The LMP1 class of the World Endurance Championship took a bit of a hit this year with Audi withdrawing and privateers Rebellion choosing to drop down to LMP2, but the future of the category is already looking bright.
Following on from the news that Ginetta is looking to field some cars in LMP1 next year comes the announcement that British firm PERRINN has already received an order for two of its chassis, although the identity of the team and its engine supplier have yet to be revealed.
Although the car has yet to be built the design work is fully complete, with the first examples set to be unveiled in November ahead of a testing programme in December, with the possibility of supplying more cars should other teams show an interest.
The cars’ designer Nicolas Perrin reckons that LMP1 is becoming more attractive than LMP2 thanks to its more open rules and requirement that the cars have a minimum lifespan of five years. He said:
“Increased support and stability from the FIA and ACO, coupled with programmes from other manufacturers has meant we’ve had a lot of discussions with teams seeking more freedom than the new LMP2 category. LMP1 offers a route to progress from an engineering and pace point of view. In just a few short months, the programme has progressed very quickly to the point where we’ll have two cars plus enough spares to build another car within six months. We have ensured we have capacity to do more should some of our other discussions develop.”
The rolling chassis is priced at £1.2 million and is expected to weigh ‘significantly less’ than the 830kg minimum weight limit – always an attractive proposition for any prospective buyer.
With the addition of PERRINN and Ginetta to the grid in 2018 LMP1 could be set to double in size, and ByKolles will finally have some competition in the privateer LMP1 category.
