Toyota Gazoo Racing Europe technical director Pascal Vasselon caused a stir following the official Test Day when he described the new rules, which will see the entire 62-car field packed up behind a single safety car following full-course cautions for the first time, as a “big step towards the Americanisation of Le Mans”.
The changes will allow cars that have fallen a lap behind their class leaders to gain a lap back via a wave-by procedure, which is already used in IMSA, while another procedure called the drop back will keep the LMP2s and GTE Ams separated from the Hypercars on restarts.
Alexander Sims, who is part of the Action Express Racing Cadillac squad in IMSA and is racing for the same team at Le Mans this weekend, told Autosport he could understand Vasselon’s point of view but said the new rules will help to keep the race for the overall win closer until the end.
He also pointed to his experience of racing with the old Le Mans safety car system in the GTE Pro class for BMW that instances like 2018, where an early safety car period helped Porsche to a dominant victory, also hit the fight for victory.
“In the WEC it’s always been about neutralising the race and allowing an advantage that has been built up to carry on after the safety car or the race neutralisation,” said Sims.
“But we had it one year when one of the Porsches, the ‘pink pig’ [#92 entry that ran in a classic throwback livery], gained a lap early in the race because of a safety car, just because they went a lap longer before their pitstop. It killed the race.
“I can sympathise with Pascal’s comments in terms of the spirit of Le Mans, the way the race has always been run, that the fastest car continues to pull away and you see how the race evolves on pace through the night and into the morning.
Source: Autosport