Though as of this year only four constructors are allowed to build LM P2 chassis (ORECA, Onroak Automotive, Dallara and Riley/Multimatic), at Le Mans the class has included prestigious manufacturers (Porsche, Honda) and also competition experts (ORECA).

Porsche 2008-2009: two participations, two wins - Eight years after the win for the Joest-Porsche TWR driven by trio Michele Alboreto-Stefan Johansson-Tom Kristensen, it was in the LM P2 class that the German marque made its return in 2005 to endurance racing, in the U.S. In 2008, after having beaten the Audi R10 TDI LM P1s at the 12 Hours of Sebring, the RS Spyder made its first appearance at the 24 Hours of Le Mans...with a dominating one-two in LM P2. The car of winners Peter van Merksteijn-Jeroen Bleekemolen-Jos Verstappen (van Merkstein Motorsport) finished ahead of the one driven by Casper Elgaard-John Nielsen-Sascha Maassen, entered by Team Essex, which won the following year. At the wheel, Elgaard was joined by Kristian Poulsen and French driver Emmanuel Collard, one of the winners at the 2008 edition of Sebring.

Honda 2010-2012: one record and a surprise - After the Porsche RS Spyder's two consecutive victories, the LM P2 class reached another level with the Honda HPD in 2010. For the first time ever an LM P2 prototype made it to the top 5 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. With the Honda HPD ARX-01c, Nick Leventis, Danny Watts and Jonny Kane were even the first to surpass 5,000 km covered by an LM P2. In 2012, the Honda HPD was at the heart of another feat: that of the American team Starworks Motorsport who won in LM P2 for its first participation in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with at the wheel owner-driver Enzo Potolicchio, Scottish driver Ryan Dalziel and the Brit Tom Kimber-Smith.

ORECA 2011-2016: two chassis, from a podium finish to victory - ORECA's history in the LM P2 class is a curious paradox. In 2011, the French constructor presented the 03 chassis. Reliable, high-performing, adaptable to multiple engines (essentially Nissan or Judd), it very quickly became one of the top players in the class. Also that year, for its first participation in the 24 Hours, the Signatech Nissan team brought the Oreca 03 to the second step on the podium in the LM P2 class. Despite wins on all continents and in all "Le Mans" series races in the endurance pyramid, the Oreca 03 never managed to claim the top step on the podium at the 24 Hours. On the other hand, in 2015 for its first participation, the Oreca 05 clinched a dominating win for French driver Nicolas Lapierre - along with Brits Matt Howson and Richard Bradley - and for the KCMG team, the first for a Chinese team at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The history of the Oreca 03 and 05 chassis is also closely linked to Alpine's return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans...but that's another story, to be continued in the second installment of this LM P2 retrospective! 

Photo: In 2008, for their first participation in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, two Porsche RS Spyders clearly dominated the LM P2 class, with victory for the car entered by the Dutch team Van Merksteijn Motorsport, pictured here under the checkered flag.