It has been rumoured for a long time, but it was made official today. The LMP2 category will no longer be part of the FIA World Endurance Championship, following the conclusion of the 2023 season.
The category has been there from the very start of the championship back in 2012, and has been a platform for many drivers, to make a step up to the LMP1 or the current Hypercar category.
The reason for the category to disappear is down to physical space for it in the FIA WEC. The Hypercar category has 13 competitors this season, but there will be even more next year, with somewhere around 20 cars, if not 22 participating full season. That leaves only 16-18 spaces left for the new GT3 category, which will repace the GTE Am category.
Photo: JJ Media
Another reason is that 8 out of the 11 cars competing in LMP2 this year, actually is run by teams who already have, or will have a Hypercar programme in 2024. So those teams would drop out anyway, with their focus moving to the FIA WEC’s top category.
It is very important to note, that the LMP2 category definitely won’t disappear from ACO racing. The category lives on the European Le Mans Series and Asian Le Mans Series, plus the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. There will be 15 entries reserved for the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2024 for LMP2, since that race is the big carrot for Silver and Bronze rated drivers, who in some cases are bringing the budget to the teams. Those spots will be handed out with a mix of Championship titles in the ELMS, Asian LMS and IMSA, plus whoever LMP2 teams want to apply.
We have already had more than 150 LMP2 cars produced, with more than 100 chassis’s by ORECA alone, in addition to Dallara, Ligier and Multimatic, when counting in the DPi cars too, who all were based on the current LMP2 spec.
