Can Porsche Resist Ferrari, Toyota Breaks in Imola WEC?
Anything can happen at Imola’s Road to Le Mans race but Porsche will fight its with every ounce of energy it has to its disposal.
The World Endurance Championship has confirmed a significant Balance of Performance shake up for the next stop on the Road to Le Mans in Italy this Sunday 21 April. While the Porsches will indeed drop a little weight and gain a bit more power, they must deal with significantly lighter, and more powerful Ferraris and Toyotas. It’s a move that’s likely to shake up this weekend’s WEC pecking order.
The Qatar winning Porsche 963 LMDhs can shed 33 pounds and power 5 HP up this weekend. But 2023 Le Mans 24 Hour winners and home team Ferrari, and Gazoo Toyota Racing will benefit most from greater breaks applied to all cars except the heavily revised new Peugeots for the weekend’s 6 Hours of Imola.
Ferrari, Toyota Get Biggest Italian BoP Advantages
The Porsches and Peugeots humbled the Toyotas and Ferraris at the previous round. So Sunday’s changes certainly promise to reset the running order. The Ferrari 499P Le Mans Hypercars will drop 75 pounds from their opening round Qatar 1812 minimum weight to 2,295 lbs. at Imola. The 499Ps also gain an extra nine horsepower.
Toyota Gazoo Racing’s GR010 Hybrid LMHs lose 64 lbs. and gain 8 HP in the FIA WEC Committee’s latest Balance of Performance tables. The rest of the Hypercar grid mostly also gain BoP breaks. Alpine’s A424 LMDh lose 61 lbs, the Lamborghinis and the Isotta Fraschini Tipo 6 drop 60 lbs, and the BMW M Hybrids LMDh 58 lbs. The solo Cadillac V-Series LMDh gets a 3 lbs reprieve to the 2,270 lbs. LMDh class limit, and gains a healthy 24 HP.
Porsche Advantage, Track Differences Urged Imola Change
The entirely re-imagined Peugeot 9X8 2024 will however race 68 lbs heavier than the 2,340 lbs 2023 car as it also loses 14 HP. That in line with its change from an unusual ground effect set-up to a more regular winged configuration. The Peugeot will also now deploy its electric front axle at the same 125 mph as its LMH rivals. It will furthermore run standard staggered wheel sizes, rather than four smaller tires.
The changes have as much to do with Imola’s different, undulating track traits versus the flat, desert Qatar, as they do with reeling in the Porsches that enjoyed an advantage in the Gulf race. The WEC is yet to introduce its planned ‘power gain’ Balance of Performance component to equalise the various cars’ straight line speeds.
Anything Can Happen at Imola!
The only changes to the Imola Hypercar entry list over Qatar are Cadillac running only Earl Bamber and Alex Lynn. Sebastien Bourdais sits the Italian round out. And Peugeot has replaced the injured Ferdinand Habsburg with Jules Gounon for Imola.
All of which means anything can happen at Imola’s Road to Le Mans race. All teams arrive with a different specification to what they ran in the Qatar season opener. Porsche can however be expected to fight its rejuvenated rivals with every ounce of energy they have to their disposal. The Imola 6 Hour starts at 13h00 European time Sunday 21 April. Visit fiawec.tv to learn more about live streaming fees.
Photos: WEC