ACO announces 2014 LMP1 Regulations
In his introduction, Pierre Fillon, the eighth President of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest elected on 31st May 2012 to take up the reins from Jean-Claude Plassart, insisted on the fact that his presidency would continue the work of his predecessors, and that the club and its actions were resolutely turned towards the 21st century.
Then the initiatives of the ACO in Asia were explained in detail: the creation of a new championship consisting of endurance events – the Asian Le Mans Series – as well as the club’s advisory role in training in the fields of racing, driving schools and driver training.
The ACO is fully aware of the challenges that sustainable development and the transition to other forms of energy represents. Bearing this in mind, it announced the LM P1 category regulations (Le Mans Prototype 1), that will come into force on 1st January 2014 for the Le Mans 24 Hours and the FIA World Endurance Championship.
The philosophy behind this revolutionary text is based on the allocation of a quantity of energy to each car opening the doors to innovative technologies to reduce the use of fossil fuel. The key point of this new text is that the entrants have to make optimal use of this allocation to give themselves the best chance of winning the most demanding race in the world.
Pierre Fillon, President of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest: “The overall philosophy behind these particularly innovative regulations was elaborated by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest in 2009. It was then discussed with the manufacturers who all agreed with the concept. This text has been drawn up in close collaboration between the ACO and the FIA in the context of an on-going dialogue with the manufacturers.
I would like to underline the very fruitful collaboration between our two organizations whether in the technical and sporting work groups or the endurance commission.
I would also like to highlight the excellent spirit that reigned between our ACO and FIA teams. And finally, I would like to thank Lindsay Owen-Jones, the president of the endurance commission, who guaranteed this spirit."
Lindsay Owen-Jones, the FIA Endurance Commission President: “Thanks to in-depth work and excellent collaboration, today the ACO and the FIA have announced a unique set of extremely innovative technical regulations for 2014 that are in phase with the times we live in. It should encourage the development of powerful and spectacular cars and also the development of technologies that have real meaning for the everyday motorist. Private teams haven‘t been forgotten either with simple but competitive alternatives. I hope that the 2014 LM P1 technical regulations will rouse your enthusiasm in the same way they have for all those who were involved in drawing them up."
During the conference Gérard Larrousse received the 25th Spirit of Le Mans from President Fillon. This trophy is awarded every year by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest to people who have best served the spirit of Le Mans. Double winner of the Le Mans 24 Hours (1973, 1974) as driver, Larrousse led Renault Sport to victory in the Sarthe in 1978 as team manager. Today he is the Vice President of the Le Mans 24-Hours International Drivers’ Club, and the key man of this club, one of the most prestigious in the world.