[LM24] Le Mans 2018 Entry List Speculation

[Mike E]

Oh boy, I get to start this thread really stupidly early this year.

JDC-Miller Motorsports are looking to enter the big race next year as one of IMSA's nominated invitational entries. With the possibility of some ELMS or WEC action before that.

http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/j...debut-in-2018/

[Hawkwood]

Is it to early to start getting excited?!


I hope JDC-Miller do get the entry (which looks almost a certainty as they're the only full-season entrant that's applicable for that particular pize) - always good to see new teams entering.

[Pilgrimage]

So, No Porsche, no Audi - after this year's "almost" for an LMP2 surely some manufacturer will want to get a piece of glory/ history books. If not we could see a privateer Ginetta win!
Clutching at straws here, but anyone got any rays of hope for LMP1?
Invites for DPis?
I suppose LM GTE Pro does still look good...

[Simmi]

Rolling out the red carpet for the DPis and all those manufacturers would be awesome but I just can't see it happening. The ACO need to make some quick decisions.

[Pilgrimage]

Originally Posted by Simmi

Rolling out the red carpet for the DPis and all those manufacturers would be awesome but I just can't see it happening. The ACO need to make some quick decisions.

Agreed. They need to get some stability back and a marquee signing otherwise a lot of people will decide to miss 2018.


Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

[Aysedasi]

Originally Posted by Pilgrimage

Agreed. They need to get some stability back and a marquee signing otherwise a lot of people will decide to miss 2018.

More fool them, more space for me.......

[GT6]

After watching the spa 24 hour today, the volume of VAG cars and factory expense was silly, Audi, porsche, lambo and bentley and all this from a company embroiled in the biggest scandal in motor car history. So cuts to the racing programmes are obviously going to happen. Not sure why porsche would go o formula e, not sure any car buyer would look at that for reasons to buy a car.

[Mike E]

Originally Posted by GT6

After watching the spa 24 hour today, the volume of VAG cars and factory expense was silly, Audi, porsche, lambo and bentley and all this from a company embroiled in the biggest scandal in motor car history. So cuts to the racing programmes are obviously going to happen. Not sure why porsche would go o formula e, not sure any car buyer would look at that for reasons to buy a car.

But those are customer cars that teams have bought. How many R8s has Audi sold? 150? Not the same as running an LMP1 team.

[Akrapovic]

Originally Posted by GT6

After watching the spa 24 hour today, the volume of VAG cars and factory expense was silly, Audi, porsche, lambo and bentley and all this from a company embroiled in the biggest scandal in motor car history. So cuts to the racing programmes are obviously going to happen. Not sure why porsche would go o formula e, not sure any car buyer would look at that for reasons to buy a car.

These are customer programs that turn a profit. They have works support, but these are cars that have been sold to customers. The Lamborghini is a heavily modified Audi R8 too - same engine in those cars.

They run races like Spa so they can sell these cars to rich businessmen who want to race. There are well over 200 Audi R8 LMS in the wild now. Similarly, there are over 100 RS3 TCR cars as well. The GT3 R8 sells for about $450,000...that's a lot of money.

[Pilgrimage]

Pure speculation but McLaren branded their last hypercar (P1LM) with LM and made quite a bit of a PR song and dance about it. Could this lead to a GTE entry?

[GTfour]

Funny to see this thread still being so slow. Concerning all the turbulence around WEC and it's future.

I for one dought the fact Toyota is even gonna enter next year. They'll never allowe their cars to be pegged back so much that a half a million car could beat them.

[Aysedasi]

Very nearly beat a Porsche this year!

[Mike E]

At the risk of cursing the class, only GTE Pro has any sort of certainty about it.

2 cars each from Aston, BMW, Chevy, Ferrari, Ford and Porsche seems nailed on.
Maybe the extra two cars from Ford, and maybe someone like Risi again.

LMP1 is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.
Anything and anyone could turn up in LMP2.
Similar for GTE Am, although Proton should have at least two new 911s on the grid.

[canaglia]

Originally Posted by Mike E

At the risk of cursing the class, only GTE Pro has any sort of certainty about it.

2 cars each from Aston, BMW, Chevy, Ferrari, Ford and Porsche seems nailed on.
Maybe the extra two cars from Ford, and maybe someone like Risi again.

LMP1 is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.
Anything and anyone could turn up in LMP2.
Similar for GTE Am, although Proton should have at least two new 911s on the grid.

very likely there will be more than 2 official porsches at le mans, surely the usual 4 ford army. Good chances for risi, who knows if finally larbre will grid for real a semi-official corvette in gtpro.

Lmp1 I expect toyota 2x o 3x (if they decide to keep on staying, aiming to lose twice 24H of le mans in a season) smp dallara and maybe one or two ginetta.

[Simmi]

Originally Posted by GTfour

Funny to see this thread still being so slow. Concerning all the turbulence around WEC and it's future.

I think most WEC fans are still hiding behind the sofa haha.

There must be so much going on behind the scenes at the moment.

In the weirdest way, a small part of me wouldn't mind if Toyota did leave. Literally rip the whole thing down and start again, rather than trying and failing to balance the technologies. That would certainly make for a more intriguing battle and hopefully encourage a couple more entries out of the woodwork.

I guess if Peugeot are coming then it would be nice to see Toyota there to greet them. But it just feels like a bit much to ask for a company, especially one so snakebit at Le Mans.

[Simmi]

Originally Posted by canaglia

very likely there will be more than 2 official porsches at le mans

Well done sir.

http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/p...r-24h-le-mans/

[GTfour]

Originally Posted by Simmi

I think most WEC fans are still hiding behind the sofa haha.

There must be so much going on behind the scenes at the moment.

In the weirdest way, a small part of me wouldn't mind if Toyota did leave. Literally rip the whole thing down and start again, rather than trying and failing to balance the technologies. That would certainly make for a more intriguing battle and hopefully encourage a couple more entries out of the woodwork.

I guess if Peugeot are coming then it would be nice to see Toyota there to greet them. But it just feels like a bit much to ask for a company, especially one so snakebit at Le Mans.

You're so right there.

I guess it'll come to a gaggle of LMP1-L's against the Toyota's, who'll ofcourse cairy far more oomph no matter what BOP the ACO is planning to come up with. I'd love to see the new Acura LMP2 in LMP1-L tune. Or the Mazda, for that matter.

In my 22 years whitnessing this race, I've never seen a more uncertain and in mystery shrouded Le Mans 24 hours.

Interesting times.

[Aysedasi]

It takes me back to the early 90s when Ecclestone and Balestre tried to exert control with engine reg changes and forced chicanes on the Mulsanne. I've no real idea what is going on and until the ACO decide what they're going to do with/to Toyota and Toyota decide whether to tell them to stuff it, I agree - we haven't really got any idea about what we'll be watching next June.

[Victor_RO]

I dare say that as long as the event continues, most of us here would still go and watch whatever was out there on track.

(Heresy incoming: personally, I'd keep watching even if it went full electric/driverless...)

[Aysedasi]

I'll certainly be there Victor! Electric, maybe, as long as the spectacle on track was still up to it. Driverless? No, I'd draw the line at that......

[PascaLM]

Originally Posted by Aysedasi

I'll certainly be there Victor! Electric, maybe, as long as the spectacle on track was still up to it. Driver? No, I'd draw the line at that......

Ha, Andrew is changing his point of view about electric powered cars at Le Mans.
By the way, the Chinese government is close to decide to stop the production and sells of petrol cars. No date is announced yet but this will cause a worldwide revolution A full electric starting grid is now possible.

The Le Mans Classic will remain, fortunately.

[GT6]

What Governments say and do are very rarely the same thing, China is probably one of the lest able to provide electric power as vast swaths of the country have no connection to a national grid for electric power. Also one only has to look at the proposals from all of those countries and none ban petrol just force them to include hybrid technology. Change is coming yes but i doubt it will ever be what politicians grasping for the pc vote will ever predict.

[Mike E]

I am going to speculate that we will see at least two Ginettas on the grid in 2018.

http://www.dailysportscar.com/2017/1...lmp1-cars.html

[Mike E]

More auto entries confirmed after last weekend's ELMS and Le Mans Cup action.

http://www.dailysportscar.com/2017/1...ms-finale.html

[Pilgrimage]

Toyota seem to have given an indication that the December announcement will be positive re staying in LMP1 too.