IMSA 2026

Doc Austin said:
Not the same Ford Motor company the broke the bank running GT40s, is it?
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We’ve seen Porsche and now Honda bail out of either championship after unsuccessfully gambling on EVs, and motorsports programs are usually first in line to be cut to try to make up for losses. Ford aren’t immune to that reality. Like I said, I do lean towards them coming, but if it were a sure thing it would’ve been announced parallel to the WEC effort.

What will also be critical beyond the state of the auto industry and the economy will be if and when everybody involved can come to a consensus on the 2030 regs. There’s some rumor that LMH and LMDh evolve into one united platform closer to what LMDh is now, potentially even utilizing the current ‘spines’ supplied by ORECA/Dallara/Multimatic to LMDh programs. Acura’s release characterized their exit as a “pause”, so this may further hint at the program being something that could be revived relatively easily come 2030. And it would also give Ford and McLaren more incentive to join if they know they can get more than two years out of their cars over here, rather than decide whether to join a lame duck class.
 
FLRacingFan said:
There’s some rumor that LMH and LMDh evolve into one united platform closer to what LMDh is now, potentially even utilizing the current ‘spines’ supplied by ORECA/Dallara/Multimatic to LMDh programs.
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Streamlining down to one type of car would certainly make BOPing a lot easier, not to mention probably making the cars more equal. Cutting cost would be another benifit.

Projected budget for an LMH is something like $35 million, which for only 9 races is just too damm much. Going to an LMDH formula would probably take a good chunk out of that. The only thing wrong with the current formula is we need more cars, and making them cheaper to run wouldn't hurt.

And I know I say this way too often, but there needs to be a provision for making cars available to privateers.
 
Doc Austin said:
Streamlining down to one type of car would certainly make BOPing a lot easier, not to mention probably making the cars more equal. Cutting cost would be another benifit.

Projected budget for an LMH is something like $35 million, which for only 9 races is just too damm much. Going to an LMDH formula would probably take a good chunk out of that. The only thing wrong with the current formula is we need more cars, and making them cheaper to run wouldn't hurt.

And I know I say this way too often, but there needs to be a provision for making cars available to privateers.
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The problem with the current arrangement - if you call it a problem, I think you can to an extent - is that it tried too hard to appease everybody. Of course, this was affected in large part by how LMH and ‘DPi 2.0’ (as LMDh was called in the initial working group) began as two completely separate concepts before anybody considered being able to run them together in one class. But the next evolution needs to acknowledge that you can’t make everybody happy and seek out the solution that benefits the most parties. For instance, Ferrari won’t participate if they don’t construct their own chassis. Peugeot won’t participate if you can’t have a bespoke battery.

There will have to be some tough decisions made. But ultimately they will have to find one solution and let the OEMs decide whether or not they want to participate. The good news is that it seems Toyota/Ferrari/Peugeot have already accepted moving from a 4WD arrangement to placing the ERS and MGU on the rear axle in conjunction with the LMDh entrants. More compromise like that will be needed moving forward.
 
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