The Decline and Fall of Constructors Prototype Racing

[Speed-King]

Originally Posted by chernaudi

Drivers may be pushing 100% as far as their capabilities, but not so much the machinery.

Even drivers have a much easier time now with all the driver-aids, especially in GT3. They might still be going 100% (I think I had phrased that a bit poorly before), but it's a lot less hard to do so these days.

But go back about 15-20 years where we didn't have BOP in IMSA or LM. Audi were virtually guaranteed to win because they had the best package at a win rate (throughout the R8's life) of 80%. Only Panoz or Dyson had a snowball's chance in hell of coming though the other 20% of the time.

I just rewatched the 2003 and 2004 ALMS seasons, and what I found is that Audi often had to fight quite hard for this 80% win rate. Yes, there were some runaway victories, but on pure pace, Dyson was usually there or thereabouts. And I'm sure the victories that they did score with the Lolas were just so much sweeter for the fact that they were achieved in an open fight against a juggernaut like Audi.

Also, we have to understand that reducing engine power and such is in step with trends in the real world automotive industry, and especially for the prototypes, safety. Just because you can give LMP1s 1000bhp on engine power alone, if you combine that with the know-how acquired to get around the power reductions of the past decade, the LMP1s with that much power would easily be at least 10 seconds a lap faster round LM.

Unless the aero and chassis stuff learned over the past decade gets restricted or banned, you can't unlearn what has been learned.

Right, but you're overlooking one side of the equation: for current engines to be operating at the maximum of their potential, you'd probably need them to make 1000hp, but take away engine size and fuel, and suddenly making 500hp becomes a daunting proposition as well. Heck, you might even get some decent R&D benefits out of running small displacement, but very powerful and very efficient engines. Would go well with all the downsizing we see in roadcars today, at least.