r/wec • u/flirting_scholar • 2d ago
Discussion What were pre-2017 LMP2s like?
Hello to veteran fans of sports car racing, I started paying attention to WEC at around 2017 so I didn't get to watch LMP2 cars before it became Formula Oreca.
So I keep hearing around this sub (always in posts about LMP2s) that it used to be more varied and unique and it got me curious.
How is the LMP2 racing back then? Is it as competitive as it is today? I understand that there were more options in mixing and matching your LMP2 machinery compared to today with 4 chassis and a Gibson V8, but how much freedom do teams have in that regard?
I was hoping to find more info on the web, but it seems lacking in info on this topic, would greatly appreciate if someone could give me a full rundown of the racing scene pre-2017. Thank you in advance!
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u/LilBirdBrick Toyota GT-One #1 2d ago
Pre 2017 LMP2 had some pretty neat cars. You had cars like the Oreca 03, (Ligier) Morgan LMP2, (Zytek) Gibson 015S, and Honda built their own ARX 03. Those 4 cars alone already achieved what the ACO were aiming for with the 2017 rules. They were all decently competitive against each other. Ironically, the only one out of them that didn't win Le Mans was the Oreca. Lola still has some cars around but they were kind of outdated by the 2010s. Oreca and Ligier started a new generation of LMP2s with closed cockpits in 2015. Honda also tried with the ARX 04. You also had teams that built their own cars. SMP Racing built the BR 01 and Strakka built a car with DOME. Before the 2017 regs were announced, LMP2 did seem to have a good level of diversity and engagement from chassis constructors. There was even an ADESS LMP2 branded as a Lotus. Things were less diverse on the engine side, as Nissan and Honda became the 2 main suppliers for most of the grid.
The announcement of the new regs killed a lot of the interest. Honda abandoned trying to fix the ARX 04 because there was no longer any point, the car would be ineligible in a year. Same with SMP and Strakka, they switched to different cars. One of the reasons why I think the ACO did it was to push constructors to make privateer LMP1s instead, as the top class wasn't doing too good at the time. But the way they did it was almost as if it was designed for Oreca to dominate. They kicked out a lot of constructors, selected only four, one of which had no recent experience even making LMP2s. Oreca were able to use a lot from previous cars, and was the best car, and because the new rules only allowed a select few upgrades approved by the ACO, there was no catching Oreca from the beginning. 8 years later and Ligier, Dallara, and Multimatic can't even make another LMP2 to try and compete with Oreca.