Aston: WEC set for "David versus Goliath" clash in 2020/21
Aston Martin is billing its battle with Toyota in the new hypercar concept class of the World Endurance Championship from 2020/21 as a "David versus Goliath" clash
Aston boss Andy Palmer described the entry into the top class of the WEC with the Valkyrie as the marque's "moonshot".
"We are going to give it a damn good go, but there is no doubt that it is David versus Goliath," he told Autosport.
"We have Aston Martin as a small company showing its prowess for racing against that of the mighty Toyota."
Palmer stressed that the rules for the new class, which were announced by WEC promoter and Le Mans 24 Hours organiser the Automobile Club de l'Ouest on Friday, will allow a smaller company with limited resources to compete.
"The way the rules have been written means it is not about the size of your chequebook," he said.
"This is Le Mans, so victory can never be guaranteed.
"We are under no illusion that this will take every ounce of effort and determination from each of our chosen partners, from our engineers, from our technicians and, of course, from our drivers.
"But if I thought there wasn't a chance of Aston winning we wouldn't be coming."
Palmer stated that by Aston calculations competing with a road-based hypercar will be cheaper than racing a lookalike prototype, the route Toyota will take for the WEC in 2020/21.
"All I can say that in our case it was cheaper to modify Valkyrie than to create a prototype," he said.
Aston Martin vice-president David King said that the new rules could "herald a golden era" for sportscar racing.
"The beauty of the new regulations is that they are designed to open up the field to anything within reason that can conform to the target lap time," he explained.
"The whole aim of everyone involved in the process was to increase the diversity to go get back to a golden era where you get different types of car racing competively against each other for the outright prize.
"I think that is such an exciting thing for the sport."
The rules allow lookalike prototypes as well as road-based hypercars, with both types of machinery allow to run as hybrids and non-hybrids.
A system of Balance of Performance will be used to equate the different types of car.
Toyota LMP1 reserve Thomas Laurent back to LMP2 for '19/20 WEC
Rebellion says engine problems solved ahead of Le Mans 24 Hours
BMW behind on pace, but confident of reliability for Daytona 24
Augusto Farfus admits BMW is lagging behind its GTP rivals on pace, but feels the German manufacturer has a reliable car in its arsenal for the Daytona 24 Hours.
How Formula E's new emergency braking system will work
Formula E has introduced an emergency braking kit for the Diriyah E-Prix as a failsafe should the rear powertrain stop working over the course of a race weekend.
Friday favourite: The Kent happy hunting ground that demands drivers' respect
Martin Donnelly's 100% International Formula 3000 record at Brands Hatch is one reason for him picking the famous Grand Prix circuit as his favourite track. But the Ulsterman also relishes its fast and challenging corners, which rewards thinking drivers just as much as bravery
Ford: F1’s boom means it "requires consideration"
Ford’s motorsport boss says it would be remiss of the American car giant not to be considering a Formula 1 return amid the series' rapid growth in the United States.
Why the WEC should make space for modern garagistes in 2023
OPINION: There is plenty of excitement over the glut of manufacturers tackling the Hypercar class of the World Endurance Championship this season. The selection committee is set to face headaches over who it decides to admit and who gets turned away from the 2023 entry list, but history tells us that the smaller entrants have a place
Autosport writers' most memorable moments of 2022
The season just gone was a memorable one for many of our staff writers, who are fortunate enough to cover motorsport around the world. Here are our picks of the best (and in some cases, most eventful) from 2022
Is Qatar the price motorsport fans have to pay?
OPINION: Fresh from hosting a controversial 2022 football World Cup, Qatar has added its name to the 2024 World Endurance Championship calendar. Although questions may be asked about its presence on the calendar, is it simply the price to pay for having a healthy racing championship?
How Toyota defeated Alpine for the 2022 WEC title
Toyota #8 trio Brendon Hartley, Sebastien Buemi and Ryo Hirakawa outscored their rivals in the last season before the World Endurance Championship’s top class gets ultra-competitive. Here's how their Hypercar battle with Alpine and the remaining class tussles played out in LMP2, GTE Pro and GTE Am
The long road to convergence for sportscar racing's new golden age
The organisers of the World Endurance Championship and IMSA SportsCar Championship worked together to devise the popular new LMDh rule set. But to turn it from an idea into reality, some serious compromises were involved - both from the prospective LMDh entrants and those with existing Le Mans Hypercar projects...
How Porsche's Le Mans legend changed the game
The 956 set the bar at the dawn of Group C 40 years ago, and that mark only rose higher through the 1980s, both in the world championship and in the US. It and its successor, the longer-wheelbase 962, were voted as Autosport's greatest sportscar in 2020 - here's why
Why BMW shouldn't be overlooked on its return to prototypes
OPINION: While the focus has been on the exciting prospect of Ferrari vs Porsche at the Le Mans 24 Hours next year, BMW’s factory return to endurance racing should not be ignored. It won't be at the French classic next year as it focuses efforts on the IMSA SportsCar Championship, but could be a dark horse in 2024 when it returns to La Sarthe with the crack WRT squad
The problem sausage kerbs continue to cause
Track limits are the problem that motorsport doesn't seem to be able to rid itself of. But the use of so-called 'sausage kerbs' as a deterrent has in several instances only served to worsen the problem, and a growing number of voices want to see action taken
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.