“Hypercar” here doesn’t mean a normal road supercar. It’s the top racing class in endurance events like Le Mans, with special rules that define what kind of prototype cars the teams can run.
GT is a racing class that’s based on real production sports cars. In endurance races, GT cars share the track with prototype race cars but compete within their own class rules.
WEC is the endurance racing championship series. It includes races like Le Mans, and teams compete across the season, not just in one event.
Term
methodology
In this context, “methodology” refers to the process and calculations the series uses to decide BOP changes. It’s essentially how officials determine what adjustments are needed to balance performance across the field.
Genesis Magnum Racing is the racing team behind the Genesis hypercar effort. They’re the ones entering and developing the cars for endurance races.
Car
GMR 001
The Genesis GMR 001 is a race car built for endurance racing. It’s the specific car model Genesis is using in this WEC program, and the team is running two of them.
Place
Imla
“Imla” sounds like a mis-heard track name. The hosts are talking about the team showing up at major endurance circuits early on.
GT cars are race versions of regular production cars. They race in endurance events in their own class, and this segment highlights a driver doing well in both GT and prototype categories.
Term
relift
A “relift” is basically an updated version of the same race car. Teams do this during a season to tweak things like the shape or setup to make the car work better. It’s not a totally new car—more like a mid-program refresh.
Paul Ricard is a race track in France. The host is mentioning it because the team’s car and driver activity happened there. It’s a real place where teams test and prepare race cars.
Electrical and sensor problems are when the car’s electronics or its measuring devices act up. Even if it doesn’t fully break the car, it can trigger warnings or wrong data that forces the team to stop and fix it. In long races, that can cost a lot of time.
Data gathering means the team is collecting information from the car while it runs. Early on, they use that info to figure out what’s working and what needs fixing. It helps them improve the car over time.
The Dodge Challenger is a performance car from Dodge. It’s built to feel fast and exciting, especially with bigger engines. People bring it up when talking about muscle-car style cars and who they’re for.
BOP is “balance of performance.” It’s a way race organizers try to make different cars compete more evenly by applying limits or adjustments. The goal is to prevent one car from being clearly faster than everything else for the whole race.
The 24 hours at Le Mans is the flagship endurance race where teams race for a full day to test reliability, strategy, and consistency. Because it’s so long, factors like weather, incidents, and rule balancing (like BOP) can have an outsized impact on who ends up winning. The race also rewards teams that can manage pace without breaking the car.
“Balance of performance” is the idea behind BOP—race rules that try to make different cars compete more fairly. If the details are kept private, teams can’t always plan with the same level of certainty. That can make race-week strategy more about educated guesses.
Trap speed is the top speed a car hits at a specific timing spot on the track. It’s a useful clue about how strong the car is on the straights. In racing, people look at it to understand who has the advantage even before the full race story plays out.
Spa is a major race track in Belgium. The host is pointing to it as an example of a race where the competition stayed close and strategy really showed. It’s the kind of track where what happens on track matters more than rule arguments.
BMW is the car brand the host is talking about. They’re saying BMW’s race outcome depended a lot on strategy—like when to push and when to defend—rather than only how fast the car was. It’s an example of how smart decisions can keep a team competitive.
Kevin Magnussen is a professional race car driver. The host is using him as an example of how a driver’s choices—when to attack and when to defend—can strongly affect the result. In endurance racing, that kind of driving can keep a team in the fight.
“Pack hunts” means a bunch of cars are fighting together for position, repeatedly trying to pass. When cars are close in speed, the battle becomes a group effort rather than one car pulling away. The host is using it to describe how intense the on-track battles were.
The Aston Martin Vantage is a GT sports car model used in racing, and the host is describing it as the target of a “rampant” defense situation. In endurance racing, matchups between specific car models can matter because their balance, aero behavior, and tire usage affect how they can pressure others. The host is highlighting how a defense attempt played out against the Vantage.
Balanced performance is the goal of BOP—making sure no single car is clearly faster than the others. The idea is that the race should still be exciting even with rule-based adjustments.
Sandbagging is when a team intentionally holds back instead of going as fast as they can. The host is saying the rules and data make it harder to hide that kind of behavior.
Lap averages are just the average lap times over a stint or session. The key point here is that they’re used when cars aren’t stuck behind others, so the numbers better represent real speed.
Clear air is when a driver isn’t dealing with traffic—no cars right in front affecting their speed. It makes lap-time data more “fair” because it reflects the car’s pace rather than traffic.
In long races, teams plan pit stops so their cars run in a certain order. If a car pits at the wrong time (“off-sequence”), it can end up stuck in the wrong traffic and lose time.
Non-disclosure means not sharing some details publicly. The host is saying it can be controversial, but he’s okay with it if it doesn’t turn into gamesmanship or cause problems for the sport.
LMDH is a racing rule set for modern prototype cars that includes hybrid technology. Here, the host is saying the hybrid system is mounted on the rear axle for some of the cars.
LMH is the top hypercar racing category at Le Mans. The “front axle system” is the car’s front-wheel power and control setup, which strongly affects how well it grips and handles over bumps and curbs.
GTP is a prototype racing class used in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. In this segment, the host contrasts Aston Martin’s performance in hypercar versus GTP, framing how the team’s results vary by series and car behavior.
Petit Le Mans is a big endurance race that teams use to gauge how competitive they are. The host is pointing to it as a moment when Aston Martin looked close to winning.
Sebring is known for being rough and bumpy compared to many tracks. The host is saying the Aston Martin struggles there because the car doesn’t handle those bumps as well as it needs to.
A hybrid system uses an electric motor and energy storage along with the engine. The host is saying this car lacks that system, which can affect how it performs—especially when the track is wet.
Tyres are the race tires, and in endurance racing the exact tire choice matters a lot. The host is saying the team has options and needs to manage tire grip and wear to stay fast.
Michelin is a tire brand. The host is talking about which Michelin tire compounds the team can use, which affects grip and race strategy.
Car
Tota Racing, the new for this year TR-010 Hybrid
This is Tota Racing’s new hypercar for Le Mans, called the TR-010 Hybrid. “Hybrid” means it uses both a fuel engine and an electric system, which can help the car manage power over a long race.
In a 24-hour race, “strategically” means the team makes smart choices about timing—like when to push hard and when to save resources. It’s about winning the race plan, not just driving fast.
An aero package is the car’s “air parts,” like wings and front/rear shapes that control how air flows around it. Tweaking it can make the car feel more stable and easier to drive for hours at a time.
Bahrain is a race venue where teams compete during the season. The point here is that Tota had strong results there late in the year, which suggests they carried that speed forward.
He’s talking about how modern endurance racing works today: lots of different factory teams and cars competing directly for position. The goal is to stay fast and consistent for many hours, not just win one quick moment.
“Wheel-to-wheel” means the cars are racing right next to each other for position. In a long race, it’s harder because tires and brakes change over time and you also have to deal with slower cars.
Louis De La Troyes is the driver stepping in for the injured Alex Lin. In a 24-hour race, who drives each stint matters a lot for keeping the car fast and consistent.
Alex Lin is mentioned as injured, so the team changes who will drive. In endurance racing, a driver change can affect how well the car performs over stints and during qualifying.
A “pole setter” is the driver who qualifies fastest and starts the race from the front. Starting up front can make the race easier because you spend less time stuck in traffic early on.
Norman Nato is one of the drivers added to the Cadillac number 12. In a long race, the driver lineup is important because it changes how the car is driven during each stint.
Will Stevens is another driver in the Cadillac number 12 team. In a 24-hour race, having the right mix of drivers helps the team stay fast and consistent all day.
“Free traffic” means you’re not stuck behind slower cars. If the car gets worse when it has to follow people, you can lose time even if you’re fast when the track is clear.
This means the car is super quick for one lap, like what you’d see in qualifying. But the podcast is saying that speed doesn’t last once the race gets complicated with traffic.
“Aero tweaks” are small changes to the car’s shape and wings that help it cut through air better. The goal is usually to make the car stick to the track more and go faster, especially for long races.
Cadillac is the car brand the hosts say is putting a lot of effort into this race. They’re implying the factory is really backing the program with lots of people and resources.
General Motors is the company that owns Cadillac. The host is saying GM will have senior people at the track, which suggests the racing effort is a big priority.
Leon Price is a racing driver mentioned as leading the Jota team at Le Mans in this preview. The host frames him as part of a niche storyline for readers following the team’s Le Mans campaign.
The Volkswagen Caddy is a small van used for work or transporting people. It’s built to be practical and dependable for everyday driving. When someone mentions it for “consistency,” they usually mean it tends to keep working well over time.
In long-distance racing, strategy is the game plan for when to pit, how to manage tires and driver stints, and how to react to what’s happening on track. It’s often what decides the race, not just raw speed.
Term
tail gunner
A “tail gunner” is basically the car behind that’s there to help the team win—by watching the leader, reacting to their moves, and creating pressure. It’s a common endurance racing idea about teamwork and positioning.
The BMW M Coupe (E36) is a small two-door BMW made for performance. It’s meant to handle well and feel sporty when you drive it. People talk about it because it’s a more driver-focused version of the BMW 3 Series era.
The Alpine A424 is Alpine’s race car built for the top prototype class at Le Mans. The discussion is about whether this particular car will be around for the next Le Mans cycle or if plans will change.
“Revised aero” just means the team changed the car’s shape and add-ons that affect how air moves over it. The goal is usually to make the car grip better and go faster without wasting energy.
The “floor” is the bottom part of the race car. Race teams shape it to control airflow underneath so the car can be faster and more stable.
Term
less slippery
“Less slippery” means the car is tuned to behave better in the air—usually to be more stable and efficient. It can also translate to better grip, so the car feels easier to drive for long periods.
The Chevrolet Corvette is a sports car made by Chevrolet. It can also race in competitions, where it’s known for being quick and capable in real racing conditions. When people mention it in a race story, they’re usually talking about how it performs alongside other cars.
A restrictive formula refers to a tightly regulated racing rule set that limits what teams can change about the cars. The host argues that when the rules are restrictive, teams must focus even harder on extracting every possible advantage within those constraints.
The pit garage is where the team works on the car during the race. It’s where they do things like quick changes and repairs so the car can keep running fast.
The pit wall is where the team watches the race and makes strategy calls. They communicate with the driver so the car can run the best plan.
Place
LaSalle
The host mentions a specific track location where the race car is especially strong. I’m not fully sure which exact circuit/section they mean from the transcript.
A “double podium” means two cars from the same team finish in the top three—often like 1st and 2nd. It’s basically a sign of dominance, not just a single win.
This means a stretch where one team or brand kept winning a lot. The host is comparing that to later years when other teams finally became strong enough to challenge.
The American Le Mans Series was a U.S. endurance racing series that followed the same general idea as Le Mans—long races and multiple classes. The host is using it as an example of how competition can change over time.
Pit lane is the lane next to the track where teams pull in to refuel, change tires, and do repairs. In long races, when you stop and how you manage pit lane time can decide the result.
The Ferrari 499P is Ferrari’s race car for the top prototype class at Le Mans. The host is saying it hasn’t always finished every time it raced, which is a big deal in a 24-hour race where mechanical problems can take you out. So even a fast car can lose if it can’t last the whole distance.
The rear wing is the big spoiler on the back of the race car that helps it stick to the track. The host is saying the mounting bolts for that wing failed on a race car, and the team was excluded from the race. In endurance racing, even a small hardware failure can become a rules/safety problem.
The host is talking about a 14-second gap—basically how much faster one car is than another at a certain point. In a long race like Le Mans, that kind of gap can be the difference between winning and losing.
Porsche is one of the big teams competing at Le Mans. Here, the host is talking about how Porsche has been very strong recently, and what that means for how the rules and car design are working.
The host is talking about combining the rules so teams build cars to one common framework instead of two different ones. The goal is usually to make racing fairer and easier to compare across brands.
In this context, “regulations” means the technical and sporting rulebook governing how hypercars are built and raced at Le Mans. The host emphasizes that the rules need enough flexibility to keep key manufacturers involved while still allowing competitive racing.
Person
Antonio Fuerco
Antonio Fuerco is a race driver mentioned in the Ferrari driver lineup for this Le Mans hypercar season. At Le Mans, the driver team is important because different drivers handle different stints across the full day.
Person
Miguel Molina
Miguel Molina is one of the drivers named for Ferrari’s Le Mans hypercar team. In a 24-hour race, driver skill includes staying consistent and managing the car for long periods.
Person
Nick Nielsen
Nick Nielsen is another driver mentioned in the Ferrari lineup. In endurance racing, it helps a lot when drivers can keep the car fast and consistent for many hours.
In a 24-hour race, “reliability” means the car can go the whole time without breaking. The host is saying speed isn’t the only question—whether the car survives is the big unknown.
Qualifying is when teams try to set the fastest time for starting position. “Rapid in qualifying” means the car is quick over a short burst. But endurance races are longer, so being fast for qualifying doesn’t guarantee you’ll stay fast for hours.
“Race fading” means the car gets less quick as the race goes on. In long races, tires and brakes wear out and the car may not stay in its best operating window. So it can start strong, then slow down later.
Paul de Resta is a professional racing driver the host is evaluating for his on-track competitiveness. The host specifically comments on his ability to raise his game when he believes he has something to fight for. This is used to support expectations for driver performance in the upcoming Le Mans Hypercar context.
Melty Jacobson is a race driver the host says is the most promising new talent in Peugeot’s group of drivers. They also suggest he may leave Peugeot after this season and go somewhere else for 2027. So his career move matters for what Peugeot can do next.
The Ferrari 550 Maranello is a high-performance Ferrari grand tourer. It uses a V12 engine and is meant for fast, comfortable driving over longer distances. It comes up when people talk about important Ferrari models from that time period.
The Ferrari 512 M is an old Ferrari race car made for endurance racing. Endurance races last a long time, so these cars are built to stay fast and reliable over many hours. People mention it when talking about classic racing history and which cars performed best.
Radio Le Mans is a way fans have traditionally listened to live coverage of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The host is saying they used to call the race for that service and now it’s different with newer broadcasts.
Le Mans TV is the official video coverage for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. They’re explaining that the broadcast will be split into different streams, including content through the app.
A “last lap battle” means the race is basically decided right at the end. They’re predicting a super close finish where the lead changes or the winner is fought for on the final lap.
Term
WC
WC here refers to the World Championship context for the event being discussed, specifically the level of competition and the depth of the grid. The host argues that the championship doesn’t need “level with the numbers” to be close, because the field is already strong enough. In racing terms, “grid depth” means how many teams/drivers are capable of running near the front.
Push to pass is a race control feature in some motorsport regulations that temporarily increases engine power when activated. The host is contrasting it with the idea that this race outcome will depend on execution rather than simply using a boost button. In endurance racing, that can matter because drivers and teams must manage fuel, tires, and traffic while deciding when to activate it.
Active arrow refers to an adjustable aerodynamic device (often a rear wing) that can change its configuration to alter downforce. The host groups it with other adjustable aero/boost concepts, implying the teams must still execute rather than rely on gimmicks. In Hypercar racing, aero changes can affect grip and stability, especially through fast corners and during traffic.
Flappy wings is a colloquial way to describe adjustable or movable aerodynamic elements that can rapidly change downforce characteristics. The host uses it alongside other regulation-dependent features to emphasize that the race will be won by execution. In endurance racing, aero behavior can influence tire wear and lap-to-lap consistency.
LIVE
Well, welcome to The Week in Sports cars and all of a three-parter preview to the 24 hours
of Le Mans brought to you as always with the help from the Justice Brothers and Ronto Motorsports.com.
This of course part of the Marshall Pruitt podcast collection and this time it's hypercar.
The now five-year-old, can you believe it, top class for the 24 hours of Le Mans 2021,
the class debuted with just five cars this year though. Stephen Kilby will be presenting this
with me for the editor of denysportscar.com and the WC correspondent for racer.com,
18 cars this year. There's a bit of a downturn on recent years for a variety of reasons,
but still hugely high quality. Yeah, it's factories everywhere you look, isn't it? The only
thing that we're lacking clearly from last year is Porsche. Who? Sorry, Porsche? They're in the GT
class, so they are at least turning up in some respects, but yes, no, I mean, and it is a shame.
It is a cool, so joking aside. No Penske run factory cars this year, no proton run
privateer entries this year. I should say, I mean, in all fairness, no criticism implied
whatsoever apart from to everybody that made that decision. Yes, but what we don't have
is a poor category though. It is a superb class and for me, Graham, heading into this race,
it feels the most open it's been since the category debuted. Well, yeah, since Caracadabra
debuted and certainly since 2023 because we've had six different manufacturers win the last seven
races in WEC. Yeah, seven different cars, which yeah, and Ferrari, who you'd say off the bat are
the favourites here, having won it three times in a row, haven't actually won a race since last
year's Le Mans 24 hours. So I'd like to think it's going to be this big battle of the brands,
and obviously we won't see any BOP data. We won't may not even hear at all about the methodology
behind it moving into this one. So it's fun in a way because we're kind of shooting in the dark
a little bit as to who it's going to be up front. Well, let's put this way, I mean, looking down
at this 18 car field, I'd say right now that for two very different reasons,
15 of those cars could could be in contention for a podium finish. Yeah, I think you're right,
I think the only I'd certainly say the only ones count out fully would be Genesis because it's
just too early for that. Yes. Brand new factory to the formula. Brilliant start to their campaign.
Yeah, but maybe we should start with them. Let's start with them then. Let's go deeper into it.
The perhaps going ahead with the team that we think won't be at the sharp end and won't be a
contender for victory. So Genesis Magnum Racing with two GMR 001s in a brand new livery in a brand
new livery running the orange magma colors that very close to what we saw sort of unveiled in the
fan village last year looks splendid. And they are magnificent cars. They're going to turn some heads
not just because they have a striking bold livery now look good sound. Yeah, look good sound good.
There's the vibes around the whole program are magnificent. And it's just been really impressive.
You know, the way they've built this up from the ground up in a very short space of time to turning
up at Imla and Spa and doing themselves proud really and getting points at Spa in their second
ever race. That's a tough circuit. Let's just talk a little bit about the drivers those two cars
17 car is Andre Lotra. Absolutely one legend loving this new phase of his career, which is
great to see people to Rani people feels he's got much more to prove. That's one of the reasons
he's come for a full WEC campaign. No doubt whatsoever about his talent and his speed.
Then my t-shirt bear this young man. Big, big call from Surreal Abu Dhabi and everybody else
at Genesis Magma Racing. But I think that's going to pay off. I think this is one of those young men,
those young drivers that we're going to be talking about for a very, very long time.
Yes. You know, came into this program after race winning for multiple race winning form
in LMP2 last year. He's out in GT cars this year as well and doing very well in that too.
That is an impressive trio, three very different drivers, but they're making that work in the 19 car
Paulette Chattano moved across the course from LP, Maggio Jaminé came through what seems to be
revolving doors at Porsche at the moment, and Danny, my best mate, smacks Young Adela.
Danny, for me, I've been really impressed with just the way he's emerging in this new era for
his career, brutally fast in a GT car, fast as well in a prototype and emerging as somebody you
could see being a team leader. Definitely. Definitely. It's a mark of the way they've
built their roster is very similar to the way they've built the team. There's a good mixture of
experience and youth. And yes, I completely agree with the way that they've set up that 19 car in
particular. And this is drivers that were signed after the first two of people to Iran in Andre
Lotto. They're all just smart choices, really smart choices. And you've got to say at this point,
Maggio Jaminé and Paulette Chattano in particular will feel very validated that they've made the
right choice, bear in mind Alpines walking away at the end of this season. And Porsche's programme
has been wound down to IMSA only. So glad they found a new home and it looks like a great place to be,
great place to go racing. Happy team. Yeah, that's one of the great things and that will
carry them forward. We were just watching earlier today the excellent film of the team putting
together the opportunity for Jackie X, their brand ambassador to take a run in a relift,
his helmet colours, massive emotion for him. GMR 001 at Paul Rickard. And what for me was telling
was as he pulled away, it was the atmosphere in that team. It was wonderful to see,
it's why we go racing. Really good stuff. So, yes, we think it's not going to be quite ready
this time. That's a big ask at Le Mans. They'll be delighted if they can get cars to the finish
at Le Mans and particularly if they can get cars to the finish without any massive delay.
But really good vibes around that team and great performance after the 26 hours.
It's going to tell us a lot about what the next of six to eight months of the program looks like
this event because six hour races, yes, they're long by general motorsport terms, but compared
to Le Mans, it's a completely different test of the car's durability. And yes, it's got a strong
foundation by all measure. Elements like the engine seem to have held up pretty well, but there will
be undoubtedly niggles during the week. There will be issues that crop up. And we've seen that in
both races that they've hit problems with electrical problems, sensor problems, like the odd thing here
and they're nothing major, but stuff that's enough to get them the car in the back of the garage.
I really expect that to kind of continue here. And it's all about data gathering. It's just that
early part of the championship and the early part of the lifecycle of that car. If they can gather
as much data as possible, get a car or two to the finish, doesn't really matter about the lap count.
They'll be happy. And next year will be a different story.
Good luck to them. And this is an important effort. Of course, next year we've got McLaren and Ford
expected. But beyond that, the skinny is about Chinese brands, challenger brands, if you like.
And the example that Genesis will set in that marketplace is going to be an important one
in persuading not just the motorsport parts of these brands, but the board members of these
brands to invest or otherwise. The success of Genesis Mapper Racing could be a very important
pointer to whether we've got realistic expectations to see new brands aboard.
So the rest of the field, bar perhaps one car, you're saying you potentially see winning this
race could potentially be in contention for a podium or better. Yeah, I mean, you know,
a lot is going to depend on a bit of luck, weather, incident, you name it. Yes, BOP,
without a shadow of a doubt, has got a part to play here. But the reality of it is that it's,
we're not going to see one car dominate. I don't believe that at all. We've got multiple cars that
have been amended quite substantially since last year's race. And in every single case,
those amendments to those cars will pay dividends if it goes right here at the 24 hours at Le Mans.
And I think we could end up with a very close race indeed.
Yeah. And on that, on the subject, you brought our balance of performance. And
yes, we don't have a table to look at to talk to you about right now. We don't know how they're
setting the BIP. You can kind of take maybe educated guesses from how they've done it in the
past. But there is something that it should be a topic that we discuss before we get into the
kind of finer details of the other cars on the field, because I've just filed a column from
racer.com on the week itself coming up race week. Part of that is BOP. This is a big,
big moment for the way this championship is governed, because they've made the bold choice.
They've come out and said we're going to keep the BOP stuff private, aside from a couple of
members of each team are under NDA. You get to see the BOP. It's a strategy that differs from
the way they go racing in IMSA now. So far, I think it's worked. I think we're focusing more on
the racing. I think there's less BOP chatter, because nobody's got anything to base their
opinions off of, rather than just watching the cars race, seeing the lap times looking at
trap speeds. There are little clues here and there as to where the BOP is going.
I've found it quite refreshing at Imola and Spa to go into those races,
not having to really think about it and not having that in the back of your mind of,
I've seen the table, I've kind of got an expectation of where this is going to go,
and being led by that, you're now led by actually having to watch the cars on track.
Watch the cars on track, analyze the performance of the teams on pit lane in terms of their strategy,
and look for where the edge is being made. Now, I know I've banged on about this for years.
That's what's been missing here in this. It's been the noise that's been surrounding this,
is that the way in particular that social media works doesn't take very many people to dominate
in terms of the noise around this. You could argue whether or not we were lucky to get to
races as good as we did, in particular the Spa race, but the reality is for that Spa race,
we had a lot of cars that were in contention at various points in that race. Their ability to
stay in contention, and in particular, I'm looking at you, BMW, was directly linked to how
brave or otherwise they were on strategy. It wasn't just necessarily to do with speed,
and it was to do with when they attacked and when, and yes, I'm looking at you, Kevin Magnussen,
they defended, and how successful they were in doing that. That to me made for a really intriguing
race. I've seen next to no negativity about that race online at all. You got what it looked like
on track, which was 234 cars at a time in pack hunts, if you like.
We were able to get people to the stage where they were talking about the
individual kind of performances of teams, cars, even drivers, good and bad,
and analysing incidents for what they actually were, the rather muffed
defence against the rampant Aston Martin Vantage from, and otherwise, frankly, Stella,
example from Phoenix de Costa, all sorts of talking points, and actually, on that date at
that point, balance performance didn't matter. It didn't matter. I'm sure it had an impact,
but it didn't matter, and it certainly didn't get in the way of us having a good race. I'm hoping
that the organisers, the powers that be as we call them on this podcast, understand
where the positivity is coming from and that we retain that position moving forward.
Here's the thing. We're going to find out now whether teams have been, I mean,
there's no doubt there's elements of teams game playing and trying to work out how they can best
position themselves to be in a strong place for Le Mans. Of course they are. They always are. You'll
never change that, certainly in a BOP formula. We're going to find out how well they've done at
that, because then this is the risk. The other side of this, and the elephant in the room is,
if we go to this race, it's all looking okay during the week, and then one manufacturer goes
out and absolutely batters everybody, then it's going to, the down side is the level of negativity
will be a different level to how it would have been if there had not been more transparency.
The theory of the technology that underpins this system is that any attempt to sandbag
is so much more obvious in the era of the talk senses. Anything that's blatant,
now there are all sorts of ways you can do that, but increasingly you get the impression
that the rule makers are wise to some of those tactics. Certainly in the background,
before we got to the stage where that decision was taken about the openness or in this case
otherwise a balanced performance, there were indications that some of the rule makers were
perfectly happy privately to take that debate back to say, oh, that's what you think was going on
there, is it? That's not what the data was saying. Yeah. In the past, so we've seen with the BOP
formula and the way it's kind of put in place now, it factors in like lap averages when the
cars are in clear air. What's going to be really interesting about this is we had that spa race
where the BMW, the one was taken off strategy and ran in clear air to build a deficit,
lead over a course of six hours. If BMW turn up at this race as championship leaders, remarkably,
they turn up at this race to championship leaders, if they turn up at this race and have no chance
at all and get heavily, heavily punished for spending spa off-sequence in clear air.
That would be stupid. It wouldn't be the first time it's happened. It wouldn't be the first time
it's happened. It wouldn't be the first time it's happened to BMW, certainly, but it would be an
almighty shame going forward because then we go to next year at spa, people aren't going to take
that risk if you think actually winning this race doesn't matter. Stephen, I hope what we've got
with this era of non-disclosure is that it's indicating that they've got confidence in their
own process and what they want is lesser than noise. I have to tell you, I know it's controversial,
I completely agree with the decision. As long as they have got that confidence, as long as they
follow through in terms of making it count and there's no shenanigans around it, no politics
attached to it, I have zero problem with non-disclosure. In exactly the same way, by the way,
is they've never disclosed the numbers that underline those numbers, which is some obligation
data anyway. That was never a number that we knew. I understand the argument and I understand the
concerns certainly the members of the media have about transparency and if it all goes wrong,
there's real room there for criticism. 100%. We could do a lot of damage to the way at a time when
we're talking about 2030 and there's loads of discussion going on now about the future of
the sport. If this goes horribly, horribly wrong this year, then who knows what effect that will
have on decision-making processes for some of these manufacturers as we go into 2030. It's
imperative that this is a good race. I'm pretty confident it will be. I'm not going into this
race expecting to be watching it through the gaps in my fingers. I'm expecting this to be
an almighty battle. It's just the case of who's going to be in that fight. If we've got three,
45 manufacturers legitimately up front and it plays out like a 24-hour long version
of that Spa race, mega. It'll be one of the all-time great Le Mans. Let's talk about the one
other outlier in terms of the cars because it is 18 cars. Only two of them don't feature a hybrid
system, either the LMDH system on the rear axle or in the case of the Peugeot's totes and the
Ferraris, the LMH front axle system. That is Aston Martin Tor, THR, Thor team, the heart of
racing team, the mighty Valkyries, the 007 and the 009. 007 with Tom Gamble, Rod Gunn, Harry
Tinknell, 009, Roman De Angelis, Electra Beres, Marco Sorensen. Second year at Le Mans for those
cars. Massive fan favourites for the way they look and the way they sound, but increasingly
attracting attention in terms of the way they go.
Yeah. It's been an up-and-down season so far for Aston Martin in hypercar and in GTP. End of last
year was amazing at Petit Le Mans with the car coming pretty close to actually winning that race.
Hasn't been the easiest ride for heart of racing in GTP's start of the year, but a lot of the
struggles that we've seen from this team and this car have come from the circuit types that
they've been racing on. So where the car has struggled the most has been the places like
Imola and Sebring, which I'm looking at, which are punishing circuits, lots of bumps. In the case of
Imola, you need to hit those curbs to get your lap time and the car just isn't compliant in
those areas. It struggles to get lap times on circuits like street tracks and bumpy places
like Sebring. You go to a place like Spa and we saw it get a really mega result, best result so far
for the team in hypercar competition and then you look at Le Mans. It's a circuit that really has
the potential to play to the strengths of that car. It's quick in a straight line. If it stays dry,
happy days because they don't have the hybrid system, if it rains, that is a little bit of a
disadvantage there in terms of traction in some of the tougher conditions. But if they can manage
the tyres well enough, that's another element of this. We haven't even touched yet, which is the
fact that we've got all three compounds of Michelin. Dry weather tyres. Yeah, dry weather tyres and
the Nuve twin 26 tyres. We've got all three compounds available to the team. So there is
flexibility there, but if they can run as well as they did at Spa and if the cars stay reliable,
which they've been pretty reliable, it could be a bit game on for us. I think they've got the
chins up going into this race. Oh, you're expecting to go out and obliterate everyone and win this
race outright and dominate in any way. I think they've got a chance and that's how far they've
come in a year. Amazing. But brilliant looking car, brilliant sounding car and now a very credible
race car indeed. Let's see what comes forward from the 007 and 009. Remember, end of this show
we'll be giving our views as to who we think the top three could be and who of those three we think
could actually get to be the 2026 winners of 24 Hours of Le Mans. We're going to go through in
starting at least with numerical order and that means next up 007 and 009 counting against the
0s is number seven and number eight and that is Tota Racing, the new for this year TR-010 Hybrid.
It is the number seven car for Mike Conway, Kamukko Piasci, Nick DeFries and the eight for
Seb Boemi, Brendan Hartley and Rio Heracola. Cars look great, the new livery lifts them even further.
They did brilliantly well, particularly strategically at Imola. Again, you were talking
about BMW at Spa, this was Tota making a move to make sure the cars are ahead of the field
and basically saying, come on then, see if you can overtake us here, which is always difficult at
Imola and a brilliant return to form from Tota Racing. Yeah, they look revitalized, the car with
its new Aero package. They're trying to kind of downplay it, but I think it's clear it's definitely
made the car, they're saying it's targeted at making the car more consistent and easier to drive.
In a 24-hour race, that's not a bad thing, but since they've come out of the gates this year
looking so much better and in such a better place, they've carried that momentum from that
really great performance they had at the end of the season in Bahrain last November.
Everyone just has a different vibe. It wasn't a fantastic spa for Toyota, but there's every
reason to believe that this could be the year for me. I think this is, I've been waiting,
obviously I have one in the hypercarrier at the very start, but they've felt aggrieved at the way
that the races have gone since the cavalry turned up in 2023 and this to me feels like the year when
it could all come together. They look as ready as I've seen them since the likes of Ferrari and
everyone else turned up. I mean, I've said before that it's not particularly popular with one of
in victory and I'd also like acknowledgement when it's not gone their way in the past,
that it's not just one factor, but some of the other factors they were somewhat self-imposed.
But make no mistake, this is a team of extremely high quality, I don't have problems whatsoever
with them being back to the fore and as you'll hear later, there'll be at least one of those
two cars in my suggested top three. I think they've taken time to contemplate their navels a little
bit, be completely honest about where things have gone wrong. They clearly had plans to
rejuvenate their mechanical package, their aero package for that matter quite a while ago,
so they've been working on that while they've been complaining about the fact it's not fair.
But now we're back and I think this is going to be a car and a team that we are going to get used
to seeing at the sharp end of pretty much every race. That's great news for people that like to see
the modern endurance formula which is packs that are three far 57 cars deep
across multiple manufacturers duking it out in a proper wheel-to-wheel door-to-door battle.
And it would be quite poetic that 10 years on from that horrible heartbreaking finish for the
team in 2016, I think it would mean so much to everybody for them to do it this year and up
against the field that we've got. The amount of loyalty they've shown to the championship,
the amount of investment they've put into it, you can't say they don't deserve these big results.
No, absolutely not. So good luck to them this year. I genuinely think this could be a special
one for them. Next up numerically is Cadillac with the first of their cars is the number 12
of Cadillac Hurts team Jota. Two cars, of course, the full-season cars with the 38 will come back
to that as well. And a third car, the 101 from Cadillac WTR, Wayne Taylor Racing. The 12,
Louis De La Troyes replacing the injured Alex Lin, and therefore we will have a new pole setter
this year or certainly a change in pole setter, Norman Nato and Will Stevens join
Louis in the number 12 car. The 38 is Jack Aitken moving across from his regular
Ensar slots, Earl Bamba, Sebastian Baudet, and then for Cadillac WTR we'll come to them in a
moment. Felipe Albuquerque, excellent at Le Mans, and Jordan and Ricky Taylor, the funny one and
the other one. And you can make up your mind as to which one is which. I think they're both hilarious.
Love them both, by the way. Let's talk about maybe that car first.
Why is that a car that we are not looking at to be potentially at the front end of this real scene?
It's just they've since Wayne Taylor Racing has come back to GM and come back to Cadillac
after that stint with Acura. They've just not looked themselves. And we've talked about it
multiple times on this podcast about they need to turn things around and it needs to happen soon.
They need to they need to investigate why when they're racing in IMSA GTP and the quality field
that it's that they're constantly getting beaten by the Action Express guys who only have one car
at their disposal. We should also say, by the way, when we had the Wayne Taylor Racing car here last
time, it did not go well. No. And you know, to be fair, it's a big event. And don't go what who do you
are what team you are coming over for the first time to do a race like that in a field like that
is never going to be easy going up against all the wet guys who are racing against each other
regularly in that championship. And with the slight differences there are to the rules and procedures.
There were always going to be ground pains, but they looked way off it. I mean, way off it.
By the way, if you're invested in this team, individually, personally, emotionally,
if Wayne's listening to this, if Jordan and Ricky are listening to this, if Philippe is listening
to this, I'm not personally invested against this effort at all. I just need to see more.
You're saying what you see, you know, and it's not just enough.
No, and it's not just on the basis of one race. It's on the basis of multiple, multiple races.
So we want to see a turnaround. What a great place it would be if that were to happen.
Remember, this is a car or three caddies with an upgrade this season that is all about
making sure this car can effectively go harder and longer.
And it's better free traffic and better and dirtier. Big problem there last year.
Rapid over a single lap. Alex Lydd storms the pole. They do the front row lockout.
The moment they lose the lead, the moment they're in traffic, the car suffers
massively when the car is following others, fighting free traffic.
They lose time over the course of a race and it caught them out last year.
And after they lost the lead, the Jota guys, they never got it back.
This year with the aero tweaks have made all signs are that it is a better car.
You know, it's, I mean, I'm sitting here now hours after the wheel and actually express guys
won in Detroit. Haven't seen the best Jota yet this season in WC so far.
We've seen flashes, but it is a car that, you know, on paper at least should be even better
than it was last year at Le Mans. And it was pretty good last year.
Let's talk about the 12 car. Will Stevens. He has the air of someone with a bit of purpose,
with Alex away. And if you're listening, Alex, he'll up soon want to see you back
as the air of someone who sees an opportunity to lead a team.
Yeah, definitely. He's he's grown so nicely into the endurance panic and he's quietly become
one of the old steady hands. And I'm not saying that he's old by any stretch of the imagination,
but he's been around a long time now in a prototype. And he is rapid. He's consistent.
He's a real team player. He's everything. He's the reason that Joe to keep asking him back
is for all those reasons. He's he's at such a well rounded driver for a race like this.
You'd be hard pressed to put anyone else on that list of of hypercar drivers above him.
If you were going to build a super team from scratch, I think he's magnificent.
So that 12 lineup of the three Cadillacs for me is is the strongest. There's obviously
the element of Louis Delotras coming in, you know, on a little bit of short notice.
And he was there at sparse. He's at least got a race under his belt with the team.
And I've seen him catch a bit of flak for his performance at Spa. But I didn't see it.
I've I thought I thought he was perfectly fine. It's his early days of a new team.
We don't know what he was been asked to do in terms of tyre saving during this
stint behind the wheel. I have absolutely no worries about his talent level and his ability
to fill in for Alex Linn. No, not at all. This is a cracking lineup, a really cracking lineup.
38 car with the experienced duo at the moment of Earl Bamber and Seb Bordeaux and then Jack
Akin coming in from his regular seats. Again, he had a crack at things.
Spa that's coming in from his regular seats in the end to where the sports car championship,
the wheel and car. That's an interesting trio. Earl Bamber knows how to win it.
Seb Bordeaux knows how to put a car on pole position. That's going to be a trio that's
going to be quite an interesting mix. Yeah, yeah. There's an element of Akin and Bamber working
really well together in his GTP when they race with Action Express. Obviously, as we said,
fresh from winning at Detroit. Jack Akin leads the championship in GTP. Earl's the only reason he
doesn't is because he's prioritising WEC, so he's missing clashing rounds. But they're a
track around that track. Yeah, no, exactly. Jack Akin, for anyone who doesn't spend a great
deal of time watching the IMSA World Cup Sports Car Championship, he is getting better and better
and better and he was already pretty good. He now looks like one of the top dogs in a GTP car.
This season in particular, he's been superb through every race so far. There are people that
may only really know him from seeing him in the odd appearance outside of IMSA, and I'm thinking
of that horrible incident he had at the start of the 2023 race with Action Express. I may have
caught the opinion based on that, but there's a reason he's still back. There's a reason he's a
Cadillac factory driver. That's because he's rapid. Yeah, another strong lineup from Jota.
The 38 recently hasn't got the glittering results that the 12 has and was often
paid a bit of second fiddle here and there, but top to bottom, got to say that trio,
they look primed and poised for a big result, I would say. If it all comes together,
no reason why they can't be there. Caddy as a brand really, really want this,
and they throw everything at it in terms of the resource. There'll be no shortage of
top brass from General Motors on site at the Circuit De La Sarte this coming week or two.
It's worth mentioning before we move on to the next brand that there is another element of a
little storyline to follow, a little bit niche, but for DSC readers in particular,
then that is that we're seeing the Jota team for the first time, led at Le Mans by Leon Price,
who's obviously, I think going to be quite emotional during Le Mans week because he told me
when I spoke to him on the phone before the season, with his family heritage in this race,
it feels quite poetic that he's going into this race with a team, obviously with the
strong ties and links through the ownership of David Clark. He's going to be quite emotional,
he says it feels like a bit of a homecoming, so it would be great for him to get a result,
I think, on a race weekend like this. Well, two other quick things about that front. Jota,
as a private team, the biggest collection of silverware at Le Mans in the world, and that
comes courtesy of an outstanding record of 13 trophies, 13 podiums, sorry, in 13 years of appearance.
That sometimes that does mean they've had two some years and nothing in another year, but 13
podium finishes across all of their appearances and 13 years at Le Mans, that is an amazing
level of consistency. So that's Caddy. Next up are the reigning winners in the WC, he added rapidly,
and that is BMW M-Team WRT, the number 15 car and the number 20 car.
15 for Kevin Magnuson, Rafemar Cello and Dries van Toer, the 20 car, Robin Fryne's,
Renny Rast and Sheldon van de Linde. And for me, the manner in which they won at Spa was
absolutely world class. They, through the dice, they saw the opportunity to take a car of strategy,
it worked. They then adapted the strategy of the 20 car to effectively match it so that they could
actually run with a bit of a rear, a bit of a tail gunner and, you know, talk about tail gunners.
Kevin Magnuson, boy is that son of his father. I do not get into a left with Kevin Magnuson
or on a subway train because his elbows must be razor sharp, but it was fantastic to watch it.
Yeah. And one thing that I loved about that event is, you know, through the travails of
BMW, Team WRT, starting this program in hypercar, and obviously they're racing
GTP with BMW as well. It's often felt like, certainly in the car's previous guys, it was
a car that only suited a handful of drivers or a couple of drivers and Dries van Toer stood out
for me before they made that update. That update has clearly made this car more adaptable,
easier to drive for certain driving styles. All six drivers looked in a different place.
René Rast was like, it was like rolling back the years. I can't tell you how pleased I was
to see René do what he did in that car, but the same was true of Robin Freins,
who's not looked comfortable at times in that car. Raffi Marcello, who, you know, to be honest
with you, there's times when you could have forgotten that Raffi Marcello was in the race,
and that's extraordinary to say that. From Raffi's talent. Yeah, absolutely. But all six drivers.
They look on it, don't they? They do. And here's the other thing. It's a strange thing
when a driver and or a team has a bit of success, it gives you that just that
quarter, that half of 1% more that can so, so make a difference. It is a bit of a
preform in that. And so you can't just necessarily say, well, you won this week, you'll win next
week. It could swing the other way. A different circuit type could take you out of the running.
But it definitely felt like a pressure valve was released after winning that. Whatever happens
now for the rest of the season, they can go to the end of season party in Bahrain. They've won a
race. But it's a big deal. But the other thing I think about the BMW was, at no point did that
BMW look or feel as if it was the quickest car on track. No, throughout the whole weekend,
nobody was talking about them. And that was, you know, that's the sign that the BOP was mega
for that race is the fact that when I was chatting to everyone in the public for the
race weekend, and you would say, Oh, God, then who do you think? Who's who's nobody was talking
about BMW? Yeah. And there they are. But equally well, it was a sign that it was a whole team
performance. It was perfect on pit lane. Every driver gave their all in attack and in defense.
The strategy was absolutely on point. All of it. It was a great full team effort, loved every moment
of it. And, you know, we crack on and see what they can now do at the 24 hours of Le Mans. That's
BMW, M team, WRT. I think they're going to be in the mix without a doubt. I hope so because it's not
been a happy hunting ground for that car since it debuted. So I'd love to see it turn around.
Three makes to go. Next up is what against the currently announced plan could be the last time
we see the Alpine A424 at the 24 hours of Le Mans. Alpine endurance team have announced that this
will be that they'll be stopping after 2026 season. There's all sorts of if spots may be
involving potentially whether or not these cars might race on as a kind of semi factory effort,
a factory blessed effort, private funding. Will BYD buy into it? Will that be 27? 28?
The straight answer is there's a whole lot of hashtag don't know. But for right now,
this is about Alpine endurance team and getting to the end of this factory program at the end of
2026. But here's the thing. They've got a chance. Yeah, the car looks significantly better with
that revised aero, doesn't it? That's not an aero change you'll necessarily see. Some of that is
on the floor. Oddly enough, this is about being less slippery. Yeah, this is about being a, you
know, a more rounded package. It's the 35 car for Antonio Felix de Costa, Ferdi Habsburg,
Charles Malacy. Of course, that car took a win last year at Fuji. Gil Gunon,
Fred Macavicchi and Victor Martens in the number 36 car. It looks pacey. It's a pretty car. Looks
pacey. Despite the contravows in the background, the team looks motivated without a doubt. This is
a huge, huge race for Alpine, for Signatec, for all the drivers, everybody in the garage.
This is a massive, massive event. Philippe Senior has said multiple occasions since I've
checked him since the start of the year, since it became clear Alpine weren't coming back.
The one he wants, he hopes that by Le Mans week, so literally next week, he'll have something to
say about what the team's plans are going forward. And that's the Signatec side, the service by the
side. But two, he's made it very clear that this is their chance to show everyone what they can do.
It's a massive race because it's a home race for Alpines, Signatec and for
four of their six drivers. But with so much uncertainty for next year, if they can prove
to everybody at the level they can operate at a race like that, it could be the difference between,
I don't know, ABYD coming in and going, yeah, let's go for it. That's a great car. We'll invest in it.
It could be the difference between some of these drivers getting a drive next year for an
other factory. It could be the difference between someone on a strategy desk at Signatec
having a job with an other factory next year. It's massive. The pressure, the pressure's on,
it's massive. And the other thing to say here is, it is, of course, a French team in their home race.
It's 17 years since your French team won overall. We'll talk a bit more about that when we get to
Peugeot later. But, you know, a French team in contention just again lifts it just that little
bit. Stephen, you know, you were there when at the end of the race in GT Pro with Yasta Martin
and the Corvette going wheel to wheel, head to head and anything else they could throw into it.
Just getting a crowd behind an effort makes such a massive difference. And the sense of occasion,
you know, if we see, if we come into this race and we've got all four or any two of the French cars
in the mix here, that is going to be electric. And there's so much. We forget about it because
it's such an international event. And there's so many Brits who come over with traditionally big
followings from Denmark and Holland. But you forget there's so much national pride with this,
like with the Tour de France. But in no small part, because it's been so long since we've
actually had a competitive home team. Yeah. You know, we saw some flashes of brilliance from
from Peugeot in the very first race with the Taylor's Wonders, you know, in mixed conditions.
But, you know, we are legitimately now and we'll get to the other part in just a little
wee while to the point where there's there is a bit of don't know. But there's a lot of maybe.
And that's exciting. You know, and that would be a wonderful thing. Another kind of, you know,
arrow in the quiver, if you like, for the 2026, the 94th running, remember, of this great race now
deep into its second century of history. So that is Alpine. Next up, another with three cars,
the two factory cars, and the reigning winners, Ferrari, of course, or of course, and then
AF Corsa. Let's talk about the 83 car first, the 83 won the race last year, comes back with an
unchanged driver lineup. Phil Hansen, now a Ferrari factory driver, a Robert Kabitzer and
AFA, another Ferrari factory driver. I don't see any weak points other than politics.
Yeah. Yeah, it's, it's so much you could say about this free pronged Ferrari effort going into
this race. There's so many different angles you can take with it. I mean, the 419p isn't all
time normal on icon now, it's one free in a row. And ridiculously, in a BOP era where
everyone expected there to be no such thing as winning Le Mans three times in a row with the
same car, they did it. And no one would be that shocked if they won it four times in a row.
I mean, this car is, it's, it's like they turn up every year with, you know, the car is basically,
you know, it's at its best at the circuit to the start, isn't it? The years when we used to have,
they all are, but that car on that track has been the class of the field
for three consecutive years. And even back to that first year when they were still a new team,
like it was and it was still all coming together. And there will be those out there,
blah, blah, blah, BOP, you know, adding controversy or conspiracy theory,
left, right, center. Let me just tell you right now, if you think there was a single car or a
single team in this race that isn't pushing it to the very edge, then ladies and gentlemen,
listening to this podcast or watching that race, you know nothing about the motivation
level behind here. Every tiny possible advantage that you can squeeze out of what is quite a
restrictive formula will be put to bear to win this race. This is the biggest endurance race
in the world. It is one of, if not the biggest race in the world. And this really matters for
all the reasons you've just said, Stephen, about Alpine, the same matters to the teams,
to the manufacturers, to every single person in that pit garage and on that pit wall,
and of course to the drivers, because you know, it's that thing, isn't it? There are certain
things you would always be. If you've been elected president or prime minister, you'd always be that.
You'd always be a world champion, and you'd always be a winner of Le Mans. Yep, no, it
is. What I would say is, you know, this, the 499p is fantastic around the circuit in LaSalle,
and in the last three years, they have had an edge on BOP, but they've grasped it,
and they've nailed the race, and they've won the race three times. It's not like they've
gone completely unchallenged in those three years either. The other element of this is,
come here, they've got consistency with the driver lamps, it's the same set of drivers, and
all three lineups, well, they've all won Le Mans at this point. We know they're capable of doing it.
My concern is if they do win this, or it is like a double podium and a one-two finish or something,
is that, is it going to do more damage, or is it going to be more bad than good for the sport?
There's one simple answer to that, which is people are going to go and beat them.
Ferrari won't care. I do worry about what is the fallout going to be if Ferrari win this race
again. Well, for me, it's the flip side of what we saw with Territor, wasn't it? Coming out those
years of dominance when there wasn't a great deal of opposition to them. It took a while for
the incoming hordes of hypercars to get up to speed, and we said at that stage, and I still
maintain it, you just need to understand how high the bar was. It wasn't like Toyota were turning up
and running at half throttle. But talking to this point to, and Davidson, of course, a long time,
you know, member of that squad, he said, look, it was pretty simple. What you measured yourself
against was the same car. We were 100% on it all the time, unless we got to the stage at the end
of the race, where you just were able to be a little more conservative and a little more kinder
to the package. But generally speaking, like Corvette racing through all those years of very
little competition in the American Le Mans series, generally speaking, it was absolutely
Hammer and Tongue's competition, whether or not they're on pit lane or on track.
I'll ask you the question. If Ferrari win this, they win four in a row, good or bad for the sport?
On balance? Bad?
Yeah. And that's not to say that I don't have, yeah, I feel the same. And that's not to say that
I feel like Ferrari should in any way stand back and let someone else win this.
I'll go one step further, which is, I neither should anybody in any way come into this race
with influence on that outcome. Two things determine who wins Le Mans, the teams out there
contesting it and the race, the race decides. And I know that pretty much everybody who's
involved in this respect that history, more than 100 years of history for this race now.
You know, it needs to be respected. It needs to be earned. And you'll earn it by being quick
enough, by being consistent enough, and by not making mistakes. And what we have seen, by the way,
in past years is, we have had Ferrari's fail. The 499P has not had, whilst it's an odd thing to say,
they, in one regard, have got a less good record at Le Mans than Glickenhouse,
because they have not had every 499P score a finish at the 24 hours of Le Mans in the times
that they've been contesting it. And that's something Jim Glickenhouse and his plucky band of,
you know, of men and women did achieve in the time that they got there. So they are,
in the exactly the same ways we've been chugging it at Toyota, they've not been perfect at every
point with every car. They have had hiccups. We had the car, 51 car in the gravel at Pitt's Inn,
remember, last year? That was last year, wasn't it? We had, in the year that they won it, the 51 car
struggling to restart after the pits and giving everybody a bit of a nightmare. The 83 had a
hybrid failure. Yeah, and we've had the 50 car with the issue with the
bolts failing in the rear wing and being excluded. So all sorts of things that can and do come and
bite you at this extraordinary race. A balance, as I say, I think it would be a bad thing. I think
it needs that variety. That's what feeds, for me, the passion in this hypercar field. But the most
important part there is that if they're not going to win, it means someone's going to beat them.
Yeah. And I hope it's whatever happens, it's a really, really hard-fought race. And if
Ferrari does win it, I hope it's absolutely hammering tongs and it's not a parade.
I see this race as having potential to be as close as the race we had two years ago,
eight cars in the final lap. And okay, that was a little bit helped by long safety car periods,
but we had four cars in the lead lap last year. That was double the previous record prior to 2024.
It would be, it sounds awful to say it. I'll go on then. But it would be
helpful and best for the sport if an LMDH car won this race. Okay. Because we're right,
we're at a pinch point now where we're talking about how this formula is going to live on into
the next decade. And we're at a point where factories are wavering here and there about
whether they're going to stay committed in the long term. Well, Porsche came within, was it 14
seconds? The win? Yeah. 14 seconds. Yeah. Now, here's whatever else it is. Let's say this,
whatever else it is, it is not a gaping chasm of difference between the two rule sets.
14 seconds is a race won on pace at that stage. And there's all sorts of things that have been
said and inferred in the aftermath of that. And I'll be blunt, I think my answer to all of it is,
if the 14 seconds is the difference between that car and the dominant car at Le Mans over the last
three years, then the only answer and if Porsche are maintaining, as they did, they're incorrect,
but they did, that they had effectively close to a perfect run, then maybe you need to build a slightly
better car. Maybe that's what it is. If an LMH car does win this, that's not obviously just the
Ferrari. If a Toyota wins this, if a Peugeot wins this, an Aston wins this, so a lesser extent Aston,
but because the way these two platforms are, that's almost the other way you can look at this is
that's another argument to say we should probably go down this converged single platform.
Well, we're going to anyway. I think so, yeah.
I think we're going to go anyway. And it's really a matter of we'll find out a lot more,
by the way, in this race week about what that's going to look like. And I just hope there's going
to be some sensible decisions made that everybody's been listening to, that there is enough flexibility
in those regulations to tick the boxes for the important manufacturers we want to see retained
in this formula. And no, I'm not just looking at Toyota and Ferrari with that. I want to see
the big brands, the big white goods brands, if you like, the big prestige brands. And for me,
yeah, challenger brands, fantastic. And by the way, I'd love to see something in those regulations
that is a bit of an assistance for us to see more private teams being able to run hypercars.
I don't see where that's coming from. But I think that might become
quite important as we roll forward. So that's Ferrari. It's not quite Ferrari,
because we didn't really talk about all the drivers, the other two, 50 car, Antonio Fuerco,
Miguel Molina, Nick Nielsen, 51 car, Giancarlo Lardo, Antonio Giovanazzi, and Alessandro
Pierre Greedy. We think this might be the last year we see those six drivers in two cars.
We think there might be a little bit of a shakeup at the end of this year for Ferrari.
Not a huge shakeup, but there might be a change amongst that lot. I'll say this right now.
Lost in aberration for the way that Ferrari have run this program.
They are luckier than some in so far as they don't have the financial concerns that some
of the manufacturers do. This is a completely self-sustaining program. And by the way,
there'll be a piece on DSC for Race Week that explains exactly how that happens. But
the way they've pulled this effort together, the car is fantastic. The way that Ferrari,
of course, were combined to produce the effort that they have across the three years of this
program. The fact that they've got this ability to draw sponsorship in, probably uniquely this
level to get that third car, which has been a huge bonus for the whole effort. Politics aside,
and there clearly have been politics at times involved in that. If you don't listen to think
on radio, please do, because it's at times hilarious. Robert Kubica, I'd off my cap to you.
It's all too often the case, isn't it? It's that in my time in the sport,
Audi, Latterley, Toyota in your time, coming into the sport professionally,
it's too often the case that you can lose focus on just how damn god these people are.
Because they're winning, and they're winning regularly, week in, week out, or in the case of
Audi at Le Mans, year in, year out. Peugeot back in the turbo diesel days were utterly dominated
everywhere other than Le Mans. It's so easy to miss how good they are. It's so easy to be lazy
and attribute that success to one factor. And by the way, no matter what that one factor is,
it's nonsense. You don't win as many times as they've won with one factor.
I think it's that they've won Le Mans each year, but it's not like they've clean swept the board
at all the other races. Yes, they had that amazing run start of last season, first four races.
But it's not like they've gone unchallenged. But they have got,
and if we're talking specifically about these drivers, they've got two extraordinarily balanced
lineups. Like just everyone knows their role. They've all kind of slotted into working together
incredibly well. And if we got to the end this year, and they decided again, no change,
same, same wouldn't be a huge surprise. They're still getting the results. Yeah, they're still
getting the results. They all work well together. And there's a case to say, they don't fix it with
some of these things. Now, there's no, there's no glaring reason that you kind of think, oh,
they've got to freshen it up. It's not working. I like as I do with the Toyota crew, I like the
fact that they are able to work together as a six driver unit. But there's a tiny bit of needle
that all too often is visible and audible when they're talking about where they're lapping in a
tightly contested race. I like that. It just gives you that tiny bit of uncertainty. If it came down
to a battle between two cars in the latter part of a race like this, that someone is going to try
for it. And here's the other thing we've not, we've not really touched at all on WEC points. And
in years past, you wouldn't even think about it. You wouldn't come into a race like them on even
thinking about the WEC and the championship. And it was always an afterthought and I'd leave them on,
not even having looked at the point standings because, you know, you'd worry about it at the
next race. Now we got to a point where it is a really hotly contested championship and a manufacturer
like a Ferrari is actually really desperate to win it as well and did win it last year. And they
want to win it again and defend it. That's another element to this. And you've got the added pressure
of the two Ferraris are sixth and seventh in the championship. They've both had a podium each,
but the other races haven't been good enough. And the 50 while after being nailed at the source
is going to be out there to try and make the most of that double point. So it's that extra
motivation that we've never really had before about banking points. I think the other thing to
say about the world championship and thanks for raising it as well is totally different dynamic
this year because of the fact that we have got this delay to the determination about how this
season is going to finish at the moment. We're expecting not quite back to back, but closely
spaced longer races, points and a half races at Qatar and Bahrain at the end of the year. Whether
or not we go to the Gulf, I think we will be determined in the coming weeks. But what it means
is two races, three lots of points effectively between them, that could end up if this stays as
close as it is this season, that could be one hell of a season for an army.
Oh, 100%. And it's actually quite nice having them on slightly earlier in terms of the number of
races we've had, because you've not got that. Well, it's double points to Stanley's afterwards,
you know, you'd look at it and you'd like the team that's leading if they've got a decent chunk
of the points. If there's not enough time to gain that ground back, there is this year.
And I'm looking at the likes of a Cadillac, which is seventh out of eight in manufacturer
standings after two pretty rough rides and looking at the fact that BMW is leading the
manufacturer's championship and thinking like, who would have predicted that? So I'm going to be
keeping an eye on it. Of course, everyone just wants to win the man at all costs. And of course,
that is the above all else, that's what these teams and drivers want. But it is quite nice to
go into it thinking that there is there is a bit more to play for here. And when it comes down to
getting cars out of a garage to keep going in a race, there's added motivation of
got back those points. Right, let's move forwards for the final two car factory efforts.
It's Peugeot, the 93 Peugeot Total Energies, Narnix 8 and the 94 car. 93 for Nick Cassidy,
newly appointed this year as a full season driver, Paul de Resta and Stoffel van Don.
And in the 94, Loic de Val, Théopocher, another newbie and Melta Jakobsen, the first ever pole
sitter for Peugeot last time out. I am not counting them out of being in contention here.
And as I'm sitting here, I'm sort of thinking about what I'm going to say about the top three
in this race. And I'm not counting them out of that either. Is it the strongest overall package?
No. But I think it's got strengthening depth now. I think there are teams that have worked out
a lot of the issues that the original package
bequested, if you like, to the current car. I think if we hadn't seen Melta
effectively taken out by Spinning GT car, it could be very interesting.
And the latter part of the race at Spa, I think they had something there. And we know
that the Peugeot is stronger than Mon. What we don't know is things like reliability.
Yeah, I mean, the current package, oddly, like last year was a little bit anonymous and it wasn't
a fantastic week for them. And at the time, there were kind of some finally valid comments about,
you know, the BOP not being on their side. And it's just such a peculiar package that I next
say in its kind of triggers broom form it is now where we've had so many changes to it since it
debuted in 2022. But I don't really know what to expect. It wouldn't surprise me if, you know,
what I think is most likely, most likely is we see a repeat of what we've seen so far this season,
which is really rapid in qualifying and in contention for, you know, a good grid spot,
if not front row or pole, and then in the race fading or at least in the race coming in and
out of it and having the odd flash here and there and when the conditions are right,
but over the course of it fading away. That is what I would, if I had to put money on anything,
that's what I think is going to happen. I don't think it's quite a strong enough package yet.
Similar with the Alpine, like, could have the speed don't necessarily think they're going to
go the distance with that speed. I think what's interesting here is Paul de Resta,
I thought was pretty good at Spa. I think we saw some fight out of Paul that on occasion maybe,
you know, I think he's a driver when he gets his head down. It's quite difficult to raise his game.
But when he thinks there's something there that he can fight for, he's very feisty.
Zero doubt that the emerging star amongst the six they've got is Melty Jacobson and
strong indications this will be his last season with Peugeot,
heading elsewhere for 2027 it would seem. I think we could see a Peugeot run at the front.
I think we could see the Peugeot run at the front for longer than we've previously seen
that come. Whether or not it can be running at the front after three hours, six hours,
12 hours, 24 hours is an entirely different story. But I think we're going to see
Peugeot fighting hard. Yeah. And, you know, again, it's their home race. They've got that added
pressure. They've got that added bonus of having a large chunk of the crowd on their side and the
support they're going to receive a week so their heads will be up. But yeah, it's such a strange
season for this outfit, isn't it? They've got a new car which we hope to hear more about very soon
coming on song for next year. But it doesn't feel like this is just a waiting room season for them
where they're just abandoning it and just worrying about next year. They are pushing for those results
and we've seen that in just how hard or how tightly they've squeezed the orange on the lemon
to get the most out of it in terms of performance terms at Imola and Spa.
I hope that we see something from the two French brands on home soil. It would be,
you know, it would be inspirational. Yeah, inspirational. And do you know what? If it was a
battle and there was, you know, something at stake between Alpine and Peugeot in this race for
whatever reason, with Alpine walking away at the end of the season, you know, last chance to see
him going, we also will at Le Mans and for a lot of people, that will mean a lot. So I'd like to see
it. Okay. Well, you know what's coming up next, which is I'm going to ask you from what you think
are going to be your top three. And this is going to be quite telling. And as I'm asking the question,
thinking, oh my God, I'm pretty sure I know where two of the three are going to be. But the third
is going to be thinking of a number. What do you think, Stephen? Don't tell me you think it's going
to win first, just the three. I'm going to say the eight Toyota. I agree with that. I'm going to say
the 50 Ferrari. I'm going to say the 51. And I'm going to say
the 12 Cadillac. Okay. I was very, I was very close to picking up a BMW, but I do worry that
they might get a little bit hobbled on the OP here after that win. Okay. Well, I'm struggling on my
third one. So I agree with you on the eighth Toyota 51 Ferrari just got strength and experience in
depth from there on in, though, I'll tell you right now who's in contention in my head. Yes,
the 12 Cadillac, the 009 Aston Martin. Wow, wouldn't that be amazing? Wouldn't it just?
I think the 15 BMW, having played the rear-gonna last time,
either of the Alpines, I think, could be in that mix and the 94 Peugeot. And amongst that little
lot. I don't count, I'm struggling to count out the 83 as well because both years that car has
been this race, it's laid and then won, obviously, the second time round. It wouldn't surprise me to
see them get their first big result of the year in defense of the title. But I just don't think
Ferrari's going to win it this year. Okay. I'm going to make my call and my call is going to be
so tough. So tough, the 009 Aston Martin. It's going to win. be in the top three.
Okay. Yeah. Oh, sorry. In the, in the, as well for a winner. What do you think? You want me? I'll
go first. I'm going to say the same. And I think that's a lot to do with, it's two factors. They
know how to win this race. It feels like the time. Boy, oh boy, do they want it. I was tempted to go
12 Toyota. Yeah. You know, it's seven, just as strong in terms of lineup. I could see it going
all the way. It's very hard to pick between the two of them. But I do think this year could be
close enough that we don't see a brand get two cars on the podium. And I think that was the
interesting thing I was going to ask you that question, which is, did you consciously pick
three different brands? Yeah, because I just don't, I don't, I don't think we're going to get a
double podium out of anyone. If it's, if it's the, it could be what you're thinking, we could be,
could be sitting here in two weeks, side grab going, Ferrari 123
Wasn't that something? It's a weird thing. Looking back, I disappeared down a bit of a YouTube
rabbit hole. And it was watching some of the exciting times we've had in my time, calling
this race with Radio Le Mans back in the day. And, you know, now for Le Mans TV. And the app,
by the way, and do take a look at the app this year, there's going to be some exclusive programming.
Start the race will be exclusive to the app. There'll be two separate broadcasts again,
one for the international feed and one for the app for the pre-show and for, I believe,
the first hour of the race before we bring the teams together. And there should be some
exciting news before you hear this podcast about who it is we're going to be bringing to that
broadcast, not for me to announce. I'll tell you my prediction. I think this race is going to go
down for the very last lap. Wow, okay. What was in a last lap pass? A last lap battle.
I think we could see a race. Door to door. Last lap. Grocky, imagine that.
There weren't big marshals on the track for that one. I've seen what my shifts are and I know I'm
in the booth for that. And if that's happening, then I'm up for that one. I mean, you know,
we talked about 10 years ago. I was in the booth with John Hindolph and Paul Truswell with all
of that transpired in 2016. And we were, luckily for us, did not have at that stage the feed from
in-cast. We could not hear Councillor Ciccio saying, no power, no power. So we're left to work it out.
You can see basically all three of us trying to work that out because there was TV footage of it.
There was a BBC crew in the booth with us filming the Chris Hoy documentary.
An extraordinary moment in my career in the Jones race. I'm sure the same applies to the
other two guys who are in the booth with me. But I don't know. Everything about this race feels
as if it could be so close. I know we've said it before and we've not been right every time,
but something about this, and particularly on the back of where we were at Spa,
they can retain that level of, oh, I hope they get it right. Yeah, if I really hope they get it right.
Because I think here's the point, Stephen. The WC is not a level where it deserves it.
Yeah, the event always has been, you know, but the WC in terms of the depth of the grid
deserves it to be that close. It doesn't need anybody being level with the numbers.
Just let these astonishing men and women do what they do. And I'll push it with one word again.
It's excellence. Okay, we're not talking here about, you know,
push to pass or active arrow or flappy wings, whatever it is. They've really got to execute.
So did you say it's going to win? You said it's going to be a last lap battle?
Last lap battle, the eight. Over the? I didn't tell you what's going to happen.
If you're asking me exactly what's going to happen. Yeah, I want to blow by blow.
It is going to be the eight in the last battle, last lap battle,
you know, with the number 19 Genesis. And they're going to come together and the Genesis,
unfortunately, will not cross the line, which means that it will lose second place
to the Aston Martin, just edging out the, uh, Ferrari in a last gas.
Right, so you're saying that eight is going to lead home the 009 Aston 51.
Yes. That would be astonishing.
An all LMH podium.
There's a thing. I hear what you say. That part of it just doesn't occur.
Oh, no. Yeah. From your point of view, I know you well enough to know,
because we will not be together again, that race. You'll be in the media room. I'll be in the
CV booth, but I will have a vision of what you're doing at the end of that race.
And you will be on your feet punching the air because this is a joyful time to be doing this.
Well, it'll either be punching the air or it'll be like every LMS race ever where as you write
the headline, it all collapses around you.
As you're six paragraphs into your race report with 20 minutes to go,
you'll be rewriting your copy for racer because the genesis won't.
Well, I just, I will never forget 10 years ago and sitting in that
press room and literally doing a thousand words on Toyota,
so many times I'm having to bin the whole lot.
How many times has that happened?
So many times. Too many.
That's it. Okay. So you don't have to agree with this, but it's our show.
So we'll see what we're like. Stephen, thanks so much.
Great fun. I'm hoping it's going to be a great fun race week for you and the boys and girls.
It's a pleasure to see that it's boys and girls for the DSC and racer teams.
You'll be leading.
Audrey O'Connell is joining us from the United States.
You and Wayne from the DSC Academy and Natalie Johnston from Canada for the DSC Academy
as our reporting team for this 2026, the 94th running of the 24 hours of Le Mans.
I'll be across with my friends and colleagues in the TV booth and I'm hoping we can have an
absolutely cracking race. Loads of news to come next week as well.
Do keep your eyes out on all the materials coming out from
Denny Sports Car and from racer.com.
He's been Stephen Kilby, the editor of Denny Sports Car and the WC Correspondents for the
racer.com. With thanks to Marshall Pruitt for putting together these podcasts in the first place.
With thanks to the Justice Brothers and to Toronto Motor Sports.com.
I've been Grant Goodwin. This has been the Week in Sports Cars, the hypercar preview
the 24 hours of Le Mans and we'll be with you in race week.
About this episode
The Marshall Pruett Podcast previews the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans hypercar class, framing it as a brand battle with limited BOP transparency. Hosts expect reliability niggles—especially electrical and sensor issues—while emphasizing Le Mans as a different durability test than shorter races. Team and driver execution, traffic management, and data-driven strategy are key themes, alongside hybrid rule realities and tire/traction variables. They also lay out likely contenders by entry number, predict a last-lap drama, and discuss how coverage and broadcast feeds will work.
If you'd like to join the PrueDay podcast listener group, send an email to [email protected] and you'll be invited to participate in the Discord chat that takes place every day and meet up with your new family at events.
