Le Mans Prototype

Le Mans Prototypes have used various names depending on the series in which they compete. The FIA's equivalent cars were referred to as Sports Racers (SR) or Sports Racing Prototypes (SRP). The American IMSA GT Championship termed their cars World Sports Cars (WSC), while the short-lived United States Road Racing Championship (USRRC) used the classic Can-Am (CA) name for their prototypes. Since 2004, most series have switched to referring to these cars as Le Mans Prototypes. The American Le Mans Series, the successor to the IMSA GT Championship and the predecessor of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, officially referred to the cars simply as Prototypes (P1, P2, or PC). An LMP is commonly referred to as a Le Mans car in the media. ==History==

The first use of what would become Le Mans Prototypes was at the 1992 24 Hours of Le Mans. In an attempt to increase the number of entrants beyond the small field of Group C competitors that the World Sportscar Championship had to offer, older Porsche 962s were allowed entry in Category 3. To further increase the size of the field, small open-cockpit race cars using production road car engines which were raced in small national championships were allowed in Category 4. Later, ACO announced its intentions to completely replace the Group C cars with Le Mans Prototypes. Two classes were created, with LMP1s running large displacement custom-built engines that were usually turbocharged, and LMP2s using the smaller displacement production-based engines. Both classes were required to have open cockpits. However, LMP1 cars that year were just former Group C cars, some still with closed cockpits (Toyota 94C-V, Courage C32, Kremer K8 Spyder, Porsche 962C GTI, ALD C289 and Alpa LM). At the same time, the IMSA GT Championship announced the end of their closed cockpit GTP and Lights classes, deciding as well to replace them with a single open-cockpit class of World Sports Cars equivalent to LMP1. , which competed in IMSA's WSC class This formula continued up to 1996, with many manufacturers embracing the LMP and WSC classes, including Ferrari, Porsche, and Mazda. In 1997, the first European series based around Le Mans Prototypes was launched, known as the "International Sports Racing Series". Using classes similar to LMP1/WSC and LMP2, these cars were known as "SR1" and "SR2" by the FIA. 1998 saw the creation of another series of Le Mans Prototypes, with the new United States Road Racing Championship attempting to break away from the IMSA GT Championship. To differ from IMSA'S WSC class, the USRRC named their open-cockpit prototypes "Can-Am" in an attempt to resurrect the sportscar championship of the 1970s. However, the USRRC collapsed before the end of 1999, with the series becoming the Rolex Sports Car Series chose to use the FIA's SR1 and SR2 formula instead. 1998 saw a great expansion for the ACO's LMP classes. Following the cancellation of the IMSA GT Championship at the end of 1998, the ACO allowed for the creation of the American Le Mans Series. This series used the same class structure as the 24 Hours of Le Mans, meaning it was the first championship to use the LMP name. At the same time, the ACO greatly altered their LMP classes. The smaller LMP2 class were briefly eliminated, while a new class of closed-cockpit prototypes was allowed in, known as "LMGTP" (Le Mans grand touring prototype). These cars were evolutions of production-based road cars that the ACO considered too advanced and too fast to fall under the GT class regulations, forcing the ACO to promote them as prototypes. as used in 2003 In 2017, in order to limit the costs, the FIA introduced a new set of LMP2 regulations, which will be locked in through 2020, aiming for a significant power decrease, to the range of 150 horsepower (which is expected to lead to a four-second decrease in lap time at Le Mans). Gibson Technology is the exclusive engine supplier for LMP2, producing a four-litre normally-aspirated V8. ==Technical regulations==

LMP1 and Audi R18 e-tron Quattro The LMP1 category was retired at the end of the 2020 season and replaced by the Le Mans Hypercar class. LMP2 -Nissan at the 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans Oreca 07 with LMP2 Endurance Trophy From 2017, in order to limit the costs, FIA introduced a new set of regulations, which will be locked in through 2027. The rules allow a significant power increase (150 horsepower) which is expected to lead to a four-second decrease in lap time at Le Mans. Gibson Technology is the exclusive engine supplier, producing a 4.2-litre naturally-aspirated V8. In seasons 2017 through 2020, the engine produced about 600 bhp. Before the start of the 2021 season LMP2 cars have been slowed down to ensure a lap time difference between the LMP2 and the Le Mans Hypercar class. In the original version of the new ruleset, revealed in November 2020, only the power of the Gibson engine has been reduced—to 560 bhp. Right before the start of the season, the cars were further weakened, by trimming an additional 20 bhp to a total of 540 bhp. The minimum weight of the cars has also been increased by 20 kg and has been set at 950 kg. Furthermore, mirroring the Hypercar category, a single aero kit has been made mandatory across the whole season and is limited to the Le Mans specification in the WEC; the ELMS teams have retained the right to switch between the aero kits. Oreca and Ligier were once again chosen as the constructors for the 2028 regulations, with Gibson set to continue supplying the engines. LMP3 Ligier JS P3 at the 2016 Road to Le Mans LMP3 is an entry-level prototype class intended for introducing young drivers and new teams to endurance racing before they progress to the higher classes of prototype racing, LMP2 and ultimately Hypercar. LMP3 uses closed-cockpit chassis, which can be built by any licensed constructor, with costs capped for the chassis, engine, and generational upgrade kits. Gen 1 Cars eligible for the 2015–2019 first-generation ruleset were the Ginetta-Juno P3, Ligier JS P3, Norma M30, ADESS-03, and the Ave-Riley AR-2. The cars were eligible in a number of series, such as the Asian Le Mans Series, the European Le Mans Series, as well as the V de V Endurance Series and the IMSA Prototype Challenge. A number of championships for the class were also created, such as the FRD LMP3 series and the British LMP3 Cup. First-generation cars were powered by a 5.0-litre normally-aspirated Nissan VK50VE V8 engine, producing . Minimum weight was originally , before being increased to due to an unexpectedly heavy powertrain package. Gen 2 and DKR Engineering Duqueine D-08, fighting for the lead of the 2021 4 Hours of Portimão The second-generation ruleset was implemented in 2020, with new cars introduced: the Ginetta G61-LT-P3, Ligier JS P320, Duqueine D-08, and the ADESS-03 Evo. These cars could be built from its predecessors using an upgrade kit. The new LMP3 prototypes were used in Asian Le Mans Series, Michelin Le Mans Cup, IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge, European Le Mans Series, and Prototype Cup Germany. For the second generation, engines were upgraded to the 5.6-litre Nissan VK56DE, increasing horsepower to . The same gearbox is retained with the same gear ratios, but the bell housing has been changed to accommodate the new engine. Due to the new engine and cooling package, the weight limit was increased to , necessitating a crash test. LMPC Oreca FLM09-Chevrolet at the 2012 Petit Le Mans LMPC (Le Mans Prototype Challenge) was an earlier entry level class, introduced in 2009, consisting of competitors running identical Oreca FLM09 cars. The class was dropped from the European Le Mans Series in 2014. As the cost of running an LMPC team was found to be comparable to that for an LMP2 team, the class was dropped after the 2017 season in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. ==See also==