It has been over seven weeks since the FIA World Endurance Championship last saw competitive action, but that doesn’t mean that the Hypercar category has been standing still over the summer break.
Almost every manufacturer involved has made the headlines at least once over a busy period before the FIA WEC resumes with Lone Star Le Mans this weekend, to start a run to the end of the season which will also take in Fuji, Barcelona and Monza.
The lead story has undoubtedly been the unveiling of Ford’s LMDh contender, with the Coyote V8-powered machine beginning its testing programme with multiple days of running at Circuit Paul Ricard, covering over 1000KM as preparations for its 2027 race debut continue.
We’ve also seen much more of the McLaren MCL-HY, which after making its public debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July has gone on to run multiple tests, including a 30-hour endurance outing at Motorland Aragon, Spain.
As well as new cars, testing has also seen work being doing towards potential Evo kits for 2027. Aston Martin, Ferrari and Peugeot have all teased updates to their LMH challengers, with running at Silverstone, Monza and Circuit Paul Ricard respectively. Other manufacturers too may be set to field further updates.
Cadillac, meanwhile, has unveiled a different kind of car. The V-ONE is a concept prototype based on its V-Series.R LMDh.
The American marque is also set to make a change to its team roster for the 2027 24 Hours of Le Mans, with Action Express Racing instead of Wayne Taylor Racing set to field any additional entry at the FIA WEC’s blue-riband event next year.
At Alpine Endurance Team, the break has offered a strong opportunity for the team to plan its future, with the French marque having announced earlier this year it would be exiting Hypercar at the end of this season.
Chinese manufacturer Geely is currently the heavy favourite to take over the ORECA-based LMDh project with a mildly restyled version of Alpine’s current A424, and Signatech seem set to continue running the cars if a deal can be done.
It’s been a quieter period on the news front for the IMSA Sportscar Championship’s GTP class, but Genesis’ Cyril Abiteboul has reaffirmed a serious US testing programme with an as-yet unidentified service provider is planned for 2027, with the possibility of the GMR-001 entering GTP competition in the future remaining on the radar.
JDC Miller MotorSports, meanwhile, is still hoping to be able to add its second Porsche 963 to the grid as soon as next season, off the back of a standout 2026 campaign from John Church’s outfit.
The driver market is also in full swing behind the scenes, and although no contract news has been announced, this looks set to be an area to watch in the coming weeks and months.
Of the 10 Hypercar manufacturers, only Ford has publicly locked in its full roster for 2027, offering plenty of scope for manoeuvring.
More immediately, though, has come confirmation that Alex Lynn will return to Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA for the final two races of 2026, with Ricky Taylor taking a turn in the #12 Cadillac at COTA.
And before the 2027 FIA WEC season, the Hypercar category will make its debut in the Asian Le Mans Series, which has seen a European-based calendar confirmed. DSC currently expects up to six cars, representing up to four manufacturers, to participate.
Arguably the most intriguing of these possible efforts comes courtesy of High Class Racing, which has resurrected the Isotta Fraschini Tipo 6 LMH-C programme that last raced in July 2024. The car has been out testing at multiple venues including Vallelunga and Barcelona, with designer Michelotto also highlighting its interest in the 2030 Hypercar regulations.
Looking towards 2030, Michelin has been announced as the exclusive tyre supplier for at least the first three years of the next generation of Hypercar, whilst Goodyear will remain the LMGT3 supplier.
And beyond then, Toyota has offered up one potential solution to the cost of developing the technology for the future Hydrogen regulations, with EVP Hiroki Nakajima stating that the Japanese marque would be interested in supplying its engine to competitors.
Images courtesy of DPPI, Drew Gibson Photography, McLaren, Cadillac, Andrew Lofthouse, Peter May, Ford Racing and Michelotto
