The LMP2 class is a privateer oriented one and has a limited number of chassis providers (Dallara, Oreca, Ligier and Riley) and their homologation is locked in competition over each season thus limiting the costs to both the competitor and the car manufacturer. In other words, no modifications can be made to influence the performance of the car, other than the setup within bounds specified - For example, wing angles for the aero performance.





This contrasts to LMP1 where the privateers (and previously OEMs) can make changes to their entries race by race. LMP2 is not a place for buying speed over the competition with development, it is to be an affordable route to achieve high performance with the main objectives of each car to be reliability, safety and low maintenance cost.





Ligier JSP217, an example of an LMP2, here seen in 2018 'Joker' form





That said, if a particular model of the P2 chassis outperforms the others, the organising body reserves the right to take measures to reduce the performance of the fastest cars. To contradict this however, in late 2017 the ACO decided to grant Ligier, Dallara and Riley upgrades to their respective Sprint/Le Mans aero packages (Riley could also upgrade the chassis) – to the frustration of Oreca. It came under the promise/assurance that the upgrades would bring the other chassis in line with the Oreca and wouldn’t exceed it.





So, how effective were these upgrades? This article will look at the performance of the 2017 LMP2 class in the ELMS and 2018 after the upgrades. I will not be using the WEC results, as the WEC is almost completely populated by Orecas, ELMS is more varied, but still with very high performing Pro drivers – most likely the lap times we will be looking at!





Another difference to the class is the wider use of Michelin tyres, 2017 was all Dunlop bar 2 Ligiers. This gives another dimension to the performances of each chassis and how they work with either tyre to find the upper edge of the respective performance envelope.





Chassis and tyre supplier combinations



LMP2 also has low drag aerokits for Le Mans, so these joker versions will also be looked at – this includes results from the WEC entrants (which should give a better picture thanks to more data available). LMP2 also has low drag aerokits for Le Mans, so these joker versions will also be looked at – this includes results from the WEC entrants (which should give a better picture thanks to more data available).





I will be avoiding the previously used ‘top 40’ lap times comparison method and keep to the fastest time measured for each chassis tyre combination. This can be used to show not only the comparison per race, but also across the seasons quickly. This will be first compared against a marker of theoretical performance, calculated by combining the best sector times recorded regardless if they were contributing to the best lap times or not.

2017 ELMS Season

To start, let’s see how 2017 fared.





Relative to an ideal lap, the Oreca is supreme.

The gaps to the other chassis are harder to measure however as the goalposts between each chassis are moving race by race. Therefore, I will compare to the Oreca on Dunlop tyres as the 100% condition. I feel this gives a clearer representation of how different the individual cars can be against each other rather than an ‘imaginary’ lap.









The Ligier is the second fastest chassis on the Dunlops followed by the Dallara. The Michelin combination brings up the rear – at this time the superior Ligier team (United Autosports) used Dunlops. As there were only 2 teams using the Michelin tyre, I doubt the amount of support they received was on par with the more conventional choice.

Comparing with 2018

2018 has the addition of 3 things:

• Orecas on Michelins

• Dallara aero updates to both aerokits

• Ligier updates to sprint aerokit and introducing a low drag (Le Mans) aerokit.

I will add the 2018 data to the 2017 data from above to see how the changes have affected performance.





VS the ideal lap, all that is clear is that the Oreca on Dunlop gets further away as it contributes less to the ideal fastest lap sector times. By comparing to the same marker (Oreca Dunlop) we can see how the combinations fare between the years, and how the new combination stacks up.





Vs Oreca Dunlop we can see how the Oreca Michelin performs very well, almost fastest on each race meeting throughout 2018. It is an inspired move that once again proves the Oreca is a brilliant base to work with. Despite missing pole positions on some race meetings, teams using Orecas regardless of tyre choice are favourites to be at the top of the time sheets. Plug in a fast Silver, and you have yourself a winner.

Ligier Michelin improved over the course of 2018 and vs 2017. Before United Autosports switched to Michelin rubber they contributed to the Ligier Dunlop results most races as the combination’s top car. It’s clear that after Silverstone (their last race on Dunlop), Ligier miss out on a top performer with Dunlops… A big contribution to Ligier-Michelin results is from Panis Barthez Competition and their fast man Will Stevens. This chassis tyre combo filled the podium at the last race of 2018; I see this platform as a dark horse to look out for in 2019! It will also be a stronger combination in WEC next season as the #22 United Autosports is moving up.

Dallara did not improve as much as the Ligier for best laps in 2018. It wasn’t a good year for Dallara teams as none of them finished in the top half of the team championship. I do not see this chassis winning a race in 2019 other than with tremendous luck at Le Mans.



LMP2 at Le Mans Speaking of which, let’s have a look at how things changed between Le Mans 2017 and 2018. This takes ELMS and WEC teams into the mix.

For this race the Dallara cars had an updated aero kit that was much needed – in 2017 the teams refused to use it citing balance issues and ‘porpoising’ (bouncing front axle under braking etc). This ride height is critical for ensuring a consistent aerodynamic performance (as downforce is a function of ride height). This is intended to make the amateur drivers jobs much easier and allows the pros to get more out of the car. For 2018 an extra dive plane was added seen on the car, and there may have been a change to the floor and front wing hidden under the nose.

The Ligier had the biggest change for 2018. A dedicated aero kit was introduced for Le Mans as in 2017 the teams ran the high downforce body with dive planes removed.







Please visit the lemansprototypes blog for more of these sketches





The Oreca Michelin was introduced new to this race in 2018, and the Riley wasn’t used.





The Ligier upgrades greatly improved both the Dunlop and Michelin cars. Look out for them at Le Mans again this year! Depending on invitations (due soon) we could see the top Ligier teams of United and Panis Barthez at the big race taking it to the Orecas.

Dallara did not improve peak lap times but may have improved on stability for the Am drivers. Tenths saved by the Pro drivers is insignificant if the setup is hard to drive for the Am with them losing time. The Orecas were closely matched in 2018 for top lap times.

In Review and Looking Forward to 2019

Has the class been equalised? No. The Oreca still has the edge over the competition. So much so, High Class Racing have swapped their Dallara Chassis to an Oreca 07 for 2019 , and RLR MSport who won the LMP3 title in the Ligier JSP3 opted for Oreca in P2. Dallara numbers are looking thin for 2019, I don’t see it as a good year for the platform – SMP and AVF are out, and Cetilar leave ELMS to join Racing Team Nederland in WEC.





Is this Dallara deficit in pace enough for the ACO to change the performance levels down, or is within 1% of the best lap recorded acceptable despite the rift at the end of each race? I don't think Oreca should have been so worried...

For me, Ligier vs Oreca is the main theme for 2019 in ELMS to go alongside the growing tyre war made more interesting by the United switch of allegiance. ELMS is a favourite of mine, and I cannot wait to see what the next season has in-store!



