Photo : OLIVIER BEROUD / VISION SPORT AG 

 

A few years back it was the poor relation in endurance with few cars at the finish, and those that saw the flag were way down the time sheets. However, the ACO’s policy with regulations frozen for several years has boosted the LM P2 category’s reputation. Thanks to capped costs it attracts constructors with limited budgets, and with 20 starters it will be the biggest category in the 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours.

The aim of the baby prototype category is to allow amateurs to enjoy themselves, and to give young drivers the opportunity to hone their skills before the most talented among them move up to join the ranks of the works drivers. While LM P1 is the category reserved for professionals, LM P2 puts the emphasis on amateurs as there must be at least one in each line-up. Mixing professionals and gentlemen drivers has always been part of the Le Mans legend.

The specification of the LM P2s is similar to that of the P1s (carbon monocoque chassis) while respecting very strict cost caps: new chassis at 370,000 euros for open cars and 450,000 euros for closed prototypes, while the engine price has been capped at 80,350 euros. In 2015 four engines (Nissan, Honda, Judd and Sard) are available as well as numerous chassis (Alpine, BR, Gibson, HPD, Ligier, Morgan Oreca and Strakka Dome) so there’s room for many permutations.

This year, as is the case in all the other categories to limit costs, the number of tyres allocated for the Le Mans 24 Hours has been restricted to seven sets (rain tyres not included), two front and two rear for free practice, qualifying and the warm-up, and 16 sets for the race itself, plus four extra tyres over the whole event in case of extra time.

To limit engine costs their number is fixed, except in special cases, for the whole season. Thus the entrants in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) are allowed three engines while in the European Le Mans Series this number is reduced to two. The other entrants in the Le Mans 24 hours will have to make do with a single engine for the whole event.  

Cécile Bonardel/ACO 
Translation by David Waldron