BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt looks back on the development of the BMW M8 GTE

BMW Motorsport presented the new BMW M8 GTE in its livery for the 2018 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in Daytona (USA) on Wednesday. Speaking in an interview, BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt looks back on the development of the BMW M8 GTE and underlines the importance of team spirit in the development crew. 

The running of two cars in the GT class in the 24-hour race at the “Daytona International Speedway” represents the race debut and the next milestone in “Mission8”. Speaking in an interview, BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt looks back on the development of the BMW M8 GTE and underlines the importance of team spirit in the development crew.

Mr Marquardt, the race debut of the new BMW M8 GTE is just around the corner. Take us through the development of the car over the past few months. How did it all begin?

Jens Marquardt: “The first race for the new BMW M8 GTE at Daytona will be very special for every one of us at BMW Motorsport. The roots of the GTE project lie in a combination of many aspects. At the start of the programme, back in 2015, the goal was to expand our activities in traditional motor racing – BMW M Motorsport – and to position ourselves even more internationally. At the same time, the possible return to Le Mans brought its very own fascination for our team. However, the most important factor was that the production model, the BMW 8 Series Coupé, was developed at the same time. We were given a green light from the board to develop a thoroughbred GTE racing car, parallel with the colleagues in production development. That is how it all began. Now the BMW M8 GTE is ready for Daytona. For the first time in BMW Motorsport history the race car will be in action before its series counterpart.”

When you started to develop the BMW M8 GTE, there was not actually a production model...

Marquardt: “Correct. Right from the word go, we worked with our colleagues in production development to synchronise the individual steps as closely as possible. It was a challenge. When we needed the first chassis of the production car, there simply wasn’t one yet. We were, however, able to work with special prototype chassis from production development. We progressed step by step in that manner. Furthermore, at the start of our development, there were still minor changes to the production model. To a certain degree, we were dealing with a moving target.”

How was the cooperation with colleagues in production?

Marquardt: “Very close and efficient. The developers on the production side obviously had their own specific challenges to overcome. Despite that, they were always open to the GTE project, and always willing to help. That was real teamwork. We synchronised the focus of our development with the core areas of the production model. The question was: what should the racing car emanate and embody? The core values of the BMW 8 Series Coupé should also be the strength of the BMW M8 GTE.”

Can you give us any examples of these development focal points?

Marquardt: “Let’s take the design aspects. We are obliged to adopt the same external contour and roof line as the production model. However, it was also important to incorporate elements such as the headlamps, the Carbon Core and the centre console in the race car, based on the BMW 8 Series Coupé. The topic of carbon fibre played a major role.”

Does the joint development mean that the BMW M8 GTE is more similar to its production counterpart than any other BMW race car?

 Marquardt: “When you look at the regulations, the engine in the BMW M6 GT3 is extremely close to that in the production model. However, we were able to make more substantial changes to the chassis. In the case of the BMW M8 GTE, the chassis is closer to the production model, but the engine had to be modified significantly. The most important thing is that we based the BMW M6 GT3 on an existing car. That was different this time. Because the race car will be in action before the production car, we worked intensively with the design department from a very early point to ensure that were on the same page when it came to the design. That worked very well.”

The GTE class is fiercely competitive, both in the IMSA and the FIA WEC. How big was the challenge, with regard to performance?

Marquardt: “We are certainly up against some tough competition with the BMW M8 GTE, that much is clear. The BMW M6 GTLM, which itself was derived from the GT3 car, served as a reference. But this time we were able to concentrate fully on the demands of the GTE class. As such, many parts have been specifically designed for this car to explicitly align areas such as weight, centre of gravity and aerodynamics with the eventual area of application. We have actually exceeded our own requirements when it comes to the engine and aerodynamics. We have also made big strides with other components, such as the chassis and traction control. This is confirmed by the feedback from the drivers. We will see how this is reflected in the results over the course of the year. The Balance of Performance obviously also plays a big role, however the BMW M8 GTE certainly has great potential.”

Were there specific key moments in the development?

Marquardt: “The special team spirit in the development team will definitely stay with us for a long time. The engineers consistently motivated each other and put a lot of heart and soul into this project. The rollout in Dingolfing was the first highlight. The second step, in which the final chassis and aerodynamics were added to the car, was of similar importance. It was an extremely tight schedule, which led straight into a 24-hour test. We achieved all that as a team with a remarkable group dynamic. I am proud of everyone at BMW Motorsport.”

To what extent does the development work continue after the first race in Daytona?

Marquardt: “After the car has been homologated, there are some areas in which we can, and may, make changes. We can still do some work on the software, in particular. We will also continue to work on aligning the BMW M8 GTE with all its systems, and will integrate all the reference values we have acquired. First of all, however, we are looking forward to the maiden race in Daytona.”

The M8 will make its European debut at the FIA WEC Prologue at Le Castellet in April.

Source: BMW Press release

FIA WEC: Four Porsche 911 RSR at Le Mans in 2018 and a 919 Hybrid farewell tour

Yesterday evening, Porsche paid tribute to the worldwide achievements of teams and drivers during the 2017 season at its annual “Night of Champions” in Weissach. The huge expansion of Porsche's worldwide GT programme was announced yesterday, including a 4 car assault on the 2018 Le Mans 24 Hours. 

© Porsche

Porsche plans its largest ever GT factory mission at the 86th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans with 4 works cars to be entered in the GTE Pro class. Both Porsche GT teams form the FIA World Endurance Championship and the IMSA Weathertech Championship will field two 911 RSR's each.    

© JellyBaby.Media

The #91 car will be driven by Gianmaria Bruni (returning to the FIA WEC and Le Mans after leaving Ferrari at the end of 2016), Richard Lietz and Frédéric Makowiecki. The #92 will be manned by Kévin Estre, Michael Chistensen and Laurens Vanthoor. In the #93 it's Patrick Pilet, Nick Tandy and Earl Bamber behind the wheel, while the #94 will be in the hands of Timo Bernhard, Romain Dumas and Sven Müller. 

Porsche remains in the FIA WEC with 2 factory cars in the GTE-Pro class, driven by Gianmaria Bruno and Richard Lietz in the #91 and Michael Christensen and Kévin Estre in the #92. In the IMSA championship Nick Tandy and Patrick Pilet will drive the #911 while Earl Bamber and Laurens Vanthoor are behind the wheel of the #912 Porsche 911 RSR.

The German manufacturer also announced an impressive program in GT3 for 2018 with a Manthey run factory effort in the Blancpain GT Series & International GT Challenge, Timo Bernhard with his team in the ADAC GT Masters and no less than nine Porsches at the Nürburgring 24 Hours with  an all star line-up in the Manthey factory cars.  

Preparations for Formula E

© JellyBaby.Media

There's no sign of Neel Jani and André Lotterer in Porsche's driving rosters for 2018 so far.  Both drivers are active in the Formula E championship: Jani with Dragon Racing, Lotterer with Techeetah. Lotterer is also believed to chase after a drive at Le Mans in 2018, linked to Rebellion if they might step up to LMP1 again.  

Porsche's LMP1 team is already working on their transition for Formula E in which they will enter in 2019.  Until then, the team will design, develop and test a complete powertrain. The first steps were already taken in 2017, with the concrete implementation of the concept taking place next year. The first test drives with the finished Formula E race car from Porsche are scheduled for early 2019. 

Farewell tour for the 919 Hybrid

Despite leaving the FIA WEC at the end of last season, the 919 Hybrid will still make a few outings on track in 2018. Porsche is planning a farewell tour for the three-time Le Mans winning prototype. Outside the events of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) and thus outside the regulations of usable energy amounts, the 919 Hybrid will be campaigned at many individual events throughout the year. A precise programme will be announced early in 2018. At the end of 2018, the era of the ca. 900 hp hybrid prototype will come to a close. The 919 will then make its last trip to the Porsche Museum.

Christian Ried most succesful private driver of 2017

© Porsche

This year’s winner of the Porsche Cup, the trophy for the world’s most successful private Porsche driver, went to Christian Ried (38). The racing driver/owner of the Dempsey Proton Racing squad was awarded the coveted trophy by Dr Wolfgang Porsche, Chairman of the Supervisory Board at Porsche AG. Thanks to his successes in the FIA WEC and the European Le Mans Series, Ried earned 8,700 points over the past season at the wheel of the Porsche 911 RSR.

Kristof Vermeulen

FIA WEC - 6 Hours of Bahrain: GTE Finale – Desert Dash Decider

This year has seen a transition of the Balance of Performance (BoP) in the GTE categories from a manual to automated process.  The result is a beautifully poised battle in both Pro and Am, and the Technical Team led by Vincent Beaumesnil should be commended for what they have achieved. You will always hear complaints and whingeing, but once again in conjunction with our new partners @ TheBPillar we hope to shed some light here on the battles in GTE and the prospects for top step in each category.

GTE-Pro is the primary example, we have a category top-three in Bahrain of Ferrari #71, Aston Martin #97 and Ford GT #67, but only the third of these cars is in the running for the championship, although it could be contended that the #71 Ferrari of Bird & Rigon could continue to play a pivotal role in securing a world championship victory for its sister car #51 of Calado & Pier Guidi. 

That is correct, today we could crown Ferrari FIA World Champions in a road relevant category for both Drivers and Manufacturer, any wonder they are questioning spending and rattling the Formula 1 quitting cages…

As a slight aside here, spare a thought for Gianmaria Bruni who chose to take the Porsche contract, presumably hopeful of progression to an LMP1 919 Hybrid drive, was contractually blocked from 2017 WEC participation and now sees his former team inching onto the top step of a GT World Championship. Decisions, Decisions…

Turning to the B-Pillar Data Analysis (click it to enlarge), and in the knowledge that the cars are very balanced it is possible to see that driver performance and consistency as a team is in our opinion a key factor to success. 

Analysis Kindly Prepared by Matt Griffin @thebpillar

                                                                                               

The lower variances on faster averages all seem to reflect the top contenders this year. The one anomally that stands out is the pole sitting #71 of Bird/Rigon, which has not reached the heights of its win at Spa, but has served its sister car well by taking significant points from competitors.  

The championship deciders are predominantly across two awards. The GT Pro FIA World Endurance Teams Trophy, led by #51 (146pts) Ferrari of Calado/Pier Guidi, from the #91 (133pts) Porsche of (Makoweicki/Lietz) and third currently the #67 (131pts) Ford GT of Priaulx/Tincknell. The same contenders are in the running for the Drivers Championship, but the tally of points is calculated in such a way as to make that even closer – 

#51 Calado/Pier Guidi  135pts

#91 Mako / Lietz         133pts

#67 Priaulx / Tincknell 127.5pts

Not since the 1984 F1 World Championship could half of one point prove so vital…  With 25points for the win everything is still to play for in this Desert Decider! 

By no means least we come to the GTE-Am category which is set to expand in 2018.

We have followed for some time now the progress of the #98 Aston Martin enjoying victories previously with Paul/Pedro/Mathias at Spa and experiencing the commiserations of getting so close at Le Mans. Things have really clicked this year, and much of that has been down to Paul Dalla Lana and his pace as the Gent (we can’t refer to him as Am) in the car. It is not normally our way to pick out one driver, they are a team, as above at Spa they win together, and at Le Mans they all felt the pain together.  But the graphic analysis below from The B-Pillar shows why Paul Dalla Lana and the #98 crew are in the dominant leading position in this category. 

Analysis Kindly Prepared by Matt Griffin @thebpillar

                                                                                             

Paul Dalla Lana is THE King of Bronze’s he tops the pack consistently and we hope he does not mind us pointing out (and I am the last to point fingers) he is no jockey like driver! 🙂

The standings in GTE-Am are as follows – 

                                                Drivers    Team

#98  Dalla Lana/Lamy/Lauda      167pts     173pts  Aston Martin Racing

#77  Deinst/Reid/Cairoli             156pts     162pts  Dempsey Proton Racing (Porsche)

#61  Sawa/Griffin/Mok               147pts     161pts  Clearwater Racing (Ferrari)

The #98 took the category Pole, with the #61 Clearwater jumping the #77 Porsche for second on the -Am grid.

One little gem (to see who stuck with this to the end!) – We understand from our new colleagues (@thebpillar) that Christian Ried holds a quite unique record… He has completed a racing lap in EVERY Round of the WEC (apart from the heavily curtailed, did that even happen, race at Fuji in 2013)!  Not a lot of people know that 🙂 

So that is the set-up, the preview of the finale at Bahrain, a fabulous circuit well worth a visit. It drops from the 2018-19 ‘Super’ Season but its understood to be a firm favourite to return to the future winter calendar.  Certainly looking out on a chilly, grey British scene brightened only by the colours of autumn, we look forward to its return, and are starting the fund-raising for a trip now!  Lets hope Bahrain delivers the championship finale that across the categories this World Championship deserves. 

Enjoy the coverage on TV, Radio, Twitter or by write-up.  See you at the track. 

This article has originally been contributed by Nick Holland for Sportscarglobal.
Give him a follow on his twitter account @Nick Holland for more news and insights about the world of endurance racing !

FIA WEC: BMW presents its new challenger for the FIA WEC and Le Mans: the M8 GTE

At the IAA, the International Motor Show in Frankfurt, BMW has unveiled its new challenger for the FIA World Endurance Championship, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the IMSA WeatherTech Championship: the all new BMW M8 GTE. BMW joins Aston Martin, Ferrari, Ford and Porsche in the highly competitive GTE class and the battle for the world championship.

The BMW M8 GTE has had a successful roll-out on the 1st of July at the BMW Dingolfing plant where the production model of the new BMW 8 series will be manufactured. The close link between production and motor racing is one of the cornerstones of the development of the BMW M8 GTE. The knowledge gained from race outings with the new car in the FIA WEC and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IWSC) in North America will be directly incorporated in the development of the production model, which is running parallel to the motorsport project. The M8 GTE will race before the production car goes on sale, making his competition debut at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona in January 2018. 

“The BMW M8 GTE is our new GT flagship and will go head to head with the strong opposition in this sector,” said BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt. “For us, the presentation of the uncamouflaged car at the IAA is the next important step on the road to our first race outing, which we plan to be the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2018. The FIA WEC and the IMSA series in North America are a top competitive environment for our new challenger. With the BMW M8 GTE, we are bringing cutting-edge technology to the top international class of GT racing, whilst at the same time tying in with our tradition at Le Mans. The development of the BMW M8 GTE is on schedule, and we can hardly wait to see the car challenging for victories in 2018.”

Long history of BMW Motorsport in Le Mans.

BMW's history at the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans goes back to 1939, when a BMW 328 claimed class victory. Since 1972 BMW has regularly returned to Le Mans until 2011 when they raced the last time in the 24 Hours with the M3 GT2. BMW also has a tradition of racing with art cars at Le Mans, starting with Alexander Calder's BMW 3.0 CLS and other iconic cars painted and/or decorated by the likes of Roy Liechtenstein (1977), Andy Warhol (1979), and most recently Jeff Koons in 2010.  There's no word yet about a new art car with the M8, but expext one.  If not this year, it will be one of the coming years. 

BMW Motorsport’s greatest moment in Le Mans came in 1999, when Yannick Dalmas, Joachim Winkelhock and Pierluigi Martini took overall victory in the BMW V12 LMR. The McLaren F1 GTR, powered by a BMW engine, had previously triumphed at the “Circuit de la Sarthe” in 1995.

Let's take a look at the technical side of the BMW M8 GTE:

A new degree of efficiency.

The V8 engine with BMW TwinPower Turbo Technology, which is restricted by regulations to a capacity of 4.0 litres, has a nominal base output of more than 500 hp, depending on the classification. The cylinder block and cylinder head are taken from the production engine and are produced in the light alloy foundry at the BMW Group plant in Landshut (GER). The focus of the development work is on achieving the greatest possible efficiency and maximum durability. The powerful production engine provides the perfect basis. The power transmission in the BMW M8 GTE takes place via a sequential, six-speed racing gearbox.

Artificial intelligence gives engineers greater freedom.

“Virtual development” plays a central role in the development of the BMW M8 GTE. For example, the traction control is being developed with the assistance of an artificial intelligence system. Topology optimisation with 3D printing gives the engineers far greater freedom in their search for innovative and creative solutions for the design of the car. Rapid prototyping also allows them to take delivery of a new part, as a usable prototype, just 24 hours after the virtual development.

Motor racing and production go hand in hand – design similarities.

Racing and production engineers closely worked together within the framework of the BMW M8 GTE project. For instance, consistent lightweight design also plays a crucial role in the development of the new GT sports car. A significant weight reduction is achieved through the extensive use of ultra-light CFRP components. At a length of 4,980 mm and a width of 2,046 mm, the car weighs just 1,220 kilograms. The design of the BMW M8 GTE also reflects the close relationship to the BMW 8 Series and the BMW M8. This is particularly apparent in the same roof line and the design of the front and rear lights.

Peak performance in aerodynamics development.

Work on the aerodynamics of a new race car is as time-consuming as it is indispensable. As such, it is all the more important for the BMW engineers to be able to work on the chassis of the BMW M8 GTE with maximum efficiency from the outset. A new algorithm allows a significant increase in CFD calculations, thus making it possible to use greater computing power to clearly increase the number of possible simulations, before progressing to the wind tunnel. Here, BMW Motorsport uses synergies with production development and benefits from the perfect test conditions in the BMW Group Aero Lab. One of the results of the aero development is innovative aero rims, which will be presented as a concept at the IAA.

Latest 3D measurement technology in use.

The close interdependence between production and motorsport development continues in another two important areas: the same 3D measurement technology that was used on the BMW M4 DTM, which made its first race outing in 2017, is also used on the BMW M8 GTE. The ultra-modern measurement system from the BMW production development department provides the perfect quality control once the race car has been assembled. With such a complex car as the BMW M8 GTE, which is built completely by hand, it is essential that all the dimensions are correctly adhered to and implemented.

Kristof Vermeulen. 

FIA WEC 2017: 6 Hours of Silverstone - GTE Preview

4 manufacturers, each with two cars, are present in the GTE-Pro class this season, ahead of BMW's return in 2018. The big story in the class this season is the return of Porsche with a brand new and very impressive 911 RSR. As from this year, the GT teams are now fighting for a World Championship, since the FIA gave full World Championship status to the GTE drivers and manufacturers titles.

As in LMP1, the tyre allocation per race has also been altered in the GTE Pro class. In practice only three sets of rubber (instead of four) are available per car. For the race and qualifying, the amount of sets has been reduced to four instead of six.

Another new feature this season in the Pro class is the introduction of a new automatic BoP system. It's expected this will be more effective and honest after last year's sandbagging ahead of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The new system will be applicable for all rounds of the 2017 WEC except for Le Mans which will be treated separately.  The first adjustments won't be made until after the first two races though, so will only be applicable at the fourth round in Germany.

The "not-to-be-called-mid-engined" new Porsche 911 RSR is an amazing piece of kit. The engine has been place forward a few inches (i.e. in front of the rear axle) for better weight distribution and to create space for a big diffuser under the rear bodywork. The only part on the whole car that didn't change compared to the last RSR is the doorhandle. The new Porsche already showed its pace and reliability in the IMSA championship, and was fastest around Monza during the FIA WEC prologue.

Four works drivers tackle the GTE-Pro class with the new 911 RSR for the Porsche GT Team at the season-opening round in Silverstone. Sharing the cockpit of the #91 vehicle are Richard Lietz and Frédéric Makowiecki who returns to the FIA WEC after a year in IMSA. Michael Christensen and Kévin Estre man the #92 car.

Aston Martin Racing is set for another five seasons in the FIA WEC, as it has committed to the championship until 2021. 2 AMR Vantage V8's will race in 2017 again, ahead of the development of a brand new GTE race car, which will be based on the next generation Vantage.

Nicki Thiim and Marco Sørensen defend their 2016 GT Drivers championship in the #95 Vantage and will be joined by Richie Stanaway. Darren Turner and Jonny Adam return to the #97 car, together with newcomer Daniel Serra from Brazil. The Aston Martins haven't been the fastest all round last season, but their consistency and reliability have put them always in the top end of the leaderboard. Let's see if they can hold that position this season against the new Porsche and last years competition from Ferrari and Ford.

Ford returned to Le Mans and the World Endurance Championship with a win in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In 2017 Ford has set it sights to the World Championship and a second consecutive win at Le Mans. The Ford GT is basically the same as last season, apart from a few little tweaks.

Stefan Mücke & Olivier Pla are back in the cockpit of the #66 Ford GT and will - as last year -  be joined by American racer Billy Johnson at Silverstone, Spa and Le Mans. In the #67 Andy Priaulx and Harry Tincknell will be joined by a Pipo Derani for the first three races of the season.  Derani impressed last year with Extreme Speeds Motorsports in the FIA WEC and IMSA championship, claiming victory in the 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring.

AF Corse returns with 2 Ferrari F488 GTE's, this year in the historic Ferrari red celebrating 70 years of Ferrari.  The Italians have been raving about last years Balance of Performance, at a certain point even threatening to leave the championship. Let's see of the new automated BoP will serve them better.

Perhaps the biggest story over the winter was Gianmaria Bruni leaving AF Corse for Porsche. After several months of rumour and speculation, the transfer was officially announced at the end of February.  Bruni will be replaced by new factory driver Alessandro Pier Guidi in the #51 Ferrari, joining James Calado. The crew of the #71 has been unchanged with Davide Rigon and Sam Bird.

A part of Bruni's transfer stipulated that he wouldn't be able to race in the FIA WEC at least until after Le Mans. In the meantime Bruni has been confirmed for the IMSA championship, paired with Laurens Vanthoor ... a line-up that already has been rumoured to come over to the FIA WEC next season.

GTE Am

2 new teams will make their debut in the GTE-Am class in the World Endurance Championship. Both will run a Ferrari F488 GTE, with technical support of AF Corse.

First there's reigning Asian Le Mans Series champions Clearwater Racing from Signapore. The team made their firs appearance at Le Mans last year, since then talks about moving up to the FIA WEC have been ongoing. Regular Clearwater drivers Keita Sawa and Weng Sun MoK are joined by Ferrari factory driver Matt Griffin for their first season in the championship.

The second newcomer is Swiss based Spirit of Race of Thomas Flohr. Flohr has been racing in ELMS and most recently in the Le Mans Cup last season. He will be joined in the #54 Ferrari F488 GTE by Francesco Castellaci and former DTM driver Miguel Molina.

In the GTE-Am class, the Porsche customer team Dempsey-Proton Racing campaigns a 911 RSR from last season with the Porsche Young Professional Matteo Cairoli (Italy), Christian Ried (Germany) and Marvin Dienst (Germany) sharing driving duties in the #77. 

The second Porsche in the class is the #86 Gulf Racing 911 RSR, which returns for its second season in the FIA WEC. Michael Wainwright and Ben Barker return to the wheel of the bleu/orange Porsche and will be joined by youngster Nicholas Foster. 

Paul Dalla Lana returns to the Am class with an upgraded V8 Vantage GTE to 2016 specification. Looking to build on their success towards the end of last season after winning five of nine rounds last season, the driver line-up in the #98 is unchanged with Mathias Lauda and Pedro Lamy joining Dalla Lana again.

Missing in the class is the Larbre Corvette this season. Jack Leconte has been moving heaven and earth again to get a (factory supported) entry in the GTE Pro class together, but his plans collapsed right at the end.  The team has got in invite for Le Mans though and is expected to attend the second ELMS race in Monza to prepare for the 24 Hours.

Useful links for the weekend:

Entry List

Timetable

Spotters guide

Event map

Kristof Vermeulen.

FIA WEC 2017 - New GTE Pro Balance of Performance confirmed

The FIA, ACO and the GTE Manufacturers entered in the FIA World Endurance Championship have agreed upon a plan for the governance of Balance of Performance (BOP).  An innovative and ground-breaking automatic system will be introduced from the opening round of the 2017 season, next week during the 6 Hours of Silverstone. 

The GTE cars are based on production models which are fundamentally different from each other. To create a more level playing field for competition, regulators have the ability to apply fine adjustments in the performance of individual cars to allow each model to be competitive. Adjustments to the balance of performance for cars entered in the LMGTE Pro category during the season will now be made automatically after certain rounds, according to evaluation criteria defined and agreed by all parties before the start of the season.

A calculation tool has been created which will allow the targets for balancing the different car models to be met, without human interpretation or decision-making, and using mathematical formulas based on the quantified, public, specific, measured data obtained during each race.  The new system will be applicable for all rounds of the 2017 WEC except for the 24 Hours of Le Mans which will be treated separately.  

The first adjustments won't be made until after the first two races, so the first adjustments will be calculated after Spa and be applicable for the fourth round at the Nürburgring. The new BOP system will only be used in the LMGTE Pro class. For the LMGTE Am class the system used up until 2016 will be applied. 

More specific details about the automatic BOP can be downloaded here in the official document published by the FIA. 

Kristof Vermeulen. 

FIA WEC 2017: GTE Pro driver line-ups confirmed for Le Mans

At the first day of the FIA WEC prologue in Monza, Porsche announced its GT driver pairings for the Le Mans 24 Hours in June. With this announcement, all driver pairings for the GTE Pro class in Le Mans are now confirmed, except for Corvette.

Patrick Pilet will join Richard Lietz and Frédéric Makowiecki in the #91 Porsche 911 RSR. The third driver for the #92 car will be Dirk Werner, who will be joining Michael Christensen and Kévin Estre. 

“Choosing the drivers for the most important race of the year was actually easy,” said Head of Porsche Motorsport Dr Frank-Steffen Walliser. “Our driver squad is so strong we basically couldn’t make a mistake. Patrick Pilet and Dirk Werner are the perfect complement to our regular team members. It is definitely an advantage that they all know each other very well from the races in the USA. We’re in an excellent position for Le Mans with these drivers.”

Earlier this week, on Thursday, Aston Martin Racing also confirmed its driver line-ups for the round the clock race at Le Mans. 

Brazilian driver Daniel Serra will join Aston Martin Racing for Le Mans this year, making his debut in the FIA WEC. Serra has already completed countless laps in the team’s V8 Vantage GTE throughout an intensive testing and development programme with tyre supplier Dunlop. He will race alongside Darren Turner and Jonny Adam in the #97 Vantage V8. Joining the "Dane Train" Nicki Thiim and Marco Sorensen in the #95 is New Zealander Richie Stanaway who returns to the FIA WEC.  In preparation for Le Mans, Serra and Stanaway will join the team in the 6 hours of Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps. 

Aston Martin Racing Team Principal Paul Howarth is very excited to have both drivers on board this season. Both of them bring with them the speed and consistency that we look for in any driver here at Aston Martin Racing. While Richie has of course raced with us for many seasons, Daniel is also well known within our operation. We are a team with big ambitions following our championship successes last year and while the competition will undoubtedly be tough, it is our objective to be on the top step of the podium at Le Mans in June”.

AF Corse has secured Lucas di Grassi as their third driver in the #51 Ferrari 488 GTE. The Brazilian driver was confirmed yesterday ahead of the FIA WEC prologue. Di Grassi is still active as an Audi factory driver in the Formula E championship, but has always expressed his desire to return to Le Mans after the withdrawal of Audi out of the FIA WEC. He will join Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado in the #51 Ferrari. 

Spanish driver Miguel Molina  has been appointed as the third driver for the #71 Ferrari 488 GTE at Le Mans. He will join Davide Rigon and Sam Bird. Molina has been active in the DTM in the past 7 years and now races with the Spirit of Race team in the GTE Am class, as in the Blancpain Endurance Series with SMP Racing. Molina and Di Grassi both tested the Ferrari at Vallelunga last month together with Alessandro Pier Guidi and Nyck De Vries to replace Gianmaria Bruni who left Ferrari for Porsche. Pier Guidi got the seat as a factory driver back then.

Ford Chip Ganassi Racing already confirmed its driver line-ups in February. There's one new name into the team, Brazilian Luis Felipe "Pipo" Derani who will join Andy Priaulx and Harry Tincknell in the #67 Ford GT. Derani impressed last year with Extreme Speeds Motorsports in the LMP2 class, winning Daytona and Sebring back to back and with some impressive driving in the FIA WEC. 

Last years GTE-Pro winners at Le Mans, Joey Hand, Dirk Müller and Sébastien Bourdais will defend their title in the #68. The driver trio already won the 24 hours of Daytona this year, and could be the team to beat again at La Sarthe. In the #66 Ford GT, Stefan Mücke and Olivier Pla will be joined again by American Billy Johnson for the races at Silverstone, Spa and Le Mans. Third place finishers at last years Le Mans, Ryan Briscoe, Richard Westbrook and Scott Dixon will also return with and unchanged line-up in the #69 Ford. 

Kristof Vermeulen. 

FIA WEC 2017: LM GTE Pro and Am latest news & entry list predictions

Tomorrow afternoon, at an interactive press conference, the selected entries for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, FIA World Endurance Championship and the European Le Mans Series will be announced by the ACO.

Time to take a final look at the latest news and rumours about teams participating in the FIA World Endurance Championship.  Part 1: LM GTE Pro and Am. 

GTE PRO

2017 sees the return of Porsche to the GTE Pro class with their brand new - mid-engined - 911 GTE. Porsches new weapon already showed some fierce competition at Daytona last weekend and seems ready to take on the challenge with Ford, Aston Martin and Ferrari. With BMW arriving in 2018 and other manufacturers talking about a possible step up to GTE Pro in the next years, GTE has some very healthy prospects in the future !

Aston Martin Racing will be back to defend their 2016 FIA WEC World champion title. Despite being the "oldest" car on the grid, the # 95 of Nicki Thiim and Marco Sorenson took last years title in Bahrain. Two cars are expected on the grid again, the team most likely retaining the #95 squad, and Darren Turner in the #97.

After a one year absence, Porsche returns to the FIA WEC with their all new - and mid-engined - 911 RSR. The first mid-engined Porsche racecar since the GT1 in the late nineties. 

Drivers confirmed so far for LMGTE Pro class are Michael Christensen, Frédéric Makowiecki  and Richard Lietz. The final driver for a full season effort is still to be announced, Porsche has several options open after their driver shake up in LMP1. Another name that has been buzzing around in the past months is current Ferrari factory driver Gianmaria Bruni. For the Le Mans 24 Hours, 2 drivers of the IMSA line-up will be added. We expect Laurens Vanthoor to get one of those seats. 

AF Corse will return with 2 factory Ferrari F488's to the FIA World Endurance Championship. The Ferrari's seemed to be the best package at the beginning of last season, but struggled throughout all the BOP adjustments. Even to a point where the future of AF Corse in the FIA WEC became uncertain. Sam Bird, Davide Rigon and James Calado all are expected to be back behind the wheel this season. As stated above, the future of Gianmaria Bruni is still unclear; will he stay at Ferrari or

make the move to Porsche ?

Ford returns to the WEC with a two car effort run by Ford Chip Ganassi Racing. In their comeback season the new Ford GT immediately won its class at Le Mans, Fuji and Shanghai. No driver changes are expected in both cars. Stefan Mücke & Olivier Pla are expected in the #66 and Andy Priaulx & Harry Tincknell in the #67.

Larbre Competition again showed its intentions to step up to the GTE-Pro class with a Corvette CR7. Since december it has been awefully quiet about their plans, so expectations were for Jack Leconte to be back in the Am class this year.  Until last weekend, when Leconte was spotted in Daytona, meeting up with General Motors several times. Will we (finally) see a Corvette in the GTE Pro class during the whole FIA WEC championship ? We'll know tomorrow afternoon ... 

GTE AM

The Am class will look a little different compared to last year.  It's still unclear if we'll see any Porsches in the class this season without Al Qubaisi around and doubts about Proton Competition entering a Porsche. Clearwater Racing is the "new kid in town". The Malaysian based team debuted at Le Mans last year and now steps up from the Asian Le Mans Series to the FIA WEC in 2017. 

The first team in the Am class to confirm their entry was Aston Martin Racing, with Paul Dalla Lana returning in the Vantage V8 with Matthias Lauda and Pedro Lamy.

The Ferrari F488 GTE is now eligible to race in the AM class, 2 cars have already been confirmed by AF Corse. Last years LMGTE-Am champions François Perrodo and Emmanuel Collard are moving up to LMP2 with TDS-Racing, leaving 2 seats open for the first car. Rui Aguas is expected to return behind the wheel of the Ferrari.

Clearwater Racing announced its move to the FIA World Endurance Championship in the GTE-Am class. The Signapore based team is racing in the Asian Le Mans Series and made its debut at Le Mans last year, finishing fourth in class. Their Ferrari F488 GTE will be run by AF Corse and driven by Matt Griffin, Wok Meng Sun and Keita Sawa. Clearwater will be the first southeast Asian team to enter the FIA WEC for a full season effort.

Gulf Racing UK hasn't confirmed their entry yet, but it seems likely the British team will return in their Porsche 911 GTE. Whether Proton Competition will be back on the grid in April still remains to be seen. They were best in class twice last year, but with the arrival of the new Ferrari's in the Am class, the Porsches might be in for a big struggle to be competitive.

No Khaled Al Qubaisi at the start of the WEC season this year. At the Dubai 24 Hours, Al Qubaisi - who tested the Aston Martin in Bahrain last november - announced he won't enter the World Endurance Championship this year due to business commitments.

European Le Mans Series 2017: LMP2 news roundup

Less than three weeks of the presentation of the 2017 entry lists in FIA WEC, ELMS and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, let's take a look at what we know so far.

First up is the LMP2 class in the European Le Mans Series. With the entry of the all new 2017 regulations and Gibson powered cars, the era of open top prototype racing now has come to an end. No more Gibson, Morgan or Oreca03 on the starting grids, but all closed cockpit coupes. Initially a sub class for older LMP2 proto's has been announced in which they would be "grandfathered" (but remain uncompetitive for an overall victory) in the championship, but all teams are switching for new LMP2 prototypes immediately.

Looking at the confirmed/expected entries, this will be a very varied field with a healthy mix of Ligier, Oreca and Dallara prototypes. The only manufacturer not on the list today is Riley-Ave, although there still might be a chance we'll see all four new LMP2 cars on the ELMS grid. At this moment there's a possible entry list of a very healthy 12 to 16 cars.

Jota Sport should be set to defend its 2016 ELMS title with an Oreca 07 (the Oreca05 which will be upgraded to the new 2017 specs). Whether this will be under the flag of G-Drive Racing remains unclear. Following the release of the new driver ratings in which Roman Rusinov was upgraded to Gold rating, the Russian driver threatened to leave the WEC and ELMS championships with his G-Drive sponsorship. Given recent reports, it seems very likely though that Rusinov will stay in endurance racing. Simon Dolan & co will be back for sure, with or without Rusinov's support.

© Dragonspeed

After an impressive first season in the European Le Mans Series this year (4 podium finishes, 1 win, 3 pole positions), Dragonspeed announced the acquisition of 2 Oreca07's in June last year. Both cars have recently been delivered; one brand new Oreca07, the second is the upgraded Oreca05 in which they raced last year. Nicolas Lapierre, Ben Hanley and Hendrik Hedman are already confirmed for the first car in this seasons ELMS. The team is now working on a driver line-up to field a second car in the European Le Mans Series. They will start their season in the Daytona Rolex24 at the end of January. Lapierre has also been confirmed at Alpine in the FIA WEC, so if Dragonspeed gets an invite for Le Mans, they'll have to find a replacement driver for Lapierre.

© United Autosports

Winning the 2016 LMP3 championship granted United Autosports an invite for the 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans. The team took it up and purchased a Ligier JSP217 to race in the LMP2 class. The car will also be fielded in the European Le Mans Series, in addition to both LMP3 cars in the championship.  The first 2 drivers have been confirmed at the Autosport show last week: American Will Owen and Swiss-born Hugo de Sadeleer.

© Villorba Corse

Italian team Villorba Corse continues to work on its "Road to Le Mans" next season and steps up to the LMP2 class. They will race a brand new Dallara LMP2 in the ELMS, driven by Andrea Belicchi, Roberto Lacorte and Giorgio Sernagiotto. The team will also apply for an entry in the 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans.

© Graff Racing

LMP3 vice champions Graff Racing are moving up to the LMP2 class next season with 2 Oreca 07's. Initially a one car effort was announced last september, but recently the addition of a second car has been confirmed (depending on budget and drivers). An application to enter the 24 Hours of Le Mans will also be filed. The team has already participated 11 times in the 24 Hours between 1980 and 1993 and aims to return with 1 car. Graff Racing has also the intention to race one Ligier JSP3 in the ELMS this season.

Olivier Pla will race with IDEC Sport in the LMP2 class next season. He will be the leading driver in the Ligier JSP217/Gibson, alongside Paul and Patrice Lafargue. Pla will combine the ELMS championship with his factory drive for Ford in the WEC. If IDEC gets an invite for Le Mans, Pla won't be able to race with the French team, as in the first race of the season in Silverstone. The team is also looking into the LMP3 class, with a possible entry of one car.

Greaves Motorsport is expected to be back in the championship this season, either with a car of their own or running customer team(s). The future of Krohn Racing which was run by Greaves last year remains unclear up untill now. We expected Krohn to acquire a new Ligier JSP217, but he's also been linked to Dallara recently. With Olivier Pla leaving for IDEC, Krohn now lost his lead driver from the last ELMS campaign. The team has confirmed working on their plans for 2017, so expect an announcement by the end of the month.

No news about the future of Murphy Prototypes so far. Murphy's men gave young talent a chance in LMP2 throughout last season and teamed up with Ben Keating & Bill Riley for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Running an Ave-Riley LMP3 was planned for last season but the debut of the car being delayed several times postponed those plans. Will Murphy return in LMP2 or will they eventually enter the Riley LMP3 (for which they already had been assigned as agents for the European market) ? Rumours were spreading about Ben Keating showing interest in LMP2 to return to Le Mans also, with a possible full season entry in ELMS. 

© Racing Team Nederland

A new team in the top class of the European Le Mans Series next season will be Racing Team Nederland. An ambitious Dutch team running a Dallara/Gibson, supported by Davytech. This is a very ambitious project, funded by Jumbo boss Frits Van Eerd who will be sharing the car with former Le Mans winner Jan Lammers and Rubens Barichello joining in for Le Mans (if they get an invite). An intense testing program has been completed up until now, including the Dunlop tire tests at Sebring last December.

Panis Barthez Competition has bought a new Ligier JSP217 for their second season in the ELMS. No news on drivers yet, but Fabien Barthez will surely be back at the wheel. The French team will also continue to race in the LMP3 class.

Eurasia will apply for a Le Mans entry again, but their future in the European Le Mans Series is unclear. Losing Jo Pin Tung and his sponsoring funds last season forces them to work with a tighter budget and it's not certain a full ELMS campaign will fit for 2017. The team is now active in the Asian Le Mans Series, winning the last race at Buriram.

RLR M-Sport who have been active in LMP3 in the past 2 years also bought a Ligier JSP217 to run in LMP2 this season, and will apply for an invite at Le Mans. They are into the market for (paying) drivers at the moment. 

Tockwith Motorsports impressed in LMP3 last year when they stepped up from the Michelin GT3 Cup. Very strong performances in the 4 hours of Le Castellet and Spa-Francorchamps made the them quickly order a Ligier JSP217 and step up again to LMP2. Nigel Moore and Philip Hansen will be the drivers of red/white Gibson powered Ligier. 

A return of Thiriet by TDS Racing this season is unlikely, the team already confirming to step up to the FIA WEC in an Oreca07. LMGTE Am champions Emmanuel Collard and François Perrodo will drive the car together with Matthieu Vaxivière.  Pierre Thiriet also has been linked to a possible Alpine drive in the WEC this season. Last year, the team quite early employed plans to run a Norma LMP3 in the ELMS, whether that's still on the table is unclear.

The future of SMP Racing in LMP2 is still in doubt. Their BR01 now outdated with the arrival of the new generation LMP2's. Running the BR01 is still possible in the ELMS, but as a "grandfathered car" & way off the pace of the new prototypes. Ambitious plans were announced back in November with the development of a new LMP1-L for 2018 in a joint venture with Dallara. Recent rumours about hitting troubles early on might . There might be a chance SMP running a Dallara LMP2 this season, or will they solely focus on the GTE class ?

WRT made an impressive one-off appearance at the 4 hours of Spa-Francorchamps last September, finishing second in the debut race with an LMP2 prototype. Rumours of the team going into LMP2 have now been denied by team boss Vincent Vosse. They have been looking into a FIA WEC campaign next year but a possible LMP2 entry is on stand by at the moment. If WRT goes into LMP2 it has to be with a sufficient budget at the resources to compete for the win. The project isn't off the table completely, this might be one to watch for 2018.

2 teams who are also active in the Asian Le Mans Series haven't confirmed any plans for this year in the ELMS. Both Algarve Pro Racing and Race Performance race in Asia with their current LMP2 machinery. Algarve Pro Racing is looking into a full season entry in the FIA WEC in 2018, plans for 2017 haven't been announced yet. Race Performance have put their Ligier LMP3 for sale recently and is defending the Asian Le Mans Series title in LMP2. There has been no official announcement so far about the future of the team.  

Pegasus Racing definitely won't return to the LMP2 class as they will switch to LMP3 in 2017 with at least one Ligier JSP217. 

Kristof Vermeulen.