Glickenhaus questions legality of IMSA rules on Le Mans Hypercars

The final step in the convergence of regulations for the top prototype classes across IMSA and the World Endurance Championship was announced in July.

This will allow LMH machinery to compete in IMSA against the new breed of LMP2-based LMDh prototypes from 2023, but Glickenhaus would be excluded by a series rule in North America that demands participating manufacturers produce at least 2500 road cars per annum.

The founder of the Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus marque, which has yet to start producing road cars with full type approval, believes that this will represent a violation of US anti-trust law.

"If you are involved in interstate commerce you cannot discriminate on the size of the company," Jim Glickenhaus told Autosport.

"Discriminating on the basis of size is the exact definition of anti-trust law."

"Quite frankly, I'm surprised IMSA has said that."

IMSA boss John Doonan confirmed that the rule stating that manufacturers must build road cars in significant volumes will be carried over from the current Daytona Prototype international regulations to LMDh.

"At the moment the LMDh regulations specify a specific amount of road-car volume: it is 2500 units," he said.

"It's in the [LMDh] regulations much like it is in DPi.

"It is IMSA's intent to maintain that for all the manufacturers competing in our series."

Jim Glickenhaus, Glickenhaus Racing

Photo by: Marc Fleury

Asked if he was saying no to a possible participation in the series by the Glickenhaus-Pipo 007 LMH, he said: "I'm saying the rules state there is a 2500-unit minimum to compete in IMSA because that's our business model."

By business model he is eluding to a financial commitment, including a marketing spend around the series, required of participating manufacturers, the exact terms of which are not in the public domain.

On the question of whether the rule would represent restraint of trade, Doonan said: "Not to my knowledge; that is our regulation."

Glickenhaus has previously stated that he has aspirations to take the 007 to compete in IMSA.

He pulled back from that when speaking to Autosport at Le Mans on Friday, but he outlined a dream scenario for him, in which the biggest sportscar races in the world would be incorporated into the WEC.

"My vision is that all the great sportscar races in world should be part of a world championship," he said.

"That would include the Daytona 24 Hours and some of the other IMSA races."

Glickenhaus offers the SCG 003S for sale with low-volume type approval.

Its first volume-produced car is the 004, which will be built at a factory near the Lime Rock in Connecticut.

Jim Glickenhaus said he expects to sell "hundreds if not 1000".