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Le Mans / ALMS
LE MANS: ACO, FIA Making Progress On 2014 LMP1 Regs
FIA Endurance Commission President Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones confirms new regulations set to be unveiled at 24 Hours of Le Mans in June...
The 2014 LMP1 regulations could result a significantly different-looking prototype, with an emphasis on efficiency. (Photo: John Dagys)
While last weekend’s 60th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring saw the successful launch of the new FIA World Endurance Championship, plans are already progressing towards a new wave of LMP1 technical regulations, set to come into play in 2014.
Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones, President of the newly formed FIA Endurance Commission, has yet to provide details on the new regulations, but outlined the timeline for the release of the highly anticipated rulebook, which has already received an initial vote of approval from the World Motor Sport Council.
“We've gone through the process in a rational, professional way,” Owen-Jones explained, “which is first to get the technical staff, which has been going back and forth with the manufacturers for months, what they think is sensible regulations for 2014, then submit it to the World Council to get their support.
“[We’d then] go back to the teams and confidentially say, 'This is the way we see it. Give ourselves a minimum [amount] of time before we confront it with public knowledge to discuss it.”
Owen-Jones said they’ve set a deadline of June to present the final version of the rulebook to the WMSC, and if approved, will unveil it publicly at this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.
“I think it's the best time to launch new regs which most people will be interested in,” he said. “It also corresponds to the delay we have to have in order for it to be enforced by the beginning of 2014.”
The ACO has held numerous meetings with current and prospective prototype manufacturers for nearly the last two years, floating around various technical concepts for the next-generation LMP1 machines, including an emphasis on fuel efficiency, hybrids and decreased weight. There has also been discussions of revised dimensions for the top-level prototypes, according to sources close to the matter.
While new technology has generally spurred increased costs, Owen-Jones, the former chairman and CEO of L’Oreal and a three-time starter at Le Mans as a driver, believes it’s essential to enforce new energy efficiency standards in LMP1 in order to help justify the sport’s relevance.
“I think cost control is a concern in any form of motorsport right now,” he said. “It's a concern, but at the same time, I think you have to see what LMP1 is the very top of the endurance racing hierarchy and I think the manufacturers themselves are convinced that the rules have to evolve because they have to show they are using technology that's relevant to consumers.
“If much higher fuel economy can be achieved, then surely our rules must, in some way, acknowledge this fact and encourage it... I think the rules do have to evolve in a fuel efficient, energy efficient dimension, and I think all of the manufacturers wish this. So it has to be offset. Relevance is as important as cost efficiency.”
The 2014 season could see a boom in manufacturer involvement, with Porsche already in the advanced stages of designing its all-new LMP1 contender and both Audi and Toyota expected to continue in similar capacities, although not yet confirmed.
It’s believed other manufacturers are also evaluating factory programs tied into the new regulations, which will be adopted in the FIA World Endurance Championship and also expected to be embraced in the American Le Mans Series.
John Dagys is SPEED.com’s Sportscar Racing Reporter, focusing on all major domestic and international championships. You can follow him on Twitter @johndagys or email him at
Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones, President of the newly formed FIA Endurance Commission, has yet to provide details on the new regulations, but outlined the timeline for the release of the highly anticipated rulebook, which has already received an initial vote of approval from the World Motor Sport Council.
“We've gone through the process in a rational, professional way,” Owen-Jones explained, “which is first to get the technical staff, which has been going back and forth with the manufacturers for months, what they think is sensible regulations for 2014, then submit it to the World Council to get their support.
“[We’d then] go back to the teams and confidentially say, 'This is the way we see it. Give ourselves a minimum [amount] of time before we confront it with public knowledge to discuss it.”
Owen-Jones said they’ve set a deadline of June to present the final version of the rulebook to the WMSC, and if approved, will unveil it publicly at this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.
“I think it's the best time to launch new regs which most people will be interested in,” he said. “It also corresponds to the delay we have to have in order for it to be enforced by the beginning of 2014.”
The ACO has held numerous meetings with current and prospective prototype manufacturers for nearly the last two years, floating around various technical concepts for the next-generation LMP1 machines, including an emphasis on fuel efficiency, hybrids and decreased weight. There has also been discussions of revised dimensions for the top-level prototypes, according to sources close to the matter.
While new technology has generally spurred increased costs, Owen-Jones, the former chairman and CEO of L’Oreal and a three-time starter at Le Mans as a driver, believes it’s essential to enforce new energy efficiency standards in LMP1 in order to help justify the sport’s relevance.
“I think cost control is a concern in any form of motorsport right now,” he said. “It's a concern, but at the same time, I think you have to see what LMP1 is the very top of the endurance racing hierarchy and I think the manufacturers themselves are convinced that the rules have to evolve because they have to show they are using technology that's relevant to consumers.
“If much higher fuel economy can be achieved, then surely our rules must, in some way, acknowledge this fact and encourage it... I think the rules do have to evolve in a fuel efficient, energy efficient dimension, and I think all of the manufacturers wish this. So it has to be offset. Relevance is as important as cost efficiency.”
The 2014 season could see a boom in manufacturer involvement, with Porsche already in the advanced stages of designing its all-new LMP1 contender and both Audi and Toyota expected to continue in similar capacities, although not yet confirmed.
It’s believed other manufacturers are also evaluating factory programs tied into the new regulations, which will be adopted in the FIA World Endurance Championship and also expected to be embraced in the American Le Mans Series.
John Dagys is SPEED.com’s Sportscar Racing Reporter, focusing on all major domestic and international championships. You can follow him on Twitter @johndagys or email him at
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