I genuinely think LMP2 as it is currently is the best endurance racing class in terms of competition density and racecraft. Anybody who is into endurance IMO should take a look at both the European and Asian Le Mans Series where LMP2 is the top class with over 20 entries. The racing is nothing short of frenetic, as evidenced by the recent AsLMS season opener double header at Sepang in early December.
Yeah they do put on some great racing, not only in IMSA but in other championships that you pointed out! Unfortunately in IMSA and previously in the WEC they didn't always get the love and attention they deserved from the broadcast but they seem to consistently put on some of the best racing on the grid!
I'm gonna be rooting for that Ligier so hard lol. LMP2 desperately needs some variety, probably one of the main reasons they're not in WEC anymore, despite the good racing.
The reason LMP2 is not in WEC because every team wants to race in Hypercar right now and there's not enough grid space. The new LMH/LMDh regulations is so good and popular. Heck, even LMGT3 might be in danger, making WEC a single class series.
LMP2 has never been of any interest to me. I'm glad WEC dropped them. Makes me look more forward to that series. Same thing for IMSA races like Long Beach, Detroit, and VIR. Its as if we dropped the field filler.
@@salmanfarruzgt3 will never get out of wec. That literally won’t happen because they don’t wanna close the doors on those teams. Cmon bruh so many ways to disprove this
Thank you for covering this series and making this explainer video. This will be great to share so people can be brought up to speed and into endurance racing. Nice video. Keep up the good work.
Yes that's one of the things I aim for with these, make a video that can be shared and easily viewed for fans that are new to the series or style of racing!!!
it was the lmp2 class which started watching my endurance racing there used to be different chassis like oreca , ligier , dallara now oreca dominating Hope others will join lmp2. it can be a final step before jumping into lmh/lmdh cars
The reason for the Oreca dominace is because it is the easiest car to setup and drive which makes it good for Bronze and Silver rated drivers who need to be accommodated more. And if an Am driver isnt comfortable in the car, they are way more likely to be slower and crash than a Pro driver that has to deal with a setup less to their liking.
I personally don't think they need more engine manufacturers just more teams running cars other than Oreca. Hopefully that will change when the new LMP2 cars come out in a couple of years!
@@offintheesses I'm surprised he hasn't been signed by a Cup team, heard rumours Project 91 had signed him, possibly because he had done so well in their Transam TA1 car?, but do agree, very talented young guy.
@@rcisracecarsinsheds3342 I'm thinking very selfishly here and am hoping he doesn't go the nascar route, I want to see him in sportscars haha! He's still young but just has so much talent and whichever route he goes he'll be fun to watch!
@@offintheesses I think he could end up in the WEC if he has a good run in LMP2, WEC is going through a resurgence at the moment, from there the possibilities are endless, even Indycar. As a side note there's also a bunch of New Zealanders and Australians heading to the USA this year to run in many different classes.
Nissan hasn't ran in LMP2 for years. They supplied the LMP3 cars with their 5.6L v8 from the trucks, but thats it.. and Nismo is dropping the engine supply for the LMP3
They switched to Gibson engines in 2017 when the LMP2 regulations were updated. All LMP2 cars since then have used Gibson engines in WEC, ELMS, AsLMS and IMSA. However, their was 1 Nissan run team in the DPi class using the Ligier LMP2 chassis from 2017-2019, so I don't know if to count that as an LMP2 car or not.
Must be one of my greatest talents! Honestly though I think you just don't see it because of the moustache because as I am typing this and saying words that start with F I can feel my teeth on my bottom lip haha
I also believe that a bronze driver is based on age, if a driver is over a certain age, they will be considered a bronze driver, hence why Ben Keating is still a bronze driver i believe.
I have heard about age being a consideration especially if the driver is over the age of 50 (I think) but I wasn't able to officially find anything about it in the FIA documents so I left it out! I think you might be right though that they consider age for a bronze driver
@@offintheesses I found the following. On pages 7-8 it discusses the age categorization. It is age 60 that they would not be categorized higher than Bronze. I appreciate all the work you have put into this. This looks to be last revised in 2022. www.fia.com/sites/default/files/marked-up_wmsc_29_june._driver_categorisation_regulations_2023_2.pdf
Ah yes there is a section explaining that a driver gets downgraded 1 license level as they cross 50, 55 and 60 years old. It's probably a bit complex to touch on in one of these explainer videos but I'll see how I can rework it when I refresh the "What is IMSA" video! Thanks for pointing this out!
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I genuinely think LMP2 as it is currently is the best endurance racing class in terms of competition density and racecraft. Anybody who is into endurance IMO should take a look at both the European and Asian Le Mans Series where LMP2 is the top class with over 20 entries. The racing is nothing short of frenetic, as evidenced by the recent AsLMS season opener double header at Sepang in early December.
it can also be used as a final step before jumping into hyper car
Yeah they do put on some great racing, not only in IMSA but in other championships that you pointed out! Unfortunately in IMSA and previously in the WEC they didn't always get the love and attention they deserved from the broadcast but they seem to consistently put on some of the best racing on the grid!
I'm gonna be rooting for that Ligier so hard lol. LMP2 desperately needs some variety, probably one of the main reasons they're not in WEC anymore, despite the good racing.
The reason LMP2 is not in WEC because every team wants to race in Hypercar right now and there's not enough grid space. The new LMH/LMDh regulations is so good and popular. Heck, even LMGT3 might be in danger, making WEC a single class series.
LMP2 has never been of any interest to me. I'm glad WEC dropped them. Makes me look more forward to that series. Same thing for IMSA races like Long Beach, Detroit, and VIR. Its as if we dropped the field filler.
@@salmanfarruzgt3 will never get out of wec. That literally won’t happen because they don’t wanna close the doors on those teams. Cmon bruh so many ways to disprove this
Thank you for covering this series and making this explainer video. This will be great to share so people can be brought up to speed and into endurance racing. Nice video. Keep up the good work.
Yes that's one of the things I aim for with these, make a video that can be shared and easily viewed for fans that are new to the series or style of racing!!!
Those Gibson's sound awesome too. Can't wait to hear a dozen of them run around Mosport.
Yeah it sucks that we won't have the GTP's at Mosport this year but man oh man I think the LMP2's are going to put on a great show!
it was the lmp2 class which started watching my endurance racing there used to be different chassis like oreca , ligier , dallara now oreca dominating Hope others will join lmp2. it can be a final step before jumping into lmh/lmdh cars
The reason for the Oreca dominace is because it is the easiest car to setup and drive which makes it good for Bronze and Silver rated drivers who need to be accommodated more. And if an Am driver isnt comfortable in the car, they are way more likely to be slower and crash than a Pro driver that has to deal with a setup less to their liking.
I kind of wish the class was called GTP2 in IMSA
Interesting idea, I'm not sure how I feel about it to be honest!
LMP2 need more engine manufacturers in my opinion
I personally don't think they need more engine manufacturers just more teams running cars other than Oreca. Hopefully that will change when the new LMP2 cars come out in a couple of years!
Connor Zilisch will be interesting to watch in this class.
Can't wait to see what he can do this year! I think he will turn some heads, the guy has serious talent!
@@offintheesses I'm surprised he hasn't been signed by a Cup team, heard rumours Project 91 had signed him, possibly because he had done so well in their Transam TA1 car?, but do agree, very talented young guy.
@@rcisracecarsinsheds3342 I'm thinking very selfishly here and am hoping he doesn't go the nascar route, I want to see him in sportscars haha! He's still young but just has so much talent and whichever route he goes he'll be fun to watch!
@@offintheesses I think he could end up in the WEC if he has a good run in LMP2, WEC is going through a resurgence at the moment, from there the possibilities are endless, even Indycar.
As a side note there's also a bunch of New Zealanders and Australians heading to the USA this year to run in many different classes.
When was Nissans engine ditched from the LMp2 class??
Nissan hasn't ran in LMP2 for years. They supplied the LMP3 cars with their 5.6L v8 from the trucks, but thats it.. and Nismo is dropping the engine supply for the LMP3
They switched to Gibson engines in 2017 when the LMP2 regulations were updated. All LMP2 cars since then have used Gibson engines in WEC, ELMS, AsLMS and IMSA.
However, their was 1 Nissan run team in the DPi class using the Ligier LMP2 chassis from 2017-2019, so I don't know if to count that as an LMP2 car or not.
I wish Mazda would make another effort since their DPI cars
Oh man if they came back I'm sure that car would be beautiful!
How do you pronounce the letter F without going top teeth over bottom lip?
Must be one of my greatest talents! Honestly though I think you just don't see it because of the moustache because as I am typing this and saying words that start with F I can feel my teeth on my bottom lip haha
I also believe that a bronze driver is based on age, if a driver is over a certain age, they will be considered a bronze driver, hence why Ben Keating is still a bronze driver i believe.
I have heard about age being a consideration especially if the driver is over the age of 50 (I think) but I wasn't able to officially find anything about it in the FIA documents so I left it out! I think you might be right though that they consider age for a bronze driver
@@offintheesses I found the following. On pages 7-8 it discusses the age categorization. It is age 60 that they would not be categorized higher than Bronze. I appreciate all the work you have put into this. This looks to be last revised in 2022.
www.fia.com/sites/default/files/marked-up_wmsc_29_june._driver_categorisation_regulations_2023_2.pdf
Ah yes there is a section explaining that a driver gets downgraded 1 license level as they cross 50, 55 and 60 years old. It's probably a bit complex to touch on in one of these explainer videos but I'll see how I can rework it when I refresh the "What is IMSA" video! Thanks for pointing this out!