The ACO has released outline details of how it sees LMP1 prototypes evolving by the 2014 Le Mans 24 Hours and beyond. Respect for the environment is preponderant in its thinking…

What will be endurance racing in 2014?

The ACO intends to introduce new, innovative, environmentally-responsible regulations which take concerns for the planet very much on board. The regulations it is planning for the future cover four main areas:

- A set quantity of energy will be allotted to each car. Teams will have to work with this amount of energy in their respective bids to win the race. Energy efficiency (energy used/distance covered) will become as important a factor as outright speed and reliability.

- The encouragement of new and original powerplant technologies.

- A reduction in the size and weight of cars

- Reduced fuel consumption (and therefore CO2 emissions). The target is to be able to cover 5,000km on 1,500 litres of petrol (or the equivalent amount of another type of energy). It should be noted that the 1990 race saw a car use 2,550 litres of petrol to cover 5,000km. In 2010, the most fuel-efficient car covered the same distance on just 1,876 litres.

- Ongoing efforts to reduce tyre consumption. This work has already born fruit: in 2010, certain LMP1 cars used just 11 sets of tyres to complete the 24-hour race compared with 19 sets in 2008.

24 Hours of Le Mans