Group C Prototypes

Lore & Background

The first use of what would become Le Mans Prototypes was at the 1992 24 Hours of Le Mans. In an attempt to increase the number of entrants beyond the small field of Group C competitors that the World Sportscar Championship had to offer, older Porsche 962s were allowed entry in Category 3. To further increase the size of the field, small open-cockpit race cars using production road car engines which were raced in small national championships were allowed in Category 4.

Later, ACO announced its intentions to completely replace the Group C cars with Le Mans Prototypes. Two classes were created, with LMP1s running large-displacement custom-built engines that were usually turbocharged, and LMP2s using the smaller displacement production-based engines. Both classes were required to have open cockpits. However, LMP1 cars that year were just former Group C cars, some still with closed cockpits (Toyota 94C-V, Courage C32, Kremer K8 Spyder, Porsche 962C GTI, ALD C289 and Alpa LM).

Reader's Guide

Le Mans Prototypes have used various names depending on the series in which they compete. The FIA's equivalent cars were referred to as Sports Racers (SR) or Sports Racing Prototypes (SRP). The American IMSA GT Championship termed their cars World Sports Cars (WSC), while the short-lived United States Road Racing Championship (USRRC) used the classic Can-Am (CA) name for their prototypes. Since 2004, most series have switched to referring to these cars as Le Mans Prototypes. An LMP is commonly referred to as a Le Mans car in the media.

Did You Know?

• The LMP1 class was replaced by the Le Mans Hypercar class in the WEC and the 24 Hours of Le Mans from the 2021 season.
• Non-hybrid LMP1 cars were eligible to be grandfathered for two more seasons and compete alongside the new class for the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
• Starting from the 2023 season of the WEC and the IMSA SportsCar Championship, Le Mans Hypercars are joined by Le Mans Daytona h (LMDh) cars.
• LMP3 was introduced in 2015 as an entry-level prototype class intended for introducing young drivers and new teams to endurance racing.
• From 2025, LMP3 class uses twin-turbocharged 3.5-litre Toyota engines with a power increase to 470 hp.