The reigning 24 Hours of Le Mans GTE Pro class champions may have a tough time defending their title this year after FIA officials hit the Ford GT with heavy Balance of Performance changes this week.
Ahead of this month’s pre-race test, the FIA announced the Ford GT would have to race with a 20 kg ballast and a reduced amount of turbo boost pressure.
Ford Chip Ganassi Racing’s crosstown rivals over at Corvette Racing got a break in BoP this year, receiving a 0.7mm larger air restrictor for additional power. Similarly, the Aston Martin Vantage GTE got a 0.8mm larger restrictor, however it was also slapped with a 10 kg ballast.
The Ferrari 488 GTE, which finished second in GTE Pro last year, remains unchanged. The new mid-engine Porsche 911 RSR, which is running for the first time at Le Mans, will run with a weight of 1258kg and with a 30.1mm restrictor,
The pre-race test for the 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans will commence on June 4th, 2017.
Via Autosport
Comments
The biased FIA cowards decide who wins with their notorious Rules Trickery before the event is even contested! Let’s keep true motorsports competition on the race track–Not behind closed doors with “officials” who have favorites and biased opinions. The unfair Pen in the hands of fallible individuals should NEVER decide the outcome that all honest and true competitors and fans want and pay to be decided in real competition ON THE RACE TRACK! Unshackle America’s Ford GTs and let them race unrestricted FIA Cowards—YOU are the ones ruining Motorsports competition for everyone ! Wake up –the enemy of real racing is staring at YOU in your mirror!
Oh boo hoo the non-factory backed Ferrari team must be full of those kids that all got trophies at the end of the soccer season. Don’t worry france now own’s opel, so next year opel will win at leman’s
It looks like the FIA has quite a job making sure the cars are as ‘balanced’ as possible.
Last years last minute BoP change by the FIA to FORD right before the start of Le Mans
against the Ford GT shows how easily the manufacturers ‘game’ the system.
Ervin Raab