Next weekend will be the 93rd running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and there will be three Corvette Z06 GT3Rs to cheer on in the LMGT3 class once the green flag drops next Saturday. Organizers are preparing for the annual Summer Classic in France by releasing the first Balance of Performance (BoP) charts ahead of Sunday’s first practice sessions.
According to Sportscar365.com, the two biggest beneficiaries of the special Le Mans BoP appear to the Chevrolet Corvette and Ford Mustang, who both received power increases and weight decreases as compared to last year’s race.
The BoP table below shows that both the Corvette and Mustang are set at P1 – meaning one percent below their theoretical maximum power – for max power below 200 kph. Last year they were at P4 and P5 respectively. Sportscar365.com also points out that the Corvette Z06 GT3Rs will have a negative Power Gain value of -4.6% whereas last year it was only -2%. The Mustang is set at zero.
As far as the weight of the cars, the Corvette Z06 GT3R now weighs in at 1333 kg which is down 14 kg from the 2024 race. The Mustang will weigh in at 1318 kg which is a decrease of 9 kg from last year.
The lightest car in the LMGT3 field is the Porsche 911 GT3R which is 1315 kg, however their Power Level has been decreased to P4 from P3. The heaviest car in the class is the new 2025 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo which weighs in a 1360 kg.
While I don’t really understand these Power Level ratings and how they will impact the car’s performance, if Sportscar365.com is saying the Corvettes benefited from more power and less weight, that’s all I need to know!
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is scheduled for 10 a.m. ET / 4 p.m. CET on Saturday, June 14. MotorTrend will air the full race live in the U.S., with full live streaming coverage of all on-track sessions – including qualifying and Hyperpole – will be available through the MAX app in the U.S. Radio Le Mans also will provide live streaming audio coverage of all sessions as well.
Source:
Sportscar365.com
Related:
Corvette Racing at Le Mans: Is it TF Sport’s Time?
Corvette Racing at Le Mans: AWA Targets Another 24-Hour Win
Corvette Racing’s Jonny Edgar on Making his 24 Hours of Le Mans Debut in the TF Sport Z06 GT3R
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This whole BOP thing is a real farce. Let the cars run what they are at somewhat stock. If one design is better, so be it.
I stopped really being interested way back in 2013 when the Vette was kneecapped with bullshit BOP restrictions.
I agree Robert, the BOP is supposed to make the cars more competitive. The problem is with a more efficient car they take away speed/power. The efficiency of the car is sacrificed to allow the less efficient cars to catch up. That’s BS. Corvette has had a constant barrage of negative adjustments because it is a better design.
The problem with power-to-weight ratios is that it’s essentially a way to lie to our selves with statistics. The very notion of power-to-weight ratio implies that the additional power can somehow balance out the addition of weight? When you shed weight from a car, all sorts of wonderful things happen. Such as, lighter cars get better fuel economy, and do not chew through consumables like brake components and tires, etc.
Many thanks,
Ray
Ahhhh the BOP is on are side this time. Does that mean it’s our turn to win the trophy 🏆.
BoP makes the racing results closer and thus more exciting for the fans theoretically. 50 years ago the races were not very interesting after a while unless you were a Ferrari fan when they won by 10 laps, or 90 miles at LeMans.
No Milo, the BoP is not on our side all the time. It is below 200 kph. 200 kph is only 125 mph. Above 200 kph the C8 Chevy Corvette Z06 GT3R’s will have a -4.6% power gain (in other words, power loss). So on the Mulsanne Straight, the fastest part of the track the competition will be blowing by them. Above 200 kph, the Aston Martin gains 6%, the BMW 1.6%, Ferrari 1.3%, Mercedes 3.7%, and the Porsche only looses 1%. Look for Aston Martin or Mercedes to win the race. I am so sick & tired of IMSA & WEC hamstringing the Chevy Corvettes! And Chazoo, BoP would work the way you said it does IF it was done intelligently & fairly. Go Chevy Corvette racing! Maybe we can be fast enough on the curvy parts of the track to make up for the straight line speed loss. Fingers crossed!
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