WEC: IMSA and ACO launch the common LMDh category

Endurance fans had been dreaming about it since the late 1980s. The ACO and IMSA have made it a reality. The organizers of the World Endurance Championship (WEC) and the North American Championship (WTSCC) have reached an agreement to launch a common platform for the top tier of endurance racing (the equivalent of LMP1 today) starting in 2022.

What are we talking about?

Specifically, this decision will allow the same car to compete in both the WEC and the WTSCC, similar to what is currently done in GT. The platform will materialize with the creation of the LMDh category (Le Mans Daytona h). It will include the new generation of Dpi, cars running in the WTSCC, and the Hypercars, the future top category of the WEC. The cars will be built on the basis of a new common chassis, inspired by the Le Mans Hypercar and LMP2, constructed by one of the four current LMP2 manufacturers: Dallara, Ligier, Multimatic, and Oreca, the statement specifies. This chassis will also be used for the new generation of LMP2. The car will be equipped with a common hybrid system on the rear axle, of the KERS type. Its silhouette and design will be modified and developed according to the identity, the signature of the manufacturer that will power this car.

A balance of performance will be used to equalize the chances between the cars. The implementation will begin in September 2021 at the opening of the WEC season, and continue in January 2022 at the start of the IMSA championship. “It’s a tremendous achievement for Endurance. This long-term sports and marketing vision, which is quite rare, will offer many opportunities,” commented Pierre Fillon, president of the ACO.

Why is it historic?

For the first time since 1991 and the end of Group C, the triple crown of endurance racing (24 hours of Le Mans, 24 hours of Daytona, and 12 hours of Sebring) will be accessible to the same car, through its entry in both WEC and IMSA. “Proposing a common platform to have a top category evolving at an international level has always been a goal for our entities, our manufacturers and, most importantly, for all endurance fans worldwide, especially in the long term,” according to John Doonan, general manager of IMSA.

Indeed, it was the secret hope of endurance fans that had become over time and with stillborn projects only an unattainable dream.

After a complete separation in 1991, IMSA and the ACO came closer under the initiative of Don Panoz in 1998 to create the American Le Mans Series. The championship allowed the top contenders of the 24 Hours of Le Mans (BMW then Audi, then Peugeot) to compete in the 12 Hours of Sebring. Daytona was held in a separate championship. The agreement survived the early days of the WEC before everything collapsed at the end of 2013. IMSA launched its championship with Daytona and Sebring, which were inaccessible to WEC cars. Only the GT category survived this disagreement.

We entered a Cold War until a first rapprochement in 2016. The ACO-badged LMP2s became eligible for the IMSA championship. And finally, the idea of the hypercar and the new generation of Dpi provided the opportunity for a common platform. In 2022, the ACO and IMSA will therefore host three common categories: the LMDh, the GTE-Pro or GTLM, and the LMP2. In principle, only the amateur category will remain different, with the GTE-Am in the WEC and GTD in IMSA.