Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Ferrari considering return to Le Mans racing in 2015

Rumors are swirling that Ferrari may be contemplating a return to Le Mans racing as soon as 2015. Germany's Auto Motor und Sport reports the Italian automaker may apply the development of a new 1.6-liter turbocharged V6 engine for Formula One to an LMP1 car for Le Mans, and have it ready for the 24 Hours of Le Mans in two years. This follows hints made by Scuderia Ferrari CEO Stefano Domenicali last month that the newly developed F1 engine could be used for "some interesting projects."

Ferrari has a history of success in Le Mans racing, though it hasn't won the big endurance outright since 1965. The image above captures the exact moment when the No. 21 car of Masten Gregory and Jochen Rindt crossed the finish line that year to win the race. That win was the last of six consecutive outright victories before the infamous arrival of the Ford GT40 in 1966. Despite never reaching the top of the podium again, Ferrari's nine wins still stand as the third most overall by a manufacturer behind Porsche (16) and Audi (11).

If Ferrari does return to Le Mans in 2015, the LMP1 class will suddenly be teaming with worthy competitors for Audi, which has dominated the race since 2000. After Peugeot's exit from the sport in early 2012, Toyota entered the race in 2012 and has continued to develop its TS030 Hybrid LMP1 car. Porsche, meanwhile, is well into developing a new LMP1 car that will first compete in next year's race.

http://www.autoblog.com/2013/08/01/f...rs-of-le-mans/

gengar

It would be nice to see Ferrari back in it, even if only for historical reasons.

If they enter, I assume they'll also pair it with a hybrid system to try to compete with Toyota/Audi on fuel efficiency. It would be interesting to see how a hybrid turbo 1.6V6 compares to the turbodiesel 3.7V6 and the naturally-aspirated 3.4V8 in the Audi/Toyota.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

I too would like to see Ferrari back for nostalgia purposes

I love the Ferrari/Ford rivalry

TRDFantasy

I could care less if Ferrari enters, but if they do, sure why not.

I'm more excited about the three-way battle we will see between Porsche, Audi, and Toyota in LMP1. That is going to be epic!

I8ABMR

it will be cool if they return to LMP1. The GT class we see all the time here in the states. I want to see what Ferrari can do without the open wheel layout. I personally don't like F1. Its so boring. Nobody passes since its so dangerous and the cars are all equally powered and set up so nobody has a chance to pass unless someone makes a mistake. I don't see the kind of battle you see with much lower powered cars