrides of that same Ginetta model?

Rebellion were using AER twin turbo engines so those may become available, before that they were using customer Toyota N/A engines so those could make a return as well. The one possibility is this could open up the likes of a manufacturer dipping their toes into WEC by being an engine supplier first. Peugeot maybe, Mazda making a comeback, maybe even Honda? I think I also read somewhere about JUDD again but I could be wrong. The n/a rules are technically much easier to create engines for than the hybrids which are obviously very complex (and costly).

 

[Deleted member 130869]

Great news, best of luck to them! I'm skeptical of Mecachrome and X-Trac but we'll see.

 

[fortyfivekev]

Lots of talk recently about hybrids either being standardised or dropped completely from LMP1 by 2020 because the development cost is stopping new entrants from coming in. Peugeot often being mentioned as an example.

Lawrence Tomlinson is a smart guy, maybe he just wants to position Ginetta for a new ruleset in the future or maybe he just wants to drive his own car in the top class at Le Mans?

 

[Riblo]

LMP1 is going the same route as GT1...
Amazing cars but costa were insane and if you dont have the media visibility of F1 it's a mess...

I wish the best to Ginetta but i think they should enter in LMP2 and let the LMP1 die in peace...

 

[TheReaper GT]

LMP1 is going the same route as GT1...
Amazing cars but costa were insane and if you dont have the media visibility of F1 it's a mess...

I wish the best to Ginetta but i think they should enter in LMP2 and let the LMP1 die in peace...

I think this program is a study case to attack multiple prototype customers at the same time... Ginetta is huge in the US and this car could be a good base for a DPi customer program.

 

[Andrew Harper]

Lots of talk recently about hybrids either being standardised or dropped completely from LMP1 by 2020 because the development cost is stopping new entrants from coming in. Peugeot often being mentioned as an example.

Yeah I'm kind of torn slightly, the current LMP1 Hybrids are amazing rocket ships and although their looks are slightly love it or hate it I love the way LMP1 is at the moment.

If it comes to the point though that the ACO and FIA have to get rid of the hybrids to keep the category alive then that's what has to be done. My only worry is that the manufacturers will want small capacity turbos (like their road cars). Whereas what I really want is 3.5litre V10's...

In an ideal world we would get to the stage of customer cars again and that would be back to the Group C type of era, the fact that Ginetta are offering this chassis is a bit of a lifeline and will hopefully bolster the grids over the coming years.