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Le Mans 2022 – Hypercar and GTE Pro Balance of Performance Controversy?

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The 90th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans had on paper a cynically predictable result, Toyota won overall, and Porsche won the Pro GT class, but can we say they ‘given’ the result? Since the Equivalence of Technology (EoT) and now Balance of Performance (BoP) eras, parameters defining performance before the event are determined shrouded in secrecy within the ACO headquarters, so they need the fans to trust their decisions. With the complaints of competitors and little to no explanation from the ACO for these adjustments it’s a struggle for the integrity of the championship/24h of Le Mans. Zac  McGowan I can’t comment on the BoP parameters leading up to an event without sophisticated simulation software, but thanks to the lap time data from Alkamel Systems we can look at the results after each round to shine a light on trends, and if it can be improved. Performance parameters adjusted can be car weight, max engine power and stint maximum allowed energy/fuel. For the cars with front
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FIA WEC Season 10: Hypercar Balance of Performance Baseline Comments

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Sebring saw a heavy-handed shift in Balance of Performance, something still rather new to the top class of the world championship. Despite seeing some races with remarkably similar average lap times, the previous season only one chassis winning races, the Toyota GR010, highlighting how poor over a race distance the system was implemented. Previously we have explored why this is happening, how the Alpine cannot fit the fuel energy it is given in the BoP in the car, and proposed options for the series to improve the racing. So, how did Alpine turn it around with such a win?! BoP Baseline Changes It appeared leading up to the race that these calls for action from last season were heeded; Toyota had their GR010s with 30kg added, and 11MegaJoules removed from the stint energy allowance since last season as the baseline Balance of Performance. But much more importantly their hybrid system couldn’t be deployed below 190kph – previously it was 120kph (in dry and 150 for wet tyre running). This
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8H Portimao – Can Hypercar Balance of Performance Convince OEMs on the Fence to Join?

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Portimao saw an update to the Balance of Performance (BoP), the algorithms hopefully learning from the race data at Spa Francorchamps. We also had the introduction of the SCG007 LMH to the Hypercar top class, a challenger to join the Toyota GR010 LMH and Alpine A480 LMP1. How did it perform and where did it sit relative to the intended performance window?  This article will discuss some points around the BoP at Portimao with reflection of what we had in the LMP1 era, but also the look forward into what this means for the Hypercar class into a new era. The SCG007 is Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus’ challenger in FIA WEC, powered by a twin-turbo Pipo Moteurs V8 (derived from their inline 4 rally unit). Podium Technologies have designed and developed the car from the ground up mirroring previous entries in the Nürburgring 24 Hours, although this time the entry is run by the formidable name of Joest Racing, no strangers to Sarthois soil. This round was still a ‘soft opening’ of running one
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Striking Gold With A Silver - Sportscar Amateur Driver Rankings

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- A Discussion on FIA WEC Spa Francorchamps Amateur Driver Analysis Sportscars has a rich history with amateur ‘Gentleman Drivers’ taking their cars racing; originally being a sport for the wealthy taking their new toys across Europe to go racing. Despite the sport becoming more competitive and focused around professional teams and drivers at the top of the rankings the Amateurs remained. There has been and will always be a route for anyone with the means to take part in the top Sportscar races like Le Mans and Daytona – most likely sharing a car with professionals. How is this Pro-Am format regulated however? First off, how do you classify an Amateur Driver? You could theoretically have a multimillionaire paying for the car and team around them, who also is in their own right driving at a professional standard. They’re amateurs, paying their way to a drive, right? This would be unfair to the spirit of the inclusivity of Gentleman Drivers; who would spend the big money to race at a wor
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A New Era Under BoP - How Balanced was the Hypercar Debut?

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A new era dawned at the FIA WEC 6 Hours of Spa Francorchamps; not only did we see a new category get christened along with the next-gen regulations for car design, but also a shift to Balance of Performance (BoP) being used in Prototype racing alongside GTE. It is a paradigm shift in the way to run a sportscars world championship – gone are the days of an EoT principle, being given for example an allowance of energy and trying to get the most out of it with your car. If you got more than the opponents, then you have earned an advantage on race day and deserved it, right?! Freedom to develop is costly, and when unconstrained it allows for a spending war that only ever increases cost as each tenth of a second per lap becomes more expensive to find the faster a car gets. Cautious OEMs are unwilling to join this spending war despite wanting to do sportscars, and those taking part grow dissatisfied with the costs, so grid sizes are at risk of collapse. It is clear a change was needed, so wh
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