The proposal for the addition of Pro-Am crewed Hypercars to the 2026/27 Asian Le Mans Series caused quite a stir both amongst the teams, and the fanbase of sportscar racing.
And, amongst the hopefuls and maybes, the first team has emerged that looks set to commit to the formula, with cars that few originally expected to be a part of the plan, but which are already part of a significant ramping up of knowledge and expertise ahead of the new challenge to come.
That team is UK-based ‘Post Modern’ racing outfit BBM Sport, and the car is the Peugeot 9X8. Though, as you’ll read below, it may not be the presumed Gen 1 ‘Wingless Wonder’ version that finally makes it to the grid!
A tour of BBM’s huge workshop included a wide array of work going on ranging from Lister Storm GT1 car, a Jaguar XJR15, Red Bull F1 car, The 2015 KCMG Le Mans-winning Oreca 05 LMP2, one of the seven Peugeot 908s that the outfit sold and/ or operated in Post Modern racing, a Gen 1 Acura/ Honda NSX GT2 and the Nissan NISMO GTR GT3 that played a starring role in the Gran Turismo movie.
In addition to the 908s though, their newer ‘sibling’ was well represented, three first generation Peugeot 9X8’s were collected from the factory late last week and will now form the centrepiece of the next stage of preparation for BBM. There’s a second batch to come soon too, this time 2024 spec cars.
“Everybody that works here will go through High Voltage training and the people we are selecting for the race team will do that to a full factory level,” said Steve Briggs, Technical Director at BBM (pictured left below).
“Of course too we’ll be working with these cars to understand everything, from the basics all the way through to the really very complex control systems. Several of our guys will be interned within Peugeot Sport in the New Year to build up the next batch of cars there and learn all we can in doing so.”
“The guys from BBM will be interned into Peugeot in January and February to build the next batch that are coming,” added MD Bob Berridge (right above). “We’ve got a lot to learn, and we’ve got significant challenges ahead, but then again, we’ve got the full support of Peugeot Sport. They can fast track our guys into a position where we’re able to operate the cars. Just like when we bought the 908s.
“I looked at the operation of the 908’s a few years ago and financially we needed to be operating them for 10 years, not for one year only. Then we needed to get ourselves into a position where we could operate them for 10 years. Here we are in the eighth year of operating the diesels”, (three of which were still on site at BBM during our visit).
That’s the first part of the answer as to how the team will be organised:
“The cars will be entered by BBM Sport, it will be our people and we are ramping up to that at the moment. We’ll have some logistical support from an existing LMP2 team,” said Bob.
And will factory technical support be needed and/ or required?
“When we started the 908 programme there were a lot of naysayers that said a private team couldn’t run diesels. They were too complicated, and here we are, eight years later, having run 1000’s of miles with the diesels, and the naysayers are at it again saying that Hypercars are too complicated, too sophisticated, it’ll be a challenge, but it’s a challenge that we will overcome”.
“Cyrille Jourdain (Chief engineeer at Peugeot Sport) has been given the responsibility of ensuring that we are kept up to date with gearbox, upgrades and software and he is BBM’s main link to Peugeot Sport. Cyrille is superbly professional in his approach and Peugeot Sport have delivered us a very high quality product.”
“The factory guys have taken great pride in this programme and have delivered the cars to us in amazing condition,” said Steve. “We have access to support and advice as and when we need it.”
“From Jean-Marc Finot, Olivier Jansonnie, Francois Coudrain and Claire Magnant, the whole management group and the guys and girls working in the factory, the response to their heritage being given a new lease of life has been amazingly positive,” added Bob.
That bond has been long-lasting and was hard earned through the standards set by BBM when they took on the challenge of preparing and operating a number of the seven 908s (a batch mixed between the V12 908 HDI FAPs and the 2011 V8 powered 90X cars).
“From the start there was a really positive relationship. I remember at the factory when we took delivery of the first 908 they arranged to fire it up for the first time in years and the whole facility just stopped to take time to enjoy the moment. There is HUGE pride there in Peugeot’s heritage, we see people from the factory turning up regularly to watch the 908’s in Post Modern racing, the first year we had them a fair proportion of the factory workforce turned up at Spa! I know it was a fair proportion because I paid for lunch!!”
The framework for competition then is already in place, but as Bob continues to answer DSC’s questions, it’s clear there is a long way to go before the Programme is fully formed.
“What we have right now is a statement of intent from the ACO and LMEM, and they have been excellent in helping us to understand what it is they are intending to do. There are though a huge number of details that still need to be finalised, many of them as part of the regulations which I know are still under discussion.”
The list under discussion include a number of matters arising because of the continuing relevance of the cars potentially racing in Asia to the currently homologated WEC Hypercars.
“There are strict controls on testing in Hypercar and there’s attention being paid to ensuring that what we (and others) do in racing doesn’t give ACO, LMEM and the FIA a problem elsewhere on that front.”
Of course having cars that are not to the current homologation can help, but it’s clear that much background work is underway to address this particular issue.
“We also have to look at the new class from the perspective of the people that will be paying for it, the Am, Gentlemen drivers and not major manufactures. We know that there’s resistance to adjusting the performance of the LMP2 cars too much, but we also know that an Oreca 07, which is an amazing endurance race car, driven by a top Pro, is likely to get into the window of performance available to a non-Pro driver in a Hypercar”.
“It’s important that we look at that in safety terms of course, but actually we do need to look at it from the perspective of the value proposition too. We’re asking these guys to spend a big chunk of cash to run in these cars, and it’s important that they get an opportunity to race as well as they can. There’s some simple ways of doing that within the regs – including, for instance, mandating that the Bronze drivers have to start the races in both Hypercar and LMP2. From my point of view that’s an obvious solution to part of the problem, but that’s for the rulemakers to decide.”
“The imperative as I see it is cost, and specifically cost of operation. There are fixed costs for any racing effort, and there are strong parallels from the journey that brought us here, from Post Modern racing.
“When I first started Thoroughbred Grand Prix in 1996 everybody said that a Formula One car for a private team would be too complicated.
“30 years on there are a host of teams who run them like Formula Fords were run back in the 90s and the 80s.
“These cars a much more complex than those 1970s and 1980s F1 cars, but some of the lessons are there to be learnt.
The level of professionalism across sportscar racing is also a key factor:
“When I got involved in ELMS three years ago, the level of professionalism in terms of organization and promotion. There’s no question about it. It’s at a very high level,” said Bob.
“Fred Lequien and all of the LMEM team should be applauded for delivering this high level of professionalism. And those people that have been in the paddock a long time, maybe they’ve got a little numb to it, but coming as a newbie, and seeing that level of professionalism from where it was back in my racing days, it’s truly impressive. This gives you much confidence in the standards that are being applied, but again it all comes at a significant cost”.
Bob and Steve take a trot through those costs, logistics, consumables, and people, and it’s the latter that Bob believes there needs to be sharp focus upon:
“In the WEC a lot of people are involved in keeping these cars just under the permitted kilowatts – that needs to be addressed (for Asian Le Mans) because employing the number of people required to monitor the software to that extent is unaffordable”.
“I understand why the monitoring devices (torque sensors) are fitted – it’s to try to establish a fair level of competition via the BoP”.
“Issuing the BOP has not been the work of a moment, and to a certain extent, it’s achieved its objective in balancing out the performance of various manufacturers, because it’s been one hell of a problem, and a hell of a challenge to balance an LMDH against an LMH, and then the second part of that problem is to balance all the LMHs and all the LMDHs. Despite the difficulties and despite the protestations about unfair bops, the cream has still risen to the top”.
“What we need to understand, is how the ACO and LMEM are going to keep it fair in the Asian Series, and how not to impact upon the testing regulations for the WEC (and IMSA). Whilst achieving all of that, how to keep the operational costs down to an achievable level.”
There’s a whole lot that could change with those regulations, including which cars you actually race?
“Yes, but I have to say that working with Pierre Fillon at the ACO and Fred Lequien at LMEM on exactly that, has been a great process so far. They are listening to what is needed to make the class work both technically and commercially. I’m sure they’ll come up with with a good solution, and when they do come up with a good solution, we’ll support them 100%.
“But yes, depending on the solutions they find to the things we need to sort out with regulations we have the option to race either the cars we have here now or the 2024 cars that will be following fairly shortly”.
“I know that the ACO and LMEM are very aware too of the urgency involved here too. Whilst some people have said to me , “Oh, you’ve got plenty of time”.
“Well, you haven’t! In order to be ready and give a credible performance in Asia at the end of ’26 we need to be out testing early summer in ’26. I want to do at least three or four tests to get so that the team gel before we go racing”.
There’s one other thing on the Berridge wish list, and it’s an important one:
“I understand how tight things are in terms of Le Mans entries now, in particular with the WEC and its Hypercar field being so strong snd so deep, but I do think the ACO need to take a look as this Asian Le Mans Series class develops to assess where the commercial strength is coming from to enable it.
“To my mind this is going to be predominantly drivers already in and around the Pro-Am paddocks and they would be giving up an opportunity to compete in LMP2, or in LMGT3, to race a Hypercar. If we hit a sensible number of cars, and I think we will, I do believe it would be sensible to offer the class winning team or driver an automatic invitation to Le Mans in LMP2 or even LMGT3.”
