Can LMDh Hypercars win in WEC this year?

As exciting as it was, the rise of the Hypercar category in WEC was, however, accompanied by some drawbacks. If the struggle at the Centenary of 24 Hours of Le Mans was most intense, Toyota more or less wandered around the other rounds of the calendar.

This was hardly a surprise, the Japanese manufacturer starting with a decisive advantage in terms of experience and skills in the new premier category of theEndurance.

Remember that the latter sees two large families of prototypes compete in WEC: the LMH, which offer greater freedom in the design of the chassis and the use of the transmission and the hybrid system, and the LMDh, much more affordable since the chassis is designed by one of the four approved equipment manufacturers (Dallara, Ligier, Multimatic, Oreca) and the hybrid system is mandatory and supplied by Bosch and Williams Advanced Engineering.

Toyota, Ferrari, Peugeot , and the newcomer Isotta Fraschini opted for the first configuration (the independent Vanwall and Glickenhaus also, notably because hybridization was not obligatory but these two teams disappeared from the grid). In the LMDh camp, we find Porsche, Cadillac, Acura, and BMW (which is arriving in WEC this year), to which were added Alpine and Lamborghini.

If there is a “Platform Balance” (in bad French) to balance the performances of the LMH and the LMDh, it is clear that the record of the second named category remains blank in WEC. Toyota and its GR010 Hybrid dominated six of the seven races of the 2023 season. The only one escaping them (the most important…) fell into the hands of another LMH, the Ferrari 499P.

The LMDh Cadillac and Porsche shone in IMSA, less in WEC. / © DPPI

Perhaps even more telling: an LMDh has never finished higher than 3rd in the standings of a WEC round (Porsche at Portimão and Fuji, Cadillac at Le Mans). Are the manufacturers who have chosen this platform afraid of experiencing another blank season in the FIA ​​World Endurance Championship?

« I don't know if this is a cause for concern., replied Kevin Estre, official Porsche driver, during a recent round table. We were in the first year of a new regulation. Toyota almost won every race but they left with a lot of experience.

For our part, we clearly lacked a little performance over the whole year. Let's see how things go during year II of the regulations. Everyone knows their car better and can rely on more experience. We really hope to be able to fight for victory, because we are not here to finish 3rd or 4th. We hope to have all the cards in hand to win races. »

The LDMh offers a great show in IMSA

Also present in front of the press, his colleague Brendon Hartley, who has the chance to drive in LMH with Toyota in the WEC and at the wheel of an Acura LMDh at the 24 Hours of Daytona, believes for his part that “ the differences (between the two platforms. Editor’s note) tend to be exaggerated ».

« All cars follow the same approval process in terms of mass, power, etc.. recalled the former runner Toro Rosso en Formula 1. Certainly, the LMDh did not win a race in the WEC last year but if you analyze the situation with a little hindsight, you will see that the Cadillacs and the Porsches were very competitive at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Porsche also performed well at Fuji. The JOTA (Porsche 963 customer. Editor’s note) was in contention for a podium in Bahrain before being penalized.

In my eyes, there is nothing stopping them from winning. At the end of the season, the fight was intense between all the manufacturers. I have the chance to drive the Acura and the Toyota and I have the feeling that there are as many differences between the two as between two distinct LMDhs. »

The choice of LMDh by Alpine (Oreca) and Lamborghini (Ligier) shows that the format is popular. It must be said that it puts on a superb show in IMSA, the North American counterpart of the WEC where the LMHs are still waiting (Aston Martin however, plans to line up its future Valkyrie LMH there in 2025).

Can the two platforms coexist in the same championship? We hope so because, as is often the case in motorsport, it is difficult to see manufacturers dragging on in disciplines where they believe they do not have the possibility of winning.

After a season of discovery in IMSA, the BMW LMDh is preparing to arrive in the WEC. / © DPPI