After a break of 50 years, Ferrari is returning to top level endurance racing with a hybrid prototype race car. The 499P is a car that will be used in the World Endurance Championship in the year 2023.
Prototype racing is going to be an exciting time for fans of the sport. After LMP1h collapsed under the weight of unsustainable budgets, the top class of the World Endurance Championship has spent a few years in the shadows. The Automobile Club de l'Ouest has a new ruleset that is designed to attract the interest of manufacturers by keeping costs low.
It's doing well so far. This year saw Toyota first to LMH, followed by boutique manufacturer Glickenhaus, and then the new 9X8 from Peugeot, which is still not sporting a rear wing, ahead of a full campaign in three years' time. None of those brands have the same magic asFerrari. Even though it hasn't won LeMans in 50 years, it still has more overall wins than any other team.
AdvertisementThe fact that the new ruleset has brought Ferrari back to the sport means it should be considered a success already, though the Formula 1 cost cap may have played a part.
There is a new ruleset for hybrid prototype endurance race cars written for the International Motor Sports Association's championship here in North America called LMDh.
LMDh is more proscriptive, and each automaker is required to use one of four approved carbon fibers as their starting point, and the gearbox, electric motor, and battery are all spec components. The cars are more similar to the ones you might find in a showroom because of the less reliance on aerodynamic downforce. New cars from BMW, Acura, and Cadillac raced in 2023. In favor of a Formula 1 program, the return of AUDI has been put on hold.
Both LMH and LMDh cars are allowed to enter their races, with performance balancing to ensure as level a playing field as possible, because of the two competing sets of sports car regulations.
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