As part of the annual press conference on the eve of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, officials from the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) and the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) today confirmed that the homologations for the Le Mans Daytona h (LMDh) and Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) prototype race cars have been extended through the end of the 2029 racing season.
Through a convergence agreement announced in 2021 between IMSA, the ACO and the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), LMDh and LMH cars are eligible to race in both the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class and the FIA World Endurance Championship Hypercar class.
“Endurance sports car racing on a global scale has never been stronger,” said IMSA President John Doonan. “Much of the success the WeatherTech Championship is currently experiencing has been driven by the shared platform we developed alongside our ACO and FIA colleagues for global prototype racing, and I’m confident the same can be said for the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the FIA WEC.
“This platform has delivered relevance for our participating manufacturers in the WeatherTech Championship GTP class, and close, competitive and unpredictable on-track competition for our race fans. Extending the homologation for these race cars through 2029 provides stability for all that are currently involved and may open the door for even more to join in the future.”
The LMDh platform was originally introduced in a historic press conference with IMSA and ACO leadership at Daytona International Speedway on the eve of the Rolex 24 At Daytona in January 2020 and made its competition debut in the 2023 Rolex 24 At Daytona.
LMDh regulations developed jointly by IMSA and the ACO call for each manufacturer to use chassis from one of four approved constructors – Dallara, Ligier, Multimatic and ORECA – and a common hybrid powertrain that includes a Motor Generator Unit (MGU) supplied by Bosch, Xtrac gearbox and batteries from WAE Technologies.
A total of six manufacturers – Acura, Alpine, BMW, Cadillac, Lamborghini and Porsche – are currently racing LMDh race cars in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class, the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) Hypercar class or both.
The LMH platform co-developed by the ACO and FIA debuted in 2021 and includes prototype cars from additional manufacturers – currently Ferrari, Isotta Fraschini, Peugeot and Toyota – built to different technical specifications than LMDh. Through Balance of Performance (BoP), LMH and LMDh cars currently compete head-to-head for overall race victories in the FIA WEC.
The new Aston Martin Valkyrie race car is planning a 2025 debut in both the FIA WEC and the WeatherTech Championship and will become the first LMH car to compete in IMSA.
LMP2 to Continue in Current Format Until 2028
In addition to extending homologations for the top prototype category, it also was revealed in the press conference that the current generation of Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) race cars – which debuted in 2017 – will continue through the end of the 2027 WeatherTech Championship season.
The Pro-Am prototype class is experiencing its largest fields ever in the WeatherTech Championship this season with a total of 13 cars competing. The LMP2 class also competes at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the European Le Mans Series and the Asian Le Mans Series. It was discontinued in the FIA WEC at the end of the 2023 season.
The next-generation LMP2 – with new chassis and engines to be selected – is now expected to debut in 2028 instead of the originally planned 2026.
IMSA PR
