One of the most intriguing regulation changes in 2015 concerns the weight of the drivers in the LMP1 class.
All of the LMP1 entrants must declare the minimum weight of each driver entered in each race.
If the average weight of the drivers is 80kg or more no action is necessary, but if the average weight of the driver line-up in each LMP1 car is less than 80kg, driver ballast must be added to the car which will equal 80kg minus the actual average weight of the drivers.
This will directly affect some of the line-ups, most notably the #2 Toyota TS 040 which includes Alex Wurz who at 186 metres tall is naturally one of the heavier of the drivers in the LMP1 class. His weight is around the 78-80kgs mark.
“As a heavier driver there is obviously still a disadvantage in essence personally but for a team it will not be much fairer,” said Wurz. “Over the years it has become more critical as the tyres have got smaller, so the contact patch is reduced. So, if you run from ‘A’ to ‘B’ and you put on a 20kgs rucksack you need more energy otherwise you are slower, end of story. The ACO saw this and made this rule for the average weight. I think it is a very good direction because ultimately it is just laws of physics.
“Overall I think it is good for motorsport in general because racing should be inclusive and not exclusive. It shouldn’t matter how tall, heavy or where you are from, it should always be about the talent, whether that is from karting up to this level of competition.”
