Yahoo Autos McLaren Is Considering Building an IMSA DPi Car
McLaren Technology Group Executive Director Zak Brown revealed the British company is in talks with IMSA for a possible Daytona Prototype International entry for the 2019 season. Brown also says he'd like to see the World Endurance Championship adopt a global platform that shares chassis rules with IMSA, making it easier for teams to compete in both the WEC and IMSA without having to develop separate cars.
(Pictured above: McLaren P1 GTR)
Sportscar365 got the chance to chat with Brown, who revealed a feasibility study for a McLaren factory IMSA car is already ongoing.
"It is under evaluation,” Brown told Sportscar365. “We want to see where DPi goes."
“We like DPi; we love IMSA and we love the World Endurance Championship and Le Mans," Brown added. "Would they land on a DPi formula, or something like it, that would be something we’d very seriously consider."
The future of the WEC's LMP1 class is cloudy thanks to Porsche's withdrawal, leaving Toyota as the sole competitor. If the FIA were to follow Brown's suggestion and align chassis rules with IMSA's regulations, it would allow teams to build a single car to enter into the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the 24 Hours of Daytona, and the 12 Hours of Sebring, which would be pretty awesome.
“I hope they ultimately come up with a global formula,” Brown told Sportscar365. “I’d love to see racing in the top category where someone can try to win the ‘big three.’"
“If we could come up with a formula that works for all, I think that would be great for the world of sports car racing," Brown added.
We agree, but of course, everything is up in the air at this point in time. The status of the proposed 2020 LMP1 rules, which makes cars run on an all-electric mode for certain periods of time, is now unknown thanks to Porsche's exit, meaning companies like McLaren need to wait and see how things turn out before committing to a series.
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