The ACO has revealed which bidders have been successful in the tender processes for the next-gen LMP2 chassis and powertrain today at its annual pre-Le Mans press conference.
This comes after a tender process was called for both elements of the new prototypes, which began back in March.
For the chassis, ORECA and Ligier have been selected, with the ACO opting to create a competitive marketplace rather than reduce the number of suppliers from four (currently) to one.
DSC understands that neither Multimatic nor Dallara submitted bids, a change in the initial intention of the Italian company. Bids from Tatuus, Lola and Podium Engineering are understood to have been in play, but were not selected.
The new chassis, which are expected to cost around 450,000 EUR each before spares, are set to be designed to a set of dimensions that will make them slightly longer, wider and heavier than the current ORECA 07s competing around the world to the 2017 ruleset.
As for the powertrain, existing engine supplier Gibson Technology has been successful in its bid with a consortium of other suppliers. In doing so, it looks to have beaten off potentially stiff competition from a number of other bodies.
The ACO announcement confirms no technical details at this point, merely observing that the selections are designed to “guarantee an excellent level of performance and reliability while controlling costs.”
FIA Endurance Commission President, Richard Mille, remarked: “For the engine, we are talking about stability once again. We chose Gibson technology to fit the cars with the engines. Gibson all these years have proven its professionalism and huge performance and client services. It was important for us to be consistent when it comes to the parameters of the performance and measure them efficiently. The only difference is that these engines will be turbocharged.”
Hugues de Chaunac, President of the ORECA Group: “We wish to thank the FIA and ACO for their continued trust. This new selection recognises our dedication and the experience we have acquired across more than 10 years in LMP2. We put all our expertise into preparing this tender with the goals of supporting the evolution of the category and offering a strong and reliable platform adaptable to future challenges. We turn now to the regulatory preparations that await us with the FIA and ACO to finalise the outline of this new generation of LMP2.”
IMSA will also adopt the new LMP2 regulations as soon as they come into force from 2028 to 2032. And the FIA WEC CEO Frederric Lequien confirmed to reporters at the conference that LMP2 cars will continue to be eligible for Le Mans. “No matter how many Hypercar entries we have,” he said, “15 ‘P2 entries minimum.”
