Postponed by three months due to the health crisis, the start of the 88th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans will be given this Saturday at 2:30 p.m. (France 3) in the Sarthe.
In front of empty stands and behind closed doors, the two Toyotas will be big favorites to offer the brand a third consecutive coronation against sparse competition.
Only three private team prototypes will attempt to replicate the TS050 Hybrids.
Five competitors and a single factory team for the premier class (LMP1): the platform deserted by Audi (2016) then Porsche (2017), has never seemed so light.
To breathe new life into a discipline that has arrived at the end of a cycle, the Automobile Club de l'Ouest has created a new LMH category (short for Le Mans Hypercar) implemented in 2021 and which will eventually replace the current LMP1 cars. and LMP2.
The guiding idea is to bring the future queens of Le Mans closer to the big sports cars on the market.
These cars will use hybrid engine technologies with, at the base of this project, a drastic reduction in budgets required by many manufacturers who are candidates for a return.
"There is a new lease of life and good prospects which are being projected from 2021 but especially for 2022 and 2023 with the arrival of new manufacturers"
Pierre Fillon
A step in the right direction and above all a reform which makes it possible to see the future with more serenity and the prospect of a larger plateau in the medium term.
"There is a new lease of life and good prospects that are projected from 2021 but especially for 2022 and 2023 with the arrival of new manufacturers", explained to Figaro, Pierre Fillon, president of the ACO.
An early return to 2022 if the team is ready
Peugeot, which announced its return to endurance racing last November after a hasty start in 2012 for budgetary reasons, thus confirmed its intentions on Friday by unveiling promising first images of its two future cars on the track from 2022, a year before the date. planned.
"We will only leave when we are sure of our shot and this is something that we will not know until early 2022," said Mr. Finot, director of PSA Motorsport to AFP.
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“Le Mans is the holy grail of the automobile.
It is the race which designates its winner ”, rejoiced Jean-Philippe Imparato, the director of the brand.
This return to the foreground makes sense for the manufacturer who wishes to demonstrate in competition that he has the capacity to mass-produce high-performance gasoline / electric hybrid vehicles.
“We are going to fight against big manufacturers, like Toyota, but there will be others who will also come with their cars.
We will be in front with them, ”underlined Jean-Marc Finot.
Now the work begins ... @ PeugeotSport @ FIAWEC @ TotalRacingENG # NeoPerformance # PioneeringPerformanceAgainpic.twitter.com / 5rtBeyTfr5
- Jean-Philippe Imparato (@JPImparato) September 18, 2020
Alpine in the big leagues to rub shoulders with Toyota from 2021
The PSA group displays solid financial health despite the economic crisis under the orders of Carlos Tavares, its chairman and CEO.
The man behind the spectacular recovery of the brand since 2013 is a great fan of motorsports and more particularly endurance.
To mark the occasion of these announcements, the former right-hand man of Carlos Ghosn at Renault will also make a lap, this Saturday, at the wheel of the 908 victorious in 2009, one of the three Lionesses to have won at Le Mans. (with 1992 and 1993).
In the process, he will give the start of the race.
As a symbol of this new adventure, an XXL sculpture of the brand's emblematic feline has just been installed in the Dunlop curve.
The lion is back on the prowl at the @ 24hoursoflemans track!
Join us on the @Peugeot YouTube channel at 2pm CET tomorrow for exclusive news on @ peugeotsport's electrified return to Endurance racing in 2022. # WEC # NeoPerformance # PioneeringPerformanceAgainhttps: //t.co/mRgbo156e0pic.twitter.com/Iis4ITCrYT
- Peugeot (@Peugeot) September 17, 2020
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Pierre Fillon: "The 24 Hours of Le Mans without an audience is heartbreaking"
Alpine will try its luck at the next level from 2021.
As good news never comes alone, another French manufacturer announced Monday its intention to rub shoulders, from 2021 this time, to Toyota.
Led by the parent company Renault, Alpine will participate in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) after having brilliantly cut its teeth since 2013 in the second endurance division (LMP2) with three successes at Le Mans in its category.
The manufacturer from Dieppe, faithful to his image, will drive an LMP1 to the next level and already presents himself as the David ready to face the Japanese Goliath.
The famous manufacturer of the Alpine A110 has only committed one year for the moment, but this test in the big leagues could lead it to switch to a Hypercar program in 2022 against the behemoths Peugeot and Toyota.
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