The tech disputes over the WEC's future
Big technical changes are in the pipeline for LMP1, but the manufacturers are split over the scope and nature of them. GARY WATKINS analyses the situation
What's next in the brave new world of LMP1 in the World Endurance Championship?
The answer should by rights already be known. The evolution of the rulebook into the next decade was scheduled to be agreed last month, but instead the manufacturers are still arguing over the first step along the way.
New monocoque regulations focused on safety enhancement and including a Formula 1-spec side-impact crash test, which was originally planned for 2017, have been delayed for one season. The manufacturers agree on that, but the timing of phase two of the P1 technological revolution remains the subject of debate.
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Gary Watkins has, for reasons best known to himself, devoted all his working life to covering sportscar racing. This season is his 33rd as a motorsport journalist, during which time he has reported on major long-distance events on four continents and approaching 80 24-hour races. He reckons a degree in political philosophy makes him well qualified for covering the sometimes Machiavellian world of international sportscars.
Gary, who also writes for Motor Sport, Autocourse, RACER and others, lives in Surbiton close to the former workshops of the Cooper Formula 1 team but spends more time on the road than at home for most of the year.
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