Major factory LMP1 entries from Peugeot and Audi regularly leave the privateer P1 cars in the dust. But isn't that normal? Should they be slowed down or should the P1 privateers have a separate points championship? (Photo: Getty Images) » More Photos

F1’s policy of mandating minimum life expectancies for some of the more vital (and expensive) components could be the most promising avenue for the ACO to follow.

An engine freeze wouldn’t fit the spirit of Le Mans, as decreased speeds are on the horizon, placing limits on engine development would surely benefit the bottom line of the manufacturers and privateers. I also like the idea of requiring engines and gearboxes to last an extended amount of time without rebuild or replacement, but extra care would need to be taken to prevent R&D costs from getting out of hand to develop these engines.

Sportscar racing has always thrived on small vendors and suppliers that build engines and gearboxes for privateers; a rule that requires engines to go further between rebuilds might help the teams, but it also cuts out a vital portion of an engine builder’s budget. Would they then charge significantly more for rebuilds and negate the cost savings the series had hoped for? It’s a complex question without easy answers.

I’m behind the ACO’s new plans on almost every front, but altering the rules to create an equivalency between the factories and privateers in LMP1 is a goal I’d like to see abandoned.

Le Mans racing hasn't been the same since 2006 when diesel-powered prototypes appeared. (Photo: Getty Images) » More Photos

A food chain exists in sport just as it does in life and it forces me to question if it’s worth spending so much time to create an equal playing field amongst teams with unequal resources and budgets? Just as we see in the animal kingdom, the natural order of things are hard to legislate or manipulate into a state of parity.

Strapping ballast to a cheetah would indeed make it more challenging for it to catch a gazelle, and would certainly nullify its natural performance advantage. Yet, trying to bring balance between manufacturers and privateers competing in a ‘dream category,’ as Plassart calls it, is anything but natural to me.

As long as Audi, Peugeot, and Acura want to fight each other in LMP1, they should given a relatively unrestricted opportunity to do so. The underclass of P1 -- the privateers – should be judged and awarded points in an ‘Independent’s Cup’ of some form. As much as many of us would love to see Henri Pescarolo’s cars lead a train of diesels across the finish line, it would only happen if privateers are unfairly advantaged. If the time comes when the factories are gone from P1, life will continue as normal for the privateers, but as long as the heavy-hitters are here, they should be allowed to show their true potential.

For Audi, Peugeot, and Acura to spend tens of millions on LMP1 programs, there must be some assurance that a team spending a tenth of that amount won’t be stealing the headlines at each round. Audi has been forced to swallow defeat from Porsche and Acura P2 cars in America, but change that to ‘Audi’s Beaten by Privateer Creation’ or ‘R10’s Lose to Petrol-Powered Epsilon-Euskadi’ and we can kiss those fine German cars goodbye. I'd imagine Peugeot would react no differently.

Few would consider Le Mans racing to be an inexpensive endeavor; it’s not, but compared to the majority of the major racing series that serve little more than a platform for manufacturers to bleed money in the name of self-promotion, the ACO’s offers a well proven antidote.

Diesels have won every Le Mans and LMS race they've entered, and the majority of the ALMS events they've contested. With Acura joining P1, Audi and Peugeot could see their first serious threat from a gas-powered manufacturer. (Photo: Marshall Pruett) » More Photos

F1 might be perceived as the pinnacle of racing technology, but at what cost is that distinction earned? The ACO has created an environment where auto manufacturers, tire manufacturers, fuel vendors, and countless other suppliers are able to use the collective Le Mans Series as an active and fertile “laboratory of new technology” as Plassart calls it. Manufacturers and competitors continue to play a vital role in the advancement of new technologies through their involvements at Le Mans, the LMS, and the ALMS.

Plassart and Poissenot have a product that the auto makers of the world are interested in buying in times when factory programs are being cut or terminated, and if the ACO is careful with how they implement their rules for the future of sportscar racing, you can expect new marques and new technology to find a home for many years to come.

Can the same be said of any other form of international motorsport?


Marshall Pruett is Automotive and Sportscar Racing Editor for SPEEDtv.com. Pruett grew up at "Pruett's Olde English Garage," his father's shelter for abused foreign cars, and spent his childhood being dragged across the West Coast to help with his dad's amateur racing exploits. Pruett spent twenty years working in various open-wheel and sportscar series, retiring from active duty in 2001. And in case you were wondering, no, he isn’t related to Scott Pruett.

He can be reached at

The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEEDtv.com, SPEED, FOX, or NewsCorp.