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And in 2009, the diesels were given a 10% restrictor cut and 6% less turbocharger boost compared to '08. The result? If anything, the diesels went faster! A 2.5% restrictor cut and 6% turbo boost cut was made in '10, and it didn't slow the diesels down, either.
A 40 bhp cut (about 6-8%) probably won't make much difference now, as Audi and Peugeot are clearly outspending everyone, and there's no solid factory effort in LMP1 aside from them now, unless one wants to count the ARX-03 customer cars and the fact that Rebellion buy their engines from Toyota/TRD/TMG.
And I don't think that Peugeot was lent $3 billion by the French government just to run at LM that year. They were probably loaned the money in '09 because PSA was on the verge of bankruptcy, but I doubt, considering that Audi and Peugeot reported in '10 spent $75-150 million on their programs that year (much of that money going into Le Mans), that Peugeot needs $3 billion to win LM.
Either that, or it was 3 billion Fr, but under the exchange rates then or now, I don't think it equals anything near $3 billion just to win LM.
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