24h Le Mans
After 24 highlights as a 2015 review, here are some big questions in the air for the 2016 season. New stories, new challenges, new stakes: the 24 Hours of Le Mans and endurance are looking more interesting than ever.
The arrival of the Ford GT at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) and in the IMSA series WeatherTech SportsCar Championship; a reshuffling of the cards in the three-prong battle between the Toyota, Audi and Porsche hybrid prototypes; the development of the LM P3 prototypes class kicked off in 2015; new teams expected in the FIA WEC and in the various Le Mans series; the redevelopment of the Asian Le Mans Series...The endurance season to come will once again be full of thrilling stories, whether collaborative or individual. Here are the first 12 questions that will be answered as 2016 unfolds.
-Will records be beaten at the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans?
-Second in the LM GTE Am class last year, will Patrick Dempsey be at the start again at the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans?
-Will Le Mans native Sébastien Bourdais make his return to the 24 Hours since there is no conflict with his U.S. race calendar?
-Who will win the 6 Hours of Mexico City, the new event added to the schedule of the World Endurance Championship in 2016?
-Will former circuit cycling Olympic Champion Sir Chris Hoy take the start at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the LM P2 class, for which he prepared throughout the 2015 season?
-After its appearance at the 6 Hours of Bahrain, will the Russian prototype BR01 (LM P2 class) be entered full-time in the WEC?
-A winner in the European Le Mans Series and second in LM P2 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, will the Gibson chassis remain just as competitive in an increasingly expanding and contested class?
-Which constructors and teams will win the big battle shaping up in the LM P2 class, in both the WEC and in the various "Le Mans" series?
-Will the LM GTE Am class see a fifth different team win in the WEC, after Larbre Compétition (2012), 8Star Motorsports (2013), Aston Martin Racing (2014) and SMP Racing (2015)?
-Who will prove victorious in the duel forming at home in 2016 between the new Ford GT and the Corvette in the IMSA championship WeatherTech SportsCar Championship?
-How will the redevelopment of the Asian Le Mans Series unfold after the promising 2015-2016 fields?
-Who will emerge the winner from the constructors' fight between Ginetta, Ligier, ADESS and more to come in the LM P3 class created in 2015?
Jean-Philippe Doret / ACO - Translation by Nikki Ehrhardt / ACO
Photo: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, SUNDAY JUNE 14 2015, FINISH. Which car will succeed the Porsche 919 Hybrid of Nico Hülkenberg-Nick Tandy-Earl Bamber at the 84th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans?
