WEC 2024

[Sasha]

My gut feeling of Honda plans.

HRC America is running on ARX-06 in IMSA for 2025 to prepare for possible WEC in 2026/27.

A new chassis ( ARX-07) GTP( RWD) and Hypercar( AWD) versions.

New ICE( 3-4 L)

Could be with AM and Newey.( WEC)
A red H with green wings.
Just need James, James Bond 007. LoL

[continuum16]

My gut feeling of Honda plans.

HRC America is running on ARX-06 in IMSA for 2025 to prepare for possible WEC in 2026/27.

A new chassis ( ARX-07) GTP( RWD) and Hypercar( AWD) versions.

New ICE( 3-4 L)

Could be with AM and Newey.( WEC)
A red H with green wings.
Just need James, James Bond 007. LoL

That would be good. Too good, even.

I highly doubt Honda is developing a new-from-scratch GTP/Hypercar. A friend of mine works with HRC US and indicated that the issue is, somewhat comically, that Honda don't want to simply rebadge the ARX-06 as a Honda and run in WEC, and instead they would rather not run WEC at all up to now. But apparently there has been a "modified" ARX-06 with a different (read: Honda) front end that has at least gone into the wind tunnel at some point. In IMSA they ran with WTR/Andretti, who wanted to go to Le Mans but Honda would not let them. That is a big reason, plus the fact that HRC could wield more influence over MSR, that MSR is back as the Acura/HRC IMSA entry while WTR has gone back to Cadillac, and I would expect them to run at Le Mans in 2025 with Caddy.

Long story short, if Honda is on the WEC grid in 2026 it will be in some form of ARX-06B with the current engine (scrapped Indycar engine I believe). Probably 50/50 chance at this point, although Toyota's expansion into almost every racing series (now with Haas partnership in F1, Supercars team in Australia, etc.) I think Honda will be more open to competing in WEC.

[Sasha]

My gut feeling of Honda plans.

HRC America is running on ARX-06 in IMSA for 2025 to prepare for possible WEC in 2026/27.

A new chassis ( ARX-07) GTP( RWD) and Hypercar( AWD) versions.

New ICE( 3-4 L)

Could be with AM and Newey.( WEC)
A red H with green wings.
Just need James, James Bond 007. LoL

That would be good. Too good, even.

I highly doubt Honda is developing a new-from-scratch GTP/Hypercar. A friend of mine works with HRC US and indicated that the issue is, somewhat comically, that Honda don't want to simply rebadge the ARX-06 as a Honda and run in WEC, and instead they would rather not run WEC at all up to now. But apparently there has been a "modified" ARX-06 with a different (read: Honda) front end that has at least gone into the wind tunnel at some point. In IMSA they ran with WTR/Andretti, who wanted to go to Le Mans but Honda would not let them. That is a big reason, plus the fact that HRC could wield more influence over MSR, that MSR is back as the Acura/HRC IMSA entry while WTR has gone back to Cadillac, and I would expect them to run at Le Mans in 2025 with Caddy.

Long story short, if Honda is on the WEC grid in 2026 it will be in some form of ARX-06B with the current engine (scrapped Indycar engine I believe). Probably 50/50 chance at this point, although Toyota's expansion into almost every racing series (now with Haas partnership in F1, Supercars team in Australia, etc.) I think Honda will be more open to competing in WEC.

I see that but there been rumors about the AM side project that the AM owners son stated Newey will be very interested in if he joined the team. Has Newey car ever won Le Mans 24?
I first thought it was the Valkyrie but was informed it was something new and something to do with Honda. They wasn't sure it will happen but said it would most likely will if Newey signs with AM.

[AR3-GP]

Great race in Bahrain other than the farcical safety cars which stole the win from Ferrari, and the manufacturers championship from Porsche.

Ferrari ended up getting disqualified anyway.

https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/fer ... um-finish/

[dialtone]

Great race in Bahrain other than the farcical safety cars which stole the win from Ferrari, and the manufacturers championship from Porsche.

Ferrari ended up getting disqualified anyway.

https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/fer ... um-finish/

I’m glad they gave 5s to the alpine for ruining the race of the 50 Ferrari. Justice is done.

[dialtone]

Great race in Bahrain other than the farcical safety cars which stole the win from Ferrari, and the manufacturers championship from Porsche.

Ferrari ended up getting disqualified anyway.

https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/fer ... um-finish/

I’m glad they gave 5s to the alpine for ruining the race of the 50 Ferrari. Justice is done.

That was more of a racing incident to me. The Alpine driver completed the pass, but then lost control. The Ferrari had been collected in the process. This isn't something to give a penalty for.

They have given minutes for those in the past. Like when toyota forced a ferrari out in monza last year they gave it 90s.

Losing control is not a racing incident and there was zero need to do it to begin with.

[AR3-GP]

I’m glad they gave 5s to the alpine for ruining the race of the 50 Ferrari. Justice is done.

That was more of a racing incident to me. The Alpine driver completed the pass, but then lost control. The Ferrari had been collected in the process. This isn't something to give a penalty for.

They have given minutes for those in the past. Like when toyota forced a ferrari out in monza last year they gave it 90s.

Losing control is not a racing incident and there was zero need to do it to begin with.

When the Toyota forced the Ferrari out, it was clearly the result of driver malfeasance.

The case of the Alpine is not the same. He completed the pass, was in front at the corner exit, and lost control. The Ferrari was an innocent victim collecting a car that was spinning ahead. This is not a driving infringement to me. This is more coincidental racing incident, no different to if a GT car had spun ahead, and collected some prototypes. The penalty doesn't make sense. The Alpine was spinning before the Ferrari arrived. It was only unfortunate.

[SealTheRealDeal]

https://www.dailysportscar.com/2024/11/ ... a-wec.html

I feel like the "new golden age of sports car racing" is starting to tarnish already. I was previously unnerved by how the boutique entires have folded (SGC, Isotta Fraschini) or been essentially kicked out (Vanwall), but I figured that that was just where top level motorsports in general were going (see IMSA's homologation requirements and F1's Andretti denial). But now losing Lambo? Yikes, that one of the big name manufacturers WEC and IMSA have been bending over backwards to attract.

Sorry for the doompost.

[AR3-GP]

https://www.dailysportscar.com/2024/11/ ... a-wec.html

I feel like the "new golden age of sports car racing" is starting to tarnish already. I was previously unnerved by how the boutique entires have folded (SGC, Isotta Fraschini) or been essentially kicked out (Vanwall), but I figured that that was just where top level motorsports in general were going (see IMSA's homologation requirements and F1's Andretti denial). But now losing Lambo? Yikes, that one of the big name manufacturers WEC and IMSA have been bending over backwards to attract.

Sorry for the doompost.

Lamborghini should be viewed as an aberration. They only entered 1 car to begin with. It doesn't say much about the others. Lamborghini hardly featured this year. Most won't notice that they are gone. Aston Martin and Hyundai arriving in the next 2 years. It is an incredibly strong championship and all of the not serious efforts have been weeded out.