- The governing body of the 24 Hours of Le Mans—Automobile Club de l’Ouest—surprisingly introduced weight additions to the leading Hypercars.
- It added 81.5 pounds to the Toyota GR010 Hybrid as well as additions to the Ferrari 499P (59 pounds), the Porsche 963 (24 pounds) and Cadillac V-Series.R (6.6 pounds).
- Teams each also received some power changes in what is known as a “platform” adjustment, i.e. across all cars.
By the procedural rules of the World Endurance Championship, participants are advised not to talk publicly about the BOP, or Balance of Performance. But on the Test Day, the teams’ actions spoke louder than words. The marquee Hypercars waltzed around, testing mostly cornering speeds as teams remained alert to avoiding another sudden rule change.
Once bitten, twice shy, as the saying goes.
Despite a published commitment to no changes in BOP for the first four races of the WEC season, prior to Le Mans the Automobile Club de l’Ouest surprisingly introduced weight additions to the leading Hypercars. It added 81.5 pounds to the Toyota GR010 Hybrid as well as additions to the Ferrari 499P (59 pounds), the Porsche 963 (24 pounds) and Cadillac V-Series.R (6.6 pounds). They each also received some power changes in what is known as a “platform” adjustment, i.e. across all cars.
The Toyota Gazoo Racing team did not like what it learned about its speed on the Test Day. Officially, the Japanese stance was expressed by Kazuki Nakajima, a spokesman as well as reserve driver. “Well, the day was quite challenging for us,” said the three-time Le Mans winner, using typical Japanese party line word choice to avoid challenging the WEC. “Ferrari and Porsche had a lot of speed and we have a lot of work to do to catch them up.”
Nobody else had any complaints, not surprisingly, after the bull’s eye on Toyota’s back grew larger.
With the arrival of this year’s new Hypercar entries, engine output and aerodynamic testing were once again used to produce standardized power and downforce to keep the racing competitive. But after Toyota swept the first three races of the 2023 season, most recently winning by over a minute at Spa in a six-hour race, ACO officials decided to step in through the platform loophole.
In a sport so often dependent upon aerodynamics, the BOP adjustment is often a reminder of an old saw. “Is this any way to run an airline?”
Adding weight does not account for aero drag, which is adjustable and perhaps that’s what the ACO intended—a focus on what teams can do in terms of adjustments while evening up speed.
The rules call for one adjustable aerodynamic device, invariably the rear wing. From the outset, Ferrari’s rear wing with its support from the endplates and central fin as well as a “kick up” fixed wing has looked more promising when it comes to adjusting the downforce and drag. Others have their tricks available, although Peugeot is on the outside looking in with its wingless 9X8 that received no BOP change.
The Porsches took a BOP bit ahead of this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The added weight is usually introduced to the cars by making items lower in the chassis heavier such as the floor. But it’s a challenge to maintain cornering speed when so much “ballast” is added. Toyota and its lead chassis engineer, Pascal Vasselon, have acknowledged that race preparations have become test sessions for its drivers and engineers to adjust to the new weight. When driver Mike Conway went off and damaged bodywork on the Test Day, he was likely testing the cornering limits of a heftier, less gentle racing setup.
The changes certainly tightened the screws at a Centenary race where tickets were sold out months in advance.
Upon the return to the track on Wednesday, Toyotas set the pace in the first free practice before Ferrari claimed the top spot in the first qualifying session and Porsche was quickest during the night practice. Yet to come is Thursday evening’s final eight-car shootout for the pole, designed to produce more promotional excitement on the TV airwaves and in the media—and to blunt the sandbagging that was seen on the Test Day.
This 24-hour race is looking more and more to be a toss-up on performance where all four of the anticipated contenders, including Cadillac, can have a look-in at the top step of the podium on pace alone. The favorites, Toyota may now need a perfect race to win if its rivals also do likewise.
Like it or loathe it, the BOP has become an adjustable device that sports car racing is now addicted to in order to put on a better show. In this case, it’s a high-speed contretemps in front of 300,000 fans and a worldwide TV audience.
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