Jaguar planning Le Mans return with LMP1 car?

[Ecnelis]

Jaguar planning Le Mans return with LMP1 car - Le Mans news - AUTOSPORT.com

Jaguar is beginning to plan for its first bid for outright honours at the Le Mans 24 Hours since 1991, this week's AUTOSPORT magazine reveals.

The British manufacturer's Indian owner, Ratan Tata, and bosses at Jaguar parent company Tata Motors are known to be evaluating a return to the prototype ranks with an all-new LMP1 car.

AUTOSPORT understands that a decision has already been made in principle to mount an attack on the race in the future, although it is unclear what timeframe Jaguar and Tata are working to.

A Jaguar spokesperson said: "We are monitoring developments in motorsport around the world."

Jaguar has seven Le Mans victories to its name, its most recent success coming in 1990 with the XJR-12.

For more on this story, please see this week's issue of AUTOSPORT magazine.

[RacingManiac]

I hope this is a Jaguar effort not a Tata effort.....unless Tata's racing engineer has much different mentality than their FSAE guys....

[Dino Scuderia]

They want to compete with Porsche. lol

[Kitdy]

So we could have Audi, Peugeot, Porsche, Jaguar, and Toyota all at Le Mans at the same time.

Wow.

[Ferrer]

They want to compete with Porsche. lol

Indeed.

Who wants a Porsche...

[W.R.]

So we could have Audi, Peugeot, Porsche, Jaguar, and Toyota all at Le Mans at the same time.

This could get interesting.

[henk4]

they may have learned from their GT2 efforts, and certainly from the Prodrive attempts. That means: A small budget is a recipe for a big disaster.

[faksta]

So we could have Audi, Peugeot, Porsche, Jaguar, and Toyota all at Le Mans at the same time.

Wow.

I don't think Audi and Porsche will race at the same time, unless there will be a bunch of private R18.

[pimento]

I don't think Audi and Porsche will race at the same time, unless there will be a bunch of private R18.

You reckon? I think there's room for both, given they'll be doing it rather differently to each other. Potentially some tech sharing could happen in the background too.

[henk4]

I don't think Audi and Porsche will race at the same time, unless there will be a bunch of private R18.

Porsche with the petrol hybrid and Audi with the diesel hybrid? who knows...

[pimento]

Porsche with the petrol hybrid and Audi with the diesel hybrid? who knows...

I'm hoping Porsche will fly the flag for purely petrol.. assuming the regulations are even enough for them to be competative anyway. Hopefully having them there with a reasonable budget will help the powers that be work it out. Toyota can do the petrol hybrid thing anyway.

[faksta]

You reckon? I think there's room for both, given they'll be doing it rather differently to each other. Potentially some tech sharing could happen in the background too.

I just suppose. There's little reason for a concern to have two teams in the same class. It happened with Bentley, I know, but that was more of a promo action with almost-the-same car and same drivers. If Porsche's attempt will be the same thing it will be upsetting, but something tells me it won't - Porsche is the make that doesn't just get into something just because. On the other hand, Audi...Audi...Audi...Audi... may start to seem like Vettel...Vettel...Vettel...Vettel... VW just has a chance to continue winning, just under the different name. Audi may concentrate on DTM / GrandAm / SuperGT future series at the same time, as they have never thought their endurance program was more important than DTM. They've lost to Peugeot in 2009 because of this.

[faksta]

Porsche with the petrol hybrid and Audi with the diesel hybrid? who knows...

Possible of course, why not. I would even like this a lot - the more competitors the better. I just can't remember many similar cases.

By the way, Kitdy, don't forget Aston, even though they're not catching up these days, I believe Richards is quite able to find a way through.

What will happen to Wirth's projects, by the way? Will the promised coupe be sold to someone else instead of Honda or is it history now?

[Ferrer]

I'm hoping Porsche will fly the flag for purely petrol.. assuming the regulations are even enough for them to be competative anyway. Hopefully having them there with a reasonable budget will help the powers that be work it out. Toyota can do the petrol hybrid thing anyway.

Having made the first hybrid GT car, and clearly embracing hybrid technology for rad cars? I doubt it...

I just suppose. There's little reason for a concern to have two teams in the same class. It happened with Bentley, I know, but that was more of a promo action with almost-the-same car and same drivers. If Porsche's attempt will be the same thing it will be upsetting, but something tells me it won't - Porsche is the make that doesn't just get into something just because. On the other hand, Audi...Audi...Audi...Audi... may start to seem like Vettel...Vettel...Vettel...Vettel... VW just has a chance to continue winning, just under the different name. Audi may concentrate on DTM / GrandAm / SuperGT future series at the same time, as they have never thought their endurance program was more important than DTM. They've lost to Peugeot in 2009 because of this.

Peugeot and Citroëm both fielded works teams at top level in rallying and there wasn't a problem, at least apparently.

[faksta]

Peugeot and Citroëm both fielded works teams at top level in rallying and there wasn't a problem, at least apparently.

Indeed. This didn't come to my mind.