[Auto / Moto] 24 hours of Daytona 2021: 16 French drivers at the start!

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For many enthusiasts, American car racing is the absolute dream in terms of atmosphere, roaring engines, through a completely uninhibited approach to the subject. The biggest brands sponsor the series, the drivers play the game with the public, who can approach them and even touch their cars in paddocks that sometimes take on the appearance of a fun fair.

 

La bamboche also takes place in the Infield , this large green and tree-lined square generally located within the track, where fans set up their motorhomes and tents for a weekend. It was then, hot-dog and beer in hand, that they remade the world by observing the racing cars which pass before their eyes day and night, including on the Daytona International Speedway , a stone's throw from the most beautiful beaches of Florida.

Shared pleasure

This is also what professional pilots engaged in Nascar, Indycar or IMSA like : feeling close to their fans, evolving in a friendly environment and driving machines that are sometimes a little rough from a technological point of view, but whose performance, noise and smell continue to give sacred sensations.

However, what is happening at the global level, the pandemic but also the galloping electrification of our cars, could reshuffle the cards of a system which remains solid from a marketing point of view, but whose backward character technology is starting to put off investors.

There is no shortage of examples of transformation around the world: Formula 1, which became hybrid in 2014, the rally which will become hybrid in 2024, 100% electric Formula E or the E-TCR championship, all the major categories are electrified. . Until now the United States acted as a Gallic Village, but the lines are starting to shift.

IMSA in the lead

Today, the IMSA has several categories, the first of which, the DPi, is made up of prototypes powered by V8 engines. No cutting-edge technology, just big American blocks doing the job. Tomorrow, the championship will have a new hybrid category called LMDh , which will be jointly regulated with the FIA-WEC world championship, managed by the ACO, which is also involved in the technical development of the project. Chassis and hybrid systems will be common, then each manufacturer hired will add their science, according to technical regulations designed to reduce costs.

 

As a result, the formula becomes attractive, and several car brands have already confirmed their commitment. From 2023, the LMDhs will allow them to race both in IMSA and WEC, and therefore at the 24 Hours of Le Mans . It is partly for this reason that we find this weekend 16 French - a record - on the starting line of Daytona. Because to be present in the series in 2023, and have a chance to race at Le Mans - the dream of almost all professional drivers - you have to position yourself right away.

A challenge that also includes former F1 drivers, such as Kevin Magnussen or Robert Kubica, who are making their debut in Endurance. The IMSA, which benefits from the presence of 18 car manufacturers - another record - is therefore becoming a springboard for World Endurance and another means of accessing the very exclusive Sarthois double clock towers. Moreover - and it is quite a symbol - it is Pierre Fillon, the president of the ACO, who will give the start of the 24 Hours of Daytona this year.

America puts its finger in the socket

By going hybrid, IMSA will be the first electrified championship in North America. As in WEC, the cars are fitted with Michelin tires, which has also been the main sponsor of American Endurance racing since 2019. “In the United States, Endurance is the ideal vehicle for promoting motorsport more in tune with current societal expectations, ”says Tony Ménard, Michelin Motorsport Director for North America. “This high-tech aspect fits perfectly with a premium tire brand like ours, and perfectly meets the expectations of car manufacturers. The environmental notion is more and more important, and having hybrid cars helps them in their communication. All this, but also the prospects of being able to race on both sides of the Atlantic with the same car, boosts all the players in the discipline and shows its dynamism. "

Note that the French manufacturer is already very involved in World Endurance, since it equips not only all of the cars entered in IMSA (its first program with more than 100 cars), but also most of the cars. WEC cars, and will be the sole manufacturer of the LMDh category in LMP1.

IMSA and WEC, “the place to be” for professional pilots? This is what is taking shape for the next few years with, as a highlight, the arrival of a large number of manufacturers in this hybrid category, and the eagerly awaited battle between Peugeot and the rest of the world during the 24 Hours. du Mans 2023. By then, some great battles will have taken place, in the United States or elsewhere.