The Le Mans Prototype Challenge (shortened to LMP Challenge or LMPC) was a

spec The Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation (SPEC) is a non-profit consortium that establishes and maintains standardized benchmarks and performance evaluation tools for new generations of computing systems. SPEC was founded in 1988 and i ...

sports prototype A sports prototype, sometimes referred to simply as a prototype, is a type of Auto racing, race car that is used in high-level categories of sports car racing. They are purpose-built auto-sports race cars, as opposed to production-car based or s ...

formula created by the

Automobile Club de l'Ouest The Automobile Club de l'Ouest (English: Automobile Club of the West), sometimes abbreviated to ACO, is the largest automotive group in France. It was founded in 1906 by car building and racing enthusiasts, and is most famous for being the organ ...

(ACO), organisers of the

24 Hours of Le Mans The 24 Hours of Le Mans () is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the city of Le Mans, France. It is widely considered to be one of the world's most prestigious races, and is one of the races—along with ...

, and

sports car A sports car is a type of automobile that is designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as Automobile handling, handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving, and Auto racing, racing capability. Sports cars originated in ...

constructor

Oreca ORECA (Organisation Exploitation Compétition Automobiles) is a French auto racing, racing team and race car constructor, founded in 1973 and run by Hugues de Chaunac, former team manager of F1 team Automobiles Gonfaronnaises Sportives, AGS. Or ...

. The formula is intended as part of a ladder system for young and upcoming drivers into the world of endurance racing while also serving as a value engineered entry for drivers and teams into

Le Mans Prototypes A Le Mans Prototype (LMP) is a type of sports prototype race car used in various races and championships, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, FIA World Endurance Championship, IMSA SportsCar Championship, European Le Mans Series, and Asian ...

due to limitations on manufacturers and suppliers. Initially launched as an independent racing series known as the Formula Le Mans Cup in

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

, the formula has since been expanded to allow participation in three separate series for 2010. The

American Le Mans Series The American Le Mans Series (ALMS) was a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada. It consisted of a series of Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance and sprint races, and was created in the spirit of the 24 Hours of Le M ...

used the title Le Mans Prototype Challenge since its inception. The

Le Mans Series The European Le Mans Series (abbreviated as ELMS) is a European sports car racing endurance series inspired by the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The European Le Mans Series is similar to the ...

used the name Formula Le Mans until 2011. All ACO series adopted the name Le Mans Prototype Challenge in 2012.

Oreca FLM09

The Formula Le Mans car is built by French manufacturer

and known as the FLM09. The

chassis A chassis (, ; plural ''chassis'' from French châssis ) is the load-bearing framework of a manufactured object, which structurally supports the object in its construction and function. An example of a chassis is a vehicle frame, the underpart ...

is based on Courage's LC75 LMP2 chassis, while the car's

carbon fiber Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (American English), carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers ( Commonwealth English), carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics, carbon-fiber reinforced-thermoplastic (CFRP, CRP, CFRTP), also known as carbon fiber, carbon comp ...

and

kevlar Kevlar (para-aramid) is a strong, heat-resistant synthetic fiber, related to other aramids such as Nomex and Technora. Developed by Stephanie Kwolek at DuPont in 1965, the high-strength material was first used commercially in the early 1970s as ...

bodywork is a simplified version of the LC75's design. All FLM09s use a production-based

General Motors General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The company is most known for owning and manufacturing f ...

small block LS3 V8 which produces approximately . Transmissions are supplied by

Xtrac Xtrac Limited, also known as Xtrac Transmission Technology, is a British engineering company founded in 1984 by the former Hewland engineer Mike Endean to make 4WD systems and gearboxes for rallycross and later rally and racing cars. Endean, to ...

and feature a six-speed sequential transmission operated by paddle shifters. Engine management is regulated by

Magneti Marelli Marelli Europe S.p.A. (formerly Magneti Marelli S.p.A.) is a European subsidiary of Marelli Holdings which develops and manufactures components for the automotive industry. The firm is headquartered in Corbetta, Italy, and includes 86 manufac ...

. Up to 2012, all FLM09 cars ran on

Michelin Michelin ( , ), in full ("General Company of the Michelin Enterprises P.L.S."), is a French multinational tyre manufacturing company based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes '' région'' of France. It is the second largest t ...

slick tire A racing slick or slick tyre is a type of tyre that has a smooth tread used mostly in auto racing. The first production slick tyre was developed by M&H Tires in the early 1950s for use in drag racing. By eliminating any grooves cut into the tre ...

s based on their LMP tires but in March 2013, it was announced that

Continental AG Continental AG, commonly known as Continental and colloquially as Conti, is a German multinational automotive parts manufacturing company. Headquartered in Hanover, Lower Saxony, it is the world's third- largest automotive supplier and the fo ...

would be the tire supplier for the LMP Challenge class in the upcoming American Le Mans Series season owing to Continental's deal with

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...

as sole tire supplier for their sportscar arm. Reinforced carbon-carbon

disc brake A disc brake is a type of brake that uses the #Calipers, calipers to squeeze pairs of #Brake pads, pads against a disc (sometimes called a

rake Rake may refer to: Common meanings * Rake (tool), a horticultural implement, a long-handled tool with tines * Rake (stock character), a man habituated to immoral conduct * Rake (poker), the commission taken by the house when hosting a poker game ...

rotor) to create friction. There are two basic types of brake pad friction mechanisms: abrasive f ...

s are supplied by

Brembo Brembo N.V. is an Italian manufacturer of automotive parts that most notably produces braking systems, for high-performance cars and for the sim racing series Gran Turismo. Its operational head office is in Curno, Bergamo, Italy, while Amst ...

. In order to accommodate endurance races in 2010, Oreca also offers an endurance upgrade for the FLM09 which adds an

air restrictor A restrictor plate or air restrictor is a device installed at the intake of an engine to limit its power. This kind of system is occasionally used in road vehicles (e.g., motorcycles) for insurance purposes, but mainly in automobile racing, to li ...

to the engine to increase reliability as well as slowing the car in comparison to LMP2 category cars.

Series

Formula Le Mans Cup

When the Formula Le Mans category was introduced in 2009, it was initially a support series for many races in the

in Europe as well as at the

. The ten race Formula Le Mans Cup organized by the ACO and Oreca included over a dozen entries and was dominated by the :DAMS driving pair of Gavin Cronje and

Nico Verdonck Nicolas Verdonck (born 5 December 1985) is a Belgian racing driver. He was born in Brussels. Career Formula Renault Verdonck competed in Formula Renault 1600 in 2003, his first year in single seaters. His race engineer was Tim Wright. Formul ...

, the latter of which won the inaugural Drivers Championship. Most races were one hour in length with a mandatory pit stop to allow teams to change drivers, while a season finale at

Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours is a motor racing circuit located in central France, near the towns of Magny-Cours and Nevers, some from Paris and from Lyon. It staged the Formula One French Grand Prix from 1991 (succeeding Circuit Paul Ricard ...

was held for three hours.

Sportscars Winter Series

As a further development of the Formula Le Mans Cup, Oreca launched the Sportscars Winter Series in late 2009 in order to allow further amateur driver development during the Le Mans Series off-season. The series, which is held exclusively at the

Circuit Paul Ricard The Circuit Paul Ricard () is a French motorsport race track built in 1969 at Le Castellet, Var, near Marseille, with finance from pastis magnate Paul Ricard. Ricard wanted to experience the challenge of building a racetrack. The circuit has ...

, France, combines Formula Le Mans cars with competitors from the GT2 and GT3

grand tourer A grand tourer (GT) is a type of car that is designed for high speed and long-distance driving with performance and luxury. The most common format is a Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout, front-engine, rear-wheel-drive two-door coupé with ...

categories. The three race season includes two races of thirty minutes and one race of an hour in length.

Le Mans Series

In the 2010 season the Formula Le Mans Cup was integrated into the

, becoming one of five categories within the series. The inaugural season, Formula Le Mans cars participated in four of the Le Mans Series' European races, while a fifth event held solely for Formula Le Mans cars. Teams will be required to have at least one amateur driver in order to further driver development. Championships will be awarded for professional drivers, amateur drivers, and teams, with the winning amateur driver earning a test in an Oreca Le Mans Prototype. In 2012, the class adopted the Le Mans Prototype Challenge name and took part in the

European Le Mans Series The European Le Mans Series (abbreviated as ELMS) is a European sports car racing endurance series inspired by the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The European Le Mans Series is similar to the fo ...

until

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

IMSA

On 16 August 2009, the

International Motor Sports Association The International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) is a North American sports car racing sanctioning body based in Daytona Beach, Florida, under the jurisdiction of the ACCUS arm of the FIA. It was started by John Bishop, a former executive dir ...

announced a reorganization of the class structure of the

, creating a new category known as Le Mans Prototype Challenge. The class utilizes the Formula Le Mans ruleset similar to the Le Mans Series, and competes in all nine American Le Mans Series events. American Le Mans Series regular

Intersport Racing Intersport Racing is a former United States, American auto racing team founded by Jon Field. The team was based in Dublin, Ohio. They previously operated two Oreca FLM09 sports cars in the American Le Mans Series. At current, the company has tra ...

became the first North American team to purchase an FLM09, allowing the team to progress drivers from

IMSA Lites IMSA Prototype Challenge (formerly IMSA Prototype Lites) was a racing series featuring two classes of single-seat prototype cars racing simultaneously. The series was sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). Most races we ...

, through LMP Challenge, and into their LMP1 category entry. After NASCAR Holdings purchased IMSA in late 2012 in preparation for the 2014 unification of sportscar racing in North America, tyres changed from Michelin to Continental, owing to the carryover Grand American Road Racing Association specification tyre contract with Continental. IMSA decided to drop the Prototype Challenge class from the championship at the end of 2017, thus retiring the class altogether.

References

{{IMSA cars 2017 Sports car racing series One-make series European Le Mans Series American Le Mans Series WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Le Mans Prototypes Racing car classes