During the conference, Pierre Fillon, President of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest, and Frédéric Lénart, the ACO general manager, reminded those present that in 2016 the ACO is celebrating its 110th anniversary and its aim is evolve and add to this great heritage. The innovations come from the digital revolution with the launch of myACO Community, the publication of Spirit of Le Mans, a high-class quarterly magazine devoted to the ACO, as well as the evolutions of the ACO Club offers.
There are several other innovations on the programme of the 84th Le Mans 24 Hours to satisfy the spectators and help them to discover new universes like the Virtual Room for a plunge into the heart of the race that’s true to life, the Le Mans Passion-Share Pavilion – Armée de l’Air to experience what a fighter pilot feels, and the exhibition Americans at Le Mans. The new application 24 On Site is the best tool not to miss a moment of what’s going on. The Women’s Pavilion has been continued after its success last year and then there’s the Fun Area, the concerts and the Fun Fair.
New technical regulations were announced whose aim is to help entrants and develop performances. Thus, modifications will be made to the aerodynamic performance of the LM P1 Hybrids in 2017. The ACO has also reaffirmed the importance of private teams in the LM P1 category, and regulations will be introduced in 2017 to make this category a more attractive one for them.
The new Gibson Technology GK428 engine, which will power the LM P2s in 2017, was unveiled at the conference. The company was selected after a tender was put out by the ACO and the FIA. It will be the sole engine supplier for this category for cars entered for the Le Mans 24 Hours, the FIA World Endurance Championship, the European Le Mans Series, the Asian Le Mans Series (2019) and the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
The evolutions of the LM P1 regulations coming into force in 2018 were also unveiled whose aims are to retain the technological leadership in the world of motor sport, to pursue the evolution of safety and integrate the notion of gas emissions reduction.