1998 Le Mans Era Vs 2023 Le Mans Era | ft @getfasterE36

the new golden age of sports car endurance racing is upon us with the lmh and lmdh prototypes starting to make their debuts in the imsa and wec grids some are calling this the next Golden Age of endurance racing but this isn't the first time that a golden age has happened in this type of Motorsport as the 2023 Le Mans 24 hour is upon us it's a good time to go back 25 years ago to the grid of the 1998 Le Mans for this video I will be collaborating with endurance racing content creator get faster myself and get faster will go over the regulations from 1998 and compare it to the new era of top level endurance racing prototypes and breaking down the cars from four different manufacturers from then versus now I will hand things over to get faster as he will talk about the top level categories of Le Mans in 1998. lmp1 and GT1 the lmp1 cars of this era were basically tightly regulated open cockpit Group C cars operating at reduced speeds due to a lack of horsepower and downforce Group C was a highly successful category in the 1980s rivaling the popularity of formula one but constant rule changes and ballooning costs in the early 1990s resulted in a lack of entries the GT class at Le Mans was reintroduced in 1993 to attract new competition it was a resounding success increasing the number of entries from 30 cars to 58 cars the new GT1 era started with rare exotic supercars like the Pantera the Viper the eb-110 the Venturi 600 the xj-220 and the Ferrari F40 and thanks to a loophole in the regulations a pair of Porsche 96 tubes now about that loophole if you promised the ACO that you are going to build 25 Road cars they would let you in even if you hadn't actually built 25 Road cars the GT1 Porsche 962 only had two road going prototypes setting a dangerous precedent for the series going forward GT1 quickly became a field of prototype hypercars every year the cars would get faster and more expensive it was common for cars that were running up front the previous year to be relegated as back markers the following year the peak of the GT1 era came on the 75th anniversary of Le Mans in 1998. all of the manufacturers pulled out all the stops in an attempt to win this prestigious event 117 submitted applications to race at Le Mans meaning that less than half of the teams would actually get to compete in the race 37 of those cars were either GT1 or lmp1 but it was not to last this would be the GT1 categories last Le Mans meeting the same fate as Group C for precisely the same reason the cost had become too great so now that we have heard about the history of GT1 and lnp1 let's now discuss the brand new prototypes of lmh and lmdh Le Mans hypercar abbreviated as lmh are a set of prototype regulations made for sports car endurance racing the lmh rule set was created by the FIA and ACO to be the successor to the lmp-1 regulations lnp1 worked well but eventually the time came for something new lmh was intended to be the replacement for lmp1 and it successfully did with six manufacturers already confirmed to build entries and that's not even counting the other manufacturers interested in entering along with the customer entries such as pescarolo sport joining the other prototype regulation is called Le Mall Daytona H more commonly referred to as lmdh this rule set was created by the ACO and imsa to be the replacement for DPI or Daytona prototype International the lmdh regulations bring a whole new wave of competition and excitement the lmdh entries made their debut at the 2023 Rolex 24 at Daytona and they did not disappoint like lmh manufacturers lmdh manufacturers have been rushing to these new regulations with Porsche BMW Cadillac and Acura all starting their racing adventures with their lmdh prototypes in 2023 with alpine and Lamborghini joining in 2024 another great part of these lmdh and lmh regulations is that imsa and the wec agreed to converge the regulations which means that lmh and lmdh entries can race together in the same Motorsport in the wec the prototypes race in the category known as hypercar while over in imsa they race in a GTP class another thing that's extraordinary from the older prototypes versus the newer prototypes is the cost difference for example we'll look at the cost difference between lmp1 and the new hypercars when a manufacturer chooses to build either an lmh or an lmdh it's about 14.5 million dollars cheaper than building an lmp1 car that is a massive difference and it goes to show one of the reasons why there are so many more manufacturers interested in these new regulations versus lmt1 we will Begin by talking about the comparison of Porsche's entries in 1998 versus 2023 in 1998 Porsche brought two types of cars the Porsche lmp-198 and the Porsche 911 GT1 the lmp-198 used a 3.0 liter Flat 6 turbo engine and produced around 540 horsepower it was not a factory entry but was approved by Porsche themselves the lmp1 entry was originally a modified Jaguar XJR 14 by TWR created to compete in the imsa world Sports Car Championship for 1995 and Beyond it was originally called the wsc95 and the cars not only participated in imsa but in the 24 Hours of Le Mall as well and they won overall honors in 1996 and 1997. while TWR ran the lmp1 entries Porsche unveiled the Porsche 911 GT1 in 1996. this Porsche used a flat 6 Twin turbocharged engine in the mid portion of the car and had a six-speed sequential manual transmission four Porsches arrived for the 98 Le Mans two lmp-198s and two 911 GT ones of course the lmp1 entries had already won the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice so Porsche already had wins with at least one type of Entry but a third Le Mans win was not meant to be from the TWR ran Porsches unfortunately the lmp-198s retired as for the 911 GT ones their luck was the complete opposite the two Factory Porsche entries beat their Rivals to take first and second in the 24-hour race dominating Le Mans in 1998. fun fact this would actually be the final time the GT ones took to the track at Le Mans as for 1998 Porsche would not return and the German manufacturer would not return to prototype endurance racing till 2014. so what about Porsche's 2023 entry well Porsche makes the return to her endurance racing with the Porsche 963 the name 963 is a tribute to the Porsche 962 and 956 which both dominated endurance racing in the 1980s the 963 is an lmdh entry and competes in the wec and imsa championships the engine is a 4.6 liter twin turbo V8 that produces around 671 HP since the 963 is an lmdh Century it has a supplied chassis Porsche has chosen multimatic to be their chassis supplier it made its debut at Daytona in 2023 but unfortunately the Porsche Penske team encountered reliability issues which took them out of contention for the race victory at Daytona nevertheless Porsha hopes to win Le Mans once again like they did in 1998 with the Porsche 911 GT1 I have a feeling Porsche will take success throughout the seasons in imsa and the wec with the 963 when the 963 raced at Sebring in imsa and the wec they seem to have very good Pace 2023 is the first season for the 963 and the last time Porsche participated in Prototype endurance racing was in 2017 so they're definitely gonna need some time to get back into the swing of things as for a prediction for Le Mans I think they could be up there fighting for the win because they're going to get a little bit more experience from the previous three rounds of the wec and hopefully they'll be taking the fight to Toyota and Ferrari and whoever is fighting for the overall victory at the 2023 edition of the 24 hours of them all but anyway I'm in a hand thing back over to get faster who will talk about the cars from BMW and Ferrari for the 1998 season BMW was very serious in their attempt for victory competing in both top categories GT1 and lmp1 their GT1 entry needs no introduction for it as the mighty BMW McLaren F1 GTR widely described as the greatest Road car of all time while the McLaren was dominant in 1995 the BMW McLaren F1 GTR required extensive modifications for the 1997 season to remain competitive but even with these upgrades BMW and McLaren realized that the car could no longer remain competitive and withdrew support for the project at the end of the 97th season but their customers continued to run the 1997 spec BMW McLarens and the 1998 season the 1997 spec McLaren F1 GTR was called the long tail due to its longer wider more aerodynamic exterior the chassis was a carbon fiber monocoque paired with 18-inch wheels and vented carbon disc brakes the engine was a detuned BMW S70 that produced 600 horsepower that was paired with a six-speed sequential manual transmission the car weighed in at 915 kilograms and could reach a top speed of 197 miles per hour on the mulsane straight the wheel base was 107.2 inches their lmp1 entry was the BMW V12 LM not to be confused with the BMW V12 LMR that won the 1999 Le Mans the BMW V12 LM was a brand new car the chassis and aerodynamics were designed by The Williams Formula One team the engine would be sourced from the 1997 spec McLaren F1 which was 74 CC smaller than the road going counterparts this allowed the car to maintain the same horsepower Vienna and air restrictor but slightly improve the reliability the first race of the V12 LM would be Le Mans the chassis was a carbon fiber and aluminum monocock paired with 18-inch wheels and Vinted carbon disc brakes the drivetrain was nearly identical to the McLaren F1 but the engine was restricted to 580 horsepower the car weighed in at 900 kilograms and could reach a top speed of 207 miles per hour on the mulsane street the wheelbase was 109.8 inches for 2023 BMW has decided to run the lmdh class while the BMW M hybrid V8 appears to be a brand new car Engineers never start from scratch the power plant is a p66 sourced from the 2018 BMW M4 DTM cars and upgraded to be compatible with a hybrid unit and the dalara chassis is based on an lmp2 model the chassis is a carbon fiber monocoque paired with 18-inch wheels and carbon ceramic brakes the 4 liter turbocharged V8 produces 640 horsepower and is connected to a 7-speed sequential transmission the peak power is 671 horsepower when combined with the hybrid system all lmdh cars are regulated to a weight of 1030 kilograms the wheelbase is 124 inches the longer length prevents oversteer and allows drivers to more confidently navigate through low-speed corners finally it is time for the results the lmp1 car didn't do very well despite having decent top speed and qualifying times there were significant design flaws regarding the Driveline aerodynamics and engine cooling after a couple of hours both BMW lmp1 cars withdrew from the race BMW would later scrap the whole car and start all over the BMW McLaren F1 GTRs fared a bit better they were 10 to 15 seconds elapsed lower than their contemporaries but they were extremely reliable after years of development both cars were running well car number 40 went slightly faster but disaster struck overnight as the car number 41 crashed car number 40 finished fourth overall but BMW displayed what they were capable of in the 24 Hours of Daytona back in January despite card number 24 spending a lot of time in the garage for an issue with the brakes laid in the race BMW managed to finish sixth place 15 laps behind the leading Acura the historic F40 LM had once ruled Le Mans but it had become obsolete in 1996 Ferrari had built six F50 GT1 cars that would have raced in Le Mans in 1998 but in 1997 the FIA had reduced the annual production requirement from 25 Road cars down to only one prototype but a test in 1996 showed that the F50 GT1 was actually faster than their 333 SP lmp1 car now onto their actual entry for the 1998 mons the 333 SP when the WSC regulation rules were originally unveiled in 1993 Ferrari was very pleased as they knew it would cost relatively little despite being five years old it was by no means slow they inherited the engine from the 1990 Formula One model and increased the displacement by 500 cc's but they reduced the power output from 680 to 640 horsepower to improve the reliability of the engine this Sensational combination of speed and reliability was very formidable winning four consecutive championships from 1998 to 2001. the chassis was a carbon fiber and aluminum monocoque paired with 17-inch wheels and Brembo disc brakes the naturally aspirated 4-liter V12 cranked out 640 horsepower into a 5-speed sequential gearbox the 333 SP weighed only 860 kilograms meaning that it would require ballast to meet the minimum weight requirement of 875 kilograms it could also reach a top speed of 198 miles per hour the wheelbase was 108.3 inches in 2023 Ferrari will make their first appearance in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in their new hypercar Ferrari is currently testing their Prototype at multiple world-renowned racetracks to prepare for the wec championship the 499p was very fast at Sebring allowing Ferrari to apply pressure directly to Toyota it will be very interesting to see how this car evolves over the next few seasons if history repeats itself the 499 SP will become an Unstoppable Beast the chassis is a carbon fiber monocoque I can't find the wheel and brake configurations yet because it's a new car and they probably want to keep it secret the turbocharged 3 liter V6 is limited to 671 horsepower this is important because even if the hybrid unit fails they are still able to produce their regular power output a luxury that BMW does not have an electric motor also produces 268 horsepower but what is interesting about the Ferrari hybrid unit is that it operates at 900 volts this is important because it theoretically reduces the amperage by 225 versus the lmdh cars giving Engineers the opportunity to increase the efficiency or power or reduce the size of the wires to save weight the 499 SP ways in at 1030 kilograms the wheelbase of the 499p is only 118.8 inches this is 5.2 inches shorter than the length required for lmdh cars this allows the car to have a slightly tighter turn radius the 333sp performed admirally in the 98 LeMans four cars started the race and two of them dropped out due to gearbox issues but the leading Ferrari finished first in the LMP category eighth overall for 2023 I have high expectations for Ferrari they know how to make fast cars and they race to win they have done their homework having performed thousands of hours of testing Toyota and their team has had more experience with their car due to multiple years of development but both lmh cars will likely be faster than their lmdh counterparts but with enough sandbagging the FIA might give lmdh a favorable Bop so now that we've discussed Porsche BMW and Ferrari's prototypes from then versus now let's take a look at the comparison from Toyota's GT1 and gr-010 after the fall of Group C in 1993 Toyota started to explore other options for their sports car racing future they opted to switch to the GT1 regulations and build a car that would finally take them to the top step of the Le Mans Podium after skipping Le Mall in 1997 the Japanese manufacturer returned with the Toyota GT1 otherwise known as the Toyota ts-020 as for the internals of the car Toyota's GT1 entry was fitted with a 3.6 liter twin turbo V8 engine a six-speed sequential gearbox and it reached a top speed of around 220 miles per hour which equates to around 354 kph the GT1 appeared for the first time at Le Mall in 1998 and Toyota brought three cars to challenge for overall Victory unfortunately the GT1 just had too much bad luck and wasn't able to come close to the Le Mans podium in 1998. during the race problems arose for the Toyota cars the number 29 car had a gearbox failure while the number 28 entry was defeated by a high-speed crash that meant that only one GT1 finished the number 27 down in ninth overall 25 laps behind the winning Porsche while the GT1 failed to achieve Toyota's first Le Mans win the gr-010 on the other hand did achieve Victory the Toyota gr-010 was the successor to the Toyota ts-050 which was the first Toyota to win the 24 hours of the mall the gr-010 would become Toyota's new Challenger for the new top category of Le Mans the hypercar class based around the lamal hypercar regulations the gr-010 was fitted with a 3.5 liter twin turbo V6 engine and could reach a top speed of around 201 miles per hour which is around 325 kph after the demise of lmp1 Toyota subsequently became the first automaker to run a Le Mans hypercar on track and the gr-010 dominated the 2021 wec and took Toyota's fourth win at Le Mans the following year in 2022 it was a similar story for the Japanese automaker even though more competitors arrived in the form of Peugeot Toyota still dominated the wec and Le Mans in 2022 so just to revise the comparison between the GT1 and the gr-010 it is a completely different story between the two not just considering that this is a whole different set of regulations but speaking results wise the GT1 had some incredibly difficult reliability issues and crashes when a race at Le Mans in 1998 and again the following year in 99 but in 2021 and 2022 it was the complete opposite story with the gr-010 I believe that in 2023 when the gr-010 returns to endurance racing Toyota could win again at Le Mans and in the wec maybe not the same dominance that they had before but I predict a strong showing from Toyota regardless so that concludes another video here on this channel I hope you enjoyed it and found it informative what did you think about the 1998 era of the 24 Hours of Le Mans compared to this era from 2023 and Beyond of endurance racing of course feel free to send your thoughts down in the comments below also big thank you to get faster for collaborating with me on this awesome project if you want to check out his channel I've put a link to it in the description down below so make sure to check that out if you're interested in endurance racing click the Subscribe button to the left so you don't miss out on any of the latest news and updates if you want to see another video check out one of the suggested options to the right of your screen but that's it for me thank you so much for watching and I'll see you all in the next one

Channel: Formula Jonah

Views: 95,059

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Id: 1JRFZUDwXTk

Length: 23min 47sec (1427 seconds)

Published: Mon May 08 2023