Everything indicates that 2023 will be a more lively year for the World Endurance Championship (WEC) and, above all, for its most emblematic event, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The new regulation (which will debut in 2021) places Hybrid Hypercars as the most competitive models on the track, with the aim of reducing costs and attracting more manufacturers. After only Toyota was represented in the Hybrid Hypercar for the first two years, all indications are that in 2023 the competition will heat up, for the sake of show.
Toyota, the manufacturer that has won the last five editions of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, will fight with BMW, among others, the Munich manufacturer having already presented the car with which it will participate next year. The so-called BMW Hypercar Hybrid V8 presents an aesthetic solution similar to that of other endurance racing models, except for the generously proportioned front grille, as has been common in the brand’s latest road models.
The Germans didn’t go into many details about the car they designed for the WEC, apart from the fact that it meets Hypercar specifications and is a hybrid. This means that, like the Toyota GR010 Hybrid V6, it also complies with WEC and IMSA regulations, the North American category, so it can compete in both championships.
The main engine of the BMW is a 4.0 V8 biturbo, compared to the 3.5 V6 biturbo from the Japanese manufacturer, whose power should be around the same 680 hp, which is later reinforced by a 272 hp electric motor, installed in the front and powered by a small battery. . The chassis of the BMW Hypercar Hybrid V8 was designed and produced by Dallara, while Bosch and Williams Advanced Engineering (which developed the first Formula E cars) take care of the hybrid part, from the electric motor to the battery, passing through the management of energy.
In addition to Toyota and BMW, the WEC 2023 will feature Peugeot, Ferrari, Cadillac and Porsche. In 2024, manufacturers Alpine and Lamborghini will join the WEC, and it is not impossible that Honda, which will compete in IMSA, will also cross the Atlantic, not least to try its luck at Le Mans.
Source: Observadora
